Search Results (216)

Background: Between 2014 and 2024, Poland underwent a significant digital transformation in its healthcare sector, evolving from isolated initiatives to a cohesive national eHealth ecosystem. This review examines the development, clinical significance, and research trends in telemedicine in Poland, providing comparative insights from 1995 to 2015 and assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A narrative review was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases to identify peer-reviewed articles published between January 2014 and December 2024. A total of 1012 records were identified, and 212 articles were included after applying predefined inclusion criteria. These articles were categorized by medical specialty, study type, COVID-19 relevance, and clinical versus nonclinical focus. Gray literature and policy reports were examined only to provide a context for the findings. Results: Ninety-six publications were included in the clinical studies. The most common specialties are cardiology, psychiatry, geriatrics, general practice, and rehabilitation. In earlier years, survey-based and observational designs were predominant, whereas later years saw an increase in interventional trials and studies enabled by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on research activity, accelerating the adoption of digital technologies in previously underrepresented fields, such as pulmonology and palliative care, as well as in the routine use of modern Internet communication technologies for daily patient–doctor interactions. Discussion: Advancements in digital health (including eHealth and telemedicine) in Poland have been driven by policy reforms, technological advancements, and epidemiological events, such as COVID-19. Various fields have evolved from feasibility studies to clinical trials, and emerging specialties have focused on user experience and implementation. However, the adoption of AI and its interoperability remains underdeveloped, primarily because of regulatory and reimbursement challenges. Conclusions: Poland has made significant strides in institutionalizing digital health; however, ongoing innovation necessitates regulatory alignment, strategic funding, and enhanced collaboration between academia and industry. As the country aligns with the European Union (EU) initiatives, such as the European Health Data Space, it has the potential to lead to regional integration in digital health. Full article

The development of Industry 4.0 has accelerated the adoption of sophisticated technologies, including Digital Twins (DTs), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity, within Additive Manufacturing (AM). Enabling real-time monitoring, process optimization, predictive maintenance, and secure data management can redefine conventional manufacturing paradigms. Although their individual importance is increasing, a consistent understanding of how these technologies interact and collectively improve AM procedures is lacking. Focusing on the integration of digital twins (DTs), modular AI, and cybersecurity in AM, this review presents a comprehensive analysis of over 137 research publications from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. The publications are categorized into three thematic groups, followed by an analysis of key findings. Finally, the study identifies research gaps and proposes detailed recommendations along with a framework for future research. The study reveals that traditional AM processes have undergone significant transformations driven by digital threads, digital threads (DTs), and AI. However, this digitalization introduces vulnerabilities, leaving AM systems prone to cyber-physical attacks. Emerging advancements in AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Blockchain present promising solutions to mitigate these challenges. This paper is among the first to comprehensively summarize and evaluate the advancements in AM, emphasizing the integration of DTs, Modular AI, and cybersecurity strategies. Full article

This literature review explores the role of symmetry in thermal sciences, fluid dynamics, and energy applications, emphasizing the theoretical and practical implications. Symmetry is a fundamental tool for simplifying complex problems, enhancing computational efficiency, and improving system design across multiple engineering and physics domains. Thermal and fluid processes are applied in several modern energy use technologies, essentially involving the complex, multidimensional interaction of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, such as renewable energy applications, combustion diagnostics, or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based optimization, where symmetry is highly considered to simplify geometric parameters. Indeed, the interconnection between experimental analysis and the numerical simulation of processes is an important field. Symmetry operates as a unifying principle, its presence determining everything from the stability of turbulent flows to the efficiency of nuclear reactors, revealing hidden patterns that transcend scales and disciplines. Rotational invariance in pipelines; rotors of hydraulic, thermal, and wind turbines, and in many other cases, for instance, not only lowers computational cost but also guarantees that solutions validated in the laboratory can be effectively scaled up to industrial applications, demonstrating its crucial role in bridging theoretical concepts and real-world implementation. Thus, a wide range of symmetry solutions is exhibited in this research area, the results of which contribute to the development of science and fast information for decision making in industry. In this review, essential findings from prominent research were synthesized, highlighting how symmetry has been conceptualized and applied in these contexts. Full article

The objectives of this study were to prepare whey protein–quercetin–gellan gum conjugates using the pH-shift method and to evaluate the impacts of varying pH values and quercetin concentrations on the interaction mechanisms and functional characteristics of the complexes. Spectroscopic analyses (fluorescence, UV-vis, and FT-IR) revealed that new complexes formed under alkaline conditions. Notably, an increasing quercetin concentration led to a reduction in complex particle size and an increase in the zeta potential value, with these effects being more pronounced under alkaline conditions. The particle size was 425.7 nm, and the zeta potential value was −30.00 mV at a quercetin addition concentration of 15 umol/g protein. Additionally, the complexes formed under alkaline conditions exhibited superior foaming capacity, emulsification properties, and significantly enhanced free radical scavenging activity. The complex’s DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging rates rose by 41.57% and 57.69%, respectively. This study provides theoretical foundations and practical insights for developing protein—polyphenol systems, offering significant implications for the application of quercetin functional foods and supplements in the food science and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

The current proceedings summarize the presentations delivered during the third International Electronic Conference on Microbiology (ECM 2025), which was held online from 1 to 3 April 2025, via the SciForum platform. This virtual event brought together researchers from around the world to share recent advances in microbiological sciences. The ECM 2025 highlighted recent developments across a broad spectrum of microbiological research, including antimicrobial resistance, gut microbiota, infectious diseases, and environmental microbiomes. Participants shared their work through online presentations and abstracts, with selected submissions invited for full publication. The event fostered global collaboration, promoted open-access science, and showcased innovative tools for studying and managing microbial systems in health, agriculture, and industry. The multidisciplinary program was organized into several thematic sessions: S1. Gut Microbiota and Health Disease. S2. Foodborne Pathogens and Food Safety. S3. Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance. S4. Emerging Infectious Diseases. S5. Microbiome and Soil Science. S6. Microbial Characterization and Bioprocess. S7. Microbe–Plant Interactions. This conference report presents summaries of the contributions made by participating authors over the three-day event. Full article

Wax deposition, driven by the crystallization of long-chain n-alkanes, poses severe challenges across industries such as petroleum, oil and natural gas, food processing, and chemical manufacturing. This phenomenon compromises flow efficiency, increases energy demands, and necessitates costly maintenance interventions. Wax inhibitors, designed to mitigate these issues, operate by altering wax crystallization, aggregation, and adhesion over the pipelines. Classic wax inhibitors, comprising synthetic polymers and natural compounds, have been widely utilized due to their established efficiency and scalability. However, synthetic inhibitors face environmental concerns, while natural inhibitors exhibit reduced performance under extreme conditions. The advent of nano-based wax inhibitors has revolutionized wax management strategies. These advanced materials, including nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, and nanocomposites, leverage their high surface area and tunable interfacial properties to enhance efficiency, particularly in harsh environments. While offering superior performance, nano-based inhibitors are constrained by high production costs, scalability challenges, and potential environmental risks. In parallel, the development of “green” wax inhibitors derived from renewable resources such as vegetable oils addresses sustainability demands. These eco-friendly formulations introduce functionalities that reinforce inhibitory interactions with wax crystals, enabling effective deposition control while reducing reliance on synthetic components. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms, applications, and comparative performance of classic and nano-based wax inhibitors. It highlights the growing integration of sustainable and hybrid approaches that combine the reliability of classic inhibitors with the advanced capabilities of nano-based systems. Future directions emphasize the need for cost-effective, eco-friendly solutions through innovations in material science, computational modeling, and biotechnology. Full article

The integration of financial technology expenditures and green total factor productivity (GTFP) constitutes a critical impetus for sustainable economic advancement. This study employs provincial panel data from China (2012–2020) and uses the SBM model with undesirable outputs, the PVAR model, moderation effect analysis, and threshold regression to investigate the underlying mechanisms and threshold effects of financial technology expenditure on GTFP. The results show that (1) financial technology expenditure has a significant promoting effect on the growth of GTFP, with a coefficient of 0.614 (p < 0.05), indicating the need for further increases in fiscal investment in science and technology; (2) the effect of financial technology expenditure on GTFP varies across the eastern, central, and western regions of China, with stronger effects observed in the eastern region, suggesting that the government should formulate differentiated financial technology expenditure policies on the basis of local conditions; and (3) that educational investment and industrial upgrading play strong moderating roles in the impact of financial technology expenditure on GTFP, with interaction term coefficients of 0.059 (p < 0.05) and 0.206 (p < 0.1), respectively. Threshold analysis further reveals that the positive effect strengthens significantly once educational investment surpasses a log value of 9.3674 and industrial upgrading exceeds a ratio of 0.0814. However, currently, China’s education investment and industrial structure upgrading are still insufficient, necessitating further increases in education investment and promoting the transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure. Full article

The increasing demand for data-driven decision making to maintain the innovations and competitiveness of organizations highlights the need for data science educations across academia and industry. At its core is a solid understanding of statistics, which is necessary for conducting a thorough analysis of data and deriving valuable insights. Unfortunately, conventional statistics learning often lacks practice in real-world applications using computer programs, causing a separation between conceptual knowledge of statistics equations and their hands-on skills. Integrating statistics learning into Python programming can convey an effective solution for this problem, where it has become essential in data science implementations, with extensive and versatile libraries. In this paper, we present a self-learning method for fundamental statistics through Python programming for data science studies. Unlike conventional approaches, our method integrates three types of interactive problems—element fill-in-blank problem (EFP), grammar-concept understanding problem (GUP), and value trace problem (VTP)—in the Programming Learning Assistant System (PLAS). This combination allows students to write code, understand concepts, and trace the output value while obtaining instant feedback so that they can improve retention, knowledge, and practical skills in learning statistics using Python programming. For evaluations, we generated 22 instances using source codes for fundamental statistics topics, and assigned them to 40 first-year undergraduate students at UPN Veteran Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Statistics analytical methods were utilized to analyze the student learning performances. The results show that a significant correlation ($\rho <0.05$) exists between the students who solved our proposal and those who did not. The results confirm that it can effectively assist students in learning fundamental statistics self-learning using Python programming for data science implementations. Full article

This study aims to reveal the influence mechanism of innovation competition on the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry in Chinese local governments. Additionally, the study provides a theoretical basis for understanding how governments’ investment in science and technology breaks through key technological bottlenecks, enhances the innovation ability of enterprises, and promotes the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. Based on balanced panel data of 269 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2008 to 2021, the entropy value method is used to construct a comprehensive evaluation index of manufacturing development quality, and a two-way fixed-effect panel model is employed for the empirical analysis. The findings reveal that (1) for every 1% increase in local government investment in science and technology, the manufacturing high-quality development index will increase by 0.261%, indicating that local governments’ innovation competition significantly promotes the quality of manufacturing development; (2) enterprise innovation capacity plays a mediating role between government competition and manufacturing quality improvement; (3) the combined mechanism of innovation drive and promotion tournament results in a significant spatial strategic interaction of local governments’ innovation competition and a positive spillover effect on neighboring regions. Therefore, this study suggests that local governments implement different science and technology innovation investment strategies to optimize the allocation of innovation resources according to the regional manufacturing technology level. Full article

Innovation has become a pivotal factor in driving economic growth for cities and regions. Urban innovation spaces are urban spaces where innovative economic and industrial activities, such as research, teaching, and high-tech manufacturing, are clustered. They have become hot research topics in recent years. Evaluating the performance of urban innovation spaces to promote rational resource allocation and enhance land development potential has become a critical task in urban planning. However, existing studies suffer from insufficient depth of research scales and a lack of quantitative indicators and data analysis. In response to the above gaps, this study constructed a framework for evaluating the performance of urban innovation spaces from 25 indicators of five major types, including core elements of innovation, entrepreneurship support institutions, service facilities, external environments, and diversities, aiming to quantify the performance heterogeneity of innovation spaces at the micro scale. This study took Harbin as an example and employed the entropy, kernel density estimation, and entropy-weighted TOPSIS methods, identifying four high-scoring areas of innovation spaces—the Science and Technology Innovation City area, the High-tech Industrial Development area, the core area of the old city, and the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute area—which were divided into three types: the Entrepreneurial leading area, Environmental Support area, and Balanced Development area. Finally, this study analyzed the interaction between each indicator. It was found that the correlation between the core elements of innovation and the indicators of entrepreneurship support institutions was strong and had a high degree of importance. The correlation of different types of service facility indicators is quite different, and the external environment indicators and diversity indicators are mainly affected by other indicators, especially the core elements of innovation and entrepreneurship support institutions. This paper provides a valuable tool for the performance evaluation of urban innovation spaces for researchers and urban planning decision makers. Full article

Inulin and agavin fructans have been widely used in the food industry as fat substitutes, wall materials, and prebiotics, among other applications. Chemical modifications offer several advantages, from enhancing functional properties to broadening industrial applications, making them a key area of research in biotechnology, nutrition, and food science. This review examines the chemical modifications of fructans, specifically the inulin and agavin types. It describes the most commonly used methods, their characteristics, and their impact on the physicochemical, functional, and prebiotic properties of fructans. Additionally, it explores the interactions underlying these changes. Modifications enhance, extend, or generate new biological properties and activities. While most yield positive outcomes, challenges remain, including a deeper understanding of the structure–bioactivity relationships and further toxicity assessments, particularly in agavins. These insights aim to guide future research and innovation in the field. Full article

The interactions between marine predators such as the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and fish farms have raised concerns regarding the potential environmental impacts of the industry on surrounding marine ecosystems. This study investigated the potential role of fish farm workers in monitoring marine biodiversity around aquaculture sites, comparing their potential involvement with that of other maritime workers. Interviews were conducted with maritime workers, including fish farm workers, in order to understand their perceptions of monk seal interactions with fish farms. The author also carried out direct data collection at fish farms to validate these perceptions. The results show a strong alignment between the workers’ perceptions and the data collected by the author on key parameters such as the presence, frequency, and seasonality of monk seals on fish farms. Furthermore, 75% of the 16 fish farm workers interviewed expressed no animosity toward monk seals. This underscores fish farm workers potential for involvement in monitoring initiatives and their understanding of monk seal interactions on fish farms. Given their constant presence at sea and proximity to key interaction zones, maritime workers are well-positioned to monitor environmental pressures and provide valuable data. With appropriate training, these workers could become valuable participants in targeted citizen science efforts, enhancing the public image of the aquaculture industry and advancing research on marine life in the vicinity of aquaculture installations. Full article

Ultrasound technology has emerged as a transformative tool in modern food science, offering non-destructive, real-time assessment and enhancement of food quality attributes. This review systematically explores the fundamental mechanisms by which ultrasound interacts with food matrices, including mechanical effects such as acoustic cavitation, localized shear forces, and microstreaming, as well as thermal and acoustic attenuation phenomena. Applications of ultrasound in food texture evaluation are discussed across multiple sectors, with particular emphasis on its role in assessing moisture distribution, fat content, structural integrity, and microstructural alterations in meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. The versatility of ultrasound—spanning low-intensity quality assessments to high-intensity processing interventions—makes it an invaluable technology for both quality control and product innovation. Moreover, emerging innovations such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, non-thermal pasteurization, and real-time quality monitoring are highlighted, demonstrating the synergy between ultrasound and advanced technologies like AI-driven data interpretation and portable, handheld sensing devices. Despite these advances, challenges related to technical limitations in heterogeneous food systems, high initial investment costs, scalability, and the absence of standardized protocols remain critical barriers to widespread adoption. The future directions emphasize the integration of ultrasound with multi-modal approaches, the development of miniaturized and cost-effective equipment, and the establishment of global regulatory standards to facilitate its broader application. Overall, ultrasound is positioned as a key enabler for sustainable, efficient, and non-invasive quality assurance across the global food industry. Full article

Currently, optical fibers play a leading role in telecommunications, serve as special transmission components for industrial applications, and form the basis of highly sensitive sensor elements. One of the most commonly used modifications is the reduction in the initial dimensions of the cladding and core to a few or several micrometers, allowing the evanescent wave emerging from the tapered region to interact with the surrounding environment. As a result, the microfiber formed in this way is highly sensitive to any changes in its surroundings, making it an ideal sensing element. This article primarily focuses on reviewing the latest trends in science involving various types of optical microfibers, including tapers, rings, loops, coils, and tapered fiber Bragg gratings. Additionally, it discusses the most commonly used materials for coating fiber optic elements—such as metals, oxides, polymers, organic materials, and graphene—which enhance sensitivity to specific physical factors and enable selectivity in the developed sensors. Full article

Both for design issues and for the study, analysis, and understanding of the interaction of workers with exoskeletons, the study of adverse effects provides criteria to improve the design of more efficient exoskeletons with better ergonomics and long-term usability. In this work, a scoping review was carried out on adverse effects due to the prolonged use of upper-limb exoskeletons, which have been evidenced in the scientific literature. The causes of the effects are described in terms of their impacts on the physiological, psychological, and technological aspects that affect the user. A scoping review of articles of the last ten years on negative effects of upper-extremity exoskeletons for industrial tasks was carried out following the guidelines of the PRISMA^® methodology with three phases: formulation of questions, definition of scopes and exhaustive search in SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct, Taylor & Francis, and PubMed. The selection was made by two review authors with a Cohen’s Kappa coefficient of 0.9530, indicating high agreement. The effectiveness of upper-limb exoskeletons depends on the environment and the task, so an adaptable ergonomic design, field validations, and standards are required to ensure their functionality and acceptance. Use of exoskeletons mainly activates the posterior deltoid and latissimus dorsi and reduces the activity of muscles such as the trapezius, pectoralis major, anterior and middle deltoids, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, and flexor carpi radialis. Full article