Search Results (2,473)

Inadequate charging infrastructure is considered a major challenge in the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), especially the absence of the optimal number of chargers in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) where several EVs need to share the same chargers. Therefore, this study proposes an optimization approach to determine the optimal number of chargers in MURBs, considering continuous and flexible charging options. First, the daily travel behavior of drivers is estimated using National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data. Then, based on the technical parameters of EVs, the daily energy consumption of EVs is estimated. Subsequently, a mathematical problem with a unified objective function and scenario-specific constraints is developed. Finally, an index is proposed to quantify the unserved energy in EVs. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the flexible method in reducing the required number of chargers while ensuring satisfactory service. This research contributes to sustainable energy management, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. Full article

Structural symmetry appears as a natural feature in both optimal solution landscapes and hospital scheduling behaviors, representing an inherent balance that can be deliberately leveraged to improve how quickly algorithms converge and how reliably systems perform in intricate healthcare optimization contexts. Managing hospital resources is a multifaceted challenge that requires simultaneously addressing several competing goals, such as reducing costs, improving patient experiences, making the most of available resources, distributing staff workload fairly, and strengthening readiness for emergencies. Traditional optimization approaches frequently struggle to cope with the complexity and ever-changing nature of modern healthcare environments. To address this gap, this study introduces a novel Multi-Objective Dream Optimization Algorithm (MO-DOA) tailored for smart healthcare resource management, which adapts a biologically inspired optimization framework to meet the specific demands of healthcare settings. The MO-DOA is built around three core mechanisms: a foundational memory component that retains high-quality solutions, a forgetting-supplementation component that maintains a productive balance between exploration and exploitation, and a dream-sharing component that promotes diversity among candidate solutions. Rigorous testing across realistic hospital environments confirms MO-DOA’s outstanding effectiveness, with results showing a 21.86% gain in resource utilization, a 30.95% decrease in patient waiting times, a 19.06% boost in patient satisfaction, and a 29.56% improvement in how evenly staff workloads are distributed. The algorithm’s emergency response capabilities are especially noteworthy, achieving bed assignments within 4.23 min and an equipment deployment success rate of 94.56%. Computationally, the algorithm proves highly efficient, with an average response time of 18.87 s and strong scalability across different operational scales. Collectively, these findings position MO-DOA as a powerful and practical tool for optimizing hospital operations in real time. Full article

Labour market integration of immigrants remains a key policy priority, yet practical implementation continues to face challenges. This study aimed to co-design and re-design solutions to strengthen support within an Active Labour Market Programme (ALMP) to promote immigrants’ sustainable working lives. Using a co-creative qualitative design, data were gathered through workshops with caseworkers, job coaches, immigrant participants, and workplace supervisors in a Swedish municipality. The findings identified four central aspects for improvement—providing timely and accurate information, aligning efforts toward shared goals, targeting individualised support, and integrating language learning at the workplace—emphasising the need for coherent and collaborative programme structures to facilitate a sustainable working life for immigrants. Full article

With the goal of maximizing opportunities for inclusivity for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this systematic narrative review, which allows for more interpretive inferences, investigates the use of magic-based interventions to determine if the skills needed for learning and performing magic tricks have commonality with skills needed to improve social skills deficits, as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) (i.e., deficits in social–emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication used for social interaction, and developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships). The main purpose of this article is to highlight empirical studies that explore how using magic tricks with students with ASD might be beneficial in social skills development, particularly social–emotional reciprocity. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, a systematic narrative review was conducted. This resulted in a total of 129 articles reviewed and discussed using an integrative narrative synthesis approach. The findings reveal elements in common in both learning and performing magic tricks and skills needed to improve social skills, including nonverbal communication skills used for social interactions. Skills gained when learning and performing magic tricks also share overlapping elements needed to create and maintain friendships. Conceptually, findings suggest that learning and performing magic tricks provide a natural setting to practice skills needed to successfully attain social–emotional reciprocity, which could, theoretically, increase inclusion opportunities for students with ASD. Therefore, educators may consider including magic tricks in the classroom setting as a strategy to improve social skills deficits of students with ASD. Full article

Formative assessment is widely seen as a key teaching strategy to support student learning; however, evidence about its connection with self-regulated learning and the alignment between teachers’ and students’ perceptions remains mixed. This study explored the role of formative assessment in promoting self-regulated learning in lower secondary mathematics by incorporating both students’ and teachers’ viewpoints. From a co-regulatory perspective, formative assessment is considered a process developed through ongoing interactions between teachers and students and shared views of assessment practices. The sample included 305 students from Grades 5–9 and 39 mathematics teachers. Students reported their perceptions of formative assessment practices and self-regulated learning, while teachers reported their own practices. Analyses included Pearson correlation and multiple regression at the student level, along with class-level comparisons of teacher–student perceptions and analyses of perceptual agreement. Results revealed that students’ perceptions of formative assessment were positively linked to cognitive, metacognitive, behavioral, and motivational dimensions of self-regulated learning. Multiple regression results showed that different aspects of formative assessment significantly predicted students’ self-regulation, with the greatest explained variance in behavioral self-regulation. Teachers believed they used more formative assessment practices than students perceived. Additionally, higher levels of perceptual agreement between teachers and students, especially in clarifying learning goals and gathering evidence of learning, were associated with increased behavioral regulation and motivational independence among students. These findings emphasize formative assessment in mathematics as a relational and co-regulatory process that relies on shared understanding between teachers and students. Full article

In the context of China’s transition from “dual control of energy consumption” to “dual control of carbon emissions,” understanding the synergistic mechanisms among carbon emission trading (CET), energy use rights trading (EURT), and electricity markets is critical for achieving the nation’s dual carbon goals. This study develops a system dynamics (SD) model to examine the coupled interactions within this “carbon–electricity–energy” ternary market system, focusing on thermal power enterprises as the primary analytical subject. The model reveals that the ternary market framework drives energy conservation and emission reduction through three key mechanisms: price signal transmission, dual regulatory constraints, and mutual quota recognition. These mechanisms propagate low-carbon incentives throughout the industrial chain by transmitting cost signals to end-users via electricity prices. Compared to binary market structures, the ternary framework achieves superior outcomes, it facilitates higher renewable energy consumption, maintains more stable price levels, enhances market liquidity for both carbon and energy rights, and improves resource allocation efficiency alongside environmental–economic performance. However, the simulation also exposes critical inefficiencies under the current “dual control of energy consumption” regime. The parallel operation of EURT and CET markets creates functional overlap and duplicated compliance burdens. This redundancy increases enterprise costs without commensurate environmental gains, validating the necessity of transitioning to carbon-focused dual control. Further analysis demonstrates that a mutual recognition mechanism between carbon and energy rights effectively alleviates dual compliance pressures and improves enterprise profitability. Optimal market performance emerges when the recognition ratio is appropriately calibrated. Additionally, gradually increasing the share of auctioned quotas while maintaining appropriate levels of free allowances can drive emission reductions without compromising enterprise profitability. This research provides both theoretical foundations and practical policy recommendations for building an efficient multi-market coordination mechanism, facilitating the policy transition, and advancing low-carbon transformation in China’s power sector. Full article

Background/Objectives: The multifaceted concept of body image (BI) refers to an individual’s attitudes and impressions of their body. Negative BI is associated with a number of harmful health consequences, including obesity, eating disorders, and symptoms of sadness. The contemporary digital era, marked by the dominance of platforms, has brought about a considerable transformation in the landscape of BI issues. This study’s goal is to compile and assess the connections between social media (SM) use, body weight, and BI in adult populations. Methods: This is a narrative review that comprehensively searches across multiple academic databases, such as PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Studies that used SM (online blogs, microblogs, content communities, or social networking sites) for engagement (e.g., sharing, commenting, liking) or image-related activities (e.g., viewing, posting, or engaging with images) with healthy adults (aged 18–70 years) of any body mass index (BMI kg/m²) met the inclusion criteria. Included were observational and experimental studies that examined habitual SM use. Only peer-reviewed works published in English between 2015 and 2025 met the search criteria. Results: The currently available findings suggest that obese people are more dissatisfied with their bodies than people of normal weight, and obese women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than their peers of normal weight. Furthermore, experimental studies have demonstrated that immediate BI is adversely affected by acute exposure to idealized social media photographs. Conclusions: Policies should support specialized training that emphasizes a holistic approach to health and puts functionality and health above attractiveness. This training is crucial for dispelling weight-related stigmas and enabling healthcare providers to offer compassionate treatment that supports mental and physical health. Future research must concentrate on internalization and social pressure or reinforcement because these subjects have not gotten as much emphasis in prior studies. Such mechanism research could help better contextualize the role of recently introduced SM items. Full article

Promoting the commercialization of agricultural science and technology (S&T) achievements is a critical pathway toward achieving agricultural sustainability and a key governance challenge in advancing global food security and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, China faces a structural paradox: despite sustained expansion of policy supply, the performance gains in technology commercialization remain limited. To uncover the underlying causes, this study integrates Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling with the Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC) index to conduct a systematic analysis of 82 central-level policy documents issued between 2015 and 2025. The findings reveal that policy attention is heavily concentrated on upstream R&D support, while insufficient emphasis is placed on downstream “last-mile” enablers—such as diffusion services, risk-sharing mechanisms, and intermediary capacity building. Moreover, many policies exhibit structural deficiencies in temporal specificity and multi-actor coordination, which hinder the formation of closed-loop implementation chains. The results suggest that policy structural inconsistency may be a key mechanism constraining policy effectiveness. By adopting a dual analytical lens of “attention allocation–structural design,” this study provides empirical evidence for optimizing policy formulation and enhancing institutional efficacy in agricultural S&T commercialization. Full article

Objective: This study evaluates the pre–post changes in dental knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors following a community health worker (CHW)-led intervention. Methods: Adult caregivers from migrant worker families living near the United States–Mexico border participated in the five-week, in-person, CHW-led intervention program. The two-hour once/week interactive sessions were held in Spanish and included oral health education, skill-building, and goal-setting. Participants completed pre- and post-surveys about dental knowledge, attitudes, skills, and oral hygiene behaviors (N = 117). Participants self-reported frequency of brushing and flossing in the prior week, which was dichotomized to reflect meeting the American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines of brushing twice/day and flossing once/day. Mean group comparisons and paired t-tests were conducted to assess pre- and post-intervention differences. Intervention feedback was also evaluated. Results: Pre-intervention, most adults met hygiene guidelines, and in the overall sample, there were no significant differences post-intervention. However, there were meaningful behavior change differences observed among subgroups not meeting ADA guidelines at baseline. Among the 32% of adults who did not meet ADA brushing guidelines and the 61% that did not meet ADA flossing guidelines at baseline, there were significant improvements post-intervention and increased weekly frequency for brushing (p < 0.001) and flossing (p < 0.001). Pre-intervention, 30% reported not being taught to properly brush or floss; post-intervention, only 3% reported not being taught this skill (p < 0.001). Knowledge (p < 0.001) and some attitudes, including self-efficacy (p < 0.001), significantly increased post-intervention. Program feedback from participants and CHWs was positive, and 81% of participants shared materials. Conclusions: After the CHW-led intervention, there were increases in the adults’ self-reported dental knowledge, some attitudes, and hygiene skills. Toothbrushing and flossing frequency increased post-intervention among the subgroups of adults that were not already meeting ADA guidelines at baseline. Full article

This qualitative study examined how a 21-day integrated program fosters interoceptive awareness and mind–body integration among urban adults in mainland China (n = 11). The intervention combined daily nasal breathing regulation, spontaneous mandala making, and descriptive journaling, complemented by weekly group sharing. Using a cultural–psychological lens, we investigated how an inward–turning tradition in Chinese culture shapes embodied experience and meaning–making. Applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to diaries, drawings, and focus-group data, we identified three interrelated processes: (1) the refinement of bodily attention; (2) a shift from deliberate control to natural immersion; and (3) the symbolization of feeling through artistic expression and social resonance. Findings indicate that systematic engagement in the “breath–mandala” intervention heightened sensitivity to chest-centered embodied sensations and promoted the integration of bodily experience into personal narratives; a non-goal-directed, relaxed practice style facilitated the transition from control to absorption, activating self-regulatory mechanisms; and non-evaluative awareness deepened flow while supporting cognitive reorganization and reflective capacity. The study delineates a core pathway by which breath-triggered interoceptive work operates within mind–body interventions, offering a theoretical basis and practical direction for tailored regulation programs across diverse populations. Full article

While sustainability is set as a goal by a broad range of international organizations, its definition varies, and there is still a lack of practical criteria for product designers to evaluate the degree of (un)sustainability in the design phase. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can allow quantification of the environmental impacts of a product but is often carried out post-design, when the manufacturing process is already settled. Finally, while significant advances have been made towards standardizing LCA calculations by providing product category rules, large uncertainties remain in the calculation results due to a lack of transparency regarding the choices of databases, system boundaries, allocation, cut-off rules, and level of data granularity. A practical way to improve in those areas is to share with the semiconductor community a parametrizable life cycle inventory (LCI) model based on a target device to (1) identify knowledge gaps in LCA methods for such products, (2) identify the main process variables, and (3) provide a starting point for LCA calculations by the designers themselves. With this aim, a parametrizable cradle-to-gate manufacturing LCI model was developed based on the peer-reviewed process flow of a trench field-stop silicon insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) semiconductor power device. The model allows computation of the environmental impacts of the IGBT manufacturing process based on different tunable parameters such as die size, wafer diameter, manufacturing yield, abatement efficiency, wafer fab throughput, wafer fab location, and associated electricity mix. Embedding a high level of data granularity, it helps identify, at elementary process levels, key environmental hotspots and associated technical levers for their reduction. Analysis of the IGBT manufacturing process tends to demonstrate the importance of an impact assessment approach considering multiple environmental categories, going beyond the sole focus on greenhouse gas emissions and accounting for potential transfers of impact. With an open-source mindset and in a continuous improvement prospective, the manufacturing inventory model and its associated tools are freely available from a public GitHub repository and open for comments and consolidation from users. Full article

The goal of this paper was to develop an approach to managing the investment mechanism in an innovative financial economy, which would fit the modern era of global uncertainty. To achieve this, we conducted trend, correlation, and regression analyses of risk management in venture investing in BRICS+ based on statistics for the period of global uncertainty (2014–2025). The compiled econometric model of the effectiveness of risk management in venture investing in the innovative financial economy of BRICS+ amid global uncertainty highlighted differences in approaches to managing the investment mechanism in this economy, depending on the level of risk it entails. In the age of free trade, the approach involved the use of the two tools of risk management of venture investing within the state management of an innovative economy: acceleration of economic growth and energy transition. In the current age of global uncertainty, there is a need for a new approach. It is developed in this paper and involves the use of market management tools: high-tech exports and the export of intellectual property objects. The perspectives of accelerating the development of an innovative financial economy of BRICS+ in the age of global uncertainty include the revision of the approach to the management of the investment mechanism in an innovative financial economy. For this, it is recommended to increase revenues from selling rights for intellectual property objects at a higher rate compared to recent years and to make a transition to an increase in the share of high-tech exports in the structure of industrial exports. The advantages of the proprietary model include the disclosure of the poorly studied experience of developing countries, accounting for global uncertainty (in the world economy), and a larger period of empirical research of the economies of the countries of BRICS+, which encompasses 2014–2025 and ensures a fuller and more precise and reliable interpretation of the dynamics of risks of venture investing and return on the measures of risk management in these countries. Full article

Smart home technologies are increasingly integrated into residential environments jointly inhabited by older adults and young children. However, existing research remains largely ageing-centered and insufficiently addresses the governance challenges arising from generational asymmetries in vulnerability, spatial agency, and authority within shared domestic space. Rather than merely complicating design, these asymmetries fundamentally reshape how safety, autonomy, access, and surveillance are structured in everyday residential practice. This study reconceptualizes senior–child intergenerational co-living as a governance-oriented socio-technical system in which generational asymmetry functions as a structuring principle of design prioritization. An expert-based decision framework integrating interdisciplinary focus groups and the Analytic Hierarchy Process was developed to evaluate five design dimensions and thirty indicators. The findings reveal a differentiated priority structure in which intelligent safety, accessibility, and risk governance together with spatial integration and technological accessibility constitute the foundational architecture of inclusive intergenerational housing, while interaction-oriented functions receive comparatively lower weights. By embedding generational asymmetry within a formal hierarchical evaluation model, this study extends smart housing scholarship beyond ageing-centered optimization and provides a structured decision-support logic for inclusive multi-generational residential design aligned with the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those promoting inclusive communities and health equity. Full article

Background: This paper addresses the need to clarify and highlight the vital roles non-state actors play in strengthening the disaster management ecosystem, drawing on knowledge and experience across sectors and entities. The objective is to underscore the irreplaceable roles of non-state actors in disaster response and the need for shared capacities through the coordination, adoption, and application of agreed-upon protocols across actors and contexts. The research’s ultimate goal is to provide policymakers, crisis managers, non-state actors, and volunteer coordinators with a comprehensive overview of the functional areas, competencies, and capacities of civic organisations across all phases of disaster management. Integrating these organisations into existing governmental crisis management systems offers an opportunity to enhance community resources and capacities through unified communication and interoperability protocols based on existing technical and ethical standards. Methods: The research reviews academic literature, legal and policy frameworks, and grey literature, including recommendations and experiences documented in a repository of 140 CORDIS EU-funded initiatives that illustrate expert and institutional opinions on disaster management. The manuscript also relies on secondary data analyses presenting the opinions collected from 50 participants in an interactive group exercise on the role of non-state actors and volunteers. It further draws on aggregated knowledge from nine consultative workshops involving 20 civic and governmental organisations, synthesising practices, formal standards, robust coordination frameworks, and command-and-control system rules into an innovative voluntary disaster response protocol for non-state actors and volunteers. The findings demonstrate the value of non-state actors in disaster management and how gaps in their engagement can create opportunities to strengthen the disaster management ecosystem by enhancing the cohesion of capacities and resources. Compared with international standards (INSARAG, etc.), a protocol incorporating technical and integrity norms in an accessible, adaptable format emphasises the importance of integrating non-state actors into the formal disaster crisis management system. Conclusions: Establishing a set of standards for coordinated awareness and response, facilitated by continuous communication of roles and competencies among disaster responders at both local and international levels, is essential for the sustainable mitigation of negative impacts before, during, and after emergencies or catastrophic events. Full article

Renewable energy sources (RES) will be the main source of energy in the future. The main goal of this study was to analyze and elaborate a prognosis for the development of renewable energy sources in Poland. Specific objectives included: evaluation of the prognosis developed as part of Poland’s energy policy (PEP), development of our own forecast of the share of renewable energy sources, and comparison of the forecast developed for Poland’s energy policy with our own forecast. We have also elaborated a hypothesis that the prognosis for the development of renewable energy sources for Poland prepared by PEP, and our own prognosis based on Autoregressive Moving Average (ARIMA) models, are both promising and confirm the development of the renewable energy sector in the future. We used the Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test as well as ARIMA models. Moreover, we compared own RES prognosis with prognoses proposed by the European Union. Cumulative capital expenditures from 2021 to 2040, including financing costs, will amount to PLN 300 billion, of which PLN 195 billion go towards renewable energy sources alone. Photovoltaics (PV) will account for the largest share of energy production, reaching 16 GW of achievable capacity, followed by onshore wind farms with 9.7 GW. Solid biomass accounts for the largest share of renewable energy consumption in heating and cooling, although its share is gradually decreasing from 98.6% in 2005 to a projected 75% in 2040. Heat pumps, which had no share in 2005, are expected to increase their share to a projected 11.8% in 2040. Solar technology has also increased from 0% in 2005 to a projected 5.6% in 2040. The share of renewable energy in this energy sector is increasing from 22.1% in 2020 to 31.8% in 2030 and 39.7% in 2040. The prognosis elaborated by PEP for 2025–2040 are very optimistic and the prognosis elaborated based on ARIMA models is also promising. Both prognoses predict the development of RES in the future and the transformation of the energy sector in Poland. Full article