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17 pages, 329 KB  
Article
Living in Religious Life in the Early Modern Period: Rules, Daily Life, and Reforms in Portuguese Nunneries—The Case of the Cistercian Order
by Antónia Fialho Conde
Religions 2026, 17(1), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010098 - 15 Jan 2026
Viewed by 77
Abstract
This article focuses on the choice of the religious life for women during the early modern period, following a Rule that ensured harmony within the cloister. We trace the emergence of codes of life for female communities across time, with particular attention to [...] Read more.
This article focuses on the choice of the religious life for women during the early modern period, following a Rule that ensured harmony within the cloister. We trace the emergence of codes of life for female communities across time, with particular attention to the Rule of St. Benedict and its adoption by Cistercian communities, where silence assumed a particular significance. Silence, sounds, and monastic daily life as governed by the Rule, by the Tridentine decrees and, in the case of Portuguese Cistercian communities, obedience to the Autonomous Congregation of Alcobaça and to its supervisory mechanism of Visitations, were elements that shaped both the discourse presented here and its interpretive framework. While the Council of Trent emphasized the importance of vocation and simultaneously imposed upon women the so-called “fourth vow” (enclosure), documentary evidence allows us to observe to what extent the conventual milieu, composed of women from diverse social origins, remained engaged with the wider world outside cloister; nunneries became both a mode of existence and a space of affirmation for women, one that fostered creativity (in music, writing, painting) and upheld authority and power, embodied in the figure of the abbess and in the acts, rituals, and ceremonies associated with her. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women and Religion in the Medieval and Early Modern World)
30 pages, 5796 KB  
Article
Beyond Physical Upgrades: Reconfiguring Original Residents’ Belongingness in Informal Settlements with a Network–Node–Subject Lens
by Xianyue Tang, Mohan Wang, Kai Liu, Hang Ma and Jinqi Li
Land 2026, 15(1), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15010167 - 14 Jan 2026
Viewed by 97
Abstract
Informal settlements are widely present and important urban spaces, providing valuable living spaces for many migrant populations, low-income groups, and indigenous peoples. However, urbanization faces a common challenge: the transformation of informal settlements often destroys social structures and belongingness. Despite its importance, few [...] Read more.
Informal settlements are widely present and important urban spaces, providing valuable living spaces for many migrant populations, low-income groups, and indigenous peoples. However, urbanization faces a common challenge: the transformation of informal settlements often destroys social structures and belongingness. Despite its importance, few studies have examined how redevelopment is correlated with original residents’ belongingness. To address this gap, this study proposes a research framework of belongingness structured along the logical chain of “network–node–subject”. Social network analysis (SNA) is employed to identify the existing outdoor activity space network and its key nodes. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is then conducted to determine the key environmental features of outdoor activity spaces that influence original residents’ belongingness. Furthermore, K-means clustering is applied to explore the correlation mechanism between space and belongingness across different age groups. This study identifies differentiated and universal elements by analyzing the clustered conflict factors, in order to provide precise policy insights. The findings provide actionable insights for enhancing residents’ belongingness during the redevelopment of informal settlements in cities. Full article
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30 pages, 3060 KB  
Article
LLM-Based Multimodal Feature Extraction and Hierarchical Fusion for Phishing Email Detection
by Xinyang Yuan, Jiarong Wang, Tian Yan and Fazhi Qi
Electronics 2026, 15(2), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15020368 - 14 Jan 2026
Viewed by 69
Abstract
Phishing emails continue to evade conventional detection systems due to their increasingly sophisticated, multi-faceted social engineering tactics. To address the limitations of single-modality or rule-based approaches, we propose SAHF-PD, a novel phishing detection framework that integrates multi-modal feature extraction with semantic-aware hierarchical fusion, [...] Read more.
Phishing emails continue to evade conventional detection systems due to their increasingly sophisticated, multi-faceted social engineering tactics. To address the limitations of single-modality or rule-based approaches, we propose SAHF-PD, a novel phishing detection framework that integrates multi-modal feature extraction with semantic-aware hierarchical fusion, based on large language models (LLMs). Our method leverages modality-specialized large models, each guided by domain-specific prompts and constrained to a standardized output schema, to extract structured feature representations from four complementary sources associated with each phishing email: email body text; open-source intelligence (OSINT) derived from the key embedded URL; screenshot of the landing page; and the corresponding HTML/JavaScript source code. This design mitigates the unstructured and stochastic nature of raw generative outputs, yielding consistent, interpretable, and machine-readable features. These features are then integrated through our Semantic-Aware Hierarchical Fusion (SAHF) mechanism, which organizes them into core, auxiliary, and weakly associated layers according to their semantic relevance to phishing intent. This layered architecture enables dynamic weighting and redundancy reduction based on semantic relevance, which in turn highlights the most discriminative signals across modalities and enhances model interpretability. We also introduce PhishMMF, a publicly released multimodal feature dataset for phishing detection, comprising 11,672 human-verified samples with meticulously extracted structured features from all four modalities. Experiments with eight diverse classifiers demonstrate that the SAHF-PD framework enables exceptional performance. For instance, XGBoost equipped with SAHF attains an AUC of 0.99927 and an F1-score of 0.98728, outperforming the same model using the original feature representation. Moreover, SAHF compresses the original 228-dimensional feature space into a compact 56-dimensional representation (a 75.4% reduction), reducing the average training time across all eight classifiers by 43.7% while maintaining comparable detection accuracy. Ablation studies confirm the unique contribution of each modality. Our work establishes a transparent, efficient, and high-performance foundation for next-generation anti-phishing systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence)
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37 pages, 7703 KB  
Article
Integrating Cultural Heritage into Sustainable Regional Development: The Case of the Potocki Palace Complex in Chervonohrad, Ukraine
by Margot Dudkiewicz-Pietrzyk, Ewa Miłkowska and Uliana Havryliv
Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020836 - 14 Jan 2026
Viewed by 103
Abstract
The Potocki family of the Pilawa coat of arms was among the most powerful noble lineages of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and its history is closely intertwined with that of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. In the late seventeenth century, Feliks Kazimierz Potocki [...] Read more.
The Potocki family of the Pilawa coat of arms was among the most powerful noble lineages of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and its history is closely intertwined with that of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. In the late seventeenth century, Feliks Kazimierz Potocki (1630–1702) founded the town of Krystynopol (now Chervonohrad), named in honor of his wife, Krystyna Lubomirska. The residence, passed down through successive generations of the Potocki family, was transformed in the mid-eighteenth century into an impressive Baroque palace-and-garden complex designed by Pierre Ricaudde Tirregaille, becoming a model example of the magnate cultural landscape on the border of present-day Poland and Ukraine. In the centuries that followed, the estate changed owners multiple times, suffered devastation during the world wars, and in the Soviet period housed the Museum of Atheism. Today, the partially restored palace accommodates a small regional museum. Although in the eighteenth century the palace was surrounded by an extensive Italian-French style garden with water canals, ponds, and fountains, the area has since been built over with public-utility buildings. This study presents a concept for the development of the surviving elements of the historical palace park. The project is based on historical analyses, field research, site inspections, interviews with museum staff and town residents, as well as a detailed dendrological inventory including an assessment of tree health. The study area covers 4.71 ha, and the current tree stand is composed mainly of Salix alba, Populus nigra, Populus alba, Betula pendula, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Ulmus laevis, Acer negundo, and Acer pseudoplatanus. Archival sources allowed for the reconstruction of the original layout of the palace-park complex. The aim of the project is therefore to introduce new representative, educational, recreational, social, ecological, and touristic functions to the currently neglected area while respecting its historical heritage. Full article
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12 pages, 268 KB  
Article
Cognitive Reserve and Creative Thinking in Aging: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Education, Occupation, and Leisure Activities
by Rosa Angela Fabio, Angela Bellantone, Barbara Colombo, Domenica Viviana Bertuccio and Giulia Picciotto
J. Ageing Longev. 2026, 6(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/jal6010010 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 124
Abstract
Cognitive reserve (CR) is widely recognized as a protective factor that supports cognitive functioning across the lifespan. Recent research suggests a reciprocal relationship between CR and creative thinking—particularly divergent thinking (DT)—with DT potentially contributing to and benefiting from CR and remaining relatively preserved [...] Read more.
Cognitive reserve (CR) is widely recognized as a protective factor that supports cognitive functioning across the lifespan. Recent research suggests a reciprocal relationship between CR and creative thinking—particularly divergent thinking (DT)—with DT potentially contributing to and benefiting from CR and remaining relatively preserved in older adulthood. This cross-sectional study, conducted in Italy between April and July 2025 using convenience sampling, examined whether CR predicts verbal and conceptual creativity in healthy older adults. One hundred participants (aged 65–92 years; M = 68.45, SD = 8.12) completed the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq), the Test di Intelligenza Breve (TIB; Short Intelligence Test), and two creativity tasks. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 25.0; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Multiple regression analyses showed that overall CR significantly predicted all creativity outcomes, including verbal fluency (β = 0.316, p = 0.011) and flexibility (β = 0.336, p = 0.007), as well as conceptual fluency (β = 0.371, p = 0.003), flexibility (β = 0.381, p = 0.002), and originality (β = 0.338, p = 0.006). Education and leisure activities more strongly predicted verbal creativity, whereas occupational experience and leisure activities predominantly predicted conceptual creativity. These findings indicate that CR supports creative thinking in later life and highlight the importance of cognitively and socially enriched experiences across the lifespan. Full article
21 pages, 2958 KB  
Article
Regional Prosperity, Elite Patronage, and Religious Transmission: The Publication and Dissemination of Baojuan Literature in Ming China
by Yunou Liu
Religions 2026, 17(1), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010093 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 225
Abstract
The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) was a transformative era for Baojuan (寶卷, “precious scrolls”), a traditional genre of Chinese folk religious literature, which evolved from its Yuan origins to achieve widespread prominence. Luo Qing’s Wubu liuce (五部六冊, “Five Books in Six Volumes”) during the [...] Read more.
The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) was a transformative era for Baojuan (寶卷, “precious scrolls”), a traditional genre of Chinese folk religious literature, which evolved from its Yuan origins to achieve widespread prominence. Luo Qing’s Wubu liuce (五部六冊, “Five Books in Six Volumes”) during the Zhengde reign (1506–1521) marked a pivotal moment, enabling the systematic dissemination of his teachings among diverse social strata and profoundly shaping popular religious beliefs. The Ming Baojuan texts, bridging the developments between the Yuan and Qing periods, offer rich and dispersed data suitable for digital visualization. Employing digital humanities tools such as 3D radar charts and GIS visualization, this study maps the spatial distribution and influence of Baojuan in Ming China. The findings reveal that transportation networks and regional economic prosperity played a crucial role in driving its dissemination, with southern regions–particularly the Wu-Yue region (referring to the historical cultural area encompassing southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, core parts of Ming Jiangnan)–showing high density, reflecting the economic and cultural vitality of Ming Jiangnan. The research further demonstrates that the flourishing of Baojuan publication and dissemination during the Ming period was sustained not only by economic and cultural forces but also by the ruling elite’s patronage, a form of discursive strategies that functioned as a mechanism of sectarian legitimation, thereby underscoring the interdependence of regional prosperity, elite patronage, and religious transmission. Full article
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33 pages, 118991 KB  
Article
Delay-Driven Information Diffusion in Telegram: Modeling, Empirical Analysis, and the Limits of Competition
by Kamila Bakenova, Oleksandr Kuznetsov, Aigul Shaikhanova, Davyd Cherkaskyi, Borys Khrushkov and Valentyn Chernushevych
Big Data Cogn. Comput. 2026, 10(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc10010030 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 265
Abstract
Information diffusion models developed for Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook assume network contagion and competition for shared attention. Telegram operates differently. It is built around channels rather than social graphs, and users receive posts directly from subscribed channels without algorithmic mediation. We analyze over [...] Read more.
Information diffusion models developed for Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook assume network contagion and competition for shared attention. Telegram operates differently. It is built around channels rather than social graphs, and users receive posts directly from subscribed channels without algorithmic mediation. We analyze over 5000 forwarding cascades from the Pushshift Telegram dataset to examine whether existing diffusion models generalize to this broadcast environment. Our findings reveal fundamental structural differences. Telegram forwarding produces perfect star topologies with zero multi-hop propagation. Every forward connects directly to the original message, creating trees with maximum depth of exactly 1. This contrasts sharply with Twitter retweet chains that routinely reach depths of 5 or more hops. Forwarding delays follow heavy-tailed Weibull or lognormal distributions with median delays measured in days rather than hours. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of cascades exhibit administrative bulk reposting rather than organic user-driven growth. Most strikingly, early-stage competitive overtaking is absent. Six of 30 pairs exhibit crossings, but these occur late (median 79 days) via administrative bursts rather than organic competitive acceleration during peak growth. We develop a delay-driven star diffusion model that treats forwarding as independent draws from a delay distribution. The model achieves median prediction errors below 10 percent for organic cascades. These findings demonstrate that platform architecture fundamentally shapes diffusion dynamics. Comparison with prior studies on Twitter, Weibo, and Reddit reveals that Telegram’s broadcast structure produces categorically different patterns—including perfect star topology and asynchronous delays—requiring platform-specific modeling approaches rather than network-based frameworks developed for other platforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends and Applications of Data Science in Social Network)
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18 pages, 272 KB  
Article
Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Development, Human Nature and Commerce
by Mark Rathbone
Philosophies 2026, 11(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies11010009 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 114
Abstract
Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and The Wealth of Nations (1776) offer a distinctive perspective on moral development that avoids succumbing to the limitations of capitalism and utilitarianism by supporting both moral agency and the importance of enabling structures and [...] Read more.
Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and The Wealth of Nations (1776) offer a distinctive perspective on moral development that avoids succumbing to the limitations of capitalism and utilitarianism by supporting both moral agency and the importance of enabling structures and systems in commerce. Corruption of moral sentiments cannot be averted by enforcing only mechanical structures and systems of compliance with governance rules, regulations, and disciplinary processes to control employees. Compliance then follows a means-to-an-end logic for maximising profit, which becomes a barrier for autonomous moral development or is even incapable of moral decision-making, as suggested by Hannah Arendt. Smith’s originality lies in grounding this analysis with an affirmative view of human nature and liberty, which enables him to move beyond purely legalistic or moralistic approaches to understand and counter moral failure. Smith offers a distinctive perspective on moral development in commerce, integrating human cognition, moral philosophy, and enabling structural and systemic design that avoids the displacement of responsibility noted by Albert Bandura. For Smith, the corruption of moral sentiments is distorted by the natural need for praise from others at all costs, as opposed to praiseworthy conduct. His remedy is a two-fold process of moral education in which the impartial spectator extends the natural desire for praise to prioritise honour and integrity in behaviour that is praiseworthy. However, moral education also requires a structural social space that is not prescriptive or legalistic to enhance the freedom to develop morally by exercising the choice to strive towards ethical behaviour. In this manner, self-interest enables moral development through natural means that prioritise honourable conduct and perpetuates sympathetic sentiment in which the well-being of others is considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adam Smith's Philosophy and Modern Moral Economics)
9 pages, 371 KB  
Hypothesis
A Theoretical Approach to Improving Physical Activity During Pregnancy with Co-Participation and the Application of Social Support Theory
by Kallie Nowell, Deirdre Dlugonski, Emily DeFranco, Linda May and Johanna M. Hoch
Women 2026, 6(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/women6010006 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 86
Abstract
Despite the many benefits for both the mother and fetus of physical activity during pregnancy, only 12.7–37.8% of pregnant persons in the United States achieve the recommended 150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. While many variables influence physical activity participation during [...] Read more.
Despite the many benefits for both the mother and fetus of physical activity during pregnancy, only 12.7–37.8% of pregnant persons in the United States achieve the recommended 150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. While many variables influence physical activity participation during pregnancy, social support has been associated with physical activity participation in various populations. Originally used in the study of criminology, the social support theory has been applied in recent evidence as a method of promoting physical activity and other healthy behaviors. Recent literature suggests that social support and co-participation are interpersonal facilitators of participation in physical activity. Therefore, we propose an integrated model through a combination of social support and co-participation in physical activity to increase physical activity during pregnancy: the SsCo-PAP Model. The practical advantage of this combination is that both social support and co-participation emphasize social connectedness to facilitate physical activity. We recommend that the model be utilized by clinicians to educate, encourage, and support their patients to be physically active during their pregnancy. Future research should analyze the feasibility and effectiveness of using the SsCo-PAP Model in clinical practice. Full article
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31 pages, 10290 KB  
Article
Enhanced Social Group Optimization Algorithm for the Economic Dispatch Problem Including Wind Power
by Dinu Călin Secui, Cristina Hora, Florin Ciprian Dan, Monica Liana Secui and Horea Nicolae Hora
Processes 2026, 14(2), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14020254 - 11 Jan 2026
Viewed by 148
Abstract
The economic dispatch (ED) problem is a major challenge in power system optimization. In this article, an Enhanced Social Group Optimization (ESGO) algorithm is presented for solving the economic dispatch problem with or without wind units, considering various characteristics related to valve-point effects, [...] Read more.
The economic dispatch (ED) problem is a major challenge in power system optimization. In this article, an Enhanced Social Group Optimization (ESGO) algorithm is presented for solving the economic dispatch problem with or without wind units, considering various characteristics related to valve-point effects, ramp-rate constraints, prohibited operating zones, and transmission power losses. The Social Group Optimization (SGO) algorithm models the social dynamics of individuals within a group—through mechanisms of collective learning, behavioral adaptation, and information exchange—and leverages these interactions to guide the population efficiently towards optimal solutions. ESGO extends SGO along three complementary directions: redefining the update relations of the original SGO, introducing stochastic operators into the heuristic mechanisms, and dynamically updating the generated solutions. These modifications aim to achieve a more robust balance between exploration and exploitation, enable flexible adaptation of search steps, and rapidly integrate improved-fitness solutions into the evolutionary process. ESGO is evaluated in six distinct cases, covering systems with 6, 40, 110, and 220 units, to demonstrate its ability to produce competitive solutions as well as its performance in terms of stability, convergence, and computational efficiency. The numerical results show that, in the vast majority of the analyzed cases, ESGO outperforms SGO and other known or improved metaheuristic algorithms in terms of cost and stability. It incorporates wind generation results at an operating cost reduction of approximately 10% compared to the thermal-only system, under the adopted linear wind power model. Moreover, relative to the size of the analyzed systems, ESGO exhibits a reduced average execution time and requires a small number of function evaluations to obtain competitive solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Energy Systems)
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57 pages, 2086 KB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review of Pet Attachment and Health Outcomes in Older Adults
by Erika Friedmann, Nancy R. Gee, Mona Ramadan Abdelhamed Eltantawy and Sarah Cole
Pets 2026, 3(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/pets3010002 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 267
Abstract
Research suggests that older adults might obtain health benefits from pet ownership; however, results are mixed. Pet attachment is suggested as both a mechanism for the relationship and a reason for differences in the association of pet ownership with health outcomes. This systematic [...] Read more.
Research suggests that older adults might obtain health benefits from pet ownership; however, results are mixed. Pet attachment is suggested as both a mechanism for the relationship and a reason for differences in the association of pet ownership with health outcomes. This systematic review examines evidence for the relationship between pet attachment and health outcomes among older adults. The Open Science Foundation-registered review began with 20,795 candidate articles. We limited our review to the 58 articles that consisted of original research, published in peer-reviewed journals between 1965 and June 2025, written in English, included older adults (age ≥ 50 years) or were limited to only older adults, and examined the relationship between pet attachment and health outcomes. The articles included analyses of psychological (n = 53), social (n = 27), or physical (n = 2) health outcomes. Pet attachment was assessed with 19 tools; most frequently the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (n = 21) and the Pet Attachment Questionnaire (n = 8). The studies were not consistently of high quality according to OCEBM criteria. Except for grief, which was consistently related to pet attachment, the findings do not support a clear relationship between pet attachment and health outcomes in older adults. Findings suggest that the relationship between pet attachment and health outcomes may be more pronounced in younger than in older adults. Full article
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35 pages, 25567 KB  
Article
Origin Warehouses as Logistics or Supply Chain Centers: Comparative Analysis of Business Models in Sustainable Agri-Food Supply Chains
by Yiwen Gao, Mengru Shen, Kai Yang, Xifu Wang, Lijun Jiang and Yang Yao
Agriculture 2026, 16(2), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16020147 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 167
Abstract
Origin warehouses, positioned at the critical “first mile” of the agri-food supply chain, profoundly influence supply chain power structures and profit allocation, as well as supply chain stability and sustainable development. To explore the role of origin warehouses in the agri-food supply chain, [...] Read more.
Origin warehouses, positioned at the critical “first mile” of the agri-food supply chain, profoundly influence supply chain power structures and profit allocation, as well as supply chain stability and sustainable development. To explore the role of origin warehouses in the agri-food supply chain, this study develops a three-level game model comprising a “planter–origin warehouse operator–seller” framework. Notably, this study conceptualizes the dual-functional “origin warehouse” as observed in practice, proposing two theoretical modes: the Logistics Center (LC) and the Supply Chain Center (SCC). By treating quality level, service level, and selling price decisions as endogenous variables, this study further reveals the interconnected decision-making mechanisms under different operational modes. Overall, the LC mode performs better in quality-driven markets, generating higher system profits and greater social welfare, whereas the SCC mode is superior when consumers are more price-sensitive or place greater value on service. Based on these findings, this study provides decision-making guidance for origin warehouse operators aiming to select the optimal mode under varying market conditions and proposes targeted coordination strategies to promote the high-quality development and economic sustainability of the agri-food supply chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building Resilience Through Sustainable Agri-Food Supply Chains)
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18 pages, 331 KB  
Article
Beyond Financial Market Dualism: An Empirical Analysis of Variations in Use of Financial Services in South Africa
by Mongi Tshaka, Munacinga Simatele and James Copestake
J. Risk Financial Manag. 2026, 19(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19010047 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 153
Abstract
This paper empirically analyses variation in use of formally, semi-formally, and informally regulated finance using the South African National Income Dynamics Study longitudinal data. The logistic regressions indicate that many individuals use a combination of services across all levels of regulation depending on [...] Read more.
This paper empirically analyses variation in use of formally, semi-formally, and informally regulated finance using the South African National Income Dynamics Study longitudinal data. The logistic regressions indicate that many individuals use a combination of services across all levels of regulation depending on age, gender, education, population group, religiosity, and social trust. Widespread use of informally regulated finance in South Africa is particularly evident on the savings side through savings groups/stokvels. The originality of the paper lies in its use of nationally representative longitudinal data to disentangle and analyze the variations in the use of different financial mechanisms, moving beyond the conventional formal–informal dichotomy. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing debates on financial inclusion by demonstrating that informally regulated finance represents a rational, adaptive response to the limitations of formally regulated services rather than a residual or inferior alternative. Depicting the market as dualistic is therefore misleading, ignoring the need for a more nuanced understanding and official recognition of the drivers of financial services’ use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accounting, Finance, Banking in Emerging Economies)
18 pages, 542 KB  
Article
Immediate Full-Arch Maxillary Rehabilitation Supported by Four Implants: A Retrospective Study with 15 to 20 Years of Follow-Up
by Miguel de Araújo Nobre, Armando Lopes, Ana Ferro, Carlos Moura Guedes, Ricardo Almeida, Mariana Nunes, Miguel Gouveia, Diogo Santos and Inês Vitor
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(2), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15020446 - 6 Jan 2026
Viewed by 323
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Edentulism represents a major public health challenge, causing disorders of social, psychological and biological origin. Full-arch implant-supported restorations represent a viable alternative to mitigate this problem. This study aimed to evaluate immediate implant-supported restorations for the rehabilitation of the edentulous maxilla [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Edentulism represents a major public health challenge, causing disorders of social, psychological and biological origin. Full-arch implant-supported restorations represent a viable alternative to mitigate this problem. This study aimed to evaluate immediate implant-supported restorations for the rehabilitation of the edentulous maxilla using four implants and distal implant tilting between 15 and 20 years. Methods: A total of 740 patients were included (women: 440; men: 300; average age: 55.3 years) rehabilitated with 740 prostheses, supported by 2960 dental implants. The primary outcome measure was prosthetic/implant cumulative survival and success (CSurR;CSucR). Secondary outcome measures included marginal bone loss (MBL), and the incidence of complications was evaluated as a secondary outcome measure. The outcomes were evaluated at 15 and 20 years. Results: In total, 287 patients (38.8%) with 1148 implants (38.8%) were lost to follow-up. A total of 170 implants (5.7%) in 101 patients (13.6%) failed, resulting in an implant CSurR and CSucR of 90.7% and 84.6%, respectively, after up to 20 years of follow-up. The prosthetic success rate was 98.1%. The average MBL was 1.07 mm ± 1.38 mm and 1.46 mm ± 1.56 mm at 15- and 20-years, respectively. Mechanical complication incidence was 78.5%, occurring in 581 patients (provisional prostheses: n = 448, 60.5%; definitive prostheses: n = 374, 50.5%). Biological complications occurred in 449 implants (15.2%) in 260 patients (35.1%). Biological complications and smoking habits were major risk indicators. Conclusions: Considering the study limitations, it can be concluded that the current rehabilitation concept is a viable treatment option in the long term, with mechanical and biological maintenance being necessary throughout the patients’ lives. Full article
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4 pages, 180 KB  
Proceeding Paper
Consumer Trends and Opinions on High-Nutritional-Value Superfoods
by Aggeliki Maggou and Georgia Koutouzidou
Proceedings 2026, 134(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2026134030 - 6 Jan 2026
Viewed by 135
Abstract
This study investigates consumer perceptions, behaviors, and the barriers to adopting superfoods. It explores familiarity with the term “superfoods”, factors influencing consumption, and obstacles to broader adoption. The originality of this research lies in highlighting the significance of superfoods not only for consumers [...] Read more.
This study investigates consumer perceptions, behaviors, and the barriers to adopting superfoods. It explores familiarity with the term “superfoods”, factors influencing consumption, and obstacles to broader adoption. The originality of this research lies in highlighting the significance of superfoods not only for consumers but also for the scientific community and the food industry, in an era where consumers are increasingly focused on health and sustainability. Data was gathered from 227 participants using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Statistics 20. The findings indicate that most participants are familiar with the term “superfoods”, with health enhancement, well-being, and immune system improvement as the main motivations for consumption. However, high costs, limited availability, and knowledge gaps are the primary barriers. Social influences, especially among women, were also found to impact consumer behavior. Future research should address the role of awareness campaigns and consumer information sources, alongside socio-economic factors. Full article
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