Search Results (308)

The growing focus on enhancing ship performance over the past decades has driven the invention of various energy-saving devices. Conducting performance analyses of these devices is essential to substantiate the claimed energy savings. However, this process is complicated by the dynamic conditions experienced by ships, such as weather and loading conditions. These factors could significantly impact the results of comparisons made between pre- and post-retrofitting performance of new energy-saving devices. This paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the performance analysis process of a general cargo vessel equipped with a Gate Rudder system, which is a twin rudder system known for its thrust-producing and energy-saving properties. A multi-input, multi-output data-driven method, utilizing in situ and weather data, is developed and applied to account for the effects of weather and loading conditions. A performance analysis is then conducted by using the data-driven models to estimate three different indicators of ship performance in terms of propulsion efficiency. The results suggest that the Gate Rudder could potentially reduce torque requirements by up to 20.70%, shaft power requirements by up to 27.58%, and fuel consumption by up to 30.35%, with the same weather and loading conditions. Full article

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is involved in social bonding, reproduction, and childbirth. Its activity is mediated by the oxytocin receptor (OXTR), also expressed in the skin. OXT alleviates dermal fibroblast senescence, and OXT levels correlate with visible skin aging. OXT inhibits nociceptive signaling and promotes neuronal plasticity. Here, we demonstrate OXT-like benefits of OXTR activation for skin touch sensoriality and nociception, as well as visible skin health and beauty indicators, using an aqueous extract of Hyacinthus orientalis bulbs. OXTR activation was evaluated in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell model. Nociception and innervation benefits were investigated in keratinocyte/sensory neuron coculture models. A placebo-controlled clinical study evaluated gentle touch receptivity, nociception, skin tone, elasticity, and wrinkling. The extract activated OXTR and enhanced dermal fibroblast proliferation in vitro. In the keratinocyte-neuron coculture, the HO extract lowered nociceptive CGRP release below that of the unstimulated and OXT controls and promoted neuronal survival and dendricity. An organ-on-a-chip coculture showed decreased electrical activity and increased neuronal peripherin. Clinically, we observed selective left-side frontal alpha-wave activation, indicating pleasant sensation, reduced nociception, enhanced skin glow, improved elasticity, and reduced wrinkling. This extract thus shows high value for holistic wellbeing solutions, enhancing the skin’s receptivity to pleasant sensations and promoting well-aging. Full article

Occupancy detection is vital for improving energy efficiency, automation, and security in smart buildings. Reliable detection systems enable dynamic control of lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and security operations, leading to substantial cost savings and enhanced occupant comfort. However, accurately detecting occupancy using environmental sensor data remains challenging. Existing machine learning and deep learning models, such as Random Forests, convolutional neural networks, and recurrent neural networks, often struggle to capture both fine-grained local patterns and long-range temporal dependencies, limiting their generalization to complex, real-world occupancy patterns. To address these challenges, we propose Translution, a novel hybrid Transformer-based architecture specifically designed for occupancy detection from multivariate sensor time-series data. Translution combines multi-scale convolutional encoding to extract local temporal features, self-attention mechanisms to model long-range dependencies, and an adaptive gating mechanism that dynamically selects relevant features to improve robustness and generalization. We trained Translution on 8143 samples and evaluated it on two distinct subsets of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Occupancy Detection Dataset: one with shorter, more consistent time spans (2804 samples) and another covering longer, more varied occupancy cycles with abrupt changes and different lighting/ventilation conditions (9752 samples). Evaluating these diverse subsets, which represent both typical and challenging real-world scenarios, explicitly strengthens Translution’s generalizability claim, demonstrating its ability to detect occupancy across varied temporal patterns and environmental conditions accurately. Our results demonstrate that Translution achieves 98.5% accuracy, 97.3% F1-score, and 98.55% area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, significantly outperforming traditional machine learning and deep learning baselines. These findings highlight Translution’s potential as a highly accurate and stable solution for real-time occupancy detection in diverse smart building environments. Full article

This paper presents a multi-level annotation model for detecting fake news in Kazakh and Russian languages, aiming to enhance understanding of disinformation strategies in multilingual digital media environments. Unlike traditional binary models, our approach captures the complexity of disinformation by accounting for both linguistic and cultural factors. To support this, a corpus of over 5000 news texts was manually annotated using the Label Studio platform. The annotation scheme consists of seven interrelated categories: CLAIM, SOURCE, EVIDENCE, DISINFORMATION_TECHNIQUE, AUTHOR_INTENT, TARGET_AUDIENCE, and TIMESTAMP. Inter-annotator agreement, evaluated using Cohen’s Kappa, ranged from 0.72 to 0.81, indicating substantial consistency. The annotated data reveals recurring patterns of disinformation, such as emotional manipulation, targeting of vulnerable individuals, and the strategic concealment of intent. Semantic relations between entities, such as CLAIM → EVIDENCE and CLAIM → AUTHOR_INTENT were formalized to represent disinformation narratives as knowledge graphs. This study contributes the first linguistically and culturally adapted annotation model for Kazakh and Russian languages, providing a robust and empirical resource for building interpretable and context-aware fake news detection systems. The resulting annotated corpus and its semantic structure offer valuable empirical material for further research in natural language processing, computational linguistics, and media studies in low-resource language environments. Full article

Accurate label claims are essential for consumer trust in probiotic efficacy, yet limited datasets are available for poultry formulations marketed in the United Kingdom. We quantified and identified the viable bacteria in twelve commercial probiotics, seven for poultry and five for human use, using selective plate counts and MALDI-TOF MS. Observed colony forming units (CFU) were compared with declared values using one-sample t-tests, adopting a practical acceptance range of ±0.5 log CFU. Poultry products largely met or exceeded their labels (e.g., P5: 1.4 × 10¹⁰ CFU g⁻¹ vs. 2 × 10⁹ CFU g⁻¹ declared), whereas human products delivered greater variability in both species composition and stated CFU count; one contained no detectable viable bacteria. All products deviated significantly from their label claims (p < 0.05); however, 11 of 12 met the ±0.5 log₁₀ CFU benchmark—10 within the range and 1 above its “≥” value—leaving only one probiotic below the threshold. MALDI-TOF MS confirmed the presence of most labelled species, though Bifidobacterium bifidum was absent from one human product and Bacillus isolates were re-assigned to B. velezensis/B. amyloliquefaciens. These findings indicate robust quality assurance in UK poultry probiotics, but substantial under-delivery in the human probiotics, underscoring the need for harmonized viability standards and tighter post-market surveillance. Full article

Background: Access to safe and reliable water and sanitation remains a critical public health and development challenge, with rural and low-income communities being disproportionately affected by inadequate services and heightened exposure to waterborne diseases. Despite global efforts and infrastructure-based progress indicators, significant disparities persist, and these often overlook users’ perceptions of water quality, reliability, and safety. This study explores the determinants of household satisfaction with drinking water in rural areas, comparing subjective user feedback with official access data to reveal gaps in current monitoring approaches and support more equitable, user-centered water governance. Methods: This study was conducted in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau Region, where 1361 residents from 86 rural villages participated in a structured survey assessing household access to drinking water and perceptions of its quality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression to identify key predictors of user satisfaction, with results compared against official records to evaluate discrepancies between reported experiences and administrative data. Results: The field survey results revealed substantial discrepancies between official statistics and residents’ reports, with only 58.1% of respondents having in-house tap water access despite claims of universal coverage. Multinomial logistic regression analysis identified key predictors of user satisfaction, showing that uninterrupted supply and the absence of complaints about turbidity, odor, or taste significantly increased the likelihood of higher satisfaction levels with drinking water quality. Conclusions: This study underscores the critical need to align official water access statistics with household-level experiences, revealing that user satisfaction—strongly influenced by supply reliability and sensory water quality—is essential for achieving equitable and effective rural water governance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid touted for a variety of medical benefits, including alleviation of anxiety. While legalization of hemp-derived products in the United States (containing ≤0.3% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [d9-THC] by weight) has led to a rapid increase in the commercialization of hemp-derived CBD products, most therapeutic claims have not been substantiated using clinical trials. This trial aimed to assess the impact of 6 weeks of treatment with a proprietary hemp-derived, full-spectrum, high-CBD sublingual solution similar to those available in the marketplace in patients with anxiety. Methods: An open-label pilot clinical trial (NCT04286594) was conducted in 12 patients with at least moderate levels of anxiety. Patients self-administered a hemp-derived, high-CBD sublingual solution twice daily during the 6-week trial (target daily dose: 30 mg/day CBD). Clinical change over time relative to baseline was assessed for anxiety, mood, sleep, and quality of life, as well as changes in cognitive performance on measures of executive function and memory. Safety and tolerability of the study product were also evaluated. Results: Patients reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms over time. Concurrent improvements in mood, sleep, and relevant quality of life domains were also observed, along with stable or improved performance on all neurocognitive measures. Few side effects were reported, and no serious adverse events occurred. Conclusions: These pilot findings provide initial support for the efficacy and tolerability of the hemp-derived, high-CBD product in patients with moderate-to-severe levels of anxiety. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are indicated to obtain robust data regarding efficacy and tolerability of these types of products for anxiety. Full article

Corporate environmental claims often neglect the substantial ecological impact of land-use changes. This case study examines the spatial dimension of retail-driven land-use transformation by analyzing supermarket expansion in the Veneto region (northern Italy), with a focus on a large grocery retailer. We evaluated its corporate environmental claims by assessing land consumption patterns from 1983 to 2024 using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The GIS-based methodology involved geocoding 113 Points of Sale (POS—individual retail outlets), performing photo-interpretation of historical aerial imagery, and classifying land-cover types prior to construction. We applied spatial metrics such as total converted surface area, land-cover class frequency across eight categories (e.g., agricultural, herbaceous, arboreal), and the average linear distance between afforestation sites and POS developed on previously rural land. Our findings reveal that 65.97% of the total land converted for Points of Sale development occurred in rural areas, primarily agricultural and herbaceous lands. These landscapes play a critical role in supporting urban biodiversity and providing essential ecosystem services, which are increasingly threatened by unchecked land conversion. While the corporate sustainability reports and marketing strategies emphasize afforestation efforts under their “We Love Nature” initiative, our spatial analysis uncovers no evidence of actual land-use conversion. Additionally, reforestation activities are located an average of 40.75 km from converted sites, undermining their role as effective compensatory measures. These findings raise concerns about selective disclosure and greenwashing, driving the need for more comprehensive and transparent corporate sustainability reporting. The study argues for stronger policy frameworks to incentivize urban regeneration over greenfield development and calls for the integration of land-use data into corporate sustainability disclosures. By combining geospatial methods with content analysis, the research offers new insights into the intersection of land use, business practices, and environmental sustainability in climate-vulnerable regions. Full article

The garden Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.) is increasingly consumed worldwide due to its culinary appeal and perceived health benefits. However, the chemical markers underlying its functional properties remain insufficiently characterized. Building on evidence from a recent human pilot study confirming both high acceptability and dietary safety, we conducted a comprehensive volatilomic and phytochemical analysis of T. majus flowers and their juice. Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) was employed to establish the volatilomic fingerprint of floral tissues and juice. Our analysis revealed a striking dominance of benzyl isothiocyanate and benzonitrile, which together accounted for 88% of the total volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) in the juice, 67% and 21%, respectively. In the floral tissues, benzyl isothiocyanate was even more prevalent, representing 95% of the total volatile profile. Complementary in vitro assays confirmed a substantial total phenolic content and strong antioxidant activity in the flowers. These findings provide a robust chemical rationale for the potential health-promoting attributes of T. majus, while identifying key volatilomic markers that could support future functional and safety claims. In parallel, a benefit–risk assessment framework is discussed in accordance with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidelines for the Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) of edible flowers. Given that both benzyl isothiocyanate and benzonitrile are classified as Cramer Class III substances, a conservative intake threshold of 1.5 μg/kg body weight per day is proposed. To enable quantitative exposure modeling and support the derivation of a tolerable daily intake (TDI), future studies should integrate organic solvent-based extraction methodologies to estimate the total volatile load per gram of floral biomass. This would align risk–benefit assessments with the EFSA’s evolving framework for novel foods and functional ingredients. Full article

E-commerce live streaming in China has become a major retail channel, yet hosts often employ subtle phonetic or semantic “morphs” to evade moderation and make unsubstantiated claims, posing risks to consumers. To address this, we study the Live Auditory Morph Resolution (LiveAMR) task, which restores morphed speech transcriptions to their true forms. Building on prior text-based morph resolution, we propose an LLM-enhanced training framework that mines three types of explanation knowledge—predefined morph-type labels, LLM-generated reference corrections, and natural-language rationales constrained for clarity and comprehensiveness—from a frozen large language model. These annotations are concatenated with the original morphed sentence and used to fine-tune a lightweight T5 model under a standard cross-entropy objective. In experiments on two test sets (in-domain and out-of-domain), our method achieves substantial gains over baselines, improving $F_{0.5}$ by up to 7 pp in-domain (to 0.943) and 5 pp out-of-domain (to 0.799) compared to a strong T5 baseline. These results demonstrate that structured LLM-derived signals can be mined without fine-tuning the LLM itself and injected into small models to yield efficient, accurate morph resolution. Full article

Objective: The present study investigated the relationship between protein and amino acid supplementation and various associated aspects among recreational gym goers at 2 gymnasiums in Oradea (Romania). Methods: A total of 165 gym goers (110 men and 55 women, most of them 18–30 years old) with high educational levels were included in the present study, which was conducted as face-to-face interviews. Results: Participants were divided into 4 groups: protein supplement users (PSUs, 42/165), creatine supplement users (CSUs, 38/165), L-carnitine supplement users (LcSUs, 37/165), and protein + creatine + L-carnitine supplement users (PCLcSUs, 48/165). Most consumers were young (18–30 years) and preferred the triple combination. Females consumed PS and CS (38.2% and 34.5%, respectively), while the most-used NSs by males were PCLcS (36.4%) and LcS (27.3%). Obese gym goers opted for LcS consumption (r = 0.999, p < 0.05). Creatine and L-carnitine were consumed for force training (65.79 and 62.16%), while PCLcS and PS were used in cardio + force and force training in equal measures (42.86 and 47.92%, respectively). Most PSUs were gym goers for 7–12 months and more than 1 year (r = 0.999 and r = 0.952, respectively, p < 0.05), while PCLcSUs had a training frequency of at least 5 times a week (r = 0.968, p < 0.05). Muscle mass growth was the primary training focus for all NS users (57.89%), followed by muscular tonus (40.54%, p < 0.05). Almost 30% of one-only NS users reported various side effects, whereas all PCLcSUs claimed side effects (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Age and gender were key factors in diet type, training type, frequency, duration, scope, NS type, and dose intake. The frequency of side effects substantially depended on the kind of NS and the dose consumed. The present study’s results highlight the need for health professionals’ advice and monitoring in personalized diets and protein and amino acid supplementation in recreational gym goers. Full article

The Yogācārabhūmi, compiled by Saṅgharakṣa, was first introduced to China by An Shigao’s abridged translation (T607, Daodi jing 道地經), later, in 284 CE, Dharmarakṣa produced a more comprehensive version (T606, Xiuxing daodi jing 修行道地經). Lacking extant Sanskrit or Pali parallels, the text is difficult to interpret literally, and the differences between T607 and T606 add to the analytical challenges. However, a substantial section in both translations describing omens of impending death in the sick exhibits systematic parallels with Indian Āyurvedic texts, such as the Caraka-saṃhitā and Suśruta-saṃhitā. These parallels help clarify the ambiguous passages through comparative analysis. This study explores the translation strategies of An Shigao and Dharmarakṣa in introducing Indian medical concepts to China. An Shigao adopted a localization strategy, replacing foreign terms with analogous Chinese concepts. His terminology, corroborated by usage in Eastern Han or earlier Chinese texts—particularly excavated manuscripts—supports claims in the Chu sanzang ji ji regarding his expertise in medicine and divination. By contrast, Dharmarakṣa’s Xiuxing daodi jing sought greater fidelity to the Indian source material, offering a more detailed and systematic presentation of Āyurvedic knowledge. However, Dharmarakṣa did not entirely abandon An Shigao’s localization approach. He adopted a balanced strategy that combined faithful representation with cultural adaptation, reflecting the broader capacity of his more diverse and sophisticated audience to engage with complex and extensive foreign knowledge. Full article

Sustainable architectural heritage conservation focuses on preserving historical buildings while promoting environmental sustainability. It involves using eco-friendly materials and methods to ensure that the cultural value of these structures is maintained while minimizing their ecological impact. In this paper, the use of the hydroxyapatite (HAp) in various combinations on masonry samples is presented, with the aim of identifying the ideal solution to be applied to an entire historical building in Banloc monument. The new solution has various advantages: compatibility with historical lime mortars (chemical and physical), increased durability under aggressive environmental conditions, non-invasive and reversible, aligning with conservation ethics, bioinspired material that avoids harmful synthetic additives, preservation of esthetics—minimal visual change to treated surfaces, and nanostructural (determined via SEM and AFM) reinforcement to improve cohesion without altering the porosity. An innovative approach involving hydroxiapatite addition to commercial mortars is developed and presented within this paper. Physico-chemical, mechanical studies, and architectural and economic trends will be addressed in this paper. Some specific tests (reduced water absorption, increased adhesion, high mechanical strength, unchanged chromatic aspect, high contact angle, not dangerous freeze–thaw test, reduced carbonation test), will be presented to evidence the capability of hydroxyapatite to be incorporated into green renovation efforts, strengthen the consolidation layer, and focus on its potential uses as an eco-material in building construction and renovation. The methodology employed in evaluating the comparative performance of hydroxyapatite (HAp)-modified mortar versus standard Baumit MPI25 mortar includes a standard error (SE) analysis computed column-wise across performance indicators. To further substantiate the claim of “optimal performance” at 20% HAp addition, independent samples t-tests were performed. The results of the independent samples t-tests were applied to three performance and cost indicators: Application Cost, Annualized Cost, and Efficiency-Cost-Performance (ECP) Index. This validates the claim that HAp-modified mortar offers superior overall performance when considering efficiency, cost, and durability combined. Full article

Knowledge extraction and sharing is one of the biggest challenges organizations face to ensure successful and long-lasting knowledge repositories. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) commissioned a web-based knowledge management program called Communicate Lessons, Exchange Advice, Record (CLEAR) for end-users to promote employee-generated innovation and to institutionalize organizational knowledge. Reusing knowledge from an improperly managed database is problematic and potentially causes substantial financial loss and reduced productivity for an organization. Poorly managed databases can hinder effective knowledge dissemination across the organization. Data-driven dashboards offer a promising solution by facilitating evidence-driven decision-making through increased information access to disseminate, understand and interpret datasets. This paper describes an effort to create data visualizations in Tableau for CLEAR’s gatekeeper to monitor content within the knowledge repository. Through the three web-based strategic dashboards relating to lessons learned and best practices, innovation culture index, and website analytics, the information displays will aid in disseminating useful information to facilitate decision-making and execute appropriate time-critical interventions. Particular emphasis is placed on utility-related issues, as data from the NCDOT indicate that approximately 90% of projects involving utility claims experienced one or two such incidents. These claims contributed to an average increase in project costs of approximately 2.4% and schedule delays averaging 70 days. The data dashboards provide key insights into all 14 NCDOT divisions, supporting the gatekeeper in effectively managing the CLEAR program, especially relating to project performance, cost savings, and schedule improvements. The chronological analysis of the CLEAR program trends demonstrates sustained progress, validating the effectiveness of the dashboard framework. Ultimately, these data dashboards will promote organizational innovation in the long run by encouraging end-user participation in the CLEAR program. Full article

This article explores how different modalities of presenting telemetry data can support strategy management during solar-powered electric vehicle racing. Student team members using augmented reality head-mounted displays (AR HMD) have reported significant advantages for in-race strategy monitoring and execution, yet so far, there is no published evidence to support these claims. This study shows that there are specific situations in which various visualization modes, including AR HMDs, demonstrate improved performance for users with varying levels of experience. We analyzed racing team performance for specific in-race events extracted from free and circuit-based real race datasets. These findings were compared with results obtained in a controlled, task-based user study utilizing three visualization interface conditions. Our exploration focused on how telemetry data visualizations influenced user performance metrics such as event reaction time, decision adequacy, task load index, and usability outcomes across four event types, taking into account both the interface and participant experience level. The results reveal that while traditional web application-type visualizations work well in most cases, augmented reality has the potential to improve race performance in some of the examined free-race and circuit-race scenarios. A notable novelty and key finding of this study is that the use of augmented reality HMDs provided particularly significant advantages for less experienced participants in most of the tasks, underscoring the substantial benefits of this technology for the support of novice users. Full article