Search Results (39,903)

Thin-film solar cells (TFSCs) remain a cornerstone of the global transition toward renewable energy, characterized by consistent reductions in manufacturing costs and steady gains in power conversion efficiency. In addition to electricity generation, TFSCs play an important role in advanced solar thermal cooling, heating, and energy storage systems, where their tunable optical absorption, low thermal mass, and flexibility enable integration with photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) collectors, thermally driven cooling cycles, and hybrid thermal–electrical storage architectures. This paper provides a comprehensive review of prominent TFSC technologies, including copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), cadmium telluride (CdTe/CdS), amorphous silicon (a-Si), copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), organic photovoltaics (OPVs), and metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), with a focus on their material structures, performance specifications, and current efficiency benchmarks. Compared to state-of-the-art reviews, this article distinguishes itself by addressing next-generation innovations, cross-domain solar thermal–photovoltaic applications, and economic analysis. Specifically, the integration of machine learning and simulation-based material dynamics is examined to accelerate material discovery, process optimization, and the characterization of novel TFPV components relevant to coupled thermal–electrical energy systems. Furthermore, the study explores how additive manufacturing is transforming the industry through the development of high-efficiency electrodes, electrohydrodynamic atomization for thin-film deposition, and the fabrication of flexible solar arrays suitable for thermally integrated and building-scale energy systems, including space applications. By integrating advancements in module efficiency, scalable manufacturing approaches, and techno-economic analysis, this paper positions TFSCs as sustainable, resource-abundant technologies essential for next-generation solar thermal cooling, heating, and energy storage infrastructures. Full article

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has become a crucial tool in the construction industry, offering precise 3D data capture that addresses inaccuracies and provides accurate building information throughout various construction stages. Despite numerous studies on LiDAR applications, most reviews are isolated and lack a systematic, comprehensive analysis. This study fills that gap by combining scientometric and qualitative analysis to explore LiDAR research trends in construction. The process begins by collecting 671 relevant papers published over the past 15 years. The data is then quantitatively analysed to reveal key research trends. Lastly, the study qualitatively examines the implementation of LiDAR, focusing on three main areas: (1) the significant applications and benefits of LiDAR throughout the entire project life cycle, (2) the challenges and future directions of LiDAR technology organised by workflow stages, and (3) key future research directions aimed at enhancing accuracy, automation, and integrating technologies. This work provides insights for both researchers and practitioners, aiding understandings of the benefits and limitations of LiDAR technology, and offering direction for future research. Ultimately, the study contributes to the long-term management and practical application of LiDAR in the construction life cycle, promoting more intelligent, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure development. Full article

In this study, we employed one of the green synthesis methods utilizing water extracts prepared from solid industrial wastes of Rosa damascena Mill. (RD) and Oriental variety tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)-mixed stems and leaves (O) as a natural reducing agent for PdCl₂ to obtain environmentally friendly Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) in TEM were applied to determine the morphology, microstructure, phase, and elemental composition of PdNPs synthesized. The concentration of PdNPs in the suspensions was quantified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), which is essential for their intended application. Furthermore, the synthesized PdNPs were incorporated as dopant into a polymer matrix (PAZO) developed for optical applications. As will be demonstrated, doping PAZO with specific concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 1 wt. %) of green PdNPs enhances the maximal value of the photoinduced birefringence by more than 50%. This improvement enables more efficient inscription of polarization-selective holographic optical elements in the resulting photoanisotropic nanocomposite materials with nearly 25% higher diffraction efficiency. Using a digital polarization holographic setup, the spatial modulation of polarization was recorded on thin nanocomposite films of the azopolymer PAZO, doped with certain concentrations of the green PdNPs. Full article

Amid global overcapacity and AI proliferation, equipment manufacturers confront a critical challenge: does digital transformation (DT) create competitive advantages or merely accelerate existing problems? This study reconceptualizes DT through a complex adaptive systems (CAS) perspective, where success depends on business units coordinating as adaptive agents rather than IT departments deploying technologies. We investigate how configurations of digital technologies and strategic orientations activate distinct multi-agent coordination mechanisms, producing differentiated performance outcomes and revealing why certain pathways demonstrate superior long-term stability through emergent organizational capabilities. Analyzing a panel dataset of 552 Chinese equipment manufacturers (2017–2022), this research employs a mixed-methods approach. It first uses fixed-effects regression to establish DT’s net effect on firm performance. Then, it applies natural language processing (NLP) to measure operational management and dynamic fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify configurations of DT dimensions (foundation, boundary, application) and strategic orientations leading to high performance. Regression results confirm that business-embedded DT improves firm performance, but the net effects of digital foundation (positive), boundary (insignificant), and application (negative unless supported) diverge sharply. fsQCA identifies five equifinal pathways, highlighting that success depends on aligning DT investments with innovation focus and operational management. Operational-management-oriented configurations demonstrate greater long-term stability, with notable variations across regions and industries. This study emphasizes that effective digital transformation is not a technology-first unified deployment, but a business-driven adaptive evolution process, providing a new theoretical perspective for understanding performance variations in DT. Full article

The search for novel antiviral agents against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) remains a priority in industrial poultry farming due to the virus’s high contagiousness and associated economic losses, prompting evaluation of polyene macrolides as potential therapeutic candidates. We employed a comprehensive approach combining computational modeling (molecular docking and dynamics simulation) and laboratory experiments to investigate the antiviral potential of natamycin, nystatin, and filipin complex against three NDV strains. Molecular docking analysis indicated binding sites for macrolides within the hydrophobic regions of surface glycoproteins HN and F, with binding energies ranging from −6.5 to −10.5 kcal/mol, while 50 ns molecular dynamics simulation confirmed complex stability. Laboratory testing using fluorescence-based neuraminidase assays demonstrated dose-dependent inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 0.0043 ± 0.0015 mg/mL for filipin complex, 0.0117 ± 0.0029 mg/mL for nystatin, and 0.0220 ± 0.0138 mg/mL for natamycin, with similar ranking observed for fusion inhibition (EC₅₀ values of 0.00053 ± 0.00039, 0.00545 ± 0.00560, and 0.01196 ± 0.00965 mg/mL, respectively). While filipin complex exhibited the highest antiviral activity, its significant cytotoxicity limits therapeutic application, whereas natamycin demonstrated a favorable safety profile consistent with its GRAS status. These findings indicate that natamycin exhibits a favorable safety-to-efficacy profile in vitro, warranting further in vivo investigation to clarify its mechanism of action and establish practical application protocols for NDV control in poultry. Full article

Manilkara zapota (M. zapota), commonly known as sapodilla, is a tropical fruit recognized for its nutritional value and diverse phytochemical composition. This review critically summarizes recent evidence (2013–2026) regarding the phytochemistry, biological activities, safety profile, and food industry relevance of M. zapota, using literature retrieved from Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and other scientific databases. Different parts of the plant, including its fruits, leaves, seeds, and bark, contain a wide range of bioactive compounds, such as gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, catechin, myricetin, kaempferol, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, triterpenes, and glycosides. Experimental studies have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, gastroprotective, glucose homeostasis, and antiproliferative activities associated with these phytochemicals. Mechanistically, M. zapota extracts have been reported to modulate oxidative stress markers, inflammatory mediators, apoptotic pathways, and lipid metabolism-related enzymes in in vitro and animal studies. Available toxicological evidence suggests that certain extracts were well tolerated under specific experimental conditions; however, further standardized safety assessments and clinical investigations remain necessary. In addition to its pharmacological relevance, M. zapota has potential applications in functional foods and food processing industries, including jams, jellies, spreads, fruit bars, beverages, and nutraceutical formulations. Overall, M. zapota represents a promising underutilized plant with potential relevance for food, nutraceutical, and future biomedical applications. Full article

The submitted paper focuses on linking recycled material processing with digital technologies for monitoring and managing production processes in the context of Industry 4.0 principles. Despite the rapid development of additive manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies, limited attention has been devoted to the integration of sustainable recycled materials with real-time digital monitoring and structured manufacturing data management. Existing studies often address either recycled materials or digital process monitoring separately, while their combined implementation in additive manufacturing environments remains insufficiently explored. The introductory part highlights polyvinyl butyral (PVB) recovered from post-consumer laminated glass and its potential application in additive manufacturing. The theoretical section provides an overview of current knowledge in the fields of additive manufacturing, circular economy, production, and digitization, forming a foundation for the practical part of the research. The practical section focuses on the design and implementation of a data collection system for additive manufacturing processes, enabling the real-time digital monitoring and evaluation of selected technological parameters. Previous research conducted by the authors addressed the preparation of recycled PVB filament; however, commercially available PVB filament was used in the present experimental study due to the limited laboratory-scale production capacity of recycled filament. Full article

Background: The rapid development of edible insect research and the growing use of insect-based ingredients in food technology, human nutrition, and the food industry have not yet been accompanied by harmonized terminology. In the scientific literature, regulatory documents, and expert materials, the terms “insect flour” and “insect powder” are used interchangeably. In Polish-language sources, additional terms such as “mąka z owadów”, “mączka z owadów”, and “sproszkowana postać” are also used. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the use and contextual meaning of the terms “insect flour”, “insect powder”, and “insect meal” in scientific literature, European Union regulations, and Polish-language sources. Methods: The study combined bibliometric, regulatory, and linguistic analysis. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the Web of Science and Scopus databases for the years 2015–2025. Keyword co-occurrence networks and temporal trends were analyzed using VOSviewer. In addition, European Union legal acts and selected Polish-language scientific, institutional, and implementation-oriented sources were evaluated. Results: The results showed clear differences in the use of the analyzed terms. “Insect powder” appeared mainly in regulatory and formal product-description contexts, whereas “insect flour” was more common in food technology and food formulation studies. In contrast, “insect meal” was strongly associated with feed applications, aquaculture, and animal nutrition. The analysis also showed that the terms powder and flour frequently co-occurred in the same publications, suggesting that their use depends primarily on context rather than on strict terminological differences. Conclusions: The study indicates that complete terminology unification may not be necessary. Instead, clearer, more consistent use of terms that depend on the scientific, technological, regulatory, and communication context appears to be more practical. Full article

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, heavily reliant on oil revenues, have long aimed to diversify their economies to mitigate the volatility of global oil prices and foster sustainable growth. Two countries, Saudi Arabia, representing the biggest economy, and Kuwait, the third biggest economy in the GCC, were chosen based on their promising economic visions, while being considered as the more historically conservative countries. Both countries represent case studies to reflect on the effectiveness of their diversification measures on GDP/capita as one of the main macroeconomic indicators for prosperity. The paper aims to use time series data over the period 2000–2024 for both countries to reflect the diversification efforts on GDP per capita. A straightforward multivariate regression model is employed, utilizing the value-added contributions of the three primary sectors—industry, agriculture, and services—to examine whether recent economic transformations and policy reforms have influenced GDP per capita and to identify in which country reforms exerted the greatest impact. Findings are expected to reflect a bigger impact of diversification aims on GDP/capita in Saudi Arabia due to the pace of reforms that have been implemented. This research shall provide valuable insights for policymakers, highlighting the need to promote policy reforms to foster sustainable economic growth. The outcome of this study will provide hydrocarbon-dependent GCC economies with an updated, replicable methodological framework to support a better formulation of policy and strategy connecting digital transformation and sustainability agendas in line with efforts related to the Saudi Vision 2030 and Kuwait Vision 2035, which shall present a benchmark that can be applicable for the other GCC economies. Full article

The growth in açaí consumption and exports has increased waste generation, particularly from the seed, which accounts for approximately 85% of the fruit mass and is frequently discarded improperly, causing adverse environmental impacts. In this context, the valorization of açaí seeds as a raw material represents a promising and environmentally sustainable alternative. Recent studies indicate that the chemical composition of açaí seeds, characterized by high fiber content and antioxidant compounds, underlies bioactive properties with potential applications across multiple industrial sectors. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview of the composition and industrial applications of açaí seeds, while identifying current gaps and challenges. Available evidence suggests that incorporating açaí seed flour or extracts into food formulations is promising, although the observed effects are concentration-dependent. In addition, seed-derived extracts have demonstrated biological activities associated with potential health benefits. Furthermore, açaí seeds have potential applications as biochar for soil remediation and as adsorbents in water and wastewater treatment. However, the use of this by-product in packaging materials and in the energy sector still requires further investigation to achieve industrial-scale feasibility. Overall, the valorization of açaí seeds supports more sustainable industrial practices and aligns with circular economy principles. Full article

Knowledge graph link prediction is a fundamental task for improving the completeness and reasoning capability of knowledge graphs. In industrial knowledge graph scenarios, missing relations may limit knowledge completion, relational reasoning, and downstream industrial applications. Fault diagnosis is a representative application scenario, where missing relations among fault phenomena, alarm information, fault locations, and fault causes may further affect fault analysis, maintenance decision-making, and industrial knowledge services. Industrial knowledge graphs usually suffer from sparse local structures, imbalanced relation distributions, explicit entity-type boundaries, and highly confusing candidate entities with similar structural or semantic contexts. These characteristics make it difficult for conventional embedding-based or graph neural network-based methods to achieve reliable candidate ranking by relying only on structural propagation or semantic matching. To address these challenges, this study proposes a type-constrained structural–semantic fusion framework with dynamic relation priors for industrial knowledge graph link prediction, and further investigates its application to fault diagnosis. The proposed framework extends a relation-centered graph neural reasoning backbone by generating dynamic relation priors through query-conditioned relation-level graph propagation over a predefined relation graph, thereby enhancing query-specific structural reasoning. It further introduces a semantic projection module to align textual representations of entities and relations with structural representations at the candidate-ranking stage. In addition, relation-category and hierarchy-aware signals are used to modulate relation representations during propagation, while entity-type constraints are incorporated into final scoring and type-constrained hard negative construction. In this way, structural evidence, textual semantic information, and entity-type validity constraints are jointly used for candidate ranking rather than being treated as isolated signals. Experiments are conducted on two public benchmark datasets, WN18RR and FB15k-237, and two industrial knowledge graph datasets in Chinese and English. The Chinese industrial knowledge graph is constructed from fault diagnosis knowledge and is used as a representative application dataset, while the English industrial knowledge graph is used to further evaluate the adaptability of the proposed framework in a related industrial production scenario. The proposed method achieves MRR scores of 0.599 and 0.446 on WN18RR and FB15k-237, respectively, and obtains MRR scores of 0.8532 and 0.7994 on the Chinese and English industrial knowledge graphs. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework improves both general link prediction performance and industrial-domain adaptability, especially in scenarios involving sparse structures, type-constrained candidate validity, and semantically confusing entities, and shows practical potential for fault diagnosis applications. Full article

Air-dried mutton is a traditional, culturally significant meat product, yet its spontaneous fermentation is inherently constrained by unstable microbial communities, leading to batch-to-batch quality inconsistency and potential food safety hazards. Elucidating whether composite starter cultures can modulate the microbiota and enhance product quality is therefore critical for standardized industrial processing. Herein, we investigated the effects of a defined starter culture (composed of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus in a 2:1 ratio, with a total inoculum of 10⁸ CFU/g) on the quality and flavor of air-dried mutton, comparing inoculated samples (FJ) with naturally fermented controls (ZR). The fermentation was conducted at 30 °C and 95% relative humidity (RH) for 24 h, followed by air-drying at 4 °C for 21 d, with all assays performed in three biological and three technical replicates. Starter inoculation significantly reduced the pH, water activity (Aw), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values while improving sensory acceptability (p < 0.05). Amplicon sequencing analysis revealed a lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-dominated microbiota in FJ samples, with elevated abundances of Pediococcus and Lactobacillus and reduced abundance of Pseudomonas. The inoculated group also exhibited altered eicosapentaenoic acid content and a more diverse volatile flavor profile, with eight key aroma compounds positively correlating with LAB abundance. These findings demonstrate that composite starter inoculation improves physicochemical quality, stabilizes the microbial community, and enhances flavor in air-dried mutton. Further mechanistic validation and scale-up trials are required to confirm industrial applicability. Full article

The rapid expansion of the hydrogen economy has intensified the need for accessible production technologies. This study presents a comparative assessment of two next-generation hydrogen production systems showcased at the Hydrogen Expo Hamburg 2025: the containerised HyPro electrolyser and the modular Enapter EL 4.1. The analysis focuses on their technical specifications, operational philosophies, and indicative costs. Data were gathered through technical consultations with exhibitors and catalogue analyses. The evaluation highlights key differences in system architecture, production capacity, and installation requirements within academic research environments. The results demonstrate how suitability depends on the intended scale of application, contrasting a laboratory-ready modular approach with an industrial-oriented turnkey configuration. This study provides practical insights to support universities and research institutions in selecting hydrogen production equipment that aligns with their specific infrastructural and budgetary conditions. Full article

Fingered citron volatile oil is a volatile oil with a fresh and slightly floral aroma, extracted from fresh fingered citron. It is one of the natural perfume essential oils. At present, scholars at home and abroad mainly focus their research on fingered citron volatile oil on optimizing extraction processes, component analysis, pharmacological effects, and other aspects. With the continuous development and application of fingered citron volatile oil and related products, the research scope of fingered citron volatile oil is becoming increasingly extensive. As a narrative review, this paper summarizes and compares eight distinct extraction techniques for fingered citron volatile oil and clarifies the merits and drawbacks of each method. Steam distillation is one of the most employed approaches for volatile oil extraction in laboratory settings, whereas mechanical pressing is extensively applied and serves as the dominant and preferred industrial process for fingered citron volatile oil production. This paper also reviews its potential biological activities, including antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and sleep-improving effects, as well as the development and application of related products. Fingered citron volatile oil has been applied in products such as cigarettes and insecticides. Studying the chemical components of fingered citron volatile oil can not only help research its medicinal mechanisms but also promote the development of natural spices, providing a useful reference for the further utilization of fingered citron volatile oil in the future. Full article

Tamarindus indica L. (tamarind) is a traditionally consumed food and medicinal plant with increasing relevance in the development of functional foods and bioactive natural ingredients. While the fruit pulp has been extensively utilized in food products, other fractions, including seeds, shells, and leaves, remain comparatively underexploited despite emerging evidence of notable nutritional and phytochemical value. This review summarizes recent progress regarding the nutritional composition, phytochemical characteristics, biological activities, safety considerations, and industrial applications of different parts of tamarind. These studies indicate that tamarind is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, proteins, minerals, vitamins, polysaccharides, and phenolic compounds, which are associated with anti-oxidant, antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and prebiotic effects. Nevertheless, most evidence is derived from in vitro and animal studies, while human clinical data remain scarce. In addition to their biological activities, tamarind-derived materials have shown promise in food formulation, pharmaceutical excipients, packaging systems, and environmental applications. Although these advances have been achieved, several challenges remain in compositional standardization, extraction efficiency, safety assessment, and clinical validation. Therefore, future research should focus on establishing standardized methods, optimizing extraction processes, improving safety evaluation systems, and conducting rigorous clinical trials to support the sustainable utilization of tamarind resources. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive scientific basis for the value-added development and sustainable utilization of tamarind resources. Full article