Search Results (23,791)

The psychological mechanisms through which occupational stress impacts quality of life remain underexplored in shift-working healthcare professionals, a population exposed to unique stressors such as circadian disruption, high cognitive demands, and irregular work schedules. This study examined whether executive self-regulation mediates the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life in a sample of 82 shift-working healthcare professionals. Participants completed validated self-report measures, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), Executive Skills Questionnaire–Revised (ESQ-R), and Quality of Life Scale (QOLS). Mediation analysis using 5126 bias-corrected bootstrapped samples revealed that perceived stress significantly predicted self-regulation difficulties, which in turn were associated with diminished quality of life. Self-regulation demonstrated an indirect-only mediation effect in both directions, though the forward path (stress → self-regulation → QOL) showed a stronger effect (indirect effect = −0.79; 95% CI: −1.63, −0.17), compared to the reverse path (QOL → self-regulation → stress; indirect effect = −0.04; 95% CI: −0.08, −0.01). Unsupervised K-means clustering identified three distinct behavioral clusters: resilient, low-strain, and high-strain, providing further support for personalized targeted interventions. These findings highlight self-regulation as a central mechanism through which stress affects quality of life and underscore the need for interventions that strengthen executive functioning in shift-based healthcare settings. Full article

The main objective of this study was to investigate boiling heat transfer during refrigerant flow in a mini-channel heat sink. The test section consisted of multiple parallel mini-channels, each with a depth of 1 mm. The working fluid was heated by a thin layer of Haynes-230 alloy with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The outer surface temperature of the heater was measured using infrared thermography, while other thermal and flow-based parameters were recorded via a dedicated data acquisition system. The mini-channel heat sink was tested in seven different spatial orientations, with inclination angles relative to the horizontal plane of 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 105°, 120°, and 135°. The analysis focused on the early stage of the experiment, corresponding to the forced convection, boiling incipience, and subcooled boiling region. A time-dependent, two-dimensional model of heat transfer during flow boiling of a refrigerant in asymmetrically heated mini-channels was developed. The temperatures of both the heating foil and the working fluid (Fluorinert FC-770) were described using appropriate forms of the Fourier–Kirchhoff equation, subject to relevant boundary conditions. Two sets of time-dependent Trefftz functions were employed to solve the governing equations: one set corresponding to the two-dimensional Fourier equation and another, newly derived, for the energy equation in the fluid. The results include thermographic images of the heated surface, temperature distributions, fluid temperatures, local heat-transfer coefficients, and boiling curves. A comparison of the heat-transfer coefficients obtained using the Trefftz-based approach and those calculated using Fourier’s law demonstrated satisfactory agreement. Full article

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between flexible working arrangements (FWAs), employee experiences (EEs), and perceived productivity (PP) in the context of New Zealand employees. The study aims to understand how opportunities and challenges within FWAs impact employee productivity, utilising the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted with 176 employees who transitioned from traditional office settings to FWAs. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring work demand, autonomy, employee experiences, and perceived productivity. The analysis involved correlational and moderated regression techniques to assess the relationships between the variables. Findings: The study found that positive employee experiences (expressed as opportunities) are significantly associated with higher perceived productivity (r = 0.610, p < 0.001), while negative experiences (expressed as challenges) are associated with lower perceived productivity (r = 0.515, p < 0.001). Moreover, management strategies were found to moderate these relationships, further influencing perceived productivity. Originality: This research contributes to the understanding of how FWAs, when effectively managed, can enhance employee productivity by fostering positive experiences. It also highlights the importance of addressing challenges to mitigate negative impacts on productivity. The use of the JD-R model offers a novel approach to exploring these dynamics in the context of FWAs. Practical and social implications: Organisations can enhance productivity by focusing on management strategies that amplify positive employee experiences and reduce challenges within FWAs. Effective FWAs can improve work–life balance, employee wellbeing, and organisational commitment, contributing to a more satisfied and productive workforce. Full article

Background: Cluster sets (CSs) maintain velocity and power in compound movements by employing similar propulsion strategies or maintaining impulse through different mechanisms. This study aimed to explore the effect of four CS conditions on back squat (BS) propulsion and provide models for estimating changes in propulsion based on repetition and set number. Methods: Twenty male participants (age = 28.3 ± 3.1 years, stature = 1.74 ± 8.21 m, body mass = 84.80 ± 7.80 kg, BS 1RM = 140.90 ± 24.20 kg) completed four data collection sessions. Each session consisted of three sets of five repetitions at 80% 1RM BS with three minutes of unloaded inter-set rest, using varying intra-set rest intervals. Experimental conditions included 0 s (TRAD), 10 s (CS10), 20 s (CS20), and 30 s (CS30) inter-repetition rest, randomly assigned to sessions in a counterbalanced order. Ground reaction force data were collected on dual force platforms sampling at 1000 Hz, from which net propulsive impulse (J_PROP), mean force (MF), and propulsion time (t_PROP) were calculated. Conditions and sets were analysed using a 4 × 3 (CONDITION*SET) repeated-measures ANOVA to assess differences between conditions and sets, and linear mixed models (LMMs) were used to provide regression equations for each dependent variable in each condition. Results: The ANOVA revealed no significant interactions for any dependent variable. No main effects of CONDITION or SET were observed for J_PROP. The main effects of CONDITION showed that MF was significantly lower in TRAD than CS20 (g = 0.757) and CS30 (g = 0.749). t_PROP was significantly higher in TRAD than CS20 (g = 0.437) and CS30 (g = 0.569). The main effects of SET showed that MF was significantly lower in S2 (g = 0.691) and S3 (g = 1.087) compared to S1. t_PROP was significantly higher in S2 (g = 0.866) and S3 (g = 1.179) compared to S1. LMMs for CS20 and CS30 revealed no significant effect (p > 0.05) between repetition or set number and dependent variables. Conclusions: The results suggest that CS20 and CS30 maintain J_PROP by limiting MF and t_PROP attenuation. This is less rest than that suggested by the previous literature, which may influence programming decisions during strength and power mesocycles to maximise training time and training density. LMMs provide accurate estimates of BS propulsive force attenuation when separating repetitions by up to 30 s, which may help practitioners optimise training load for long-term adaptations. Full article

This study presents a novel framework to assess the combined impact of soiling and thermal effects on rooftop PV systems through multi-seasonal, multi-site field campaigns in an industrial-urban environment. This work addresses key research gaps by providing a high-resolution, site-specific analysis that captures the synergistic effect of particulate accumulation and thermal stress on PV performance in an industrial-urban environment—a setting distinct from the well-studied arid climates. The study further bridges a gap by employing controlled pre- and post-cleaning performance tests across multiple sites to isolate and quantify soiling losses, offering insights crucial for developing targeted maintenance strategies in pollution-prone urban areas. Unlike previous work, it integrates gravimetric soiling measurements with high-resolution electrical (I–V), thermal, and environmental monitoring, complemented by PVSYST simulation benchmarking. Field data were collected from five rooftop plants in Bursa, Türkiye, during summer and winter, capturing seasonal variations in particulate deposition, module temperature, and PV output, alongside irradiance, wind speed, and airborne particulates. Soiling nearly doubled in winter (0.098 g/m²) compared to summer (0.051 g/m²), but lower winter temperatures (mean 19.8 °C) partially offset performance losses seen under hot summer conditions (mean 42.1 °C). Isc correlated negatively with both soiling (r = −0.68) and temperature (r = −0.72), with regression analysis showing soiling as the dominant factor (R² = 0.71). Energy yield analysis revealed that high summer irradiance did not always increase output due to thermal losses, while winter often yielded comparable or higher energy. Soiling-induced losses ranged 5–17%, with SPP-2 worst affected in winter, and seasonal PR declines averaged 10.8%. The results highlight the need for integrated strategies combining cleaning, thermal management, and environmental monitoring to maintain PV efficiency in particulate-prone regions, offering practical guidance for operators and supporting renewable energy goals in challenging environments. Full article

Evaluating antenatal care quality involves understanding women’s experiences and their impact on pregnancy outcomes. This study examines how pregnant women in the Netherlands perceive the quality of antenatal care and which factors are related to these perceptions, with a focus on continuity of care. We conducted a cross-sectional study (2019–2020) among 1165 pregnant women (>32 weeks). Perceived quality of care was measured using the Pregnancy and Childbirth Questionnaire. Experienced continuity of care was measured using the Nijmegen Continuity Questionnaire. Regression analyses explored associated factors across both community and hospital care settings. Most women reported moderate-to-high levels of perceived quality. Personal continuity from community midwives, team continuity, and the presence of a coordinating care professional were associated with higher perceived quality. The use of a maternity care plan showed no association. Our findings suggest that involvement of a community midwife enhances perceived quality of antenatal care. Key contributing factors include continuity of care and experiencing a coordinating care professional. Full article

Accurate shade matching is essential in restorative and prosthetic dentistry yet remains difficult due to subjectivity in visual assessments. We develop and evaluate a deep learning approach for the simultaneous segmentation of natural teeth and shade guides in intraoral photographs using four fine-tuned variants of Segment Anything Model 2 (SAM2: tiny, small, base plus, and large) and a UNet baseline trained under the same protocol. The spatial performance was assessed using the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), the Intersection over the Union (IoU), and the 95th-percentile Hausdorff distance normalized by the ground-truth equivalent diameter (HD95). The color consistency within masks was quantified by the coefficient of variation (CV) of the CIELAB components (L*, a*, b*). The perceptual color difference was measured using CIEDE2000 (ΔE00). On a held-out test set, all SAM2 variants achieved a high overlap accuracy; SAM2-large performed best (DSC: 0.987 ± 0.006; IoU: 0.975 ± 0.012; HD95: 1.25 ± 1.80%), followed by SAM2-small (0.987 ± 0.008; 0.974 ± 0.014; 2.96 ± 11.03%), SAM2-base plus (0.985 ± 0.011; 0.971 ± 0.021; 1.71 ± 3.28%), and SAM2-tiny (0.979 ± 0.015; 0.959 ± 0.028; 6.16 ± 11.17%). UNet reached a DSC = 0.972 ± 0.020, an IoU = 0.947 ± 0.035, and an HD95 = 6.54 ± 16.35%. The CV distributions for all of the prediction models closely matched the ground truth (e.g., GT L*: 0.164 ± 0.040; UNet: 0.144 ± 0.028; SAM2-small: 0.164 ± 0.038; SAM2-base plus: 0.162 ± 0.039). The full-mask ΔE00 was low across models, with the summary statistics reported as the median (mean ± SD): UNet: 0.325 (0.487 ± 0.364); SAM2-tiny: 0.162 (0.410 ± 0.665); SAM2-small: 0.078 (0.126 ± 0.166); SAM2-base plus: 0.072 (0.198 ± 0.417); SAM2-large: 0.065 (0.167 ± 0.257). These ΔE00 values lie well below the ≈1 just noticeable difference threshold on average, indicating close chromatic agreement between the predictions and annotations. Within a single dataset and training protocol, fine-tuned SAM2, especially its larger variants, provides robust spatial accuracy, boundary reliability, and color fidelity suitable for clinical shade-matching workflows, while UNet offers a competitive convolutional baseline. These results indicate technical feasibility rather than clinical validation; broader baselines and external, multi-center evaluations are needed to determine its suitability for routine shade-matching workflows. Full article

This paper presents the development and implementation of a shopfloor visualization-oriented digitalization framework for heterogeneous industrial equipment, aimed to enhance sustainable performance in manufacturing environments. The proposed solution addresses a critical challenge in modern industry: the integration of legacy and modern equipment into a unified, real-time monitoring and control system. In this paper, a modular and scalable architecture that enables data acquisition from equipment with varying communication protocols and technological maturity was designed and implemented, utilizing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gateways, protocol converters, and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA). A key contribution of this work is the integration of various data sources into a centralized visualization platform that supports real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and performance analytics. By visualizing operational parameters—including energy consumption, machine efficiency, and environmental indicators—the system facilitates data-driven decision-making and supports predictive maintenance strategies. The implementation was validated in a real industrial setting, where the solution significantly improved transparency, reduced downtime, and contributed to measurable energy efficiency gains. This research demonstrates that visualization-oriented digitalization not only enables interoperability among heterogeneous assets, but also acts as a catalyst for achieving sustainability goals. The developed methodology and tools provide a replicable model for manufacturing organizations seeking to transition toward Industry 4.0 in a resource-efficient and future-proof manner. Full article

Spatiotemporal running metrics such as cadence, stride length (SL), and ground contact time (GCT) are important for assessing performance and injury risk. However, such metrics are traditionally assessed using laboratory-based tools that are often inaccessible in applied settings. Wearable devices including smartwatches and lace-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) offer promising alternatives, yet cross-device agreement in reporting spatiotemporal variables remains unclear. This study evaluated agreement between a commercial smartwatch and lace-mounted IMUs across varied distances and environments in 65 physically active adults (33 female/32 male, height: 171.0 ± 8.9 cm; weight: 70.9 ± 15.2 kg). Participants completed indoor and outdoor runs (2.5 km, 5 km, 10 km, 20 km) wearing both devices simultaneously. Average cadence demonstrated acceptable agreement (MAPE = 4.1%, CCC = 0.66) and supported equivalence, particularly among males, during outdoor conditions, and longer run distances. In contrast, peak cadence showed weak correlation (MAPE = 5.3%, CCC = 0.29), and SL and GCT demonstrated poor agreement (MAPE = 14.9–19.0%, CCC = 0.30–0.39) across all conditions. While average cadence may serve as a metric for cross-device comparisons, especially for males, and longer-distance outdoor runs, other spatiotemporal metrics demonstrated poor agreement, limiting interchangeability. Understanding device-specific capabilities is essential when interpreting wearable-derived gait data. Further validation using gold-standard tools is needed to support accurate and applied use of wearable technologies. Full article

Acute kidney injury is a common complication in the perioperative setting, especially among patients undergoing high-risk surgeries such as cardiac, abdominal, or orthopedic procedures. Characterized by a sudden decline in renal function, perioperative acute kidney injury is typically diagnosed based on rising serum creatinine or reduced urine output. Its incidence varies depending on the surgical type and patient risk factors, but even mild cases are linked to significant consequences, including prolonged hospital stays, enhanced healthcare costs, and higher mortality rates. Despite advances in surgical and anesthetic care, acute kidney injury remains a major cause of morbidity. The development of acute kidney injury in the perioperative period often results from a complex interplay of hypoperfusion, ischemia–reperfusion injury, inflammation, and exposure to nephrotoxic agents. While some predictive models and biomarkers, such as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), have shown promise in identifying patients at risk, widespread adoption remains inconsistent, and standardized prevention protocols are lacking. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the pathophysiology, risk factors, and prevention strategies for perioperative acute kidney injury. It explores emerging tools for risk stratification and early diagnosis, including novel biomarkers and learning-based models. Additionally, it highlights pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic measures to reduce acute kidney injury incidence, such as balanced fluid management, renal-protective anesthetic strategies, and bundle-based care approaches. Emphasizing a multidisciplinary and personalized model of care, this review highlights the need for coordinated efforts between anesthesiologists, surgeons, and nephrologists to identify modifiable risks and improve outcomes. Reducing the incidence of perioperative acute kidney injury has the potential to enhance recovery, preserve long-term kidney function, and ultimately improve surgical safety. Full article

Background: The Nursing Work Environment (NWE) plays a critical role in determining the quality of care, staff well-being, and organizational performance, particularly in oncology settings. Despite increasing attention, a comprehensive synthesis of organizational factors shaping oncology NWEs has been lacking. This scoping review aimed to describe the key features of oncology NWEs and to explore the outcomes associated with these characteristics. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. Peer-reviewed studies published in English or Italian were included without time restrictions. Literature searches were performed in MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus between January and April 2025. Results: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Key organizational characteristics of oncology NWEs were grouped into the following four domains: leadership and organizational support; workload and resource availability; ethical climate and collegial relationships; and physical and structural conditions of care settings. Across the studies, a positive NWE was frequently reported to be associated with improved nurse-related outcomes and, to a lesser extent, with patient-related outcomes. However, these associations should be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneity of contexts and the predominance of cross-sectional designs. Conclusions: The NWE is a strategic element in delivering effective, safe, and sustainable oncology care. Practical actions for nurse managers and healthcare leaders include implementing leadership training programs, ensuring adequate staffing and resource allocation, fostering open communication, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. These measures are essential to protect staff well-being and guarantee high-quality, patient-centered care. Full article

Monochromatic mode-filtering-based scattering suppression techniques have been shown to be applicable to all commonly used forms of far- and near-field antenna and RCS measurement techniques. Traditionally, the frequency-domain mode-filtering technique takes a far-field pattern, either measured directly or obtained using a suitable near-field to far-field transformation, as its starting point. The measurement is required to be conducted such that the antenna under test (AUT) is positioned offset from the origin of the measurement coordinate system. This physical offset introduces a phase taper across the AUT pattern and results in far greater interference occurring between the direct and indirect parasitically coupled spurious scattered signals. The method is very general and can be applied to all forms of near- or far-field measurements. However, for the case of a spherical near-field measurement (SNF) approach, it is somewhat cumbersome and tedious as first we must perform a probe-corrected spherical near-field to far-field transformation, which itself involves the computation of a complete set of spherical mode coefficients, and then after the displacement has been applied to the far-electric-fields, a second spherical wave expansion and summation is required to implement the mode-filtering procedure. While this data processing chain has been widely deployed and exhaustively validated, it requires passing through the asymptotic far-field, which inevitably results in additional computational effort, as well as incurring some loss of information, which can impose limitations on further near-field applications. This paper introduces an alternative, novel, rigorous algorithm that applies the displacement of the AUT directly using the vector addition theorem for spherical waves. An efficient implementation has been developed, and it is shown that the new, rigorous algorithm for the translation and filtering can be easily implemented directly within the data processing chain of any standard spherical near-field transformation algorithm, avoiding the need to first transform to the asymptotic far-field and also removing the need for a secondary spherical mode expansion and secondary spherical mode summation. While the vector addition theorem required for the spherical near-field to far-field transformation (SNFFFT) algorithm has been described in detail in the open literature, its implementation has been limited to the case of impinging waves and positive z-directed translations where the magnitude of the displacement is necessarily larger than the minimum sphere radius (MRE). In the current paper, the addition theorem will be derived in a new form that allows the translation to be applied in any desired direction, without the need for additional rotations, as well as being valid for solutions for waves transitioning through the sphere and applicable for the case where the magnitude of the translation is smaller or larger than the radius of the minimum sphere. Full article

Background/Objectives: Glioblastomas (GBMs) and brain metastases (BMs) are both frequent brain lesions. Distinguishing between them is crucial for suitable therapeutic and follow-up decisions, but this distinction is difficult to achieve, as it includes clinical, radiological and histopathological correlation. However, non-invasive AI examination of conventional and advanced MRI techniques can overcome this issue. Methods: We retrospectively selected 78 patients with confirmed GBM (39) and single BM (39), with conventional MRI investigations, consisting of T2W FLAIR and CE T1W acquisitions. The MRI images (DICOM) were evaluated by an AI segmentation tool, comparatively evaluating tumor heterogeneity and peripheral edema. Results: We found that GBMs are less edematous than BMs (p = 0.04) but have more internal necrosis (p = 0.002). Of the BM primary cancer molecular subtypes, NSCCL showed the highest grade of edema (p = 0.01). Compared with the ellipsoidal method of volume calculation, the AI machine obtained greater values when measuring lesions of the occipital and temporal lobes (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Although extremely useful in radiomics analysis, automated segmentation applied alone could effectively differentiate GBM and BM on a conventional MRI, calculating the ratio between their variable components (solid, necrotic and peripheral edema). Other studies applied to a broader set of participants are necessary to further evaluate the efficacy of automated segmentation. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate how acidic and alkaline staining solutions affect the optical properties (mean color change, ΔE*), geometric characteristics (surface roughness, Ra), and bacterial adhesion of zirconia Ceramill Zolid PS computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) material after 21 days of immersion. Ninety-six zirconia CAD/CAM Ceramill Zolid multilayer PS specimens were prepared and allocated to eight groups based on the pH values of the immersion solutions; the acidic solutions included Mirinda Citrus, CodeRed, yerba mate tea, Saudi coffee, and Nescafe (A–E), and the alkaline solutions included artificial saliva, DZRT (tobacco-free nicotine pouches), and smokeless tobacco (F–H). The specimens were immersed for 21 days at 37 °C, with the solutions replaced every 12 h to ensure consistency. Color changes were measured using a VITA Easyshade V spectrophotometer, and Ra was evaluated via white-light interferometric microscopy. The bacterial adhesion of Streptococcus mutans was quantified by counting colony-forming units (CFUs, CFU/mm²). Statistical analyses included the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality, one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD post hoc test for group comparisons, and paired t-tests, with significance set at <0.05. The recorded pH values of the staining materials ranged from acidic (Mirinda Citrus: 3.23) to alkaline (smokeless tobacco: 8.54). Smokeless tobacco caused the most unacceptable mean color change (ΔE* = 6.84), followed by DZRT (ΔE* = 6.46), whereas artificial saliva produced the least discoloration (ΔE* = 2.15), with statistically significant differences among the solutions (p < 0.001). The Ra measurements varied significantly (p < 0.001), with Nescafe demonstrating the lowest value (0.486 µm) and DZRT the highest (0.748 µm). S. mutans adhesion was the highest for CodeRed (546.75 CFU) and the lowest for smokeless tobacco (283.92 CFU), demonstrating significant variation across groups (ANOVA, p < 0.001). The acidic and alkaline solutions significantly altered the optical properties, Ra, and bacterial adhesion of zirconia Ceramill Zolid PS CAD/CAM, with acidic solutions leading to higher bacterial adhesion. Full article

Background: Periderm development in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is critical for protecting tubers from biotic and abiotic stress, yet the relationship between periderm maturation, canopy development, and tuber growth during the active growing season remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that cultivar-specific differences in canopy growth and biomass partitioning would influence the timing and extent of periderm structural development and tuber growth in field conditions. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining how periderm maturation aligns with canopy development and tuber growth in field conditions. Methods: Three commercial cultivars: Alturas, Clearwater Russet, and Russet Burbank, were evaluated in replicated field trials. Canopy biomass, tuber yield, and total biomass were measured at multiple stages, while periderm anatomy was assessed using histological imaging, and strength was quantified through shear force resistance from tuber initiation to vine kill. Results: Alturas exhibited the highest canopy biomass, tuber yield, and periderm strength. Phellem structure, measured by cell layer number and thickness, stabilized by approximately 100 days after planting, yet shear strength continued to increase until vine kill. Cultivar-specific differences were observed in the timing and extent of periderm maturation. Conclusions: Periderm strength at 50% harvest index provided a meaningful benchmark for evaluating skin set in early-harvest systems. These findings support more informed decisions for cultivar selection, harvest timing, and postharvest handling to reduce skinning damage and improve tuber quality. Full article