Search Results (36)

This article explores how Toru Takemitsu transforms literary and natural imagery into sacred soundscapes in his Rain Tree Sketches, drawing on Ōe Kenzaburō’s short story “The Clever Rain Tree” as a starting point for musical meditation on nature and spirituality. This research employs three different approaches to study the transformation process. First, it traces the transformation of Ōe’s literary symbols into Takemitsu’s musical vocabulary while explaining how Zen aesthetics and Japanese shizen (nature) concepts unite text and sound domains. Second, it undertakes a systematic study of musical parameters in the composition to show how motivic development, textural transformation, and temporal organization express water imagery and embody the Zen principle of ma (emptiness). Third, it critically examines modern multimedia visualizations of Rain Tree Sketches to explore both the potential and the limitations of digital technology in mediating the composition’s spiritual dimensions. The analysis demonstrates how Takemitsu created a modernist sacred space through musical techniques that enable listeners to experience transcendence via the deliberate orchestration of sound, silence, and suspended time. More broadly, it shows how modern composers can transform literary spiritual content into abstract musical compositions while preserving their meditative character. This article significantly expands upon preliminary ideas presented at KAMC 2024 conference, 2024, incorporating new theoretical frameworks, extensive analysis of spiritual dimensions, and critical examination of digital mediation not present in the original conference presentation. Full article

This study investigates how perceived ESG influences competitive performance through green technology innovation, with a focus on the moderating role of digital transformation. Grounded in social exchange theory and extending stakeholder exchange orchestration mechanisms, the research proposes that ESG initiatives foster reciprocal stakeholder relationships that drive innovation and performance through specific temporal and cultural exchange processes. Using survey data from 453 Chinese green manufacturing enterprises, we applied structural equation modeling to test the theoretical framework. Findings show that all perceived ESG dimensions, environmental, social, and governance significantly enhance both green technology innovation and competitive performance. Green technology innovation serves as a key mediator, illustrating how sustainability initiatives create competitive advantages through innovation mechanisms. Digital transformation amplifies these effects across all perceived ESG dimensions. This research contributes to sustainability literature by introducing stakeholder exchange orchestration theory, validating perception-based ESG measurements in emerging market contexts, and demonstrating digitally enhanced social exchange mechanisms. For practitioners, the study provides resource-constrained implementation strategies and innovation-focused approaches essential to maximize sustainable competitive performance outcomes. The results offer empirically grounded insights into how sustainability practices can drive innovation-based competitive advantages in emerging economies. Full article

Industry 4.0 has intensified the skills gap in industrial automation education, with graduates requiring extended on boarding periods and supplementary training investments averaging USD 11,500 per engineer. This paper introduces VisFactory, a multimedia learning system that extends the cognitive theory of multimedia learning by incorporating haptic feedback as a third processing channel alongside visual and auditory modalities. The system integrates a digital twin architecture with ultra-low latency synchronization (12.3 ms) across all sensory channels, a dynamic feedback orchestration algorithm that distributes information optimally across modalities, and a tripartite student model that continuously calibrates instruction parameters. We evaluated the system through a controlled experiment with 127 engineering students randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, with assessments conducted immediately and at three-month and six-month intervals. VisFactory significantly enhanced learning outcomes across multiple dimensions: 37% reduction in time to mastery (t(125) = 11.83, p < 0.001, d = 2.11), skill acquisition increased from 28% to 85% (${\eta }_p^2=0.54$), and 28% higher knowledge retention after six months. The multimodal approach demonstrated differential effectiveness across learning tasks, with haptic feedback providing the most significant benefit for procedural skills (52% error reduction) and visual–auditory integration proving most effective for conceptual understanding (49% improvement). The adaptive modality orchestration reduced cognitive load by 43% compared to unimodal interfaces. This research advances multimedia learning theory by validating tri-modal integration effectiveness and establishing quantitative benchmarks for sensory channel synchronization. The findings provide a theoretical framework and implementation guidelines for optimizing multimedia learning environments for complex skill development in technical domains. Full article

This article examines how digital innovation ecosystems have emerged as strategic institutions of power in contemporary world politics. It argues that, unlike Cold War technological rivalries driven by centralized, state-led control, today’s digital competition depends on states’ capacity to orchestrate scalable, multistakeholder ecosystems. Using a cultural–institutional framework, we explain how differences in strategic culture and institutional governance impact the ecosystem’s vitality and performance. A qualitative comparative analysis of the United States, China, and Russia reveals that constructive orchestration, aligning state institutions with generative, commercial-to-national innovation flows, enhances digital leadership, whereas rigid, obstructive governance limits it. This highlights ecosystem governance as a critical dimension of statecraft in the digital age. The findings underscore that the positions of great powers in the global technological hierarchy depend not only on resources or capabilities but also on the effectiveness of ecosystem governance as an evolving instrument of geopolitical power. Full article

From the mid-Ming to early Qing dynasties, Mount Jizu 雞足山 in Yunnan achieved unexpected prominence within China’s Buddhist sacred landscape—an event of regional, national, and transnational significance. Employing an explicit comparative lens that juxtaposes Jizu with China’s core-region sacred sites like Mount Wutai and Emei, this study investigates the timing, regional dynamics, institutional mechanisms, and causal drivers behind the rapid ascent. Rejecting teleological narratives, it traces the mountain’s trajectory through four developmental phases to address critical historiographical questions: how did a peripheral Yunnan site achieve national prominence within a remarkably compressed timeframe? By what mechanisms could its sacred authority be constructed to inspire pilgrimages even across vast distances? Which historical agents and processes orchestrated these transformations, and how did the mountain’s symbolic meaning shift dynamically over time? Departing from earlier scholarship that privileges regional and secular frameworks, this work not only rebalances the emphasis on religious dimensions but also expands the analytical scope beyond regional confines to situate Mount Jizu within national and transnational frameworks. Eventually, by analyzing the structural, institutional, and agential dynamics—spanning local, imperial, and transnational dimensions—this study reveals how the mountain’s sacralization emerged from the convergence of local agency, acculturative pressures, state-building imperatives, late-Ming Buddhist revival, literati networks, and the strategic mobilization of symbolic capital. It also reveals that Mount Jizu was not a static sacred site but a dynamic arena of contestation and negotiation, where competing claims to spiritual authority and cultural identity were perpetually redefined. Full article

Cyber ranges have become essential platforms for realistic cybersecurity training, research, and development. Existing taxonomies often describe the functional aspects of cyber ranges—scenario design, team configurations, and evaluation metrics— focusing less on the underlying technologies that enable modern training. In this paper, we highlight the current trends and persistent gaps in the existing literature and propose a taxonomy that decouples functional capabilities from the enabling infrastructure, adding a dedicated Technology dimension. We derived and refined this taxonomy through an iterative literature mapping process, culminating in a proposed taxonomy that highlights key emerging trends such as cyber–physical integration, federation across multiple sites, and AI-driven orchestration. Key findings include the identification of clear convergences and divergences in existing taxonomies and concrete recommendations for future research directions, such as integrating socio-technical considerations and conducting systematic empirical validation. Our framework aims to guide researchers, developers, and practitioners in designing, implementing, and comparing cyber range solutions. An online Taxonomy Mapping Toolkit is developed to allow the cyber ranges research community to take advantage of the proposed taxonomy and build upon it as new advancements emerge. Full article

As a core technology emerging from the convergence of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Service Function Chaining (SFC) enables the dynamic orchestration of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) to support diverse service requirements. However, in dynamic network environments, SFC faces significant challenges, such as resource fluctuations, user mobility, and fault recovery. To ensure service continuity and optimize resource utilization, an efficient migration mechanism is essential. This paper presents a comprehensive review of SFC migration research, analyzing it across key dimensions including migration motivations, strategy design, optimization goals, and core challenges. Existing approaches have demonstrated promising results in both passive and active migration strategies, leveraging techniques such as reinforcement learning for dynamic scheduling and digital twins for resource prediction. Nonetheless, critical issues remain—particularly regarding service interruption control, state consistency, algorithmic complexity, and security and privacy concerns. Traditional optimization algorithms often fall short in large-scale, heterogeneous networks due to limited computational efficiency and scalability. While machine learning enhances adaptability, it encounters limitations in data dependency and real-time performance. Future research should focus on deeply integrating intelligent algorithms with cross-domain collaboration technologies, developing lightweight security mechanisms, and advancing energy-efficient solutions. Moreover, coordinated innovation in both theory and practice is crucial to addressing emerging scenarios like 6G and edge computing, ultimately paving the way for a highly reliable and intelligent network service ecosystem. Full article

In the BANI context, organizations can utilize digital technologies to implement flexible resource allocation strategies to help them address unpredictable situations, which is crucial for enhancing supply chain resilience. However, the existing research lacks an in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying supply chain resilience development in the practice of enterprise resource restructuring. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how companies can enhance supply chain resilience through resource restructuring in the context of digital transformation. Taking Compaks as its research object, this study adopted the exploratory single-case study method. Through open, axial, and selective coding based on the proceduralized grounded theory and following the research logic of “resource orchestration motivation—digital transformation—resource orchestration under digital transformation”, this study comprehensively investigates the improvement of supply chain resilience via enterprise resource restructuring in the context of digital transformation. The results show that (1) resource orchestration motivation includes two dimensions of risk perception, supply-side and demand-side (2) in the context of digital transformation, restructuring supply chain resources (redundant, technological, and internal and external resources) through capability transformation (manufacturing, digital platform, and innovation capability) positively impacts supply chain resilience (both active and passive). This research contributes to the theory of supply chain resilience and provides reference and guidance for traditional enterprise resource orchestration and optimizing supply chain resilience. Full article

In recent years, non-fiction journalism, regarded as a subset of literary and narrative journalism, has garnered significant attention in Chinese media. This trend underscores a notable departure from traditional journalistic norms of objectivity toward an emphasis on authenticity. Drawing upon a comprehensive analysis of 348 articles sourced from Southern People Weekly, a prominent media outlet for non-fiction journalism in China, this study examines the construction of authenticity along two distinct dimensions: voice and visibility. The voice dimension encompasses the utilization of first-person narratives by sources, the expression of authorial voice, and the orchestration of polyphony between journalists and their sources. The visibility dimension pertains to the portrayal of sources through visual imagery, the strategic presentation of journalists, and the scenic depiction of context and environment. Based on these findings, this study discusses the challenges posed by this narrative paradigm to the traditional notion of objectivity and its implications for the rising ideal of subjective journalism. Full article

The rise of Industry 4.0 has led more manufacturers to embrace the concept of intelligent transformation. Understanding this relationship improves both transformation efficiency and the quality of innovation. This study, based on resource orchestration theory, empirically tests a sample of Chinese A-share listed manufacturing companies from 2007 to 2022. The key findings are as follows: (1) intelligent transformation significantly enhances the innovation quality of manufacturing firms, particularly in the eastern region, non-state-owned enterprises, and non-high-tech enterprises; (2) intelligent transformation, as a vital means of resource orchestration, optimizes resource allocation, thereby strengthening corporate financing, organizational resilience, and risk-taking capabilities, ultimately empowering the improvement in innovation quality; (3) the three sub-dimensions of intelligent transformation—intelligent sensing technology, intelligent production and manufacturing, and intelligent strategic layout—all significantly contribute to the enhancement of innovation quality in manufacturing firms. These conclusions provide new insights for manufacturing enterprises to utilize intelligent transformation for resource orchestration and offer valuable implications for the improvement in their innovation quality. Full article

Mammalian fertilization is a complex and highly regulated process that has garnered significant attention, particularly with advancements in assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). The fusion of egg and sperm involves a sequence of molecular and cellular events, including capacitation, the acrosome reaction, adhesion, and membrane fusion. Critical genetic factors, such as IZUMO1, JUNO (also known as FOLR4), CD9, and several others, have been identified as essential mediators in sperm–egg recognition and membrane fusion. Additionally, glycoproteins such as ZP3 within the zona pellucida are crucial for sperm binding and triggering the acrosome reaction. Recent gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9 and conditional knockout models, have facilitated the functional annotation of genes such as SPAM1 and ADAM family members, further elucidating their roles in capacitation and adhesion. Furthermore, the integration of CRISPR-Cas9 with omics technologies, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and lipidomics, has unlocked new avenues for identifying previously unknown genetic players and pathways involved in fertilization. For instance, transcriptomics can uncover gene expression profiles during gamete maturation, while proteomics identifies key protein interactions critical for processes such as capacitation and the acrosome reaction. Lipidomics adds another dimension by revealing how membrane composition influences gamete fusion. Together, these tools enable the discovery of novel genes, pathways, and molecular mechanisms involved in fertility, providing insights that were previously unattainable. These approaches not only deepen our molecular understanding of fertility mechanisms but also hold promise for refining diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions for infertility. This review summarizes the current molecular insights into genes orchestrating fertilization and highlights cutting-edge methodologies that propel the field toward novel discoveries. By integrating these findings, this review aims to provide valuable knowledge for clinicians, researchers, and technologists in the field of reproductive biology and assisted reproductive technologies. Full article

This study investigates the sustainability impact of fungus-resistant grape varieties within viticulture, addressing economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Pesticide management is of paramount importance for wineries but causes additional costs, impairs sustainability, and faces societal non-acceptance. Digital monitoring of four German wineries for two consecutive years allowed us to compare treatments of traditional and robust varietals. The results demonstrate that the latter enables a significant reduction in pesticide treatments, can be key for copper reduction, and is of paramount importance for organic winemaking. By reducing pesticide dependency, lowering operational costs, hedging risks, and improving labor efficiency, FRW present a key to sustainable viticulture. The results suggest that robust varietals present a means to comply with societal pressure and to meet EU Green Deal ambitions. This paper contributes new, practice-oriented knowledge on FRW’s role in sustainable viticulture, confirming both the ecological and economic advantages in real-world settings, alongside unique insights into social sustainability and market positioning strategies. Sustainability impact is quantified, and a newly introduced productivity metric allows for the orchestration of resilience. The findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable agriculture by validating FRW as a strategic response to climate and regulatory pressures, resilience, and competitive positioning. Full article

This paper presents the design and development of a flexible hyper-distributed IoT–Edge–Cloud computing platform for real-time Digital Twins in real logistics and industrial environments, intended as a novel living lab and testbed for future 6G applications. It expands the limited capabilities of IoT devices with extended Cloud and Edge computing functionalities, creating an IoT–Edge–Cloud continuum platform composed of multiple stakeholder solutions, in which vertical application developers can take full advantage of the computing resources of the infrastructure. The platform is built together with a private 5G network to connect machines and sensors on a large scale. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are used to allocate computing resources for real-time services by an end-to-end intelligent orchestrator, and real-time distributed analytic tools leverage Edge computing platforms to support different types of Digital Twin applications for logistics and industry, such as immersive remote driving, with specific characteristics and features. Performance evaluations demonstrated the platform’s capability to support the high-throughput communications required for Digital Twins, achieving user-experienced rates close to the maximum theoretical values, up to 552 Mb/s for the downlink and 87.3 Mb/s for the uplink in the n78 frequency band. Moreover, the platform’s support for Digital Twins was validated via QoE assessments conducted on an immersive remote driving prototype, which demonstrated high levels of user satisfaction in key dimensions such as presence, engagement, control, sensory integration, and cognitive load. Full article

Ferritin, an iron storage protein, is ubiquitously distributed across diverse life forms, fulfilling crucial roles encompassing iron retention, conversion, orchestration of cellular iron metabolism, and safeguarding cells against oxidative harm. Noteworthy attributes of ferritin include its innate amenability to facile modification, scalable mass production, as well as exceptional stability and safety. In addition, ferritin boasts unique physicochemical properties, including pH responsiveness, resilience to elevated temperatures, and resistance to a myriad of denaturing agents. Therefore, ferritin serves as the substrate for creating nanomaterials typified by uniform particle dimensions and exceptional biocompatibility. Comprising 24 subunits, each ferritin nanocage demonstrates self-assembly capabilities, culminating in the formation of nanostructures akin to intricate cages. Recent years have witnessed the ascendance of ferritin-based self-assembled nanoparticles, owing to their distinctive physicochemical traits, which confer substantial advantages and wide-ranging applications within the biomedical domain. Ferritin is highly appealing as a carrier for delivering drug molecules and antigen proteins due to its distinctive structural and biochemical properties. This review aims to highlight recent advances in the use of self-assembled ferritin as a novel carrier for antigen delivery and vaccine development, discussing the molecular mechanisms underlying its action, and presenting it as a promising and effective strategy for the future of vaccine development. Full article

The increasing volume of personal motorized vehicles (PMVs) in cities has become a serious issue leading to congestion, noise, air pollution and high land consumption. To ensure the sustainability of urban transportation, it is imperative to transition the current transportation paradigm toward a more sustainable state. Transitions within socio-technical systems often arise from niche innovation. Therefore, this paper pursues the technical optimization of such a niche innovation by applying a technical sustainability perspective on an innovative mobility and logistics concept within a case study. This case study is based on a centrally managed connected, automated, shared and electric (CASE) vehicle fleet which might replace PMV use in urban city centers of the future. The key technical system components of the envisioned mobility and logistics concept are analyzed and optimized with regard to economic, ecological and social sustainability dimensions to maximize the overall sustainability of the ecosystem. Specifically, this paper identifies key challenges and proposes possible solutions across the vehicle components as well as the orchestration of the vehicles’ operations within the envisioned mobility and logistics concept. Thereby, the case study gives an example of how different engineering disciplines can contribute to different sustainability dimensions, highlighting the interdependences. Finally, the discussion concludes that the early integration of sustainability considerations in the technical optimization efforts of innovative transportation systems can provide an important building block for the transition of the current transportation paradigm to a more sustainable state. Full article