Search Results (4,125)

Modern manufacturing places increasing demands on assembly accuracy, revealing the limitations of conventional tolerance-based methods and studies that oversimplify multi-surface constraints into single-surface problems. To address this challenge, it is crucial to account for geometric distribution errors on multiple surfaces and constraints from multiple mating surfaces, analyzing their coupling effects in assembly. This paper presents a model that incorporates the effects of machining-induced geometric distribution errors and the constraints arising from multiple mating surfaces. The model determines contact points between two pairs of mating surfaces and calculates the spatial pose of the assembled part to predict assembly accuracy. The model validation was conducted in two stages: initial verification of fundamental principles through a two-dimensional simulation, followed by experimental validation. The experimental study involved mating surfaces with distinct geometric distribution errors manufactured by different machine tools. Assembly tests were performed under two distinct orientations of applied external forces. Results show close agreement between predicted and measured values, with a root mean square error (RMSE) below 2%, confirming the method’s effectiveness. The proposed method offers a solution to the assembly registration problem involving coupled multi-constraints and geometric distribution errors. Full article

Based on the self-determination theory and social presence theory, this study examined how high-tech and high-touch orientations in logistics service quality (LSQ) influence consumer satisfaction in omni-channel retailing. LSQ was modelled as two second-order constructs: high-tech orientation (timeliness, physical facilities, and ease of return) and high-touch orientation (employees’ knowledge, flexibility, and responsiveness to delivery discrepancies). Survey data from 455 consumers were analyzed using structural equation modelling. Both orientations significantly improved satisfaction, with high-tech orientation showing a slightly stronger effect, reflecting the digital literacy of the predominantly young sample. The findings extended self-determination theory and social presence theory by offering a dual-orientation perspective and practical guidance for balancing high-tech and high-touch in omni-channel logistics service design. Full article

The identification of producer typologies is a crucial tool for understanding the heterogeneity of agroecosystems and designing targeted policies. Andean agroecosystems, particularly those in rapidly suburbanizing areas, have been understudied in this regard, creating a critical knowledge gap. This study addressed this void by determining the typologies of smallholder agroecosystems in the suburban periphery of Cuenca, Ecuador, by applying an unsupervised machine learning technique, Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) Clustering, to survey data from 293 farmers. Our analysis revealed three distinct typologies, highlighting a socio-economic and productive gradient defined by income sources, market access, and agrochemical use. The typologies range from economically vulnerable households to more commercially oriented and environmentally sustainable ones, underscoring the complex interplay between livelihoods strategies and environmental management. This research provides one of the first empirical typologies of suburban Andean agroecosystems, demonstrating the value of unsupervised learning for capturing farm heterogeneity in data-scarce contexts. The findings offer a robust evidence base for moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, enabling the design of differentiated agricultural and territorial policies that enhance sustainability, equity, and resilience at the rural–urban interface. Full article

This study examines how mindful consumption contributes to sustainable marketing and consumer engagement by influencing green purchase intention and life satisfaction among Generation Z, while also assessing the moderating role of social influence. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, a survey of 1541 Thai consumers aged 18–24 was analyzed using a structural equation model and path analysis to test the mediation framework. The results show that mindful consumption significantly enhances sustainability values and purchase intentions, with sustainability values mediating the relationship between mindful consumption and both behavioral and psychological outcomes. Moreover, social influence strengthens the impact of sustainable consumption on purchase intentions, highlighting the role of peers, networks, and societal norms in promoting ethical and environmentally responsible consumer behavior. The findings extend sustainable marketing theory by highlighting mindful consumption as a driver of both behavioral (green purchase intention) and psychological (life satisfaction) outcomes. Beyond its theoretical contribution, the study offers practical insights for businesses, educators, and policymakers on fostering value-driven relationships with young consumers through mindful and socially reinforced sustainability initiatives. Promoting mindful consumption and leveraging social influence provides a pathway to engage Generation Z in sustainability-oriented lifestyles, supporting long-term consumer loyalty and achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

The decarbonization of shipping and shipbuilding is a critical challenge under the Inter-national Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target and 2050 net-zero strategy, requiring effective coordination between policy and technology. This study investigates how Japan, China, and Korea respond to these regulatory pressures by systematically analyzing their policy–technology linkages. A four-stage design was applied, combining qualitative case studies, policy–technology mapping, theoretical interpretation, and comparative analysis, to trace how national strategies shape eco-friendly transitions. Japan employs an innovation-led, institution-convergent model in which technological demonstrations drive institutional adaptation and diffusion, China follows a policy-designated, execution-oriented model where state-led interventions accelerate commercialization, and Korea adopts a coordination-based, cyclical model balancing public demonstrations, financial support, and international standardization to reduce transition costs. These findings demonstrate that sequencing between policy–technology linkage is context-dependent, shaped by technological maturity, economic feasibility and infrastructure, institutional predictability, and socio-environmental acceptance. The study contributes a cyclic co-evolutionary perspective that moves beyond technological or institutional determinism, reconceptualizes regulation as enabling infra-structure, and identifies implications for global standard-setting and industrial competitiveness. The insights inform practical strategies for major shipbuilding nations to reduce costs while sustaining competitiveness under the IMO’s decarbonization framework. Full article

This study investigates the minimum ignition temperature of smoldering paper scraps with varying bulk densities and lengths under different external airflow rates. Paper scraps of different lengths were compressed to modify the bulk density within the smoldering fuel bed. The ignition tests were performed using a rod-heater with a controlled temperature range of 340–460 °C. Once the rod-heater reached the preset temperature, the current was turned off, and the rod-heater was inserted into the center of the vertically oriented combustion chamber filled with paper scraps. By recording the temperature variations at different locations within the combustion chamber, the ignition limits of smoldering paper scraps with varying bulk densities under different external airflow rates were determined. The results showed that in the absence of external airflow and with a fixed paper scrap length, the ignition limit of smoldering paper scrap exhibits a clear U-shaped trend as bulk density increases. Furthermore, we found that in the absence of external airflow, the length of paper scraps had no significant effect on the ignition limit in the low bulk density range. However, in the high bulk density range, the ignition limit increased with scrap length. As for cases with external air flows, the ignition limit of paper scrap smoldering combustion once again exhibits a U-shaped trend with varying bulk density. Compared with the condition without forced airflow, however, the inflection point of the U-shaped curve shifts toward the higher-density region. Moreover, within the range of externally forced airflow rates examined in the present study, the length of paper scraps had no significant effect on the smoldering ignition limit. Full article

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) management requires texture-modified foods (TMFs). The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) framework classifies TMFs from drinks (levels 0–2) to purées and soft-solid foods (levels 3–4). However, current instrumental methods for analyzing commercial OD-oriented TMFs often fail to provide reliable classifications, limiting their clinical and industrial applicability. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of the Back-Extrusion Test (BET) in classifying commercial OD-oriented TMFs according to the IDDSI framework. Fifty-four commercial TMFs were analyzed using BET1 method (firmness and adhesiveness), and BET2 method (firmness, consistency, cohesiveness, and cohesion work). A progressive increase in firmness and consistency was detected as IDDSI level rose, with significant differences between levels. The classification accuracy for IDDSI levels, as determined by discriminant analysis, was 66.1% (BET1) and 76.8% (BET2), although both methods showed reduced performance, particularly for level 4 foods. Cluster analysis revealed three groups by means of BET1 and BET2, identifying levels of foods with low, intermediate, and high textural complexity. This finding suggests that a simplified classification framework could improve objectivity and reliability in assessing OD-oriented TMFs. Furthermore, integrating additional instrumental techniques may improve the accuracy classification of commercial foods where BET methods fail. Full article

This paper provides an overview of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) methods for analyzing plant materials and herbal formulations, as described in scientific publications from January 2022 to July 2025. It describes the use of TLC in the qualitative and quantitative examination of plant materials and pharmaceutical preparations containing herbs, including profiling plant materials using TLC and applying it to HPTLC plates. It also describes other modern methods that improve component separations, such as applying TLC to profile plant formulations and detect adulterations and contaminants in them. Additionally, it discusses TLC coupled with other methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), mass spectrometry (MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and image analysis (IA). The quantitative determination of biologically active compounds in herbs and herbal formulations is presented based on methods that combine TLC with densitometry. The paper also discusses TLC with effect-oriented analysis, including the detection of antimicrobial, antioxidant, enzyme-inhibiting, endocrine-disrupting, genotoxic, and cytotoxic substances. The advantages, disadvantages, and prospects of analyzing plant material using the TLC technique are indicated. TLC/HPTLC has great prospects for use by regulatory authorities due to the low cost of analysis and high throughput. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images have increasingly become important data for accurate mapping of tidal marsh vegetation. They are particularly important for determining what spatial resolution is needed because UAV imaging requires a trade-off between spatial resolution and imaging extent. However, there are still insufficient studies for assessing the effects of spatial resolution on the classification accuracy of tidal marsh vegetation. This study utilized UAV images with spatial resolutions of 2 cm, 5 cm, and 10 cm, respectively, to classify seven tidal marsh plots with different vegetation complexities in the Yellow River Delta (YRD), China, using the object-oriented example-based feature extraction with support vector machine approach and the pixel-based random forest classifier, and compared the differences in vegetation classification accuracy. This study indicated the following: (1) Vegetation classification varied at different spatial resolutions, with a difference of 0.95–8.76% between the highest and lowest classification accuracy for different plots. (2) Vegetation complexity influenced classification accuracy. Classification accuracy was lower when the relative dominance and proportional abundance of P. australis and T. chinensis were higher in the plots. (3) Considering the trade-off between classification accuracy and imaging extent, UAV data with 5 cm spatial resolution were recommended for tidal marsh vegetation classification in the YRD or similar vegetation complexity regions. Full article

This study presents a finite element analysis (FEA)-based numerical homogenization method for evaluating the effective thermo-mechanical properties of a large-area additively manufactured particulate-filled composite using realistic periodic representative volume elements (RVEs) generated from reconstructed X-ray µ-CT image scans of a 3D-printed bead. The numerical results of the predicted effective properties, including the elastic stiffness, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and thermal conductivity, were benchmarked with the Mori–Tanaka–Benveniste analytical estimates, which were found to be comparable. Initial sensitivity analysis using a single region of interest (ROI) extracted from the bead’s volume was performed to determine a suitable RVE size. The impact of inherent micro-porosities on the resulting composite material’s behavior was also quantified in the current investigation and was shown to reduce the composite’s effective properties. Using a suitable RVE size, the effect of anisotropy due to spatial variation in the microstructure across the bead specimen on the computed composite’s effective properties was also assessed. The results show that the regions closer to the exposed surface of the print bead with highly aligned and densely packed fiber particulates have superior properties as compared to inner regions with a more randomly oriented and less densely packed fibrous microstructure. Full article

Engaging in unethical behaviours, such as cheating, lying, stealing and fraud, holds significant consequences for individuals and the broader community. Drawing on self-determination theory, we posit that in a consumer-centric society, where one’s worth is often linked to wealth, celebrity status, and appearance, individuals who adopt extrinsic values might be motivated to engage in unethical behaviour in pursuit of financial gains. Study 1 surveyed university students in Macao, China (n = 566), and crowdsourcing workers from the UK (n = 605), demonstrating that extrinsic values were linked to unethical decision-making in vignette-based scenarios. This association was held in both societies, suggesting a culture-independent connection between unethicality and values. To establish causal relationships, we conducted experiments manipulating extrinsic cues participants received in Macanese (Study 2, n = 170) and British (Study 3, n = 197) participants. Results revealed a significant impact of these cues on behavioural measures of unethicality, with those in the extrinsic-cues condition more likely to lie for financial gains compared to those in the control groups. Together, these findings highlight the influence of extrinsic values on unethical behaviour across cultural contexts. This research underscores the urgent need to address societal norms and consumerist cues that focus on extrinsic values, which may erode ethical standards and threaten collective well-being. Full article

Thermosyphon heat pipes (THPs) are increasingly employed in advanced thermal management applications due to their highly effective thermal conductivity, compact design, and passive operation. In this study, a numerical investigation was conducted on a copper or aluminum thermosyphon charged with different working fluids, with methanol serving as a reference case. A two-dimensional compressible CFD model was implemented in OpenFOAM, coupling the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method with a hybrid phase-change formulation that integrates the Lee and Tanasawa approaches. It provides, indeed, a balance between computational efficiency and physical fidelity. The vapor flow, considered as an ideal gas, was assumed compressible. The isoAdvector algorithm was applied as a reconstruction technique in order to improve interface capturing, to reduce spurious oscillations and parasitic currents, and to ensure more realistic simulation of boiling and condensation phenomena. The performance dependency on operating parameters such as the inclination angle, liquid filling ratio, and thermophysical properties of the working fluid is analyzed. The numerical predictions were validated against experimental measurements obtained from a dedicated test bench, showing discrepancies below 3% under vertical operation. This work provides new insights into the coupled influence of orientation, fluid inventory, and working fluid properties on THP behavior. Beyond the experimental validation, it establishes a robust computational framework for predicting two-phase heat and mass transfer phenomena by linearizing and treating the terms involved in thebalances to be satisfied implicitly. The results reveal a strong interplay between the inclination angle and filling ratio in determining the overall thermal resistance. At low filling ratios, the vertical operation led to insufficient liquid return and increased resistance, whereas inclined orientations enhanced the liquid spreading and promoted more efficient evaporation. An optimal filling ratio range of 40–60% was identified, minimizing the thermal resistance across the working fluids. In contrast, excessive liquid charge reduced the vapor space and degraded the performance due toflow restriction and evaporationflooding. Full article

Urban ecosystem services (ESs) are increasingly recognized as critical determinants of residents’ quality of life and well-being. This study develops a data-driven demand–supply matching framework to integrate ES concepts into community-level planning and service performance evaluation. Based on 312 resident surveys across 10 communities in Wuhan, China, we identify the key environmental attributes shaping perceived service quality. A random forest (RF) algorithm is employed to assess the relative importance of environmental features, while a multinomial logit (Mlogit) model quantifies their specific effects. The results highlight that community autonomy, neighborhood relations, environmental awareness, and infrastructure—such as broadband networks and security systems—play pivotal roles in improving service quality. Although provisioning and regulating ESs, such as safety and infrastructure, are relatively well established, cultural services that promote social cohesion and civic participation remain under-supported. These findings uncover the heterogeneity of residents’ environmental expectations and provide actionable insights for incorporating ES-oriented thinking into community planning and fiscal decision-making. By bridging ecological theory with operational urban governance, this study contributes a replicable approach for advancing more inclusive and sustainable community development. Full article

The surface transportation of heavy crude oil remains an operational challenge due to its high viscosity and rapid heat loss when exposed to ambient conditions, which significantly increases the energy required for pumping. Although previous studies have estimated thermal losses using average convective coefficients, they have not characterized the internal development of the thermal and velocity boundary layers, nor their direct influence on viscosity and flow regime. The objective of this study is to develop a predictive model based on computational fluid dynamics with temperature-dependent properties, enabling the analysis of the interaction between heat transfer phenomena and flow dynamics along a 50 m SCH-80 pipeline segment under real conditions of the Ecuadorian Oriente and to propose a mathematical tool capable of accurately predicting temperature loss over long pipeline sections. The results show a temperature decrease from 346.5 K to 342.5 K, accompanied by the formation of a thermal boundary layer that reaches 87% of the pipe radius and a reduction in the Reynolds number to approximately 5 due to the increase in viscosity. Furthermore, an effective external convective heat transfer coefficient of 5 W·m⁻²·K was determined, and the developed polynomial model achieved a coefficient of determination R² of 0.998, confirming its predictive capability for optimizing the transportation of heavy crude oils. Full article

Plant-based meat (PBM) products have rapidly grown in popularity due to increasing consumer demand for sustainable, ethical, and health-oriented food alternatives. However, these novel products may pose microbiological risks similar to traditional meats, including contamination by Salmonella spp. In this study, PBM samples (n = 63), including raw products (ground pork, mushroom, and burger) and cooked products (chicken tender, chicken breast, nugget, and beef), were collected from local retail markets in Bangkok, Thailand. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. was assessed by calculating the proportion of confirmed positive samples relative to the total number of PBM products tested. Additionally, the genomic characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of Salmonella isolated from PBM were also investigated. From the result, Salmonella enterica was detected in 2.44% (1/41) of raw PBM samples, whereas no contamination was observed in cooked PBM products (0/22). Serovar identification revealed the isolate to be S. Anatum. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis revealed the genome of S. Anatum SPBM3 consisted of 4,726,256 base pairs with 52.15% GC content, encoding 4717 coding sequences (CDS). Pangenomic analyses placed S. Anatum SPBM3 within a distinct sub-cluster closely related to pathogenic Salmonella strains previously reported, confirming its identity as part of the S. enterica lineage. The genome harbored 67 antimicrobial resistance genes, 5 prophage elements, and 305 key virulence determinants. Phenotypically, the isolate exhibited susceptibility to most tested antibiotics but showed intermediate resistance to streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, and colistin. Our findings highlight the potential microbial risks associated with PBM products and emphasize the importance of genomic surveillance to ensure food safety and public health protection as dietary preferences evolve toward non-traditional food matrices. Full article