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Layered sodium trititanate (Na₂Ti₃O₇) is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its suitable charge/discharge plateaus, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness. However, its slow Na⁺ diffusion kinetics, poor electron conductivity, and instability during cycling pose significant challenges for practical applications. To address these issues, we developed a template-free method to synthesize Na₂Ti₃O₇-C hollow microspheres. The synthesis began with polymerization-induced colloid aggregation to form a TiO₂–urea–formaldehyde (TiO₂-UF) precursor, which was then subjected to heat treatment to induce inward crystallization, creating hollow cavities within the microspheres. The hollow structure, combined with a conductive carbon matrix, significantly enhanced the cycling performance and rate capability of the material. When used as an anode, the Na₂Ti₃O₇-C hollow microspheres exhibited a high reversible capacity of 188 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.2C and retained 169 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles. Additionally, the material demonstrated excellent rate performance with capacities of 157, 133, 105, 77, 62, and 45 mAh g⁻¹ at current densities of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20C, respectively. This innovative approach provides a new strategy for developing high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes and has the potential to significantly advance the field of energy storage. Full article

The synergistic application of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and bamboo scrimber provides innovative solutions for sustainable structural engineering. In this study, the structural response mechanism of the combined beams under the steel plate–screw composite connection system was systematically investigated by designing three shear connection gradient specimens (TS200/300/400) to address the key scientific issues of the mechanical behavior of the bamboo–UHPC interface. Based on the unidirectional compression tests of bamboo–UHPC composite shear connections and four-point bending tests of composite beams, the damage modes, load-mid-span deflection relationship, bending stiffness, bamboo–UHPC slip and normal lift were evaluated for all the composite beams with the shear connection gradient as a parameter. The results showed that the flexural performance of the composite beams went through three stages: elastic behavior, damage development and final damage. The interfacial slip and interfacial lift-off have more obvious asymmetric spatial distribution characteristics, and increasing the shear joint degree can delay the separation between the UHPC and the bamboo layer, thus enhancing the structural integrity. Typical features of the final damage are the bending damage of ultra-high-performance concrete and bamboo fiber damage. This study highlights the potential of UHPC–bamboo composite beams for sustainable construction and emphasizes the importance of optimizing shear connection for improved performance. Full article

Modern packaging must be efficient, safe, and attractively designed, while also minimizing unnecessary waste. Eco-design principles, such as material reduction, reusability, and minimal environmental impact, were central to this study. We applied these principles to the development of innovative, multipurpose gift packaging and labels, optimizing material use, eliminating unnecessary printing, and integrating sustainable features such as a structural design which requires no gluing. Alongside choosing eco-friendly materials, namely corrugated cardboard and a biodegradable paper label, eco-design guidelines in packaging and label creation were followed. Packaging of unconventional shape without printing and different versions of labels for bottles and packaging were designed. Graphic elements included on the labels are the logo, illustration, 18th Century font, and lines of varying thicknesses. To provide additional information and enhance product appeal while reducing printing, an interactive element was incorporated. In the conducted study, the respondents of a survey and focus groups evaluated the quality, price range, and visual appeal of packaging and labels. For the augmented reality application, a label with a QR code was created. A scenario and a visual story board were created, and an animation activated via the QR code was produced. The usage experience was tested by the focus groups, who provided feedback on the animation and the overall experience. This iterative process ensured that the packaging and labels met both functional and experiential expectations. Full article

To investigate the influence of weakly structured formations on wellbore stability in deep coal seams within the Lufeng Block, this study establishes an innovative predictive model for coal seam wellbore collapse pressure. The model integrates mechanical parameter variations along weak structural planes with the Mohr–Coulomb criterion, leveraging experimental correlations between mechanical properties and bedding angle. Key findings reveal that the coal sample demonstrates enhanced compressive strength and elastic modulus under elevated confining pressures. A distinctive asymmetric “V” pattern emerges in mechanical parameter evolution: compressive strength, elastic modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle initially decrease before recovering with increasing bedding angle, reaching minimum values at a 60° bedding angle. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed model predicts a higher collapse pressure equivalent density than conventional Mohr–Coulomb approaches, particularly when accounting for mechanical parameter alterations along weak structural planes. Field validation through coal seam data from the operational well confirms the model’s effectiveness for stability analysis in weakly structured coal formations within the Lufeng Block. These findings provide critical theoretical support for wellbore stability management in deep coal seam engineering applications. Full article

Additive manufacturing must be highlighted as an innovative technology with the capacity to produce objects with complex and customized geometries using a diverse range of raw materials. Despite its significant potential, research compiling and evaluating the specific contributions of additive manufacturing in the field of chemical engineering was scarce in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Similarly, the application of chemical engineering tools to additive manufacturing has not been specifically reviewed. Therefore, this work conducted a comprehensive review of the scientific literature covering these issues using bibliometric analysis. The search encompassed the entirety of the scientific literature up to the year 2023, yielding 3761 documents in the Scopus database. The principal findings of this bibliometric analysis indicated an exponential growth in the number of publications, which suggests a rising scientific interest in this field. The analysis revealed that English was the dominant language in the documents, and articles constituted the most common document type, indicating the quality and maturity of the research. The thematic distribution proved to be multidisciplinary, with a primary focus on engineering and materials science, as well as basic sciences. The United States was the foremost contributor to scientific production, followed by China and Germany. Keyword analysis and scrutiny of the most cited documents enabled the identification of the main topics, which were found to include biofabrication and biomedical applications. Moreover, bibliometric network analysis using the software SciMAT (v 1.1.06) yielded the corresponding strategic diagrams, evolution maps, and thematic networks, which provided a comprehensive overview of trends and research gaps. The considerable interest in the application of additive manufacturing to biofabrication and other biomedical purposes has overshadowed the specific applications within the chemical engineering field, while the potential contributions that chemical engineering could make to the field of additive manufacturing have been eclipsed too. On the one hand, applications focused on process intensification in chemical engineering could benefit from additive manufacturing to design advanced microreactors and other miniaturized devices or to produce more efficient heat exchangers, catalysts, and adsorbents with complex geometries and separation membranes with innovative materials and structures. On the other hand, life cycle assessment and optimization are established chemical engineering tools that should be more extensively employed in the context of additive manufacturing to ensure a more sustainable outcome. Full article

Urban heat island (UHI) effects pose significant challenges to sustainable urban development, necessitating innovative modeling techniques to optimize urban morphology for thermal resilience. This study integrates the Pix2Pix and CycleGAN architectures to generate high-fidelity urban morphology models aligned with local climate zones (LCZs), enhancing their applicability to urban climate studies. This research focuses on eight major Chinese coastal cities, leveraging a robust dataset of 4712 samples to train the generative models. Quantitative evaluations demonstrated that the integration of CycleGAN with Pix2Pix substantially improved structural fidelity and realism in urban morphology synthesis, achieving a peak Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) of 0.918 and a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.987. The total adversarial loss in Pix2Pix training stabilized at 0.19 after 811 iterations, ensuring high convergence in urban structure generation. Additionally, CycleGAN-enhanced outputs exhibited a 35% reduction in relative error compared to Pix2Pix-generated images, significantly improving edge preservation and urban feature accuracy. By incorporating LCZ data, the proposed framework successfully bridges urban morphology modeling with climate-responsive urban planning, enabling adaptive design strategies for mitigating UHI effects. This study integrates Pix2Pix and CycleGAN architectures to enhance the realism and structural fidelity of urban morphology generation, while incorporating the LCZ classification framework to produce urban forms that align with specific climatological conditions. Compared to the model trained by Pix2Pix coupled with LCZ alone, the approach offers urban planners a more precise tool for designing climate-responsive cities, optimizing urban layouts to mitigate heat island effects, improve energy efficiency, and enhance resilience. Full article

Sign language plays a crucial role in bridging communication barriers within the Deaf community. Recognizing sign language sentences remains a significant challenge due to their complex structure, variations in signing styles, and temporal dynamics. This study introduces an innovative sign language sentence recognition (SLSR) approach using Hybrid Graph Embedding and Adaptive Convolutional Networks (HGE-ACN) specifically developed for single-handed wearable glove devices. The system relies on sensor data from a glove with six-axis inertial sensors and five-finger curvature sensors. The proposed HGE-ACN framework integrates graph-based embeddings to capture dynamic spatial–temporal relationships in motion and curvature data. At the same time, the Adaptive Convolutional Networks extract robust glove-based features to handle variations in signing speed, transitions between gestures, and individual signer styles. The lightweight design enables real-time processing and enhances recognition accuracy, making it suitable for practical use. Extensive experiments demonstrate that HGE-ACN achieves superior accuracy and computational efficiency compared to existing glove-based recognition methods. The system maintains robustness under various conditions, including inconsistent signing speeds and environmental noise. This work has promising applications in real-time assistive tools, educational technologies, and human–computer interaction systems, facilitating more inclusive and accessible communication platforms for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Future work will explore multi-lingual sign language recognition and real-world deployment across diverse environments. Full article

This paper aims to enhance the sensitivity of fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors by innovatively applying TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). To identify the key challenges faced by current SPR sensors, methods such as functional analysis, causal analysis, and the Nine-Window method are employed. Utilizing TRIZ tools, including Technical Contradiction, Physical Contradiction, the Smart Little Man method, and object–field analysis, innovative solutions are proposed, involving transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, an asymmetric photonic crystal fiber structure with elliptical pores, and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films. Experimental results reveal a significant improvement in sensitivity, with an average of 9961.90 nm/RIU and a peak of 12,503.56 nm/RIU within the refractive index range of 1.33061 to 1.40008, representing a 456% increase compared to the original gold-film fiber-optic SPR sensor. These findings have potential applications in biosensing, environmental monitoring, and food safety. Full article

Involving citizens in public decision making has become more and more important recently. However, activating citizens is challenging in urban planning, especially in post-socialist countries, such as Hungary, where civil activity is weak, and citizens’ attitudes are characterized by distrust towards decision-makers. The gamification of planning processes aims to address this issue and support a more democratic planning process. Gamification is the application of game-like elements (e.g., rewards, storytelling, feedback, competition, etc.) in non-game contexts, thus transforming them into more engaging and enjoyable activities. This study aims to present how gamification is used in the Hungarian urban planning processes and the obstacles to using gamified practices. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with urban planning experts in major Hungarian cities. Our results show that although decision-makers are open to using participatory approaches and gamification techniques, no clear guidelines and principles support these aspirations. The lack of trust and the apathy of citizens makes participatory planning a challenging task. Furthermore, the lack of resources is an obstacle and motivation at the same time when innovative planning methods are used. Full article

Metal phenolic networks (MPNs) have attracted significant attention due to their environmentally benign nature, broad compatibility, and universal adhesive properties, making them highly effective for modifying adsorbent surfaces. These supramolecular complexes are formed through the coordination of metal ions with natural phenolic ligands, resulting in stable structures while retaining the active adsorption sites of the ligands, thereby enhancing the adsorption performance of unmodified substrates. Among various MPNs, metal ion gallic acid (GA) networks are particularly well-known for their exceptional stability, biological activity, and superior adsorption ability. This review offers a comprehensive examination of GA-based MPN adsorbents, focusing on their formation chemistry, characterization techniques, and applications. The coordination chemistry underlying the stability of GA–metal complexes is analyzed through equilibrium studies, which are critical for understanding the robustness of MPNs. The main analytical methods for assessing metal ligand interactions are discussed, along with additional characterization techniques for evaluating adsorbent properties. This review also explores various synthesis and performance enhancement strategies for GA-based MPN adsorbents, including stand-alone MPNs, MPN-mediated mesoporous materials, MPN-MOF composites, and MPN-coated substrates. By consolidating current advancements in MPN-based adsorbents and offering fundamental insights into their chemistry and characterization, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers seeking to develop stable, functional metal-organic materials. It aims to drive innovation in sustainable and efficient adsorbent technologies for diverse environmental and industrial applications. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated businesses globally, leading to significant economic and social challenges. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are particularly vulnerable to environmental turbulence, while their survival and resilience are critical to the national economic recovery of countries globally. This study adopted a qualitative approach to examine the strategic responses adopted by MSMEs and the impact of the strategies on survival and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The sample size comprises ten (10) MSMEs and data collection using a semi-structured interview schedule. The key findings indicate that the MSMEs adopted cost reduction and diversification strategies to mitigate the impact of the abrupt COVID-19 lockdowns and the subsequent financial and cashflow problems, threats to business continuity and survival. The study conclusions indicate that adopting a combination of cost reduction and diversification strategies improved the business continuity and survival of MSMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommendations include the need for government and stakeholders to enhance the capacity and competence of MSMEs in strategic and operational planning, investing in technology, innovation, creativity, training and development of strategic agility and fostering adaptive organisational cultures that enhance flexibility, resilience and survival when faced with economic and business environment disruptions in future. Full article

Cosmetic products contain numerous metals used as pigments, UV filters, preservatives, antiperspirants and antimicrobial agents, which are responsible for allergic skin reactions, with the most common being nickel. To reduce skin penetration of Ni, innovative pharmaceutical formulations such as lipogels with chelating action against the metal ions themselves can be used. Chelation therapy allows a chelating agent to combine with metal ions to form a stable ring structure called a chelate. The chelate structure is more soluble in water than the toxic metal, which facilitates removal of the toxic metal from the tissue and its excretion by the kidneys. The aim of the following work was to evaluate the chelating properties against nickel ions of different types of lipogels containing flavonoids such as resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate with chelating activities largely dependent on the number and position of their hydroxyl groups. The results obtained showed that lipogels based on epigallocatechin gallate show high chelating action against nickel, especially at low concentrations. In addition, rheological studies showed an ideal profile to ensure viscoelasticity and swelling of the lipogel within 48 h, confirming reports of 75% epigallocatechin release from the lipogel after 48 h. Tests have shown that lipogels based on epigallocatechin gallate have high chelating action against nickel, especially at low concentrations. Full article

This study aimed to analyze the adaptations in the corporate governance practices of a Brazilian support foundation, in the context of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support foundations act as pillars of support for research and innovation, ensuring the continuity of strategic activities in teaching, research, and outreach. This research adopted the Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) methodology to identify the organization’s core values and objectives, assessing their influence on decision making. Through the application of the VFT method, decision-making alternatives were structured based on the sessions conducted with the foundation’s employees. Among the adaptations made were the implementation of health protocols, the adoption of technologies for risk monitoring, and the restructuring of workflows, with a focus on financial support and process optimization. The results indicated that governance practices were strengthened, with an emphasis on transparency and cost reduction. This study contributes to good governance practices by integrating organizational strategy into the digital transformation process. As a suggestion for future research, it is proposed to investigate the impact of these adaptations in the post-pandemic period, as well as to conduct comparative studies with other institutions to deepen the understanding of the effectiveness of corporate governance practices in different contexts. Full article

Background and Objectives: AI is considered one of the most innovative technologies of this century. Its introduction into healthcare has transformed the industry, significantly impacting various aspects such as education, teaching, diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care. Researchers have tested the accuracy of various generations of AI models for detecting peri-implant bone loss using radiographic images. While studies have reported promising outcomes, there remains significant potential for improving these models. This systematic review aims to critically analyze the existing published literature on the accuracy of AI models in detecting peri-implant bone loss and to evaluate the current state of knowledge in this area. Methods: The guidelines established by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) were pivotal and provided a framework for preparing, implementing, and recording this systematic review. The protocol for this review was registered in PROSPERO. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane) were diligently searched on 5–6 January 2025, targeting articles published between January 2000 and December 2024. The PIRD elements (population, index test, reference test, diagnosis of interest) that helped in structuring the protocol of the present review were: P: X-ray images of humans demonstrating the bone loss around the dental implant; I: Artificial intelligence models used for detecting radiographic peri-implant bone loss; R: Expert opinions and reference standards; D: Radiographic peri-implant bone loss. The Quality Assessment and Diagnostic Accuracy Tool (QUADAS-2) was used to assess the quality of each included study. Results: Seven studies met the selection criteria and were included in the qualitative analysis. A self-designed table was used to tabulate all the relevant study characteristics. The included studies were reported to have a moderate level of certainty of evidence as assessed by the GRADE assessment. In general, all studies included in this review demonstrated a low risk of bias. Overall accuracy of the AI models varied and ranged between 61% and 94.74%. The precision values ranged from 0.63% to 100%. Whereas sensitivity and specificity values range between 67% and 94.44%, and 87% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: The present systematic review highlights that AI models demonstrate high accuracy in detecting peri-implant bone loss using dento-maxillofacial radiographic images. Thus, AI models can serve as effective tools for the practicing dentist in confirming the diagnosis of peri-implant bone loss, ultimately aiding in accurate treatment planning and improving treatment outcomes. Full article

This study presents an innovative Dual-Band Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) designed for LTE applications, offering an effective solution for minimizing Passive Inter-Modulation (PIM) in contemporary wireless communication systems at the base station. The proposed passband FSS filter is designed to deliver optimal dual-band filtering characteristics with consistent stability over incidence angles up to 80°. Corresponding to antenna systems requirements, the proposed method gives resonant frequencies at 1.9 and 2.1 GHz which operate in the LTE band with bandwidths of 40 and 60 MHz, respectively. Moreover, the proposed design is analyzed to establish the optimal range for each resonant frequency by examining the parametric effects. The suggested FSS-based filter consists of a single-layer structure with the dimension of the unit cell of 0.33${\lambda }_1$ × 0.33${\lambda }_1$ where ${\lambda }_1$ is the wavelength of low frequency, which delivers desired reflection and transmission coefficients using RT/Duroid 5880 with a thickness of 0.508 mm. The designed filter is validated through measurements of a fabricated prototype, demonstrating its practicality and performance. Simulations carried out with Equivalent Circuit Modeling (ECM) are demonstrated by measurements from a constructed 4 × 4 array prototype, showing a robust alignment with experimental findings. This work emphasizes an asymmetric FSS design that improves frequency selectivity and angular stability for the desired LTE dual band and also depicts the future possibilities for tuneable models and broader applications to meet the demands of modern wireless communication. Full article