Search Results (5,727)

In the context of digital construction, responsibility management in smart city building information modeling (BIM) projects spans the entire building lifecycle. The involvement of numerous BIM designers in project management and frequent data exchanges pose significant challenges for the traceability, immutability, and responsibility attribution of BIM models. To address these issues, this study proposes a blockchain-based responsibility management and collaboration framework for BIM projects using non-fungible tokens (NFTs), aiming to enhance the management of responsibilities and accountability in BIM projects. This research adopts a design science methodology, strictly adhering to scientific research procedures to ensure rigor. First, NFTs based on blockchain technology were developed to generate corresponding digital signatures for BIM model files. This approach ensures that each BIM model file has a unique digital identity, enhancing transparency and traceability in responsibility management. Next, the interplanetary file system (IPFS) was used to generate digital fingerprints, with the content identifier generated by IPFS uploaded to the blockchain to ensure the immutability of BIM model files. This method guarantees the integrity and security of BIM model files throughout their lifecycle. Finally, the proposed methods were validated through a blockchain network. The experimental results indicate that the proposed framework is theoretically highly feasible and demonstrates good applicability and efficiency in practical production. The constructed blockchain network meets the actual needs of responsibility management in smart city BIM projects, enhancing the transparency and reliability of project management. Full article

This study comprises a systematic literature review of 68 articles published between 2010 and 2024, identifying and coherently grouping the wine tourism sector’s adoption of technological innovation practices. The articles were analyzed using a framework developed from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The selection criteria included peer-reviewed, full-length articles in English emphasizing technological innovations in the wine tourism sector. The results highlight several key trends in technological innovation applied to wine tourism. The innovations were categorized into five areas: digital marketing and promotion, sustainability and innovation, immersive technologies (AR/VR), e-commerce and distribution models, and smart technologies for winery management. The review reveals a growing interest in digital marketing and immersive technologies in promoting wine tourism through digital platforms and creating engaging tourist experiences through virtual and augmented reality. The review focuses only on peer-reviewed studies published in English, which may limit its global scope. Books and non-peer-reviewed articles may have introduced further developments in technological innovation that are not captured in this review. This study is a post-COVID-19 review of technological innovation in wine tourism. The findings provide significant implications for researchers and policymakers, suggesting future research areas and offering insights on how public funds can support wine tourism’s digital transformation and sustainability Full article

The Korean agricultural sector faces increasing challenges such as an aging population, labor shortages, and the liberalization of agricultural markets. To overcome these challenges, the Korean government has striven to enhance the competitiveness of agriculture by introducing AI-based technologies to the agricultural sector, labeling this as smart farming. This study estimates farm-level benefits of adopting smart farming technologies, robotic milking systems, in Korean dairy farms. The benefits are estimated by comparing the productivity (i.e., the savings of labor input, increased calf production, and increased milk production) of adopting and non-adopting farms. Our study uses the propensity score matching method to address potential problems from confounding factors, sample selection bias, and the small number of adopters. Our results show that farms that adopted robotic milking systems produced 0.10 to 0.11 more calves per year than farms that did not adopt the system. The adopters also increased milk production by 2.44 kg to 2.88 kg per head/day, while reducing labor input by 0.15 to 0.30 per head/week. However, the reduced labor input was not statistically significant. When the analysis was extended to regard the farm characteristics, the labor input became significant from small and family-run farms. We also found that the increase in the number of calves produced per head was statically significant from small farms, family-run farms, and farms with successors. The increased milk production per head was statistically significant from large farms, farms employing hired workers, and farms with successors. Our findings suggest that the Korean government continue promoting smart farming technologies such as the robotic milking system to increase the adoption rate. The findings can also provide useful information about target markets of this technology, which can be used to increase the adoption rate and ultimately enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of the Korean dairy industry. Full article

Adoption of dynamic energy tariffs by households is crucial for the transition to carbon-neutral energy systems. Influencing the adoption patterns of these tariffs necessitates an examination of the drivers, decision components, and contextual factors influencing household decisions. Few computational models address this comprehensively, often omitting non-financial decision variables. Moreover, methodologically robust integrative reviews on this topic are scarce. To address this gap, this paper develops a concept-centered integrative review methodology aimed at deriving computer models for socio-techno-economic simulations of household adoption of sustainable technologies. The methodology encompasses five sequential phases: Setup, Literature Search, Analysis, Synthesis and Conceptual Model, and Discussion. To illustrate the methodology, it is applied to the case of household adoption of dynamic energy tariffs, resulting in an abstract conceptual model adaptable to local contexts. The review reveals a lack of consensus on modeled tariffs but highlights the significance of tariff complexity, relative advantage, household heterogeneity, and various agent properties. It also identifies potential improvements in model fundamentals, particularly spatial modeling. The developed process model focuses on the stages ‘knowledge’, ‘decision’, and ‘reevaluation’. The article contributes by presenting a comprehensive review scheme and delivering a concept-centered integrative review along with an explicit conceptual model derived from it. Full article

The construction industry’s environmental impact has become a growing concern, largely due to the energy-intensive production of conventional building materials. This paper explores the potential of wood–cement composites as a more sustainable alternative through a comprehensive literature review, including a bibliometric and scientometric analysis of research trends. Our analysis traces the evolution of wood–cement composites from early studies focused on mechanical properties, to recent investigations into their environmental benefits and practical applications. Key findings suggest that optimal performance can be achieved by treating wood with tetraethyl orthosilicate, incorporating additives like cellulose nanocrystals or wollastonite, and using wood from species such as Pinus. While partial cement replacement with wood waste and ash offers significant environmental advantages, precise formulations are needed to maintain structural integrity. This study also acknowledges certain methodological limitations, such as the reliance on keyword-based filtering, which may have excluded some relevant studies. Future research should address long-term durability, economic feasibility, and standardized testing methodologies to facilitate the adoption of wood–cement composites in the construction industry. These materials, particularly suitable for non-structural applications and insulation, hold promise as viable, eco-friendly building solutions capable of reducing the construction industry’s carbon footprint. Full article

More than half of the private forestland in the U.S. is under non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership. Understanding NIPF landowners’ decision-making is crucial for developing effective policy that promotes sustainable forest management practices and ensures forest health. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of different management practices, with a focus on potential crowding effects among these practices. Drawing on data from over four hundred NIPF landowners in the U.S. central hardwood region, a series of binary logistic regression models were employed to analyze the relationship between landowner and forestland characteristics and the likelihood of adopting various management practices, like invasive plant management, forest stand improvement, and grapevine control. The findings reveal that factors, such as forest acreage, proximity of landowner residence to the forest, and education level, significantly affect the likelihood of adopting management practices. More importantly, this study found evidence of crowding-in effects, where implementing one practice increased the probability of adopting others, suggesting a preference among NIPF landowners for a diverse approach to forest management. Full article

(1) Background: Worldwide, refugees may have some difficulties in accessing healthcare services. However, little is known about the factors that may predict the level of accessibility to the public healthcare system in the host countries. (2) Aim: To examine the level of accessibility of Syrian refugees to the public healthcare system in Jordan and further to identify the prediction of socioeconomic factors and barriers to healthcare access. (3) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenient sample of 356 Syrian refugees residing outside camps (Irbid, Ajloun, and Jarash). Data were collected using the Access to Healthcare Services Scale instrument (adopted from the Canadian Community Health Survey), which is composed of 2 sections: the general access scale (8 items) and the difficulties scale (20 items). One-way ANOVA test and independent t-test were used to examine epidemiological correlations among variables, whereas a hierarchical linear regression model was used to examine the predictability of socioeconomic factors and barriers to overall access to the public healthcare system by exploring the incremental impact of additional predictors. (4) Results: the mean age of the 356 participants was 35.22 years old, 56.5% were female, 67.4% were married, most of them 46.1% have secondary education, and non-employed 69.9%. Significant associations were observed among participants with different marital status (p < 0.001), educational level (mean 11.85 vs. 19.85, p < 0.001), working status (15.47 vs. 17.93, p < 0.001), family household number (16.42 vs. 17.0, p < 0.001), and health insurance (none: 15.50 vs. governmental 24.50, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the most important factors that may predict the overall access to healthcare services were: family monthly income (beta −0.19, p < 0.001), household family number (beta 0.17, <0.001), health insurance (beta −0.09, p = 0.047), and barriers (beta −0.43, <0.001), even after adjusting for potential confounding effects: sex, age, educational level, and place of residence. (5) Conclusions: Our findings indicate that socioeconomic factors and barriers may considerably predict overall access to public healthcare in Jordan. It is crucially important, therefore, for the Jordanian government and international organizations to create and develop strategic plans and programs that enhance refugees’ access to health services, positively impacting their health and wellness. Full article

Background/Objectives: The American Urological Association (AUA) vasectomy guidelines’ current recommendation to obtain the first post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA) from 8 weeks to 16 weeks post-vasectomy is based predominantly on azoospermia rates. However, non-compliance with semen analysis after vasectomy is a known problem in this patient population. An approach that optimizes clearance and compliance is essential when adopting appropriate post-vasectomy care guidelines, specifically the scheduling of the first PVSA. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing compliance and clearance to determine the optimal time of first PVSA. Methods: Databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, POPLINE) were searched for studies that contained the following: rate of azoospermia and rare nonmotile sperm (RNMS), compliance, recanalization, persistent RNMS, pregnancies, and incidence of repeat vasectomy. Results: A total of 28 studies were included in this review. The patient compliance was 47–100% and trended downward with increasing time to first PVSA. There was a positive trend in azoospermia rate as post-vasectomy time increased, but this plateaued at 8 weeks. Compliance and post-vasectomy semen analysis clearance (PVSAC) converged at 5.7 weeks, with rates of 74.5% and 74.6%, respectively. A proportion of 1.5% of patients exhibited persistent RNMS. Recanalization events had an incidence rate of 1.5%. Repeat vasectomies were performed in 1.6% of patients. Conclusions: Based on our study optimizing post-vasectomy semen clearance with follow-up compliance, we recommend initial PVSA between 6 to 18 weeks post-vasectomy, as this offers improved compliance over current AUA guidelines which recommend PVSA at 8 to 16 weeks and allows for the identification of instances of “subclinical recanalization” that may be missed at later time points. Full article

Generally, playing group management performance and financial management performance of sports clubs are assessed separately. We adopt a non-parametric methodology to assess overall performance, first conceptualising overall management as a production process comprising two serially linked subprocesses, namely, playing group management and financial management. Thereafter, we decompose overall performance to obtain estimates of performance at the subprocess level. Through this procedure, it is possible to determine whether a sports club’s on-field performance or off-field performance or both may contribute towards its inefficiency, if any, in overall management. Further, a model is developed to determine targets for inefficient clubs to become overall efficient. The method is applied to 18 clubs in the Australian rules football league. In the 2021 season, the results reveal that on-field performance, on average, is better than off-field performance, and variability in off-field performance is higher than that of on-field performance. The observed overall management inefficiency is mainly due to inefficiency in financial management. Results are robust to the weighting scheme adopted in the overall efficiency configuration. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the differences in duration perception between athletes and non-athletes when looking at implied motion images within sub- and supra-second time ranges. By adopting the temporal bisection method, the study analyzed the duration perception of 20 college student athletes and 20 non-athletes regarding the implied motion of daily life (running and walking) and static postures (standing). The results showed that the effect of movement posture was significant, i.e., the perceived duration of the implied motion posture was longer than that of the static posture. Specifically, athletes perceived longer durations in the supra-second time range compared to non-athletes, indicating that long-term training enhanced athletes’ time perception abilities. The findings provide new insights into the cognitive mechanisms of time perception and emphasize the influence of long-term physical training on temporal perceptual capabilities. Full article

Recent times have witnessed remarkable progress in cancer immunotherapy, drastically changing the cancer treatment landscape. Among the various immunotherapeutic approaches, adoptive cell therapy (ACT), particularly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, has emerged as a promising strategy to tackle cancer. CAR-T cells are genetically engineered T cells with synthetic receptors capable of recognising and targeting tumour-specific or tumour-associated antigens. By leveraging the intrinsic cytotoxicity of T cells and enhancing their tumour-targeting specificity, CAR-T cell therapy holds immense potential in achieving long-term remission for cancer patients. However, challenges such as antigen escape and cytokine release syndrome underscore the need for the continued optimisation and refinement of CAR-T cell therapy. Here, we report on the challenges of CAR-T cell therapies and on the efforts focused on innovative CAR design, on diverse therapeutic strategies, and on future directions for this emerging and fast-growing field. The review highlights the significant advances and changes in CAR-T cell therapy, focusing on the design and function of CAR constructs, systematically categorising the different CARs based on their structures and concepts to guide researchers interested in ACT through an ever-changing and complex scenario. UNIVERSAL CARs, engineered to recognise multiple tumour antigens simultaneously, DUAL CARs, and SUPRA CARs are some of the most advanced instances. Non-molecular variant categories including CARs capable of secreting enzymes, such as catalase to reduce oxidative stress in situ, and heparanase to promote infiltration by degrading the extracellular matrix, are also explained. Additionally, we report on CARs influenced or activated by external stimuli like light, heat, oxygen, or nanomaterials. Those strategies and improved CAR constructs in combination with further genetic engineering through CRISPR/Cas9- and TALEN-based approaches for genome editing will pave the way for successful clinical applications that today are just starting to scratch the surface. The frontier lies in bringing those approaches into clinical assessment, aiming for more regulated, safer, and effective CAR-T therapies for cancer patients. Full article

Attentional deficits have tragic consequences on road safety. These deficits are not solely caused by distraction, since they can also arise from other mental impairments such as, most frequently, mental fatigue. Fatigue is among the most prevalent impairing conditions while driving, degrading drivers’ cognitive and physical abilities. This issue is particularly relevant for professional drivers, who spend most of their time behind the wheel. While scientific literature already documented the behavioral effects of driving fatigue, most studies have focused on drivers under sleep deprivation or anyhow at severe fatigue degrees, since it is difficult to recognize the onset of fatigue. The present study employed an EEG-driven approach to detect early signs of fatigue in professional drivers during a simulated task, with the aim of studying visual attention as fatigue begins to set in. Short-range and long-range professional drivers were recruited to take part in a 45-min-long simulated driving experiment. Questionnaires were used to validate the experimental protocol. A previously validated EEG index, the MDrow, was adopted as the benchmark measure for identifying the “fatigued” spans. Results of the eye-tracking analysis showed that, when fatigued, professional drivers tended to focus on non-informative portions of the driving environment. This paper presents evidence that an EEG-driven approach can be used to detect the onset of fatigue while driving and to study the related visual attention patterns. It was found that the onset of fatigue did not differentially impact drivers depending on their professional activity (short- vs. long-range delivery). Full article

Background: The pre-surgical evaluation for drug-resistant epilepsy achieves seizure freedom in only 50–60% of patients. Efforts to identify quantitative intracranial EEG (qEEG) biomarkers of epileptogenicity are needed. This review summarizes and evaluates the design of qEEG studies, discusses barriers to biomarker adoption, and proposes refinements of qEEG study protocols. Methods: We included exploratory and prediction prognostic studies from MEDLINE and Scopus published between 2017 and 2023 that investigated qEEG markers for identifying the epileptogenic network as the surgical target. Cohort parameters, ground truth references, and analytical approaches were extracted. Results: Out of 1789 search results, 128 studies were included. The study designs were highly heterogeneous. Half of the studies included a non-consecutive cohort, with sample sizes ranging from 2 to 166 patients (median of 16). The most common minimum follow-up was one year, and the seizure onset zone was the most common ground truth. Prediction studies were heterogeneous in their analytical approaches, and only 25 studies validated the marker through post-surgical outcome prediction. Outcome prediction performance decreased in larger cohorts. Conversely, longer follow-up periods correlated with higher prediction accuracy, and connectivity-based approaches yielded better predictions. The data and code were available in only 9% of studies. Conclusions: To enhance the validation qEEG markers, we propose standardizing study designs to resemble clinical trials. This includes using a consecutive cohort with long-term follow-up, validating against surgical resection as ground truth, and evaluating markers through post-surgical outcome prediction. These considerations would improve the reliability and clinical adoption of qEEG markers. Full article

The adoption of organic fertilizers is essential for advancing China’s green agricultural transformation, ensuring food security, and supporting agricultural adaptations. However, several challenges hinder its widespread use in rural areas. This study examines how part-time farming and agricultural service provision influences organic fertilizer use, employing fixed and random effects models on data from 523 households in Shaanxi Province, one of China’s main apple-producing regions. The results reveal: (1) Part-time farming reduces organic fertilizer use by 7.6%, primarily due to labor shortages; (2) Higher non-farm income exacerbates this decline, particularly for Type II part-time farmers; and (3) Mechanized fertilization services help mitigate this reduction. These findings offer valuable policy insights for promoting organic fertilizer adoption in the context of shifting rural labor dynamics and highlight the complex interactions between farming practices and labor migration in the broader trajectory of organic fertilizer use. Moreover, this study highlights the role of organic fertilizer use in enhancing food security while also helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the crop sector in China. Full article

The poor maneuverability inherent to large ships is a non-negligible problem that restricts the development of the shipping industry, as large ships can only cruise at an excessively conservative speed when they encounter complicated traffic conditions; nevertheless, ship collision accidents still occasionally occur. In the present study, the novel concept of spoiler fins for modern large ships is proposed. In order to assess their effectiveness in enhancing ship maneuverability, a KRISO container ship (KCS) was selected to carry a pair of spoiler fins, after which a simplified simulation approach for saving the calculation resource was designed for ship collision avoidance conditions, and a full-scale numerical model, including the ship hull, fin, and fluid field domain, was established. Transient-state hydrodynamic forces were calculated during collision avoidance maneuvers using the CFD method; the pressure and velocity contours around the ship were demonstrated; and the ship motion trajectories under different initial ship speeds were simulated and predicted through the adoption of overset mesh and 6-DOF dynamic mesh techniques. Eventually, the improved course-changing performance, dependent on the spoiler fins, was validated. Full article