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An extended robust optimisation approach for sustainable and resilient supply chain network design: A case of perishable products
Get PDFDisruptions and uncertainties pose considerable challenges in supply chain (SC) operations, requiring robust, strategic approaches. This study addresses financial resource allocation between supply chain network (SCN) design and external market investments, explicitly considering budget allocation and sales representative selection for perishable products. We propose a novel axis-shift robust (AxShR) method combined with an enhanced p-robust optimisation framework to manage multiple complex uncertainties. The model introduces a new resilience strategy allowing retailers to transfer products within the SCN, and apply artificial intelligence (AI) via a neural network to predict disruptions by evaluating risk indicators such as supplier location risk, raw material availability, transportation infrastructure reliability, energy supply stability, and labour availability. Multi-cut Benders decomposition enhances computational efficiency, while goal programming accommodates multiple conflicting objectives (profitability, environmental sustainability, and job creation), with decision-makers assigning weights reflecting managerial and policy priorities. Comparisons with classical approaches (including two-stage stochastic programming and the Bertsimas–Sim robust method) demonstrate significantly improved performance, as sensitivity analyses indicate that neglecting resilience increases expected and worst-case costs by 10.21 % and 16.54 %, respectively. Higher disruption levels demand more extensive, combined resilience strategies rather than reliance on a single measure. Additionally, optimal pricing decisions balance profitability with demand fulfilment, guiding policymakers to reallocate resources between SCN design and external investments when gross profit margins shift. The proposed robust approach outperforms classical methods in managing uncertainty, and employing multi-cut Benders decomposition yields faster computational performance than commercial solvers and traditional methods, strengthening both the model\u27s applicability and overall operational resilience
Music learning and school-aged children’s and adolescents’ wellbeing: A scoping review
Get PDFThere is compelling evidence that music can support young people’s wellbeing, particularly through music listening to and making. In this article we report a systematic review of music learning and wellbeing literature to offer a new perspective on learning music as a wellbeing strategy. In this review, we investigated (a) what definitions and theories of wellbeing have been used; (b) what methodologies have been employed, particularly measurement tools; (c) what learning contexts and participant demographics have been examined; and (d) what is known about music learning and the wellbeing of school-aged children and adolescents. This review was conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and a protocol was registered. Four hundred and twenty-three sources were retrieved from nine databases, and 30 sources were analyzed after screening. Findings identified that most sources did not adopt a clear definition or theory of wellbeing. Qualitative methods overwhelmingly inform existing knowledge and studies were predominantly situated in Australia and the United Kingdom. All but one source reported that music learning supported wellbeing. Wellbeing outcomes were summarized into three themes (individual, social, and educational) and characteristics of these music programs and approaches were also identified. The review concludes with clear recommendations to direct future research. These include a need for music education scholars to adopt an interdisciplinary approach informed by existing wellbeing knowledge. The field would benefit from developing a quantitative instrument to measure music learning and wellbeing outcomes for use in large-scale studies, including in schools. Future research must closely interrogate the wellbeing outcomes and characteristics of specific music learning activities, how learning music can be a form of wellbeing literacy, and how wellbeing strategies can be integrated into music education
Philosophers on prison abolitionism: Theory versus practice
Get PDFPhilosophers have long been debating the moral justifiability of punishment. However, they have seemingly ignored the adjacent question concerning the moral justifiability of incarceration, as demonstrated by the dearth of philosophical work on prison abolitionism. This silence is puzzling, given that, on closer examination, many philosophers implicitly (or even explicitly) endorse the core assumptions of prison abolitionism. By discussing some examples in the recent literature in philosophy of punishment, I argue that philosophers support prison abolitionism in practice, but not in theory. They endorse the practical strategies in the abolitionist agenda, yet refuse to engage with the normative assumptions that ground them. This ambiguity stems from a deliberate methodological choice that relegates issues concerning the reality of prisons to the margins of the philosophical inquiry. In doing so, philosophers hinder a fair assessment of prison abolitionism as a legitimate moral theory in criminal justice
The effects of interventions on health-related quality of life of people living with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review
Get PDFAim: To synthesise the evidence from randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of interventions to improve health-related quality of life in people living with cardiovascular disease. Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis. Data Sources: A systematic search of eight databases was conducted to identify relevant papers that were published in English and peer-reviewed. Review Methods: The titles and abstracts of the articles were screened by two independent reviewers. The remaining articles underwent full text screening, followed by quality appraisal conducted by two independent reviewers. Results: This review included 13 studies. The intervention in all studies was cardiac rehabilitation. In spite of this, the studies used different measures of health-related quality of life (HRQL) which prevented the conduct of a meta-analysis. Four themes were identified in the reported findings. Conclusion: Understanding the specific aspects of cardiac rehabilitation that are related to the improvement of physical and mental HRQL of people living with cardiovascular disease requires further consideration and then incorporation into nursing plans and nursing interventions to enhance health outcomes
The influence of peer-to-peer accommodation platforms’ green marketing on consumers’ pro-environmental behavioural intention
Get PDFPurpose: This study aims to examine the impact of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation platforms’ green marketing on consumers’ pro-environmental behavioural intention through the mediation of consumer trust and engagement, following the social influence theory and the stimulus–organism–response model. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey was designed to collect data from American P2P accommodation consumers. Data collection was conducted through an outsourced survey company. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings: The study reveals that P2P accommodation platforms’ green marketing orientation was positively associated with consumer trust in the platform and consumer engagement with the platform. Both consumer trust and consumer engagement positively enhanced consumers’ pro-environmental behavioural intention in the P2P accommodation consumption, serving as effective mediators between consumers’ perceptions of green marketing orientation and pro-environmental behavioural intention. Practical implications: The study offers practical insights for P2P accommodation platforms and operators in engaging in green marketing and fostering consumers’ pro-environmental consumption behaviours in P2P accommodations. Originality/value: The study addresses the grand question of whether business operators’ responsible production behaviour can possibly lead to consumers’ responsible consumption behaviour in the P2P accommodation sector. It contributes to the literature on P2P accommodation by providing evidence to show green marketing practices of P2P accommodation platforms can lead to consumers’ pro-environmental behavioural intention. It provides both theoretical value for knowledge advancement and practical value to guide more sustainable industry practices
Two-stage framework for sensing assisted covert communications
No full textIn this work, we propose a two-stage integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) framework for exploiting the benefits of utilizing ISAC\u27s detection capability in covert communications. Specifically, in the first stage a full-duplex transceiver Bob detects the presence of a warden Willie while performing uplink transmissions to another transceiver Alice. Then, in the second stage Bob helps Alice\u27s covert downlink transmission via jamming as per his detection outcome in the first stage. We optimally design the covert ISAC system to maximize the formulated overall covert rate subject to a covertness constraint, an average power constraint at Bob, and an uplink rate requirement. As shown in our examinations, the proposed two-stage framework significantly outperforms a benchmark scheme without the detection function in terms of achieving a higher covert rate. This, for the first time, explicitly demonstrates the superiorities of using ISAC\u27s detection function to enhance covert communications
Ability grouping in primary physical education in England: Moving beyond binary discourses and practices
Get PDFThis study recognised that there is currently limited understanding of the extent and nature of ability grouping practices in subject areas other than mathematics and English in primary schools. Using survey methods, this research sought to generate data of sufficient scale to extend understanding of the use of ability grouping practices in primary physical education (PE) in England. Administration of a web-based survey to all (n = 917) state-funded mainstream and special schools catering for students in Key Stage 1 (aged 5–7) and/or Key Stage 2 (aged 7–11) in the North East of England produced a response rate of 27.7% (n = 254). Analysis of responses revealed that invariably class groups for PE lessons are deemed mixed ability, with a very small number of schools using streaming, setting or blending elements of approaches (e.g., mixed-ability grouping with a separate top and/or bottom set) to create class groups for PE. However, analysis of responses regarding within-class grouping practices revealed that ability is a prime point of reference for arranging students into smaller groups for teaching and learning activities in PE. The study findings point to the need for an expansion in research and professional learning relating to abilities and grouping practices in primary PE
Analysis of pistachio shell-derived activated porous carbon materials for hydrogen adsorption
Get PDFDeveloping efficient storage materials is critical for advancing the hydrogen economy. In this study, we aim to utilize plant-based biomass as a sustainable source for fabricating porous carbon (PC) and subsequently employing it for hydrogen adsorption. For the first time, we synthesize highly porous carbon materials from pistachio shells as precursor materials for efficient hydrogen storage. Experiments were conducted to chemically activate pistachio shells using two different agents, sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl), at varying ratios. This study evaluates the effectiveness of these chemical activation agents in enhancing the surface area of PC and, consequently, its hydrogen adsorption properties at 77 K. The findings reveal that the specific surface area (SSA) of the activated carbons (ACs) increased with the activating agent ratio, reaching a maximum of 579.4 m2 g−1, with a total pore volume of 0.340 cm3 g−1. The highest recorded hydrogen adsorption capacity was 4.6 mmol g−1 (1.99 wt%) at 120 kPa and approximately 15.02 mmol g−1 (5.14 wt%) at 5192 kPa. These results confirm that biomass-derived PC is a promising and eco-friendly alternative for hydrogen storage applications
Behavioural realism and its impact on virtual reality social interactions involving self-disclosure
Get PDFThis study investigates how the behavioural realism of avatars can enhance virtual reality (VR) social interactions involving self-disclosure. First, we review how factors such as trust, enjoyment, and nonverbal communication could be influenced by motion capture technology by enhancing behavioural realism. We also address a gap in the prior literature by comparing different motion capture systems and how these differences affect perceptions of realism, enjoyment, and eye contact. Specifically, this study compared two types of avatars: an iClone UNREAL avatar with full-body and facial motion capture and a Vive Sync avatar with limited motion capture for self-disclosure. Our participants rated the iClone UNREAL avatar higher for realism, enjoyment, and eye contact duration. However, as shown in our post-experiment survey, some participants reported that they preferred the avatar with less behavioural realism. We conclude that a higher level of behavioural realism achieved through more advanced motion capture can improve the experience of VR social interactions. We also conclude that despite the general advantages of higher motion capture, the simpler avatar was still acceptable and preferred by some participants. This has important implications for improving the accessibility of avatars for different contexts, such as therapy, where simpler avatars may be sufficient
Does acupuncture at motor-related acupoints affect corticospinal excitability? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFBackground: Acupuncture is widely used in modulating brain excitability and motor function, as a form of complementary and alternative medicine. However, there is no existing meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture on corticospinal excitability (CSE), and the credibility of the evidence has yet to be quantified. Objective: This study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture (MA) in enhancing brain excitability, specifically focusing on CSE as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Search strategy: This study followed a systematic approach, searching 9 databases up to August 2024 and examining grey literature, in compliance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria: Studies were included if they compared the clinical efficacy of EA or MA with sham acupuncture, no treatment or usual training. Data extraction and analysis: Three investigators independently conducted literature screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. The primary outcome focused on motor-evoked potentials as measured by TMS, with treatment effects quantified using mean differences or standardized mean differences between pre- and post-treatment. Subgroup analyses were conducted using mixed-effects models, while random-effects or fixed-effects models were used to estimate average treatment differences across studies. Results: Based on 34 studies involving 1031 adults, acupuncture techniques significantly enhanced CSE. EA had a greater impact than MA, with effect sizes of 0.53 mV vs 0.43 mV (95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.30, 0.76], P \u3c 0.00001 vs 95% CI: [0.28, 0.59], P \u3c 0.00001). The 5 most frequently used acupoints were LI4 (Hegu, 32 times), ST36 (Zusanli, 10 times), LI11 (Quchi, 7 times), TE5 (Waiguan, 6 times), and GB34 (Yanglingquan, 5 times). Conclusion: This systematic review indicates that both EA and MA could effectively and safely enhance CSE, bringing the corticospinal pathway closer to the threshold for firing, which may ultimately improve motor function. LI4, ST36, LI11, TE5 and GB34 are the most commonly used acupoints. Please cite this article as: Liu R, Moe AAK, Liu W, Zoghi M, Jaberzadeh S. Does acupuncture at motor-related acupoints affect corticospinal excitability? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 113–125