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Heat method extensions for distance function estimation in planar and space domains
No full textGiven a bounded domain, we deal with the problem of estimating the distance function from the internal points of the domain to the boundary of the domain. Two simple extensions of the heat method for distance computation are introduced and evaluated. The extensions are based on first- and second-order Taylor series extrapolations. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the extensions deliver more accurate and robust estimates of the distance function
Conclusion and future outlook of textile triboelectric nanogenerators
No full textTextile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (T-TENGs) have emerged as a promising technology for harvesting energy from ambient mechanical energy. By integrating the principles of TENG technology with the versatility and comfort of textile materials, textile TENGs offer a sustainable and innovative approach to powering wearable electronics, smart textiles, and self-powered sensors. This chapter delves into the key aspects and future outlooks of T-T-TENGs, including their material considerations, fabrication techniques, and potential applications. We discuss the latest advancements in the field, highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with their development and implementation. While significant progress has been made, several challenges, such as low-power output, limited stability, and complex fabrication processes, hinder the widespread adoption of T-TENGs. Future research directions include material innovation, structural optimization, hybrid energy harvesting, and energy storage integration to address these limitations. The long-term vision for T-TENGs is to realize a future where the energy of our movements and the environment powers wearable devices, smart textiles, and self-powered sensors. By harnessing the potential of T-TENGs, we can contribute to a more sustainable and energy-efficient future
Spectral broadening and post-compression of a high-repetition rate Yb-pumped OPA in the visible and ultraviolet
No full textWe demonstrate spectral broadening and post-compression of high-repetition-rate visible and near-UV pulses from a commercial Yb-pumped optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Second-harmonic pulses from the signal of a 515 nm-pumped OPA (350–500 nm) were broadened via self-phase modulation in a single gas-filled stretched hollow-core fiber to bandwidths supporting sub-30 fs durations. Post-compression using a prism compressor or, for the shortest pulses, chirped mirrors yielded durations as short as 15 fs. The source offers simultaneous tunability in wavelength, bandwidth (Fourier limits 70 fs to sub-10 fs), and pulse duration at repetition rates up to 33 kHz
Thriving Workplaces:Bridging Mental Health Research and Practice
No full textThis book brings together several prominent areas of concern for both the academic and the workplace practitioner to understand mental health in the Asian workplace.Drawing on the authors’ unique combined expertise in workplace psychology and sociolinguistics, the book presents a comprehensive theoretical background of mental health in Asia, with particular focus on workplace environments. It explores critical themes including stigma, the role of technology, and the experiences of women and young people in professional settings. This work presents original empirical findings gathered through a mixed-methods research design specifically developed by the authors to examine workplace mental health issues in depth. Leveraging their ongoing research agenda, the authors provide valuable implementation strategy suggestions to enhance workplace mental health practices, effectively bridging the gap between academic findings and practical applications. This is a book of interest to researchers and postgraduate students across psychology and sociolinguistics, as well as workplace professionals in communication, organizational management, human resources and well-being
Different roads to the brain: A brief overview of divergent pathways and convergent mechanisms in amoebic neuroinvasion
No full textFree-living amoebae such as Acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, and Naegleria fowleri are opportunistic protists capable of causing devastating infections of the central nervous system. Although these organisms differ in ecology, morphology, and clinical progression, they converge on shared strategies that enable adhesion, immune evasion, and neuroinvasion. Here, we briefly present a comparative analysis of their routes of entry, molecular determinants, and neuropathogenic mechanisms with an eye to understand parallel and divergent pathways. A complete understanding of shared and distinct mechanisms can inform translational advances, including organoid-based modelling, multi-omics biomarker discovery, and therapeutic targeting of conserved host-pathogen signalling pathways
Modeling Trust Dynamics on a Multi-Agent System
No full textThis paper introduces a preliminary agent-based model designed to simulate trust dynamics within a multi-agent scenario where virtual agents navigate unknown environments. The objective is to investigate how trust influences agent performance when they rely on an external source of information, referred to as a robot, versus relying on their peers. In the model, the robot explores the environment and reports the costs associated with different paths. Agents are categorized as either trustful or skeptical, deciding whether to trust the information provided by the robot or rely on their fellow agents. We evaluate three distinct scenarios: No Robot (baseline exploration), Immediate Start (simultaneous exploration by the robot and agents), and Early Start (robot-initiated exploration preceding agents’ involvement). Evaluation metrics include the number of agents successfully reaching the exit, exit times, and path costs. Our findings demonstrate significant advantages associated with the presence of the robot, particularly when exploration begins early. Trustful agents show improved performance by optimizing both the number of successful exits and the efficiency of path selection, resulting in reduced exit times and path costs.</p
Globalisation and Network Resilience: A Special Issue Introduction
No full textThis special issue examines globalisation and resilience, variously conceived, from a network perspective. In an era that moved from hyperglobalisation to disruption—pandemics, geopolitical tensions, climate risks—we argue that a key orienting question should be how globalisation is being reconfigured across multiplex economic, social and industrial networks. With this special issue, we hope to motivate new bodies of literature deploying social network analysis to diagnose and analyse the resilience of global economic networks to exogenous shocks. Where are such shocks likely to occur? Do they get contained in network subgraphs? Or are they absorbed more equally throughout the network? In any given network, which actors and ties, or types of actors and ties, underpin systemic robustness? The four papers in the issue span a bibliometric synthesis of ‘network resilience’ across domains; an industry‐level measure of supply‐chain disruption linking logistics reliability to US output; a country‐level study connecting embeddedness in the global FDI network to democratic resilience in less‐developed countries; and a firm‐level reconstruction of the EV corporate ownership network. We conclude by highlighting the substantive contributions of these papers, by calling for conceptual clarity on network resilience, and by suggesting a number of fruitful directions for future research
Exploring the Drivers of Green SMEs:A Multidimensional Qualitative Study
No full textDespite growing global attention to sustainable entrepreneurship, limited understanding persists regarding how financial, institutional, and leadership dynamics jointly shape the green transition of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Responding to this gap, the present study offers a novel, ecosystem-based perspective that examines how multiple drivers and barriers co-evolve to influence SME sustainability transitions. Drawing from institutional theory and the resource-based view, and using the United Arab Emirates as a representative context, the paper presents qualitative evidence from 96 stakeholders—including government officials, SME leaders, academics, consultants, and finance professionals. Findings include evidence of the complex interplay between internal capabilities and external institutional structures that determine the pace and depth of green transformation. The findings reveal that financial challenges—particularly high borrowing costs, investor risk aversion, and the absence of specialized green finance instruments—constitute the most significant barriers to sustainability adoption. Conversely, government support mechanisms, technological advancement, and leadership commitment act as powerful enablers, promoting innovation and resilience. The study further demonstrates that SMEs’ ability to signal environmental and social value to investors depends on coherent policy frameworks and integrated public–private financing mechanisms. By integrating insights informed by theory and empirical data, this research proposes a multidimensional framework linking green finance accessibility, institutional readiness, and organizational capability development, advancing theoretical understanding of SME sustainability transitions. The findings provide actionable guidance for policymakers, financial institutions, and ecosystem stakeholders seeking to strengthen national green SME ecosystems and offer comparative insights for other economies pursuing sustainable and inclusive growth
Towards reliable subsea object recovery: a simulation study of an auv with a suction-actuated end effector
No full textAutonomous object recovery in the hadal zone is challenging due to extreme hydrostatic pressure, limited visibility and currents, and the need for precise manipulation at full ocean depth. Field experimentation in such environments is costly, high-risk, and constrained by limited vehicle availability, making early validation of autonomous behaviors difficult. This paper presents a simulation-based study of a complete autonomous subsea object recovery mission using a Hadal Small Vehicle (HSV) equipped with a three-degree-of-freedom robotic arm and a suction-actuated end effector. The Stonefish simulator is used to model realistic vehicle dynamics, hydrodynamic disturbances, sensing, and interaction with a target object under hadal-like conditions. The control framework combines a world-frame PID controller for vehicle navigation and stabilization with an inverse-kinematics-based manipulator controller augmented by acceleration feed-forward, enabling coordinated vehicle - manipulator operation. In simulation, the HSV autonomously descends from the sea surface to 6,000 m, performs structured seafloor coverage, detects a target object, and executes a suction-based recovery. The results demonstrate that high-fidelity simulation provides an effective and low-risk means of evaluating autonomous deep-sea intervention behaviors prior to field deployment
Beyond the Hodge theorem: Curl and asymmetric pseudodifferential projections
No full textWe develop a new approach to the study of spectral asymmetry. Working with the operator curl : = * d on a connected oriented closed Riemannian 3-manifold, we construct, by means of microlocal analysis, the asymmetry operator — a scalar pseudodifferential operator of order -3. The latter is completely determined by the Riemannian manifold and its orientation, and encodes information about spectral asymmetry. The asymmetry operator generalises and contains the classical eta invariant traditionally associated with the asymmetry of the spectrum, which can be recovered by computing its regularised operator trace. Remarkably, the whole construction is direct and explicit
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