Based on the panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2012 to 2020, this paper uses the TOPSIS method to measure the development level of the digital economy and environmental quality. Then, a coupled coordination degree model is used to analyse the relationship between the digital economy and environmental quality. Kernel density estimation and the Dagum Gini coefficient method were used to reveal the dynamic evolution trend of the coupled coordination level between the digital economy and environmental quality and the regional trends of coupled indicators. Finally, the dynamics of the above relations were explored with an econometric model. The results show that the coupled coordination degree of the digital economy and environmental quality displays obvious regional heterogeneity, and the national coordination level exhibits dynamic convergence characteristics. The heterogeneity of the coupled coordination degree of the two systems in the eastern region has decreased year by year, except in the western region, the central region and the northeast region, where an upwards trend is observed. Overall, the Gini coefficient of the coupled coordination degree between the digital economy and environmental quality displays a certain downwards trend. The level of economic development, technological innovation level, industrial structure, degree of opening to the outside world, degree of environmental regulation, marketization index and financial development level have a positive influence on the coupled coordination of the digital economy and environmental quality. Environmental regulation is the core driver of the coupling of the two systems, and the economic development level, technological innovation level, industrial structure and degree of openness are the other major drivers. Therefore, in the processes of digital economy transformation and environmental governance, all regions should focus on balanced development between regions to optimize the overall efficiency of the two systems, consider external influence, enhance internal capabilities, and promote the coordination and co-development of the two systems.

The integration of automation and process optimization within the context of AI-powered digital transformation has emerged as a pivotal strategy for organizations aiming to enhance efficiency, foster innovation, and competitiveness. This paper is devoted to present innovative contribution by providing a comprehensive structured roadmap that outlines the foundational principles necessary for the successful integration of automation and optimizing processes within the con-text of emerging AI technologies. The paper introduce a cohesive framework consisting of es-sential key pillars: Data-Driven Insights, Seamless Automation, Adaptive Learning and Contin-uous Improvement, Human-Centric Collaboration, Ethical and Responsible AI, Strategic Align-ment, Scalability, and Innovation. These pillars function as guiding principles to navigate the in-tricate landscape of automation-driven initiatives within AI-powered digital transformation. By embracing these pillars, organizations can embark on a transformative journey that maximizes the potential of automation, fosters innovation, and positions them as leaders in the ever-evolving landscape of AI-driven business operations.

Infrastructure and urban network operators, city users and industrialists are faced with complex issues to ensure the sustainability of the service, maintain, operate and develop their urban systems, while integrating environmental, economic and societal impacts and being resilient to unexpected geopolitical and climatic upheavals. Digital Twins are now recognized as the cornerstone of digital transformation. In the field of smart cities, they can enable all stakeholders to collaborate across disciplinary silos and foster digital transformation in urban and territorial projects to ensure sustainability, resilience and increased inventiveness. However, the application of the Digital Twin technology to Smart Cities lacks of standards. This paper proposes a high-level architecture for Digital Twins as an enabler of various levels of interoperation between key stakeholders of a Smart City. Such a technology-agnostic architecture, when implemented for a given Smart City, produces a middleware for large scale interoperability between actors involved in multiple supply chains of this territory.

Digital Microfluidic Biochips (DMFBs), used in various kinds of fields like DNA analysis, clinical diagnosis, and PCR testing, have made biochemical experiments more compact, efficient, and user-friendly than previous ways. However, their reliability is often compromised by their inability to adapt to all kinds of errors. All errors in biochips can be categorized into two types: known errors and unknown errors. Known errors are detectable before the start of the routing process through sensors or cameras. Unknown errors, in contrast, become apparent only during the routing process and remain undetected by sensors or cameras, which is the biggest issue to unexpectedly stop the routing process and diminishes the reliability of biochips. This paper introduces a deep reinforcement learning-based routing algorithm designed to manage not only known errors but also unknown errors. Our experiments demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms previous ones in terms of the success rate of the routing in the scenario including both known errors and unknown errors. Additionally, our algorithm contributes to detecting unknown errors during the routing process and identifying the most efficient routing path with high probability.

At present, countries around the world adopt digital strategy, so that enterprises apply digital technology, digital supply chain, blockchain, and a series of digital measures to enhance their competitiveness. By analyzing the relationship between digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises, and their business performance and export performance, this paper focused on the current situation and existing problems of digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises in China. Based on the Resource Based View theory and Trade theory, the impact of digital transformation of enterprises performance, proposing hypotheses, and building regression models were explored. With the samples of 1007 listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock markets from 2012 to 2019, the regression analysis, intermediate effect test, robustness test, stage lag, and heterogeneity analysis were conducted. The results shew that: (1) Listed manufacturing export enterprises carried out digital transformation, which had a significantly positive effect on enterprise performance; (2) It was found that digital transformation could improve enterprise performance by reducing costs, improving R&D intensity and improving human resources etc. (3) According to the fractal analysis, non-state-owned enterprises had more positive effects on enterprise performance, and digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises in developed areas had a more significant impact on enterprise performance. Finally, according to the empirical results, relevant suggestions for digital transformation were provided.

Recent advances in mathematical modelling and artificial intelligence have challenged the use of traditional regression analysis in biomedical research. This study examined artificial and cancer research data using binomial and multinomial logistic regression and compared its performance with other machine learning models such as random forests, support vector machines, Bayesian classifiers, k-nearest neighbours and repeated incremental clipping (RIPPER). The alternative models often outperformed regression in accurately classifying new cases. Logistic regression had a structural problem similar to early single-layer neural networks, which limited its ability to identify variables with high statistical significance for reliable class assignment. Therefore, regression is not always the best model for class prediction in biomedical datasets. The study emphasises the importance of validating selected models and suggests that a mixture of experts approach may be a more advanced and effective strategy for analysing biomedical datasets.

Herein are reported the main pros and cons of using the conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) called “ChatGPT” as a tool to write essays in the academic and scientific community. Also, selected mathematical and scientific problems were solved to determine the effectiveness of this platform. To this end, a systematic case study was designed and conducted to obtain data generated by the chatbot that was further analyzed. Six different topics were chosen for the essay evaluation, and the introduction section was created using this AI. Meanwhile, six mathematical problems related to integrals, z-transform, Laplace transform, and resolution of ordinary differential equations were solved. Furthermore, a scientific problem associated with the structural properties of material was also solved. After data analysis, we concluded that the conversational platform could quickly create written essays with well-structured words. Nonetheless, in almost all cases, the chatbot only used basic information to complete the introduction, and no critical writing was obtained. For the mathematical case study, we observed that under the current status of the ChatGPT, this platform has no ability or skills to solve complex equations. Thus, significant changes need to be conducted to improve the performance of ChatGPT for mathematical solutions.

Technologies providing copyright-infringing IPTV content are a commonly used, as an illegal alternative to legal IPTV subscriptions and services, as they usually have lower monetary costs, and can be more convenient for the users that follow content from different sources. These infringing IPTV technologies may include websites, software, software add-ons, and physical set-top boxes. Due to the free or low cost of illegal IPTV technologies, illicit IPTV content providers will often resort to intrusive advertising, scams, and the distribution of malware to increase their revenue. We developed an automated solution for collecting and analysing malware from illegal IPTV technologies and used it to analyse a sample of illicit IPTV websites, application (app) stores, and software. Our results show that our IPTV Technologies Malware Analysis Framework (IITMAF) classified 32 of the 60 sample URLs tested as malicious, compared to running the same test using publicly available online anti-virus solutions, which only detected 23 of the 60 sample URLs as malicious. Moreover, the IITMAF framework also detected malicious URLs and files from 31 of the sample’s websites, one of which had reported ransomware behaviour.

The conditions for safe Internet access and the development of skills enabling full participation in online environments are recognized in the Council of Europe’s strategy for child rights, from 2022. The guarantee of this right has implications for experiences inside and outside the school context. Therefore, this article aims to compare the perceptions of students from different educational levels, who participated in a digital storytelling workshop, regarding online safety, searching habits, and digital competences. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey completed by 84 Portuguese students from elementary and secondary schools. A non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance was used to identify differences as children advance across educational stages. The results revealed that secondary students tend to spend more time online, and demonstrated more advanced search skills. Interestingly, the youngest children exhibited higher competences in creating games and practicing safety measures regarding online postings. These findings emphasize the importance of schools, in a joint action with the educational community, including parents, teachers and students, developing a coordinated and vertically integrated approach to digital education that considers the children's current knowledge, attitudes, and skills as a starting point for pedagogical intervention.

This article delves deeply into digital forensics, covering computer forensics, network 1 forensics, and mobile device forensics. It analyzes the techniques and methodologies used by forensic 2 investigators in various disciplines. It underlines the diffculties investigators encounter and the 3 importance of thorough investigations to combat ever-increasing cyber risks. The paper emphasizes 4 the necessity of leveraging digital forensic tools to improve cybersecurity and provides a thorough 5 list of widely used Python libraries suitable for each investigation strategy, allowing for effective 6 comparison. Furthermore, it emphasizes the availability and suitability of these Python libraries in 7 computer device investigations (PyTSK3, Volatility, Pyregf, and Pyevtx), mobile device investigations 8 (Pytsk3, Volatility, Pyewf, dfVFS, Androguard, and pyMobileDevice), and network forensics (Scapy, 9 Bro/Zeek, Dpkt, pypcap, and NetworkX). The creation of these libraries recognizes the complexities 10 of digital crimes and the importance of applying modern techniques in forensic investigations. 11 Particularly, digital forensics plays an important role for healthcare providers because modern 12 medical devices produce, store, and transmit large amounts of patient and therapy information, 13 which could provide a forensic investigator with a treasure trove of potential digital evidence.

Historical and Endowment Properties are different from Heritage and cultural Properties, as Historical and Endowment properties are governed by a unique set of laws that Waqf recipients must abide by. Property that is entrusted is usually in the form of buildings, land or valuables which in preservation is not limited to time as long as the property can be utilized. Reliable information technology is needed to ensure data security both digitally and physically, while the rapid development of information technology demands information openness and this will be a challenge in itself. The objectives of this study include examining the collection of historical databases and endowments, the relationship between digital data and physical data and management organizations. The method of how to design a query model to display data is then analyzed whether the data conforms to the rules in waqf management. The results are expected to bring up accurate data between digital data and physical data and if there are differences into findings for the next analysis.

Concerns have been made about how children's health and psychology could be hurt by the growing number of mobile apps they use. This abstract looks at intervention methods and best practices for getting kids to use mobile apps in a healthy way, find a balance with technology, and build up their resilience. Key points include promoting digital literacy and critical thinking, setting clear boundaries and rules, encouraging digital balance, modeling healthy tech habits, building resilience and coping skills, encouraging face-to-face communication, setting up tech-free times and spaces, monitoring app usage and content, promoting mindfulness and self-reflection, and getting professional help when needed. By using these tactics, parents, teachers, and other caretakers can help kids build a healthy relationship with technology, live a balanced life, and build the resilience they need to handle the challenges of the digital world. The goal of these interventions is to make sure that kids' app use is good for their general health, helps them learn and get along with others, and sets them up for long-term success in the digital age.

This manuscript explores the significance of continuous improvement in software development and digital product management, highlighting its role in addressing challenges and achieving superior results in today's dynamic business landscape. Drawing on Lean Thinking and Agile principles, the paper emphasizes the importance of customer focus, multidisciplinary collaboration, respect for people, inspection and adaptation, experimentation, incremental delivery, and continuous feedback in driving continuous improvement. It identifies key problems associated with the lack of continuous improvement, including quality issues, stagnation, inefficiency, lack of learning, lack of participation and collaboration, and lack of adaptability. To overcome these challenges, the paper proposes a solution that leverages agile events and interactions, such as sprint retrospectives and daily scrum meetings, and introduces a "kaizen board" as a visual tool to manage and monitor the continuous improvement process. The manuscript highlights the benefits of continuous improvement in terms of quality enhancement, efficiency gains, improved customer satisfaction, and adaptability to change. It stresses the need for fostering a culture of learning and constant adaptation, and provides insights on applying continuous improvement across different dimensions: product, process, team, and culture. The paper concludes by emphasizing the significance of commitment and active participation from all team members for achieving sustainable progress and success in digital transformation efforts.

This paper introduces a groundbreaking approach to enriching the museum experience using GPT4, a state-of-the-art language model by OpenAI. By developing a museum guide powered by GPT4, we aim to address the challenges visitors face in navigating vast collections of artifacts and interpreting their significance. Leveraging the model’s natural language understanding and generation capabilities, our guide offers personalized, informative, and engaging experiences. However, caution must be exercised as the generated information may lack scientific integrity and accuracy. To mitigate this, we propose incorporating human oversight and validation mechanisms. The subsequent sections present our own case study, detailing the design, architecture, and experimental evaluation of the museum guide system, highlighting its practical implementation and insights into the benefits and limitations of employing GPT4 in the cultural heritage context.

The UK aviation industry is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 through sustainable measures, and one of the key aspects of this effort is the implementation of Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems. These UTM systems play a crucial role in enabling the safe and efficient integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the airspace. As part of the Airspace of the Future (AoF) project, the development and implementation of UTM services have been prioritized. The paper aims to create an environment where routine drone services can operate safely and effectively. To facilitate this, a digital twin of the National Beyond Visual Line of Sight Experimentation Corridor has been created. This digital twin serves as a virtual replica of the corridor and allows for the synthetic testing of unmanned traffic management concepts. The implementation of the digital twin involves both simulated and hybrid flights with real drones. Simulated flights allow for the testing and refinement of UTM services in a controlled environment. Hybrid flights, on the other hand, involve the integration of real drones into the airspace to assess their performance and compatibility with the UTM systems. By leveraging the capabilities of UTM systems and utilizing the digital twin for testing, the AoF project aims to advance the development of safer and more efficient drone operations. Experimentation Corridor has been developed to simulate and test concepts related to managing unmanned traffic. The paper provides a detailed account of the implementation of the digital twin for the AoF project, including simulated and hybrid flights involving real drones.

In resent years, China’s digital economy has achieved significant global recognition for its instrumental role in supporting sustainable economic and social development. Based on the panel data from China's provinces between 2013-2021, this paper investigates the impact and transmission mechanism of financial deepening on digital economy development. The study finds that financial deepening significantly improves digital economy development. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that financial deepening offers greater support to digital economy development in central and western regions than in the east. Further analysis shows that financial deepening improves technological innovation, which in turn promotes the digital economy development. After applying a test of robustness, the results proved significant.

Digital health has gained widespread adoption across various disciplines. Within the field of sport science, there is growing interest in digital health, leading to a surge in research activities. The objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric and visualization analysis, tracing the evolutionary trajectory, identifying research hotspots, and uncovering emerging trends in digital health within the domain of sport science. By doing so, this research aims to offer scholars a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the dynamic landscape in this field. To achieve this, the Web of Science core collection was chosen as the primary database. A thorough literature search was performed, focusing on digital health and sport science, resulting in the screening of 1870 English-language documents. The findings revealed a consistent upward growth trend in the annual publication count from 2010 to 2023. Notably, the United States, specifically the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania System of Higher Education, and John B. Cronin, emerged as the most prolific contributors in terms of publications. Collaborative efforts among countries, institutions, and authors were also observed. The research hotspots identified encompassed several areas, including the evaluation of digital health technologies' effectiveness, exploration of the relationship between digital health technologies and physical activity/exercise performance, and the use of digital health technologies in assessing and rehabilitating sports injuries. Among the prominent digital health technologies employed in these studies were virtual reality, social media, and wearable devices. The predominant types of studies utilized meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials, and cross-sectional studies. Looking towards the future, the study identified several key research trends. These include the exploration of telemedicine, artificial intelligence-based machine learning, therapeutic interventions, and physical therapy within the realm of digital health. These emerging areas signify promising directions for future investigation and development in the field of digital health within sport science.

Globally, over 1.4 billion adult people remain unbanked. This worrisome phenomenon was exacerbated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which further created a new dimension of inequality in accessing financial services. Digital financial inclusion promises to be an effective tool for addressing this socioeconomic ill and propelling economic development. Given the limited studies on the subject in the context of the developing economies, it is imperative to understand the existing policies, practices, and barriers to digital financial inclusion in the developing economies so as to provide cutting-edge interventions for redress. It is against this background that this study seeks to address the following research questions: (1) What is the state of digital financial inclusion in the developing economy? (2) What are the policies and practices regarding digital financial inclusion in the developing economy? (3) What are the barriers to digital financial inclusion and innovative interventions for redress? Findings reveal that about 44% of the adult population in developing countries does not have access to financial services, with only a few countries that have made significant progress and gains through policy and practice such as mobile financial services, mobile money interoperability, native connectivity, human capital development, and digitalization of public services for digital financial inclusion. The findings also identify challenges and implications with recommendations, which are discussed in detail in the paper.

The search for growth and sustainability in any organization largely depends on its ability to carry out digital transformation and agility processes. These processes are essential to adapt to an increasingly changing and competitive business environment, allowing companies to be more efficient and effective in creating an unbreakable bond with their customers. This manuscript addresses the importance of detecting and eliminating anti-patterns in organizational culture for a successful digital and agile transformation. During the early stages of the transformation process, prejudices and paradigms rooted in the organization can become an obstacle to change. The goal of this writing is to offer a practical guide for leaders and teams in organizations seeking successful cultural transformation. Effective strategies are proposed to overcome the challenges faced by organizations during this early stage. In summary, the key steps to be followed in the initial stages of digital transformation with agility are described, including the importance of establishing strong leadership, defining a clear vision and scope of the transformational process, among others. A set of recommendations will be provided to overcome recurring anti-patterns, such as lack of stakeholder participation and commitment, lack of proper planning, and confusion of roles and responsibilities.

Digital transformation of agriculture can support economic growth and food and nutri-tion security in Africa. This study provides an overview of the status of digital agriculture in five west African countries, analyzing their efforts in developing the enabling environment and inno-vations while formulating recommendations based on the identified gaps for the effective trans-formation of the sector. Information was retrieved through a literature search from various sources, including web pages and databases of national agricultural and digital transformation institutions and start-ups of the five target countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria) and regional/international institutions. There have been increasing agri-digital initia-tives in the five countries, which were grouped into seven categories based on their objectives. Steady progress was also observed in mobile internet adoption, despite the differences in deploy-ing crucial infrastructure to promote digital agriculture. The mobile connectivity index (MCI) in all five countries is below 60. Nonetheless, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire demonstrated more efforts in internet and electricity access, especially in rural areas. Benin and Nigeria have developed sep-arate documents depicting the roadmap for Digital Agriculture, while the other countries are working to create one or have it embedded in their national development plans. Similarities and specificities exist among countries for laws and processes protecting Agri-digital innovators. To be competitive and self-reliant in the global e-economy, these countries must reposition them-selves to accelerate changes in digital agriculture through effective governance and synergy of actions in different sectors and across nations.

First came the digital banks without offices, and then the “fintech” companies that combined technology and finance to achieve greater efficiency and new business models. Later was the turn of transport and logistics, understood as the sector whose economic activities derived from the transport of people and goods, while on the one hand, it has had a new spring thanks to factors such as online sales. Then, perhaps catalyzed by the pandemic scenario, the turn has reached education, where years ago was only a complement of traditional education, now is a central part with multiple modern methodologies. Numerous studies exist about using or implementing these e-learning procedures, but technical analysis is barely found in references. This work aims to analyze the digital transformation of the main sectors of our society, including finances, transport, and education, together with several examples of how technology was helping to fight the pandemic scenario.

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational large language model (LLM) was launched in November 2022 namely, “ChatGPT”. Despite the wide array of potential applications of LLMs in healthcare education, research and practice, several valid concerns were raised. The current systematic review aimed to investigate the possible utility of ChatGPT and to highlight its limitations in healthcare education, research and practice. Using the PRIMSA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted to retrieve English records in PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar under the term “ChatGPT”. Eligibility criteria included the published research or preprints of any type that discussed ChatGPT in the context of healthcare education, research and practice. A total of 280 records were identified, and following full screening, a total of 60 records were eligible for inclusion. Benefits/applications of ChatGPT were cited in 51/60 (85.0%) records with the most common being the utility in scientific writing followed by benefits in healthcare research (efficient analysis of massive datasets, code generation and rapid concise literature reviews besides utility in drug discovery and development). Benefits in healthcare practice included cost saving, documentation, personalized medicine and improved health literacy. Concerns/possible risks of ChatGPT use were expressed in 58/60 (96.7%) records with the most common being the ethical issues including the risk of bias, plagiarism, copyright issues, transparency issues, legal issues, lack of originality, incorrect responses, limited knowledge, and inaccurate citations. Despite the promising applications of ChatGPT which can result in paradigm shifts in healthcare education, research and practice, the embrace of this application should be done with extreme caution. Specific applications of ChatGPT in health education include the promising utility in personalized learning tools and shift towards more focus on critical thinking and problem-based learning. In healthcare practice, ChatGPT can be valuable for streamlining the workflow and refining personalized medicine. Saving time for the focus on experimental design and enhancing research equity and versatility are the benefits in scientific research. Regarding authorship in scientific articles, as it currently stands, ChatGPT does not qualify to be listed as an author unless the ICJME/COPE guidelines are revised and amended. An initiative involving all stakeholders involved in healthcare education, research and practice is urgently needed to set a code of ethics and conduct on the responsible practices involving ChatGPT among other LLMs.

Digitalisation is one of the European Union's priorities. The European Parliament is shaping and helping to shape new legislation in this area. Digitisation should also help in the transition to a greener economy and in achieving climate neutrality. E-government is one area of digitisation that has been under way for several years in European countries. In this paper, we have focused on identifying different indices that are aimed at measuring digitalization or e-Government. The results of the analysis showed that there are several indices that focus on this area within the EU, such as EGDI, EPI, LOSI, DGI, e-Government benchmark, Eurostat - internet use, GII, DSGI, Going Digital toolkit and DESI. Subsequently, the index areas to be used in the DEA method to measure the effectiveness of e-Government related inputs and outputs within the EU were identified. As can be seen from the analysis, the DEA method has various uses. In order to be able to use the method properly it was necessary to select the most appropriate parameter and to verify their suitability by means of correlation analysis. Among the input and output indices were chosen Internet usage, DSGI, GII, e-Government benchmark, Interaction with public administration online. From the analysis 3 inputs and 3 outputs were used. After implementing the correlation, it can be said that the values between the selected sub-variables are suitable for DEA analysis. Two models were chosen for the calculation, namely CCR and BCC model. CCR model evaluated 10 states as efficient and BCC model evaluated 13 states as efficient. In addition, in the close analysis, we have taken a closer look at the CCR model's inference. Countries such as Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Malta, Portugal, etc. were efficient outliers. When comparing the regions within the EU, we can conclude that the countries of Northern Europe are the most efficient in the field of digitalization (e-Government). As many as 4 countries out of 7 are efficient. In a future study it would be useful to use the SBM model and try to measure the impact of digitalization on selected areas such as economy, society, environment, etc.

Background: In order to achieve the best possible hearing and understanding with a cochlear implant (CI), regular hearing speech therapy treatment is necessary after implantation. This treatment should also be accessible to the growing proportion of hearing-impaired people with a migration background. This requires an alternative to therapy in the therapist's native language. The aim of this study was to evaluate six multilingual conversation applications with regard to their usefulness for therapy. Material and Methods: The six most commonly used applications were reviewed in terms of accuracy of content and grammatical translation, as well as pronunciation for English, Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, and Russian by native speakers. The number of available languages, availability, cost, and additional features were also analyzed. The accuracy of the content and grammatical translation as well as the pronunciation were statistically evaluated, and the differences were highlighted. The results of the different applications were compared with the performance of a native speaker. Results: All applications tested differed significantly from the native speaker level, with Google Translator showing the closest approximation to the native speaker level. All apps offer translations for multiple languages and, with exceptions, are available in both app stores. Furthermore, all apps have additional therapist-facilitating features. Conclusion: Multilingual conversation apps can make speech therapy in a foreign language much easier when used with patients. An adaptation of the software to the specific requirements of a hearing speech therapy is necessary to achieve a linguistic level that corresponds to the native language of the therapist and to enable an easy use in the therapy.

Digital technologies play a key role in reviving the world economy. The EU has pledged to combine recovery support with resilient digital transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the lack of digitization in Slovakia and the shortcomings of digital skills in citizens and communication with institutions. Digital skills are important and should form part of educational policy. ICT skills can help people succeed in the labour market and improve communication with public administration. Digitization and globalization increase the importance to communicate through the Internet, applications and other e-based gadgets. Digital skills are one of the essential parts of e-Government, so people can use e-Government services in communication with public administration. The current crisis citizens' use of online services. In-dices concerning the digital economy are analysed, such as the digital economy and society index DESI and e-government digital skills (EGDI) from 2018 to 2021 revealed a stagnant state in 2018 and 2019 and 2020, there was a decrease in basic digital skills". The next index is E-Government Digital Index It focuses on human capital and digital skills in these indices. The paper analyses and identifies the digital skills of citizens in the context of e-Government development and describes the use of e-Government services by EU citizens with a focus on the Slovak republic. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey with citizens in Slovak republic's digital skills according to selected categories, the use of e-Government services as well as awareness of e-Government services. Solutions that improve e-government in the Slovak Republic are gradually being implemented. Improving digital skills according to National Coalition for Digital Skills and professions in the Slovak republic and is one of the priorities of The Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic which has adopted an action plan for 2019 – 2022 to improve the results in the DESI index by 2025 and focus on the digital skills required by employers. The survey revealed that in Slovakia, the majority of schools offer only weak support for digital education (about the EU-27 average of 68% and 45%, respectively). The research revealed also decreased level of digital literacy among young people. These competencies are very important to gain a position in the labour market in the digital society. The projects aim to support the development of digital skills of primary and secondary school students, and the integration of new technologies into teaching.

Analyzing the records of Advanced LIGO and Virgo gravitational observatories, we found a specific time-domain asymmetry inherent only to the signals of their gravitational detectors. Experiments with different periodic signals, Gaussian and non-Gaussian noises, made it possible to conclude that the noise of gravitational detectors is an unusual mixture of signals. We also developed a specialized Pearson correlation analyzer to recognize the gravitational-wave events. It turned out that the LIGO detectors’ output signals include a significant (– 6 dB) component, which has the properties of records of reliably recognized gravitational waves. It allows us to argue that the gravitational background noise is largely due to the processes of merging astronomical objects. Since the specific signal is registered by the detectors continuously, we can consider the sub-kilohertz band gravitational oscillations field as detected. Our analysis method also allows us to estimate the contribution of the gravitational background component to the total signal energy. With its help, it will be possible not only to provide the radio-frequency estimation of the magnitude of gravitational disturbances but also, possibly, to construct a map of the gravitational noise of the sky.

The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has brought with it an increase in the use of digital platforms and an exponential increase in the number of scientific papers worldwide. The purpose of this study is to show a global overview of the digital transformation from 1975 to the present (2021). The main collection of the Web of Science database was used to retrieve global scientific production on digital transformation. Bibliometric indicators of production, visibility, impact, and collaboration were analyzed to assess research progress on the topic. The results show that digital transformation is a construct of recent development, increasingly relevant and transdisciplinary, with a clear growth after the declaration of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the data of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen of China from 2011 to 2018 and the digital inclusive finance index of Peking University (2011-2018), this paper empirically tests the impact of digital finance development on corporate social responsibility in various provinces of China and its impact mechanism. The results show that: (1) the development of digital finance helps to promote the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility; (2) the influence mechanism of the development of digital finance to promote the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility lies in that it reduces the cost of debt financing and leads to the improvement of corporate social responsibility.(3) Further research shows that the positive relationship between digital finance and corporate social responsibility is more significant in private enterprises. At the same time, the impact is more significant in areas with poor market environment. The above research shows that the development of digital finance has a significant positive effect, which will improve the level of corporate social responsibility.

With roots beyond behavioural economics to psychology, nudges can be applied for influencing healthy behaviours such as food choice and portions to decrease obesity for better public health outcomes. However, the effectiveness of the type of nudges are contentious with conflicting literature. In this pilot study, we conducted a 23-day study surveying the food choices that included portion, locus of control, demographic data, and psychological measures of personality, perceived stress, narcissism, regulatory focus, food choice motive and dietary restraint, with the participants given four intervention conditions of 12 instant messaging sent every two days through WhatsApp. The messages were either factual (control), focused on consequences, through social comparison, or persuasive. Running over the COVID19 pandemic, 17 participants completed the full surveys showing significant effects between the experimental conditions with the psychological parameters except for diet confidence and extraversion and conscientiousness, as well as cognitive restraint. We found BMI and waistline measurements to be suitable measurements, with promising results from the fear and social comparison nudges for food-related behaviours and exercise. Our pilot findings have implications to the use of nudges upon which future studies investigating psychological factors can build on.

Background: Currently, Indonesia is entering an era that is all digital and uses technology in all fields of activity. The internet has a lot to do with their behavior or character. Millennials are the nation's next generation. The emergence of the digital era caused by globalization has made the millennial generation less appreciative and practicing the values ​​of Pancasila. In this case, character education is something that must be applied to the millennial generation. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of the millennial generation, the role of character education in realizing the values ​​of Pancasila in the daily life of the millennial generation, how to cultivate an attitude of patriotism and nationalism towards the nation by practicing Pancasila, and provide motivation for the millennial generation to realize these values. Pancasila values. Methods: This study uses a literature review method. The search for journals was carried out using the google scholar database with the keywords “Character Education”, “millenial generation”, and “Pancasila”. The journals selected are journals from 2019 to 2020. Results: By applying character education to the millennial generation, it will make it easier for them to practice the values ​​of Pancasila. Pancasila should be the way of life of the millennial generation. Recommendation and limitation: As millennials, we must protect the country from values ​​that are contrary to Pancasila. Character education must be applied following the nature of the millennial generation itself. Of course, the applied character education must prioritize and be based on the values ​​of Pancasila as well.

Quantum computers are invaluable tools to explore the properties of complex quantum systems. We show that dynamical localization of the quantum sawtooth map, a highly sensitive quantum coherent phenomenon, can be simulated on actual, small-scale quantum processors. Our results demonstrate that quantum computing of dynamical localization may become a convenient tool for evaluating advances in quantum hardware performances.

One of the oldest and common methods of diagnosing heart abnormalities is auscultation. Even for experienced medical doctors, it is not an easy task to detect abnormal patterns in the heart sounds. Most of the digital stethoscopes are now capable of recording and transferring the heart sounds. Moreover, it is proven that auscultation records can be classified as healthy or unhealthy via artificial intelligence techniques. In this work, an artificial intelligence-powered mobile application that works in a connectionless fashion is presented. According to the clinical experiments, the mobile application can detect heart abnormalities with approximately 92% accuracy which is comparable if not better than humans since only a small number of well-trained cardiologists can analyze auscultation records better than artificial intelligence. Using the diagnostic ability of artificial intelligence in a mobile application would change the classical way of auscultation for heart disease diagnosis.

The effect of the strain rate on damage in carbon black filled EPDM stretched during single and multiple uniaxial loading is investigated. This has been performed by analysing the stress-strain response, the evolution of damage by Digital Image Correlation (DIC), the associated dissipative heat source by InfraRed thermography (IR), and the chains network damage by swelling. The strain rates were selected to cover the transition from quasi-static to medium strain rate conditions. In single loading conditions, the increase of the strain rate yields in a preferential damage of the filler network while rubber network is preserved. Such damage is accompanied by a stress softening and an adiabatic heat source rise. Conversely, increasing the strain rate in cyclic loading conditions yields in a filler network accommodation and a high self-heating whose combined effect is proposed as a possible cause of the ability of filled EPDM to limit damage, by reducing cavities opening during loading and favoring cavities closing upon unloading.

This article presents a methodology for the design of rehabilitation devices that considers factors involved in a clinical environment. This methodology integrates different disciplines that work together. The methodology is composed by 3 phases and 13 stages with specific tasks, the first phase includes the clinical context considering the requirements of the patient and therapist during the rehabilitation, the second phase is focused in engineering based on the philosophy of digital twin, and in the third phase is evaluated the device. This article explains the characteristics of the methodology and how it was applied in the design of an exoskeleton for passive rehabilitation of the upper limb.

COVID-19 has been a major issue in most countries throughout the world with 213 countries being affected till date due to the disease. The pandemic has raised concerns over the healthcare facilities available in various countries and question the government decisions made during this period of outbreak. Despite having the best healthcare facilities several countries across Europe and America have found it difficult to contain the disease outbreak questioning the available solutions to contain an area. This paper focuses on presenting information on solutions available to control outbreaks in order to prevent another pandemic occurring in the future. The paper also highlights the strategies and plans implemented by various governments who have been successful in combatting the disease with minimum damage. By using available resources such as technology, scientific innovation and digitalized healthcare this paper focuses on providing solutions which are already available to be utilized in the right manner.

The study sought to gauge the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in unleashing digital transformation in the education sector in South Africa. In order to gauge the impact, the study tracked the rate at which the 4IR tools were used by various institutions during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were obtained from secondary sources, mainly newspaper articles, magazines and peer-reviewed journals. The findings are that, in South Africa, during the lockdown, a variety of 4IR tools were unleashed from primary education to higher and tertiary education where educational activities switched to remote learning (online learning). These observations point to the fact that South Africa generally has, some pockets of excellence to drive the education sector into the 4IR, which has the potential to increase access. Access to education, particularly at a higher education level, has always been a challenge due to a limited number of spaces available. Much as this pandemic has brought with it massive human suffering across the globe, there is an opportunity to assess successes and failures of deployed technologies, costs associated with them, and scaling these technologies to improve access.

The article is devoted to the assessment of the network community as a collective subject, as a group of interconnected and interdependent persons performing joint activities. According to the main research hypothesis, various forms of group subjectness, which determine its readiness for joint activities, are manifested in the discourse of the network community. Discourse constitutes a network community, mediates the interaction of its participants, represents ideas about the world, values, relationships, attitudes, sets patterns of behavior. A procedure is proposed for identifying discernible traces of the subjectness of a network community at various levels (lexical, semantic, content-analytical scales, etc.). The subjective structure of the network community is described based on experts’ implicit representations. The revealed components of the subjectness of network communities are compared with the characteristics of the subjectness of offline social groups. It is shown that the structure of the subjectness of network communities for some components is similar to the structure of the characteristics of the subjectness of offline social groups: the discourse of the network community represents a discussion of joint activities, group norms and values, problems of civic identity. The specificity of network communities’ subjectness is revealed, which is manifested in the positive support of communication within the community, the identification and support of distinction between “us” and “them”. Two models of the relationship between discursive features and the construct “subjectness” are compared: additive-cumulative and additive. The equivalence of models is established based on the discriminativeness and the level of consistency with expert evaluation by external criteria.

Buildability, i.e. the ability of a deposited material bulk to retain its dimmensions under increasing load, is an inherent prerequisite for formwork-free digital construction (DC). Since DC processes are relatively new, no standard methods of characterization are available yet. The paper at hand presents practice-oriented buildabilty criteria by taking various process parameters and construction costs into consideration. In doing so, direct links between laboratory buildability tests and target applications are established. A systematic basis for calculating the time interval (TI) to be followed during laboratory testing is proposed for the full-width printing (FWP) and filament printing (FP) processes. The proposed approach is validated by applying it to a high-strength, printable, fine-grained concrete. Comparative analyses of FWP and FP revealed that to test the buildability of a material for FP processes, higher velocities of the printhead should be established for laboratory tests in comparison to those needed for FWP process, providing for equal construction rates.

In order to solve the problems of waveform distortion and signal delay by many physical and electrical systems with linear low-pass transfer characteristics with multiple complex poles, a general digital-signal-processing (DSP)-based method of real-time recovery of the original source waveform from the distorted output waveform is proposed. From the convolution kernel representation of a multiple-pole low-pass transfer function with an arbitrary denominator polynomial with real valued coefficients, it is shown that the source waveform can be accurately recovered in real time using a particular moving average algorithm with real-valued DSP computations only, even though some or all of the poles are complex. The proposed digital signal recovery method is DC-accurate and unaffected by initial conditions, transient signals, and resonant amplitude enhancement. This method can be applied to most sensors and amplifiers operating close to their frequency response limits or around their resonance frequencies to accurately deconvolute the multiple-pole characteristics and to improve the overall performances of data acquisition systems and digital feedback control systems.

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency affects up to 1 in 4,000 children and is usually treated with daily injections of GH whilst the child is still growing. With children typically diagnosed around 5 years old, this can mean over 10 years of therapy, which can place a considerable burden on the child and parent. Over three-quarters of children are estimated to be not fully compliant with therapy, which can compromise their chances of attaining their target height. In recent years, interactive mobile health (smart phone or tablet) interventions using game-like concepts, so called ‘gamification’, have increased in popularity and have demonstrated success in promoting positive self-management behaviour in children with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. The application of gamified interventions has the potential to support adherence to therapy and positive behaviour in children with GH deficiency in a number of ways: 1) By providing education in a format that the child understands and accepts (e.g. using behavioural constructs to facilitate explaining why adherence is important); 2) By providing a mechanism to reduce the anxiety and stress associated with administering the injection (e.g. diversion with a virtual pet); and 3) By providing feedback to encourage on-going engagement (e.g. rewards, progression through levels).

Construction 4.0 is witnessing exponential growth in Digital Twin (DT) technology developments and applications, revolutionizing the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other emerging technologies used throughout the lifecycle of the built environment. BIM provides technologies, procedures, and data schemas representing building components and systems. At the same time, DT enhances this with real-time data for cyber-physical integration, enabling live asset monitoring and better decision-making. Despite being in the early stages of development, DT applications have rapidly progressed in the AEC sector, resulting in a diverse literature landscape due to the various technologies and parameters involved in fully developing the DT technology. The intricate complexities inherent in digital twin advancements have confused professionals and researchers. This confusion arises from the nuanced distinctions between the two technologies, i.e., BIM and DT, causing a convergence that hinders realizing their potential. To address this confusion and lead to a swift development of DT technology, this study presents a holistic review of the existing research focusing on the critical components responsible for developing DT applications in the construction industry. The study identifies five crucial elements: technologies, maturity levels, data layers, enablers, and functionalities. Additionally, it identifies research gaps and proposes future avenues for streamlined DT developments and applications in the AEC sector. Future researchers and practitioners can target data integrity, integration and transmission, bi-directional interoperability, nontechnical factors, and data security to achieve mature digital twin applications for AEC practices. This study highlights the growing significance of DTs in construction and provides a foundation for further advancements in this field to harness its potential to transform built environment practices.

For its enthusiasts, the blockchain is an archivist's dream come true: an immutable historical record that is publicly accessible and immune from censorship. Proposals like Juried Protocol Galleries could enable bots to compute the provenance of digital artworks and their appearance in exhibitions and publications. Distributed file systems like IPFS claim to store creative works in a redundant, networked fashion outside the control of any single cloud provider. Projects designed to work with blockchains like Filecoin and Arweave propose a dedicated cryptocurrency as financial incentive to support the cost of governing and sustaining this "permaweb." As dreamy as this picture sounds, many of these promises depend on technologies that have yet to be sufficiently developed or adopted. Rather than forecast the future, we can separate the hype from the reality in the present day by examining a real-life example, namely the 2021 auction of Andy Warhol's digital art with NFTs. This essay will focus less on blockchain's general promise as a preservation medium and more on the particular case of the digital Warhols, which both in form and spirit would seem a perfect application of NFTs to preserve historically important works of digital art. Which promises of the crypto-dream of permanent access to digital heritage ring true for this case study, and which are overblown?

Digitized heritage is regarded as an emerging field, with existing studies primarily focusing on one case study or technological aspect. Thus, there remains a notable gap in the literature regarding the understanding of how these technologies can be utilized in smart heritage management. Approaches that harness technological advancements to enhance smart management and aid the decision-making process regarding the use of appropriate technology at various heritage sites remain insufficiently explored. To address this gap, this study conducted a cross-case analysis to survey the use of heritage technologies across selected cases to find underlying trends and correlations related to the scale and technology used. The findings of this study provide insights into the nexus of technology integration into heritage management, highlighting the role of tangible heritage documentation technologies. The present study concludes that smart management framework necessitates an ongoing process involving the integration of cultural heritage data, documentation, and the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT facilitates the connectivity of physical items to the internet, thereby supporting the safeguarding and interpretation of cultural heritage knowledge. Such framework operates through a collaboration platform that engages experts, local communities, and tourists to ensure a meaningful and interactive interconnection.

Digital transformation, powered by technologies like AI, IoT, and big data, is reshaping industries and societies at an unprecedented pace. While these innovations promise smarter energy management, precision agriculture, and efficient resource utilization, they also introduce serious environmental challenges. This paper examines the dual impact of digital technologies, highlighting key threats such as rising energy consumption, growing e-waste, and increased extraction of raw materials. For instance, global e-waste reached 62 million metric tons in 2022, and data centers alone accounted for nearly 1% of the world's electricity demand in 2019. The review synthesizes findings from studies on topics like the energy use of blockchain technologies and the environmental costs of raw material extraction in the smartphone industry. Moreover, it identifies critical research gaps, particularly in understanding the environmental impact of digital usage at individual and household levels. Practical strategies such as integrating circular economy principles, promoting renewable energy, and green computing are proposed to balance technological advancement with sustainability goals. This study highlights the need for a holistic approach, suggesting future research directions to minimize digital transformation’s environmental footprint while maximizing its sustainability benefits.

This paper presents the validation of a numerical method for quantifying the physical quality parameters of apples through a comparative analysis with a traditional measurement method. The numerical method was applied to determine the parameters of batches of Kazakh apples according to standard requirements, using image analysis of apples. Five common varieties of Kazakh apples were selected: Aport Alexander, Ainur, Sinap Almatynski, Nursat and Kazakhski Yubileinyi. The geometric parameters of the apples and the percentage of red in the images were determined. The parameters of the 5 apple varieties were processed and measured both manually and digitally, revealing a close agreement between the obtained values. The developed digital method achieved high accuracy in determining the (diameters (d) and (D) in two perpendicular planes and height (h) of each apple), with maximum relative errors of 2.99% for (d), 3.03%, and 4.12% for the (h), and (D) parameters, respectively. Regression models were developed to determine and predict the mass and volume of apples via the digital method. The best results for the apple weight prediction were obtained for Sinap Almatynski variety by stepwise linear regression, and for the apple volume prediction were obtained for Nursat variety by linear regression. Regression equations for mass, volume and geometric dimensions constitute the basis for the development of a small instrument for automatically sorting apples by commercial variety.

This review article explores the innovative application of software sensors for monitoring and controlling biosystems, emphasizing their advantage in managing the complexities of various biological processes. Biosystems—from cellular interactions to ecological dynamics—are characterized by intrinsic nonlinearity, temporal variability, and uncertainty, posing significant challenges for traditional monitoring approaches. A critical challenge highlighted is that what is typically measurable may not align with what needs to be monitored. Software sensors bridge this gap by combining hardware sensor data with advanced computational modelling techniques to indirectly infer hard-to-measure target variables, such as stress level, animal and human health indicators, and chemical soil properties. The article outlines advancements in sensor technologies and their integration into model-based monitoring and control systems, leveraging the capabilities of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wearables, remote sensing, and smart sensors. It provides an overview of common methodologies for designing software sensors, focusing on the modelling process. The discussion contrasts hypothetico-deductive (mechanistic) models with inductive (data-driven) models, illustrating the trade-offs between model accuracy and interpretability. Specific case studies are presented, showcasing software sensor applications such as the use of Kalman filter in greenhouse control, remote detection of soil organic matter, and sound recognition algorithms for early detection of respiratory infections in animals. Key challenges in designing software sensors, including the complexity of biological systems, inherent temporal and individual variabilities, and the trade-offs between model simplicity and predictive performance, are also discussed. This article positions software sensor as remarkable tool for advancing biosystem management, driving forward the potential for sustainable practices in various sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and environmental monitoring.

Purpose: This study investigates the influence of human brands on the formation of Generation Z's digital identity. Given the increasing importance of the digital space in this generation's life, understanding how their identity is shaped by human brands in this environment is crucial. Method: Using a netnographic approach, qualitative data was collected and analyzed from 500 posts and interactions of Gen Z users on Instagram and TikTok platforms. Thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo 12 software, with inter-coder reliability confirmed (κ = 0.85). Findings: Results indicate that human brands influence Gen Z's digital identity through three main mechanisms: 1) lifestyle emulation (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), 2) value alignment (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), and 3) self-presentation modeling (β = 0.35, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed these three factors explain 67\% of the variance in digital identity formation (R² = 0.67, F(3,496) = 335.42, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that human brands play a significant role in shaping Generation Z's digital identity. Understanding this influence can help marketers and policymakers design more effective strategies for engaging with this generation.

Digital Transformation (DT) encompasses profound technological changes. Businesses face the challenge of adapting their activities to the pace of new technologies to increase the efficiency of business processes, improve the customer experience, and create innovative value propositions. This research focuses on how family businesses, which are a relevant part of global economic activity and job creation, address the challenges associated with Digital Transformation. Based on the case of the automotive retail sector in a small European country characterized by the high acceptance of technologies, we use fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to understand how critical success factors (causal conditions) combine towards adopting technologies representing different perspectives of the DT. The results confirm the existence of multiple configurations based on the importance of Organizational Culture, Change Management, Knowledge, Human Capital, IT Systems, and DT Strategy towards the adoption of CRM, Digital Marketing, and Social Networks technologies, thus helping family businesses to understand the adoption of these technologies leading to organizational success in the context of the Digital Transformation.

The increasing activism of moderate Muslim groups in promoting religious moderation and countering radicalism has garnered significant scholarly attention. However, there remains a paucity of comprehensive studies exploring the role of education grounded in local cultural practices, such as humor, in this context. This article aims to analyze the utilization of humor-based platforms on social media by moderate Muslim organizations to advance religious moderation and reinforce the portrayal of a tolerant and peaceful Indonesian Islam in virtual public spaces. It argues that humor functions not merely as a vehicle for entertainment but as an effective educational tool capable of de-escalating tensions and conflicts without inciting violence, by employing humorous language. This study employs Virtual Ethnography to observe the online activism of the "Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Garis Lucu" and "Muhammadiyah Garis Lucu" platforms, particularly in their engagements with similar humor platforms operated by radical Islamic groups. The findings reveal that humor platforms can effectively disseminate discourses on religious moderation while also providing a critique of the religious narratives propagated by radical groups through the use of memes that are both humorous and respectful. Moreover, these platforms have evolved into deliberative public spaces where diverse religious groups can engage in dialogue over various contemporary religious issues. The emergence of these humor platforms has successfully contributed to the representation of Indonesian Islam as witty, inclusive, and fundamentally opposed to radicalism.

This study investigates the strategic unity of fintech enterprises, assessing whether their characteristics bear greater resemblance to conventional banking institutions or technological corporations. Through the evaluation of operational functions, target demographics, business frameworks, stakeholder engagements, equity market dynamics, and empirical data, the analysis indicates that fintechs exhibit a closer alignment with technology companies. The inquiry uncovers significant lacunae in the prevailing scholarly discourse, particularly regarding the examination of fintechs’ fundamental attributes and their ramifications for strategic positioning. The results not only imply that fintechs are more akin to technology firms but also underscore the increasing convergence between fintechs and tech enterprises, propelled by the incursion of Big Tech and a heightened focus on sustainability. This implies an evolving financial landscape where traditional categorizations are progressively obscured. Our research is pivotal for comprehending and navigating this emergent terrain, which holds paramount importance for professionals operating within the financial and technological domains.

Digital twin technology, a cutting-edge approach that creates dynamic digital replicas of physical systems, is increasingly integral to various industrial applications. However, the effective deployment of digital twins often faces challenges associated with data availability, quality, and interoperability, which can impede the development and operational efficacy of these virtual counterparts. This paper presents a systematic review of the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing and managing digital twin technologies across multiple domains such as industry, healthcare, urban planning, business, education, technology, and others. It specifically examines how machine learning models, particularly neural networks and deep generative models, are being employed to optimize the creation, maintenance, and functionality of digital twins. The review explores the role of artificial intelligence in overcoming data-related limitations by providing robust, scalable data solutions for digital twins. Additionally, it addresses critical considerations of real-time data processing and system interoperability within these applications. This survey not only identifies the prevailing challenges and opportunities within this emerging field but also highlights potential future research directions that could further the integration of AI with digital twin technology. Through a detailed exploration of the intersection between AI and digital twins, this paper aims to contribute significantly to the knowledge base and encourage further innovations in this interdisciplinary area.

The arrest of Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, represents a critical moment in the ongoing discourse surrounding free speech and content moderation. This event exemplifies the tension between upholding individual liberties and addressing the potential societal harms caused by unregulated digital communication. This paper explores the implications of Durov’s arrest and Telegram’s stance on free speech through the lens of John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle. The Harm Principle, as articulated in Mill’s seminal work On Liberty (1859), provides a valuable theoretical framework for examining the balance between individual freedom and societal protection. This paper argues that the application of the Harm Principle can offer a nuanced perspective on the ethical responsibilities of digital platforms like Telegram in the age of global communication.

The technological revolution has contributed significantly to environmental and social issues worldwide. In higher education institutions, there is a theoretical gap in systematic reviews on the integration of digital transformation into sustainability. This systematic review of the literature aims to address this gap by exploring how digital transformation improves sustainability in higher education institutions, identifying emerging trends and best practices for effective strategies. Using the PRISMA guidelines, the study conducted a comprehensive search in the Scopus database, producing 1,686 publications from 2019 to 2024. The findings reveal a widespread awareness of digital technology integration but highlight a lack of consensus on sustainable integration strategies. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that educational achievements can be enhanced through tools and methodologies that align with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The analysis identifies three primary domains: sustainability capabilities enabled by digital transformation, innovative sustainable approaches, and the conceptualisation of sustainability in higher education. The incorporation of digital tools, such as AI chatbots, institutions foster innovation and achieves sustainability objectives, thus transforming teaching and learning approaches. This review contributes significantly to understanding the role of digital transformation in promoting a sustainable and digitally enabled future in higher education.

The digital transformation of the global economy presents new challenges and opportunities for businesses and nations. With the growing role of digital technologies and the dynamic changes in the structure of the economy, there is a need for a better understanding of the processes shaping contemporary enterprises. This article analyzes the impact of digital transformation on businesses and the global economy, identifying key areas where these changes are most evident. As part of this discussion, a modification of the “9 Pillars of Industry 4.0” concept is proposed, incorporating solutions that have emerged since its inception. The resulting model, “11 Pillars of Industry 4.0,” enabled the analysis of the “born digital” and “born global” concepts, highlighting their numerous common features in the context of the digital transformation of economies. This became the basis for proposing a new concept: “born digibal” — enterprises that from the outset operate in multiple markets, with their main sphere of activity based on digital solutions.The conclusions of the article provide an assessment of the changes occurring in businesses and the global economy in the digital age. They suggest that the dynamics of globalization in the 21st century will be shaped by complex interactions between digital transformation and the actions of businesses and nations, requiring flexibility and innovation in adapting to new economic realities.

The Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) is transforming the global economy, necessitating mall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and cloud computing. Therefore, SMEs need to assess their readiness to identify capabilities and areas for improvement to remain competitive. However, existing IR4.0 readiness assessment such as the Industry4WRD Readiness Assessment and Industry 4.0-Readiness by IMPULS German are time-consuming and restrict the participation of various sectors. Using the understanding of theories such as Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), Technology Readiness Index (TRI), and Diffusion Of Innovation (DOI), this study developed an initial research model that identifies the dimensions of IR4.0 readiness; (i) organization, (ii) data, (iii) infrastructure, (iv) analytics, and (v) IT, development and operations. This study carried out qualitative methods through four different phases. The first phase is a systematic literature review, and data collection through participant observation (PO) in IR4.0 skills training programs, seminars, and workshops. The second phase is the development of an initial research model to identify the dimensions of IR4.0 readiness that will be used in the next phase. The third phase is a survey on SME’s IR4.0 readiness via the IR4.0 e-Readiness Checker (IR4.0 eRC) readiness assessment system, which produces the final research model, IR4.0 SME Readiness Model. In the fourth phase, the IR4.0 Readiness Model is confirmed for use by SMEs in Malaysia through interviews with three industry experts in Malaysia. Based on the 50 responses in the IR4.0 eRC evaluation, the average IR4.0 readiness of SMEs is 66%, and only 10 SMEs with less than 50%, showing room and improvement opportunities for the continuous research and development of IR4.0 transformation. This study developed IR4.0 readiness model for SMEs to assess readiness for IR4.0 transformation, support investments in IoT projects and employee upskilling programs.

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized digital marketing, offering unprecedented levels of personalization. AI-driven personalization leverages machine learning algorithms and data analytics to tailor content, advertisements, and recommendations to individual consumers based on their behavior, preferences, and demographics. This paper explores the effectiveness of AI-driven personalization in enhancing customer engagement, increasing conversion rates, and improving overall marketing efficiency. It also examines the ethical considerations associated with these technologies, including data privacy, consent, and the potential for manipulation or bias. While AI-driven personalization can lead to more relevant and engaging consumer experiences, it raises critical ethical questions that must be addressed to ensure responsible and fair use. The study concludes with recommendations for marketers and policymakers to balance the benefits of AI personalization with the need for ethical standards and consumer protection.

The era of digital technology has brought about a substantial shift in language development, especially for younger generations who have grown up surrounded by it. Language development is impacted by digital media exposure in both positive and bad ways. Positively, users can interact with a variety of linguistic communities across the globe by using digital platforms, which offer a wealth of options for linguistic exposure and practice. This exposure can promote imaginative language use, increase vocabulary, and improve reading comprehension. Since the brevity and informality of digital communication frequently stress speed over correctness, there are worries that digital media could encourage shallow communication, shorter attention spans, and a deterioration in professional writing skills. This paper aims to gather literature about language development in the digital age. In order to make sure that technical breakthroughs support language development, standards for the responsible and balanced use of digital media in educational settings must also be developed. Teachers can better support their students' language development in a constantly changing digital environment by remaining knowledgeable and flexible.

The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate the potential of digital image analysis as a tool to identify microplastic (MP) particles in surface waters and to facilitate their characterisation in terms of 2D and 3D morphology. Digital image analysis preceded by microscopic analysis was used for an exhaustive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of MPs isolated from the Vistula river. Using image processing procedures, 2D and 3D shape descriptors were determined. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used to interpret the relationships between the parameters studied, characterising MP particle geometry, type and colour. This multivariate analysis of the data allowed 3 or 4 main factors to be extracted, explaining approximately 90% of the variation in the data characterising MP morphology. It was found that the first principal component for granules, flakes and films was largely represented by strongly correlated with 2D shape descriptors (area, perimeter, equivalent area diameter) and 3D shape descriptors (CSF, Compactness, Dimensionality). Considering the scraps, PC1 was represented by only five of the above descriptors, and the Compactness variable had the largest contribution to PC2. In addition, for granules, flakes and films, a relationship between 2D shape and the colour of their particles could be observed. For the most numerous MP group identified of multicoloured scraps, no such association was found. The results of our study can be used for further multivariate analysis regarding the presence of microplastic floating on the river surface, with a particular focus on particles of secondary origin. This is of key importance for optimising future efforts in conducting small-scale and multidimensional monitoring of and reducing plastics in the aquatic environment.

This research delves into librarians' perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) support in learning experiences, lifelong learning, and digital literacy within the library context, undertaking a comparative analysis between Malaysia and Indonesia. Employing a survey methodology, a self-developed questionnaire was administered to 59 librarians in Malaysia and 85 in Indonesia. The questionnaire, utilizing a Likert scale, systematically explored subjective judgments on AI's impact across various dimensions. A noteworthy finding is the consistent and harmonized perception among librarians in both countries, underscoring a universal recognition of AI's perceived support for learning experiences, lifelong learning, and digital literacy. Of particular interest is the emphasis on sustainability in librarians' perspectives, as they recognize the enduring value of AI in fostering educational growth. Despite the limitations inherent in perceptual measures and a relatively modest sample size, the empirical and practical contributions of this study are significant. It offers a nuanced exploration of librarians' viewpoints, providing valuable insights for future research endeavors. Moreover, the study's findings have immediate practical implications for the integration of AI tools in library services, policy-making, and professional development, with a focus on ensuring sustainable implementation for long-term benefits.

In response to the issues of sensor noise and accumulated motion errors that lead to low positioning accuracy and insufficient robustness during large maneuvers or continuous flight of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in complex environments, this paper proposes a multi-source and multimodal data fusion method. Initially, it employs a multimodal data fusion of various sensors including GPS (Global Positioning System), IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), and visual sensors to complement the strengths and weaknesses of each hardware component, thereby eliminating motion errors to enhance accuracy. To mitigate the impact of sudden changes in sensor data, the method introduces a digital twin UAV data source. By utilizing the Extended Kalman Filter algorithm, it fuses data from both the real UAV and its digital twin, and the filtered positional information is fed back into the control system of the real UAV. This enables real-time correction of UAV positional deviations caused by sensor noise and environmental disturbances. The multi-source multimodal fusion Kalman filter method proposed in this paper significantly improves the positioning accuracy of UAVs in complex scenarios and the overall stability of the system. This method holds significant value in maintaining high-precision positioning in variable environments and has important practical implications for enhancing UAV navigation and application efficiency.

Achieving effective control over microbial contamination necessitates the precise and concurrent identification of numerous pathogens. In this research, we have devised a remarkably sensitive duplex droplet digital PCR (dddPCR) reaction system to simultaneously detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Pseudomonas fragi (P. fragi). Employing comparative genomics, we identified four genes of P. fragi. By specific analysis, RS22680 gene was selected as the detection target of P. fragi and LasR gene was chosed as P. aeruginosa, which were applied to construct a dddPCR reaction. In terms of specificity, sensitivity and anti-interference ability, the constructed dddPCR detection system was verified and analyzed. The assay showed excellent sensitivity and applicability, as evidenced by a limit of detection of 100 CFU/mL. When the concentration of natural background bacteria in milk or fresh meat was 100 times that of the target detection bacteria, the method was still capable of completing the absolute quantification. In the simulation of actual sample contamination, P. aeruginosa could be detected after 3 h of enrichment culture, and P. fragi could be detected after 6 h. The established ddPCR detection system exhibits exceptional performance, serving as a foundation for the simultaneous detection of various pathogenic bacteria in food products.

The assortment of low-cost 3D printers for “in-practice” use, e.g., for clear aligner therapies, is ever increasing. To address concerns about the accuracy of orthodontic models produced on such printers when cost efficient modes of 3D printing are employed, this study examined the effect of print model body type and print angulation on accuracy. Six printing-configuration groups were included: 2 model types (solid or hollow shell) combined with 3 print angles (0°, 70°, or 90°) with 10 models/group; all models were printed with 100-µm layer thickness using a digital light processing-based 3-dimensional printer. Eleven selected structures and distances were measured on the printed models with a digital microscope and compared to the same measures on a digitized master model. The clinically-acceptability range was set at ±0.25 mm difference from the master model for single tooth measurements (intra-tooth) and ±0.5 mm for cross-arch measurements (inter-tooth). For individual measurements across all models, 98% fell within clinical acceptability. For mean measurements within each model group, only canine height for the shell-0° model had a mean difference (0.26 mm ± 0.03) outside the clinically acceptable range for intra-tooth measurements. Standard deviations for all intra-tooth measurements were within 0.07 mm. While none of the mean inter-tooth measurements exceeded the acceptability range, the standard deviations were larger (0.04 to 0.30 mm). Accuracy of orthodontic models for clear aligner therapies was not impacted beyond the clinically acceptable range when altering model body type and print angulation to improve efficiency of 3D printing. These findings suggest greater flexibility of the practitioner to alter print settings to address time and cost efficiency in various clinical scenarios and still maintain clinically acceptable model accuracy.

In this paper, we aim to present real implementation cases where non-visible elements of environmental impact assessments (EIA), wind flow, are visualized using a 3D digital twin technology. The conventional EIA process serves as a crucial tool in the evaluation of potential environmental impacts prior to the initiation of development projects. This evaluation helps to establish a legal and institutional framework that seeks to minimize the adverse effects on the environment. However, traditional EIA methods present challenges, particularly for non-experts, in comprehending the results of assessments involving non-visible environmental factors such as noise, air quality, and wind flow. These elements are often represented in static images or numerical tables, limiting accurate understanding and engagement. Our proposed method, termed Digital Twin based EIA, addresses these limitations by leveraging digital twin technology. This advanced methodology allows for the visualization of non-visible environmental elements in a spatio-temporal dimension, providing a more interactive and comprehensive user interface/experience for both citizens and stakeholders. In this context, we present a unique case study that focuses on visualizing wind flow using this technology. This paper serves as an example of how digital twin platforms can enhance traditional EIA processes, offering a more immersive and informative experience. The evolution of EIA into the digital realm signifies an important step forward in fostering public understanding and engagement in environmental protection efforts.

Implementing digital technologies, such augmented reality and 3D models, to various cultural sectors is an ongoing procedure, especially favorable after COVID-19 pandemic. Even though such technologies are familiar to museums, galleries and archaeological places all over the world, little research or practical cases have been developed when it comes to theaters and theatrical costumes. Proposed research article describes the methodology of both reference material collection and applications development, while an analysis of functions and aesthetic results are described, especially when it comes to 3D models. The paper’s aim to reveal that theatrical operations (as part of cultural sector) as well as structured parts (such as acts, performances and costumes) can be preserved and served to larger audiences via technological means, such as an augmented reality application.

The purpose of this study is to establish whether digital literacy and insurtech adoption influence insurance inclusion in Uganda. Principally, we sought to determine whether insurtech adoption mediates the nexus between digital literacy and insurance inclusion. This study adopted a cross-sectional and quantitative correlational approach. The study’s sample was 391 individuals who had used digital platforms such as mobile phones and computers to access insurance products and services in Uganda. Data were collected using structured survey questionnaires. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLSEM) was employed to test the hypothesised relationships. The results demonstrate that both digital literacy and insurtech adoption significantly and positively influence insurance inclusion. We also found digital literacy to be a significant and positive determinant of insurtech adoption. Markedly, it was found that insurtech adoption mediates the association between digital literacy and insurance inclusion in Uganda. However, this study was conducted in a developing country with an underdeveloped insurance market and with low technological advancement. This may affect generalisation of the study findings. This study’s novelty lies in establishing how digital literacy and insurtech adoption interplay to influence insurance inclusion in Uganda. This is the first study to examine the effect of digital literacy and insurtech adoption on insurance inclusion.

The main purpose of this study was to design a workplace in the conditions of a digital factory. The goal of this study is to compile a proposal for improving the layout solution in the selected enterprise to reduce material flows between individual workplaces. In addition, the workplace research study uses methods of material flow analysis with the application of visTABLE software support, which serves as a tool for designing production processes. The main result of the study was the reduction of the production time of the beam by 10 minutes and the creation of proposals for solutions for the company. The study helped with the visualization of processes within the digital factory to simplify and clarify processes at the workplace.

The present state of research in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is marked by an ongoing process of refining numerical methods and algorithms with the goal of achieving accurate modeling and analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena. Remarkable progress has been achieved in the domains of turbulence modeling, parallel computing, and mesh generation, resulting in heightened simulation precision when it comes to capturing complex flow behaviors. Nevertheless CFD faces a significant challenge due to the time and expertise needed for meticulous simulation setup and intricate numerical techniques. To surmount this challenge, we introduce paint2sim—an innovative mobile application designed to enable on-the-fly 2D fluid simulations using a device’s camera. Seamlessly integrated with OpenLB, a high-performance Lattice Boltzmann-based library, paint2sim offers accurate simulations. The application leverages the capabilities of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) to model fluid behaviors accurately. Through a symbiotic interaction with the open-source OpenCV library, paint2sim can scan and extract hand-drawn simulation domains, affording the capability for instant simulation and visualization. Notably, paint2sim can also be regarded as a digital twin, facilitating just-in-time representation and analysis of 2D fluid systems. The implications of this technology extend significantly to both fluid dynamics education and industrial applications, effectively lowering barriers and rendering fluid simulations more accessible. Encouragingly, the outcomes of simulations conducted with paint2sim showcase promising qualitative and quantitative results. Overall, paint2sim offers a groundbreaking approach to mobile 2D fluid simulations, providing users with just-in-time visualization and accurate results, while simultaneously serving as a digital twin for fluid systems.

Quantitative phase imaging by digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a nondestructive and label-free technique, that has been playing an indispensable role in the field of science, technology, and biomedical imaging. The technique is competent for the imaging and analysis of label-free living cells and the investigation of reflective surfaces. Herein, we introduce a new configuration of a wide field-of-view single-shot common-path off-axis reflective DHM for the quantitative phase imaging of biological cells that leverages with several advantages including less-vibration sensitive to external perturbations due to common-path configuration, compact in size, simple in optical design, highly stable, and cost-effective. A detailed description of the proposed DHM system, including its optical design, working principle, and capability of phase imaging, is presented. The applications of the proposed system are demonstrated by quantitative phase imaging results obtained from the reflective surface (USAF resolution test target) as well as transparent samples (microlens array and living plant cells). The proposed system could find its applications in the investigations of several biological specimens and optical metrology of micro-surfaces.

The digital economy promotes economic development, industrial upgrading, and environmental protection. This article calculates the green total factor productivity (GTFP) based on the SBM-DDF model and uses the entropy method and principal component analysis to calculate the digital economy index. We use panel data from 282 Chinese cities to test the driving effect of the digital economy on green total factor productivity. The study results show that the digital economy significantly increases GTFP, and the heterogeneity of this impact is further explored. We also explored the mechanism of the digital economy in promoting green. The digital economy can indirectly increase industrial production efficiency by promoting innovation in green technologies.

The goal was to assess dental students' perception of digital technologies after participating in a CAD/CAM exercise for scanning, designing, and manufacturing computer-aided provisional fixed dental restorations. A survey was conducted among second-year dental students (pre-D2 and post-D2), first- (D1, negative control), third-, and fourth-year dental students (D3 and D4, positive controls). Only OSU College of Dentistry students who completed the activity and completed the surveys were included. Seven questions were rated, which evaluated changes in knowledge, skill, interest, the importance of technology availability in an office, patients' perception of technology, the importance of having the technology, and the expected frequency of clinics utilizing the technology. Statistical analysis was performed with a significance level of 0.05. A total of 74 pre-D2 and 77 post-D2 questionnaires were completed. Additionally, 63 D1, 43 D3, and 39 D4 responded to the survey. Significant differences were found for "knowledge" and "skill" between pre-D2 and post-D2, and pre-D2 and control groups (p<0.001). There was a significant difference between post-D2 and all controls for “interest” (p=0.0127) and on practice preference for technology availability (p<0.05). There were significant results between post-D2 and all controls regarding the importance of technology availability in an office (p<0.001) and the expected frequency of clinics utilizing the technology (p=0.01). No significance was found for "patient's value of technology" and "the importance of having the technology". The presence of technology in the practice and educational academic environments significantly improved students’ interest and perception of knowledge and skill.

The benefits of event-driven architecture (EDA) derive from how systems and components are loosely coupled, which can facilitate independent development and deployment of systems, improved scaling and fault tolerance, and integration with external systems, especially in comparison to monolithic architectures. With the advent of new technologies such as containers, and microservices, a new generation of distributed event streaming platforms are commonly used in event-driven architecture for efficient event-driven communication. However, the asynchronous and distributed nature of EDA poses several problems that include handling failures, the dependence of an end-to-end transaction on individual component stability, etc. In this paper, we describe a new approach to designing self-regulating distributed applications with autopoietic and cognitive workflow management. This approach is based on the new science of information processing structures derived from the General Theory of Information. Just as a genome enables self-organizing and self-regulating biological structures, a digital genome enables a specific software application with several components, the ability to use distributed resources and self-regulate the evolution of the system based on functional and non-functional requirements, and best-practice policies that maintain the stability, safety, and survival under non-deterministic fluctuations in the demand for resources. In addition, cognitive workflow management assures end-to-end transaction delivery.

Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a primary contributor to the entanglement of numerous marine species. Utilizing digital media platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram we conducted an assessment of the detrimental effects of ALDFG and plastic litter, on the biodiversity of Italy's marine ecosystem. Our investigation revealed that plastic litter has adverse consequences on various forms of marine life, including reptiles, mammals, birds, fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, along different Italian geographical sub-areas. Several records of interaction between plastic and endangered and vulnerable marine species have been described. Our reports even highlight the impact on marine turtles, mainly on Caretta caretta. This is the first report of entangled with fishing nets in Cetorhinus maximus, Oblada melanura, Serranus scriba, Homarus gammarus, Octopus vulgaris, and Phoenicopterus roseus. Furthermore, we identified that ghost nets have repercussions for endangered and vulnerable marine species. This update sheds light on the ongoing adverse effects of ghost nets on the Italian marine ecosystem, yet it is crucial to acknowledge that the true extent of the problem remains underestimated.

Aircraft heat exchangers play a crucial role in maintaining thermal balance and ensuring that essential components operate efficiently and safely. In this context, it is highly relevant to gain knowledge about the deterioration and the predominant damage mechanisms of these components. In this study, two different non-destructive methods are employed to analyze the damage initiation of a heat exchanger part during fatigue test. On the one hand, Acoustic Emission technique is employed using membrane-free microphones capable of capturing a broad bandwidth. The acoustic events were classified by a machine learning algorithm to determine their source and damage mechanisms. On the other side, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) allowed the measurement of the strain evolution along the test and more precisely, redistributions were considered as damage indicators. As a result, it was identified that AE served as early damage indicator as the cumulative number of events was in good agreement with the severity of the damage. With respect to classification two clear clusters ascribed to different type of events were identified. In the case of DIC, strain redistributions gave clear indications of damage or deterioration but at a later stage compared to AE

This paper exposes the initial part of a research consisting in a need analysis carried out by the Romanian partner in the Erasmus+ "Media Education for Aware Adults" project, regarding digital competences and media education of adult educators or trainers. After a short introduction on the subject, in the paper are presented the main findings of the desk research, and two focus group sessions, first one for identifying the necessary digital competences of adult educators, and second one for identifying the elements that educators need in order to adequately support adults in their learning process, especially in relation to the digital environment. The results of the initial research will lead to the development of the main intellectual outputs, namely the digital competences framework, handbook, online platform and training material on digital and media education. In their development will be taken into account, on the one hand, the needs identified in the initial research, and, on the other hand, the need for a sustainable approach to all activities, resources and outputs produced, as well as education itself, this goal being assumed through the project.

We seek to examine effective collaboration when engaging in value cocreation with the customer for mobile financial services in EMs. Our study is a motivation for multi-stakeholder engagement in value cocreation with financial inclusion of all consumers including marginalized populations. Furthermore, our work discovers that social sustainability is a product of social creativity and results in financial inclusion. We apply a qualitative descriptive methodology utilizing exemplars from extant research and phenomenology to analyze the data from the contexts of Ghana and Kenya. The results show that value is co-created for mobile financial services in networks in emerging markets when actors integrate resources for social and environmental sustainability as essential elements for mobile financial inclusion.

Tablets are the most used solid dosage form in medical treatments. The realistic modeling 1 of such specific object shapes in computer simulations has been demonstrated already by the author 2 for bi-convex round tablets but needs to be extended for a wider range of tablet shapes. Moreover, 3 the number of tablets must be large enough to simulate industrial drum coaters, which are typically 4 used for film coating processes. Whilst this long lasting process where tablets flow continuously, 5 tablets are loaded by frequent changes of individual contacts. Using a tailored simulation tool named 6 pharmAssist , written for GPUs (modern massively parallel processors in graphics cards and HPC 7 accelerators), we implemented the widely used oblong tablet shape. We are able to simulate flows 8 involving industrial scale number of such tablets. Data mining allows for statistical analyzis of 9 pair-wise contacts of different geometric features. Our simulation results serves as an observation 10 space, which cannot be addressed by experimental analyzis and will help to avoid degradation of 11 tablets like chipping or other defect phenomena. This paper reflects current development work in 12 order to extend the DEM with a new shape class, which comprises the modelling of compacted or 13 extruded objects, which have a smooth exterior, a flat band and sharp contour edges

The digital economy, driven by information and communication technologies (ICT), has profoundly transformed in recent decades. The digitalization of society has given rise to an economic environment in which information, connectivity, and innovation play fundamental roles. In this context, a technology that has emerged as a fundamental pillar of the digital economy is the chain of blocks, commonly known as blockchain. Blockchain is a technology that has revolutionized the way online data and transactions are managed and shared. Through its ability to create secure, transparent, and decentralized ledgers, blockchain has paved the way for the digital economy, facilitating trust in digital transactions and enabling various applications ranging from cryptocurrencies to supply chain management and intellectual property. This study will delve into blockchain and its influence on the digital economy. It will explore how this technology has reshaped how companies interact, how consumers access services, and how new business models are developed in a constantly evolving digital environment. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities that blockchain presents in the context of the digital economy will be analyzed, and how it is helping to shape the future of business and society in general. As the exploration of blockchain and its impact on the digital economy progresses, it becomes evident how these two forces converge, generating a promising digital landscape full of significant opportunities and transformations. This phenomenon is consistently supported by a growing body of research and analysis, which underlines the growing influence of blockchain on the global economy (Smith, 2020; Johnson, 2019). The dynamic interplay between these two spheres, blockchain and the digital economy, constantly evolves and offers an exciting glimpse into the future regarding innovation and disruption across various sectors (Jones, 2021; Brown, 2018). As a result, significant opportunities are looming for those seeking to understand and capitalize on these emerging trends (García, 2022). Throughout this study, the current trends and most intriguing perspectives that shape this landscape will be broken down, offering a deeper insight into how blockchain and the digital economy are shaping an extraordinary digital future

Modern anesthesia continues to be impacted in new and unforeseen ways by digital technology. Combining portability and versatility, mobile applications or “apps” provide a multitude of ways to enhance anesthetic and peri-operative care. Research suggests that uptake of apps into anesthetic practice is becoming increasingly routine, especially amongst younger anesthetists brought up in the digital age. Despite this enthusiasm, there remains no consensus in how apps are safely and efficiently integrated into anesthetic practice. This review summarizes the most popular forms of app usage in anesthesia currently and explores the challenges and opportunities inherent in implementing app use in anesthesia, with an emphasis on a practical approach for the modern anesthetist.

Circular economy has recently emerged as a key strategy for promoting sustainability and reducing waste in various industrial sectors. This paper provides an overview of circularity in aerospace, wind energy, transportation, automotive and sports goods using data and information from the literature and the EC funded project "RECREATE". The survey reviews the different definitions, assessment methods and metrics used to explore and evaluate circularity, including assessment frameworks such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and assessment indicators. Furthermore, explores the challenges, possibilities and the available tools for enhancing circularity, such as digital tools. The survey highlights the importance of a holistic and systemic technique to circularity, concerning all stakeholders along the value chain. Overall, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of circular economy and provides insights for future research.

In an era characterized by the ever-shifting landscapes of the digital realm, this paper intricately examines the interplay between digital culture, cultural dynamics, and beliefs in academia. Utilizing insights from cutting-edge language models, the study uncovers nuanced cultural expressions among Arts and Sciences students navigating the digital domain. Employing qualitative methods including interviews, observations, in-depth literature reviews, and thematic analysis, findings highlight digital interactions' transformative impact on cultural narratives and the potential of digital ethnography as a lens for understanding intricate cultural phenomena. This research enriches digital ethnography and cultural dynamics, offering fresh perspectives on the symbiotic relationship between digital culture and traditional beliefs, underscored by data from a maximum purposeful sampling of thirty (30) participants. Overall, this exploration emphasizes digital culture's dynamic role in shaping and reflecting cultural convictions, contributing to the understanding of cultural dynamics and evolving digital ethnography in the academic landscape.

One of the most critical aspects in introral impression is the detection of the finish line, in particular in case of subgingival preparations. The aim of these in vitro study was to evaluate the accuracy among four different IntraOral Scanners (IOSs) in scanning a subgingival vertical margins preparation (VP). A reference maxillary typodont (MT) was fabricated with a VP for full crown on #16 and #21. The MT was scanned with a laboratory scanner (Aadva lab scanner, GC, Tokyo, Japan) to obtain a digital MT (dMT) in .stl format file. A group of 40 digital casts (dIOC) were obtained by scanning the MT 10 times with four different IOSs (Trios 3, 3Shape A/S), ( I700, Medit), (Vivascan, Ivoclar), (Experimental IOS, GC). All the obtained dIOCs were imported into an inspection software program (Geomagic Control X; 3D SYSTEMS) to be superimposed to the dMT, to calculate trueness. Therefore, in order to calculate precision all the scans of the same scanner group were superimposed onto the cast that obtained the best result of trueness. Results were collected as root mean square value (RMS) on #16 and #21 abutment surfaces and on a marginal area positioned 1 mm above and below the gingival margin. A nonparametric analysis Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare the RMS values obtained in the different iOS groups for trueness and precision. Statistically significance was set at 0.05. The trueness on #16 abutment, did not statistically differ in between the IOS, while on #21 abutment, Vivascan (56.0 ±12.1) and Experimental IOS, GC (59.2±2.7) performed statistically better than the others. Regarding precision Experimental IOS, GC and Trios 3 were significantly better than I700 and Vivascan both in the #16 (10.7±2,1; 15.8 ± 2,7) and in the #21 area (16.9±13.8 ; 18.0±2.7). At marginal level for both #16 and #21 all the IOS reported reduced accuracy compared to clinical acceptance.

Globally, large numbers of adults remain unbanked and most of them live in rural areas of the Third World. The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how inequalities in accessing financial services continue to affect us. However, financial inclusion has emerged as an effective tool to tackle socioeconomic ills and drive economic development. In fact, due to these modern technological developments, the number of studies in this area is very limited, especially in the context of developing economies. This study examines the impacts of migrant remittances on digital financial inclusion within households using the Migration and Remittance Household Survey in Bangladesh. To meet the research objectives of this study, a household survey was conducted and interviewed 2,165 households in 2022-2023 in Bangladesh. This study finds that the coefficient of remittance has a positive relationship with the probability of using mobile banking for a household's financial transactions. However, the use of ATM cards by households for financial transactions has not been significantly affected. The article concludes that remittance flows may enhance access to and use of digital financial inclusion by reducing some of the barriers and costs in Bangladesh, which can greatly contribute to the country's economic growth by creating and increasing a strong fund for investment.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the transfer of local government public ser-vices to the virtual world. Remote handling of matters in government offices has be-come the norm rather than the exception. The 2016 EU directive on public sector web-sites and mobile applications and the 2019 European Digital Accessibility Act made it mandatory that these services be provided electronically and accessible to people with disabilities. The purpose of the study conducted by the authors was to determine whether the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the implementation of European solutions in the Polish legal order and whether this implementation resulted in the actual adap-tation of digital activities of local government units (LGUs) to the needs of people with disabilities. The research was conducted in Q4 2022 in two trial formats: 1. In the form of a survey (about 250 LGUs), which covered compliance with for-mal requirements, the level of readiness of the officials to create digitally accessible documents and content, and organizational readiness of the offices. 2. In the form of an analysis of the source code of the websites of 66 Polish cities with county rights - due to the availability of results of the same sample from 2015. The completed research showed that the LGUs in Poland: 1. met the formal and organizational requirements for digital accessibility, 2. did not make the necessary efforts to prepare employees to create digitally ac-cessible documents and content, 3. the surveyed websites had inferior source code in terms of meeting the WCAG standard in 2022 than in 2015. It seems reasonable to conclude that the Covid-19 pandemic had a formal, rather than real, impact on the digital accessibility of services provided by Polish LGUs.

Today, the digital economy has pursued the required social and economic development, and enterprises can achieve long-term sustainability by relying on the digital platform ecosystem. However, the development of the digital economy and the rapid growth of platform ecosystems have also generated some problems. To study effective digital platform ecosystem governance, this study used the tripartite evolutionary game method and analyzed the changes and effects of platform regulation under different development stages from the perspectives of government, platforms, and enterprises. The results indicate that in the early stages, digital platforms primarily relied on the government’s obligation to regulate. With the digital platform ecosystem’s evolution, the platform organization and settled enterprises’ governance effects gradually appeared, establishing the three common constraints of governance mode. Finally, when the digital platform ecosystem is in its self-renewal period, the government effect is reduced, with the platform itself and settled enterprises taking primary supervisory roles. This study provides reasonable methods for effective platform governance at different stages and enriches the theoretical basis and management practices of platform ecosystems.

According to the wide variety of internet of things (IoT) devices within smart environments, many challenges face conventional digital forensic investigation (DFI) in smart environments. Challenges in this environment include heterogeneity, distribution, and massive amounts of data, which exceed digital forensic (DF) investigators’ human capabilities to deal with all of these challenges within a short period of time. Furthermore, it significantly slows down or even incapacitates the conventional DFI process. With the increasing frequency of digital crimes, better and more sophisticated DFI procedures are desperately needed, particularly in such environments. Since machine learning (ML) techniques might be a viable option in certain situations, this paper presents the integration of ML into DF. It also explores the potential further use of ML techniques in DF in smart environments to reduce the hard work of human beings, as well what to expect from future ML applications to the conventional DFI process.

The digital economy is a fundamental feature of sustainability. The economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability stand up for digitalization and digital transformation projects. In order to understand and practice the digital economy, the goal of our paper is to evaluate accurate variables regarding fintech scope for discussing the efficient implication of these projects. The principal component analysis is used to investigate and evaluate the sustainable digital economy indicators. An empirical case from health care services in Africa from World Bank projects discusses this challenge. Results help produce an effective understanding of how the digital economy enables facing fintech challenges in Africa.

Digital storytelling is a powerful tool for language learning that has gained popularity in recent years. By incorporating different modes of communication such as text, images, audio, and video, digital storytelling provides learners with engaging and interactive experiences that promote language acquisition and cultural awareness. Digital storytelling can also promote interaction among learners, which is crucial for language learning, and provide learners with opportunities to receive feedback and support from their peers. Additionally, digital storytelling can be used to promote cultural sensitivity and intercultural dialogue among language learners. Through storytelling, learners can gain insights into the customs, values, and beliefs of different communities, and create stories that reflect their own cultural backgrounds and experiences. This paper provides an overview of the benefits of digital storytelling for language learning and highlights the various ways in which it can be used to enhance language acquisition and cultural awareness. It concludes with recommendations on how to effectively incorporate digital storytelling into language teaching practices.

Reinforcement learning is used for air combat problems in recent years, and the idea of curriculum learning is often used for reinforcement learning, but traditional curriculum learning suffers from the problem of plasticity loss in neural networks. Plasticity loss is the difficulty of learning new knowledge after the network has converged. To this end, we propose a motivational curriculum learning distributed proximal policy optimization (MCLDPPO) algorithm, through which agents trained can significantly outperform the predictive game tree and mainstream reinforcement learning methods. The motivational curriculum learning is to help the agent gradually improve their combat ability by observing the agent's unsatisfactory performance and providing corresponding rewards as a guide. Additionally, a complete tactical maneuver is encapsulated based on existing air combat knowledge, and through the flexible use of these maneuvers, some tactics beyond human knowledge can be realized. In addition, we designed an interruption mechanism for the agent to increase the frequency of decision-making when the agent faces an emergency. When the number of threats the agent receives changes, the current action will be interrupted to reacquire observations and make decisions again. Using the interruption mechanism can significantly improve the ability of the agent. To simulate actual air combat better, we built an air combat environment based on digital twin technology to create an air combat engine core such as missiles and radars. Based on this environment, we develop a distributed intelligent training system that employs Redis as the cache and obtains the data generated in the distributed environment through a multi-threaded TCP/IP protocol, which significantly increases the training data throughput and helps the agent accelerates convergence. The experimental results demonstrate that the agent can fully exploit the situational information to make reasonable decisions and affords air combat tactical adaption, verifying the effectiveness of the algorithmic framework proposed in this paper.

The agricultural sector is undergoing a revolution that requires sustainable solutions to the challenges that arise from traditional farming methods. To address these challenges, technical and sustainable support is needed to develop projects that improve crop performance. This study focuses on the onion crop and the challenges presented throughout its phenological cycle. Aerial monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and digital image processing were used to identify patterns in the onion crop, including humid areas, weed growth, vegetation deficits, and decreased harvest performance. An algorithm was developed to identify the patterns that most affected crop growth, as the average local production reported was 40.166 ton/ha, but only 25.00 ton/ha was reached due to blight caused by constant humidity and limited sunlight. This resulted in the death of leaves and poor development of bulbs, with 50% of the production being of medium size. It is estimated that approximately 20% of the production was lost due to blight and unfavorable weather conditions.

Plant Factory Transplanter (PFT) is a key component of the plant factory system. Its operation status directly affects the quality and survival rate of planted seedlings, which in turn affects the overall yield and economic efficiency. To monitor the operation status and transplanting quality of a transplanting machine in a timely manner, the primary task is to use a computerized and easy-to-use method to monitor the transplanting units. Inspired by the latest developments in augmented reality and robotics, a DT model-based and data-driven online monitoring method for plant factory transplanting equipment is proposed. First, a data-driven and virtual model approach is combined to construct a multi-domain digital twin of the transplanting equipment. Then, taking the vibration frequency domain signal above the transplanting manipulator and the image features of the transplanting seedling tray as input variables, the evaluation method and configuration method of the PFT digital twin system are proposed. Finally, the effect of the transplanter is evaluated, and the cycle can be repeated to optimize the transplanter to achieve optimal operation parameters. The results show that the digital twin model can effectively use the sensor data to identify the mechanical vibration characteristics and avoid affecting transplanting quality due to mechanical resonance. At a transplanting rate of 3000 plants/h, the transplanting efficiency can be maintained at a high level and the vibration signal of X, Y, Z-axis above the transplanting manipulator is relatively calm. In this case, Combined the optimal threshold method with the traditional Wiener algorithm, the identification rate of healthy potted seedlings can reach 94.3%. Through comprehensively using the optimal threshold method and 3D block matching filtering algorithm for image threshold segmentation and denoising, the recognition rate of healthy seedlings has reached over 96.10%. In addition, the developed digital twin can predict the operational efficiency and optimal timing of the detected transplanter, even if the environmental and sensor data are not included in the training. The proposed digital twin model can be used for damage detection and operational effectiveness assessment of other plant factory equipment structures.

The Practicum is regarded as a fundamental aspect of the training of prospective teachers. In addition, digital tools are increasingly used to enrich a traditional face-to-face experience. However, the technological exploitation of augmented reality (AR) by undergraduate students studying early childhood and primary education is low. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the use of augmented reality (AR) in teacher training was conducted. Based on the overarching objectives of the ERASMUS+ project, entitled Digital Practicum 3.0 Exploring Augmented Reality, Remote Classrooms, and Virtual Learning to Enrich and Expand Preservice Teacher Education Preparation (2020-1-ES01-KA226-HE- 096120), the ultimate purpose of this study was to assess whether the use of this resource favors learning and expertise. Two main results are prominent. First, it is noteworthy how the use of this digital technology is limited, given the scarcity of studies. Second, the research studies available focus largely on the benefits of the use of AR in teacher education at a theoretical level. Thus, future research needs to further explore the use of AR in teacher training specially focused on the student teachers’ learning processes.

Considering the current needs of industry 4.0, especially in the condition of systems linked to artificial intelligence, this multidisciplinary concept work and difficult to execute, proposes the main idea of recognizing patterns using mathematical concepts of simple access and logical resolution of great potential. The objective of this work is to demonstrate a process for pattern recognition by applying the Fibonacci concept to vibration signals of hybrid dynamical systems. For this to be possible, it was necessary to use the concepts of preprocessing in a vector for pattern recognition, together with the concepts of the golden rule of Fibonacci, finally, all applied in the theorem of Jeffcott Rotors. The general result, from a technical point of view, demonstrates positivity and relationship of patterns, because, considering the aspect of the location between the values of the experimental and numerical result, both signs have similarities.

In recent years, Chinese manufacturing enterprises compete to chase the wave of "digital revolution", digital empowerment has become an important strategic path of technological reform for many manufacturing enterprises. Based on the micro data of listed companies, this paper investigates the impact of digital transformation of Chinese listed companies on the quality of their export products. It is found that digital transformation can significantly improve the quality of enterprises' export products. After a series of robustness tests, this conclusion is still valid, and there are two ways to improve innovation performance and total factor productivity. The export product quality enhancement effect of enterprise digital transformation also has the heterogeneity of ownership, region and industry. In the further study, this paper also examines the impact of digital transformation on the internal salary gap of enterprises, and finds that digital transformation may increase the internal salary gap of enterprises, and form a "masking effect" on the quality of export products. To a certain extent, this paper deepens the understanding of the study of enterprise digital transformation on the quality of export products and its differences, and provides certain guidance for enterprises to implement the strategy of digital transformation.

A single paragraph of about 200 words maximum. For research articles, abstracts should give a pertinent overview of the work. We strongly encourage authors to use the following style of structured abstracts, but without headings: (1) Background: place the question addressed in a broad context and highlight the purpose of the study; (2) Methods: describe briefly the main methods or treatments applied; (3) Results: summarize the article’s main findings; (4) Conclusions: indicate the main conclusions or interpretations. The abstract should be an objective representation of the article, it must not contain results which are not presented and substantiated in the main text and should not exaggerate the main conclusions.

The coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has emerged as a global phenomenon that significantly affects almost all sectors, irrespective of whether they have a well-established economic system. The inception of COVID-19 pandemic has increased and accelerated the demand for opera industry embrace digit technology to continue to produce performances and reach audiences. The brutality of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected most sectors, and opera artists are significantly affected in the Global South. South Africa, among others, is at the receiving end. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc and exacerbated the existing vulnerability of opera artists. Opera artists have difficulty obtaining employment and finding funding for performing arts organisations have caused seriously challenged opera artists to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study is aimed to examine the quest for new digital skills for opera artists and opera companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. A qualitative research method was adopted using interviews with opera artists, selected retired opera practitioners and managers of opera companies. In this study, scholarly documents were reviewed to yield trustworthy findings. The findings demonstrate a high demand for opera artists to upgrade their current skills to meet the demand for digital skills. This demand for digital skills is partially attributable to the closed and suspension of live theatre performances due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings also reveal that digital connectivity in the performing arts sector become an essential driver of economic growth. This study concludes by affirming that digital skills are key skills required for resuscitating the opera industry.

Hospital Pulau Pinang is the general hospital in Malaysia which targeting energy savings of 10% within five years from 2015 and other sustainability targets such as 3-star Energy Management Gold Standard and Green Building Certification. The targets are beneficial for the hospital itself to establish the Smart Building Program to improve its energy efficiency concurrent with the green policy of the Ministry of Health Malaysia and Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations. This paper reviews the background of Hospital Pulau Pinang energy data , energy consumption trending, energy-saving trending, and energy conservation measures taken for the hospital from 2015 to December 2021.The yearly energy consumption baseline taken in 2016 was 27,496,731.00 kWh. It reduced significantly to 21,356,063 kWh in 2021 due to energy conservation measures. As a result, Hospital Pulau Pinang has achieved energy-saving about 16% at approximately RM7.3 million reduction in operational expenditure. The main objective of this paper is to provide further potential energy savings by studying the energy reduction by implementing solar photovoltaics using the simulation method. The simulation method can predict that Hospital Pulau Pinang can achieve another 5,130,000 kWh energy savings annually. This type of simulation has never been done before at a public hospital, and it will give further enhancing strategies to the Smart Building Program itself. Furthermore, the potential of smart building can be maximized to the next level by simulation, which helps the hospital energy committee make the potential decision on the energy-saving investment.

Histologically poor differentiation is associated with lymph node metastasis. Thus, pathological evaluation of biopsy specimens is crucial when treating stomach cancers. Deep learning of WSIs is challenging because the images are enormous. Given the computing limitations, patch-level supervised learning methods have been proposed. However, valuable information is lost when dividing WSIs into smaller patches. Another drawback is the need for pixel-level annotation by a pathologist. It is acceptable to differentiate, i.e., grade, gastric cancer at the holistic tissue level (i.e., under low magnification). We developed a weakly supervised learning technique for tissue-level gastric adenocarcinoma histological differentiation (well-to-moderately or poorly differentiated) and applied global reasoning to tissue-level features. The tissue-level AUROCs of the histological differentiation classifiers were 0.953, 0.969, and 0.943, respectively when data from five hospitals were subjected to threefold cross-validation. Comparison of the Grad-CAM heatmaps of the trained classifier and the pathologists’ annotations confirmed that our weakly supervised model exhibited performed well.

(1) Background: The usage of digital technologies in hospital nursing provides potential solutions to the shortage of qualified nurses and current pandemic challenges. The process involves changes and requires willingness to learn. In this respect, leaders can motivate nurses. Therefore, this vignette study examined which motives and values leaders must address in order to promote nurses’ motivation to use different digital technologies. (2) Methods: We asked hospital nurses in an online vignette study to assess fictitious situations about the imminent introduction of a digital technology. The situations differed regarding the devices (tablet/smart glasses), addressed motives (extrinsic/intrinsic), and values (efficiency/patient orientation). (3) Results: We included 299 responses in the analysis. The tablet vignettes caused especially high motivation, more than the vignettes of the smart glasses (Z = -6.653, p = <0.001). The leader was more motivating when emphasizing effi-ciency rather than patient orientation (Z = -2.995, p =0.003). The dataset did not give significant re-sults regarding extrinsic and intrinsic motives. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest efficiency as a motive for using known digital technologies. Management actions can provide the structural framework and training so that responsible leaders can ensure their staff’s engagement to also use unknown devices.

As use of composite materials increases, the search for suitable automated processes gains relevance to guarantee production quality by ensuring uniformity of the process, minimizing the amount of generated scrap and reducing time and energy consumption. Limitations on production by traditional means such as hand lay-up, vacuum bagging and in-autoclave methods, tend not to be as efficient when the size and shape complexity of the part being produced increases, motivating the search for alternative processes such as the Automated Tape Laying (ATL). This work aims to describe the process of modelling and simulating a composite ATL with in situ consolidation by characterizing the machine elements, using the finite differences method in conjunction with energy balances, in order to create a digital twin of the process for further control design. The modelling approach implemented is able to follow the process dynamics when changes to the heating element are imposed as well as to predict the composite material temperature response, making it suitable to work as a digital twin of a production process using an ATL machine.

This study is the first to examine whether the performance of credit rating, one of the most important data-based decision-making of banks, can be improved by using banking system log data that is extensively accumulated inside the bank for system operation. This study uses the log data recorded for the mobile app system of Kakaobank, a leading internet bank used by more than 14 million people in Korea. After generating candidate variables from Kakaobank's vast log data, we develop a credit scoring model by utilizing variables with high information values. Consequently, the discrimination power of the new model compared to the credit bureau grades was significantly improved by 1.84% points based on the Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistics. Therefore, the results of this study imply that if a bank utilizes its log data that have already been extensively accumulated inside the bank, decision-making systems, including credit scoring, can be efficiently improved at a low cost.