Search Results (10,963)

Benford’s Law, also known as the First-Digit Law, describes the non-uniform distribution of leading digits in many naturally occurring datasets. This phenomenon can be observed in data such as financial transactions, tax records, or demographic indicators, but the application of Benford’s Law to data from the field of transport infrastructure remains largely underexplored. As interest in using statistical distributions to identify spatial and regional patterns grows, this paper explores the applicability of Benford’s Law to anthropogenic geographic data, particularly whether the lengths of higher-level segments of the main road network across European Union member states follow Benford’s Law. To evaluate the conformity of the data from all European Union countries with Benford’s distribution, Pearson’s ${\chi }^2$ test of association, the p-value, and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test were used. The results consistently show low ${\chi }^2$ values and high p-values, indicating a strong agreement between observed and expected distributions. The relationship between the distribution of higher-level segment lengths and the leading digits of these lengths was studied as well. The findings suggest that the length distribution of the main road networks’ higher-level segments closely follows Benford’s Law, emphasizing its potential as a simple yet effective tool for assessing the reliability and consistency of geographic and infrastructure datasets within the European context. Full article

The agricultural sector has a significant impact on the global carbon cycle, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through various practices and processes. This review paper examines the significant role of the agricultural sector in the global carbon cycle, highlighting its substantial contribution to GHG emissions through diverse practices and processes. The study explores the trends and spatial distribution of agricultural GHG emissions at both the global level and within the European Union (EU). Emphasis is placed on the principal gases released by this sector—methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂)—with detailed attention to their sources, levels, environmental impacts, and key strategies to mitigate and control their effects, based on the latest scientific data. The paper further investigates emissions originating from livestock production, along with mitigation approaches including feed additives, selective breeding, and improved manure management techniques. Soil-derived emissions, particularly N₂O and CO₂ resulting from fertilizer application and microbial activity, are thoroughly explored. Additionally, the influence of various agricultural practices such as tillage, crop rotation, and fertilization on emission levels is analyzed, supported by updated data from recent literature. Special focus is given to the underlying mechanisms that regulate these emissions and the effectiveness of management interventions in reducing their magnitude. The research also evaluates current European legislative measures aimed at lowering agricultural emissions and promoting climate-resilient, sustainable farming systems. Various mitigation strategies—ranging from optimized land and nutrient management to the application of nitrification inhibitors and soil amendments are assessed for both their practical feasibility and long-term impact. Full article

Poland, as a leading apple producer in the EU, must maintain high fruit quality during prolonged storage and distribution, which is crucial for exports to distant markets. Therefore, it is essential to clearly identify which factors most strongly affect quality and the magnitude of their effects in order to make informed choices about pre- and postharvest practices, storage technology, and logistics. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of selected factors on the quality of apples of the ‘Gala Schniga^® SchniCo Red(s)’ cultivar after long-term storage. The study analyzed the effects of harvest date (optimal and delayed), three variants of 1-methylcyclopropene application (control-0 µL·L⁻¹ 1-MCP, Harvista™, SmartFresh™, and Harvista™ + SmartFresh™), storage period (5, 7, and 9 months), simulated trading period (0 or 7 days at 20 °C) and storage technology (ULO: 1.2% CO₂: 1.2% O₂; DCA: 0.6% CO₂: 0.6% O₂) in two consecutive seasons (2022/2023 and 2023/2024). Five quality parameters were evaluated: flesh firmness (F), soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), SSC/TA ratio, and the concentration of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). Backward-elimination stepwise regression and partial eta squared (η²) calculations were used to analyze the data to determine the factors with the greatest impact. The post-harvest application of 1-MCP had the strongest effect in terms of maintaining firmness (η² = 70.4%) and acidity (η² = 38.0%) and reducing ACC content (η² = 21.3%). Harvista™ preparation had a weaker or negligible effect on ACC content, but reduced SSC (η² = 22.7%). Harvest date, storage duration, and shelf life significantly influenced all traits, with controlled-atmosphere regime further modulating outcomes. By integrating preharvest maturity with treatment timing and CA storage, we disentangled the relative contributions of harvest timing, treatment, and storage. The results provide actionable inputs for a decision-support tool to help producers maintain target quality—firmness, SSC, TA, SSC/TA, and ACC—through optimized practice, storage technology choice, and logistics. Full article

Integrating phase change materials (PCMs) into buildings and HVAC systems improves thermal comfort and energy efficiency. This study presents a climate-responsive methodology for selecting optimal PCMs using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework. AHP was employed to determine the relative importance of key thermophysical properties, including melting point (47.5%), latent heat of fusion (25.7%), volumetric latent heat (13.5%), thermal conductivity (6.8%), specific heat capacity (3.3%), and density (3.3%). These weights were applied across five MCDM techniques—COPRAS, VIKOR, TOPSIS, MOORA, and PROMETHEE II—to evaluate 16 PCM alternatives for three representative climate zones: temperate (18 °C), subtropical (23 °C), and tropical hot/desert (28 °C). The results consistently identified n-Heptadecane (C17) as the most suitable PCM for temperate and subtropical climates, while n-Octadecane (C18) and hydrated salts such as CaCl₂·6H₂O and Na₂CO₃·10H₂O were optimal for tropical zones. Results show that n-Heptadecane (C17) is optimal for temperate and subtropical zones (COPRAS K = 1.00; TOPSIS C = 0.79–0.82; PROMETHEE φ = 0.21–0.22), while n-Octadecane (C18) and hydrated salts such as CaCl₂·6H₂O and Na₂CO₃·10H₂O perform best in tropical climates (TOPSIS C = 0.85; PROMETHEE φ = 0.26). These PCMs offer high latent heat (up to 254 kJ·kg⁻¹) and volumetric storage (up to 381 MJ·m⁻³), enabling significant reductions in HVAC loads and improved indoor temperature stability. The convergence of rankings across methods and alignment with existing literature validate the robustness of the proposed approach. This framework supports informed material selection for sustainable building design and can be adapted to other climate-sensitive engineering applications. The framework introduces methodological innovations by explicitly mapping PCM melting points to climate-specific comfort bands, incorporating volumetric latent heat, and validating rankings through cross-method convergence (Spearman ρ > 0.99). Sensitivity analysis confirms robustness against weight perturbations. The approach supports practical PCM selection for both new and retrofit buildings, contributing to EU and US energy goals (e.g., 40% building energy use, DOE’s 50% reduction target). Full article

Within the LIFE PREPAIR project, the BAT-Tool Plus (released in February 2022) was developed to estimate ammonia (NH₃) and greenhouse gas emissions from intensive livestock farming in the Po-basin, a hotspot for agricultural air pollution. The tool applies a nitrogen mass balance approach, considering housing, storage, treatment, and land application phases, integrating EU Best Available Techniques (BAT) standards. The BAT-Tool includes high-resolution and tailored methodologies, allowing single farms and regional-scale simulations. In this study, the BAT-Tool was applied to the Po-basin using 2023 data from the National Livestock Database and regional statistics on manure management. The results show that around one-third of nitrogen excreted by livestock is lost as NH₃, confirming livestock as the dominant source of emissions compared to fertilizers. In this paper, ammonia emissions and nitrogen load to fields were estimated, analyzing potential reductions achievable with wider adoption of BAT. The BAT-Tool provides standardized, transparent estimates, supporting regulatory compliance, emission inventories, and policy planning. Its scalability from farms to district scale makes it a reference model for improving nitrogen management and reducing PM_2.5 precursors in northern Italy and potentially across the EU. Full article

This paper assesses the green tourism readiness of six EU member states from Central and Eastern Europe—Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania—using a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model. As tourism sectors face increasing pressure to align with the European Green Deal and sustainability goals, integrating green skills, environmental protection, and institutional governance becomes essential. The study applies a three-step framework that combines the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Best-Worst Method (BWM), and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to evaluate national performance across four criteria: natural capital, rural infrastructure, governance readiness, and green skills in vocational education and training (VET). Results show that environmental sustainability and governance are the dominant enablers of green tourism transformation, with Slovenia and Croatia leading in overall readiness. Although green skills have a lower relative weight, their integration significantly strengthens performance in more advanced systems. The hybrid model demonstrated methodological robustness through sensitivity and consistency checks. This research contributes to both methodological innovation and evidence-based policymaking by offering a replicable tool for evaluating sustainable tourism development in transition economies. It provides actionable insights for aligning education, tourism, and environmental policy within the broader EU green transition framework. Full article

Deep tech is a broad concept encompassing scientifically and technologically advanced innovations, enterprises, and projects based on profound scientific and engineering knowledge. It addresses complex technological challenges while considering environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Ambitious R&D initiatives act as catalysts for innovative solutions and for transforming companies and sectors toward sustainable development. The literature review highlights the multifaceted nature of deep tech, particularly from diverse stakeholder perspectives—both those directly and indirectly engaged in this field. Fully utilizing deep tech’s potential requires strong scientific, infrastructural, regulatory, and financial foundations. Europe, including dynamically developing EU countries such as Poland, increasingly recognizes the need to build an ecosystem that supports the development and commercialization of frontier technologies grounded in scientific progress. This article clarifies key deep tech concepts and outlines current conditions for technological innovation in Europe. Drawing on desk research, participatory observation, and a survey, it presents an initial analysis of Poland’s deep tech ecosystem. The exploratory pilot study serves as a basis for more focused future research on key sectoral challenges. The findings offer a preliminary assessment of the potential and barriers related to science-based innovation and provide a clearer picture of Poland’s emerging deep tech landscape. This enables more accurate interpretation of results and insights into the sector’s future development. For Europe and the EU, enhancing global competitiveness in deep tech will require coordinated actions and stronger connections among local ecosystems at different stages of maturity, such as those in Poland. Full article

Understanding the factors that influence the Consumption Footprint (CF) is essential for advancing sustainable development within the European Union. This study investigates the most impactful indicators affecting CF, aligning the analysis with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are grouped into five thematic clusters: economic conditions, globalization, health, environmental awareness, and cultural factors. To identify key drivers, the research employs a dual-method approach: Graphical representations and correlation analyses and machine learning via Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), supported by statistical analysis using non-parametric tests. Data from Romania (2012–2023) were used to evaluate the influence of variables such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Price Level Indices (CPI), Unemployment Rate (UNE), and Circular Material Use Rate (CMU) on CF. The results reveal that GDP and CPI are the most influential variables, together accounting for over 64% of the impact on CF, followed by UNE and CMU. The study concludes that economic indicators play a dominant role in shaping consumption-related environmental impact. The proposed framework is replicable and adaptable, offering valuable insights for policymakers and researchers aiming to accelerate progress toward EU sustainability targets. Full article

This study explores the effect of financial development, economic growth, ICT, green technologies, and strict environmental policies on environmental sustainability in the states of the European Union from 1996 to 2022. It also evaluates the EKC hypothesis and examines how ICT and green technologies moderate the linkage between financial development and carbon footprint. The Westerlund-Durbin-Hausman cointegration test is used for the long-run relationship. The FMOLS and CUP-FMOLS estimators are used to estimate the long-run elasticity coefficients, providing reliable results. The results reveal an inverted N-shaped linkage between GDP and carbon footprint in EU states, validating the EKC hypothesis. Furthermore, financial development has been found to increase carbon footprints, whereas green technologies, ICT, and stringent environmental regulations have been shown to mitigate these effects. Additionally, the interaction effects of ICT and green technologies with financial development demonstrate a reduction in the carbon footprint. These findings indicate that the EU should integrate the moderating role of innovation into policies addressing the pollution caused by financial development to achieve net-zero emission goals. Full article

Background: Preconception care (PCC) is a key element of preventive reproductive health, aiming to optimise maternal and child outcomes by addressing biomedical, behavioural, psychosocial, and genetic risks before conception. International frameworks provide clear guidance, yet implementation in many low- and middle-income countries remains inconsistent. Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, focusing on literature published between 2010 and 2025. Eligible sources included empirical studies, clinical guidelines, policy documents, and high-quality grey literature from health authorities. Quality, relevance, and applicability were assessed, with particular emphasis on European and Bulgarian contexts. Results: Evidence from diverse settings demonstrates that PCC interventions—such as chronic disease management, vaccination, lifestyle optimisation, and expanded carrier screening (ECS)—can reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes and prevent severe genetic disorders. Effective international models integrate PCC into primary care, leverage digital health tools, and ensure equitable access through public funding. In Bulgaria, PCC remains underdeveloped: genetic screening is not part of routine care, there are no national guidelines or surveillance systems, and only ~4% of women initiate folic acid supplementation before pregnancy. NGOs and EU-funded digital initiatives provide partial outreach but cannot replace state-supported services. Conclusions: Bulgaria urgently requires a coordinated national PCC strategy, incorporating standardised guidelines, provider training, digital platforms, and phased ECS introduction. Strengthening PCC delivery can reduce preventable maternal and neonatal morbidity, advance reproductive justice, and enhance the long-term sustainability of public health systems. These findings support the development of a publicly funded, guideline-driven national PCC strategy with phased introduction of expanded carrier screening under NHIF to improve equity and long-term system sustainability. Full article

We present Stereo-GS, a real-time system for online 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) that reconstructs photorealistic 3D scenes from streaming stereo pairs. Unlike prior offline 3DGS methods that require dense multi-view input or precomputed depth, Stereo-GS estimates metrically accurate depth maps directly from rectified stereo geometry, enabling progressive, globally consistent reconstruction. The frontend combines a stereo implementation of DROID-SLAM for robust tracking and keyframe selection with FoundationStereo, a generalizable stereo network that needs no scene-specific fine-tuning. A two-stage filtering pipeline improves depth reliability by removing outliers using a variance-based refinement filter followed by a multi-view consistency check. In the backend, we selectively initialize new Gaussians in under-represented regions flagged by low PSNR during rendering and continuously optimize them via differentiable rendering. To maintain global coherence with minimal overhead, we apply a lightweight rigid alignment after periodic bundle adjustment. On EuRoC and TartanAir, Stereo-GS attains state-of-the-art performance, improving average PSNR by 0.22 dB and 2.45 dB over the best baseline, respectively. Together with superior visual quality, these results show that Stereo-GS delivers high-fidelity, geometrically accurate 3D reconstructions suitable for real-time robotics, navigation, and immersive AR/VR applications. Full article

Medical cannabis cultivation requires substantial energy for heating, lighting, and climate control. This study evaluates the economic feasibility of an innovative biomass-fired micro-CHP system in a greenhouse facility for medicinal cannabis cultivation. The system comprises an 80 kW_th boiler retrofitted for biomass and a 7 kW_el ORC engine and is assessed against a diesel-boiler Business-As-Usual (BAU) benchmark. Thermal load simulations for two growing periods (1 March–30 June and 1 September–30 December) estimate an annual heating demand of 91,065.20 kWh_th. The micro-CHP system delivers 8195.87 kWh_el per year, exceeding the greenhouse’s 7839.90 kWh_el consumption. Over a 30-year lifespan at a 7% discount rate, Life Cycle Costing yields EUR 196,421.33 for micro-CHP versus EUR 229,468.46 for BAU, a 14.4% reduction. Under all-equity financing, the project achieves an NPV of EUR 59,591.88, IRR of 27.32%, and a DPBP of 12.1 years; with 70% debt financing, NPV rises to EUR 61,211.39 and DPBP shortens to 10.5 years. Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and Heat (LCOH) are EUR 0.122 per kWh_el and EUR 0.062 per kWh_th, respectively. While the LCOE is below the Greek and EU non-household averages (EUR 0.1578 and EUR 0.1515 per kWh_el), the LCOH exceeds the corresponding heat price benchmarks (EUR 0.0401 and EUR 0.0535 per kWh_th). These results indicate that, in the modeled context, biomass-ORC cogeneration can be a financially attractive and lower-carbon option for medicinal cannabis greenhouse operations. Full article

The Yangtze Block provides a natural window into the tectonic evolution of Precambrian continental crusts. The Julin Group is a dominant Precambrian stratigraphic unit in the southwestern block, the depositional age of which is still poorly constrained. The lowest sequence of this group, the Pudeng Formation, is primarily composed of mica-quartz schists and quartzites intruded by a biotite monzogranite. LA–ICP–MS zircon U-Pb ages of biotite monzogranite and detrital zircons constrain the deposition of the Julin Group to between 1099 and 1052 Ma. Geochemical compositions of the mica-quartz schists and quartzites display high δCe, ΣREE, Th/Sc, and Th/U, along with low δEu, La/Sc, Ce/Th, and Al₂O₃/(Al₂O₃ + Fe₂O₃) ratios, indicating their derivation from felsic volcanic protoliths in a passive continental margin setting. The detrital zircons show distinct age peaks at 2.5, 1.85, and 1.6 Ga, with their source regions primarily located along the western and northern Yangtze Block. Integrating the magmatic records within the Yangtze Block with the ages and ε_Hf(t) values of detrital zircons indicates that the tectonic setting of the western Yangtze Block evolved from a subduction-related arc at ~2.5 Ga to an orogenic belt at ~1.86 Ga and subsequently to intracontinental extensional (rift) environments at ~1.6 Ga and ~1.2 Ga. This evolution reflects the geodynamic transition from the Arrowsmith orogeny to the assembly and development of the Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents. Full article

The ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufacturing process is highly resource-intensive and contributes to over 5% of global CO₂ emissions, thereby contributing to global warming. In this context, researchers are increasingly adopting geopolymers concrete due to their environmentally friendly production process. For decades, industrial byproducts such as fly ash, ground-granulated blast-furnace slag, and silica fume have been used as the primary binders for geopolymer concrete (GPC). However, due to uneven distribution and the decline of coal-fired power stations to meet carbon-neutrality targets, these binders may not be able to meet future demand. The UK intends to shut down coal power stations by 2025, while the EU projects an 83% drop in coal-generated electricity by 2030, resulting in a significant decrease in fly ash supply. Like fly ash, slag, and silica fume, natural clays are also abundant sources of silica, alumina, and other essential chemicals for geopolymer binders. Hence, natural clays possess good potential to replace these industrial byproducts. Recent research indicates that locally available clay has strong potential as a pozzolanic material when treated appropriately. This review article represents a comprehensive overview of the various treatment methods for different types of clays, their impacts on the fresh and hardened properties of geopolymer concrete by analysing the experimental datasets, including 1:1 clays, such as Kaolin and Halloysite, and 2:1 clays, such as Illite, Bentonite, Palygorskite, and Sepiolite. Furthermore, this review article summarises the most recent geopolymer-based prediction models for strength properties and their accuracy in overcoming the expense and time required for laboratory-based tests. This review article shows that the inclusion of clay reduces concrete workability because it increases water demand. However, workability can be maintained by incorporating a superplasticiser. Calcination and mechanical grinding of clay significantly enhance its pozzolanic reactivity, thereby improving its mechanical performance. Current research indicates that replacing 20% of calcined Kaolin with fly ash increases compressive strength by up to 18%. Additionally, up to 20% replacement of calcined or mechanically activated clay improved the durability and microstructural performance. The prediction-based models, such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Multi Expression Programming (MEP), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Bagging Regressor (BR), showed good accuracy in predicting the compressive strength, tensile strength and elastic modulus. The incorporation of clay in geopolymer concrete reduces reliance on industrial byproducts and fosters more sustainable production practices, thereby contributing to the development of a more sustainable built environment. Full article

In the aviation industry, momentum for reducing emissions has rapidly increased in recent years. From international systems like the EU ETS and CORSIA, to the introduction of new fuels such as electricity and SAF as alternatives to conventional fuels, various approaches are being considered. Within this context, there is a further movement to reduce aviation emissions through a modal shift from air to high-speed rail. In this research, a Systematic Literature Review is undertaken to detail the nature of the modal shift from air to rail, uncovering energy policy and economic considerations. While research targeting China has increased recently, prior studies focus on Europe, leaving some regions understudied. From an emissions reduction perspective, the power source supplying rail is a critical factor. Capacity constraints on rail are also a key challenge to be addressed. Future research should address the need for additional regional studies. In the age of modal shift movements, the aviation industry is attempting to reduce emissions through the introduction of alternative low-carbon fuels. Policies to reduce emissions must consider this. Discontinuing flights could lead to unintended emissions. A synergistic approach combining modal shift and internal decarbonization is likely to be the most economically feasible and sustainable approach. Full article