Search Results (60)

Recent advances in numerical modelling, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence are bringing a transformation in our ability to assess sediment transport. Nevertheless, climate change is fundamentally altering sediment production, transport, and deposition through intensifying hydrological extremes, sea-level rise, changing storm regimes, cryosphere degradation, and increasing human modification of sediment pathways. These interacting drivers challenge conventional sediment transport assessment, which has largely evolved within separate fluvial, estuarine, coastal, and marine disciplines and often lacks an integrated perspective capable of representing source-to-sink sediment connectivity under non-stationary environmental conditions. Although significant advances have been made in process-based numerical modelling, Earth observation, and artificial intelligence (AI), these approaches are commonly reviewed independently, limiting their collective application to regional climate-responsive sediment assessment. This review examines state-of-the-art process-based numerical models, observational tools, and machine-learning approaches for sediment transport from source-to-sink. A transparent benchmarking scheme is used to compare leading modelling systems (e.g., AdH, SRH-2D, FLO-2D, HEC-RAS, TELEMAC, Delft3D, EFDC, SCHISM, XBeach, ROMS), highlighting differences in dimensionality, sediment-process representation, computational demands, and climate-scenario readiness. Remote sensing (optical, SAR, LiDAR, UAV) and AI/ML/DL methods (e.g., random forests) are reviewed as complementary tools that enhance model parametrization, improve validation, and address uncertainty in data-limited regions. A reproducible bibliometric synthesis based on Dimensions.ai records (2000–2026) reveals accelerating growth in sediment-transport research, with strong recent expansion in coastal, estuarine, and data-driven modelling applications. Major challenges include cohesive sediment physics, cross-environment coupling, limited long-term validation datasets, and the need for scalable workflows compatible with climate-model forcing. In this manuscript, we analyse and propose a future roadmap for near-term integration of satellite–field data streams, medium-term development of hybrid physics–AI models, and long-term coupling of sediment modules within Earth-system and regional climate frameworks. Collectively, this review provides a foundation for next-generation, climate-responsive sediment transport assessment supporting sustainable river basin and coastal management. Full article

Coastal cities protected by artificial structures are vulnerable to wave overtopping during typhoons, where flooding can occur even when the still water level stays below the structure crest. This study develops EurOtop-based wave overtopping modules within the cross-scale SCHISM-WWM modelling framework and applies the coupled model to Marine City, Busan, South Korea. At each time step, the module extracts the local water level and wave conditions at a coastal-structure pair-node, computes the overtopping or overflow discharge from the EurOtop formulae while accounting for wave direction, roughness reduction, and crest-width transfer losses, and injects it as a landward source term for inland flood propagation. The framework is evaluated against two typhoon events. For Typhoon Hinnamnor in 2022, comparison with the CCTV-based overtopping record reproduces the timing and intensity of overtopping. For Typhoon Chaba in 2016, validation against field-surveyed inundation marks shows that the modelled maximum inundation depth matches the observed spatial pattern and the survey-point observations to within a mean absolute difference of about 12 cm. These results demonstrate the framework’s applicability to overtopping-induced compound flooding in urbanised coastal cities and, since it is fully coupled within the SCHISM-WWM codebase, its capacity to incorporate further drivers such as pluvial and fluvial flooding. Full article

Semiconductor–biological hybrid systems (SBHS) have emerged as a disruptive technology for solar-driven chemical manufacturing, effectively bypassing the thermodynamic bottlenecks of natural photosynthesis. However, the aggressive pursuit of record-breaking solar-to-chemical conversion efficiencies has inadvertently fostered an efficiency trap. A profound interdisciplinary schism exists wherein the acute environmental toxicity and long-term interfacial instability of these hybrid architectures are frequently overlooked. This review provides a critical appraisal of the oft-ignored environmental risks inherent in current SBHS designs. We systematically dissect the heavy metal leaching toxicity of first-generation inorganic photosensitizers and unveil the complex, bidirectional degradation mechanisms at the abiotic–biotic interface. Specifically, we highlight the dual threats of photogenerated reactive oxygen species inducing cellular oxidative stress and active, microbially induced material dismantling via reductive dissolution driven by extracellular electron transfer. To navigate beyond this purely performance-driven paradigm, we propose a multidimensional, standardized evaluation matrix that systematically balances catalytic efficiency with biological safety and life-cycle sustainability. Ultimately, this review offers a comprehensive roadmap to transition biohybrid platforms from fragile laboratory concepts into robust, scalable, and ecologically benign negative-emission technologies. Full article

This is a conceptual paper on next-generation digital trade that proposes a multi-layered taxonomic integration of Web 3.0, decentralized e-commerce, and the emerging paradigm of Agentic Commerce. While current literature often conflates technological infrastructure with institutional governance, this paper utilizes a bibliometric diagnostics and Natural Language Processing (NLP) BERT clustering of 25 core empirical studies to delineate these boundaries. We introduce the “Semantic Web of Retail” as a foundational data layer, arguing that it is a structural necessity for the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) economy, where autonomous AI agents, or “synthetic shoppers,” execute transactions on behalf of human principals. Our results indicate that while Web 3.0 provides the technological toolkit for programmable ownership, decentralized e-commerce dictates the institutional logic required for trustless verification. Furthermore, we identify a “Shopper Schism” in consumer behavior, where the delegation of economic power to algorithms introduces novel financial risks, including oracle vulnerabilities and principal–agent moral hazards. The study concludes that integrating semantic interoperability with decentralized transaction rails is essential for mitigating systemic risks and enabling secure, autonomous digital markets, and it formalizes the ‘Shopper Schism’ as a novel principal–agent configuration unique to agentic markets. Full article

China’s rapid urbanization has driven a pronounced east–west sustainability schism, where affluent coastal corridors face cumulative pollution pressures, while interior regions grapple with ecological fragility and comparatively weaker governance capacity. To diagnose this divergence, we establish the Environmental Stressor Regulatory Capacity (ESRC) framework, integrating indicators across industrial emissions, resource intensity, economic innovation, and institutional resilience. Leveraging Chinese spatiotemporal data from 283 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2021, our multi-method analysis reveals three core findings: Dagum Gini decomposition indicates intensifying interregional inequality. Kernel density estimation identifies four distinct transition archetypes: eastern high-base consolidation, central relay diffusion, western polarization–correction, and northeastern asymmetric revitalization. Crucially, random forest regression highlights the high predictive salience of Regulatory Capacity for ESRC variation. These findings are consistent with institutional asymmetry as the key explanatory factor for why some Western regions remain locked in spatial traps. These results may inform targeted ecological compensation for critical zones to support SDG advancement with regional equity. Full article

This article analyzes the historical relationship between Orthodox Christianity and nation formation. In past centuries, most adherents to the faith lived in the Ottoman and Russian Empires, under the Moscow and the Ecumenical Patriarchates. These two empires followed different historical trajectories as they entered the modern world of nations, and their ecclesiastical institutions evolved very differently. This article uses historical experience, and the model developed in 19th century Southeastern Europe (SEE) to interpret the relationship between faith and nation in post-Soviet Europe. In SEE, the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (EP) fragmented because of rising national movements. Over the 19th century, as Greece, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria became independent or autonomous states, they adopted a new blueprint for the relationship between church and nation. In contrast, the USSR superseded Holy Russia. Abolished in 1721, the Moscow Patriarchate was revived in 1917 but faced Soviet persecution for decades. Within the post-Soviet nations that emerged after the USSR’s 1991 dissolution, ecclesiastical institutions duplicated the model originally developed in 19th century SEE. National and religious conflicts became intertwined, and national antagonisms were disguised as ecclesiastical disputes. This article offers a guide for understanding post-1991 religious conflicts in Estonia, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as the 2018 schism between the Moscow Patriarchate and the EP. Full article

The Byzantine iconoclastic controversy (726–843) has sparked a debate among Byzantine scholars. The literature on iconoclasm and Byzantine history links the onset of the Iconoclasm period to various indirect factors, including the dual nature of Christ, the ban on idols in the Old Testament, the expansion of the Muslim empire, natural disasters, schisms, Leo III’s political motives, and many others. Debates in the Iconoclasm age between iconodules and iconoclasts created confusion in the literature, and researchers concluded that iconodules altered records of the first phase of iconoclasm by introducing theological concepts. However, theological debates over the nature of Christ obscured the iconoclastic emperors’ political intentions, as theology was generally exploited as a political tool in the Byzantine Empire. The complex interaction between Orthodox and Muslim religions, the wealth of monasteries, and the political ambitions of both Byzantine and Umayyad emperors were some of the leading causes of the process that led to the development of iconoclasm. This study proposes that theological arguments were used to conceal the emperors’ political motives by blaming others for violating the pillars of Christianity. Secrecy in foreign policy and covert operations contributed to the lack of direct evidence, hiding political motives behind theological arguments. Full article

This study examines the theological and liturgical significance of the biblical injunction to “sing a new song,” tracing its deployment across eras of Christian history as both a symbol of renewal and a tool of doctrinal contestation. Focusing on key moments of schism—the early Church’s response to Gnostic and Arian hymnody and Ambrose’s adoption of Eastern antiphonal singing, the article explores how musical form, meter, and performance practice became markers of orthodoxy and heresy long before Reformation-era musical reforms. Drawing on patristic commentary, heresiographical sources, and hymnological analysis, the study highlights how the popular style in various guises was alternately condemned and reclaimed. This suggests that Christian music has consistently evolved through interaction with popular and heterodox forms and that the “new song” in its exegetical form has functioned as a recurring strategy of theological self-definition. Ultimately, the paper argues that disputes over musical style mirror broader tensions between innovation and authority and that the history of hymnody offers a unique lens into the formation of Christian identity. Full article

This study presents the implementation and evaluation of a high-resolution operational forecasting system for the Tagus estuary (Portugal), focusing on inundation and water quality predictions to support estuarine management. Developed using the relocatable Water Information Forecast Framework (WIFF), the system integrates two implementations of SCHISM: a 2D barotropic model including wave–current interactions for flood-prone areas, and a 3D baroclinic model simulating salinity, temperature, and biogeochemical variables. Forecasts were assessed over six months using in situ and satellite near real-time observations. Results show that the operational models represent well water levels, waves, salinity, temperature, and water quality dynamics. Compared to a regional model, the local forecast system generally offers improved accuracy within the estuary due to higher spatial resolution and better representation of local dynamics. Several challenges remain, including uncertainties in oceanic and riverine boundary conditions and limited high-resolution near real-time observations to continuously assess and improve operational models. Furthermore, the absence of operational two-way coupling between regional and local models limits cross-scale integration of physical and biogeochemical processes. The forecasting system for the Tagus estuary demonstrates the potential of local high-resolution operational models as reliable, user-oriented tools for managing transitional water systems, and as core elements for coastal management. Full article

This study examines the responses of Reformed Christians living in the Carpathian Basin to ecclesiastical challenges that emerged after 1944. Focusing on the example of Reformed pastors in Transcarpathia, it explores the impact of the post-World War II transition on their communities—a shift not only in direction, but also in governance and national affiliation. The paper investigates a myth-forming episode within the collective memory of Reformed Christians, who found themselves in a unique borderland context. From a narrower perspective, the analysis reveals the relational and mental frameworks of pastoral groups, their differing interpretative coordinates, and the various ways they embodied their faith. These differences led to divergent understandings of the Church’s identity and mission, exposing internal mental fault lines. The fragmentation of group identity, brought to light during the 1947 conflict between the traditional national Church and the Eastern Friendship Circle, raised the possibility of schism. Intriguingly, atheist Soviet officials played a decisive role in preventing this split on two separate occasions. Full article

The Church of Christ is unity in diversity. Around the great centers of diffusion, the rites have been gradually defined as “the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of the history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested” (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches can. 28 § 1). At the same time, the necessity of the existence of the sacred ministry for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments is the basis for the establishment of the hierarchy of bishoprics that are formed ontogenetically and diachronically around the primary diffusion center, recognized as the Mother Church or, starting from the IVth–Vth centuries, as the Patriarchates. The tensions between dissident factions culminated in the Ecclesiastical Schism of 1054, which separated Eastern Christianity from the Roman Church. The restoration of the unity of the Constantinopolitan Churches of Central and Eastern Europe began with the Union of Brest–Litovsk (1595–1596), which generated a process of gradual entry of the territories of the Eastern Churches into unity, in 1700 reaching Transylvania. The Greek Catholic Churches fought a pioneering struggle in asserting their own traditions in order to restore the unity of the Church. The Eastern churches that re-entered the unity of the Catholic Church faced a change of ecclesiological paradigm, being in a permanent struggle to preserve their own specificity and to affirm the unity. The signatories of the Union Acts rejected “the Uniatism” from the beginning, a fact accepted today within the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, the canonical evolution and the treatises of Greek–Catholic theology being the result of a process of experimentation “from within” of unity and catholicity in the context of the modern and contemporary era. The United Churches have paved the way for the restoration of unity between East and West, being obligated to grasp different forms of canonical manifestation of unity in the absence of a Patriarchate in communion with the Church of Rome, during which they offer a reflection that fully grows through a theology of restoring the unity of the Church, benefiting today from the ecclesiological paradigm shift of Vatican II and by the conceptual tools provided by the traditions and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. Full article

This study quantitatively investigates monsoon-driven bedload sediment transport mechanisms in the Qiongzhou Strait using the SCHISM model, revealing three key findings: (1) Monsoon seasonality governs net sediment flux through contrasting hydrodynamic regimes, with the winter monsoon establishing spatially coherent westward transport pathways, while the summer monsoon induces counteracting flow patterns that suppress net transport. (2) Winter conditions exhibit opposing transport vectors between tidal and monsoon forcing at both strait entrances, with monsoon dominance at the western entrance contrasting tidal predominance in the eastern sector. (3) Summer monsoon–tide hydrodynamic decoupling results in transport magnitudes ≤ 10% of tidal-driven quantities across critical cross-sections. The research elucidates sediment budget partitioning mechanisms in monsoon-dominated shelf seas, particularly revealing a spatial reversal of dominant transport drivers between eastern and western gateways that mechanistically explains observed sedimentary architecture asymmetries. By innovatively quantifying spatiotemporal coupling effects of meteorological and tidal forcing, this work advances theoretical understanding of sediment flux allocation under monsoonal systems and provides scientific support for seabed resource management and geomorphological evolution predictions. Full article

An arrangement of Patristic quoted sources translated from Greek into Syriac were used by Peter of Callinicus in his works against Damian of Alexandria within the sixth-century Tritheist Controversy. Exemplifying one useful role for a translator, the quotations have been extracted and saved from inaccessibility in Peter’s very hefty volumes and presented side-by-side, author-by-author in checked and (where necessary) revised English. This not only better clarifies the argumentative thrust of Peter’s diatribes and how he himself translates Greek into a Semitic tongue, but it will serve Patristic scholarship in showing how the thoughts of well-known Greek Fathers are conveyed in Syriac in the contexts of earlier theological debates. A key theme of this presentation is the Tritheist Controversy which broke out more than a hundred years after the acrimonious controversy over the Council of Chalcedon had cooled down. The focus is mainly on the dispute over the doctrine of the Trinity between the so-named miaphysites, the Syrian Patriarch Peter of Callinicus/um (d. 591) and Coptic Pope Damian of Alexandria (d. 605), which, in turn, led to the schism between Alexandria and Antioch lasting about 30 years. It comprises two parts: (i) A brief outline of the origins, narrative, and postlude of the Tritheist controversy of Peter with Damian and its doctrinal issues; (ii) identifying, enlisting and reproducing numerous seminal quotations in English from the works of earlier Church Fathers contained in Peter’s magnum opus in support and in refutation of (or ‘against’) Damian of Alexandria; and (iii) reflection on issues of translating Patristic texts. Full article

The SCHISM model is widely used for ocean numerical simulations, but its computational efficiency is constrained by the substantial resources it requires. To enhance its performance, this study develops GPU–SCHISM, a GPU-accelerated parallel version of SCHISM using the CUDA Fortran framework, and this study evaluates its acceleration performance on a single GPU-enabled node. The research results demonstrate that the GPU–SCHISM model achieves computational acceleration while maintaining high simulation accuracy. For small-scale classical experiments, a single GPU improves the efficiency of the Jacobi solver—identified as a performance hotspot—by 3.06 times and accelerates the overall model by 1.18 times. However, increasing the number of GPUs reduces the computational workload per GPU, which hinders further acceleration improvements. The GPU is particularly effective for performing higher-resolution calculations, leveraging its computational power. For large-scale experiments with 2,560,000 grid points, the GPU speedup ratio is 35.13; however, CPU has more advantages in small-scale calculations. Moreover, a comparison between CUDA and OpenACC-based GPU acceleration shows that CUDA outperforms OpenACC under all experimental conditions. This study marks the first successful GPU acceleration of the SCHISM model within the CUDA Fortran framework, laying a preliminary foundation for lightweight GPU-accelerated parallel processing in ocean numerical simulations. Full article

Typhoons cause significant losses and pose substantial threats every year, with an increasing trend observed in recent years. This study evaluates significant wave height (SWH) hindcasts for typhoons affecting Taiwan using optimized wind field configurations within the SCHISM-WWM-III coupled model. To enhance typhoon-induced SWH simulations, the blended wind field integrates ERA5 reanalysis wind data with the modified Rankine vortex wind model. Key parameters, including the parametric wind field start time, best track data, and the radius of maximum wind speed, were carefully selected based on analyses of typhoons Meranti and Megi in 2016. Validation metrics such as the skill core, HH indicator, maximum SWH difference, and peak time difference of the SWH indicate that the optimized setup improves the accuracy of simulation. The findings highlight the effectiveness of the adjusted blended wind field, the high-resolution best track data provided by Taiwan, and the maximum wind speed radius in significantly enhancing the accuracy of typhoon wave modeling for the waters surrounding Taiwan. Full article