Search Results (11,606)

The unprecedented 2022 wildfire season in Navarra, northern Spain, marked a turning point in regional wildfire management, when seven simultaneous large fires during a June heatwave burned more than 17,000 ha in just a few days, overwhelming suppression capacity and highlighting the limits of a strategy based primarily on ignition prevention and fire suppression. In this study, we implemented a stochastic wildfire modeling system based on the Minimum Travel Time algorithm, historical ignition patterns, spatial fuel data, and spatiotemporal weather variability to assess community and protected area exposure to wildfire. We simulated more than 50,000 fire season replicates under extreme fire weather conditions, estimating annual burn probability across fire intensity classes at 50 m spatial resolution. We then intersected modeled fire perimeters with building footprints representing residential and industrial structures, as well as protected areas, to assess the spatial distribution of exposure across the region. Results showed strong concentration of community exposure, with three fourths of residential and industrial exposure concentrated in just over one third of the total municipal area. Across Navarra, mean annual modeled exposure summed to 120 residential buildings and 16 industrial structures. Across the protected area network, mean annual burned area summed to 90 ha year⁻¹, including 68 ha year⁻¹ at flame lengths greater than 2.5 m, while burned forest area was 16 ha year⁻¹. Protected areas in southern Navarra and forested protected areas in central and northern Navarra showed the highest modeled exposure, identifying priority landscapes where prevention, restoration, and evaluation of managed fire options could support more resilient ecosystems. This study provides a scientific basis for improving wildfire risk governance and strengthening the resilience of communities and protected areas under increasing wildfire pressure in the region. Full article

In ageing and built environment research, unevenness in evidence across spatial contexts constitutes a methodological condition rather than a simple coverage gap, with direct implications for how accessibility, usability and fairness are conceptualised and measured. Research on built environments for older adults has largely relied on urban evidence. Although findings from cities remain valuable, this focus influences how concepts are defined, which indicators are considered valid, and how far results can be generalised. Indicators designed for high-density urban settings often capture service availability well but have limited validity in low-density or resource-scarce environments. In such contexts, the presence of nearby services is frequently equated with accessibility, and accessibility is often assumed to imply usability. This paper synthesises review and measurement research to identify three mechanisms sustaining urban bias: urban-focused sampling, limited transferability of common indicators, and exposure definitions that assume density and reliable infrastructure. Building on this analysis, the study proposes a measurement framework that explicitly takes principles of fairness into account. This framework is organised around four analytical lenses: distribution, recognition, participation and sustainability. Matching sampling strategies, spatial classifications, measurement strategies and reporting practices to local settlement characteristics is critical to ensuring that conclusions are appropriately limited to what indicator-based evidence can validly support. Full article

Background/Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory illness across the lifespan, yet its health-economic burden in adults remains under-recognized. Building on a previously published nationwide analysis of RSV-associated hospitalizations in Switzerland (2017–2023), this study aimed to estimate age-specific direct inpatient hospitalization costs and assess their implications for healthcare systems. Methods: We conducted a nationwide health-economic analysis using Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) hospitalization data (2017–2023) combined with SwissDRG-based cost statistics (2024). Age-specific costs per hospitalization were applied to RSV-associated hospitalization counts. To account for disease severity, additional estimates were derived by applying RSV-specific length-of-stay (LOS) ratios between RSV-associated and all-cause hospitalizations, reflecting the longer duration of RSV-associated admissions. Results: Total RSV-associated hospitalization costs were estimated at CHF 55.1–76.0 million annually. Children aged 0–9 years accounted for the highest number of hospitalizations and the largest share of total costs (CHF 27.8–34.3 million). Despite fewer hospitalizations, adults aged ≥ 60 years generated comparable total costs (CHF 23.6–36.7 million), driven by substantially higher costs per case. Costs increased markedly with age, reflecting longer hospital stays and higher clinical severity. Additional analyses demonstrated a substantial increase in costs in the post-pandemic period, particularly in older adults, suggesting improved detection of RSV-associated hospitalizations. Conclusions: RSV-associated hospitalizations impose a substantial economic burden on the Swiss healthcare system. The disproportionate contribution of older adults highlights the importance of targeted prevention strategies and provides a foundation for future health-economic evaluations and policy decision-making. Full article

This study examines how international tourists’ perceptions of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices influence their willingness to pay a premium for community-based homestays. Grounded in signaling theory, ESG perception is conceptualized as a credibility signal that reduces perceived uncertainty in community-based accommodation settings. Data were collected from 300 international tourists visiting Mae Kampong Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand, and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). To strengthen predictive assessment, the model was additionally evaluated using PLSpredict, Q²_predict, and the Cross-Validated Predictive Ability Test (CVPAT). The results indicate that ESG perception significantly enhances community sustainability image, trust, and booking intention. Trust partially mediates the relationships between ESG perception and both booking intention and willingness to pay a premium, while booking intention demonstrates the strongest effect on willingness to pay a premium. Community sustainability image does not directly influence booking intention but instead operates indirectly through trust. Environmental concern significantly influences willingness to pay a premium, although its moderating effect is not supported. The findings suggest that tourists in community-based homestay environments rely heavily on trust-based psychological assurance when making accommodation decisions. This study extends ESG tourism research into community-based accommodation contexts and highlights the importance of trust in high-uncertainty tourism environments. The findings also emphasize the importance of transparent ESG communication and trust-building strategies for strengthening sustainable tourism competitiveness. Full article

Fire protection remains one of the key challenges in the field of architectural heritage conservation, particularly for heritage buildings dominated by timber structures, which face greater difficulties in fire prevention and risk assessment. To systematically evaluate the fire safety performance of high-rise timber heritage buildings, this study takes the Shengjin Pagoda, a typical brick–timber pavilion-style ancient tower in Jiangxi Province, China, as the research object. A three-dimensional performance-based fire assessment framework was developed using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and PyroSim. Based on field survey data and historical documentation, the geometric characteristics, material properties, and vertical circulation system of the pagoda were reconstructed. Three representative fire scenarios, including bottom-floor ignition, simultaneous multi-level ignition, and wind-driven top-floor ignition, were established to investigate smoke propagation, thermal insulation degradation, and the thermal response of critical timber components under different fire conditions. The results show that brick walls provide effective thermal insulation during the early stages of fire, with efficiency exceeding 90%, but this decreases to approximately 55% in upper regions due to chimney-effect-driven smoke accumulation. Under wind-driven top-floor ignition, exposed dougong components can reach temperatures of 782 °C, resulting in a progressive “top-down and outside-in” failure mechanism. The study reveals the dominant smoke-driven heat transfer pathways and the failure sequence of critical load-bearing elements. Based on these findings, a performance-based fire protection strategy incorporating vertical virtual smoke control zoning and fire-resistance enhancement of key structural components is proposed to support the sustainable conservation of historic high-rise timber structures. Full article

Achieving carbon-neutral cities requires innovative strategies that integrate technological carbon capture, sustainable urban infrastructure, and proactive public engagement. While microalgae-based systems have shown promise for CO₂ sequestration and resource recovery, their scalability remains constrained by high costs and energy-intensive photobioreactor (PBR) designs. Here, we propose the retrofit of existing urban fountains into high-efficiency microalgae cultivation systems—microalgae-enhanced fountain landscapes—as an integrated solution that bridges ecological function and social outreach. This approach capitalizes on ubiquitous fountain infrastructure to minimize deployment costs, employs advanced fountain-style cultivation technology to enhance biomass productivity, and leverages strategic locations in high-footfall urban zones to actively elevate public carbon literacy and motivate low-carbon behavioral shifts through immersive engagement—a vital step toward city-wide participatory climate action. We critically analyze the feasibility of this system, highlighting its potential for multi-stakeholder value creation across developers, municipalities, and citizens. Furthermore, we synthesize recent advances in suspended microalgae cultivation, building-integrated PBRs, and microalgae-informed landscape design to contextualize the development pathway of fountain-based systems. By uniting technical efficiency with civic education, this work establishes a replicable framework for scalable urban deployment—simultaneously advancing carbon mitigation, public awareness, and circular resource flows in the transition toward climate-resilient cities. Full article

Urban flooding poses escalating threats to high-density cities, yet the nonlinear mechanisms linking rainfall characteristics and urban morphology to waterlogging severity remain poorly understood. This study proposes a rainfall-stratified explainable machine learning framework to distinguish deep from shallow inundation at the block scale, taking Shanghai as a case study. Four models (XGBoost, random forest, SVM, and logistic regression) were compared via nested cross-validation and Bayesian optimization, with XGBoost identified as the optimal model. Three physically distinct rainfall dimensions and multi-dimensional urban morphological indicators were incorporated as predictive features. SHAP-based attribution and PDP were employed to unveil the driving mechanisms behind inundation severity, characterizing scenario-dependent shifts in driver dominance and nonlinear threshold effects. Urban morphology primarily governs spatial risk under non-extreme rainfall, with building shape coefficient (BSC) remaining the primary driver overall. Meteorologically, waterlogging severity surges beyond critical thresholds for maximum hourly rainfall (>18.40 mm/h) and total volume (>139 mm), while duration exhibits an inverted U-shaped response. Morphologically, a high BSC (>0.39 m⁻¹) is consistently associated with elevated deep inundation probability, whereas higher SDBV (>54,155 m³) and greater DR (>582 m) are associated with a severity-attenuating effect. These findings provide threshold-driven insights for integrating morphological resilience into urban renewal and sustainable flood adaptation strategies in high-density metropolises. Full article

The urban heat island (UHI) effect has become a global environmental challenge, and quantifying the spatial heterogeneity of its driving mechanisms while developing differentiated regulation strategies remains a critical research gap. This study takes Berlin, Germany as a case study, integrating spatial autocorrelation analysis with a coupled geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to systematically investigate the spatial heterogeneity of the driving mechanisms of Local Climate Zones (LCZs) on surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII), and proposes refined regulation strategies. First, the WUDAPT method was employed to generate a LCZ map, and global and local Moran’s I were used to identify SUHII spatial clustering characteristics, dividing the study area into High–High (HH), Low–Low (LL), and Not Significant (NS) clustering zones. Second, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and GWR coupled models were constructed to analyze the global and local relationships between LCZ composition and SUHII. The results indicate: (1) Berlin’s SUHII exhibits significant spatial clustering characteristics (Moran’s I = 0.984), with clear differentiation between the HH zone (25.8%, mean 2.67 °C) and the LL zone (26.4%, mean −0.16 °C); (2) the GWR model (R² = 0.921, AICc = 1279.538) significantly outperforms the OLS model (R² = 0.822, AICc = 2871.608), confirming strong spatial heterogeneity in the LCZ-SUHII relationship, with more pronounced advantages of GWR in urban–rural fringe areas; (3) LCZ 5 (low-density mid-rise buildings) and LCZ 2 (high-density mid-rise buildings) are key warming factors across the entire study area, but their warming effects are stronger in suburban areas than in central urban areas; LCZ A (dense trees) and LCZ G (water bodies) are key cooling factors across the entire area, but their cooling effects are stronger in central urban areas than in the suburbs. Based on these findings, this study establishes a differentiated strategy framework of “Zoning—Identifying Heterogeneity—Regulating”, proposing that HH zones should implement “carbon sink enhancement and source reduction”, NS zones should balance “ecological expansion with growth management”, and LL zones should adopt “strict protection and development restriction”. This framework provides a quantifiable scientific basis and practical guidance for refined urban thermal environment management. Full article

This paper develops a bi-level optimization framework for community energy systems to improve grid stability and strengthen resilience against supply–demand mismatches, with potential applicability to weather-driven operational stress. By incorporating demand-side response resources, with particular emphasis on the thermal storage potential of buildings, the proposed framework enhances the operational security and regulation capability of the system. At the upper level, energy operators determine dynamic electricity pricing strategies aimed at not only maximizing economic returns but also shaping load profiles toward smoother and more stable operation. At the lower level, a building thermal dynamic model is established, and the schedulable characteristics of flexible appliances, including electric water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines, are exploited to reduce user-side energy costs while supporting peak load mitigation. Through iterative coordination between the two levels, the proposed method enables effective joint optimization of supply and demand. Simulation results indicate that the framework increases operator revenues through differentiated pricing and, at the same time, substantially lowers users’ electricity expenditures. In addition, by aggregating distributed flexible resources as a virtual buffering capacity, the proposed strategy helps reconcile the interests of both operators and users and further improves the resilience of the local power community energy system. Full article

The synergistic utilization of post-mining spaces and geothermal energy through underground seasonal thermal energy storage (USTES) provides a promising pathway for sustainable heating and the low-carbon redevelopment of mining regions. To advance the thermal management and reveal the thermo-hydraulic evolution patterns within these repurposed environments, this study proposes an integrated approach that utilizes post-mining roadways as heat storage reservoirs, within the scope of a single idealized case study. A comprehensive USTES heating system model was established to systematically evaluate operational characteristics and environmental impacts under diverse conditions assuming homogeneous rock properties and idealized thermal boundaries. Results demonstrate that the surrounding ground temperature and the low thermal conductivity of the rock mass contribute to limiting heat dissipation and maintaining stable seasonal storage performance. For a roadway with a 20,000 m³ water storage capacity and an optimal 3900 m² solar collector area, the system successfully satisfies the thermal demand of 30,000 m² of building area. The configuration achieves 1239 MWh of cumulative heat storage over a 245-day cycle, maintaining a direct heating-to-heat-pump-upgraded heating ratio of 1.02. Furthermore, the implementation of variable-frequency thermal management strategies demonstrates remarkable economic and environmental superiority, yielding a 35.8% cost reduction compared to coal-fired heating, an overall energy saving rate of 77.5% relative to electric heating systems and a 13.5% decrease in CO₂ emissions relative to gas-fired systems. This research provides fundamental design parameters for the synergistic exploitation of mineral and geothermal resources, advancing the development of green heating and the sustainable utilization of post-mining spaces. Full article

The synthetic strategy relies on the highly diastereoselective alkylation at the C4 position of L-pyroglutamic acid derivatives, followed by a decarboxylation-allylation process that enables the incorporation of diverse substituents, including aromatic substituents, affording trans-3,5-disubstituted γ-lactams with excellent diastereiosmeric ratio (dr > 98:2). The resulting γ-lactams were efficiently transformed into a series of α,γ-disubstituted γ-amino acids through hydrogenation and acidic hydrolysis. Furthermore, cross-metathesis reactions with styrene and 1-decene enabled the introduction of structurally diverse lipophilic side chains, furnishing the corresponding γ-amino acids in good overall yields (71–77%) and high diastereoisomeric ratio from >98:2 to 92:8. In addition, N-allylation followed by ring-closing metathesis and hydrogenation provided access to a previously unexplored conformationally constrained γ-amino acid. Overall, seven α,γ-disubstituted γ-amino acids, including fluorinated and conformationally restricted derivatives, were synthesized from common intermediates with high stereocontrol. The developed methodology offers a versatile platform for the preparation of structurally diverse and underexplored γ-amino acid building blocks of potential interest in peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and antimicrobial agent development. Full article

Internal combustion engines are a well-established, efficient and dispatchable solution for distributed power generation and they are widely used in various sectors including grid balancing, data centers and combined heat and power systems. Current research efforts focus on further increasing efficiency, enabling decarbonization through renewable fuels and improving responsiveness to electricity demand in the presence of variable renewable energy sources. In this context, the free-piston linear generator (FPLG) stands out as a highly promising technology, as it directly converts piston motion into electricity, offering high efficiency, reduced mechanical complexity and seamless grid integration. Initially explored for its high-efficiency potential with homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion at extreme compression ratios, opposed-piston FPLGs are now commercially available for distributed power generation, delivering global efficiencies exceeding 45%, near-zero emissions and multi-fuel capability. Building on the detailed studies conducted by Svrcek and co-authors, this work investigates the power-generation potential of low-temperature homogeneous combustion using CFD simulations with detailed chemical kinetics. First, rapid compression machine (RCM) experiments with methane were reproduced in simulations to validate the proposed methodology and to consolidate experimental findings on the maximum achievable efficiency. Subsequently, an extensive RCM simulation campaign supported the identification of optimal operating conditions in terms of air–fuel ratio using methane as fuel. The RCM results enabled the definition of a preliminary methane-fueled opposed-piston FPLG configuration. Full-cycle simulations including gas exchange, mixing and combustion demonstrated an indicated efficiency of 58% at an equivalence ratio $\varphi =0.5$ and a compression ratio of 50. The key novelties of this study are the development of a novel RCM-2 configuration that more closely reproduces the dynamic behavior of an opposed-piston FPLG including air-spring effects and the introduction of a divided intake port strategy to simultaneously reduce fuel slip and mitigate knocking behaviour through charge stratification. The simulation results for the proposed configuration confirm the potential of opposed-piston FPLGs for high-efficiency power generation and highlight key parameters affecting performance and emissions formation. Full article

Collaborative business ecosystems (CBEs) face persistent disruptions, including pandemics, geopolitical instability, climate shocks, cyber threats, resource scarcity, and sustainability transition pressures. Building on prior CBE resilience–antifragility research and a mathematical framework that introduced plasticity as a viable below-baseline response trajectory, this integrative review aims to develop a sustainability-oriented framework explaining how CBEs can align response modes, strategies, capabilities, governance mechanisms, and enabling infrastructures under persistent disruption. The review synthesizes the 2019–2026 literature on sustainable business model innovation (SBMI), circular and regenerative perspectives, digital capability infrastructures, and ecosystem governance. Drawing on 99 sources, it proposes a six-layer Sustainable Resilience–Antifragility Framework for CBEs (SRA-CBE Framework), linking disruption sources, ecosystem vulnerabilities, viable response modes, strategy and capability portfolios, governance mechanisms, and sustainability-oriented outcomes. The synthesis shows that sustainable CBEs require aligned strategy bundles, adaptive and sustainability-oriented capabilities, governance arrangements that prevent collaboration and digitalization from becoming fragility sources, and enablers such as SBMI, circularity, scenario simulation, and governed digital infrastructures. The paper contributes by sharpening the link between disruption response and sustainability-oriented ecosystem design, repositioning viable response modes as design positions, and outlining managerial and research implications for sustainable collaborative ecosystems. Full article

This study investigates the structural performance and shear capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) columns characterized by diverse material and detailing deficiencies. Using a numerical modeling approach for an 8-story RC building, the research evaluates the vulnerability of a critical ground-story corner column through a nonlinear static pushover analysis. The investigation systematically examines the impact of isolated variables, including low-strength concrete, insufficient transverse reinforcement spacing, inadequate concrete cover, and the use of plain bars. The analysis demonstrates that each deficiency, when evaluated independently, induces a shear demand that exceeds capacity. Furthermore, under combined deficiency scenarios, the Performance Ratio (PR) escalates to 4.17. Two primary strengthening strategies, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wrapping and RC jacketing, were assessed for their effectiveness in restoring structural integrity. The results demonstrate that while FRP wrapping successfully reduces the PR values to safe limits (0.40–0.56) across all models, localized RC jacketing remains insufficient, with PR values exceeding the unity threshold. These findings highlight the superior efficiency of FRP in mitigating brittle shear failures in deficient RC structures and provide critical insights for element-based retrofitting practices. Full article

Probiotic lactic acid bacteria are widely recognized for their health-promoting effects. However, the use of live microorganisms may pose safety concerns and stability limitations. Consequently, postbiotics, defined as inactivated microbial cells and/or their components, have emerged as a promising alternative. This study integrates genome-guided evaluation of probiotic potential, experimental validation of in silico predictions and process optimization for the production of inactivated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DM1 and KK1 cells as postbiotics. Genome mining identified genes and gene clusters associated with metabolic versatility, antimicrobial activity, gastrointestinal stress tolerance, adhesion and prebiotic substrate utilization. Building on these findings, to generate postbiotics, the efficiency of thermal, enzymatic, mechanical and radiation-based inactivation methods was evaluated in bacterial suspensions prepared in three dairy by-product matrices: milk permeate, sweet whey and sour whey. Complete inactivation of both strain cells was achieved by thermal treatment (3 min pasteurization), γ-irradiation (3 kGy), and combined lysozyme–pasteurization treatment, whereas other treatments showed partial and matrix-dependent effects. Matrix composition significantly influenced treatment efficacy, suggesting a protective role of food components used. These findings highlight the importance of combining genome mining for potential probiotic strain characterization with robust, matrix-adapted inactivation strategies for the development of stable postbiotic formulations. Full article