Search Results (850)

This paper considers how a system designer can program a team of autonomous agents to coordinate with one another such that each agent selects (or covers) an individual resource with the goal that all agents collectively cover the maximum number of resources. Specifically, we study how agents can formulate strategies without information about other agents’ actions so that system-level performance remains robust in the presence of communication failures. First, we use an algorithmic approach to study the scenario in which all agents lose the ability to communicate with one another, have a symmetric set of resources to choose from, and select actions independently according to a probability distribution over the resources. We show that the distribution that maximizes the expected system-level objective under this approach can be computed by solving a convex optimization problem, and we introduce a novel polynomial-time heuristic based on subset selection. Further, both of the methods are guaranteed to be within $1-1/e$ of the system’s optimal in expectation. Second, we use a learning-based approach to study how a system designer can employ neural networks to approximate optimal agent strategies in the presence of communication failures. The neural network, trained on system-level optimal outcomes obtained through brute-force enumeration, generates utility functions that enable agents to make decisions in a distributed manner. Empirical results indicate the neural network often outperforms greedy and randomized baseline algorithms. Collectively, these findings provide a broad study of optimal agent behavior and its impact on system-level performance when the information available to agents is extremely limited. Full article

Transanal Irrigation (TAI) and Colon Hydrotherapy (CHT) represent emerging therapeutic options that may complement first-line interventions or serve as rescue treatments for chronic constipation and fecal incontinence. Their clinical utility depends on patient characteristics, specific therapeutic goals, device features, and probe type, as well as the procedural setting. This review presents the various pathophysiological contexts in which these techniques can be applied, analyzing their specific characteristics and potential pros and cons. Moreover, these interventions are also considered within a Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immunological (PNEI) framework, given the potential influence of intestinal function and microbiota modulation on the bidirectional communication pathways linking the enteric nervous system, neuroendocrine regulation, immune activity, and global patient well-being. Since there is not yet enough scientific data on this topic, future research should prioritize randomized controlled trials comparing these techniques with other standard treatments (e.g., laxatives or dietary fiber) in defined patient populations. Longitudinal studies will also be essential to clarify long-term safety, potential effects on microbiota, and both risks and benefits. Standardization of technical procedures also remains a critical need, especially regarding professional competencies, operating parameters (e.g., instilled volumes and pressure ranges), and reproducible protocols. Moreover, future investigations should incorporate objective outcome measures, as colonic transit time, stool form and frequency, indices of inflammation or intestinal wall integrity, and changes to microbiome composition. In conclusion, TAI and CHT have the potential to serve as important interventions for the treatment and prevention of chronic constipation and intestinal dysbiosis, as well as their broader systemic correlates, in the setting of bio-integrated medicine. Full article

Under the “dual carbon” goals, enhancing the energy supply for communication base stations is crucial for energy conservation and emission reduction. An individual base station with wind/photovoltaic (PV)/storage system exhibits limited scalability, resulting in poor economy and reliability. To address this, a collaborative power supply scheme for communication base station group is proposed. This paper establishes a capacity optimization configuration model for such integrated system and introduces a hybrid solution methodology combining random scenario analysis, Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), and Generalized Power Mean (GPM). Typical scenarios are solved using NSGA-II to generate a candidate solution set, which is then refined under operational constraints. The GPM method is applied to determine the final configuration by accounting for attribute correlations. A case study on a Chinese base station group, considering uncertainties in renewable generation, demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach. Full article

Background: Schools play a central role in child development and socialization and can function as protective environments that mitigate the effects of adversity. Building on the Social Ecological Model and Community School Transformation, we propose a “Schools-as-Neighborhoods” framework that conceptualizes schools as intentionally designed microenvironments capable of generating social capital, promoting positive childhood experiences, and buffering harmful neighborhood exposures through trauma-informed programming. Methods: We conducted a convergent mixed-methods study across four public and charter schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving grades five through nine. STRYV365’s peak team and Brain Agents gamified intervention were implemented between 2022–2024. Quantitative surveys and qualitative data assessed students’ lived experiences, exposure to adversity, emotional awareness, coping skills, and school connectedness/climate across multiple waves. Results: Across the four schools (n = 1626 students), baseline academic proficiency was low, and exposure to adversity was high among surveyed participants (n = 321), including bereavement (74%) and family incarceration (56%). Despite these challenges, qualitative findings revealed strengthened emotional regulation, empathy, motivation, and goal setting among students engaged in trauma-informed programming. Teachers reported improved peer interaction and community building during sustained implementation. Conclusion: The Schools-as-Neighborhoods framework highlights the value of trauma-informed, relationship-centered school environments in promoting student well-being. By positioning schools as cohesive ecosystems that foster belonging and cultivate social capital, this approach offers educators and policymakers a pathway for mitigating the effects of hostile lived environments and supporting students’ mental health, social development, and engagement in learning. Full article

In urban design, public open spaces (POS) are essential for enhancing health and well-being across the lifetime. High-quality public open spaces facilitate the maintenance of optimal physical and mental health in older individuals by encouraging activities like physical exercise and social engagement. Preserving the physical and mental well-being of elderly individuals is a fundamental concern for aging policy. Nevertheless, urbanization presents considerable problems with the provision of public open spaces for activities aimed at the elderly. South Korea has more significant issues than other nations globally. This study, based on data from 477 valid questionnaires collected in and around Tapgol Park in Jung-gu, Seoul, employed a decision tree approach to identify key factors and paths that influence overall satisfaction. The goal was to identify decision paths that improve satisfaction while ensuring interpretability, thereby providing a scientific basis for urban space design and renovation. The results show that: (1) The decision tree of this study presents a hierarchical logic of quietness first, then accessibility and cleanliness, and finally price and vitality, which is consistent with the high frequency of use of Tapgol Park by the elderly and the diverse facilities in the surrounding area. (2) The key to improving the management and satisfaction of Tapgol Park in Seoul is the quietness of the site. (3) When the park is not quiet, users are most sensitive to bottom-line factors, such as commercial supply, evacuation safety, transportation accessibility, price perception, barrier-free, and anti-slips. (4) When the park is quiet, basic comfort factors such as smooth walking, all-day opening, sunlight, and no odor constitute the minimum condition set for entering the comfort zone. (5) Water experience, waterfront accessibility, proximity to cultural resources, and moderate business and community-oriented leisure facilities are key plus points. Methodologically, this study is among the first to apply a decision tree approach to low-income elderly using a small public open space in a historic city center, clarifying the nonlinear and hierarchical relationships among environmental factors within these low-income elderly groups. This provides empirical support and reference for the aging-friendly urban space in world heritage cities and other historical and cultural cities. Full article

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a growing public health challenge worldwide, disproportionately affecting populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Poor glycemic control contributes significantly to the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), increasing morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Understanding behavioral and lifestyle determinants is critical for designing effective public health strategies, particularly in resource-limited settings such as Lesotho. A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted among 184 adults with T2DM attending the out-patient department of Maluti Adventist Hospital, Lesotho. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed descriptively with SPSS 26 Variables assessed included sociodemographic, dietary practices, physical activity, behavioral risk factors and self-care knowledge. Participants were predominantly aged 45–69 years (65.2%), with an equal sex distribution. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (65.2%). Risk factor exposure was widespread, 100% consumed fewer than five daily servings of fruits/vegetables, 95.1% reported insufficient physical activity, and 88.0% had elevated blood pressure. Overall, 86.4% had three or more NCD risk factors. Knowledge levels were intermediate, with 33.2% scoring poor, 52.7% moderate, and only 14.1% good. Glycemic control was suboptimal, with 40.8% uncontrolled. This study highlights the urgent public health need to address lifestyle and behavioral determinants of poor glycemic control in Lesotho. Tailored interventions focusing on dietary education, physical activity promotion, and routine monitoring are essential to reduce NCD risks and improve outcomes. The findings have broader implications for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 on reducing premature NCD mortality in LMICs. Strengthening culturally sensitive health promotion, community-based interventions, and integrated chronic disease care models could significantly advance diabetes prevention and control in low-resource settings. Full article

The paper introduces a real-time digital-twin controller that manages evacuation routes while operating GEEM for emergency energy management during building fires. The system consists of three interconnected parts which include (i) a physics-based hazard surrogate for short-term smoke and temperature field prediction from sensor data (ii), a router system that manages path updates for individual users and controls exposure and network congestion (iii), and an energy management system that regulates the exchange between PV power and battery storage and diesel fuel and grid electricity to preserve vital life-safety operations while reducing both power usage and environmental carbon output. The system operates through independent modules that function autonomously to preserve operational stability when sensors face delays or communication failures, and it meets Industry 5.0 requirements through its implementation of auditable policy controls for hazard penalties, fairness weight, and battery reserve floor settings. We evaluate the controller in co-simulation across multiple building layouts and feeder constraints. The proposed method achieves superior performance to existing AI/RL baselines because it reduces near-worst-case egress time ($T_{95}$ and worst-case exposure) and decreases both event energy $E_{\mathrm{e}\mathrm{v}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{t}}$ and CO₂-equivalent ${{CO}_2}_{\mathrm{e}\mathrm{v}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{t}}$ while upholding all capacity, exposure cap, and grid import limit constraints. A high-VRE, tight-feeder stress test shows how reserve management, flexible-load shedding, and PV curtailment can achieve trade-offs between unserved critical load $U_{\mathrm{e}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{g}\mathrm{y}}$ and emissions. The team delivers implementation details together with reporting templates to assist researchers in reaching reproducibility goals. The research shows that emergency energy systems, which integrate evacuation systems, achieve better safety results and environmental advantages that enable smart-city integration through digital thread operations throughout design, commissioning, and operational stages. Full article

The international community has devoted substantial resources to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4—Quality Education—but achievement gaps persist. In English as a foreign language (EFL) setting, vocabulary acquisition is often regarded as a tedious task. Game-based learning in playful narratives and rule-based interactions has established the premise of enhancing undergraduates’ learning outcomes and motivation; thus, it may also enhance learning outcomes and motivation among students. This study examines the impact of game-based learning on students’ learning outcomes and motivation compared to that of a lecture-based learning context. It also aims to explore the impact of demographic factors, such as gender and prior English proficiency. There are 129 participants: 42 male and 87 female. To ensure that all students benefit from the GBL environment, we explored their demographic background, including their prior English proficiency and gender. The results showed that students had greater gains in the GBL environment, especially those with lower English proficiency. The study finds a gender preference for game types, as well as an association between students’ satisfaction and confidence. The results indicated that integrating board games into English instruction can enhance undergraduates’ motivation and learning outcomes. A game-based context can enhance students’ motivation and learning outcomes regardless of their gender or prior English proficiency. Full article

This study investigates how virtual communication differs from in-person interaction across physiological and behavioral domains, with the goal of informing future interface design. Using a naturalistic setup, we recorded multimodal biosignals, including eye tracking, head and hand movement, heart rate, respiratory rate, and EEG during both in-person and video-based dialogues. Our results show that virtual communication significantly reduces movement and gaze dynamics, particularly in horizontal eye movements and lateral head motion, reflecting both sender- and receiver-side constraints. These physical limitations likely stem from the need to remain within the camera frame and the restricted access to nonverbal cues. Pupil dilation was significantly greater during in-person conversations, consistent with increased arousal during natural communication. Heart rate and EEG trends similarly suggested heightened engagement in face-to-face settings, though interpretation of EEG was limited by movement artifacts. Together, the findings highlight how virtual platforms alter embodied interaction, underscoring the need to address both mobility and visual access in future communication technologies to better support co-presence. Full article

This study aimed to understand the contributing factors to cohesion in women’s refugee resettlement networks in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In 2022, forty women across four networks participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews in an exploratory study into a social phenomenon of community-building with refugee women resettling on the island of Ireland. We identified four themes through reflexive thematic analysis. Motherhood and Strength of Relationships related to the networks’ interactions and effect on members’ lives, whereas Leadership Dynamics and Goal Setting and Problem Solving related to the networks’ structure and practices. This study offers evidence of how members viewed their networks as having a transformative power in the process of resettling their lives in Ireland for themselves and their families. Full article

For the development of a green future, managerial decision making at the local level plays an important role. The study is dedicated to the analysis of the current state of green areas, and development and rehabilitation of green areas in the territorial communities of Ukraine. The goal of the study is the development of a set of measures to create a sustainable green infrastructure at the local level in Ukraine. The main trends of green land policies by territorial communities were substantiated: keeping the natural afforestation of agricultural land; the development and rehabilitation of water conservation zones, windbreak belts, anti-erosion forests, green belts of inhabited areas, and nature conservation or recreation areas; and promoting gardening. A land reallotment methodology, which allows for the expansion of a spatial environment for the development and rehabilitation of green areas was suggested. The methods and approaches presented were tested in the Petrivska Territorial Community of Kyiv Region. The presented measures allow for an increase the green area of a territorial community by 1,084,352 m². The approach allows for the minimization of the condemnation of land from landowners, creates a more comfortable environment for the population, facilitates the effectiveness of agriculture due to containing the erosion, and conservation of natural landscapes. The research findings approved that the main challenges for the implementation of green policies are the acquisition of land for green areas in the environment of the historically established land use, and controlling the sustainable use of green areas and their surroundings responsibly to prevent their violation. Full article

In this article, I underscore the value of nuanced, speaker-focused approaches to dialect contact, which both complement and extend community-based perspectives. I pursue this goal through two main strategies. First, I use a mixed-methods approach that integrates diverse sources of contextualized conversational data alongside spontaneous metalinguistic commentary. This broadens the traditional reliance on one-on-one sociolinguistic interviews, in which the regional backgrounds of both interviewees and interviewers are often left uncontrolled. Second, I use an interpretative framework that accounts for individuals’ metalinguistic awareness and examines how this awareness influences their positioning within distinct membership categories. Such positioning is evident in language practices, ranging from accommodation to interlocutors’ speech patterns to the retention of regional variation patterns. The analysis centers on the speech of five individuals in a Spanish dialect contact setting in Anglo-America, using their linguistic behavior as a lens to address broader theoretical and methodological questions in the field. Full article

Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based emotion recognition has emerged as a key enabler for semantic communication systems in next-generation networks (5G-Advanced/6G), where the goal is to transmit task-relevant semantic information rather than raw signals. However, domain adaptation approaches for EEG emotion recognition typically assume closed-set label spaces and fail when unseen emotional classes arise, leading to negative transfer and degraded semantic fidelity. To address this challenge, we propose a Coarse-to-Fine Open-set Domain Adaptation (C2FDA) framework, which aligns with the semantic communication paradigm by extracting and transmitting only the emotion-related semantics necessary for task performance. C2FDA integrates a cognition-inspired spatio-temporal graph encoder with a coarse-to-fine sample separation pipeline and instance-weighted adversarial alignment. The framework distinguishes between known and unknown emotional states in the target domain, ensuring that only semantically relevant information is communicated, while novel states are flagged as unknown. Experiments on SEED, SEED-IV, and SEED-V datasets demonstrate that C2FDA achieves superior open-set adaptation performance, with average accuracies of 41.5% (SEED → SEED-IV), 42.6% (SEED → SEED-V), and 48.9% (SEED-IV → SEED-V), significantly outperforming state-of-the-art baselines. These results confirm that C2FDA provides a semantic communication-driven solution for robust EEG-based emotion recognition in 6G-oriented human–machine interaction scenarios. Full article

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set the criteria for sustainable economic development. These goals encompass four dimensions, including social, human, economic, and environment, of which the last two goals (i.e., economic and environment) were contemplated in this study. A case study for Corner Brook, a middle-sized city, located in the western region of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, revealed that the current urban water use pricing mechanism is not matched with the SDGs, which reflects impediments to the city’s achievements to become a sustainable economic development community. Residents are billed a fixed rate for water use rather than a tiered or usage-based rate. This is not a resilient policy, as it fails to conserve water resources, ultimately leading to wasting freshwater produce, inhibiting economic growth, creating social exclusion, and degrading natural resources. We recommend changing the current flat-rate based water billing mechanism to either increasing block tariffs or two-part tariffs, adjusted by seasonal rates; issuing governmental policies, such as rebates, subsidies, and lower property taxes to entice residents’ willingness-to-install water meters on their premises; encouraging provisions such as using rain barrels to help cut down water consumption; and raising public knowledge through social media on how high per capita water use is in the region, including how much it costs to install water meters. These recommendations will also help provincial and municipal policymakers pursue the SDGs. Full article

Employers are highlighting the importance of knowledge and professional skills, including personal, interpersonal, communication, and thinking, in their quest for graduates who are prepared for the workforce. Collaborative research is an essential toolbox that integrates knowledge, skills, and attitudes, which is important for future engineers; nonetheless, undergraduate students often struggle to engage effectively in this key competency. This study presents an undergraduate sustainability research experience (CUSRE) that is built into two courses, utilizing a collaborative-based learning (CBL) setting aimed at creating knowledge, improving skills and competencies, encouraging inclusivity, and advancing equitable education. The objective of the study is to narrow the achievement gap, improve graduation rates, and boost students’ enthusiasm and readiness for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It encompasses a strategy that integrates key approaches, including collaborative research, sustainability as a core value and practice, and educational equity supported by compensatory pedagogy that emphasizes teamwork. Introduced at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) in Canada, the initiative engaged students to deepen their understanding of the SDGs through research cases and projects. This experience yielded significant knowledge gains and a considerable success rate among participants. Moreover, it has been successfully scaled and adapted for the Global Banking School (GBS) in the UK, thereby broadening its impact to a larger audience. Full article