Search Results (1,441)

In recent years, the design of public spaces surrounding school buildings has gained growing attention in urban planning and child-friendly city agendas. This paper examines the role of tactical urbanism in creating more Liveable School Surroundings (LSS) and introduces the LSS framework as a new lens for interpreting school-adjacent spaces as threshold environments where safety, autonomy, sustainable mobility, social interaction, and play converge. Methodologically, it develops a 12-indicator evaluation grid structured around four dimensions and applies it to a systematic comparative analysis of 30 interventions implemented in Milano, Bologna, and Torino. The analysis provides new empirical evidence on the effectiveness of tactical urbanism in this domain. Findings show that tactical interventions can rapidly enhance perceived safety and social interaction, often outperforming permanent solutions in terms of spatial reconfiguration and activation, while revealing limitations in the domains of play, climatic comfort, and cycling integration. The comparative analysis also reveals the modest scale of Italian initiatives compared to international programs, underscoring the need for stronger governance and long-term planning tools. By positioning tactical urbanism as an experimental device and a strategic lever for school-centered public space regeneration, the study offers an original contribution to international debates on child-friendly planning and proximity-based urban policies. Full article

Understanding long-term snow cover dynamics is essential in mountain regions with limited meteorological or in situ observations. This study examines seasonal snow cover evolution across the Romanian Carpathians (2000–2025) using daily MODIS/Terra MOD10A1 Cloud-Gap-Filled data at 500 m resolution. Snow-covered pixels were identified using an NDSI ≥ 40 threshold, and snow cover duration (SCD), snow onset date (SOD), and snow end date (SED) were analyzed in relation to elevation and aspect from the FABDEM, complemented by snow-covered area (SCA) and snowline elevation (SLE) metrics. Across the entire range, the snow season shortens mainly due to later onset (+0.28 days/year) and earlier melt (−0.78 days/year), resulting in an SCD decrease of −1.14 days/year. High-elevation (>2000 m) areas show only small changes (SCD: −0.13 days/year; SOD: +0.46 days/year; SED: +0.32 days/year), while the strongest reductions occur at low and mid elevations, where snow persistence is most sensitive to warming; consistent declines in seasonal SCA and a pronounced monthly SLE cycle further document the spatial expression of this variability. Uncertainty was assessed by comparison with station-based snow cover duration (n = 230 station-years), indicating strong agreement (r = 0.95) with a modest negative bias (median: −8 days) and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 16.7 days. Climate correlations highlight air temperature as the dominant covariate of interannual snow-phenology variability, whereas precipitation associations are weaker. Overall, these shifts in snow phenology highlight increasing instability of the Carpathian snow regime and emphasize the value of long-term MODIS observations for tracking cryospheric change in a warming southeastern European mountain system. Full article

Land use change driven by accelerated urbanization in Mongolia has precipitated significant degradation of urban riverine ecosystems over the past two decades. This study investigates hydrological transformations in the Selbe River Catchment of Ulaanbaatar, a cold semi-arid urban system undergoing intensive densification. Using the Site-scale Urban Water Mass Balance Assessment (SUWMBA) framework, we quantified water cycle dynamics across four temporal intervals (2008, 2010, 2018, and 2023), capturing shifts in surface runoff, infiltration, and evapotranspiration associated with land use transitions. Calibration and validation employed discharge records from the Selbe-Dambadarjaa gauging station. Results show that total inflows increased from 223 to 312 mm between 2008 and 2023, driven by a more than twentyfold rise in imported water (from 1 to 22 mm). Evapotranspiration declined by roughly one-third, while infiltration displayed a threshold-type non-linear response—rising sharply between 2010 and 2018 before decreasing again in 2023 as imperviousness intensified. Model performance weakened after 2018, underscoring the limitations of conventional hydrological frameworks in rapidly urbanizing contexts. A redevelopment scenario for the Selbe Sub-Center, aligned with the Ulaanbaatar City Master Plan 2040, projected substantially reduced evapotranspiration (132 mm) and markedly increased stormwater runoff (270 mm), reflecting expanded impervious cover and diminished vegetation. Imported water and wastewater flows (each 386 mm) also increased due to full connection to centralized supply and sewerage infrastructure, indicating a shift toward engineered water pathways and reduced hydrological connectivity to the Selbe River. These findings highlight the urgency of water-sensitive urban design and provide evidence directly informing Mongolia’s 2040 Urban Master Plan and decentralization strategy. The study establishes methodological precedent for applying SUWMBA to cold, semi-arid catchments and contributes quantitative insights for integrated land–water management policies. Full article

Accredited laboratories participating in Proficiency Testing (PT) and Interlaboratory Comparison (ILC) typically submit measurement results (and associated uncertainties) to an organizer for performance evaluation using statistics such as the z-score and the En value. This requirement can undermine confidentiality when the disclosed plaintext values reveal commercially sensitive methods or client-related information. This paper proposes a secure-by-design PT/ILC workflow based on fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), enabling the required scoring computations to be executed directly on ciphertexts. Using the CKKS scheme (Microsoft SEAL), the organizer distributes encrypted assigned values and a public/evaluation key set; each participant locally encrypts pre-processed measurement data, evaluates encrypted z-score and En value, and returns only encrypted performance metrics. The organizer decrypts the metrics without receiving the ciphertexts of participants’ raw measurement values. We quantify feasibility via execution time, run-to-run variability across fresh key generations (coefficient of variation), and relative calculation error versus plaintext scoring. On commodity hardware, end-to-end score computation takes 1 to 8 s, the coefficient of variation can be reduced below 1e⁻¹⁰, and the relative error remains below 1e⁻⁶, indicating practical deployability and numerical stability for PT/ILC decision-making. Given that PT/ILC reporting cycles are typically on the order of days to weeks, a per-participant computation time of seconds is operationally negligible, while the observed coefficient of variation and relative error indicate that the CKKS approximation and key-dependent variability are far below typical decision thresholds used for pass/fail classification. Full article

The main goal of this paper is to present a new way of processing a video file using a combination of multiple quantum methods. The design is built upon the novel enhanced quantum representation technique, NEQR, which is then expanded using ideas such as image segmentation, implemented with the help of one or multiple comparators, binarization and cycle shift. This approach allows us to process all frames in parallel according to the desired parameters—one or more thresholds. A demonstration circuit for the proposed design, using a couple of frames, that sums together all the concepts is implemented using the Python programming language and Qiskit open-source framework, made available by IBM. The circuits are analyzed in the experimental section, using the Simulator component and configured using the noise properties of real devices, where we present different relevant metrics obtained by processing the simulation results. Full article

Soil mulching materials play an important role in regulating the greenhouse crop microclimate, as they influence light distribution, plant physiological activity, and crop yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two plastic mulches (black polypropylene and white polyethylene mulch) on the microclimate, photosynthetic activity, crop development, yield, and fruit quality of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) grown under greenhouse conditions. The trial was developed during a spring–summer growing cycle in a single multispan greenhouse divided into two compartments (sectors) separated by a vertical polyethylene sheet. In the eastern sector of the greenhouse (control treatment), a black polypropylene agrotextile mulch with a thickness of 2500 μm was installed, while in the western sector, a white polyethylene plastic mulch (black on the inner side) with a thickness of 30 μm was used. The use of white polyethylene mulch resulted in slightly higher mean and maximum PAR inside the greenhouse by up to 3.7% compared with black polypropylene mulch, leading to slightly higher leaf-level PAR and net photosynthetic rate. Although no significant differences were observed in plant morphology or fruit quality parameters, marketable yield increased by 66% and total yield by 40% under white polyethylene mulch. Slight increases in internal air temperature were recorded without exceeding critical thresholds, while relative humidity remained largely unaffected. The use of reflective mulches may represent a promising low-cost and sustainable strategy to improve pepper yield and radiation-use efficiency in passively ventilated greenhouse systems under Mediterranean climatic conditions. Full article

The durability of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP)–concrete interface is a critical indicator for assessing the service life of composite structures in cold regions. This study systematically investigates the normal bond behavior under coupled deicing salt and freeze–thaw cycles through single-sided salt-frost tests on 126 specimens. The influence of surface roughness, number of freeze–thaw cycles, concrete strength grade, and CFRP material type was systematically evaluated. The results demonstrate that bond behavior is positively correlated with surface roughness, with the f₂ interface exhibiting optimal performance and increasing the ultimate capacity by up to 76.61% compared to the smooth interface. CFRP cloth showed superior bond retention compared to CFRP plates, which experienced a bond strength loss rate up to 26.90% higher than cloth specimens after six cycles. A critical performance threshold was identified between six and eight cycles, where the failure mode transitioned from cohesive adhesive failure to brittle interfacial debonding. Concrete matrix strength had a negligible effect compared to the dominant environmental damage. A two-parameter prediction model based on cycle count and roughness was established with high accuracy. SEM analysis confirmed that epoxy resin cracking, fiber–matrix debonding, and microcrack propagation in the concrete surface layer were the fundamental causes of macroscopic mechanical degradation. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for optimizing interface treatment and predicting the structural integrity of CFRP-strengthened systems in salt-frost regions. Full article

Small island developing states (SIDS) face persistent energy security challenges due to heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels, with Jamaica experiencing residential electricity costs often exceeding 0.30 USD/kWh. This study presents the first national-scale, spatially explicit assessment of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) potential around Jamaica, integrating oceanographic conditions, bathymetry, and infrastructure constraints with an archival-calibrated economic framework. Vertical thermal gradients between surface (20 m) and deep (1000 m) waters consistently exceed the 20 °C threshold required for closed-cycle operation across the entire Exclusive Economic Zone. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified five priority offshore zones where steep bathymetry enables deep-water access within 5–15 km of the coastline. To ensure technical realism, economic screening was calibrated against archival benchmarks adjusted via the U.S. Manufacturing Price Index (MPI). Results indicate that 10 MW offshore configurations yield a mean levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of 0.81 USD/kWh, exceeding current retail benchmarks. However, a strategic “economic window” was identified for near-shore onshore configurations; specifically, site ON-4 achieves an LCOE of 0.26 USD/kWh, effectively undercutting Jamaica’s all-in residential electricity price (≈0.33 USD/kWh). While offshore OTEC remains capital-intensive at the 10 MW scale, this study demonstrates that Jamaica’s exceptional nearshore bathymetry provides a credible pathway for first-of-a-kind onshore deployment, offering a stable, baseload alternative to volatile imported fuels. Full article

This study evaluates the mechanical properties and durability of novel self-shrinking chitosan fibers incorporated into a High-Performance Concrete (HPC) matrix. The cementitious system comprised a 75–25% blend of Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) and Ground Glass Pozzolan (GGP). Two variants of chitosan—food-grade and high-grade—were processed into fibers and integrated at dosages of 0.36%, 0.73%, and 1.45% by weight of binder, alongside a 0% control group. The experimental program assessed eight distinct mixtures through extended freeze–thaw testing (up to 602 cycles), electrical resistance monitoring, and compressive strength evaluation at 56 and 90 days. Results indicated that food-grade chitosan fibers caused a substantial reduction in compressive strength, ranging from 40% to 70% depending on the dosage. Despite this mechanical loss, these mixtures showed localized improvements in freeze–thaw resistance and electrical resistivity. Conversely, the high-grade chitosan fibers exhibited severe performance degradation under freeze–thaw cycling; all reinforced groups fell below 80% relative dynamic modulus, with two mixtures dropping below the 60% failure threshold. In comparison, the control mixture retained 98% of its dynamic modulus after 602 cycles. Ultimately, the findings suggest that, in their current formulation, self-shrinking chitosan fibers do not provide consistent or reliable enhancements to the structural integrity or durability of high-performance concrete. Full article

This follow-up study expands on our previous work demonstrating that a PCR cycle threshold (Ct)–guided diagnostic approach improves the management of pediatric Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and reduces unnecessary treatment of colonized children. We evaluated the performance of the Gastroenteritis PCR Panel by QIAstat-Dx as a standalone method in combination with the PCR cycle threshold (Ct) value in PCR-positive samples to predict the presence of free toxins. In addition, we evaluated the impact of reporting toxin production results based on PCR Ct value alongside a comment in our electronic medical record. The QIAstat-Dx assay achieved 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV), with a specificity of 69% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 63%. When 16 false-positive samples that were co-infected with other enteropathogens were excluded, the specificity increased to 97%. We observed a significant decrease (51% vs. 68%) in the proportion of treated patients in this study compared to the pre-intervention period of our previous study (p = 0.04). In contrast, a minor, non-significant 5% increase (p = 0.60) was observed in this study compared with the post-intervention period (45% treated) from the previous study. These findings demonstrate that Ct-guided diagnostic strategies continue to enhance C. difficile diagnostic precision and help limit inappropriate antibiotic use in our pediatric population. Full article

Background/Objectives: The combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy represents a standard adjuvant treatment for patients with high-risk endometrial cancer. However, limited access to radiotherapy in many healthcare systems frequently results in treatment delays, potentially compromising outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oncologic outcomes and toxicity profile of an inverted treatment sequence consisting of upfront chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center study including patients with non-metastatic high-risk endometrial cancer. Eligible patients had FIGO stage I grade 3 disease with lymphovascular space invasion, stage II–III disease, or non-endometrioid histology. All patients received four cycles of paclitaxel–carboplatin followed by pelvic radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin. Survival outcomes, including local recurrence-free survival, disease-free survival, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival, were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models. Acute hematologic toxicity was graded according to CTCAE v5.0. Bone marrow dose–volume parameters were evaluated, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify thresholds associated with grade ≥ 2 hematologic toxicity. Results: Fifty-two patients were included, with a median follow-up of 31.4 months. Five-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 86.1% and 77.5%, respectively. Ten patients relapsed, with distant metastases observed in all cases and synchronous local recurrence in one. Delays between surgery and radiotherapy of 20 weeks or more, as well as delays exceeding 10 weeks before initiation of chemotherapy, were associated with significantly reduced disease-free survival. Grade ≥ 2 hematologic toxicity was frequent, and neutropenia was associated with inferior overall survival. Bone marrow dose–volume thresholds predictive of hematologic toxicity included V40 Gy < 20–25% and V30 Gy < 40%. Conclusions: A chemotherapy-first adjuvant strategy provides favorable oncologic outcomes and excellent locoregional control in high-risk endometrial cancer when radiotherapy is delayed. However, increased hematologic toxicity highlights the importance of optimized bone marrow sparing. Full article

Background/Objectives: Patients with WPW syndrome have a risk of sudden cardiac death that can be assessed using an electrophysiological study. In symptomatic patients, the preferred route is intracardiac, whereas in asymptomatic children, transesophageal. Our study aimed to evaluate the risk using a transesophageal study, considering a threshold age of 12 years for sedation. Methods: We investigated 41 asymptomatic WPW children with a mean age of 12.5 ± 4.4 years (range 1 to 18 years old), with 48.8% being male. We determined three values: (1) the accessory pathway effective refractory period (APERP), (2) the minimal cycle length demonstrating 1:1 conduction through the accessory pathway, and (3) the shortest RR interval between two consecutive pre-excited beats during atrial fibrillation. Results: Children under 12 years had a mean age of 7.5 ± 2.5 years, while those over 12 years had a mean age of 15.5 ± 1.9 years. Sedation was administered exclusively to children under 12 years of age. Orthodromic reentrant tachycardia was induced in four children, and atrial fibrillation was induced in 14 children. Comparing the group under 12 with the group over 12, the mean APERP was 296 ± 38 ms vs. 286 ± 45 ms (p = 0.48), the average 1:1 conduction over the accessory pathway was 287.3 ± 41 ms vs. 282 ± 46 ms (p = 0.71), and the average shortest pre-excited RR interval during atrial fibrillation was 280 ms vs. 262 ms years (p = 0.75). Conclusions: Asymptomatic children under 12 years of age showed a lower incidence of inducible atrial fibrillation. They had accessory pathways with reduced risk, except one, and no children under 12 years underwent catheter ablation. Full article

Globally, grasslands, savannas, and wetlands are degrading rapidly and increasingly being replaced by woody vegetation. Woody Plant Encroachment (WPE) disrupts natural landscapes and has significant consequences for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and key ecosystem services. This review synthesizes findings from 159 peer-reviewed studies identified through a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review to evaluate the drivers of WPE, its ecological impacts, and the remote sensing (RS) approaches used to monitor it. The drivers of WPE are multifaceted, involving interactions among climate variability, topographic and edaphic conditions, hydrological change, land use transitions, and altered fire and grazing regimes, while its impacts are similarly diverse, influencing land cover structure, water and nutrient cycles, carbon and nitrogen dynamics, and broader implications for ecosystem resilience. Over the past two decades, RS has become central to WPE monitoring, with studies employing classification techniques, spectral mixture analysis, object-based image analysis, change detection, thresholding, landscape pattern and fragmentation metrics, and increasingly, machine learning and deep learning methods. Looking forward, emerging advances such as multi-sensor fusion (optical– synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)–hyperspectral), cloud-based platforms including Google Earth Engine, Microsoft Planetary Computer, and Digital Earth, and geospatial foundation models offer new opportunities for scalable, automated, and long-term monitoring. Despite these innovations, challenges remain in detecting early-stage encroachment, subcanopy woody growth, and species-specific patterns across heterogeneous landscapes. Key knowledge gaps highlighted in this review include the need for long-term monitoring frameworks, improved socio-ecological integration, species- and ecosystem-specific RS approaches, better utilization of SAR, and broader adoption of analysis-ready data and open-source platforms. Addressing these gaps will enable more effective, context-specific strategies to monitor, manage, and mitigate WPE in rapidly changing environments. Full article

SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a highly transmissible, enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus that has mutated into several variants, complicating vaccine strategies and drug resistance. Novel treatment modalities targeting conserved structural vulnerable points are essential to combat these variants. The primary aim of the current study is to test the mechanical vulnerability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus envelope and spike proteins to focused, high-frequency ultrasound waves (25 MHz) in vitro. Utilizing a preliminary pretest and posttest study design, the study was conducted on a virus sample within a distilled water matrix, under controlled laboratory biosafety conditions. Since detailed imaging tools were unavailable, viral disruption was indirectly measured using real-time PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values. Ct values increased significantly after high-frequency ultrasound exposure, indicating a reduction in amplifiable viral genomic material. A paired t-test indicated a significant difference between the pretest and posttest Ct (p < 0.001), which is supported by Monte Carlo test results that revealed statistically significant shifting in viral load categories (p = 0.001, two-sided). Specifically, 85.7% of high-viral-load samples converted to low or moderate content, 46.7% of low or moderate samples were shifted to negative content. This intervention produced a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.422). These results indicate that ultrasound may offer a promising non-pharmacological approach to destroy or inactivate SARS-CoV-2 variants in an aqueous environment. Full article

The end-to-end efficiency of radio-frequency (RF)-powered wireless communication networks (WPCNs) in post-disaster underground mine environments can be enhanced through adaptive beamforming. The primary challenges in such scenarios include (i) identifying the most energy-constrained nodes, i.e., nodes with the lowest residual energy to prevent the loss of tracking and localization functionality; (ii) avoiding reliance on the computationally intensive channel state information (CSI) acquisition process; and (iii) ensuring long-range RF wireless power transfer (LoRa-RFWPT). To address these issues, this paper introduces an adaptive and safety-aware deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework for energy beamforming in LoRa-enabled underground disaster networks. Specifically, we develop a Safe Adaptive Deep Q-Network (SADQN) that incorporates residual energy awareness to enhance energy harvesting under mobility, while also formulating a SADQN approach with dual-variable updates to mitigate constraint violations associated with fairness, minimum energy thresholds, duty cycle, and uplink utilization. A mathematical model is proposed to capture the dynamics of post-disaster underground mine environments, and the problem is formulated as a constrained Markov decision process (CMDP). To address the inherent NP hardness of this constrained reinforcement learning (CRL) formulation, we employ a Lagrangian relaxation technique to reduce complexity and derive near-optimal solutions. Comprehensive simulation results demonstrate that SADQN significantly outperforms all baseline algorithms: increasing cumulative harvested energy by approximately 11% versus DQN, 15% versus Safe-DQN, and 40% versus PSO, and achieving substantial gains over random beamforming and non-beamforming approaches. The proposed SADQN framework maintains fairness indices above 0.90, converges 27% faster than Safe-DQN and 43% faster than standard DQN in terms of episodes, and demonstrates superior stability, with 33% lower performance variance than Safe-DQN and 66% lower than DQN after convergence, making it particularly suitable for safety-critical underground mining disaster scenarios where reliable energy delivery and operational stability are paramount. Full article