Search Results (332)

The earthquake doublet on 6 February 2023 served as an important test in Türkiye. It helped assess the vulnerability of Türkiye’s building stock under different seismic loading conditions across a large region. The widespread destruction and casualties observed in heavily damaged cities following the 6 February 2023 earthquakes served as a warning. This urged a re-evaluation of the seismic performance assessment framework and risk mitigation strategies. Seismic isolation technology is considered the best method for earthquake-resilient design. Passive control systems are primarily preferred for use in critical facilities, such as healthcare complexes and data centers. Properly designed seismically isolated hospital buildings exhibited superior performance during the 6 February 2023 earthquakes compared to fixed-base counterparts. However, their use in residential buildings in Türkiye is still limited due to impediments such as stringent code requirements and peer review processes. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the ELF procedure in the Turkish Seismic Design Code-2018, incorporating two site-specific studies and earthquake record scaling in Antakya city center. Moreover, it examines the influence of considering directivity effects for using seismic isolation systems in regions with high seismicity. An effective and rapid evaluation procedure is employed for the inelastic response of seismically isolated residential buildings in accordance with the TSDC-2018 without needing any particular academic or commercial software. A suite of differential equations using the design parameters is arranged to represent the overall dynamics of seismically isolated buildings. Disregarding the directivity effects in site-specific studies for the selected construction site in Antakya city center can result in large earthquake demands and careful attention should be given to reconstruction studies for urban planning and more detailed studies should be carried out including other complex mechanisms experienced during the 6 February 2023 Türkiye earthquake doublet. Full article

The Set Covering Problem is a fundamental NP-hard problem in combinatorial optimization and plays a central role in a wide range of industrial decision-making processes, including logistics planning, scheduling, facility location, network design, and resource allocation. In many real-world contexts, problems of this type are large in scale and highly constrained, which makes exact solution methods computationally impractical and encourages the use of metaheuristic approaches capable of producing high-quality solutions within limited time budgets. In this work, we propose a discrete adaptation of the Dream Optimization Algorithm, focusing on the challenges that emerge when algorithms originally designed for continuous search spaces are applied to binary and strongly constrained models. The continuous search process is mapped onto the binary decision space through a fixed discretization scheme. As a consequence of this transformation, some constraints may not be met, underscoring the importance of effective feasibility restoration mechanisms. Because the discretization stage may produce infeasible solutions and frequently induces plateaus that hinder further improvement, an explicit repair phase becomes necessary to restore feasibility and promote effective search progression. To strengthen this process, the study introduces an adaptive control mechanism based on bandit driven operator selection, which dynamically chooses among different repair procedures during the search. Experimental results on benchmark instances show that the proposed approach consistently achieves high quality solutions with low relative deviation from known optima and stable behavior across independent runs. Full article

This study investigates the gasification of pistachio shells for the co-production of biochar and renewable energy, integrating process simulation, energy recovery, and techno-economic–environmental assessment. The investigation has been carried out by experimental tests in a 30 kg/h downdraft gasification–cogeneration system and process simulation. The zero-dimensional simulation model, validated against first-hand experimental data, was used to evaluate two operational scenarios differing in biochar yield (10% and 17%) and energy yield. The integration of the gasification–CHP system with a representative pistachio-processing facility (500 t yr⁻¹ shell availability) demonstrated annual useful energy outputs ranging from 574 to 900 MWh yr⁻¹ (as the sum of heat and electricity). The techno-economic analysis yielded operating profits of 96,720–117,637 € yr⁻¹, return on investment (ROI) between 15.5% yr⁻¹ and 18.85% yr⁻¹, and payback periods of 6.45 and 5.3 years for the high- and low-char scenarios, respectively. The environmental assessment revealed total CO₂-equivalent savings of 241–279 t yr⁻¹, with biochar sequestration contributing up to 41% of avoided emissions. Overall, the results confirm that higher carbon conversion to syngas enhances energy, environmental and economic performance, while higher biochar yields favour fixing carbon in the soil, according to the assumed scenarios’ conditions. The proposed framework demonstrates a scalable, sustainable solution for coupling pistachio-shell gasification with industrial energy and a material valorization pathway. Full article

In high-density urban environments, outdoor kindergarten spaces are vital for children’s cognitive and social development, yet their design within constrained urban greenery poses a significant challenge. This study investigated how these environments support development through autonomous play. Conducted as a case study in three Beijing kindergartens, it employed a framework analyzing ten environmental elements across four dimensions: terrain space (e.g., open space, slopes), game facilities (fixed and movable), loose materials, and natural elements (water, plants). Behavioral observations were used to examine associations between these elements and children’s play behaviors. The findings suggest that diverse, naturalized, and adaptable combinations of elements may best foster autonomous play. While functional play was predominant, our analysis identified that a core combination of rigid fixtures, shielded places, and loose materials appears to optimally support this play type, which is primarily linked to solitary play. By strategically supplementing this core with elements like moving fixtures and loose objects, the environment can further encourage constructive, dramatic, and exploratory play—forms that show stronger associations with cooperative group play. This reveals a potential pathway through which sequenced environmental provisioning might scaffold the progression from individual to social play, thereby fostering socio-cognitive growth. Consequently, the study proposes three exploratory design principles: the differentiated allocation of elements to target specific play behaviors, deliberate naturalization of the setting, and incorporating dynamic adjustability for flexibility. These hypothesis-generating strategies aim to inform the design of kindergarten outdoor spaces, offering practical guidance for creating more sustainable and child-inclusive urban communities, though their generalizability requires further cross-context validation. Full article

This paper addresses the optimization of electric vehicle (EV) charging facility configuration on highways by proposing a collaborative planning method that integrates driver anxiety psychology, mixed traffic flow dynamics, and service area queuing characteristics. By abstracting the road travel and service area replenishment processes into an integrated queuing network, a system analysis framework is constructed to characterize the coupling relationship of “facility supply, traffic assignment, and state feedback.” On this basis, a bi-level optimization model is established with the objective of minimizing the generalized total social cost. The upper level makes decisions on the coordinated quantities of fixed charging piles and mobile charging vehicles, while the lower level describes the stochastic user equilibrium behavior of drivers under the influence of real-time congestion and anxiety. To tackle the high-dimensional nonlinear nature of the model, an efficient solution algorithm based on simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) is designed. A case study of the Nei-Yi Expressway demonstrates that compared with the traditional peak demand proportional allocation method, the proposed approach can better balance construction costs, operation and dispatching costs, and user travel experience under limited investment, significantly reducing waiting times and psychological anxiety costs. It provides theoretical methods and decision support for planning a resilient energy replenishment network that achieves “fixed facilities ensuring base load and mobile resources responding to peak demands.” Full article

The rapid development of renewable energy requires the support of large-scale energy storage technologies to maintain system balance. Salt cavern compressed air energy storage (CAES) is regarded as one of the key technological pathways for large-scale energy storage. In such systems, the wellbore serves as a critical structure connecting surface facilities and the underground salt cavern, while the cement sheath—formed between the casing and formation during well cementing—acts as the primary barrier ensuring the overall sealing integrity of the wellbore. Through cyclic loading–unloading tests on cement slurries under different temperatures, this study yields the following main conclusions: (1) Increasing temperature aggravates the accumulation of fatigue damage in cement specimens. Taking cumulative plastic strain as an example, it rises from 0.45% to 0.99% as the temperature increases from 25 °C to 115 °C. (2) Elevated temperature promotes greater irreversible energy dissipation under fixed cyclic stress limits. When the temperature rises from 25 °C to 115 °C, the dissipated energy density increases from 0.0033 mJ/m³ to 0.0046 mJ/m³, and its proportion relative to the input energy also increases from 5.52% to 7.13%. (3) Temperature rise leads to notable deterioration of the internal pore structure. At 115 °C, the NMR T₂ distribution peak shifts rightward by 0.49 ms, the total pore volume increases by 150.53 mm³, and the corresponding permeability rises by 1.398 × 10⁻³ μm². (4) Elevated temperature (up to 115 °C) weakens material performance through a dual mechanism: it accelerates dehydration of the cementitious system, reducing interparticle bond strength, while also promoting plastic slip. It is recommended to optimize the cement slurry formulation (e.g., by incorporating thermal stabilizers) to enhance its long-term sealing performance under service conditions. Full article

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) is intensifying charging demand in space-constrained parking facilities, where fixed charging piles (FCPs) are often underutilized due to parking–charging coupling and stall blocking. This study develops a coordinated planning framework for a hybrid charging system that integrates FCPs and mobile charging robots (MCRs). Two optimization models—operator profit maximization and social welfare maximization—are formulated to jointly determine the capacity configuration (numbers of FCPs and MCRs) and the spatial layout of FCPs and MCR base stations, subject to a queueing-theory-based waiting-time constraint. A nested heuristic solution method combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and K-means++ is designed for tractable computation. Numerical experiments on a representative parking facility demonstrate a clear complementarity between fixed and mobile chargers: FCPs serve baseload demand economically, while MCRs provide flexible capacity that reduces average waiting time and mitigates congestion. The results further quantify the divergence between private and social objectives; when robot costs are reduced, the social-welfare model deploys approximately 35% more robots than the profit-maximizing solution to reduce user time losses. By improving charger utilization, the proposed hybrid planning approach enhances resource efficiency and supports sustainable EV charging infrastructure in dense urban parking facilities. Full article

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol is significantly important both practically and scientifically for the reduction in CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, it can partially address the issue of human reliance on non-renewable resources. The main motivation of this study is to use a melamine polymer network to support a copper-based catalyst for CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol. Based on Schiff base chemistry, a facile catalyst-free process, a novel porous polyaminal polymer (MGPN) was prepared with nitrogen contents as high as 38%. MGPN was used as a support for Cu-based catalyst and applied in CO₂ hydrogenation to CH₃OH under mild conditions. A deep characterization of the MGPN@CuO/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst was made through FTIR, N₂ adsorption–desorption, SEM-EDS, TEM, TGA, XRD, CO₂-TPD, and H₂-TPR techniques. The CO₂ hydrogenation study was performed in a fixed bed reactor with a residence time of 1.104 s on varying parameters such as the metal loading, catalyst amount, flow rate, pressure, calcination temperatures, reduction temperatures, and catalytic reaction temperature profile. The space-time yield (STY) of 145.43 mg_methanol·g_catalyst⁻¹·h⁻¹, a selectivity of 98.36%, and CO₂ conversion of 11.76% were obtained under an economically and energetically sustainable low-pressure (1 MPa) and 260 °C hydrogenation process. Full article

In traditional industry setups, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) follow trajectories planned together with the layout of the storage or production facility and supported by fixed markers on the floor or on the walls. Traffic rules manage the avoidance of multiple vehicles, while fleet management gets movement and transportation commands completed as soon as possible. In contrast, recent developments in navigation and advanced computing, sensor, and communication capabilities make their free movement safe and manageable. Detailed route planning and scheduling can guarantee that the vehicles keep a safe distance in time and space. A recent challenge of electric AGVs is that their charging may take several hours, which must be factored into their schedule. This has made minimal energy demand a key objective alongside earliest delivery and strictly meeting the deadlines. This paper presents a method for detailed routing and scheduling of AGV fleets to minimize energy consumption while considering battery levels and charging times. The optimization method is illustrated by a case study where multiple delivery tasks are performed by synchronized movement of vehicles on a complex warehouse layout. In the optimal solution, the scheduled waiting times for collision avoidance are utilized by the vehicles to pre-charge their batteries. Full article

Seafood processing environments represent some of the most demanding hygienic settings in the global food sector. High humidity, variable temperatures, and heavy organic residues promote the persistence of Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio spp., and Salmonella spp., making sanitation both critical and inherently complex. This review synthesizes recent advances in hygienic design, sanitation technologies, and workforce safety as interconnected elements of a single “hygiene continuum.” Building upon Codex, FDA, and European hygiene frameworks (2020–2024), the review examines how engineering design, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) systems, and occupational hygiene jointly determine microbial control, sustainability, and workforce well-being. Particular focus is given to biofilm dynamics, emerging disinfection technologies, and automation through cleaning-in-place (CIP) and cleaning-out-of-place (COP) systems. Recent trends—including digital monitoring, eco-efficient cleaning, and human-centered facility design—are discussed as drivers of next-generation hygiene management. Collectively, these insights demonstrate that hygienic performance in seafood processing is not a fixed endpoint but a living system linking design, management, and human behavior toward safe, sustainable, and resilient seafood production. Full article

This study examines how the sense of home for people with dementia is shaped not only by physical settings but by dynamic atmospheric compositions emerging through memory, sensation, and everyday practices. Building on a preliminary literature mapping that identified three dimensions of home in later-life care environments—safe space, small world, and connection—we developed a multisensory co-design toolkit combining key-element cards and curated olfactory prompts. The study was conducted in a dementia-friendly residential care facility in Italy. Nine residents with mild–moderate dementia (aged 75–84) participated in two group sessions and six individual sessions, facilitated by two design researchers with care staff present. Data consist of audio-recorded and transcribed interviews, guided olfactory sessions, and researcher fieldnotes. Across sessions, participants articulated “small worlds” as micro-environments composed of meaningful objects, bodily comfort, routines, and sensory cues that supported emotional regulation and identity continuity. Olfactory prompts, administered through a low-intensity and participant-controlled protocol, supported scene-based autobiographical recall for some participants, often eliciting memories of domestic rituals, places, and relationships. Rather than treating home-like design as a fixed architectural style, we interpret home as continuously re-made through situated sensory–temporal patterns and relational practices. We translate these findings into atmospheric design directions for dementia care: designing places of self and refuge, staging accessible material memory devices, embedding gentle olfactory micro-worlds within daily routines, and approaching atmosphere as an ongoing process of co-attunement among residents, staff, and environmental conditions. The study contributes a methodological and conceptual framework for multisensory, narrative-driven approaches to designing home-like environments in long-term care. Full article

The growing demand for sustainable energy alternatives highlights the need for decision support tools in biodiesel supply chains. This study proposes a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model for tactical planning in the palm oil biodiesel supply chain, focusing on refining, blending, and distribution. The model incorporates economies of scale, inventory, and transport constraints and is enhanced with valid inequalities (VI) and a warm-start heuristic procedure (WS) to improve computational efficiency. Computational experiments on simulated instances with up to 6273 variables and 47 million iterations demonstrated robust performance, achieving solutions within 15 min. The model also reduced time-to-first-feasible (TTFF) solutions by 60–75% and CPU times by 17–21% compared to the baseline, confirming its applicability in realistic contexts. The proposed model provides actionable insights for managers by supporting decisions on facility scaling, product allocation, and profitability under supply–demand constraints. Beyond palm oil biodiesel, the formulation and its VI + WS enhancement provide a transferable blueprint for tactical planning in other process industry and renewable energy supply chains, where (i) multi-echelon flow conservation holds and (ii) discrete operating scales couple throughput with fixed/variable cost structures, enabling fast scenario analyses under changing prices, demand, and capacities. Full article

Optimizing the furniture layout of middle school laboratories is crucial for improving the emergency safety, operational efficiency, and resilience of teaching buildings. This study used AnyLogic software to model and simulate pedestrian evacuation behavior in a typical middle school laboratory layout. In a standardized laboratory (90.75 m²), we constructed a behavior-oriented multi-agent evacuation model. The model incorporated key student parameters, including shoulder width (312–416 mm), walking speed (1.5–2.5 m/s), and reaction time (10–15 s). To ensure comparability between different layouts, the number of evacuees was fixed at 48. Evacuation performance was evaluated based on total evacuation time, spatial density, and detour distance. The results showed that the hybrid layout achieved the shortest evacuation time (28.0 s), which was 10.3% shorter than the island layout (31.2 s) and 34.7% shorter than the parallel layout (42.9 s). The hybrid layout also had a shorter average detour distance (9.78 m) and the lowest path variability (coefficient of variation CV = 0.33), indicating a more balanced evacuation load and a smaller bottleneck effect. Overall, these findings provide evidence-based recommendations for improving laboratory safety, space utilization, and behavioral adaptability, and provide a quantitative reference for updating educational building codes, school laboratory construction standards, and guidelines for laboratory furniture and safety facility configuration. Full article

Standard Deep Learning-based detectors generally face a trade-off between accuracy and latency, as well as a significant performance degradation when applied to unseen environments. To address these challenges, this study proposes a method that enhances both accuracy and latency by leveraging the static characteristics of fixed-camera pig pen monitoring. Specifically, we utilize background and infrastructure information obtained through a one-time preprocessing step upon camera installation. By integrating this information, we introduce three distinct modules, Background-suppressed Image Generator (BIG), Facility Image Generator (FIG), and Background Suppression Integration (BSI), that improve detection accuracy and operational efficiency without the need for model retraining. BIG creates background-suppressed images that integrate foreground and background information. FIG creates facility mask images that can be used to identify pigs that are occluded by facilities, enabling more efficient learning in unseen environments. BSI leverages both the input image and the background-suppressed image generated by BIG, feeding them into a 3D convolution layer for efficient feature fusion. This difference-aware fusion helps the model focus on foreground information and gradually reduce the domain gap. After training on the German pig dataset and testing on the unseen Korean Hadong pig dataset, the proposed method could improve AP₅₀ accuracy (from 75% to 86%) and Jetson Orin Nano latency (from 67 ms to 41 ms) compared to the baseline model YOLOV12m. Full article

As a novel traffic security facility to improve the environment of tunnels, the influence of tunnel sidewall decoration on drivers has been highly controversial. To analyze the impact of the multi-factor coupling of sidewall decoration effects on driving safety, eight combination schemes with different pattern elements and pattern spacings were designed to create a driving simulation environment. Twenty-seven drivers were recruited to obtain fine-grained driving behavior indicators via driving simulation experiments. The velocity following ratio, steering wheel angle, maximum deceleration, and accelerator power were selected to construct an index system. The visual information load of drivers was quantified by the landscape color quantified theory. Based on the analysis of the influence of the singular factor of the pattern element or pattern spacing on driving behavior, a coupling coordination degree model is introduced to quantify the relationship between the complexity of the pattern elements, the pattern spacing, and the coupling coordination degree, and a reasonable combination of their complexities is selected. The results show that the element complexity and pattern spacing of tunnel sidewall decoration have significant effects on driving behavior. Among the schemes considered in this study, the coupling effect of an element complexity of 562.1 and a pattern spacing of 5.5 m was found to be the optimal combination. The coupling coordination degree should be more than 0.8 as the threshold, and the model analysis results indicated that when the pattern spacing was fixed at about 10 m, the ideal element complexity was between 135.6–564.7. This study offers both theoretical and technical support for enhancing traffic safety through tunnel sidewall decoration. By defining optimal thresholds for information density and pattern spacing, it lays a solid foundation for the development of a standardized guideline on decoration content. Full article