Search Results (12,981)

Contemporary cities face increasingly interconnected environmental, social, health, and geopolitical crises, requiring closer integration between long-term urban development and emergency preparedness. This study examines how spatial planning can support civil protection and strengthen urban and community resilience, using Poland as a case of a planning system undergoing substantial legislative change. The research combines a review of international resilience frameworks with comparative and critical analyses of Polish spatial planning, crisis management, and civil protection regulations, complemented by a research-by-design case study. The findings reveal persistent institutional and spatial fragmentation: crisis preparedness remains weakly embedded in planning instruments, while crisis management and civil protection regulations insufficiently address the spatial conditions necessary for effective implementation. Key gaps concern risk-sensitive land use, protective infrastructure, evacuation systems, multifunctional public spaces, and cross-sectoral coordination. The research-by-design component demonstrates how these requirements can be translated into adaptive and multifunctional urban environments. Based on the findings, an integrated planning framework is proposed that links risk assessment, protective infrastructure, adaptive spatial design, and coordinated governance. Embedding civil protection within spatial planning can reduce vulnerability, support continuity of essential urban functions, and strengthen community resilience while contributing to safer and more sustainable urban development. Full article

Population ageing challenges the social sustainability of high-density cities, where equitable eldercare access underpins SDG 3, SDG 10 and SDG 11. In China, rapid expansion of community-based eldercare facilities (CEFs) under the “90-7-3” framework has produced a tripartite system of government, operating enterprises and older adult users whose spatial priorities conflict, threatening both distributive equity and long-term operational viability. Existing single-dimensional evaluations inadequately capture this complexity. This study develops an integrated four-dimensional spatial evaluation framework—supply–demand accessibility, spatial equity, functional diversity and market competition—applying the Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method, isochrone-based service-area analysis and a preference-weighted Shannon index to 697 CEFs across 130 sub-districts in Beijing’s central urban area. Results reveal a pronounced core–periphery divide. For service-type CEFs, 90.17% of communities (87.95% of older adults) lie within a 15-min walking catchment, yet service-area overlap reaches 199.32%, indicating redundant resource deployment and intense localised competition in core districts. For residential-type CEFs, only 53.91% of communities are within walkable reach and total coverage drops to 15.84%, exposing care blind spots and spatial inequity in outer districts. Functional diversity, by contrast, is evenly distributed and micro-environmentally shaped. The framework offers replicable diagnostics for sustainable ageing-in-place provision in rapidly ageing high-density cities. Full article

Extrusion-based bioprinting is governed by coupled material, extrusion, and motion parameters, yet printability is often assessed using isolated rheological tests or qualitative geometric inspection. This study developed a systems-engineering framework for the quantitative assessment of non-cellular syringe-extrusion printing, with relevance to future bioprinting applications. Thirty-six constructs covered a complete 3 × 3 × 4 factorial design comprising three nozzle diameters, three printhead velocities, and four reference trajectories, with one independently printed construct per unique condition. Fiji/ImageJ analysis quantified filament width, edge roughness, curvature, and trajectory fidelity, and a study-relative Printability Score (PS) integrated four normalized geometric error domains. PS rankings were robust to moderate changes in component weighting (Spearman ρ = 0.955–0.999). PCA identified distinct deposition- and geometry-related modes; PC1, PC2, and PC3 explained 51.18%, 23.06%, and 11.69% of the variance, respectively (85.92% cumulative). Under LOOCV, raw-input Ridge Regression achieved $R^2$ = 0.713, MAE = 0.195, and RMSE = 0.285, whereas Gradient Boosting achieved $R^2$ = 0.709, MAE = 0.216, and RMSE = 0.288. Cross-validated permutation analyses identified printhead speed and trajectory geometry as the most informative raw predictors. These findings establish an offline engineering proof of concept rather than replicated confirmatory validation, biological validation, or closed-loop control. Full article

Urban–rural transition zones (URTZs) represent critical spatial units where urban expansion interacts with ecosystems. In arid regions, however, the response of ecological environmental quality (EEQ) to rapid urban expansion and spatial restructuring remains insufficiently understood. Taking Xinjiang as a representative arid-region case, this study develops an analytical framework integrating dynamic URTZs identification, EEQ assessment, and the analysis of influencing factors and nonlinear responses to systematically investigate URTZs expansion and EEQ changes across 13 typical urban agglomerations from 2002 to 2022. URTZs were identified using K-means clustering by integrating population density, nighttime light intensity, and impervious surface information. An improved remote sensing ecological index (ARSEI) was then developed by incorporating the abundance index (AI) into the traditional RSEI framework. Finally, XGBoost and SHAP were employed to identify the key determinants of EEQ and reveal their nonlinear responses and interactions. The results showed that: (1) URTZs expanded rapidly and continuously from 2002 to 2022, with their total area increasing by more than threefold and exhibiting a spatial restructuring pattern characterized by expansion from central cities toward multiple nodes. (2) Despite the rapid expansion of URTZs, overall EEQ remained at a relatively high level; however, the grade structure exhibited a trend of “expansion at both ends and contraction in the middle,” intensifying the spatial differentiation of EEQ. (3) XGBoost and SHAP analyses identified precipitation (PRE), population density (POP), digital elevation model (DEM), and slope as major factors explaining the spatial variation in EEQ. Interaction analysis further revealed strong interactions between PRE × DEM and PRE × POP. High EEQ values were primarily distributed in areas characterized by favorable precipitation conditions, moderate elevations, and gentle terrain, indicating that the synergistic effects of hydrothermal conditions and topographic constraints play a significant role in shaping EEQ in URTZs. These findings demonstrate that rapid URTZs expansion in arid regions does not necessarily lead to an overall decline in EEQ but may intensify its spatial differentiation. Therefore, ecological governance of URTZs should shift from a singular focus on controlling urban expansion toward differentiated spatial management that jointly considers hydrothermal conditions, topographic constraints, population concentration, and ecological carrying capacity, thereby promoting coordinated urbanization and ecological conservation. Full article

Water-vapor removal from compressed air is governed by the product pressure dew point (PDP), dynamic bed utilization, hydraulic loss, regeneration demand, and cyclic reliability, yet activated-alumina studies are often interpreted from powder Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) area or equilibrium uptake alone. This critical narrative review evaluates where evidence can and cannot be transferred across material, formed-particle, packed-bed, cycle, and field scales. It distinguishes equilibrium capacity, static test capacity, dynamic breakthrough capacity, and usable cycle capacity; conditionally compares desiccants and regeneration modes; and links PDP-defined breakthrough, mass-transfer-zone (MTZ)/length-of-unused-bed (LUB) measures, non-spherical-particle pressure drop, thermal waves, and regeneration endpoints. The available evidence supports several directional conclusions but not universal design values: alkali modification can increase uptake despite lower surface area; forming and binder chemistry alter accessible pores and strength; wall effects and particle geometry require measured hydrodynamic validation; and reported regeneration savings of approximately 27–40% are architecture-specific relative results rather than matched absolute energy benchmarks. A baseline-normalized diagnostic framework separates reversible regeneration faults and feed contamination from material aging and particle/bed degradation. The review identifies the central evidence gap as the absence of matched datasets reporting formed-body properties, adiabatic breakthrough, segmented pressure drop, regeneration energy, and long-cycle failure for the same material. It concludes with a standards-coverage map, a transparent screening sensitivity analysis, and a prioritized validation agenda. Full article

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a widely used biodegradable polyester in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and temporary implant design. While its favorable processability, biocompatibility, and low melting temperature are highly advantageous, its slow and condition-dependent degradation remains a major limitation for precise temporal control in biomedical applications. Despite extensive literature on PCL, a critical knowledge gap remains in linking fundamental molecular chain scission directly to macroscopic structural evolution, mechanical failure, and predictable in vivo device performance. To address this, this review provides a comprehensive synthesis of PCL degradation mechanisms, with a particular emphasis on PCL-bioceramic composites designed for hard tissue engineering. We elucidate the progressive degradation pathway—distinguishing between initial hydrolytic chain scission, oligomer formation, the generation of low-molecular-weight degradation products, and their subsequent metabolic fate under physiological conditions. Furthermore, this review critically evaluates how fundamental variables—specifically molecular weight, crystallinity, bioceramic fillers, device geometry, and physiological environments—alter degradation kinetics. By connecting molecular weight reduction to subsequent mass loss, thermal behavior, and mechanical deterioration, we establish a framework for understanding how structural reorganization and crystallinity evolution govern material failure. This review bridges the gap between simplified in vitro models and complex in vivo realities, supporting the rational design of composite biomedical devices with tailored, predictable resorption profiles. Full article

Bio-based alternatives to conventional rigid foams have proven to be good substitutes owing to their enhanced sustainability and competitive performance. However, because their manufacturing processes are complex and destructive testing is often impractical, this study investigates whether microstructural features can be correlated with mechanical properties in lignin-containing rigid polyurethane (PU) foams using machine learning approaches. Various types and percentages of lignin-based polyols were investigated as partial replacements for polyol, including LHO, DCA, DCA-D, LHO-O, Kraft lignin (KL), and LHO-MD, at polyol replacement levels ranging from 12.5% to 50%, together with a control formulation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and corresponding mechanical compression data were used to train a custom state-of-the-art dual-head convolutional neural network (CNN) targeting the specific prediction of density, specific compression modulus, specific yield stress, and specific compression strength. The CNN was optimized with a weighted multi-output loss function, achieving strong predictive performance with R² values ranging from 0.850 to 0.91 and correlation coefficients above 0.92, while maintaining mean absolute error percentages below ≈9%. This proves the trained network’s capability to predict and capture morphological features governing load-bearing responses. On the other hand, Grad-CAM visualization revealed that the network focused its predictions on physically meaningful microstructural regions such as cell walls and strut junctions, which confirms that the proposed network can be classified as an interpretable, non-destructive, and data-driven framework for predicting and understanding bio-based PU foams’ mechanical behavior, hence reducing the inconvenience caused by time-consuming manufacturing and destructive testing. Full article

Framework and runtime selection for containerized microservices are usually guided by request-level benchmarks, yet deployment-facing costs often dominate operational expenditure in Kubernetes environments. This study empirically evaluates four such infrastructure characteristics: container image size, startup time, idle resource consumption, and horizontal scaling latency. Eight microservice framework configurations spanning three execution models are evaluated: JVM (Spring Boot, Spring WebFlux, Quarkus, and Ktor), GraalVM Native image (Quarkus variants, including distroless and UPX-compressed images), and Rust (Actix Web). All metrics are collected technology-agnostically at the container level via cAdvisor and Kubernetes lifecycle events. Three trade-off profiles emerged during the research: Rust achieves a 2.95 MiB idle memory footprint (a 69:1 ratio versus Spring Boot on a working-set basis, or 21:1 on the more conservative proportional-set-size basis) through garbage-collector-free memory management. GraalVM Native image variants start 1.2–1.7× faster and consume up to 1.9× less memory than their JVM equivalents, although this memory advantage is not uniform: the standard reactive Native image consumes more idle memory (115.0 MiB) than the corresponding JVM variant (98.0 MiB). A UPX compression paradox is identified and explained at the kernel level: compression shrinks images by approximately 2.5:1 yet inflates idle memory to 215–229 MiB, above JVM baselines, because decompression into private anonymous memory defeats shared page mapping. Scale-up latency (1.8–3.9 s) is governed by per-instance startup rather than framework-exclusive lifecycle optimizations, partially refuting one of four research hypotheses. The findings yield context-dependent selection guidance and a fully reproducible benchmark suite. All measurements were obtained on a single-node bare-metal K3s cluster, the primary metrics characterize the idle state of a minimal no-operation service, and the only load applied is a single fixed-rate validity check at 100 requests per second. The reported values therefore constitute lower-bound, deployment-facing infrastructure costs rather than predictions of behavior under production business workloads, multi-node topologies, or managed cloud substrates. Full article

Hierarchical hard–soft interfaces offer a route to fracture-resistant polymer composites without relying solely on intrinsically tough constituents. Here, Koch-curve-derived interfacial networks with fractal orders n = 0–3 were embedded as a compliant photopolymer phase within a rigid matrix and fabricated by multimaterial PolyJet printing. Pre-notched tensile tests, an eccentrically loaded single-edge-notch tension framework, digital image correlation, laser confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and crack-path box-counting analysis were used to determine how fractal order and pattern orientation govern fracture. At 0°, the n = 2 design increased peak nominal stress, nominal strain at fracture, tensile toughness, and crack-path length by approximately 2.2-, 1.7-, 3.6-, and 2.1-fold, respectively, relative to n = 0. Hierarchy also raised the conditional stress-intensity factor K_C from 9.78 to 13.3–13.6 MPa·m^1/2 for n = 2–3. The representative n = 2 specimen exhibited a broader strain-redistribution zone than the representative n = 0 and n = 3 specimens, while the n = 2 architecture showed the most tortuous fracture morphology, whereas added hierarchy at n = 3 yielded diminishing benefits and coincided with reduced printing fidelity. Pattern orientation altered the balance between load transfer, deformation, and crack guiding. Toughening arose primarily from interfacial crack deflection and branching, assisted by crack-tip blunting, strain delocalization, and uncracked-ligament bridging. Overall, the second-order fractal architecture printed at 0° provides the best balance of load-bearing capacity, deformability, and fracture resistance, establishing fractal order and pattern orientation as practical design variables for tough multimaterial printed composites. Full article

Environmental nanomaterials (ENMs) are increasingly entering agroecosystems through industrial discharges, agricultural chemicals, nanotechnology, and atmospheric deposition. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of their interactions with plants across growth stages is essential. This narrative review synthesizes current insights into nanomaterial uptake pathways, translocation dynamics, and intracellular trafficking from seed germination to reproductive maturity. It highlights the use of integrative multi-omics techniques, namely transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics, to elucidate molecular reprogramming in response to ENMs exposure. The data indicates that nanomaterials can significantly affect seed vigor, root architecture, photosynthetic efficiency, and other yield-related traits through coordinated regulation of stress-responsive genes, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and phytohormonal signaling pathways. Furthermore, the review underscores the role of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone remodeling, as critical regulatory layers that govern both transient and heritable plant responses to ENMs. Metabolomic remodeling, particularly the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and redox-related pathways, represents the primary adaptive response linking molecular disturbances to phenotypic outcomes. This manuscript proposes a systems-level framework for evaluating nano–plant interactions, bridging nanoscale physicochemical properties with physiological and yield-level outcomes. Collectively, this integrative perspective aims to enhance mechanistic clarity, support the development of predictive and sustainable nanotechnology applications in agriculture, and identify critical gaps in long-term ecological and transgenerational assessments. Full article

Extreme precipitation can profoundly modify groundwater dynamics in karst aquifers, although the processes governing their response to exceptional recharge remain poorly understood. In particular, the evolution of hydraulic connectivity and confinement during aquifer filling may strongly influence groundwater pressure propagation and associated geological processes. This study investigates the hydrogeological response of the partially confined Grazalema–Líbar karst aquifer (southern Spain) during an exceptional recharge event in January–February 2026, when cumulative rainfall exceeded 2800 mm. Meteorological observations, spring discharge records, hydrogeological information, and seismic data were integrated to analyze groundwater recharge, hydraulic behavior, and seismic activity. The aquifer responded rapidly, with large groundwater level rises, major increases in spring discharge, progressive hydraulic connection between previously disconnected sectors, and expansion of confined conditions. These changes increased hydraulic diffusivity and promoted rapid pressure transmission through the karst conduit network. The strongest seismic response occurred only after this hydraulic reorganization developed, with earthquakes concentrating in confined sectors and progressively migrating towards shallow depths. The results demonstrate that evolving hydraulic connectivity, rather than recharge alone, controls pressure transmission and seismic activation. They provide a conceptual framework for understanding hydro-seismic responses in partially confined karst aquifers during increasingly frequent extreme rainfall events. Full article

A physics-informed machine-learning model was created to forecast the dielectric constant of oxide materials. The study explores the physicochemical descriptors that govern the response of the materials. A set of 3304 non-metallic oxide compounds was built using the Materials Project database. A comprehensive feature space with 23 original and composition-derived variables as well as 10 physics-informed engineered variables representing electronic, thermodynamic, structural, magnetic, and chemical descriptors was constructed. This workflow included model benchmarking, hyperparameter optimization, repeated training (10 times) and testing, consensus feature selection, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis. Optimized XGBoost model was the model with the best overall predictive ability. A reduced representation of 25 descriptors was obtained by consensus-based feature selection that performed close to the complete 33-descriptor representation (MAE = 0.611, RMSE = 1.052, and R² = 0.699). The SHAP analysis revealed that the descriptors associated with chemical properties, electronic excitation and atomic packing were key to the model predictions. The results indicate that the electronic dielectric response is related to a combination of a few physicochemical aspects instead of a single descriptor. The proposed framework offers an intuitive, data-centric method for examining the evolution of dielectric properties, and it can be used to screen and hypothesize oxide materials with desired electronic dielectric response. Full article

Clarifying how cross-boundary linkages between the core areas and buffer zones of World Natural Heritage Sites (WNHSs) are transformed into conservation–development synergy is a key scientific question for reconciling heritage conservation and community development beyond static zoning governance. Taking the Libo Karst World Natural Heritage Site (KWNHS) as a case study, this study develops a spatial linkage–social transformation–conservation–development synergy framework based on survey data from 253 residents across seven villages and integrates PLS-SEM, NCA, and fsQCA to identify net effects, necessary conditions, and configurational pathways. The results show that tourism–economic linkage promotes synergy through both direct effects and value transformation, whereas organizational linkage operates mainly through governance transformation via community participation. Ecological linkage contributes primarily through heritage identity. Cross-method analysis further reveals that benefit feedback represents a relatively weak but significant necessary constraint and a core condition across high-synergy configurations, while heritage identity represents a stable value foundation. These findings demonstrate that spatial linkages generate conservation–development synergy only when they are effectively transformed into benefit sharing, participatory governance, and shared heritage values. Full article

Lithium-ion battery energy storage stations are being rapidly deployed for peak regulation, renewable energy integration, and emergency power supply in power systems. Their fire risk is governed by interacting factors, including cell thermal runaway, equipment failure, operating environment, personnel behavior, management systems, and information systems, and is characterized by coupling, dynamic evolution, and confined-space fire spread. Existing static risk assessment methods cannot fully represent feedback among multiple risk factors or connect risk assessment results with the physical-field evolution of fires in energy storage compartments. This study develops an integrated grey relational analysis, system dynamics, and FDS framework. Personnel, equipment, environmental, management, and information risk factors are first established, and their weights are calculated using grey relational analysis. A system dynamics model is then used to analyze the temporal evolution of overall risk and subsystem risk responses. Finally, FDS is applied to simulate fire spread in a 30 ft containerized lithium-ion battery energy storage compartment under no-suppression and water-mist suppression conditions. The results show that the central fire-source region and battery module layer are key areas of gas-phase high-temperature accumulation and potential fire spread. In the no-suppression scenario, the high-temperature region remains localized near the fire source at 3.0 s, expands along the module layer from 30.0 to 50.0 s, and approaches a relatively stable distribution after 70.0 s. Under the investigated simulation conditions, water mist reduces near-source heating, weakens smoke-layer development, and slows spatial fire spread through evaporative cooling, reduced thermal radiation feedback, and disturbance of the hot smoke layer. These findings provide a methodological reference for fire risk assessment and fire suppression design in containerized battery energy storage stations. Full article

Itaconimides combine an electron-deficient terminal methylene group with a succinimide framework, creating a reactive topology that differs from those of maleimides, citraconimides, and substituted α-alkylidene succinimides. This review critically examines annulation reactions of terminal-methylene itaconimides, defined here as 3-methylenepyrrolidine-2,5-diones bearing an unsubstituted =CH₂ group. Catalyst-free and reagent-promoted transformations are first considered as benchmarks for intrinsic reactivity, followed by organocatalytic, nucleophilic phosphine-catalysed, transition-metal-catalysed, and visible-light photoredox processes. Across these reaction classes, the exocyclic alkene functions as a dipolarophile, electrophilic addition site, radical acceptor, or migratory-insertion partner, while catalyst structure and reaction environment govern the subsequent fate of the resulting intermediates. A recurring feature is therefore that catalysis often controls reaction pathway and selectivity, rather than merely enabling alkene activation, allowing divergent access to spirocyclic, fused, and polycyclic products and, in selected cases, high regio-, diastereo-, or enantioselectivity. At the same time, substrate generality remains uneven, with several studies examining only limited variation of the itaconimide component or isolated terminal-methylene examples within broader α-alkylidene succinimide series. Quantitative information on catalyst efficiency, material demand, energy input, and preparative performance is also scarce. These gaps define opportunities for broader substrate validation, stronger mechanistic interrogation, and more rigorous process evaluation in the future development of selective and sustainable itaconimide annulations. Full article