Search Results (1,539)

This study evaluates how validation design affects the assessment of photovoltaic (PV) inverter fault prediction under sparse operational event conditions. Using an 89-day dataset from 18 co-located inverters at a single PV plant, minute-level SCADA measurements were transformed into 56-step input windows with 15 min future event labels. Three validation configurations were compared under the same XGBoost-based forecasting task: single-equipment temporal validation, pooled temporal validation, and leave-one-equipment-out (LOEO) validation. The results show that the three configurations provide different interpretations of predictive usefulness. Single-equipment validation achieved a mean PR-AUC of 0.699, pooled temporal validation achieved a PR-AUC of 0.637, and LOEO validation achieved a mean PR-AUC of 0.718 with a mean ROC-AUC of 0.930. Bootstrap confidence intervals confirmed that held-out equipment performance estimates were statistically more stable than in extremely sparse short-window settings; for example, held-out equipment 4 achieved a PR-AUC of 0.734 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.704–0.762. Variable-level permutation importance showed that predictive performance was mainly associated with DC-side voltage/current and selected AC-side electrical variables. These findings demonstrate that validation design is not a secondary implementation detail but a substantive methodological choice in PV predictive-maintenance evaluation. The study provides practical guidance for selecting validation strategies according to deployment scenarios, including asset-specific modeling, shared plant-level prediction, and predictive coverage for unseen or data-limited inverters. Full article

Given South Korea’s acute land constraints and ambitious renewable energy targets, floating solar farms (FSFs) on multi-purpose dam reservoirs offer a sustainable land-sparing solution for advancing the water-energy nexus and climate adaptation. This study estimates households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a tariff premium supporting FSFs on multi-purpose dam reservoirs—a bundled sustainability attribute encompassing land-sparing deployment, water-energy nexus synergies (90% evaporation reduction, hydropower complementarity), and avoided land-use conflicts—relative to equivalent electricity from land-based solar farms (LSFs). The valuation scenario explicitly frames FSFs as an integrated policy package, not an isolated engineering characteristic, with balanced disclosure of location-specific trade-offs. The study highlights the sustainability value of land-sparing water-energy nexus solutions in South Korea. The analysis draws on a nationwide contingent valuation survey of 1000 households conducted from mid-April to mid-May 2025. Employing the one-and-one-half-bound dichotomous choice format with a spike model to handle zero WTP responses, we estimate a mean tariff premium of KRW 26.8 (USc 1.9) per kWh—17% of the residential rate. This exceeds the current FSF-LSF levelized cost differential (KRW 19 per kWh), despite 49% zero bids largely from protest responses. Socioeconomic factors (education, income, female gender, metropolitan residence, policy awareness) significantly shape acceptance probabilities. These findings affirm meaningful support for FSF deployment, contributing to long-term sustainability by integrating renewable energy with water resource management and reducing land-use conflicts. They also inform sustainable energy transition policies by showing that consumers are willing to fund multifunctional infrastructure synergies. Full article

Mining plays a key role in economic development but faces increasing challenges in reconciling sustainability with social expectations in the territories where extractive activities operate. In regions with a strong mining presence, incorporating community perceptions has become essential for guiding sustainable development strategies. However, systematic evidence to prioritize these dimensions at the local level remains limited. In this context, the present study identifies and ranks critical sustainability factors from the perspective of communities located near mining projects in the Coquimbo Region, Chile. To structure the decision problem, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied. This multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method integrates qualitative and quantitative judgments through pairwise comparison matrices processed using Expert Choice software, based on a hierarchical structure of criteria, subcriteria, and decision elements associated with social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The results indicate that the criterion with the highest global priority was “Improvement in health, social cohesion, and quality of life” (36.3%), followed by “Economic development” (20.3%) and “Local development and social participation” (15.7%). Among the most prioritized actions were “Construction of health facilities” (15.5%), “Promote the hiring of local labor” (8.7%), and “Protection and continuous monitoring of aquifers” (6.3%). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the model, suggesting that the proposed framework can support the systematic incorporation of community perceptions into the planning of mining sustainability strategies. Full article

Butterflies locate host sites using plant volatiles, while larval frass cues induce avoidance. This study investigated the olfactory responses of adult Papilio polytes to nine shared plant and frass volatiles across 1 × 10³ to 1 × 10⁶ ng load doses using electroantennography (EAG) and Y-tube olfactometer assays. EAG responses were significantly influenced by chemical composition, dose, and sex, as well as all their interactions. In contrast, behavioral choices were significantly driven only by chemical composition and its interaction with dose. Although females exhibited higher peripheral sensitivity than males, this physiological sexual dimorphism did not result in significant behavioral differences. Linalool, citronellal, and geraniol were identified as the most potent elicitors. While their single forms and binary blends elicited attraction or neutrality, the ternary mixture significantly repelled both sexes. These results demonstrate that VOC blend composition determines the direction of behavioral responses, with linalool playing a pivotal role in the transition from attraction to avoidance. These findings highlight the importance of shared plant–frass VOCs in host selection by oligophagous insects and provide a foundation for manipulating P. polytes behavior. Full article

The shortage of qualified teachers across Europe has increased interest in flexible and decentralized pathways into teacher education. This study examines pre-service teachers’ background characteristics and programme-choice priorities when selecting between two study formats at a Norwegian university: a blended learning programme and a face-to-face campus-based programme. Survey data from 108 pre-service teachers revealed significant differences between the groups in age, place of residence, region of origin, prior teaching experience, current teaching employment, and confidence in securing a permanent teaching position. Campus-based students were younger, less experienced, and reported lower confidence in obtaining permanent employment than students in the blended learning programme. Three of fifteen choice-related factors differed significantly between study formats, most notably the importance assigned to programme organization, which was rated higher by blended-learning students. No differences were found for geographic location or for eleven content-related factors. In this sample, blended-learning students were more often from rural areas, and they placed greater value on organizational flexibility, suggesting that flexible formats may be particularly relevant for students balancing work, distance, or other commitments. However, this study is cross-sectional, based on a single institution, and cannot determine broader policy implications or effects on regional teacher supply. Longitudinal and multi-institutional research is needed to assess potential long-term outcomes. Full article

Grid-level population projection is essential for spatial planning under demographic decline, particularly for ensuring that population allocation accounts for grid extinction risk. This study develops a two-stage machine learning framework to predict residential grid transitions across South Korea’s 1 km grid system and assess how spatial policies shape depopulation outcomes through 2050. Stage 1 employs Random Forest classification to predict grid state transitions (macro-averaged F1 score = 0.694), while Stage 2 applies LightGBM regression for population prediction (coefficient of determination = 0.950). The extinction probability map from Stage 1 is incorporated into scenario simulations to adjust population allocation based on predicted residential viability. Feature importance analysis reveals that baseline population, household count, and demographic composition are key determinants of grid-level residential transitions. Five spatial development scenarios simulated through 2050 reveal substantial policy sensitivity. Cumulative extinction rates range from 3.1% under extreme dispersion to 24.5% under extreme concentration, representing a 25 percentage point divergence attributable to spatial allocation policy. Provincial heterogeneity is pronounced, with rural provinces facing extinction rates up to 39.9% while metropolitan areas remain largely unaffected. Comparing scenario outcomes enables pre-identification of policy-sensitive grids (19.5%) where allocation choices determine residential survival. These grids are predominantly located in areas with high forest cover and greater spatial isolation compared to stable grids, but differ in demographic profiles. Aging-Vulnerable grids (14.0%) exhibit high aging ratios with limited economic base, while Moderate-Vulnerability grids (5.5%) show younger demographics with relatively higher economic activity. These differential characteristics provide a spatially explicit basis for differentiated policy responses. Beyond depopulation planning, the spatial outputs of this framework can inform related planning domains such as land use transition planning, carbon management, and infrastructure prioritization under demographic decline. Full article

Rapid urbanization has intensified jobs–housing separation and increased commuting distances in megacities, posing challenges for sustainable urban development. Existing studies often examine commuting behavior at a single spatial scale or focus on either residential or employment locations. Using mobile phone signaling data, this study derives network-based commuting distances within the suburban ring of Shanghai and integrates multiple built environment indicators. A multiscale framework is developed using six spatial units, ranging from 2 to 4 km grids to street-level zones, to assess spatial scale effects and support the selection of an appropriate analytical unit. The 3.5 km grid was selected for subsequent analysis as a balance between spatial detail and statistical stability. Within this framework, Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) examines the spatial heterogeneity and scale effects of built environment factors from both residential and employment perspectives. The results show: (1) The choice of spatial unit significantly affects model performance, with the 3.5 km grid providing a suitable balance between spatial detail and statistical stability. (2) Built environment indicators exhibit clear multiscale effects, with different variables operating at global and local spatial scales. (3) Residential and employment locations show significant asymmetric effects, as enterprise density is associated with shorter commuting distances at residential locations but longer distances at employment centers. These findings indicate the joint role of multiscale spatial structure and dual-end built environments, supporting spatially differentiated planning and transport policies. Full article

Urban planners increasingly require high-resolution thermal comfort maps to prioritize heat adaptation, yet validating the necessary microclimate models against standard field instruments remains methodologically fraught. This study establishes an integrated measurement–modeling framework applied to a study area in Strasbourg, France. First, we evaluate the radiative physics of the LASER/F model against net radiometer measurements at a specific sub-canopy location and against incoming shortwave radiation pyranometer records across three instrumentation sites. Results demonstrate high accuracy for longwave fluxes ($R^2>0.95$) but reveal that simplified tree geometry leads to condition-dependent shortwave discrepancies. Second, we quantify the systematic divergence between Mean Radiant Temperature derived from black globe measurements and six-directional simulations across seven sites. We analyze how these inevitable discrepancies, stemming mainly from geometric mismatch, propagate into the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), resulting in (71.5–75.5%) diurnal exact categorical agreement. Finally, spatial application of the model uncovers a “masked risk”: while temporal averaging suggests that 100% of the district remains safe (mean UTCI $<{32}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$), duration-based analysis reveals that 72.8% of surfaces actually experience critical heat stress for over a quarter of the period. To address these hidden exposure risks, we propose a “Combined Risk Score” (CRS) that integrates thermal intensity and critical exposure duration on an absolute, dataset-independent scale, with a sensitivity analysis demonstrating that spatial risk prioritization is invariant to the intensity–duration weighting choice at the operational threshold. Full article

Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a key driver of women’s homelessness and financial insecurity. In Australia, Safe at Home (SAH) programs have emerged as an innovative, wrap-around service response that increases victim-survivors’ safety by implementing a range of strategies and tools that enables them to remain in their home or a home of their choice. SAH responses represent one strategy that effectively prevents homelessness and mitigates the financial, social, and emotional disruption associated with housing relocation after leaving a violent and abusive relationship. This paper examines the implementation of SAH responses in Australia through a critical synthesis of national policy documents and published literature. The paper outlines the four nationally endorsed pillars of SAH (maximising safety, integrated responses, homelessness prevention, and economic security) and examines how these pillars shape service design and outcomes. Evidence from evaluations and outcome studies indicate that SAH can enhance women’s sense of safety, support housing stability, and reduce the financial burden of leaving a violent partner. Access and effectiveness vary depending on the design of the response and location. Challenges include limited affordable housing supply, inconsistent perpetrator accountability, and structural barriers to long-term economic security. Sustained investment in SAH programs, robust data collection mechanisms, and stronger integration of housing and economic supports are ultimately needed to ensure SAH can fulfil its potential as a core component of Australia’s DFV service system. Full article

Background: Adults with disabilities living in low-resource communities experience persistent inequities in access to healthcare, mental health services, and community participation. However, qualitative data capturing lived experiences in the Deep South remain limited. This study aimed to identify priority needs among adults with mobility disabilities residing in economically distressed communities near Birmingham, Alabama, to inform future telehealth programming. Methods: Fifteen adults (mean age = 60 ± 10 years), predominantly African American and female, completed semi-structured phone interviews exploring basic needs, neighborhood accessibility, health priorities, and perceived supports. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. Results: Five themes emerged: (1) seeking stability amid severe mental health strain and inadequate supports; (2) constrained food environments shaped by cost, location, and safety; (3) feeling forgotten: systemic neglect and restricted participation in community life; (4) physical health deprioritized by competing needs and structural barriers; and (5) remote support as a viable but unrealized option. Participants described how safety concerns, transportation barriers, and rising food costs constrained daily functioning, while unmet mental health needs compounded isolation. Despite widespread cardiometabolic disease, immediate needs related to mental health, food, and housing consistently superseded physical health. Mental health support was identified as the most feasible area for remote delivery, though poor awareness of available resources limited engagement with any service model. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that disability-related disparities in low-resource communities are driven largely by structural and environmental factors rather than individual choice. Telehealth and mobile-based services may provide a feasible access strategy for mental health and supportive care in under-resourced settings, particularly when integrated with broader community supports. Addressing foundational needs is essential for advancing health equity among people with disabilities in the Southeast. Full article

Background: Esophageal schwannomas are extremely rare, benign mesenchymal tumors originating from the nerve sheath tissues of autonomic nerves, accounting for less than 2% of all esophageal tumors. This systematic review aims to provide a detailed analysis of esophageal schwannomas (ESs), focusing on tumor characteristics, diagnostic methods, and treatment options. Methods: A systematic search of English literature databases, including ScienceDirect, Springer, PubMed, and Google Scholar, was conducted up to 2023. The keywords used were ‘esophageal schwannoma,’ ‘gastrointestinal schwannoma,’ ‘esophageal neurinoma,’ and ‘esophageal neurilemoma.’ Studies were reviewed for patient demographics, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, tumor characteristics, and management options. Results: A total of 370 articles met the inclusion criteria, with 80 articles (89 cases) included in the final analysis. The mean age of patients was 51.8 years, with a female predominance (73%). Most cases were reported from East Asia (60.7%). Most (71%) patients presented with dysphagia, and 12% were asymptomatic. Preoperative diagnosis often involved CT scans (75.28%), upper endoscopy (73.03%), and EUS (49.4%). Tumors averaged 77.86 mm in size as per CT, MRI and PET-CT, with the upper esophagus being the most common location (55.55%). Surgical resection was the primary treatment, with enucleation being the most frequent procedure (58.9%). The prognosis was generally excellent, with no reported recurrences during follow-up periods. Conclusions: Esophageal schwannomas are extremely rare. Surgical resection remains the treatment of choice, with a high success rate and excellent prognosis. Further studies are needed to standardize diagnostic and treatment protocols for these rare tumors. Full article

To address escalating climate challenges, China has implemented a multi-tiered low-carbon policy framework aimed at achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, profoundly reshaping firms’ strategic and financial behaviors. Using a panel of Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2022, this study examines how low-carbon policies affect corporate earnings management choices and the underlying mechanisms. The results show that low-carbon policies significantly restrain accrual-based earnings management while simultaneously promoting real earnings management, indicating a clear substitution effect; these findings remain robust across multiple robustness checks. Mechanism analyses reveal that rising financing costs and enhanced digital transformation induced by low-carbon policies curb accrual-based earnings management, whereas increased financial risk and weakened debt-paying ability stimulate real earnings management. Further heterogeneity analyses suggest that the inhibitory effect on accrual-based earnings management is stronger among firms subject to greater analyst coverage and media scrutiny, while the shift toward real earnings management is more pronounced among firms with weaker profitability and those located in regions with lower innovation capacity. Overall, this study deepens the understanding of the microeconomic consequences of low-carbon policies and provides policy-relevant insights for refining green regulatory frameworks and promoting sustainable corporate development. Full article

Aims/Purpose: In case of superficial neoplastic GI lesions the depth of infiltration is associated with the risk of nodal metastasis and guides the choice between minimally invasive endoscopic treatments and resective surgery. The aim of the study was to compare the performance of the endoscopic evaluation and EUS in identifying early tumors fit for endoscopic resection. Methods: Retrospective study on patients affected by early-appearing neoplastic GI lesions. We compared the high-definition endoscopic assessment of the lesions according to the Paris classification (classifying them as fit or unfit for endoscopic resection, according to guidelines) and the EUS staging (classifying them as intramucosal or submucosal) to the histological staging after resection. Results: From 4/2022 to 6/2025 57 patients were included. Lesions were located in the esophagus (19), stomach (29), and rectum (9); they underwent EMR—endoscopic mucosal resection—(six), ESD—endoscopic submucosal dissection—(29), upfront surgical resection (18), or upfront TEM—transanal endoscopic microsurgery (four); thereafter, 11 patients underwent surgery or TEM after not-radical endoscopic treatment or complications. After endoscopic assessment 42 lesions were considered fit for endoscopic resection: nine (21.4%) yielded HGD, 19 (45.3%) T1a, and 14 (33.3%) T1b; 15 were considered unfit for endoscopic resection: one (6.7%) yielded T1a, 14 (93.3%) T1b. Endoscopic accuracy for identifying intramucosal lesions (HGD or T1a) thus fit for endoscopic resection was 73.7%. EUS staged 29 lesions as uT1a: eight (27.6%) yielded HGD, 8 (27.6%) T1a, and 13 (44.8%) T1b; EUS staged 28 lesions as uT1 b: one (3.6%) yielded HGD, 12 (42.8%) T1a, and 15 (53.6%) T1b. EUS accuracy for identifying intramucosal lesions (HGD or T1a) was 54.4%, but it showed a 91.7% PPV for the N0 status. Conclusions: The endoscopic evaluation was more accurate than EUS (73.7% vs. 54.4%, p < 0.05) in distinguishing GI intraepithelial or intramucosal lesions fit for endoscopic resection, with a markedly higher NPV. EUS could rather be considered as a complementary tool to exclude suspicious lymph nodes before endoscopic resection. Full article

In this study, we investigate the formation of passive structures in Garrusi Kurdish across two datasets: experimental and narrative free speech. For our data collection, we interviewed 30 native speakers of this language variety, located in Mehraban District in Hamadan Province, Iran. For our methodology, we conducted an image-description task and a story-narration task. In the first controlled task, the speakers were asked to describe 20 event-oriented pictures prompted by questions relating to the intended construction. In the free narrative task, the speakers were asked to renarrate the film “The Pear Story.” According to our observations, the choice of voice and the use of passive structures vary depending on the context. Our investigations show that passive is a context-oriented and contact-sensitive feature in Mehraban Garrusi Kurdish. In the controlled descriptive context, where the actor was intentionally ignored, the speakers tended to use passive verbal structures, specifically the prototypical form. However, in the free narrative context, where they were allowed to freely renarrate what they observed, they tended to express active predications in the presence of the animate actor, resorting to anticausative forms with patientive subjects affected by inanimate actors. We also found that the rare emergence of the non-prototypical passive suffix, the non-passivization of certain verbal forms, and the exceptional existence of agent phrases in passive diathesis were products of contact-induced change occurring in interaction with Chaharduli Kurdish, Shahsevan Turkic, and Standard Persian. Full article

Sustainability in tourism is becoming an increasingly significant challenge given the growing environmental, social, and cultural pressures associated with traditional forms of travel. One tool considered in this context is virtual reality (VR), which enables tourism experiences without the need for physical travel. The aim of this article is to examine how individual characteristics and features of the VR experience relate to user experience and changes in the evaluation of tourist destinations. The empirical study is based on surveys conducted before and after VR sessions in which 215 participants used the “Google Earth VR” application and visited locations of their choice. This paper presents the results of the relationship analysis between different variables. The dataset included evaluation of perceived realism and its components (360° representation, graphical quality, lag/smoothness, freedom of exploration, sound quality, tracking accuracy), engagement, emotion in VR, intuitiveness of VR use and more. In terms of the most important results, participants with a higher interest in travel reported stronger emotional responses and higher engagement during the VR experience, while perceived realism showed a weaker but directionally consistent association. VR showed a somewhat stronger, though still small, association with positive change in destination evaluation among participants with low initial tourism interest, for whom the experience may introduce novelty or reduce psychological distance to the destination. The analyses conducted contribute to a better understanding of the factors associated with the virtual tourism experience and highlight the potential of VR as a tool supporting the development of more sustainable forms of tourism experiences. Full article