Search Results (48)

The efficient management of urban parking systems has emerged as a pivotal issue in today’s smart cities, where increasing vehicle populations strain limited parking infrastructure and challenge sustainable urban mobility. Aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the strategic goals of smart city planning, this study presents a sustainability-driven, multiagent simulation-based framework to model, analyze, and optimize smart parking dynamics in congested urban settings. The system architecture integrates ground-level IoT sensors installed in parking spaces, enabling real-time occupancy detection and communication with a centralized system using low-power wide-area communication protocols (LPWAN). This study introduces an intelligent parking guidance mechanism that dynamically directs drivers to the nearest available slots based on location, historical traffic flow, and predicted availability. To manage real-time data flow, the framework incorporates message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocols and edge processing units for low-latency updates. A predictive algorithm, combining spatial data, usage patterns, and time-series forecasting, supports decision-making for future slot allocation and dynamic pricing policies. Field simulations, calibrated with sensor data in a representative high-density urban district, assess system performance under peak and off-peak conditions. A comparative evaluation against traditional first-come-first-served and static parking systems highlights significant gains: average parking search time is reduced by 42%, vehicular congestion near parking zones declines by 35%, and emissions from circling vehicles drop by 27%. The system also improves user satisfaction by enabling mobile app-based reservation and payment options. These findings contribute to broader sustainability goals by supporting efficient land use, reducing environmental impacts, and enhancing urban livability—key dimensions emphasized in sustainable smart city strategies. The proposed framework offers a scalable, interdisciplinary solution for urban planners and policymakers striving to design inclusive, resilient, and environmentally responsible urban mobility systems. Full article

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains a principal cause of cervical cancer worldwide. Although large-scale vaccination efforts have substantially lowered HPV infection rates and precancerous lesions, not all regions have achieved high coverage. In Japan, proactive HPV vaccine recommendations were suspended from 2013 to 2022 due to concerns over alleged adverse events, causing vaccination rates to drop from over 70% to below 1%. This narrative review synthesized research published from 2014 to 2025 in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, focusing on English-language studies. Inclusion criteria encompassed analyses of HPV vaccine efficacy or safety, policies related to vaccination in Japan or other countries, and investigations into vaccine hesitancy or media influences. Data were categorized into five thematic areas: historical and policy contexts, evidence of vaccine safety and efficacy, societal drivers of hesitancy, communication strategies, and administrative or clinical interventions. Evidence robustly confirms the HPV vaccine’s favorable safety profile, with severe adverse events appearing exceedingly rare. Nonetheless, media sensationalism and limited risk communication in Japan perpetuated mistrust, impeding vaccination uptake. Comparisons with Denmark and Ireland indicate that transparent, interactive risk communication can restore coverage to near-pre-suspension levels. Japan’s recent policy reforms, including reinstating proactive recommendations and catch-up initiatives, have begun to reverse vaccination hesitancy. Sustained policy support, evidence-based messaging, and empathetic engagement with communities are central to rebuilding trust in the HPV vaccine. Lessons from best international practices emphasize the importance of multifaceted interventions, collaborative stakeholder engagement, and transparent risk communication to reduce the burden of HPV-related malignancies. Full article

The insect molting process is critical to growth and development and is regulated in part by the neuropeptides corazonin, eclosion hormone, and α and β bursicon. We found messages in a synganglion transcriptome from adult, female American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis (that do not molt), with a high similarity to the larval insect neuropeptides that control molting. The phylogenetic analysis of the tick putative neuropeptides compared to other arthropods is discussed in detail. The relative gene expression of these peptides was determined by quantitative PCR during the following adult developmental stages: (i) virgin, unfed 0–24 h after entering the adult stage (non-host-seeking), (ii) host-seeking, unfed, and not mated (3 d after emergence), (iii) part-fed (unmated, attached to host; 1st and 3rd day after emergence), (iv) mated (females are part-fed; allowed to mate for ≤1 day, 7th day after emergence), (v) mated repletes (completion of blood feeding but still attached to host), and (vi) post-drop-off (from host) with egg laying starting within 1 d of detachment. Eclosion hormone transcript levels peaked at mating and at drop-off. Bursicon α levels were highest just after molting into adults, with a second smaller peak in replete females. Bursicon β levels were highest (32-fold) post-drop-off. Corazonin message levels peaked in part-feds and were much higher (40-fold) in repletes compared to 0–24 h after emergence. RNAi suppression of the corazonin message by injection in newly molted ticks reduced oviposition and the number of vitellogenic eggs in the ovaries at drop-off but had no apparent effect on host-seeking, partial feeding, mating, feeding to repletion, and drop-off. The possible roles of these transcripts in adult, female tick development are discussed. Full article

Using Gaia DR3 we derive new distances and luminosities for a sample of Galactic B supergiants which were thought to be post main-sequence (MS) objects from their HR diagram location beyond the terminal-age MS (TAMS). When applying the newer Gaia distances in addition to enhanced amounts of core-boundary mixing, aka convective overshooting, we show that these Galactic B supergiants are likely enclosed within the MS band, indicating an evolutionary stage of steady core hydrogen burning. We discuss the importance of considering enhanced overshooting and how vectors in the mass-luminosity plane (ML-plane) can be used to disentangle the effects of wind mass loss from interior mixing. We finish with the key message that any proposed solution to the BSG problem should consider not only an explanation for the sheer number of B supergiants inside the Hertzsprung gap, but should at the same time also account for the steep drop in rotation rates identified at spectral type B1—corresponding to an effective temperature of ∼21 kK, and for which two distinct families of solutions have been proposed. Full article

In opportunistic IoT (OppIoT) networks, non-cooperative nodes present a significant challenge to the data forwarding process, leading to increased packet loss and communication delays. This paper proposes a novel Context-Aware Trust and Reputation Routing (CATR) protocol for opportunistic IoT networks, which leverages the probability density function of the beta distribution and some contextual factors, to dynamically compute the trust and reputation values of nodes, leading to efficient data dissemination, where malicious nodes are effectively identified and bypassed during that process. Simulation experiments using the ONE simulator show that CATR is superior to the Epidemic protocol, the so-called beta-based trust and reputation evaluation system (denoted BTRES), and the secure and privacy-preserving structure in opportunistic networks (denoted PPHB+), achieving an improvement of 22%, 15%, and 9% in terms of average latency, number of messages dropped, and average hop count, respectively, under varying number of nodes, buffer size, time to live, and message generation interval. Full article

Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst educators, this study investigated the feasibility of the 16-week Health4LIFE weight loss intervention for primary school educators living with overweight/obesity in low-income settings in Cape Town, South Africa. The research comprised two sub-studies, a pilot randomised controlled trial testing the intervention (10 intervention, n = 79 and 10 control schools, n = 58), and an investigation of the perceptions of participating educators and principals. Feasibility outcomes included reach, applicability, acceptability, implementation integrity, and a hypothesis-generating signal of effect on lifestyle factors and weight. The intervention consisted of a wellness day, weight loss manual, and text messages. Results indicated acceptable reach, with positive feedback on intervention components from principals and educators. Implementation was largely successful, though three schools dropped out due to scheduling issues. Barriers included interruption of teaching time and busy school schedules. The intervention group (n = 42) showed favourable shifts in belief patterns, stages of change, and lifestyle behaviours, with a trend towards weight loss. Control group (n = 43) changes were limited to dietary intake. The triangulation of results supported the intervention’s feasibility in terms of primary and secondary outcomes. Recommendations for enhancement include adding in-person follow-up sessions and an app-based element to potentially increase impact on lifestyle indicators and weight loss. Full article

This study examined the impact of using three types of in-store signage to educate consumers about packaging recyclability as well as to measure its effectiveness in increasing awareness of a store drop-off recycling method for packaged granola. A total of 67 shoppers were recruited and divided into two groups to shop for granola in a retail store. Group A was not exposed to signage near the granola, while Group B was exposed to the in-store signage comprising shelf strips and aisle invaders with How2Recycle educational information containing messaging about the store drop-off recycling. A store drop-off bin was positioned at the entrance of the testing environment for both groups. The results showed that Group B had a significantly higher total fixation duration (p = 0.02) and fixation count (p = 0.03) than Group A in response to the recycling instructions on the drop-off bin. When comparing the three methods of in-store signage—shelf strips, aisle invaders, and the printed store drop-off bin panels—the shelf strips performed the best with regard to total fixation duration (1.72 s) and fixation count (5.91 counts) and were noticed by the highest percentage of shoppers. The store drop-off bin panels had the best performance with regard to time to first fixation (0.12 s). The aisle invaders had the lowest performance in all three eye tracking key metrics and were noticed by the lowest percentage of participants. These responses illustrate shopper challenges related to plastic recycling. This study demonstrates that recycling information can be effectively provided through strategically positioned in-store signage, especially messaging on shelf strips. While consumers are open to the usage of Store Drop-off Bins, affirming customer knowledge of these processes is essential to develop new consumer recycling habits. Full article

In the near future, there will be a greater emphasis on sharing network resources between roads and railways to improve transportation efficiency and reduce infrastructure costs. This could enable the development of global Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITSs). In this paper, a software-defined networking (SDN)-based common emergency service is developed and validated for a railway and road telecommunication shared infrastructure. Along with this, the developed application is capable of reducing the chances of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) situations. A level-crossing scenario is considered to demonstrate the developed solution where railway tracks are perpendicular to the roads. Two cases are considered to validate and analyze the developed SDN application for common emergency scenarios. In case 1, no cross-communication is available between the road and railway domains. In this case, emergency message distribution is carried out by the assigned emergency servers with the help of the SDN controller. In case 2, nodes (cars and trains) are defined with two wireless interfaces, and one interface is reserved for emergency data communication. To add the DDoS resiliency to the developed system the messaging behavior of each node is observed and if an abnormality is detected, packets are dropped to avoid malicious activity. Full article

We compare the performance of dual-band (GPS L1/L2 and Galileo E1/E5a) real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning in an open sky and urban scenarios in southern Finland using two different authentication schemes: one using only satellites authenticated by Galileo’s open service navigation message authentication (OSNMA) service (which at the moment of our tests led to using only authenticated Galileo satellites) and the other with no authentication. The results show the actual trade-off between accuracy and availability vs. authenticity associated with using only OSNMA-authenticated satellites, while the authentication of only Galileo satellites is possible (e.g., a drop of RTK positioning availability from 96.67 to 86.01% in our open sky and from 73.55 to 18.65% in our urban scenarios, respectively), and an upper bound of the potential performance that could be reached in similar experimental conditions had the authentication of GPS satellites been supported (e.g., an overall 14 cm and $10.20$ $\mathrm{m}$ 95% horizontal accuracy in our open sky and urban scenarios, with below 30, 20 and 10 $\mathrm{c}$$\mathrm{m}$ during 97.39, 96.03 and 92.43% of the time in the open sky and 49.12, 45.96 and 39.63% in the urban scenarios, respectively). Full article

The growing demand for communication technology capable of providing high transmission rates in maritime environments has led to the exploration of the very high frequency (VHF) data exchange system (VDES) as a promising solution. The VDES, the integration of an automatic identification system (AIS), application-specific messaging (ASM), and VHF data exchange (VDE), offers improved transmission rates and stable connections compared with existing technologies. Although the VDES supports high transmission rates through various modulation and coding scheme (MCS) technologies, it lacks a standardized mechanism for controlling MCS parameters and relies on user algorithms for operation. In this paper, we introduce the maritime auto-rate fall-back (mARF) technology, designed to effectively address the challenges of maritime communication scenarios using the MCS framework provided by the VDES. mARF technology incorporates fast drop-out and recovery mechanisms to swiftly adapt to changing MCS types in the presence of deep nulls, a common occurrence in maritime communication environments. These adaptive thresholds for fast drop-out and recovery operations are dynamically learned using historical communication data. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of mARF in enhancing the MCS control capabilities of the VDES. Our results show a significant performance improvement of 18% compared to the existing model, validating the potential of mARF in optimizing maritime communication channels and supporting a high transmission rate. Full article

We present Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) observed operational information and key performance indicators (KPIs) from the analysis of a ten-day-long dataset collected in static open-sky conditions in southern Finland and using our in-house-developed OSNMA implementation. In particular, we present a timeline with authentication-related events, such as authentication status and type, dropped navigation pages, and failed cyclic redundancy checks. We also report other KPIs, such as the number of simultaneously authenticated satellites over time, time to first authenticated fix, and percentage of authenticated fixes, and we evaluate the accuracy of the authenticated position solution. We also study how satellite visibility affects these figures. Finally, we analyze situations where it was not possible to reach an authenticated fix, and offer our findings on the observed patterns. Full article

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are a rapidly evolving field at the intersection of intelligent transportation systems, emphasizing the need for a stable and scalable VANET topology to accommodate growing vehicular densities. The intricate challenge of route selection calls for advanced clustering protocols to bolster road safety and message routing. This research introduces a novel approach to intelligent clustering routing protocols, leveraging heuristic-based solutions built upon an enhanced ant colony optimizer (ACO) framework. The study unfolds in two stages: the creation of a dynamic search space model and the election of cluster heads (CHs). The innovative dynamic aware transmission range parallel Euclidean distance (DA-TRPED) technique establishes a dynamic search space using the parallel Euclidean distance (PED) concept. This approach evaluates vehicular nodes by estimating PED values, reducing the search process’s complexity. Subsequently, an intelligent cluster head is selected by enhancing the dynamic evaporation factor (DEF) within the ACO technique. The experimental validation of the DA-TRPED technique takes place in NS2 simulations, demonstrating superior performance compared to conventional ACO. This enhancement is evident in metrics such as packet delivery, packet drop, throughput, end-to-end delay, and the lifetime analysis of clustered nodes. The proposed approach holds promise for optimizing VANETs, enhancing their stability and scalability while promoting road safety and efficient message routing. Full article

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) facilitate communication among vehicles and possess designated infrastructure nodes to improve road safety and traffic flow. As the number of vehicles increases, the limited bandwidth of the wireless channel used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication can become congested, leading to packets being dropped or delayed. VANET congestion control techniques attempt to address this by adjusting different transmission parameters, including the data rate, message rate, and transmission power. In this paper, we propose a decentralized congestion control algorithm where each factor adjusts the data rate (bitrate) used to transmit its wireless packet congestion based on the current load on the channel. The channel load is estimated independently by each vehicle using the measured channel busy ratio (CBR). The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms existing data rate-based algorithms, in terms of both packet reception and overall channel load. Full article

Alliance chain has gained widespread popularity in industrial and commercial fields due to its multi-centralization and node manageability. Current implementations of the alliance chain suffer from scalability obstacles, such as communication congestion and throughput drop, when the number of nodes increases. In this paper, a novel dynamic transaction confirmation sharding protocol is proposed, which improves transaction processing efficiency by partitioning nodes and assigning different transactions to different shards. It utilizes dynamic transaction confirmation consensus as a sharding intra-consensus mechanism to minimize message size and package transactions into microblocks, which modifies communication content during transaction propagation among shards and reduces network congestion and shard reconfigure cost. The protocol leverages a review system and reputation model to identify and punish malicious nodes and also incorporates a verifiable random function for node configuration, which ensures a sufficient number of honest nodes within the shard and prevents repeated consensus processes. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol outperforms mainstream used permissioned chain sharding protocols Attested HyperLedger and Sharper, achieving a throughput improvement of at least 20%. This protocol is suitable for scenarios requiring high throughput and reliability in industrial and commercial fields such as finance, logistics, and supply chain management. Even if the number of alliance chain nodes increases to the usual maximum, or there are some faulty nodes, the protocol can still maintain stable performance. Full article

Workplace health promotion programs (WHPPs) can improve shift workers’ physical activity. The purpose of this paper is to present the process evaluation of a text messaging health promotion intervention for mining shift workers during a 24-day shift cycle. Data collected from intervention participants with a logbook (n = 25) throughout the intervention, exit interviews (n = 7) and online surveys (n = 17) examined the WHPP using the RE-AIM (Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) framework. The program reached 66% of workers across three departments, with 15% of participants dropping out. The program showed the potential to be adopted if the recruitment strategies are improved to reach more employees, especially when involving work managers for recruitment. A few changes were made to the program, and participant adherence was high. Facilitators to adopt and implement the health promotion program included the use of text messaging to improve physical activity, feedback on behaviour, and providing incentives. Work-related fatigue was reported as a barrier to implementing the program. Participants reported that they would recommend the program to other workers and use the Mi fitness band to continue monitoring and improving their health behaviour. This study showed that shift workers were optimistic about health promotion. Allowing for long-term evaluation and involving the company management to determine scale-up should be considered for future programs. Full article