Search Results (559)

Road tunnel fires can produce rapid heat accumulation and severe thermal loading, particularly when fixed firefighting systems are not activated during the early stages of fire development. Although previous tunnel fire studies have examined ventilation effects and individual fire scenarios, only a limited number have quantitatively evaluated the performance of water-mist fixed firefighting systems under substantially different fire intensities using identical tunnel geometry and operating conditions. This gap restricts the ability to assess suppression efficiency across both moderate and severe tunnel fire scenarios. Computational fluid dynamics modelling, particularly the FDS–LES framework, enables controlled comparison of such scenarios that would be difficult, costly, or unsafe to reproduce in full-scale tunnel experiments, while providing detailed information on temperature field development and heat propagation. This study evaluates the influence of a water-mist fixed firefighting system on temperature development and the spatial extent of high-temperature zones in a road tunnel. Numerical simulations were performed in PyroSim using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach. Four scenarios were analyzed under identical tunnel geometry, ventilation conditions, and operational settings, combining two heat release rates (30 MW and 200 MW) with suppressed and unsuppressed fire conditions. The 30 MW case represented a passenger vehicle or light commercial vehicle fire, whereas the 200 MW case represented a severe heavy goods vehicle fire. The results showed that, in the 200 MW scenario, activation of the fixed firefighting system reduced the maximum temperature from 950 °C to 700 °C (−26%), while in the 30 MW scenario the maximum temperature decreased from 310 °C to 160 °C (−48%). Minimum temperatures were reduced from 550 °C to 200 °C in the 200 MW scenario and from 290 °C to 110 °C in the 30 MW scenario. The water-mist system also limited the propagation of the high-temperature layer beneath the tunnel ceiling, with a more pronounced relative effect under the lower heat release rate. Although complete suppression of the 200 MW fire was not achieved, the system reduced peak temperatures and limited the extent of critical high-temperature zones. The main contribution of this study is the quantitative comparison of water-mist suppression performance under moderate and severe tunnel fire conditions using the same tunnel configuration, which provides practical evidence for assessing peak-temperature reduction, high-temperature zone limitation, and thermal loading mitigation in road tunnel fire safety design. Full article

Decision-making in cyber defense exercises (CDX) is shaped by technical, emotional, motivational, and collaborative human factors under uncertainty and time pressure. This study proposes a human-centered Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) framework to model and predict Counterfactual Decision Reflection (CDR) outcomes in CDX environments. Two complementary datasets representing technical, emotional, motivational, and teamwork-related dimensions were collected from the international Lithuanian Armed Forces cyber defense exercise Amber Mist 2024 and analyzed using Spearman correlation, 3D regression surface modeling, fuzzy rule extraction, and ANFIS prediction to investigate the relationship between human factors and CDR. The results demonstrated that teamwork, communication, and collaboration have a stronger influence on decision stability than isolated technical competencies. Baseline ANFIS evaluation indicated that triangular membership functions provided the best generalization, while generalized bell functions achieved the lowest training errors. To improve model robustness, multiple synthetic data augmentation methods were evaluated. The augmented ANFIS models substantially improved predictive performance, reducing testing error values significantly. The findings confirm that synthetic-data-enhanced neuro-fuzzy modeling provides an effective and interpretable framework for analyzing human-centered cybersecurity decision-making processes in cyber defense exercises. Full article

The safe and uninterrupted operation of the ship’s main engine is critical for maritime transportation. The shutdown mechanism, part of the main engine protection systems, prevents serious damage by automatically stopping the engine in critical situations such as low lubrication oil pressure, overspeed, high bearing temperature, and cooling system failures. However, identifying the faults that trigger the shutdown system and evaluating their risk levels is crucial for improving system reliability. In this study, shutdown events that may occur in a two-stroke low-speed marine diesel main engine were investigated using Fuzzy Fault Tree Analysis (FFTA). The shutdown event was defined as the peak event, and a total of 34 baseline events were modelled under five main branches: low lubrication oil pressure, overspeed, high thrust bearing temperature, abnormal jacket coolant inlet condition, and crankcase/cylinder oil mist formation. Fuzzy assessments based on expert opinions were defuzzified and converted into probability values and used in fault tree calculations. The results showed that the shutdown risk is largely affected by failures originating from the jacket coolant system and the lubrication oil system. Specifically, lubrication oil filter clogging and contamination/blockage in the coolant line were identified as the most critical risk factors. The findings significantly contribute to prioritizing maintenance and condition-monitoring activities aimed at improving the ship’s main engine reliability through a risk-based approach. Full article

Urban heat stress is intensifying under climate change, particularly in outdoor public spaces where conventional mechanical cooling is impractical. This study develops a climate-driven, system-level numerical framework to evaluate the pre-deployment feasibility of modular, solar-powered spray cooling canopies across 110 cities in Türkiye. Hourly Typical Meteorological Year (TMYx) weather files, representing a single typical year constructed from 2009 to 2023 source data, are used to estimate photovoltaic (PV) energy yield, electrical load, feasible misting duration, water demand, and PV-to-load autonomy under summer daytime conditions. The misting operation is governed by a rule-based adaptive control strategy based on air temperature, relative humidity, and plane-of-array irradiance. To support transferable comparison, the cities are classified into six summer climate-archetype zones using k-means clustering of standardized climate variables, including temperature, humidity, irradiance, wind speed, and summer precipitation. Results show that evaporative cooling feasibility is governed primarily by humidity rather than temperature alone. Hot–Dry Inland cities exhibit the longest mean misting duration (501.90 h) and highest water demand (30,152 L per module), but the lowest PV-to-load autonomy ratio (1.55) because of high pump-driven electrical demand. In contrast, Humid Black Sea cities show minimal misting duration (11.43 h) and water use (465 L per module), but the highest autonomy ratio (39.68) due to very limited system activation. Thus, high autonomy does not necessarily indicate high cooling usefulness. The proposed framework provides a reproducible screening tool for identifying where PV-powered spray cooling canopies are climatically suitable, where water and PV sizing become limiting, and where alternative outdoor heat-mitigation strategies may be more appropriate. Full article

Background/Objectives: Contemporary minimally invasive surgical therapies (MISTs) for benign prostatic hyperplasia carry retreatment rates up to 32%, with holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) increasingly used as salvage therapy. Prior reviews focused on salvage HoLEP (sHoLEP) following transurethral resection; however, technical challenges specific to the post-MIST field remain uncharacterised. We aimed to characterise technical barriers during sHoLEP following contemporary MISTs, with secondary evaluation of efficacy, safety and feasibility. Methods: Following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD420261321711), five databases were searched from inception to February 2026. Studies reporting sHoLEP outcomes in adults with prior MIST were included. Qualitative findings were synthesised thematically; quantitative outcomes reported by three or more studies underwent random-effects meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using methodological index for non-randomized studies methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS) and certainty of evidence using grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE). Results: Ten studies (354 sHoLEP, 3618 primary HoLEP (pHoLEP) patients) were included. Technical difficulty was MIST-type dependent: thermoablative procedures and prostatic artery embolisation preserved the enucleation plane, while prostatic urethral lift (PUL) introduced morcellation-specific challenges including blade jamming and staged procedures. Meta-analysis revealed no difference in operative time or tissue weight, but reduced enucleation efficiency (weighted mean difference; WMD −0.11 g/min, p = 0.027) and peak urinary flow improvement (WMD −3.0 mL/s, p < 0.001). Both findings were sensitive to analysis, losing significance on restriction to predominantly MIST cohorts, and the enucleation efficiency result additionally lost significance on removal of the most heavily weighted study (p = 0.94). Complication rates were equivalent (odds ratio (OR) 0.92, p = 0.787). Conclusions: sHoLEP is safe and efficacious following contemporary MIST. Surgeons should anticipate MIST-specific challenges, particularly morcellation difficulties after PUL requiring tailored instrumentation. Prospective MIST-specific studies are needed. Full article

This study aimed to systematically categorize and critically analyze the feasibility of developing a cultural resource-based tourism route in Betong District, Yala Province, the southernmost area of Thailand, which is called “the city in the mist.” Research and development techniques were employed using a simulated map from an information system and community forums to create and revise a cultural resource-based tourism map in these areas: the Aiyoeweng, Tano Maero, Betong, and Than Nam Thip Subdistricts. The participants from five communities, 10 people per community, totaling 50 participants, were selected through purposive sampling to join in drafting a cultural resource map by pinpointing important areas in each subdistrict. The fieldwork data collected in each subdistrict were categorized and the content was analyzed to examine the feasibility of the approach to creating a map based on cultural resources. The results found that the tourism patterns resulting from a strong resource base could be divided into tangible and intangible cultural resources. The selected resources include local food, learning centers, tourist attractions, interesting entertainment activities, and community service centers. These were then used to create a simulated map, which was analyzed to determine the feasibility of a tourism route based on resource capital, abundant forests, cultural capital in historical sites, and social capital that were covered in community tourism policies, plans, and guidelines for tourism management to achieve maximum benefits, resulting from the community process that had to jointly design the process. The results of this study are part of the restoration of tourism based on resources for income management and for local organizations to expand and upgrade tourism to the regional economic zones in the southern border provinces. Full article

Salt tolerance is a key factor limiting coastal vegetation restoration. In backshore areas, foliage is frequently exposed to salt mist and wave splash, which severely constrains plant survival and restoration outcomes. While root salt tolerance under short-term stress has been widely studied, foliar salt tolerance remains poorly understood. Here, using a self-developed experimental apparatus, we investigated the salt tolerance mechanisms of the coastal shrub Volkameria inermis through a long-term (159-day) foliar salt stress experiment (0–3.0% NaCl), followed by a 64-day recovery period. Field suitability was also evaluated at different coastal locations in Quanzhou Bay, Fujian Province. The results show that: (1) trait plasticity (e.g., leaf thickening), resource redirection (e.g., reduced growth rate, and new bud emergence in unstressed parts), and strong recovery capacity together enhance V. inermis adaptation to long-term foliar salt stress; (2) V. inermis exhibits adaptability to salinity ≤2.0% and survival under 3.0% despite severe injury; (3) besides osmotic adjustment, proline accumulation helps alleviate oxidative damage; and (4) field data demonstrated that leaf thickness and leaf water content were significantly associated with distance from the sea and elevation, thereby validating the salt-adaptation strategies observed under controlled conditions. This study provides a novel methodological framework and practical insights for selecting salt-tolerant species in coastal restoration. Full article

This study presents a green-intensified system for the production of bio-based polyurethane foam using waste cooking oil (WCO) as the primary polyol source. The experimental setup was specifically designed to apply the concept of green intensification by integrating cavitation energy generated through ultrasonic irradiation with a high-shear mixing system. This hybrid approach facilitates the effective mixing of WCO-based bio-polyol with isocyanate, enhancing the reaction during foam formation. An ultrasonic atomizer was employed to convert water into a fine mist, which was then introduced into the reaction mixture using a controlled air blower. The misted water serves as an eco-friendly blowing agent, improving its dispersion within the polyol matrix. The results indicate that this method prolongs gel time, suggesting a more controlled and gradual blowing reaction. Furthermore, the combined use of ultrasonic irradiation and high-shear mixing significantly reduced foam density and produced a finer, more uniform cellular structure. These findings demonstrate that ultrasonic-assisted misting and emulsification not only enhance process efficiency but also contribute to the environmentally sustainable synthesis of bio-polyurethane foam. Full article

As agriculture moves towards green transformation and low-carbon production, the high energy consumption, environmental burden, and residue risks associated with conventional chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and disinfectants have become increasingly prominent. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) can generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) under near-ambient temperature and pressure conditions, while offering low chemical residue, high reactivity, and modular equipment design. It has therefore attracted growing attention in agricultural engineering and green agricultural input preparation. This review focuses primarily on studies published within the past five years, together with the selected foundational literature retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, MDPI, and ScienceDirect. It systematically examines the fundamental mechanisms, application modes, and representative agricultural scenarios of NTP, with particular emphasis on agricultural nitrogen fixation and fertilisation, seed treatment and seedling raising, crop growth regulation and protection, soil improvement and remediation, and postharvest preservation and safety treatment of agricultural products. Key technological advances are then summarised, including optimisation of discharge systems and reactor configurations, plasma–catalysis synergy, preparation of plasma-activated water (PAW) and plasma-activated mist (PAM), and the development and integration of specialised agricultural equipment. In addition, the current state-of-the-art (SOA) of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in plasma-process modelling, process-parameter optimisation, agricultural performance evaluation, and intelligent control is discussed. Existing evidence indicates that NTP is particularly relevant to controlled-environment agriculture, including greenhouse cultivation, hydroponics, and aeroponics, where discharge processes, water or nutrient solutions, and crop root-zone management can be coupled for in situ nitrogen supply, activated-medium preparation, and crop protection. However, reported effects remain strongly dependent on discharge type, energy input, reactive-species composition, treatment dose, crop species, cultivation system, and application route. Therefore, NTP-based agricultural technologies should be evaluated using consistent indicators, including energy consumption, product selectivity, reactive-species stability, treatment throughput, crop response, ecological safety, and system-level integration with AI and IoT. Future research should prioritise high-efficiency reactors, standardised evaluation frameworks, cross-scale mechanistic understanding, reliable datasets, and closed-loop intelligent control, thereby supporting the transition from laboratory studies to reproducible and application-oriented agricultural systems. Full article

Offshore high-water-rate gas wells can often sustain stable production for a considerable period after liquid first appears at the wellhead. Unlike conventional onshore gas wells with relatively low liquid production, these wells can remain in stable production during the middle and late production stages even when the gas velocity in the wellbore has fallen far below the critical value predicted by conventional liquid-carrying criteria. Under such conditions, the wellbore flow pattern commonly shifts from annular mist flow to churn flow and slug flow, and liquid transport becomes governed by a dynamic balance jointly controlled by pressure differential and gas entrainment. As a result, conventional critical liquid-carrying theory alone is no longer sufficient for accurate production state identification. To address this issue, this study proposes a production state identification method for offshore high-water-rate gas wells based on dynamic pressure profile calibration and nodal analysis. In this method, the wellbore pressure profile serves as the key link between outflow capacity and production state evaluation. Measured data from flowing pressure tests are used to calibrate the pressure profile within the selected multiphase flow correlation by introducing two calibration coefficients, namely the liquid holdup calibration coefficient and the two-phase friction calibration coefficient. Gaussian process regression is then applied to model the temporal evolution of the calibration coefficients, generate their fitted trajectories, and predict their values at the next time step. By using the predicted calibration coefficients to recalibrate the pressure profile, dynamic calibration of the wellbore pressure profile is achieved. Field applications to four offshore high-water-rate gas wells show that the calibrated pressure profiles are in closer agreement with the measured pressure points. The accuracy of production-state identification is also significantly improved, and the gas production rates calculated from calibrated nodal analysis are closer to the values reported in daily production records than those obtained before calibration. These results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively improves both wellbore pressure profile prediction and production-state identification for offshore high-water-rate gas wells. The study provides a practical method for production state evaluation and production management of offshore high-water-rate gas wells during the middle and late stages of field development. Full article

This study investigated the suppression effects and mechanisms of fine water mist on methane/air explosions through large-scale roadway experiments and numerical simulations. Experiments showed that fine water mist curtains deployed at 40 m and 70 m effectively mitigate flame propagation and reduce overpressure. A coupled gas–liquid numerical model was developed to reproduce flame dynamics and droplet–flow interactions. The simulations revealed droplet breakup, transport, and coupling with the evolving explosion flow field, providing mechanistic insight into gas–liquid interactions in a confined roadway. Suppression by fine water mist is primarily driven by heat absorption and cooling, while radical chain interruption plays a secondary role. These coupled mechanisms significantly reduce flame propagation velocity and pressure rise rate, achieving complete suppression under optimized configurations. This study provides a solid foundation for the design and optimization of water mist explosion suppression systems in large-scale roadways. Full article

ZnO nanorods were synthesized on AZO substrates by chemical bath deposition, and were subsequently annealed under an air and vacuum ambient. Both annealing processes could improve the crystallinities of ZnO nanorods. The air-annealed ZnO nanorods showed higher crystallinity and partial reduction of oxygen-vacancy-related defects. The air-annealed ZnO nanorods exhibited a much higher photodegradation efficiency of 70% degradation for methyl red. In addition, as-grown ZnO nanorods were coated with undoped and Al-doped ZnO by mist chemical vapor deposition. Both coated thin layers modified the surface of ZnO nanorods, while the AZO-coated ZnO nanorods showed higher crystallinity and light absorption which resulted in the improvement in the photodegradation rate of methyl red. These findings demonstrate that appropriate annealing treatment and AZO surface engineering for ZnO nanorods are effective approaches for improving crystallinity, which leads to improvement of the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO-based materials. Full article

Conventional water mist systems require high-pressure pumps and complex piping networks to generate fine water droplets, which often results in high installation costs and maintenance difficulties. Recently, a water mist system with ultrasonic waves has been proposed as a viable alternative system to address those limitations. However, there is a lack of experimental data for evaluating the fire suppression performance of water mist systems using ultrasonic waves. Therefore, in this study, a simplified water mist system with an ultrasonic wave was suggested for evaluating the fire suppression performance. Subsequently, a reduced-scale room corner test (RCT) was conducted to investigate suppression performance under various fire sizes and suppression conditions. The experimental cases were classified according to pool size, door condition, and operation of the ultrasonic water mist system. Ultimately, fire suppression performance was quantitatively evaluated using performance indices derived from fire duration and indoor temperature variation. The results demonstrate that the ultrasonic water mist system effectively suppresses fires through combined cooling and oxygen-blocking effects, while significantly reducing indoor temperature compared to oxygen-blocking suppression. The proposed performance indices enable quantitative comparison of suppression effectiveness and confirm the feasibility of ultrasonic water mist systems as an alternative to conventional high-pressure water mist systems. Full article

Network approaches are commonly used to study mutualistic interactions between frugivorous birds and plants at the community level. However, most fruit–bird networks aggregate individual data and rely on species-level traits, often overlooking intraspecific variation. Here, we downscale a fruit–bird network to the individual level to evaluate intraspecific diet variation and individual specialization in the four main frugivorous passerine species of an island community. Fruit consumption was identified from fecal samples collected from mist-netted birds and individuals’ diets were modeled with a Bayesian approach. Intraspecific diet variation was quantified using the E and NODF indices, individual specialization using the Psi index, and clustering of individuals sharing fruit resources using the Cws index. We detected low intraspecific diet variation and individuals’ diets were not nested. Individual specialization was mainly related to recapture of individuals and weakly related to phenotypic traits. Clustering mainly involved heterospecific individuals whose diets matched plant fruiting phenology during the capture period. Accordingly, future community-level studies addressing the role of mutualistic interactions in biodiversity maintenance may benefit from integrating network approaches with complementary information on interindividual and interspecific competition. Full article

Future aircraft propulsion concepts (e.g., water-enhanced engines and fuel cells) will depend on efficient water recovery to enhance cycle efficiency and environmental performance. Operating conditions commonly involve droplet (mist) transport in turbulent air and wall-bounded films formed by droplet–wall interactions. This work develops an Eulerian–Lagrangian model within the RANS/URANS framework that accounts for air–droplet–wall phenomena—interfacial shear, impingement, and film advection. A dynamic contact-angle model, implemented and calibrated from static contact angle measurements performed in this study, represents wall wetting at the liquid–solid interface. The model is validated against experiments using two design metrics: pressure loss across the unit and recovered water mass fraction. At a low Mach number ($Ma=0.1$), saturated and dry air produce nearly identical pressure losses in the circular test section, whereas the separation lip geometry exerts a strong influence via local acceleration and separation. The simulations reproduce measured pressure drops and water mass recovery with close agreement. Full article