Search Results (24,083)

Reducing the environmental impact of road transport requires pavements that contribute to lower fuel consumption of vehicles and greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycle. Rolling resistance plays a key role in this context, while warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies offer additional benefits by reducing energy use and emissions during production and construction. This study investigates the combined influence of aggregate type and aggregate gradation on the rolling resistance and functional performance of WMA wearing course mixtures. Ten laboratory-produced mixtures were designed, including dense-graded asphalt concrete (AC 11 VS) and stone mastic asphalt (SMA 8 S) with granite or dolomite aggregates, produced at reduced temperatures using a chemical WMA additive and polymer-modified bitumen PMB 45/80-65. Rolling resistance was evaluated using a laboratory energy loss method with two different tyres, along with assessments of volumetric properties, moisture resistance, surface macrotexture, and resistance to scuffing. The results indicate that aggregate gradation is the primary factor governing rolling resistance, and dense-graded mixtures exhibit lower energy loss due to their smoother surface texture. The aggregate type showed a secondary but consistent effect, with granite mixtures generally demonstrating slightly lower rolling resistance and improved resistance to surface degradation. In general, the findings confirm that WMA technologies can be effectively integrated into low-rolling-resistance asphalt mixtures, achieving reduced rolling resistance without compromising durability and thus supporting energy-efficient and sustainable pavement solutions. Full article

Background: Diabetes mellitus is common and associated with numerous complications including diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), which affect a third of patients and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. There are limited pharmacologic treatment options available with mixed efficacy. We have developed a novel therapeutic targeting inflammation and oxidative stress by conjugating microRNA-146a to cerium oxide nanoparticles to create CNP-miR146a and have found that injectable CNP-miR146a is associated with improved wound healing in a diabetic murine model. We hypothesized that a topical formulation of CNP-miR146a would be associated with equivalent improvements in wound healing. Methods: Release tests of CNP conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate were performed to determine the optimal gel base for sustained release. Diabetic (db/db) mice were cutaneously wounded and treated with topical CNP-miR146a, empty gel, injectable CNP-miR146a, or injectable phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Wound healing over time was compared between groups. Histological samples were collected and analyzed for CD45 and CD31 positivity at multiple timepoints. Results: CNP-miR146a in a topical pluronic lecithin organogel (PLO) base was associated with significantly improved wound healing compared to empty gel or injected PBS and equivalent to injected CNP-miR146a. Treatment with CNP-miR146a was also associated with decreased CD45 positivity and increased CD31 positivity, suggesting decreased inflammation and improved angiogenesis. Conclusions: Topical delivery of CNP-miR46a in a PLO base holds significant promise as a potential therapeutic for DFU and may improve patient compliance due to ease of delivery. Full article

Decarbonisation of urban areas is essential to reaching climate neutrality, as cities house half the global population and account for over 70% of carbon emissions. However, applying innovative approaches, such as establishing positive energy districts (PEDs), remains challenging due to stakeholder engagement and funding constraints, largely driven by knowledge gaps and a lack of best practices. This study examines barriers, facilitators and lessons learnt from six case studies in Europe, Canada and Singapore through a mixed-methods approach, including stakeholder interviews, grey literature analysis and a semi-structured review. Findings highlight district heating networks, heat pumps and photovoltaics as key technologies, with regional variations. While Mediterranean regions prioritise solar energy, northern climates employ a diverse range of solutions, including geothermal and seasonal storage. Political commitment and funding enable progress, whereas regulatory gaps and stakeholder misalignment hinder it. The study underscores the need for sharing best practices to enable PED implementation. Full article

Family care partners for persons living with dementia (PLwD) adopt a variety of care management strategies to navigate care. We utilize a convergent parallel mixed-methods design to integrate family care partners’ descriptions of care challenges and associated management approaches. Primary family care partners for PLwD (n = 100) were interviewed about their management of a care challenge (qualitative), the PLwD’s function, behavior and cognition (quantitative), and their management strategies (qualitative/quantitative). Care challenges and strategies were compared across qualitative content analysis and t-tests. Care partners providing more functional (r = 0.34, p < 0.01) and cognitive (r = 0.30, p < 0.01) care used more active management strategies, whereas care partners providing greater behavioral care (r = 0.34, p < 0.001) reported more criticism, with similar themes seen qualitatively. Active management may be required when dementia severity increases, yet criticism may emerge with greater behavioral severity. Because criticism is associated with more negative outcomes, future interventions should help care partners practice more adaptive behavioral management. Full article

Background/Objectives: People with advanced dementia experience difficulties in navigating, while wayfinding is essential for a level of autonomy. A properly designed building has the strength to facilitate this target group in wayfinding. While understanding their wayfinding needs and experiences, and the spatial characteristics (both facilitating and confusing) during the wayfinding process is crucial, this knowledge is still limited. This study mapped challenges that people with advanced dementia encounter on a route to an irregular destination in their familiar nursing home environment, specifically addressing confusing spatial characteristics. Methods: An observational study design with a mixed-method approach was applied. First, a navigation task was conducted to identify places of confusion on the way to the destination (n = 15 participants in four nursing homes). Affective states were captured by observations combined with biometric measurements. Second, both manual and space syntax floorplan analysis techniques were used to identify the spatial characteristics of potentially stressful spaces in nursing homes. Results: Nine participants reached the destination. The most observed wayfinding behaviors were looking at various things and stops on the route, and they were often accompanied by verbal navigational cues. Furthermore, most participants experienced some signs of stress or concentration. In total, eighteen confusing places in the nursing homes were identified. Conclusions: Regarding spatial characteristics supporting or hindering wayfinding skills for people with advanced dementia in nursing homes, this study confirmed some of the findings in the existing research (e.g., minimizing shifting directions for supporting wayfinding), contradicted the existing research (e.g., confusion arose at places with high visibility values), and added new findings (e.g., significantly widening corridors may be confusing). This study revealed that high-visibility areas and squares on the route confuse people with advanced dementia while wayfinding. Full article

Vast quantities of liquid hydrocarbon and oil-containing wastes are generated and accumulate annually. Dewatering such sludges presents a significant technological challenge due to the high content of emulsified and chemically bound water. Consequently, the development of integrated approaches, particularly thermomechanical methods, have emerged as a promising strategy. These methods aim to disrupt the emulsion stability and enhance water evaporation efficiency. This study provides a theoretical basis for stabilizing the evaporation of the aqueous phase through mechanical agitation within boiling emulsions. A quantitative mathematical model is developed to identify critical conditions that prevent explosive boiling. Under intensive mixing, water globule diameters decrease by 80–85% within the first 5 s, while their settling time exceeds the dispersion time by hundreds of times—effectively inhibiting the accumulation of a critical aqueous-phase mass. Energy analysis reveals that, at a superheat temperature of 110 °C, the maximum permissible droplet diameter is approximately 0.5 mm; at 150 °C, it must not exceed 0.25 mm to avoid explosive boiling. To ensure safe operation, mixer rotational speeds of at least 100–200 rpm are required, with higher speeds (>200 rpm) necessary near 150 °C. The mechanical agitation modes proposed herein enable controlled, non-explosive evaporation of water from complex emulsions. Collectively, these findings lay a theoretical foundation for the industrial-scale deployment of thermomechanical dewatering technologies—offering a safer, more efficient pathway for managing challenging sludge streams. Full article

Communicable diseases remain a significant public health burden in South Africa, particularly where environmental determinants of health intersect with fragmented surveillance systems. Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) are legally mandated to implement the surveillance and prevention of communicable disease services at the municipal level. However, this function is inconsistently operationalised and often remains reactive (outbreak-driven), with limited integration into broader national surveillance systems. This study protocol outlines a mixed-methods investigation to develop a practical framework to strengthen the communicable disease surveillance and prevention function within Environmental Health Services in South Africa. The study will assess existing guiding tools, operational practices, and intersectoral collaboration mechanisms supporting surveillance across metropolitan and district municipalities. Quantitative data will be collected through a national survey of EHPs, while qualitative data will be generated through key informant interviews with national stakeholders, focus group discussions with municipal health managers, and a targeted review of municipal documents. Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data will be thematically analysed and triangulated across data sources. The expected outcome is an integrated framework that clarifies roles, strengthens data flow, and promotes proactive, coordinated surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases within environmental health. The developed framework is anticipated to inform policy discussions and may contribute to efforts aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 3, Target 3.3, on reducing communicable disease burdens, by strengthening municipal communicable disease surveillance and prevention. Full article

Background: Pain remains one of the most debilitating and prevalent symptoms in cancer patients. However, assessment based solely on subjective self-report tools is limited by cognitive impairment and the heterogeneous nature of cancer pain. Since evidence on the ability of physiological biosignals to discriminate cancer pain intensity and pain phenotypes in real clinical settings remains limited, this study explored the potential of biosignals to discriminate between pain intensity and pain type. Methods: Electrodermal activity (EDA) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were recorded in cancer patients using the BITalino (r)evolution board (sampling frequency 1000 Hz). EDA was processed to extract skin conductance responses (SCRs) using continuous decomposition analysis (CDA) and trough-to-peak (TTP) methods. Heart rate variability (HRV) features were extracted in both time and frequency domains, including low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and the LF/HF ratio. Non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis tests were performed to compare biosignal parameters across pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale, NRS: low 1–3; medium 4–6; and high 7–10) and pain types (nociceptive, neuropathic, mixed, and breakthrough cancer pain—BTCP). Results: Data from 61 patients were analyzed. For EDA, the maximum skin conductance response amplitude (MaxCDA) significantly differed across intensity groups (p = 0.037). Post hoc analysis showed a significant difference between the low- and high-intensity groups (p = 0.015), with the low-intensity group exhibiting a higher mean MaxCDA (0.063 µS) than the high-intensity group (0.024 µS). Several EDA parameters were significantly associated with pain type. The number of SCRs (TTP) (p = 0.015) and maximum SCR amplitude (TTP) (p = 0.040) were significantly lower in the mixed pain group compared with the nociceptive and neuropathic groups. No HRV parameters showed significant associations with pain intensity or pain type. BTCP did not significantly affect any biosignal parameters. Subgroup analyses showed that EDA features discriminating mixed pain were preserved in patients without bone metastases, BTCP, or high opioid burden, whereas no clinical variable modified the association between biosignals and pain intensity and type. Conclusions: In this investigation, selected EDA parameters were associated with cancer pain intensity and pain type, whereas heart rate variability measures did not show significant discrimination under the present methodological conditions. These findings suggest that EDA may provide complementary information on pain-related autonomic alterations in oncology patients. However, biosignals should not be considered standalone indicators of pain, and their interpretation requires integration with clinical variables and pharmacological context. Further studies adopting multimodal and longitudinal approaches are needed to clarify their role in automatic pain assessment in cancer care. Full article

In signal processing and information analysis, the detection and identification of anomalies present in signals constitute a critical research focus. Accurately discerning these deviations using probabilistic, statistical, and information-theoretic methods is essential for ensuring data integrity and supporting reliable downstream analysis. Outlier detection in functional data aims to identify curves or trajectories that deviate significantly from the dominant pattern—a process vital for data cleaning and the discovery of anomalous events. This task is challenging due to the intrinsic infinite dimensionality of functional data, where outliers often appear as subtle shape deformations that are difficult to detect. Moving beyond conventional approaches that discretize curves into multivariate vectors, we introduce a novel framework that projects functional data into a low-dimensional space of meaningful features. This is achieved via a tailored weighting scheme designed to preserve essential curve variations. We then incorporate the Mahalanobis distance to detect directional outlyingness under non-Gaussian assumptions through a robustified bootstrap resampling method with data-driven threshold determination. Simulation studies validated its superior performance, demonstrating higher true positive and lower false positive rates across diverse anomaly types, including magnitude, shape-isolated, shape-persistent, and mixed outliers. The practical utility of our approach was further confirmed through applications in environmental monitoring using seawater spectral data, character trajectory analysis, and population data underscoring its cross-domain versatility. Full article

The impact of climate change (CC) includes a decline in agricultural production due to crop damage caused by flooding and drought, which destroys crops before harvest, particularly in small-scale irrigation areas. This has led farmers to look for alternative irrigation methods, i.e., groundwater through dug-wells. However, the volume of water obtained through dug-wells is limited. This has led farmers to select the crops they would cultivate. This study aimed to examine the factors that influence farmers in selecting the crops to be cultivated through multinomial logistic regression (MLR). A total of 118 farmers in Jember and Lumajang were randomly selected and interviewed regarding the use of wells and the selection of crops to be cultivated. The dependent variables consist of three crop pattern categories. The results showed that water access variables—particularly well depth, pumped water volume, pipe length, and pump power—significantly influence crop pattern selection (p < 0.01). Farmers adopting diversified crop patterns (food-other and mixed crop pattern) extracted substantially higher groundwater volumes (>76,659 m³ ha⁻¹ annually) and relied on deeper wells (>90 m) compared with the food-crop-dominated pattern. In contrast, water-use-efficient strategies were characterized by lower extraction volumes (<56,755.99 m³ ha⁻¹ annually), longer distribution pipes, and shallower wells (<90 m). Future research should examine the impacts of CC on aquifer depletion and the consequent implications for agricultural activities. Full article

To effectively prevent and control coal spontaneous combustion, a novel heat-sensitive hydrogel for mine fire prevention and extinguishment was developed using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and the organic flame-retardant, sodium alginate (SA). The hydrogel was prepared through single-factor variable control and material compounding. First, the optimal formulation of the hydrogel was determined using analytical instruments and techniques, including a viscometer, vacuum drying oven, and the inverted test tube method. Subsequently, its microstructural characteristics were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Finally, a fire suppression test platform was established to perform comparative experiments, verifying the hydrogel’s fire prevention, extinguishing, and cooling performance. Experimental results demonstrated that the optimal hydrogel formulation consists of 2.5 wt% HPMC and 0.3 wt% SA. At this ratio, the hydrogel exhibits excellent fluidity and water retention, ensuring prolonged coverage and wetting of coal surfaces. The gel undergoes a sol–gel phase transition at 58 °C, enabling it to fill voids, bind and reinforce coal particles, and reduce exposed surface area. After drying, the hydrogel forms a uniformly smooth surface capable of both coating the coal body and encapsulating individual coal particles. Following the hydrogel treatment, the coal sample retains its original functional groups, indicating that no chemical reactions occur during mixing. Compared with traditional inhibitors, the hydrogel demonstrates superior fire suppression performance, more effectively covering and encapsulating burning coal. It rapidly reduces the temperature to 28 °C by the cooling effect of water evaporation from the hydrogel, and it maintains thermal stability, achieving outstanding fire-extinguishing efficiency. Full article

With the increasing demand for personalized services in the market, manufacturing enterprises are facing frequent emergency order insertion and equipment resource shortages, and traditional scheduling methods lack flexibility. This article focuses on the workshop scheduling problem under emergency insertion disturbance, and constructs a dynamic scheduling optimization method considering equipment occupancy status. Firstly, a dynamic scheduling framework is proposed, and a real-time status model is established to monitor emergency insertion and equipment occupancy status in real time. An event-driven dynamic scheduling mechanism is also constructed. Secondly, with the optimization objective of minimizing the maximum completion time, a mixed integer programming model is established, and an improved genetic simulated annealing algorithm is proposed to solve the proposed model. Finally, the proposed method was validated using a standard case set and real production scenarios. The experimental results showed that the solution of the proposed method was better than similar algorithms under three different problem scales. In three emergency insertion scenarios, the proposed method can reduce the disturbance of insertion on the original plan while ensuring equipment utilization, verifying the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed dynamic scheduling method. Full article

Aircraft routing networks are complex systems vulnerable to cascading delays triggered by weather disruptions and airspace constraints. This paper proposes a Distributionally Robust Aircraft Routing (DRAR) model for systemic risk assessment. Conventional robust or stochastic optimization methods often rely on specific assumptions about delay distributions (e.g., fixed probability distributions or scenario sets). However, due to the suddenness and multi-source nature of flight delays, their true distribution is difficult to accurately characterize, limiting the effectiveness of these methods in real-world uncertain conditions. By constructing a Wasserstein-metric ambiguity set, the proposed model captures distributional uncertainty without assuming fixed probabilities, thereby handling delay risks more robustly. The study incorporated chance constraints to bound extreme delay probabilities and reformulated the model as a tractable mixed-integer program. Experiments on real airline data demonstrate that DRAR outperforms traditional benchmarks, reducing propagation delays by 4–6%, volatility by 7–9%, and extreme delay risks by up to 15.7%. Thus, the model provides a practical tool for aviation decision-makers: airlines can leverage it to optimize aircraft scheduling and routing, systematically mitigate delay propagation risk, control the probability of extreme delays, and consequently reduce indirect operational costs arising from crew overtime and airport scheduling conflicts, thereby enhancing overall resource efficiency and operational resilience. These results validate DRAR as an effective tool for controlling tail risks and ensuring sustainable operations in uncertain aviation environments. Full article

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a prevalent condition affecting over 50% of men aged 60 and above, often leading to lower urinary tract symptoms that significantly impact quality of life. Current pharmacological treatments, including α-adrenergic receptor antagonists and 5α-reductase inhibitors, are associated with adverse effects, prompting the exploration of alternative therapies. This study investigates the potential role of a novel multi-component phytocomplex (PhytoBPH-Mix) comprising Serenoa repens, Pygeum africanum, Urtica dioica, Epilobium angustifolium L., Protium heptaphyllum, lycopene, Vitamin E, zinc, and selenium. Methods: The anti-androgenic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties of the mixture were evaluated in vitro. Results: The formulation significantly inhibited 5α-reductase activity, reduced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), and exhibited antibacterial effects against E. coli compared to individual extracts. Conclusions: These findings suggest that this specific mixture offers a promising natural alternative or an adjuvant for managing BPH by targeting multiple pathological mechanisms with minimal side effects and could also serve as an effective adjuvant in conventional therapy. Full article

Background: Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) reliably reduces weight and triglycerides, but LDL-C responses are variable. In this retrospective observational study, we evaluated whether adjunctive monacolin K (red yeast rice; 3 mg/day) improves early lipid modulation after SG. Methods: In this single-center retrospective study of women only, 149 patients undergoing SG within the national KOS-BAR program were analyzed in four groups: controls without supplementation (CG, n = 62) and three supplementation cohorts receiving monacolin K for 6 months (G1 early (from week 1; n = 46), G2 delayed (months 3–9; n = 10), and G3 delayed (months 6–12; n = 31)). Outcomes included total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL, and triglycerides (TG). Missing data were imputed; mixed models for repeated measures assessed longitudinal changes. Results: From baseline to 6 months, LDL-C-C increased in the control group (CG; +21.9 mg/dL) and decreased in G1 (mean change: −11.1 mg/dL), with a significant group-by-time interaction (p < 0.001). HDL-C increased in both CG and G1, whereas triglyceride levels decreased more markedly in G1 than in CG (−36.2 vs. −19.6 mg/dL). Total cholesterol decreased in G1 (−13.4 mg/dL) and in G2 at 9 months (−22.5 mg/dL). Conclusions: In the early supplementation group, LDL-C-C levels decreased over the first 6 months after SG, whereas an increase was observed in the control group, which had significantly lower baseline LDL-C concentrations. In women undergoing SG, early postoperative monacolin K supplementation was associated with LDL-C stabilization and enhanced lipid optimization without impeding weight-loss benefits. Delayed initiation yields partial improvements, especially for TG and HDL-C. These observations underscore the need for prospective, sex-stratified studies with appropriate baseline adjustments to clarify the association between monacolin K use and postoperative lipid trajectories after SG. Full article