Search Results (136)

Railway systems occupy a predominant role in urban transport, providing efficient, high-capacity mobility. Progress in rail transport allows fast traveling, whilst environmental concerns and CO₂ emissions are on the rise. The integration of railway systems with renewable energy source (RES)-based stations presents a promising avenue to improve the sustainability, reliability, and efficiency of urban transport networks. A storage system is needed to both ensure a continuous power supply and meet train demand at the station. Batteries (BTs) offer high energy density, while supercapacitors (SCs) offer both a large number of charge and discharge cycles, and high-power density. This paper proposes a hybrid RES (photovoltaic and wind), combined with batteries and supercapacitors constituting the hybrid energy storage system (HESS). One major drawback of trains is the long charging time required in stations, so they have been fitted with SCs to allow them to charge up quickly. A new fuzzy energy management strategy (F-EMS) is proposed. This supervision strategy optimizes the power flow between renewable energy sources, HESS, and trains. DC bus voltage regulation is involved, maintaining BT and SC charging levels within acceptable ranges. The simulation results, carried out using MATLAB/Simulink, demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested fuzzy energy management strategy for various production conditions and train demand. Full article

(1) Background: The provision of monofunctional or inadequately distributed services in urban park green spaces often constrains residents’ opportunities and diversity for outdoor activities, particularly limiting access and participation for specific age groups or activity preferences. However, functional nodes with temporal and spatial flexibility demonstrate high-quality characteristics of resilient and shared services through integrated development. Accurately identifying user demand provides a solid basis for optimizing the functional configuration of urban parks. (2) Methods: This study took the old city area of Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, as a case study. By collecting and integrating various types of data, such as geographic spatial data, field investigation data, and behavioral observations, we developed a population demand quantification method and a modular analysis approach for park service functions. This framework enabled correlation analysis between diverse user needs and park services. The study further classified and combined park functions into modular units, quantifying their elastic and shared service capabilities—namely, the adaptive flexibility and shared utilization capacity of park services. Additionally, we established a demand-responsive evaluation system for identifying and diagnosing problem areas in park services based on multi-source data. (3) Results: The demand response index and diagnostic results indicate that the supply of fitness facilities—particularly equipment-based installations—is insufficient within the old urban district of Zhengzhou. Among the three user groups—children, young and middle-aged adults, and the elderly—the elderly population exhibited the lowest demand response index, revealing a significant gap in meeting their specific needs. (4) Conclusions: Based on the research findings, a three-tier optimization strategy is proposed: A. improve green space connectivity to expand the service coverage of parks; B. implement multifunctional overlay and coordinated integration in spatial design based on site characteristics and demand diagnostics; and C. increase the total supply of facilities to enhance spatial efficiency in parks. By integrating the demand assessment data and diagnostic results, this approach enabled a data-driven reorganization of service types and targeted allocation of resources within existing park infrastructure, offering a practical tool and reference for the planning of urban outdoor activity spaces. Full article

Medetomidine, a veterinary α2-adrenergic agonist, has recently emerged as an adulterant in the non-medical opioid supply, yet human exposure has remained poorly characterized. We conducted a pragmatic retrospective cohort analysis utilizing chart review and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) toxicology testing on available urine samples from patients presenting to two hospitals in Philadelphia, PA, who fit two clinical phenotypes, intoxication or withdrawal. Samples also underwent glucuronidase pre-treatment to assess impact on the yield of medetomidine and xylazine metabolite detection. Testing identified universal exposure to medetomidine (58/58 samples) via the 3-hydroxy-medetomidine (3-OH-M) metabolite, post glucuronidase treatment and variable xylazine exposure (40/58 samples). Importantly, 32% of medetomidine exposures would have been missed without enzymatic pre-treatment. Patients exhibited two distinct clinical phenotypes: intoxication, characterized primarily by sedation; bradycardia; and often hypotension, and withdrawal, presenting with life-threatening tachycardia; hypertension and often encephalopathy. Notably, clinical phenotype correlated with urinary concentrations of 3-OH-M but not xylazine. These findings underscore the critical need for heightened clinical awareness and need for contemporaneous toxicologic screening mechanisms for medetomidine exposure, emphasizing its distinct clinical presentations and the potential public health implications posed by its widespread adulteration in illicit opioids. Full article

Durable plastics are a sustainability challenge for healthcare products. Orthopedic products are regulated with strict specifications for human tissue interactions. Healthcare engineers and managers select plastic to meet the full range of material properties. Plastic is plentiful, low cost, and reliable, with established supply chains. Used plastic products can be discarded using existing waste management systems with low externality costs for orthopedic businesses. However, plastic is produced from fossil petroleum, raising issues for sustainability commitments of healthcare product companies. Barriers to the transition away from single-use plastic toward circular systems and bio-based healthcare products have been studied, but the transition is a goal that has yet to be realized. This research article reports on a transition engineering design sprint with a medium-sized orthopedic company specializing in orthoses for children and teenagers. The design sprint process engages company experts with systems perspectives on the role of unsustainable plastic in orthopedic healthcare and illuminates opportunities for capturing value in business transition. Two system transition project concepts were co-developed. The first concept is a plastics value map that aims to converge the satisfaction of essential needs with the usefulness of plastics under the limitations of a biophysically constrained future economy. The second concept is an orthopedics library data system concept that would allow reusing of fit-for-purpose used products and to inform the refurbishment of used products. In addition to an explanation of the design of the two concepts, the article presents reflections of co-design stakeholders on the usefulness and usability of the concepts. The article provides a real-world application of the co-design processes in transition engineering and the reflection by the company on the value of the results. The results indicate that the co-designed concepts could enable the company to address its sustainability aspirations and potentially resolve the dissonance of sustainability and business viability. Full article

An analysis of the possibilities of using alternative energy to solve the problem of electricity shortages in developing countries shows that solar energy can potentially play an essential role in the fuel and energy complex. The geographical location, on the one hand, and the global development of solar energy technologies, on the other, create an opportunity for a fairly complete and rapid solution to problems of insufficient energy supply. An autonomous solar installation is expensive; 50% of the cost is solar modules, 45% of the cost consists of other elements (battery, inverter, charge controller), and 5% is for other materials. This work proposes the most efficient PV system, based on the technical characteristics of the SB and AB. It has a direct connection between the SB and AB and provides almost full use of the solar panel’s installed power with a variable orientation to the Sun. The development of a small solar photovoltaic (PV) installation, operating both in parallel with the grid and in autonomous mode, can improve the power supply of household consumers more efficiently and faster than the development of a large energy system. It is suggested that two minimized criteria be used to create a model for forecasting FOU. This model can be used with a genetic algorithm to make a prediction that fits a specific case, such as a time series representation based on discrete fuzzy sets of the second type. The goal is to make decisions that are more valid and useful by creating a forecast model and algorithms for analyzing small PV indicators whose current values are shown by short time series and automating the processes needed for forecasting and analysis. Full article

With the growing interest in health and fitness, whey protein supplements are becoming increasingly popular among fitness enthusiasts and athletes. The surge in demand for whey protein supplements highlights the need for cost-effective methods to characterise product quality throughout the food supply chain. This study presents a rapid and low-cost method for authenticating sports whey protein supplements using smartphone video imaging (SVI) combined with machine learning. A gradient of colours ranging from purple to red is displayed on the front screen of a smartphone to illuminate the sample. The colour change on the sample surface is captured in a short video by the front-facing camera. Then, the video is split into frames, decomposed into RGB colour channels, and converted into spectral data. The relationship between video data and sample labels is established using machine learning models. The proposed method is tested on five tasks, including identifying 15 brands of whey protein concentrate (WPC), quantifying fat content and energy levels, detecting three types of adulterants, and quantifying adulterant levels. Moreover, the performance of SVI was compared to that of hyperspectral imaging (HSI), which has an equipment cost of around 80 times that of SVI. The proposed method achieves accuracies of 0.933 and 0.96 in WPC brand identification and adulterant detection, respectively, which are only around 0.05 lower than those of HSI. It obtains coefficients of determination of 0.897, 0.906 and 0.963 for the quantification of fat content, energy levels and milk powder adulteration, respectively. Such results demonstrate that the combination of smartphones and machine learning offers a low-cost and viable preliminary screening tool for verifying the authenticity of whey protein supplements. Full article

Along with the emerging needs to either complement or replace the limitation of energy storage technologies in batteries in supplying power to mobile devices, including electric vehicles, Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technologies are becoming the main focus to solve this problem. However, much research is still in progress in relation to how to achieve high power delivery from the transmitter to the receiver of the WPT circuit. Since most research that has been done tends to add components or circuits so that the system becomes more complex, this study proposes the optimization design of a single capacitor on the WPT transmitter side due to the fact that the presence of the rectifier circuits guarantees the existence of a capacitance characteristic on the receiver side. Using a full bridge rectifier to represent the WPT load, a mathematical model of the overall system is then built based on state space and transfer function methods. Then, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is applied to the model to find the optimum solutions for achieving high power delivery. Here, the WPT power output to the load is chosen as the fitness function, while the constraints are the available capacitance and voltage source frequency values. A case study with MATLAB R2024b simulation shows that the proposed method successfully delivers the highest possible power transfer delivery, which is around 0.1 watts using a normalized AC voltage source amplitude of 1 volt. This power will increase if the voltage source amplitude is increased. In addition, the results of the GA sensitivity test ensure the consistency of the optimization results. Full article

This review article explores the transformative impact of next-generation technologies on patient care and rehabilitation. The advent of next-generation tools has revolutionized the fields of patient care and rehabilitation, providing modern solutions to improve scientific outcomes and affected person studies. Powered through improvements in artificial intelligence, robotics, and smart devices, these improvements are reshaping healthcare with the aid of improving therapeutic approaches and personalizing treatments. In the world of rehabilitation, robotic devices and assistive technology are supplying essential help for people with mobility impairments, promoting more independence and healing. Additionally, wearable technology and real-time tracking systems permit continuous fitness information monitoring, taking into consideration early analysis and extra effective, tailored interventions. In clinical settings, these modern-day innovations have automated diagnostics, enabled remote patient-monitoring, and brought virtual rehabilitation systems that expand the reach of clinical experts. This comprehensive review delves into the evolution, cutting-edge programs, and destiny potential of that equipment by examining their capability to deliver progressed care even while addressing growing needs for efficient healthcare solutions. Furthermore, this review explores the challenges related to their adoption, including ethical considerations, accessibility barriers, and the need for refined regulatory standards to ensure their safe and widespread use. Full article

Energy transformation is essential for reducing electricity production costs and building a competitive advantage for each country. Its success relies on balancing environmental goals with the need to maintain secure energy supplies, keep prices at an acceptable level for consumers, and ensure the economy’s competitiveness. Although the literature presents various investment constraints for onshore wind farms, little is known about the regulations that were supposed to protect the natural environment, and in practice, they turned out to be legal constraints on the development of onshore wind farms. This research aims to eliminate this research gap, and identify the legal limitations hindering the development of onshore wind farms, using Poland as a case study. It was examined whether legal provisions aimed at ensuring sustainable development could negatively impact the growth of onshore wind farms. The systematic literature study was supplemented by reviewing documents (available in the Polish Parliament and the Government Legislation Centre) relating to the location policy for onshore wind farms. The findings reveal that unfavourable legal solutions introduced in Poland over nearly a decade have severely obstructed the growth of onshore wind energy. This has led to harmful and measurable effects on society and the economy. Therefore, it is suggested that the creation of energy market regulations should be subject to greater stakeholder oversight. This study fits into the research field on legal barriers, classified as any negative phenomena and processes that do not contribute to achieving assumed goals. Full article

With advancements in medical technology, biochemistry, and clinical practices, the modern approach to total parenteral nutrition (TPN) has been focused on precision, safety, and the optimization of metabolic and nutritional parameters based on the patient’s needs. In the last decade, TPN mixtures have been transitioning from a lifesaving intervention for patients unable to receive enteral nutrition to a highly specialized therapy aimed at improving clinical outcomes, reducing complications, and personalizing care. Total parenteral nutrition has attracted great interest, and its adaptation to the patient’s needs is a topic of interest in the scientific community. However, there are problems related to shortages in the supply of the concentrates required to balance TPN mixtures and to infections linked to the venous access devices that are necessary for administering nutrition. Adjusting the TPN composition to meet specific patient needs requires specialist knowledge, as the ingredients available on the market differ in terms of excipients and this may increase the risk of physicochemical incompatibilities, particularly the destabilization of the lipid fraction. It is common clinical practice to inject drugs into the parenteral nutrition bag, and hence there is a high demand for confirmation of the compatibility of a given drug with the TPN composition. However, methods used in clinical practice still differ from the modern solutions proposed in scientific research. In order to ensure patient safety with the use of advanced therapy, continuous education and monitoring of the latest scientific research related to TPN is required. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical nutrition represents a paradigm shift in the management of total parenteral nutrition (TPN). As TPN transitions from a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach to a highly personalized therapy, we must examine the challenges and future directions of AI-driven TPN to provide a comprehensive analysis of its impact on clinical practice. Full article

The deployment of large nuclear reactors is an intensive capital project. Only national governments and a few independent worldwide companies that can afford the financial risk can pursue them. To cope with this financial disadvantage, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have become an alternative; they can provide electricity for different needs far below the electricity capacity supplied by a large reactor and can fit in new markets. Several of them could fill the capacity of a large reactor. However, SMRs have a higher cost per kW deployed than a large reactor because of the economy of scale. At this point, SMR designs backed by a national government will have higher opportunities for success. The present paper analyzes several economic factors under different electricity-selling prices to determine the possible role of SMRs as a complement or competitor to large reactors. Results show that for low electricity-selling prices, an SMR is a complementary infrastructure but can be a market competitor for higher prices. The study also provides information about the required economic scenario where nuclear reactors, small and large, could be part of the net zero policy from a financial point of view. Full article

Urban community open spaces are external spaces for public use that meet the needs of residents in their daily lives, and which gradually become the basic unit for activities and fitness. The arrival of the era of ‘national fitness’ requires the formation of public activity spaces that benefit all ages. Yet most construction targets of urban community open spaces are homogenised and are not diversified for all age groups. This phenomenon leads to a spatial and temporal mismatch between the allocation of space for community sports activities and the needs of residents. We quantitatively analysed time periods, demanded area and preferred types of activities required by all age groups. We further defined the objectives for the provision of physical activity functions in community open spaces. We also constructed a method for matching and optimising the supply and demand of sports and fitness functions in community open spaces, which was based on the calculation of supply and demand, the matching analysis model and the optimisation of supply and demand gaps. Accordingly, based on the distribution of demand points, we can clarify the amount and radius of each point, and calculate the matching relationship with the Maximum Capacity Limitation Coverage Model. When the implementation rate of demand at the covered points is less than 67%, it means that there is a demand gap. In response to the gap, optimisation has been achieved by establishing a time-sharing utilisation mechanism and using excessive supply space for renovation. The results of the study can help optimise the mismatch and long-term layout of physical activities for all residents in urban communities. The proposed sustainable optimising strategy suggests the importance and necessity of meeting the spatial needs of sports activities for all age groups in high-density cities with insufficient open spaces. Full article

Organizations are questioning the effectiveness of one-size-fits-all leadership approaches in managing and developing employees. This article proposes that leaders can support employees in crafting their work experience. By integrating the behavioral domains conducive to job crafting, the Michelangelo model and the leadership for organizational adaptability framework, we introduce the crafting leadership model—a behavioral style where leaders adapt their behaviors to employees’ characteristics to co-construct their fit at work and foster the development of both people and organizations—providing a conceptual foundation for identifying its key behavioral facets and highlighting its unique value compared to existing leadership styles. We developed and validated a questionnaire using structural equation modeling. In Study 1 (N = 2137) and Study 2 (N = 1507), the questionnaire was tested for factor structure, reliability, discriminant, and predictive validity. The results supported a higher-order structure of crafting leadership, underlying three distinct behavioral facets: tailoring, person–organization alignment, and catalyst. Results revealed that crafting leadership (a) was distinct from strength-based, servant, and transformational leadership and (b) correlated with and explained additional variance in employee outcomes, namely needs–supplies fit, meaningful work, job-crafting behaviors, work engagement, and turnover intentions. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Full article

The water industry is facing challenges because of population increases and the resulting development of agricultural operations. Alternative resources that balance the environment, the economy, and society while lessening the strain on limited water supplies will need to be adopted by farmers. One possibility addressing this dilemma is wastewater reuse. The adoption of Reg. (EU) 2020/741 necessitates a paradigm change by moving away from the “fit-for-all” strategy and toward the “fit-for-purpose” approach, which is now regarded as the foundation of the reuse supply chain. However, despite progress, appropriate rules that clearly and concisely outline the procedures to be followed are still needed. Thus, to establish an interdisciplinary and cooperative research agenda, this study tackles the potential and forces behind change by concentrating on tactics for long-term fixes. The need to look at consumer and farmer acceptability as well as the overall environmental advantages of carbon footprint reduction and wastewater fertigation are interesting research avenues. Nutrient-rich streams in agriculture may increase carbon absorption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the soil while simultaneously serving as a fertilizer substitute. The literature suggests that additional research is necessary to fully explore the significant economic potential. Full article

Background/Objectives: Improved global data allow for a new understanding of what impact the food we produce, eat and dispose of has on the environment, human health and Nature’s resources. The overall goal is to guide decision-makers and individuals by providing in-depth knowledge about the effects of their dietary preferences on human and environmental health. Methods: The method is to investigate ways to reduce environmental degradation and to secure healthy food supplies in an urbanizing world, and to quantify the options. Results: Reviewed articles show that by eating less meat-based food and more plant-based and soilless food, as well as reducing food waste and recycling urban-disposed nutrients as fertilizers, we could reduce agriculture’s land requirement by 50% to 70% while still securing a healthy food supply. Less land under cultivation and pasture would reduce global emissions to air and water to a similar extent, and allow Nature to reclaim freed areas in order to catch more carbon and rejuvenate biodiversity. Thus, we could avoid further environmental degradation such as the current clearing of new fields needed under a business-as-usual regime. Presently, some 17 million people die each year due to poor diets, which is more than double the 7 million deaths since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A return to more plant-based diets with unchanged intake of proteins but less calories, sugar, salt and fat combined with less red meat and ultra-processed food would reduce foremost non-communicable diseases by up to 20% and prolong life. The article suggests that the international focus has gradually turned to the food sector’s big contribution to climate change, biodiversity loss and harmful chemicals as well as to poor human health. It argues that this century’s rapid population growth and urbanization give urban residents a pivotal role in food’s impact on agricultural areas, which today cover half of the globe’s inhabitable areas. Their food demand, rather than the activities of farmers, fishermen or loggers, will guide remedial measures to be taken by individuals, industry and the public sector. A tool to calculate the potential environmental footprints of individual or societal measures is presented. Conclusions: Measures to make the agrifood sector more sustainable are still pending full recognition in international fora such as the UN COP Summits. Smart cities fitted with infrastructures to recycle macro- and micro-nutrients and organic matter have the potential to ameliorate human-induced impacts such as emissions to air and water bodies, crossing planetary boundaries, and polluting extraction of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus) and K (potassium). Rapid results are within reach since dietary change and the turn-around time of nutrients in food is short compared to decades or centuries for recycled materials in cars or buildings. Full article