Search Results (5,020)

Accurate diameter identification of buried pipelines remains challenging in complex municipal environments because ground-penetrating radar (GPR) echoes are often weak and hyperbolic reflections are frequently incomplete. To address this problem, this study proposes a diameter identification method that integrates five-point hyperbolic A-scan features with burial depth information. Faster R-CNN is used to locate the hyperbolic region and remove redundant background information. HRNet is then employed to detect five keypoints, including the hyperbola vertex, the left and right diffraction midpoints, and the left and right tail points, from which the corresponding A-scan signals are extracted as lightweight features. The burial depth of the pipeline is subsequently estimated using LSTM and introduced as prior information. Finally, a Curve-Net regression network fuses the five key A-scans and the burial depth feature for diameter regression. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves an MAE of 0.0159 m, an RMSE of 0.0202 m, and an R2 of 0.8354 on the test set. In field validation, the maximum relative error is 8.50%, with an absolute error of only 1.7 cm. These results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy of concealed pipeline diameter identification in small and medium-sized, shallow-buried municipal pipeline scenarios, and exhibits promising engineering application value. Full article

This study investigated the deformation behavior and damage evolution of AA7075-T6, Anodized AA6061-T6-T6 (oxide layer with an average thickness of 8.71 µm), and Al-15 vol.% SiC-T4 (particle size range of 3.1–8.3 µm) under scratch, Hertzian-type indentation, and nanoindentation loading conditions. Through controlled mechanical testing, the materials’ responses to varying test conditions were characterized in terms of penetration depth and width, resistance to deformation, and cracking mechanisms on surface and sub-surface. Results revealed that Al-15 vol.% SiC T4 exhibited the highest stability and scratch resistance due to the reinforcing effect of SiC particles, while AA7075-T6 demonstrated moderate strength with noticeable plastic deformation. Anodized AA6061-T6 showed enhanced surface hardness post processing but increased susceptibility to brittle cracking and coating delamination under higher loads and reciprocating passes. Findings indicated a transition from load-controlled to structure-controlled behavior at elevated forces, influenced by strain hardening and microstructural constraints. Hertzian-type indentation further highlighted differences in subsurface damage and crack propagation patterns among the materials. Holistically, the study established a clear correlation between microstructural features and mechanical performance, guiding material selection and surface engineering for improved wear and contact damage resistance. Full article

Embodied-CO₂ savings in clinker-reduced concrete must be evaluated alongside cover-zone durability and service life. This review examines carbonation and shrinkage/restrained cracking as coupled, rather than independent, controls on atmospheric service life in reinforced concrete buildings. The synthesis links binder route to cover-zone transport and alkalinity buffering and explains how curing, preconditioning, relative humidity (RH), CO₂ concentration, exposure geometry, and crack state affect reported carbonation rankings. It develops a two-domain conceptual framework for interpreting the effective carbonation front in cracked cover, with a descriptive crack-amplification index for reporting localized penetration. Practical mitigation is organized around mix-design levers, curing and construction actions, and a three-tier performance-based assessment workflow with a coupled test matrix. The review closes with a reporting checklist and five research gaps. The central conclusion is conditional: clinker-reduced building concrete can meet specified carbonation-performance requirements when curing, RH history, paste volume, and crack connectivity are assessed and managed together. Full article

This work reports an experimental study of the micromechanical properties of the Co₇₀Fe₃Mn_3.5Mo_1.5Si₁₁B₁₁ (at. %) amorphous alloy. All experiments were performed at room temperature on the unannealed sample in order to avoid the influence of thermally induced structural relaxation. X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous structure. Using nanoindentation tests, we determined key mechanical characteristics under a 20 mN load, including hardness, elastic and plastic deformation parameters, creep ratio, and other micromechanical properties. Scratch testing was performed under both static (20 mN) and dynamic (0.3–100 mN) regimes. We analyzed variations in penetration depth and residual depth during scratch testing. Surface morphology analysis after scratch testing confirmed no macroscopic crack formation or delamination. The friction coefficient behavior indicates sensitivity to localized contact loading and is consistent with localized deformation processes within the sample. A pronounced time-dependent deformation (C_IT ~ 4.7%) under localized contact loading was also observed. The data were analyzed considering the structural state of the sample’s amorphous matrix and existing theories of plastic deformation mechanisms in amorphous systems. The ratio of elastic to plastic deformation, along with time-dependent deformation (creep), enables specification of the mechanical response of the investigated amorphous ribbon under localized microcontact loading. The obtained results provide qualitative insight into the deformation characteristics of unannealed amorphous ribbons. Full article

Against the background of AI penetration in C2C second-hand commerce, AI chatbots have emerged as vital operational tools for individual sellers. Prior technology adoption literature predominantly emphasizes positive acceptance drivers yet overlooks the simultaneous existence of benefit and risk perceptions, and cannot fully explain individual sellers’ paradoxical adoption intentions. This study integrates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Technology Threat Avoidance Theory (TTAT) to construct an integrated dual mediation model, adopting perceived effortlessness and perceived risk as parallel mediators. Online questionnaire surveys were distributed to individual sellers operating on Chinese C2C second-hand trading platforms. After screening and data cleaning, a final valid sample of 261 respondents was retained. Partial least-squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to empirically test the proposed research model. The results demonstrate that personal factors (perceived busyness, desire for control, AI acceptance) and situational factors (product standardization, social influence, platform safeguards) jointly shape individual sellers’ dual perceptions. These antecedents exert differentiated impacts on the two mediating constructs, which subsequently predict individual sellers’ intentions to adopt AI chatbots. This research clarifies the balancing mechanism of positive and negative perceptions in technology decision-making. The framework reconciles conflicting psychological evaluations of intelligent systems, deepens the understanding of paradoxical adoption behaviors, and offers practical implications for optimizing intelligent services within C2C second-hand ecosystems. Full article

To address the strong non-stationarity, coupled multi-scale fluctuations, and insufficient parameter adaptability of net load forecasting models under high photovoltaic penetration, an ICEEMDAN-BO-BiGRU combined short-term net load forecasting model is proposed. First, the net load sequence is constructed from the actual load and photovoltaic output, and then decomposed into eight intrinsic mode function components and a residual component using improved complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise. Second, a bidirectional gated recurrent unit forecasting submodel is developed for each component, and Bayesian optimization is employed to adaptively optimize the key hyperparameters. Finally, the forecasts of all components are linearly summed to obtain the final net load forecast. Experiments are conducted using the CN03 sample from the HEEW dataset. The results show that, compared with CEEMDAN-BiGRU, the proposed method reduces the MAE and RMSE by 37.84% and 35.73%, respectively, over the complete February 2022 test period, while achieving a mean R² of 0.9783, indicating lower observed forecasting errors under the reported experimental configurations. Full article

To address the issues of inadequate construction process adaptability and the lack of a rapid on-site evaluation system for loess improved by the LM-1 cement-based curing agent in practical engineering, this study systematically carried out material mix proportion design, construction process detailing, compaction degree testing, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests of the stabilized mixture, and in-situ light dynamic penetration tests (DPTs) based on a loess road test section in the Dingyuan area. The results show that the mix proportion of 1.5% LM-1 + 10% cement + 88.5% raw loess meets the 7-day UCS design requirement, with a water stability coefficient of 92.9%, indicating excellent water stability, and an average compaction degree of 96.6%. After 7 days of curing, the penetration blow count exceeded 130, indicating that the stabilized loess base layer possesses high penetration resistance and is generally in a dense state. The research findings fill the technical gap in the field application of the LM-1 cement-based curing agent in loess engineering, establish referable construction quality control thresholds and acceptance criteria, and provide theoretical basis and technical support for subgrade slope reinforcement in loess regions. Full article

This review examines the ballistic resistance of fiber-reinforced cement composites (FRCs) and related cementitious systems for protective structures, with emphasis on projectile–target interaction, penetration and scabbing mechanisms, and the governing roles of material and structural parameters. The synthesis indicates that ballistic resistance is controlled not only by compressive strength but also by the combined effects of dynamic tensile behavior, fracture energy, crack-bridging efficiency, aggregate characteristics, target thickness, projectile characteristics, and structural configuration. Steel and hybrid fiber systems generally provide the most consistent improvements in scabbing suppression and residual integrity, while hard aggregates and multilayer hard–soft–tough arrangements enhance penetration resistance, stress-wave attenuation, and staged energy dissipation. The review also evaluates current numerical approaches, including rate-sensitive constitutive models, cohesive and continuum damage formulations, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, and data-driven methods. Several calibrated and experimentally validated simulations reproduced penetration depth and major damage trends with useful engineering agreement; however, significant challenges remain in representing multi-hit degradation, fiber-scale pull-out, fragment ejection, and interface debonding. In addition, the review highlights the limited suitability of existing ballistic standards for quasi-brittle cementitious systems and emphasizes the need for FRC-specific testing, large-scale validation, and more sustainable protective material design. Full article

Insurance inclusion remains low across emerging markets; Uzbekistan, with penetration below 1% of GDP, is one example. The main goal of this study is to identify the behavioural determinants of insurance inclusion by testing an integrated moderated-mediation model, grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action and the attitude–intention–behaviour logic of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, in which financial and insurance literacy operate through trust, perceived benefit, and attitude, with perceived risk and digital literacy as boundary conditions. Survey data from 353 respondents in Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya region were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Insurance literacy strongly shaped trust in insurers and perceived benefit, whereas general financial literacy exerted only a weak indirect influence; these beliefs formed favourable attitudes associated with purchase intention and, ultimately, with self-reported insurance inclusion. All direct and mediating paths were supported, and the model explained 59% of the variance in inclusion. Perceived risk played a dual role, directly motivating purchase intention while weakening the attitude–intention link; digital literacy did not moderate the intention–inclusion relationship. Multi-group analysis showed the model largely invariant across demographic subgroups. Insurance literacy and the beliefs it fosters emerge as the strongest behavioural correlates of insurance inclusion in this regional setting. Full article

Microneedling has found various applications in dermatology recently. However, many problems still need to be solved in the fabrication of high-aspect-ratio polymeric microneedles with good mechanical strength, dimensional accuracy and thermal conductivity for energy-assisted treatments. Herein, a low-shrinkage photocurable resin specifically designed for high-precision additive manufacturing was developed in this work to enable the rapid and reproducible fabrication of ultra-long microneedle arrays through photopolymerisation-based 3D printing. Moreover, an even and uninterrupted layer of silver was added to the surface at room temperature via electroless plating. The resulting microneedle arrays have good structural integrity and high mechanical strength, and the thermal conductivity of them has been increased by a factor of 37 compared to that of uncoated polymeric materials. Mechanical tests showed that the compressive strength was high enough, and simulated skin and ex vivo porcine skin penetration experiments also demonstrated a low insertion force and stable microchannel formation. The in vitro cytotoxicity tests showed good cell compatibility both before and after silver coating. Such work has successfully developed an all-purpose and manufacturable microneedle platform that connects high-precision additive manufacturing with energy-based dermatological therapy, which provided a scalable strategy for expanding the application of polymeric microneedles in medical aesthetics and related clinical fields. The complete route from the digital model to the finished silver-coated array takes about 2.5 h and requires no mould, master or dedicated tooling. The arrays are intended to serve as low-cost, single-use and geometrically customisable needle-electrode cartridges for energy-assisted dermatological treatment and in particular for fractional radiofrequency (RF) microneedling. Full article

In March 2022, the FAO Food Price Index peaked at 159.7 as climate shocks collided with geopolitical disruption, pushing global hunger past 735 million and exposing how deeply climate variability penetrates the economics of agri-food systems. Yet the imprint of ocean–atmosphere oscillations on global food prices—the central economic signal of the agri-food system—has not, to our knowledge, been mapped systematically in the frequency domain. This study delivers, to our knowledge, one of the first multi-oscillation cross-spectral analyses of the climate–food price nexus, matching 7 climate indices across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean basins with 5 disaggregated FAO Food Price Index sub-components over 432 monthly observations (1990–2025), verified through 6 robustness checks, including surrogate data testing. Four findings carry direct policy relevance. ENSO indicators lead global food prices by three to four months with a 100% surrogate test pass rate—one of the cleanest actionable climate–price signals documented to date. The Indian Ocean Dipole leads prices by roughly one to two years (cross-correlation peak at sixteen months, though the peak is broad and not sharply localised within that window), extending the early warning horizon well beyond the ENSO signal. The apparent Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation–price correlation (r ≈ +0.60) is revealed to be a common-trend artefact. Vegetable oils are the most consistently climate-exposed commodity chain across the seven oscillations; sugar and meat, often assumed less climate-sensitive, in fact show strong coherence with specific oscillations (sugar with the Indian Ocean Dipole and meat with the Southern Oscillation Index), indicating that commodity-level exposure is oscillation-specific rather than uniform and reflects each commodity’s position in the production-to-consumption chain—short-cycle, thinly buffered commodities transmit weather shocks to price quickly, while feed-market intermediation delays and smooths the pass-through for livestock. These results provide the empirical foundation for integrating real-time monitoring of climate oscillations into food system governance—a low-cost policy innovation that aligns economic stability objectives with climate adaptation goals, strengthens the resilience of agri-food value chains, and supports progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Full article

The increasing penetration of renewable generation and the rapid growth of data-center demand require coordinated use of heterogeneous flexibility while respecting network operating limits. This study proposes a three-objective electricity–computing–carbon dispatch method that minimizes physical system cost, direct carbon dioxide emissions, and unutilized renewable energy. Data centers are represented through task arrivals, deadlines, server capacity, and facility efficiency, whereas pumped-storage plants retain independent power limits, reservoir states, terminal conditions, and connection locations. A diversity-archive disturbance–multi-objective particle swarm optimizer (DAD-MOPSO) couples archive diversity and stagnation feedback with resource-group temporal-block disturbance. In 30 paired runs, DAD-MOPSO produced feasible final solutions in all runs and reduced mean spacing by 51.8% relative to conventional MOPSO, with a Holm-adjusted p-value of 0.0071. Repeated evaluation of 12 workload-resource cases showed that pumped storage provided the dominant improvement in renewable-energy utilization, while workload rescheduling provided a smaller marginal contribution. Factorial analysis indicated partially overlapping rather than universally superadditive flexibility. Fixed-total-capacity tests further revealed pronounced siting dependence: the same 1200 MW/7200 MWh storage capacity was feasible in 30/30 runs at Bus16 but only 16/30 runs at Bus27 because of undervoltage. The proposed framework therefore provides a unified basis for coordinating heterogeneous flexibility and distinguishing marginal, interaction, siting, and network-limited effects. Full article

Background/Objectives: Expanded carrier screening (ECS) panels often rely on pan-ethnic databases, such as the ACMG Tier 3 panel, but their ability to capture population-specific reproductive risk is uncertain. We characterized pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants and at-risk-couple (ARC) probabilities in an underrepresented population from North Macedonia to inform ECS gene prioritization. Methods: NGS data from 1438 subjects of Macedonian, Albanian, and other local ancestry, referred for rare-disease diagnostics, were analyzed across 1795 candidate autosomal recessive/X-linked genes. P/LP variants were compared with gnomAD exomes v2.1.1 non-Finnish European frequencies (Fisher’s exact test). Gene-specific ARC probabilities ranked genes and generated cumulative ARC curves per subgroup. Results: We identified 2007 P/LP variants across 1096 genes. One hundred variants in 89 genes reached an allele frequency ≥ 1/200 in the Macedonian or Albanian subgroups; over one-third were absent from candidate ECS panels, mostly linked to severe or variable phenotypes. ARC saturated rapidly: genes with carrier counts ≥ 1/100 (ACMG Tier 2) accounted for over 85% of total ARC, and with ≥1/200 (ACMG Tier 3) for more than 93%. Total ARC among autosomal recessive panel genes (X-linked genes analyzed separately) was 3.42%, rising to 5.02% in the Albanian subgroup. Excluding top hypomorphic variants reduced ARC by 34–37%, highlighting variant-specific penetrance. The highest-ARC genes diverged between subgroups, with limited overlap with pan-ethnic panels. Conclusions: Population-specific carrier frequencies influence gene prioritization and estimated reproductive-risk probabilities for ECS. Population-tailored ECS panels that incorporate local carrier-frequency data, including embryonic/fetal-lethal genes, and account for hypomorphic alleles to avoid overestimating reproductive risk probabilities could improve the identification of couples at increased reproductive risk, particularly in underrepresented populations. Full article

This study examines whether the annual green-bond share of relevant corporate and government bond issuance is associated with circular material use and resource productivity in the EU-27. The accounting problem is the traceability gap between labelled issuance, allocated expenditure, and realised material outcomes. A balanced 2014–2024 panel contains 297 country-year observations. Two-way fixed-effects models with six controls use 270, 243, and 216 observations for contemporaneous, one-year-lagged and two-year-lagged specifications, respectively. Inference uses country-clustered standard errors and restricted wild cluster bootstrap-t tests with 9999 repetitions, with Driscoll–Kraay sensitivity estimates. None of the six baseline specifications, 18 additional robustness specifications, or 54 leave-one-country-out re-estimations has a wild-bootstrap p-value below 0.10. Circular material use coefficients are negative but imprecise; resource-productivity coefficients change sign. Neither directional hypothesis is supported. These conditional associations do not identify causal circular finance additionality, instrument ineffectiveness, or reporting failures. Incomplete allocation traceability, issuer composition, and implementation delays are possible mechanisms requiring disaggregated evidence. This study distinguishes issuance penetration from market size and links its findings to the need for comparable allocation reporting and verifiable circular outcomes. Full article

The cavity expansion solution for loess is absent because the existing elastoplastic models fail to model the sophisticated behaviors of unsaturated loess as a classic axisymmetric boundary-value problem. This paper develops a novel solution for cavity expansion in unsaturated structural loess, taking the coupled hydro-mechanical and structural evolution into consideration. To properly model the behavior of the loess, the Barcelona Basic Model for unsaturated clay is modified by incorporating structural parameters of loess and a volumetric strain-dependent soil–water characteristic curve. The structural parameters are evolved with the degree of saturation and the plastic strain. Leveraging the hydro-mechanical coupling elastoplastic constitutive matrix of the modified constitutive model, the governing differential equations for cylindrical cavity expansion are derived by introducing an auxiliary variable to the stress equilibrium equation and the geometric equation which preserves the intrinsic radial symmetry during spatial coordinate mapping. By considering the constant water content condition, the problem considered is expressed as seven first-order differential equations with suction, three stress components, specific volume, and two structural parameters as unknowns. The governing equations are solved as an initial value problem by the Runge–Kutta scheme. After verifying the solution with well-established solutions and the numerical results from ABAQUS, parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of structure degradation and saturation on the expansion response. The results show that the proposed solution can capture the hydraulic yielding behavior well during cavity expansion and the effects of structure on the expansion responses. The proposed solution provides a more reasonable theoretical basis for modelling the static cone penetration test, pile installation effects and pressuremeter tests in loess. Full article