Search Results (9,201)

Construction sites remain a sparse source of digital information, even though up-to-date knowledge of site conditions underpin planning, progress control, and safety. This paper contributes a field-grounded roadmap toward frequent robotic digitalization of construction sites. It shifts attention from robotic capture capability to the capture-to-consumption chain required for operational use and treats organizational consumption as the primary driver of digitalization frequency. The roadmap is presented as a hypothesis rather than a validated finding and is grounded in a longitudinal embedded single-case study of a large, multi-year renovation project in Sweden. The study included weekly inspections during periods over two years using a quadruped uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV), comparison sprints with helmet-mounted capture, and a test of BIM-anchored digital site utilization plan (SUP) revision. No operational frequency target was aimed for or achieved. Instead, the study aimed to identify capabilities and constraints that must be addressed and tested to enable such operation. In particular, the paper proposes the SUP as a bidirectional interface that both receives robot-derived revisions and provides machine-readable routes, constraints, and reporting requirements for robotic operation. Full article

Blast-induced ground vibration is a critical environmental hazard in open-pit mining operations, capable of causing severe damage to adjacent structures and infrastructure. Accurately predicting vibration intensity is universally quantified by the peak particle velocity (PPV) index. Among the various factors affecting blast-induced ground vibrations, the distance from the blast face to the monitoring point (D) and the charge weight per delay (W) are the most influential and controllable parameters in a specific mine site. Therefore, these variables were selected as inputs for PPV estimation. The present study develops advanced white-box machine learning (ML) models, including Multi-Expression Programming (MEP), Gene Expression Programming (GEP), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), and Stronger Variable Creator Machines (SVCMs), for predicting PPV. The general explicit equation was derived from the developed ML models implemented in a spreadsheet program, which can be easily used to estimate PPV. The MEP model achieves the highest accuracy, with a correlation coefficient (CC) of 0.993177 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.836337, followed by the MARS, GEP, and SVCM models. The results of the present study, supported by k-fold cross-validation and parametric analysis, confirmed the potential of the proposed models for PPV estimation. Full article

Background and Clinical Significance: Anti–myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) antibody polyneuropathy is a rare, chronic IgM-mediated demyelinating peripheral neuropathy predominantly affecting sensory nerves in older adults, commonly in association with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Reports describing anesthetic management in patients with this condition remain extremely limited, and no specific guidelines currently exist regarding neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) use or neuromuscular monitoring in this population. Case Presentation: A 79-year-old man with anti-MAG antibody polyneuropathy (diagnosed in 2007) and IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance developed disproportionate progressive lower-extremity weakness and became wheelchair-dependent following COVID-19 infection in 2020. Preoperative evaluation revealed mildly reduced left ventricular function (ejection fraction 49%), mild chronic kidney disease, and marked intrinsic hand muscle atrophy with absent deep tendon reflexes. He was scheduled for robot-assisted radical cystectomy with ileal conduit diversion under combined general and thoracic epidural anesthesia. Before NMBA administration, neuromuscular monitoring was systematically attempted at the ulnar nerve (electromyography and acceleromyography, up to 60 mA/300 μs) and the corrugator supercilii; despite visible muscle contractions following peripheral nerve stimulation, neither modality produced reliable responses at either site. Given the inability to establish reliable monitoring, the administration of NMBAs was considered to carry an unacceptable risk of a prolonged, undetectable blockade. Anesthesia was maintained with deep sevoflurane (2.0–2.5% end-tidal) and remifentanil infusion without NMBAs, titrated to a bispectral index of 40–60. Tracheal intubation was accomplished via video laryngoscopy without NMBA. The 7 h and 30 min surgery was completed without patient movement or surgical compromise. Postoperatively, the patient developed transient upper airway obstruction attributed to glossoptosis, managed successfully with head elevation and nasopharyngeal airway insertion; supplemental oxygen was required until postoperative day 3, and the patient was discharged from the high-dependency unit on postoperative day 5. Conclusions: No measurable quantitative neuromuscular response could be obtained in this patient with advanced anti-MAG antibody neuropathy, despite appropriate application of electromyography- and acceleromyography-based monitoring and the presence of visible muscle contractions following peripheral nerve stimulation. In such circumstances, avoiding NMBA administration in favor of deep volatile or intravenous anesthesia with opioid supplementation may represent a reasonable, hypothesis-generating approach in carefully selected patients; this observation does not establish the general superiority of an NMBA-free strategy, and caution is warranted before generalizing it to procedures such as robotic surgery, in which profound neuromuscular blockade is often considered desirable. Full article

Residential buildings are central to decarbonisation because existing dwellings combine long service lives, high heating demand and heterogeneous constraints for retrofitting. This study investigates some retrofit strategies for a terraced house in Oxford, UK, to achieve the winter indoor air temperature set-point while reducing energy use, costs and CO₂ emissions. A calibrated dynamic simulation model was developed from on-site inspections, monitored temperatures, occupant schedules and energy-bill data. The analysis compares baseline configuration with scenarios including radiator power upgrading, envelope insulation, increased internal thermal mass and replacement of the condensing boiler with a high-temperature ground-source heat pump (GSHP). The results show that radiator upgrading enables the most critical rooms to reach the 20 °C set-point, while envelope insulation reduces heating energy and costs. Increased thermal mass improves night-time temperature stability, although its effect on annual energy demand is limited. The GSHP provides the largest primary energy reduction, lowering operational primary energy by 66.3% compared to the reference case and by 70.4% when combined with envelope and thermal-mass measures. Operational CO₂ emissions are reduced by 35.0–84.3%. The study highlights the need to evaluate the capacity of heat emitters, building envelope performance, thermal inertia and heat generator efficiency within a dynamic framework. Full article

The Laspias River and Lissos River sustain the hydrological and ecological functioning of the Vistonida Lake wetland complex, a protected Natura 2000 site and Ramsar Convention Wetland of International Importance, by regulating nutrient transport and supporting aquatic biodiversity. Thus, the water quality of the rivers Laspias and Lissos and their adjacent coastal zones located in the prefectures of Xanthi and Rhodope (NE Greece) respectively was monitored regarding key metal concentrations for a period of two years. The monitoring of these watersheds and coastal zones was based on seven sampling stations in the Laspias River, twelve stations in the Lissos River and four stations in each river’s coastal zone. During water monitoring of both rivers, a wide range of chemical elements was analyzed to assess water quality. In the present work, the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and the heavy metal evaluation index (HEI) were assessed in both rivers and their coastal area for four successive seasons. The mean HPI and HEI values for the Laspias River were 54.66 ± 10.82 and 1.45 ± 0.22, whereas the respective indices in the Lissos River were 14.43 ± 4.14 and 0.39 ± 0.14. The mean HPI and HEI values for the adjacent coastal zones of the Laspias and Lissos Rivers were 7.42 ± 1.52 and 0.14 ± 0.05, as well as 10.39 ± 0.83 and 0.23 ± 0.02, respectively. Therefore, the average HPI values for both rivers and their coastal zones were below the proposed threshold (<100), while the HEI of the Laspias River classified the water quality in the second category (slightly affected, HEI from 1.0 to 2.0 due to the effect of Mn) and the Lissos River in the first category (very pure/pure, HEI < 1), respectively, considering drinking water thresholds. The HEI indices of their coastal zones characterized the water quality as very pure/pure. Full article

To address the need for bubble detection in industrial silicone sealing rings, this paper presents a compact non-invasive ultrasonic monitoring system based on a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array, aiming to overcome the limitations of conventional X-ray inspection in terms of safety, portability, and real-time in situ monitoring. The system comprises two 8.8 mm × 8.8 mm CMUT arrays with associated transmitting and receiving circuitry. The silicone thickness is determined using the time-of-flight (TOF) method, while bubble size is quantitatively estimated by combining received signal amplitude analysis, which characterizes bubble-induced attenuation, with correlation function evaluation. Experimental measurements on industrial-grade silicone samples and finite element simulations demonstrate that the system achieves a spatial resolution of 0.5 mm and effectively captures attenuation variations caused by bubbles. The integrated strategy of TOF, amplitude analysis, and correlation assessment ensures reliable non-destructive evaluation. Compared with X-ray inspection, the proposed system is safer, more portable, and suitable for real-time on-site monitoring, thereby significantly improving quality control efficiency in silicone manufacturing. This study provides a novel CMUT-array-based solution for quantitative bubble detection in silicone media, offering both high resolution and practical application potential. Full article

Pollen data obtained from aerobiological monitoring are utilized in various fields of application but require statistical processing. In this study, airborne pollen data from the Rome aerobiological monitoring stations (San Pietro Hospital and Tor Vergata), covering the period 1997–2025, were analyzed, with a specific focus on an Ambrosia pollen episode occurring on 11–12 September 2009. Many studies have employed descriptive statistical methods or predictive models. Among these, the HYSPLIT model was employed in a case study to verify whether the elevated levels of ragweed pollen recorded on 11–12 September 2009 in Rome were attributed to long-distance transport, and to determine the possible source areas through back-trajectories. The relationships between pollen concentrations, distribution maps of Ambrosia spp. individuals, transport conditions, and meteorological conditions were examined. The combination of these tools appears to confirm that the presence of Ambrosia pollen is the result of long-distance transport. To complement the modeling analysis, backward trajectories were computed using the HYSPLIT model with a 48 h duration at three altitudes (0, 100, and 1500 m above sea level) to evaluate the influence of planetary boundary layer dynamics on the transport pathways. Despite being an excellent tool, the use of HYSPLIT in Italy could present some critical issues due to the terrain topography, which affects the calculation of altitude levels and introduces uncertainties in trajectory reconstruction. New techniques are emerging daily, leading to increasingly precise forecasts. Nevertheless, an increase in aerobiological sampling sites with adequate regulation would represent a sound starting point for standardizing intervention strategies. Full article

Pesticide and veterinary drug residues, heavy metals and other hazardous contaminants in agricultural products and food systems pose severe threats to food safety and agro-ecological security. Conventional detection techniques are plagued by complicated operations, long testing cycles and insufficient sensitivity, which fail to meet the practical requirements for rapid, accurate on-site detection and in situ remediation. This paper systematically introduces the fundamental physicochemical properties of typical carbon-based nanomaterials, including graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon quantum dots and biomass-derived carbon. It comprehensively reviews the latest research advances of these materials in the detection of heavy metal ions, pesticide residues, mycotoxins and illegal additives, as well as in the non-destructive monitoring of food quality. Meanwhile, relevant applications of carbon-based nanomaterials in the adsorption, enrichment and catalytic remediation of heavy metals and organic pollutants in farmland soil and water environments are summarized. The intrinsic mechanisms underlying their performance in high-precision detection and environmental remediation are elaborated from the perspectives of optical sensing response and adsorption–separation effects. Furthermore, the current technical limitations and bottlenecks restricting the practical application of carbon-based nanomaterials are discussed. Combined with the industrial demands for rapid screening of agro-food safety risks and in situ treatment of farmland environments, the future development prospects of carbon-based nanomaterials in agriculture and food safety fields are outlined. This work aims to provide theoretical references for the development and industrialization of high-performance carbon-based sensing and remediation materials, and to facilitate the risk prevention and control of agro-food safety as well as the green and sustainable development of agricultural ecosystems. Full article

The leakage and dispersion behavior of CO₂ in the ground injection stage of oilfield CCUS systems is highly complex under high-pressure, low-temperature, and continuous-operation conditions, while quantitative criteria for emergency control distances remain insufficient. To address this issue, a liquid CO₂ storage tank in an oilfield CO₂ cyclic injection station was selected as the research object. A 1:1 two-dimensional and three-dimensional computational model was established. A two-stage simulation framework was developed in this study, where PHAST was first employed for rapid multi-scenario consequence screening, followed by three-dimensional CFD validation using KFX under representative high-risk scenarios. The proposed framework was used to systematically investigate CO₂ leakage and dispersion characteristics under various leakage aperture sizes, ambient temperatures, and wind speed conditions. Risk zoning and risk quantification were further conducted based on high-concentration CO₂ toxicity thresholds of 10%, 15%, 20%, and 30%. The results show that the leak aperture is the dominant factor controlling dispersion consequences. As the aperture increased from 5 mm to 50 mm, the maximum dispersion distance increased from 8.8–9.4 m to 132–146 m, and the maximum cloud footprint increased from 4.8–5.4 m² to 2204.1–2599.6 m². Higher temperature enhanced CO₂ dispersion capacity, whereas wind speed exerted a dual effect involving near-field dilution and downwind transport. The KFX three-dimensional simulation indicated that buildings and equipment arrangements induced near-ground flow separation and local accumulation. Under a 25 mm leak and an average wind speed of 4.6 m·s⁻¹, the cloud approached full coverage of the injection station within approximately 300 s and tended to spread beyond the site boundary. Liquid CO₂ leakage was accompanied by flashing, dry-ice formation, and sublimation, leading to a leakage-rate pattern characterized by an initial decrease followed by an increase and gradual stabilization. This indicates that emergency response should account for the ice-plugging and de-plugging process. The risk zoning results show that the downwind region can be divided into fatal, severe-injury, minor-injury, adverse-reaction, and relatively safe zones. A risk level on the order of 10⁻⁶ still existed at 100 m from the leakage source. It is recommended that CO₂ concentration monitoring and alarm systems be deployed within 100 m of the station, warning signs be placed near the maximum impact boundary of 146 m, and 300 s be used as a critical time window for coordinated evacuation between the plant area and surrounding residential areas. The findings provide a technical basis for safety-distance verification, monitoring layout design, and emergency-plan development for ground injection systems in oilfield CCUS projects. Full article

Invasive species represent a major threat to global biodiversity, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring and research to better understand their ecology, distribution, and invasion dynamics. Among freshwater leeches (Hirudinea), Helobdella europaea is considered one of the most successful and widespread invasive taxa. This study provides an updated assessment of the distribution of H. europaea in Morocco and identifies the main environmental factors influencing its occurrence and spread across the country. Field surveys were conducted between 2014 and 2024 in northern Morocco, with particular focus on protected wetlands, including Ramsar sites, and major biogeographical barriers such as the Middle Atlas Mountains and the Sebou and Moulouya river basins. Specimens were collected using Surber samplers (20 × 25 cm, 400 μm mesh), while physicochemical water parameters and other abiotic variables were simultaneously recorded. Since its first detection in Morocco in 2014, H. europaea has significantly expanded its geographic range. The species exhibited broad ecological tolerance, occurring in a wide variety of habitats, including environmentally degraded sites, and enduring substantial variation in water conditions. Among the environmental variables examined, water velocity and salinity were identified as the primary factors constraining the species’ distribution and abundance. Nevertheless, additional studies are required to better predict the future expansion dynamics of H. europaea, particularly under ongoing hydrological alterations and climate change scenarios. Full article

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) provides dense spatial measurements of the dynamic strain along fiber optic cables, offering high-resolution wave sensing for ground motion monitoring and subsurface imaging applications. However, DAS records the axial strain or strain rate, whereas traditional seismic and engineering ground motion equipment and derived metrics are based on particle displacement, velocity, or acceleration, necessitating reliable strain-to-velocity conversion methods. This study evaluates three widely used conversion approaches: the fk-rescaling, curvelet-based conversion, and slant-stack methods. These approaches are applied to a unique high-energy, near-field, active-source dataset collected at the Birds Landing Site in Sherman Island, California. The dataset includes wavefields generated by a large transmission tower collapse and sledgehammer impacts used for subsurface imaging. The wavefields were recorded simultaneously by a 1.4 km DAS array and 71 collocated nodal stations (NSs). Using 63 DAS–NS pairs, we quantify the strain-to-velocity conversion method performance using amplitude and phase transfer functions (TFs) between DAS-derived and NS particle velocity records, with the root-mean-square error (RMSE) evaluated across three frequency bands: 0.5–100 Hz, 1–10 Hz, and 10–100 Hz. The results show that fk-rescaling provides the most stable amplitude response across both source types, while both the fk-rescaling and slant-stack methods generally yield the best phase agreement. Curvelet-based conversion shows a greater variability and larger RMSE values. All methods yield a poorer amplitude reconstruction at higher frequencies, while the phase content is generally preserved more reliably than amplitudes. Differences between the tower collapse and sledgehammer sources demonstrate the influence of the source characteristics and spatial processing window length on the conversion performance. The findings provide practical guidance for selecting suitable strain-to-velocity conversion methods for active-source DAS applications, particularly where collocated reference sensors are unavailable. Full article

Mangrove forests provide essential ecosystem services but are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures and climate-related disturbances. Effective and accessible tools for assessing mangrove ecosystem condition are therefore needed to soundly support their conservation and management. This study adapted the “Coastal Health” framework originally proposed for assessing coastal ecosystems health to evaluate the health status of mangrove forests along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Using freely available high-resolution imagery from Google Earth Pro 7.3, complemented by field observations, technical reports, and unpublished literature, 56 mangrove sites distributed across eight coastal departments were assessed according to their ecological integrity, hydrological connectivity, sediment dynamics, freshwater and marine inputs, mangrove species condition, and their potential for landward and seaward migration. The results showed that 54% of the evaluated sites were classified as being in “Good Health”, while 2% were categorized as “Health Warning”, 3% as “Surface Wounds”, 14% as “Minor Injury”, 25% as “Major Injury”, and 2% as “Deceased”. Mangroves in good condition were generally associated with protected areas, river mouths, estuaries, and relatively isolated coastal systems, whereas degraded ecosystems were affected by urban expansion, tourism infrastructure, hydrological alterations, coastal engineering works, and reduced freshwater inputs. The proposed methodology proved to be a simple, low-cost, and easily replicable tool for large-scale mangrove health assessment. It provides valuable information for prioritizing conservation and restoration actions and can be adapted to support mangrove monitoring and ecosystem-based coastal management in other regions worldwide. Full article

This study investigates lichen colonisation on a medieval basalt Armenian cross-stone (khachkar) in the Noratus cemetery, the largest extant concentration of memorial khachkars in Armenia, integrating fine-scale vegetation sampling, microhabitat assessment, and multivariate analysis. A preliminary survey of c. 30 cross-stones confirmed that the selected one was representative of the site. Thirty-six evenly spaced relevés of 10 cm² were recorded across the surface, with lichens identified macroscopically in situ and supported by laboratory-verified reference material from outside the protected area. Microhabitat descriptors were recorded, and ecological preferences were assessed using indicator values. The main environmental drivers at Noratus appear to be high solar irradiation, pronounced aridity and especially elevated nutrient deposition. Numerical classification and ordination revealed three main lichen communities, structured primarily by micro-scale water availability, exposure, and nutrient enrichment, which occupy different portions of the monument. The absence of endolithic lichens, together with the dry–cold climate of Noratus and the resistance of basalt to bioweathering, suggests limited structural impact. However, pronounced chromatic alteration was observed, producing a characteristic polychromy on the cross-stones. Lichen removal is likely to be problematic due to the extent of the cemetery, the prevalence of vegetative reproduction, and rapid recolonisation of nitrophilous species. This is the first study ever carried out on lichen colonisation of Armenian cross-stones, which are inscribed on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The results provide a baseline for future monitoring and support a conservation approach balancing material risk assessment with aesthetic considerations. Full article

Fugitive methane emissions from fossil fuel operations exceed 120 million tonnes per year globally, yet measurement campaigns consistently find actual emissions to be roughly twice the levels reported through inventory-based self-reporting, and up to three times higher in the most intensively studied producing regions of the United States. This review examines methane monitoring as a systems problem in which physics, economics, regulation, and operational reality must converge. We establish that three compounding problems—the predominantly intermittent character of fugitive emissions (detected in fewer than 25% of repeat airborne passes at major Permian Basin well sites), the systematic underreporting gap, and the structural inadequacy of periodic inspection programs—together define a monitoring requirement that no single current technology satisfies. We survey the global regulatory landscape through 2025–2026, showing that EPA OOOOb/c, Canada’s enhanced methane regulations, and EU Regulation 2024/1787 have collectively crossed from aspiration to binding mandate. We assess the full current technology landscape and identify a persistent gap: no operational system simultaneously achieves detection sensitivity at or below 1 kg/h, broad spatial coverage, near-continuous temporal frequency, quantitative accuracy, and all-weather robustness. We demonstrate that the economic case for closing this gap stands independently of regulatory requirements, with undetected leaks of 100 kg/h generating over one million dollars per year in combined gas-value and regulatory-fee exposure. Geopolitical dynamics (including the post-2022 transformation of US LNG into Europe’s dominant gas supply) have extended monitoring demand beyond domestic regulatory compliance into international trade certification. Next-generation technologies, including MERLIN-class spaceborne lidar and compact high-altitude differential absorption platforms, are approaching the unoccupied region of the performance trade-space. The convergence of these four forces makes continuous broad-area methane monitoring not merely a regulatory compliance function but an economically rational, geopolitically motivated, and technically achievable objective. Full article

Freshwater biodiversity is increasingly threatened by biological invasions, yet the ecological processes governing invasion establishment and subsequent dominance remain poorly understood. We investigated environmental, community, and functional determinants of invasion success for three invasive aquatic macrophytes (Cabomba caroliniana, Elodea canadensis, and Paspalum distichum) across 102 freshwater sites in Serbia. The three invaders occupied distinct environmental niches, with C. caroliniana confined to canals, E. canadensis occurring mainly in reservoirs, and P. distichum associated primarily with rivers. The two submerged species occupied highly distinctive positions within regional functional trait space, whereas the emergent amphibious P. distichum was considerably less functionally distinctive. Invaded communities exhibited significantly higher functional dispersion, while invasion dominance declined with increasing resident Shannon diversity, which explained 67.5% of the variation in invasive abundance. Together, these findings support a multi-stage framework in which environmental filtering determines invader identity, resident community functional structure influences invasion occurrence, and resident taxonomic diversity constrains invasion dominance. Distinguishing invasion occurrence from invasion dominance provides a more informative basis for freshwater biodiversity monitoring and invasive species management. Full article