Search Results (163)

Conventional soft open points (SOPs) suffer from limited transfer capacity during distribution network faults. To address this issue, this paper proposes an integrated energy storage system and soft open point (ES-SOP) along with a power path dynamic reconfiguration method. The device consists of an M × N AC switch matrix, N AC/DC converters, and a common DC bus with energy storage. This structure provides three distinct power paths: a mechanical direct path, a third-party grid path, and an energy storage path. A seamless reconfiguration technology is developed to eliminate inrush currents during mechanical switching. It combines multi-unit virtual synchronous generator (VSG) pre-synchronization with a DC bus voltage droop coordination mechanism. The overall control follows a two-time-scale strategy. On a long time scale, a heuristic rule selects the most suitable healthy grid as the mechanical source. On a short time scale, the droop parameters of the converters are optimized to autonomously share the remaining power between the third-party grid path and the energy storage path. This allocation minimizes losses and requires no fast communication. Hardware-in-the-loop experiments verify the performance: the proposed method completely suppresses inrush current, keeps DC bus voltage fluctuation below 20 V during mode transitions, and achieves a transfer efficiency of approximately 98.5%. Full article

Mountain stream ecosystems are often considered among the least disturbed freshwater environments; however, increasing land-use pressures may affect their ecological integrity even under apparently high-water quality conditions. This study aimed to assess the relative influence of landscape, physicochemical, and hydromorphological factors on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in three sub-catchments (Ambroz, Jerte, and Tiétar) of the Sierra de Gredos (Central Spain). A total of 33 sampling sites were surveyed, and macroinvertebrate assemblages were analyzed in relation to environmental variables using partial Redundancy Analysis (pRDA) and variance partitioning. All sites were classified as having “Excellent” ecological status based on the Iberian Biological Monitoring Working Party (IBMWP) index. However, multivariate analyses revealed clear spatial patterns and responses to environmental gradients. Results indicated that catchment-scale landscape characteristics defined the pool of potential colonizers, while local physicochemical and hydromorphological conditions acted as secondary filters structuring macroinvertebrate assemblages. Landscape variables explained the largest fraction of variance in community structure (30.6%), followed by physicochemical parameters (29.0%) and hydromorphological indices (24.9%), with a significant shared component (16.5%) indicating interactions among drivers. Agricultural land use, particularly in the Jerte sub-catchment, was associated with shifts in community composition, favoring tolerant taxa such as Diptera, while sub-catchments dominated by natural vegetation supported higher richness of sensitive groups, including Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera. These findings highlight the importance of multi-scale processes in structuring mountain stream communities and reveal limitations of traditional biotic indices in detecting early ecological changes. The results support the integration of catchment-scale variables into ecological assessment frameworks and emphasize the need for preventive, basin-scale management strategies to maintain ecological integrity under increasing anthropogenic pressure. Full article

We present S2VDT, a two-party secure vertical decision tree framework built on a suite of matrix-level secure operators, including matrix multiplication, the Hadamard product, reciprocal, and vector comparison. These operators, constructed from additive secret sharing and masked matrices, provide two core advantages. First, inherent parallelism: by casting Gini impurity evaluation and split selection into matrix form, all candidate splits are evaluated simultaneously within a constant number of communication rounds, eliminating the per-split sequential interactions of prior schemes. Second, composable security: each operator is proven secure under the semihonest model via the universal composability framework, and the full training protocol achieves bounded privacy guarantees without relying on homomorphic encryption or an online trusted third party. Experiments on three real-world UCI datasets show that S2VDT matches non-private accuracy with negligible model-level precision loss while reducing communication overhead by $2.5\times$–$7.1\times$ and peak memory consumption by $19\times$–$68\times$ over Pivot. Full article

With the growing need for collaborative machine learning across institutions holding sensitive data, ensuring data privacy without compromising model performance has become an important challenge. This work introduces secure federated learning algorithms that use encryption and masking techniques to protect the privacy of data during collaborative model training. Three federated learning algorithms were developed: one for vertical federated learning and two combining horizontal and vertical data partitioning. The proposed algorithms are designed such that participating clients communicate only with the server, even when data exchange between clients is required. This exchange occurs through the server with the help of encryption and masking. The performance of the algorithms, evaluated in terms of accuracy and loss, shows competitive results. The accuracy remains unchanged compared to the centralised scenario for the vertical federated learning algorithm and one of the combined federated learning algorithms, and it remains highly competitive with the other combined federated learning algorithm. The privacy analyses conducted as part of this work demonstrate no risk of data leakage ensuring that no party involved can infer sensitive information. Full article

Communities across the Southwestern United States (US) and Northern Mexico are making critical decisions regarding how they create long-term water resilience, including by reducing water demand and diversifying water supplies in the face of scarcity. There are several emerging frameworks encouraging collaborative governance approaches to water scarcity, such as Collaborative Water Governance and Adaptive Water Governance; however, examples of ongoing implementation of these frameworks by local governments in academic literature are less prevalent. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by sharing case studies and practitioner recommendations resulting from Growing Water Smart (GWS)—a training and assistance program for local communities to conduct collaborative water resilience action planning across jurisdictional borders, as well as between the historically separated disciplines of water resources management and land use planning. This paper presents and assesses the GWS curriculum as a model for local, cooperative responses to water scarcity, grounded in Collaborative Water Governance, Adaptive Governance, and related frameworks. This paper utilizes primary GWS program documents, firsthand participant perspectives, and direct practitioner experiences to present three case studies of GWS communities working across disciplinary and jurisdictional borders: a regionally collaborative facilitation process and intergovernmental agreement regarding water exports in the San Luis Valley of Colorado; a regional GWS workshop and emerging county-wide convening of jurisdictions within the Verde Watershed of central Arizona; and binational collaboration across the US-Mexico border through a workshop between the cities of Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, Sonora, resulting in a deepened understanding of shared effluent flows. Finally, this paper posits that the GWS model initiates more collaborative and informed decision-making, builds capacity for localities through the support of third-party conveners and facilitators, and maximizes the limited financial and human resources available to local jurisdictions—resulting in a valuable and replicable process to advance water resilience across disciplinary and jurisdictional borders. Full article

In Ghana’s political landscape, actors from both ruling and opposition parties deploy a range of linguistic and rhetorical strategies in their pursuit of political power. Prominent among these is political labeling, a discursive practice used to construct favorable self-images while delegitimizing opponents through derogatory and face-threatening expressions. This study examines how political labeling functions as a strategic tool for identity construction and power negotiation in Ghana’s electoral landscape. Situated within the fields of political discourse and communication studies, the study demonstrates how labeling operates simultaneously as a rhetorical and framing device that reflects and reinforces underlying sociopolitical power dynamics. Drawing on empirical data from major Ghanaian news portals, the study adopts an integrated analytical framework combining Framing Theory and the Theory of Impoliteness. It analyzes public labeling directed at three prominent political figures across three election cycles (2016, 2020, and 2024). The findings show that politicians, activists, and their supporters strategically deploy labels to reconstruct rivals’ identities, inflict reputational damage, and provoke ridicule, thereby undermining their perceived competence and public credibility. Focusing on derogatory labels, we argue that political labeling serves primarily to generate emotional responses, shape public perception, and mobilize collective action, ultimately influencing the trajectory of national political discourse. By examining the interplay between language, identity construction, and power, this research offers a nuanced account of how political labeling shapes individual attitudes, group dynamics, and the broader political culture in Ghana. Full article

Reconciling environmental conservation with socioeconomic development remains a fundamental challenge for tropical forest governance. Thirty-five years ago, the Brazilian Amazon pioneered Extractive Reserves (RESEXs) as a radical model for socio-environmental synergy; however, their long-term efficacy faces increasing contestation. Through a systematic review of three and a half decades of research, we analyze the RESEX model’s performance in balancing forest integrity with the livelihoods of traditional communities. Our synthesis reveals a persistent conservation–development misalignment, where the prioritization of ecological preservation is coupled with chronic underinvestment in socioeconomic infrastructure. We demonstrate that this imbalance has yielded a “vulnerability trap,” where stagnant agro-extractive initiatives and insufficient technological integration inadvertently push local populations toward predatory land-use alternatives. We argue that prioritizing forest cover metrics while neglecting the economic agency of traditional populations constitutes an inadequate strategy for the Amazon’s future. Following the outcomes of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, we propose a paradigm shift toward a technologically enabled bioeconomy—a move essential for the pragmatic success of global climate goals and the protection of the Amazonian climate anchor. Full article

The cultivation of civilized rural customs—a core dimension of China’s rural revitalization strategy—is crucial for revitalizing the spirit of its rural communities. This study, grounded in the strategic context of China’s rural revitalization, examines the intricate interplay between government leadership and rural self-governance in the development of rural civilization. Using grounded theory to analyze 66 national model cases of “civilized rural culture development”, selected by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs between 2019 and 2022, the study constructs a “top-down coordination and bottom-up coupling” model, systematically articulating the practical logic and underlying mechanisms of rural civilization development. The study reveals that the practical logic of rural civilization construction is manifested through three coupled adaptation mechanisms: authoritative coupling between Party–government coordination and village-level autonomy in resource allocation; interest coupling through multi-stakeholder participation in organizational mobilization; and value coupling by reconstructing public norms through shared values. These three coupling mechanisms collectively form a “resource revitalization–stakeholder symbiosis–rule reconstruction” pathway, thereby uncovering the collaborative governance logic between government leadership and rural autonomy within rural revitalization. This study offers a new theoretical perspective for understanding the interactive relationship between government and community in China’s rural governance. Full article

As a neighborhood-scale derivative of the Business Improvement District (BID) model, the Neighborhood Business Improvement District (NBID) represents a collaborative governance framework aimed at fostering spontaneous urban regeneration. Its successful establishment critically depends on building consensus among diverse stakeholders during the preparatory phase. This study addresses a significant gap by investigating the psychological mechanisms that shape stakeholders’ willingness to engage in NBIDs prior to their formation. Employing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews in the Tiyuan North Community (Tianjin) and the Yulin East Road Community (Chengdu). Insights from the qualitative phase informed a subsequent quantitative survey administered to 215 stakeholders in Tianjin. Data were analyzed using regression analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results reveal that stakeholders’ performance expectations and collaborative willingness are significantly influenced by three core confidence factors: “Confidence in Authority Support (AS)” (particularly “Confidence in Council Representation”), “Confidence in Organization Capability (OC)” (especially “Confidence in Coordination Ability”), and “Confidence in Multi-party Collaboration.” Crucially, “Confidence in Enabling collaboration (MC_3)” itself acts as a key mediator, translating institutional trust into performance expectations. This study contributes a novel “Confidence–Expectation” framework to the literature on collective action and offers practical, context-sensitive insights for designing collaborative community governance structures aimed at sustainable urban regeneration in China and beyond. Full article

This article examines how social media and digital channels are related to information behavior and voting among young voters (aged 18–30) during the 2025 German federal election. Based on an online survey (n = 673) conducted after the election among participants from southwest Germany and three diverse educational backgrounds, our exploratory study found no overarching generational effect in social media use or political socialization. Instagram emerged as the most important platform for political information. TikTok played a limited role overall; however, the Left Party was the only party able to gain visible support from it. In contrast, voters of the radical right Alternative for Germany (AfD) often reported receiving political content via private messenger groups, highlighting the role of non-public channels in political communication. Concerning vote choice, we find that it depends on the platform to what extent a party can benefit from digital campaigning, e.g., the Left Party benefits from frequent TikTok usage, while YouTube correlates with voting for the Greens, and messenger usage with voting for the AfD. The findings, therefore, suggest a more professionalized and targeted approach to digital campaigning, with specific parties reaching distinct voter groups through tailored platform strategies. Full article

This paper explores the economic, environmental, and security issues created by the launch of satellite megaconstellations, which are networks of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites planned to provide worldwide communications, data services, and research capabilities. Although such programs bring the potential to offer global coverage and substantial technology enhancements, they also pose significant challenges to fund and sustain. In order to address these issues, the approach assumes a Life Cycle Costing (LCC) scope that includes development, launch, operational, end-of-life, and environmental impacts. Based on this, we introduce an original model, which includes a Cooperative Game Theory component—more precisely the Shapley value—to devise fair and efficient cost-sharing mechanisms between multiple players. The model includes the effects of cooperation, free-rider phenomena, and the consideration of capacity limitations, providing a formalized approach to distribute costs fairly and ensure coalition stability. A three-operators case study demonstrates the real benefits achieved by collaboration: significant cost savings of up to 27% compared with independent approaches. However, the analysis also demonstrates the destabilizing effects of free riders, which undermine cooperation in the short run and may lead to a net increase in costs for contributing parties. The results indicate that resilient allocation mechanisms and policy protection are necessary to secure the sustainability of megaconstellations over the long time period, possibly also applicable to other critical infrastructures beyond space systems. Full article

Location-based services (LBSs) are a crucial element of the Internet of Things (IoT) and have garnered significant attention from both researchers and users, driven by the rise of wireless devices and a growing user base. However, the use of LBS-enabled applications carries several risks, as users must provide their real locations with each query. This can expose them to potential attacks from the LBS server, leading to serious issues like the theft of personal information. Consequently, protecting location privacy is a vital concern. To address this, location dummy-based methods are employed to safeguard the location privacy of LBS users. However, location dummy-based approaches also suffer from problems such as low resistance against inference attacks and the generation of strong dummy locations, an issue that is considered an open problem. Moreover, generating many location dummies to achieve a high privacy protection level leads to high network overhead and requires high computational capabilities on the mobile devices of the LBS users, and such devices are limited. In this paper, we introduce the Caching-Aware Double-Dummy Selection (CaDDSL) algorithm to protect the location privacy of LBS users against homogeneity location and semantic location inference attacks, which may be applied by the LBS server as a malicious party. Then, we enhance the CaDDSL algorithm via encapsulation with agents to solve the tradeoff between generating many dummies and large network overhead by proposing the Cache-Aware Overhead-Aware Dummy Selection (CaOaDSL) algorithm. Compared to three well-known approaches, namely GridDummy, CirDummy, and Dest-Ex, our approach showed better performance in terms of communication cost, cache hit ratio, resistance against inference attacks, and network overhead. Full article

MyDispense is a high-fidelity, low-stakes community pharmacy simulation, allowing students to practice dispensing skills. A systematic review was conducted to identify students’ perceptions regarding barriers and facilitators of MyDispense in pharmacy education. PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases were searched from 2015 to 2025 in January 2025 using combined keywords, proximity searching and Boolean operators. Studies investigating MyDispense and gathering students’ perceptions were included. Record screening was conducted by two independent reviewers (OC and LS). Any identified records from database searching and hand searching of included study reference lists were imported to Rayyan and subjected to independent review. Conflicts were resolved through a third party (RMcC), and discussions were held until consensus was reached. Fifteen studies were included in this review. Seven studies were conducted in USA, six in Asia, one in UK, and one in Australia. All studies utilised purposive sampling. Sample sizes ranged from 33 to 322 students. All studies included surveys to gather student perceptions. Other data collection methods included semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions for students to further elaborate on survey responses. Identified facilitators were mapped to four overarching themes; “Develops competency”, “User-Friendliness”, “Engaging Learning Experience” and “Safe Learning Environment.” Key barriers were encompassed to three themes: “Learning Curve”, “IT issues” and “Limited Realism and Applications”. Barriers included (i) the learning curve of the platform, (ii) technical issues, and (iii) limited realism. Facilitators included perceptions of (i) improved dispensing and counselling skills and a deeper understanding of pharmacy legislation, (ii) accessibility, interactivity of the learning environment and (iii) immediate feedback. Synthesis of the evidence in this review identified students’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators of MyDispense in pharmacy education. This may serve as a guide to educators considering the adoption of MyDispense into their curricula. Full article

Crystals-Kyber and Classic-McEliece are two prominent post-quantum key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs) designed to address the challenges posed by quantum computing to classical cryptographic schemes. While the former has been standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the latter is well-known for its exceptional robustness and as one of the finalists of the fourth round of post-quantum cryptography standardization. Private set intersection (PSI) is a privacy-preserving technique that enables two parties, each possessing a dataset, to compute the intersection of their sets without revealing anything else. This can be achieved thanks to homomorphic encryption (HE), which allows computations on encrypted data. In this paper, firstly, we study Kyber and McEliece, apart from being KEMs, as post-quantum public key encryption (PKE), and examine their homomorphic properties. Secondly, we design two different two-party PSI protocols that utilize the homomorphic capabilities of Kyber and McEliece. Thirdly, a practical performance evaluation under NIST’s security levels 1, 3, and 5 is conducted, focusing on three key metrics: storage overhead, communication overhead, and computation cost. Insights indicate that the Kyber-based PSI Protocol, which utilizes the multiplicative homomorphic property, is secure but less efficient. In contrast, the McEliece-based PSI protocol, while efficient in practice, raises concerns regarding its security as a homomorphic encryption scheme. Full article

Through the analysis of “Three-party semi-quantum protocol for deterministic secure quantum dialogue based on GHZ states”, we demonstrate that the protocol is vulnerable to attacks from dishonest participants. Specifically, the fully quantum-capable participant may behave dishonestly, leading the two semi-quantum participants to receive incorrect secret information, with the dishonest behavior remaining undetected. Accordingly, we propose an improved protocol that demonstrates robustness against various internal and external attacks, including dishonest participant attacks, and we further prove that it does not suffer from information leakage. Moreover, compared to the original protocol, the improved version achieves a significant enhancement in quantum communication efficiency. Full article