Search Results (111)

The European Union is increasingly confronted with a convergence of sustainability, democratic, and security-related challenges that affect the conditions for long-term transformation. While sustainable development and democratic resilience are often discussed separately, their interdependence has become more visible in the context of geopolitical instability, geoeconomic competition, hybrid threats, and growing societal polarization. This article examines the relationship between sustainable development and democratic resilience in the European Union and analyses how external pressures shape both agendas. The study employs a qualitative, concept-driven research design that combines the analysis of EU strategic and policy documents, a structured review of relevant scholarly literature, and triangulation with selected sustainability and governance indicators. The findings suggest that the implementation of sustainable development goals depends not only on regulatory and economic capacity, but also on social cohesion, public trust, and the resilience of democratic institutions, which together shape the legitimacy, continuity, and political feasibility of long-term transformative policies. At the same time, energy dependence, supply-chain vulnerabilities, technological dependencies, and information threats increasingly constrain the EU’s sustainability agenda. In response, the article proposes the concept of Sustainable Democratic Security as an analytical framework linking sustainability governance, democratic resilience, and strategic-security capacity. The article contributes to the literature by conceptualising these dimensions as mutually conditioning components of a common governance framework and by outlining their implications for integrated EU policymaking under conditions of geopolitical and geoeconomic pressure. Full article

This qualitative study analyzes the perceived effects of the Quiero Mi Barrio—I love my neighborhood—(PQMB) urban regeneration program on the physical and social environments and residents’ quality of life in two deprived neighborhoods in Temuco, Chile, where PQMB was implemented in 2007 and 2015, using a phenomenological approach and a gender perspective. PQMB is a state-led program that combines improvements in urban infrastructure with participatory processes aimed at strengthening community life. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and non-participant observations. The findings indicate improvements in public spaces, increased social interaction, and enhanced community cohesion, although these effects were unevenly distributed. Women and older adults experienced greater benefits due to higher participation and leadership in neighborhood organizations, while younger residents’ involvement was more limited and focused on the use of sports facilities. Differences between neighborhoods highlight the importance of time and institutional continuity in maintaining program-related effects. The study shows that changes in the built environment interact with participation patterns and community organization, shaping how residents experience improvements in quality of life. However, the sustainability of these effects depends on long-term institutional support and communities’ capacity to sustain collective action and influence local decision-making beyond the formal closure of interventions. Full article

This study offers an integrative and systematic examination of the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic, digital payment systems, and financial inclusion. To achieve this, it adopts a dual methodological approach that combines a PRISMA 2020-based systematic literature review with bibliometric analysis. The analysis covers a set of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2025, using bibliometric mapping to explore the conceptual structure of the field, its main thematic clusters, and its temporal evolution. The findings indicate that COVID-19 acted as an external shock that accelerated the adoption of digital payment technologies. However, this acceleration did not automatically or uniformly lead to sustainable financial inclusion. Instead, digital payments emerge in the literature as an intermediate pathway linking the pandemic to financial inclusion outcomes under specific conditions. The strength and direction of this process depend on factors such as structural readiness, regulatory quality, digital infrastructure, levels of trust, and financial and digital literacy. Bibliometric results reveal strong conceptual convergence around three core themes—COVID-19, Digital Payments, and Financial Inclusion—forming a cohesive knowledge structure. Over time, the literature progresses from describing the crisis itself, to analyzing digital operational responses and finally to assessing longer-term inclusion and development outcomes. Overall, the study clarifies the interactive nature of the digital payments–financial inclusion nexus and proposes an integrative interpretive framework that can guide future research and support the design of more inclusive and resilient digital financial policies in post-crisis contexts. Full article

Repeated impact loading can induce progressive fatigue delamination in composite laminates, in which both damage accumulation and strain-rate sensitivity of the interlaminar interface play important roles. In this work, an adopted rate-dependent fatigue cohesive formulation is extended to a three-dimensional framework for simulating interlaminar delamination in composite laminates subjected to repeated impact. The constitutive formulation incorporates separation-rate-dependent critical tractions and fracture toughness together with cumulative fatigue damage, enabling a unified description of dynamic rate effects and progressive interface degradation. A time-incremental algorithm is developed and implemented in ABAQUS 2020/Explicit through a user-defined cohesive element subroutine (VUEL). The cohesive formulation is further coupled with the Hashin intralaminar failure criterion to represent the interaction between interlaminar delamination and intralaminar damage. Numerical simulations are conducted for composite laminates with three structural configurations—conventional, drop-off, and wrapped drop-off—to systematically examine the influence of rate dependence on fatigue delamination under repeated impact. The results show that the developed framework captures the progressive evolution of delamination and impact response under repeated impact and indicate that the sensitivity to rate-dependent interlayer properties depends on both laminate configuration and impact velocity. The present study provides a feasible computational framework for the comparative simulation and assessment of fatigue delamination under repeated impact and offers numerical insight into the role of structural configuration and interfacial rate dependence in composite laminates. Full article

Urban green spaces (UGS) are critical regulators of carbon sequestration in industrial cities; however, the configuration mechanisms underlying their carbon dynamics remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates how landscape configuration influences carbon sequestration capacity in Lanzhou and Baotou using multi-temporal datasets from 2000, 2011, and 2022. Net primary productivity (NPP) derived from the CASA model was employed to represent carbon sequestration capacity. An integrated XGBoost-SHAP framework was applied to identify dominant configuration metrics, nonlinear responses, and structural thresholds. The XGBoost model showed stable predictive performance across the three periods, with test-set R² values ranging from 0.470 to 0.510 in Lanzhou and from 0.325 to 0.379 in Baotou. The results reveal systematic and persistent differences in configuration-driven controls between the two cities. In Lanzhou, aggregation-related metrics, particularly COHESION, consistently exert the strongest influence across all three periods, indicating that spatial cohesion and connectivity function as primary stabilizing mechanisms in a mountainous, valley-constrained urban system. Carbon sequestration performance increases once sufficient structural integration is achieved, with aggregation thresholds remaining relatively stable, for example AI values of approximately 0.31–0.34 across 2000–2022, reflecting the importance of maintaining ecological continuity under semi-arid climatic stress. In contrast, Baotou is more strongly regulated by fragmentation-related metrics, especially edge density (ED) and division index (DIVISION), suggesting that its relatively open terrain and industrial spatial structure render carbon sequestration more sensitive to patch separation and edge proliferation. Here, fragmentation acts as a dominant structural constraint, limiting vegetation productivity once spatial disintegration intensifies; for example, ED thresholds shifted from approximately −0.23 in 2000 to −0.56 in 2022. Landscape–carbon relationships exhibit pronounced nonlinear and threshold-dependent behavior in both cities. Rather than responding gradually to structural modification, NPP shifts across identifiable transition points that remain broadly stable over time; for instance, Lanzhou’s AI threshold remains within 0.31–0.34, whereas Baotou’s ED threshold changes from −0.23 to −0.56 across 2000–2022, indicating that these thresholds represent intrinsic structural characteristics of the respective urban ecological systems. However, the magnitude and configuration logic of these thresholds differ between Lanzhou and Baotou, confirming the existence of city-specific nonlinear regimes. These findings demonstrate that urban carbon sequestration operates through context-dependent configuration pathways shaped by terrain, climatic constraints, and long-term spatial organization. The study advances understanding of how structural heterogeneity governs carbon dynamics in arid and semi-arid industrial cities and provides a quantitative basis for configuration-sensitive land planning. Full article

This review presents an innovative and timely exploration of how cytoprotection can serve as a cohesive therapeutic approach by which to address the hemorrhage–thrombosis paradox. Presenting counteraction of both hemorrhage and thrombosis as phase-dependent outcomes of vascular dysregulation, the manuscript synthesizes conceptual, experimental, and clinical evidence into a unified systems-level model focused on the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, which acts as a cytoprotective mediator. In rodents, BPC 157 can simultaneously counteract hemorrhage and thrombosis without directly affecting the coagulation cascade (aggregometry, thromboelastometry). This cytoprotective framework (decreased hemorrhage, decreased thrombosis) stands with presentation of both hemorrhage and thrombosis in the wound, arrhythmias, and Virchow triad, and resolution of these disturbances. As proof of the concept (full cytoprotective effect), a vasoprotective cytoprotective mediator capable of bidirectional regulation, BPC 157, is effective for wound healing, arrhythmia control, and normalization of Virchow’s triad (i.e., following major injuries, occlusion/occlusion-like syndromes). As a comparison from a cytoprotective (partial vs. full) standpoint, conventional agents—anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, and fibrinolytics—provide only partial protection by targeting isolated components of hemostasis. Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, prostaglandins, NO modulators, ACE inhibitors, and statins each exert broader cytoprotective effects; however, these actions remain incomplete and context-dependent, typically unidirectional, dose-limited, or are achieved at the expense of opposing pathological risks. Contrarily, for BPC 157, decreased hemorrhage (including both anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents), decreased thrombosis, effective wound healing, arrhythmia control, and normalization of Virchow’s triad involve preservation of endothelial integrity, normalization of microcirculation, modulation of the NO system, stabilization of hemostatic balance, and recruitment of adaptive collateral pathways. Nevertheless, reliance on preclinical models necessitates further clinical validation. Full article

Highway construction is a major driver of landscape transformation, yet its integrated effects on ecological functions in forested regions under strong ecological governance remain poorly quantified. This study examines spatiotemporal changes in land use, landscape patterns, ecosystem service value (ESV), and habitat connectivity within 1–5 km buffer zones along three highways in Zhejiang, China, from 2000 to 2023. Results indicate that highway-induced fragmentation was land-use-specific: cropland and construction land became more fragmented, while forests maintained high spatial cohesion due to protective policies. ESV per hectare increased over time and with distance from highways, driven by forest expansion and economic revaluation. In contrast, habitat connectivity for reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds declined, revealing a decoupling between ESV enhancement and connectivity conservation. These findings underscore the context-dependent impacts of highways and highlight the need for integrated management strategies that preserve forest integrity to balance ecological functions in rapidly developing regions. Full article

Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is widely adopted in underground mines, where the shear resistance of the CPB–rock interface critically governs the integrity of backfill–rock systems. This study investigates the effects of polypropylene fiber reinforcement, surface roughness (Joint Roughness Coefficient, JRC = 0 and 1.76), and curing time (1, 3, and 7 days) on the shear strength and deformation characteristics of CPB–rock interfaces. Direct shear tests were performed under normal stresses of 50, 100, and 150 kPa, with synchronous measurements of shear and vertical displacements. Results show that increasing roughness markedly strengthens the interface, with the peak shear stress rising by up to 45% due to enhanced mechanical interlocking and dilation. In contrast, adding 0.5 vol.% PP fibers slightly reduces peak shear capacity but consistently improves post-peak deformability, indicating a transition from brittle interfacial fracture to a more ductile, progressive failure mode. A three-stage mechanical model was established to describe the shear stress–displacement relationship, incorporating elastic, bond degradation, and frictional sliding phases. The model parameters, including the shear stiffness ($K_s$), bond degradation coefficient ($\eta$), and residual strength (${\tau }_r$), were calibrated using the experimental data. Mohr–Coulomb analysis further quantifies the curing-dependent evolution of interfacial strength parameters, highlighting a marked increase in cohesion from 1 to 7 days alongside roughness-governed peak strengthening. This research provides insights into the optimization of the CPB–rock interface design for enhanced geomechanical performance in underground applications. Full article

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is attractive for high-frequency communications but adheres very poorly to other materials due to its very low surface energy. Conventionally, surface treatments of PTFE are used to increase the polarity of the PTFE surface and enable bonding to materials with increased surface free energy. However, surface treatments are difficult to scale, can damage surfaces, and often lack reproducibility. Therefore, developing a material that can make PTFE adhere well to other materials without surface treatment is highly desirable. In this study, we aimed to develop a new material with strong adhesion to PTFE. We synthesized three polymer gels from dodecyl acrylate (DA) and 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl acrylate (DMAE): the homopolymer gels PDEAE and PDA, and the copolymer gel P(DEAE-co-DA). The copolymer gel P(DEAE-co-DA) exhibited high pressure-sensitive adhesion to PTFE, recording the highest adhesive strength (F = 430.0 N/m) and the highest peel energy (G = 713.4 J/m²) compared to the homopolymer gels PDEAE and PDA. Mechanical testing showed PDEAE had the greatest strength and toughness, PDA balanced stiffness and extensibility, and P(DEAE-co-DA) was the most flexible and extensible. The P(DEAE-co-DA) with the smoothest surface (Sz ≈ 0.176 µm) showed the highest F and G, implying that surface roughness did not contribute significantly to the interfacial adhesion between the gels and the PTFE. Based on the surface free energy ${\sigma }_s$ and work of adhesion $W_a$ values, the adhesive strength to PTFE was predicted to be PDEAE > P(DEAE-co-DA) > PDA, but the measured G in peel tests contradicted this, indicating that the gels’ viscoelastic deformation and energy dissipation dominate the measured F and G. The frequency-dependent viscoelastic data and relaxation times τ and activation energies $E_a$ suggested optimal adhesion requires a balance of adhesion (mobility for energy dissipation (short τ, low $E_a$)) and sufficient cohesion (high G′). P(DEAE-co-DA) achieved this balance, explaining its high measured F and G. With precise control of polymer chain mobility, the adhesion of P(DEAE-co-DA) gels can likely be improved further. Future work will employ block copolymerization and monomer-ratio control to tune molecular motion and enhance adhesion to PTFE. Full article

As marked by escalating urban crises, socio-spatial fragmentation, and environmental uncertainty, the resilience of cities increasingly depends on their capacity to foster inclusive and sustainable modes of everyday interaction. Within this context, urban in-between spaces—often overlooked or underutilized—emerge as critical arenas for nurturing social cohesion, adaptability, and continuity. This paper positions such spaces as not merely residual voids but as active socio-spatial interfaces that can significantly contribute to urban social sustainability, especially in cities grappling with the long-term effects of socio-economic instability and spatial polarization. In-between spaces function as essential socio-spatial interfaces between public, collective, and private realms, yet their contribution to everyday social sustainability remains insufficiently theorized and empirically documented. This study investigates their spatial and social potentials across three cooperative housing settlements—Tekgül Site, Tarımsal Site, and 184 Evler Site—constructed within the Ankara Batıkent Project, one of Turkey’s largest participatory housing initiatives. Employing a multi-scalar morphogenetic methodology that integrates diachronic spatial mapping, typomorphological sequencing, layered interface analysis, and on-site morphological surveys, the research evaluates how intermediary spatial layers evolve over time and shape patterns of everyday social interaction. Findings indicate that the physical existence of in-between spaces alone does not ensure social sustainability. Instead, it depends on the continuity of public-space networks, spatial permeability, the preservation of collective-use layers, and sustained user participation. Conceptualizing in-between spaces as active social infrastructures, the study offers design-relevant insights for developing socially sustainable housing environments and resilient community structures. Full article

To enhance the assessment accuracy of tunnel face instability risks of active collapse during shield tunneling, this study establishes a novel unified analytical framework that couples the effects of unsaturated transient seepage induced by excavation drainage with soil stratification and heterogeneity. Grounded in unsaturated effective stress theory, the framework explicitly incorporates matric suction into the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion via suction stress and apparent cohesion. By employing a horizontal two-layer nonhomogeneous soil model and solving the one-dimensional vertical Richards’ equation, an analytical solution for the face drainage boundary is derived to quantify the spatiotemporal evolution of suction stress and apparent cohesion. Subsequently, the critical support pressure is evaluated using the upper bound theorem of limit analysis, incorporating a horizontal layer-discretized rotational failure mechanism and the power balance equation. The validity of the proposed framework is confirmed through comparative analyses. Parametric studies reveal that in the upper hard and lower soft strata, the critical support pressure decreases and converges over time, indicating that unsaturated transient seepage exerts a significant influence in the short term that stabilizes over the long term. Additionally, sand–silt stratum exhibits lower overall stability and higher sensitivity to groundwater levels and temporal factors compared to silt–clay stratum. Conversely, silt–clay stratum displays a non-monotonic evolution with increasing cover-to-diameter ratios ($C/D$), reaching a minimum critical support pressure at approximately $C/D=1.1$. Regarding heterogeneity, the internal friction angle of the lower layer exerts dominant control over the critical support pressure compared to seepage velocity, while the influence of other strength parameters remains secondary. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the time-dependent design of tunnel face support pressure under excavation drainage conditions. Full article

Deep foundation excavation in water-rich sand strata presents complex deformation characteristics driven by fluid–solid interaction, which distinguishes it from excavations in cohesive soft clay. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution and deformation mechanisms of retaining structures through a comparative analysis of field monitoring data and 3D numerical simulation, based on a subway station project in Xi’an. While the numerical simulation predicted a continuous “bulging” deformation mode, field monitoring revealed a distinct transition from a “bulging” profile to a “step-like” deformation pattern as the excavation deepened. Quantitatively, while the simulation captured the spatial trend, the measured maximum surface settlement (7.8 mm) exceeded the simulated value (1.2 mm), highlighting the dominant role of seepage consolidation. Detailed analysis indicates that this discrepancy—and the unique step-like evolution—is primarily driven by two mechanisms: the rapid stress relaxation of cohesionless sand during the time lag of support installation, and the superimposed seepage forces induced by continuous dewatering, which are often simplified in standard elastoplastic models. The study further identifies that the vertical displacement of the pile top is governed by the combined effects of basal heave and the “kick-out” deformation at the pile toe. These findings demonstrate that in high-permeability water-rich sand, deformation control depends critically on minimizing the unsupported exposure time of the excavation face. This research provides a theoretical basis for optimizing the spatiotemporal sequencing of excavation in similar geological conditions. Full article

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the intestinal permeation behaviors of andrographolide (AG) and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (DDAG), diterpene lactones from Andrographis paniculata extract (APE), pure AG, and three distinct source APEs. The effects of different solvents were also investigated. Methods: Solubility investigation was performed using APE. APEs and pure AG were prepared as liqui-masses, cohesive mixtures of APE, solvents, and solid carriers. PXRD, in vitro release, and ex vivo intestinal permeation using the non-everted gut sac method were investigated. Results: Solubility of AG and DDAG in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) > NMP/diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DG) mixtures > DG. PXRD indicated that crystallinity loss of liqui-mass was affected by solvent’s solvency capacity. The release behaviors of AG and DDAG in phosphate buffer from pure AG and APEs varied depending on their solid state. The release efficiencies of AG and DDAG from liqui-mass systems increased significantly. The apparent permeability (P_app) of AG from pure AG was 0.11 ± 0.05 ×10⁻⁵ cm·s⁻¹, which was 11–25 times less than that of APEs. The P_app of DDAG from various APEs was comparable, ranging between 5.95 and 7.37 × 10⁻⁵ cm·s⁻¹. The presence of a solvent, specifically NMP, in liqui-mass significantly enhanced the release rate and permeation flux. The P_app of AG and DDAG from liqui-mass increased by factors of 1.0–2.3 and 1.1–2.7, respectively. Conclusions: This study is the first to emphasize the differences in the release and intestinal permeation characteristics of AG and DDAG from APEs. These findings offer essential insights into the intestinal permeation behavior of diterpene lactones, along with a straightforward mechanistic strategy for enhancement. Full article

A limited period of endometrial receptivity is defined by molecular interactions between the embryo and maternal tissues, which are crucial for successful implantation. The results of clinical studies assessing intrauterine human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) as an endometrial priming agent in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) have been inconsistent, markedly affected by dose, timing, and cycle context. This narrative review summarises molecular data demonstrating that hCG modulates immunological, stromal, endothelial, and epithelial compartments in a coordinated manner, affecting essential endometrial processes. hCG promotes adhesion competence and proliferation in the epithelium via a microRNA-regulated signalling axis (miR-126-3p–PIK3R2–PI3K/Akt). Intrauterine hCG promotes controlled apposition and invasion at the vascular interface by selectively strengthening endothelial junctional cohesion via VE-cadherin and CD146, without promoting angiogenesis. hCG collaborates with ERK/mTOR signalling to regulate autophagy and apoptosis, alters steroid–receptor networks in the stroma, initiates early decidual and survival markers (ACTA2, NOTCH1, complement C3), and enhances stress resistance. hCG modifies the immunological milieu by enhancing the activity of regulatory T cells and altering the distribution of uterine natural killer cells. This facilitates immunological tolerance and the remodelling of spiral arteries. These pleiotropic effects together enhance biomarkers and provide a scientific justification for context-dependent clinical responses, including patient-chosen, directed methods for the delivery of intrauterine hCG during IVF. Full article

Low-viscosity epoxy-containing diluents are used to reduce the initial viscosity of highly filled, wear-resistant epoxy systems and to improve filler wetting and dispersion. This study determined physical parameters by an atomic-increment approach and electronic descriptors using the Parametric Method 3 (PM3) semi-empirical method. Clear relationships were established between the effective molar cohesion energy and the solubility parameter with van der Waals volume. Linear dependencies were also obtained between the diluent surface tension and spreading coefficients on model high-hardness fillers, including silicon carbide, boron carbide, and normal corundum. The activity of epoxy diluents depends on the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy. These diluents influence processing and the final physical and mechanical properties of composites, making their selection critical for strength, hardness, and wear resistance. Computational analysis enables prediction of diluent behavior, reducing experimental time and cost. Integrating physical and quantum-chemical data into epoxy diluent design accelerates the search for optimal components and improves production of durable, high-performance epoxy composites. Full article