Search Results (1,438)

Surface oscillation is an important mechanism for the hydrological self-regulation of mires: it prevents the attenuation of flooding by storing water during high precipitation events and snowmelt. To investigate the spatial and temporal variability in surface oscillation, we conducted monthly measurements of the surface elevation and water level at three monitoring sites in the Great Vasyugan Mire (GVM), Western Siberia, over a nine-year period (2017–2025). Surface oscillation in the GVM varied from 14 to 25 cm in winter and early spring as a result of frost heaving, and from 2 to 16 cm in the frost-free period. Surface oscillation depends on the water table level variation, which is disturbed when the water level rises above the surface during freezing–thawing periods and due to released biogenic gases. Our data showed that within large mire systems, such as the Great Vasyugan Mire, the spatial variability in surface oscillation is influenced by several key factors: the type of plant community, peat properties, and the location relative to water flow pathways. Surface oscillation increased along a transect extending from the sedge–Sphagnum community to the pine–dwarf shrub–Sphagnum community, which runs parallel to the slope toward the marginal area. Long-term records demonstrate an increasing trend in surface elevation in the central part of the GVM, while showing a decrease at the mire boundary. Full article

Directly coupled electrodynamic vibrators are widely used in vibration testing due to their ability to generate large propulsive forces. However, increasing the propulsive force typically requires higher driving currents, which leads to significant electrical heat generation and thermal management challenges in the armature coil. To address this issue, this study proposes a multi-objective parameter optimization framework for the design of armature coils in high-propulsive-force electrodynamic vibration tables. Two optimization objectives are formulated based on electromagnetic and thermal considerations: minimization of electrical heat generation in the armature coil; and improvement in cooling capability, characterized by the ratio between the cooling water channel area and the conductive cross-sectional area. The key geometric parameters of the coil, including winding configuration and cross-sectional dimensions, are treated as design variables. The resulting multi-objective optimization problem is solved using a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm to obtain a set of Pareto-optimal solutions that balance the two competing thermal objectives. The present work focuses on the pre-design-stage optimization of the armature coil after the rated propulsive force and geometric envelope of the vibrator have been specified. A representative high-propulsive-force electrodynamic vibrator is analyzed as a case study. Finite element thermal simulations show that the selected Pareto-optimal design reduces the peak armature-coil temperature by approximately 9.7–36.6% compared with the other investigated coil configurations under the same propulsive force condition. The proposed method provides an efficient approach for the thermally constrained parameter design of high-power electrodynamic vibrator armature coils. Full article

Human activities and economic development require large amounts of water and energy. The analysis of the nexus between water and energy flows can improve the understanding of the quantitative relationship between the two resources and guide actions and policies to obtain better results with lower risks. This article aimed to analyse and evaluate the use of rainwater in urban environments and its relationship with the water–energy nexus through a literature review. The PRISMA guidelines were used to structure the research, and the RStudio programme was used for the bibliometric analysis. A total of 118 articles published between 2013 and 2023 were identified in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, of which 30 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The risk of bias in the studies included was assessed by two independent reviewers, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. The results were synthesized in a narrative and descriptive way, and organized in a table containing the authors, year, country, and main findings. The studies were grouped according to the theme addressed and the results related to the use of rainwater and the water–energy nexus were compared. The results indicate that the main use of rainwater is for non-drinkable purposes, to reduce the demand for potable water, lessen the pressure on water resources and contribute to environmental sustainability. Climate change can affect rainfall regimes and, consequently, the feasibility of systems. By decentralizing water supply services, the use of rainwater can save drinking water. When assessing energy savings, the use of rainwater is not always the best option, as system configurations and pump specifications are determining factors. Regarding the environmental impacts, all stages of the urban water cycle consume energy for their operation, and the environmental impact is directly related to the energy source used. Policies and regulations focused on rational use, water conservation, demand reduction, and tax incentives for the installation of rainwater harvesting systems, together with awareness campaigns, are necessary for the widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting systems. Finally, there is consensus regarding saving drinking water, but there is still a lack of studies and specifications regarding energy savings. The findings highlight the need for future longitudinal and simulation-based studies to strengthen knowledge of water–energy nexus dynamics in buildings. Full article

In many university and healthcare projects, models are built for very different data types such as tables, institutional time series, and medical images, but they are deployed as separate applications. In this work, that separation made testing and maintenance difficult because each module had its own pipeline and runtime requirements. This paper presents an integrated AI lakehouse-style implementation that runs three model pipelines inside one containerized backend. For medical imaging, we used MRI datasets from IEEE DataPort: a four-class classification set with 7012 images (5708 train/1304 test) and a segmentation set with 3063 image–mask pairs. The classification model (ResNet50 transfer learning) is evaluated using a proper train–validation–test protocol across multiple splits (80/10/10, 70/10/20, 60/10/30, and 10/30/60), achieving a test accuracy of 99.00% under the standard 80/10/10 split. Additionally, a patient-level evaluation is conducted using an external glioma dataset to provide a more realistic assessment without data leakage. The segmentation model (DeepLabV3-ResNet50) achieved 83.09% validation mIoU and 88.79% Dice score. For university KPI forecasting, we used annual IPEDS and NSF HERD data from 2010 to 2023 for three universities (BSU, EOU, and UAB). To examine the effect of preprocessing on forecasting performance, two case studies are conducted. In the first case, linear interpolation is applied to generate semester-level data. In the second case, the original annual data is used directly without interpolation. Random Forest regression and ARIMA models are evaluated using MAE, RMSE, MAPE, and $R^2$. The results showed that interpolation improved apparent forecasting performance due to smoothing, while evaluation on the original annual data provided a more realistic assessment of model behavior. To further validate the framework on a larger dataset, an additional case study is conducted using a student dropout dataset. For water potability, we trained and compared multiple tabular classifiers on a large dataset (1,048,575 samples). A Random Forest model (100 trees, max depth 10) achieved 85.86% test accuracy and high recall for unsafe samples (0.8447). All modules are served via FastAPI and deployed together using Docker, with workflow automation routing requests to the correct endpoint. System-level benchmarking indicates that the backend maintains stable throughput and latency under concurrent requests. Full article

Background: Open defecation (OD) has remained a threat to the attainment of SDG 6 (sanitation and hygiene). This study measured the level of exposure to the “Clean Nigeria, Use the Toilet” campaign against open defecation, determined the level of public knowledge about open defecation-related harms and diseases, ascertained the public attitude towards open defecation, and established the prevailing defecation practices and the perceived barriers to toilet usage in Ebonyi state, the most prevalent OD state in Nigeria. Methods: The study employed a survey design, using a structured questionnaire for data collection. The multi-stage sampling technique was employed in selecting the respondents from two randomly selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. Analysis was conducted using 384 valid responses. Results: The results were presented in simple percentage frequency tables and interpreted through the descriptive method, while the Chi-Square test was used to analyse the formulated hypotheses, using the decision rule of p < 0.05. The findings show a high level of awareness of the campaign against open defecation, through the radio and community engagements by environmental activists/NGOs, even though regular access to such information was limited. The results also showed inadequate knowledge of the public health implications of open defecation, whereas good knowledge of environmental consequences was reported. The study found favourable attitudes toward OD practice and persistent open defecation, and major barriers to toilet usage include the high cost of toilet construction, lack of access to toilet facilities, poor sanitation and management of available toilets, and perceived risks of contracting infection from public toilets. However, the Chi-Square values showed that the SBCC campaign was significantly associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study concluded that localised, culturally relevant and socio-demographically targeted communication interventions, grassroot advocacy, community watch, and neighbourhood taskforce on open defecation, in addition to the provision of aids for the construction of modern toilets with water facilities, are required to combat open defecation in Ebonyi and related contexts in Nigeria. Full article

Shallow eutrophic lakes recover from nutrient loading on time scales ranging from less than one year to many decades, yet whether this range is set by the lake or by the biological response group has rarely been quantified within a single monitoring framework. We assembled a five-year (2020–2025) quarterly monitoring panel from three shallow Yangtze-floodplain lakes (Lake Changhu, Lake Liangzihu, and Lake Honghu; 15 stations, 21 quarters) and applied a panel mixed-effect distributed lag model (PME-DLM) to estimate the lag-response windows of phytoplankton and benthic macroinvertebrate densities against five water-quality drivers. Cross-lake consistency was tested with a station-resampled bootstrap, and the contributions of water quality, season, and lake identity to community variation were resolved by three-table variation partitioning. The PME-DLM resolved a 3-month temperature window for phytoplankton and 9–15 month chlorophyll a and temperature windows for benthic communities, while total nitrogen and total phosphorus were non-significant in either group. Cross-lake bootstrap intervals on window width overlapped substantially across the three lakes, whereas cross-group differences in window centre and shape were an order of magnitude greater. Variation partitioning further showed a mirror-image structure in which phytoplankton variation was dominated by the pure water-quality fraction (12.2%) and benthic variation by the water-quality × season joint fraction (5.8%). Within the resolution of this five-year, three-lake panel, group-level differences in lag-response time scale were more apparent than lake-level differences and provide a quantitative basis for matching restoration assessment cadence to pelagic versus benthic recovery. Full article

Natural lateral particle segregation commonly occurs during the hydraulic deposition of slurry and thickened tailings in surface tailings storage facilities (TSFs), producing spatial heterogeneity in physical, hydrogeotechnical, and mineralogical properties, as well as in the water table. In sulfide-rich tailings, such heterogeneity complicates the design of reclamation cover systems, which are themselves affected by it. This study investigates the impact of physical and rheological properties of hard-rock mine tailings slurries on their segregation under hydrodynamic conditions. It proposes a multiparametric equation for the segregation index (SI) based on Buckingham’s π theorem. For this purpose, six flume experiments were conducted using tailings with initial solid mass concentrations of 63%, 66%, and 69% at slopes of 0.5% and 1%. Results revealed strong exponential correlations (R² > 0.95) between SI and tailings’ physical properties (solid concentration, bulk density) as well as rheological parameters (Herschel–Bulkley yield stress and flow index, Cross infinite dynamic viscosity). The SI equation was developed using MATLAB R2025b nonlinear least-squares optimization with a trust-region reflective algorithm. Using an SI threshold of 0.05 to define non-segregating behavior, the proposed model can predict segregation tendencies as a function of tailings properties and slope conditions. Further laboratory and field investigations are needed to validate and generalize the criterion. Full article

OnVeMCS 1.1 is a standalone software for probabilistic human health risk assessment of pollutants in soil, sediment, water, air, and food, enabling Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) of risks across multiple exposure pathways. The hazard index (HI) and cancer risk metrics (TCR/ILCR) for ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact are quantified using the standard dose/concentration approach. Users can manually enter analyte concentrations with various probability distributions or import them from Excel templates, and select scenario-specific exposure factor sets for residents (children and adults), outdoor and indoor workers, and food consumers. The software supports both one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation (2D MCS) modes. The results are presented through a variety of plots, including histograms and cumulative distribution functions (CDFs), pathway/analyte contribution charts, sensitivity analysis plots, nested CDFs, and uncertainty ribbons. The software also allows the overlay of two or more outputs and the inclusion of regulatory thresholds (HI = 1; TCR/ILCR = 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁴). The results are exported to a multi-sheet Excel workbook containing raw arrays, summary tables, exceedance probabilities, and sensitivity data. OnVeMCS operates quickly, with even 2D MCSs being completed in several seconds. OnVeMCS is distributed as a single Windows installer file with data examples and is free for the academic community. Full article

Large civil infrastructures, including high-rise buildings, bridges, offshore platforms, transmission towers, tall chimneys, basements below the water table, etc., are often supported on pile foundations. Apart from the usual dead loads and live loads imposed by superstructures, these piles are often subjected to significant uplift forces due to overturning moments or hydrostatic pressure resulting from the effects of wind and wave loading, traffic movement, buoyancy, etc. Piles that withstand tensile loads are termed tension piles. Since the soil is unable to resist tensile stress, the pullout loads imposed on tension piles are prevented primarily by downward skin friction at the pile–soil interface, as well as by the self-weight of the piles. In this paper, a numerical model was developed using boundary element analysis, wherein piles were assumed to be made of an elastic–perfectly plastic material, and the soil was modeled using a parabolic model. The developed model was validated with available experimental results, and acceptable agreement was found. An in-depth study by detailed parametric analysis revealed that the parabolic soil model yielded satisfactory results. Extensive full-scale case studies were also performed to study the influence of various factors on tension pile performance. A set of important conclusions was drawn from the entire work. Full article

The increasing generation of ceramic waste from manufacturing defects, construction activities, and demolition operations poses significant environmental and waste management challenges worldwide. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the incorporation of ceramic waste aggregates (CW) as partial and full replacement for natural coarse aggregates in fly ash-based geopolymer concrete (GPC) under water-curing conditions. Five mix compositions were prepared with ceramic waste aggregate replacement levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 100%. Fresh and hardened properties were evaluated using flow table and early-age compressive strength tests at 7 and 14 days. The 20% replacement mix achieved the best compressive strength value of 5.52 MPa at 14 days, slightly exceeding the control GPC mix (5.09 MPa) among the limited mixtures investigated in this preliminary study. However, higher replacement levels resulted in reduced compressive strength, which may be associated with increased porosity, weaker aggregate–matrix bonding, and limitations related to the adopted water-curing regime. Workability remained within acceptable flow ranges for most mixes, although reduced flowability was observed for the 40% replacement. The comparatively low strength values obtained across all mixtures may largely be associated with the absence of heat curing and the inclusion of additional water to improve workability, both of which likely limited the geopolymerization efficiency. Based on the comparatively low compressive strength values obtained, the investigated mixtures, in their current form, are only suitable for low-strength or non-structural applications rather than structural concrete applications. Overall, this study provides preliminary insights into the influence of ceramic waste coarse aggregates on the workability and early-age compressive strength behavior of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete under the adopted experimental conditions. Further optimization of the curing regimes, mix design parameters, and long-term mechanical and durability performance is necessary before broader engineering applicability can be established. Full article

Based on the KANO model, this study investigates the demand structure and optimization pathway for sports park facilities in Xi’an, integrating green and low-carbon principles into the planning and operation process. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 584 residents across six representative sports parks in Xi’an, covering 30 facility items classified into sports facility types and supporting facilities/services. Using KANO categorization combined with Better–Worse coefficient analysis and the importance coefficient (ID), the results reveal eight important-quality items (e.g., badminton courts, basketball courts, table tennis facilities, square dance areas, fitness equipment, rest areas, toilets, and drinking water dispensers), thirteen expected-quality items, six charm-quality items, and three irrelevant-quality items. The importance ranking further identifies high-priority must-be and expected elements, providing a quantifiable basis for supply sequencing. The study proposes a phased optimization strategy: first guarantee important-quality across all parks with low-cost green measures, then improve expected-quality items to enhance satisfaction, and finally pilot charm-quality features as differentiated “one park, one product” features under feasibility and budget constraints. This KANO-based integrated framework not only addresses the research gap in multi-dimensional demand classification and priority ordering for sports parks but also offers a replicable decision-making model for sustainable, user-centered facility allocation in Xi’an and similar cities, advancing the transition from “total quantity” to “multi-dimensional adaptation” in national fitness infrastructure. Full article

Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall) is a major pest of cowpeas that severely affects their yield and quality. Spinetoram (a semi-synthetic derivative of natural spinosyns, modified to improve potency, residual activity, and stability) is currently one of the primary insecticides used for its control; however, prolonged or repeated exposure to this insecticide may lead to sublethal effects and the development of resistance. This study aimed to clarify the transgenerational effects of sublethal spinetoram stress on the development, reproduction, and population parameters of M. usitatus, with F₄ offspring reared on untreated pods to assess maternal effects. The LC₂₅ of spinetoram against M. usitatus was determined using an improved leaf-tube residual film method, and the thrips were successively selected for three generations (F₁–F₃) at this concentration. An age-stage, two-sex life table was constructed to systematically analyze the developmental duration, adult longevity, fecundity, and population life table parameters of the F₄ generation. The results showed that after three consecutive generations of LC₂₅ stress, the resistance ratio of M. usitatus to spinetoram reached 2.7. Compared with the water control, the F₄ generation from the treated group exhibited significantly shortened 1st and 2nd instar nymphal durations, as well as the total egg-to-adult period, while the prepupal duration was significantly prolonged. Adult longevity in females decreased from 23.65 ± 1.05 days to 16.07 ± 1.40 days (32.1% reduction), and male longevity decreased from 18.78 ± 0.96 days to 15.40 ± 0.82 days (18.0% reduction). Mean fecundity per female decreased from 247.15 ± 30.47 to 34.53 ± 6.02 eggs (86.0% decrease). Regarding population parameters, the net reproductive rate (R₀) decreased from 98.80 ± 0.07 to 10.36 ± 0.01 (89.5% decrease), the intrinsic rate of increase (r) decreased from 0.2506 ± 0.0001 to 0.1452 ± 0.0001 (40.0% decrease), the finite rate of increase (λ) decreased from 1.2849 ± 0.0001 to 1.1564 ± 0.0001 (10.1% decrease), and the mean generation time (T) was shortened from 18.24 ± 0.001 days to 15.84 ± 0.001 days (13.2% reduction). Age-stage-specific life expectancy (e_xj) was significantly reduced across all developmental stages, indicating a shorter survival time. The peak age stage-specific reproductive value (v_xj) was significantly lower and occurred earlier. The peak values of the age-specific survival rate (l_x) and fecundity (f_x, m_x) curves were significantly lower in the treated group. These findings indicate that multigenerational sublethal exposure to spinetoram can induce low-level resistance in M. usitatus and suppress the population growth potential by shortening developmental duration, reducing life expectancy, and reproductive contribution, and significantly inhibiting fecundity and survival. These results reveal the transgenerational sublethal effects of spinetoram and provide a theoretical basis for the integrated pest management (IPM) and resistance control of M. usitatus. Full article

Efficient nutrient management through fertigation is essential for sustaining table grape production under water-limited Mediterranean environments. This study evaluated the effects of graded potassium (K) fertigation rates on yield and berry quality of grapevines under semi-arid conditions in northern Jordan. Field experiments were conducted over three consecutive seasons at three locations using four potassium application rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg K₂O ha⁻¹) applied through drip fertigation and synchronized with key vine phenological stages. Yield and fruit-quality parameters were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models accounting for treatment, year, location, and their interactions. Potassium fertigation significantly increased total yield, cluster weight, and berry physical attributes, including firmness, volume, weight, and diameter, whereas total soluble solids (TSS) and juice pH were largely unaffected. Relative to the control, potassium fertigation progressively increased total yield per vine by approximately 21%, 47%, and 72% under the 100, 200, and 300 kg K₂O ha⁻¹ treatments, respectively, although the magnitude of response differed among locations and growing seasons. Significant treatment × location interactions indicated that site-specific soil conditions influenced potassium response. These results demonstrate that synchronizing potassium supply with vine phenological demand through fertigation enhances productivity and berry physical quality without compromising fruit chemical composition. The observed improvements are consistent with the established physiological roles of potassium in osmotic regulation, assimilate transport, and berry development, supporting optimized potassium fertigation as a key component of precision nutrient management for sustainable viticulture in semi-arid Mediterranean regions. Full article

In central Mexico, ground failure and subsidence have accelerated, as evidenced by the Villa de Reyes graben, particularly at the El Hundido Dam, with the primary cause attributed to groundwater overexploitation. This study integrates electromagnetic profiling (EMP), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys to determine the origin of the fractures at the El Hundido Dam. Based on the TEM survey, a geoelectric section was obtained that models the depth and morphology of the igneous bedrock. At the El Hundido Dam, the igneous basement exhibits convex deformation due to transpressional stresses, which favours the formation of a positive flower-type fault structure. Deformations caused by the basement topography and the fault system are evident in the 100 m-thick Quaternary sequence, as revealed by ERT studies. ERT and EMP surveys showed the presence of a clayey layer that acted as a barrier to surface water infiltration, allowing it to be stored in the past, and which is now destroyed by fractures. Although the drop in the water table has contributed to polygonal cracking, hydro-compaction, and ground subsidence, local tectonics is the primary factor controlling subsoil faulting at the El Hundido Dam. Full article

Landslides are a recurrent geohazard in Andean urban environments, where weak soils, intense seasonal rainfall, and unplanned urban expansion combine to increase slope vulnerability. In such settings, sustainable hillside management requires stabilization strategies that are both technically effective and environmentally compatible. This study evaluates the effect of root reinforcement by vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) on slope stability in two representative soils from Loja, Ecuador: sandy silt (SM) and sandy clay (SC). A reduced-scale physical model with 30 days of root development was established, and consolidated–drained direct shear tests (ASTM D3080/D3080M-23) were performed to determine the shear strength parameters under bare and vetiver-reinforced conditions. These parameters were then incorporated into numerical slope stability analyses using Slide and PLAXIS 2D, considering three slope angles (30°, 45°, and 50°), six root-positioning configurations, and hydraulic conditions with and without a water table. Vetiver increased effective cohesion by 22.7% in sandy silt and 19.0% in sandy clay, while the internal friction angle increased by 21.8% and 12.2%, respectively. Across all modeled scenarios, vetiver produced a consistent improvement in the factor of safety. The most critical case, corresponding to sandy silt at 45° with a water table, increased from FS = 0.841 in the control condition to FS = 1.309 under the full-coverage configuration. Parametric sensitivity analysis yielded coefficients of variation between 4.97% and 7.03%, indicating a stable model response under controlled parameter perturbations. These findings support vetiver as an experimentally grounded and environmentally sustainable Nature-based Solution for slope stabilization and provide relevant evidence for sustainable management of hazard-prone urban hillsides in vulnerable Andean settings. Full article