Sensors

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) must simultaneously satisfy stringent reliability, latency, and sustainability targets under highly dynamic urban and highway mobility. Existing solutions typically optimise one or two dimensions (link stability, clustering, or energy) but lack an integrated, adaptive mechanism that fuses heterogeneous metrics while remaining lightweight and deployable. This paper introduces a VANET routing protocol named SYMPHONY (Synergistic Hierarchical Metric-Fusion and Predictive Hybrid Optimization for Network Yield) that operates in three coordinated layers: (i) a compact neighbourhood filtering stage that reduces forwarding scope and eliminates transient relays, (ii) a cluster layer that elects resilient cluster heads using fuzzy energy-aware metrics and backup leadership, and (iii) a global inter-cluster optimizer that blends a GA-reseeded swarm metaheuristic with a stability-aware pheromone scheme to produce multi-objective routes. Crucially, SYMPHONY employs an ultra-lightweight online weight-adaptation module (contextual linear bandit) to tune metric fusion weights in response to observed rewards (packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and Green Performance Index). We evaluated the proposed routing protocol SYMPHONY versus strong modern baselines across urban and highway scenarios with varying density and resource constraints. The results demonstrate that SYMPHONY improves packet delivery ratio by up to 12–18%, reduces latency by 20–35%, and increases the Green Performance Index by 22–45% relative to the best baseline, while keeping control overhead and per-node computation within practical bounds.

Biological maturation strongly influences youth players’ physical performance, yet its role in shaping training load responses remains unclear. This study examined how maturation status affects physical adaptations and the relationship between internal load (IL) and external load (EL) during an 8-week small-sided game (SSG) training program in youth football. Fifty-three players were allocated to an experimental group (EG) or control group (CG). EL during SSGs was continuously monitored using 10 Hz GPS units with inertial sensors, while session-RPE quantified IL. Intermittent endurance (vIFT) and 5 m and 30 m sprint performance were assessed before and after the intervention. Players were categorized by years from peak height velocity (PHV). No between-group differences were found in EL variables; however, IL was significantly lower in more mature players. The EG showed a significant improvement in vIFT, whereas sprint performance remained unchanged and the CG showed no improvements. Both maturity groups increased vIFT similarly, with no interaction between maturation status and training adaptation. These findings indicate that SSG-based training effectively enhances intermittent endurance regardless of biological maturity, although less mature players experience higher perceived exertion under equal mechanical demands. Maturation status should therefore be considered when prescribing and interpreting training loads in youth athletes.

Air pollution is monitored worldwide through networks of sensors. They provide information on local air pollution, which also provides a basis for a multitude of research. To reduce health hazards caused by air pollution, the concentrations of pollutants as measured by sensors need to be apportioned to particular sources. Although several methods to achieve this have been developed, only a few works on the contributions of pollution sources to health hazards are available in the literature. In this work, a simple scheme is proposed to compare health hazards from each of the main sources of air pollution in a given country, region, or area. The comparison involves the main air pollutants of PM_2.5, NO₂, and O₃ for chronic exposures and PM_2.5, NO₂, O₃, and SO₂ for acute exposures. The actual health hazard from each substance is determined from concentrations measured by sensors and the concentration–response functions found in the literature. The apportionment of substances to sources is based on emission inventories, thus avoiding costly methods of source apportionment. This method has been applied to the entire country, i.e., Poland, yielding the average proportion of health hazards from particular sources. The example demonstrates the flexibility and ease of application of the scheme. Uncertainties in the results were subjected to discussion. The key advantage of the scheme lies in its ability to provide an indication of the most harmful sources of pollution, thus highlighting efficient interventions.