Search Results (13,373)

The urgent need for climate change mitigation has increased the focus on reducing embodied carbon and energy, particularly in the construction sector. Utilizing sustainably sourced mass timber products provides a low-carbon alternative to traditional concrete and steel structural systems in buildings. These carbon impacts can be quantified by evaluating the total environmental impact of a building, from material extraction and product manufacturing to construction, operation, and demolition. This study evaluated the environmental impacts of a 14-storey mass timber–steel hybrid building in Madison, USA, through a Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) using the Tally LCA tool integrated with Autodesk Revit. The hybrid design was compared to full mass timber, full steel, and post-tensioned concrete structures, which are common structural systems for high-rise buildings, enabling meaningful comparisons of their environmental performance. The results showed that the full mass timber design had the lowest global warming potential (GWP), reducing emissions by 16% compared to the concrete structure. The hybrid design achieved a 14% reduction, with both timber-based systems demonstrating about 30% lower non-renewable energy use. In addition, they provided significant biogenic carbon storage during the building’s lifespan. However, the mass timber and hybrid systems showed higher impacts in categories such as acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, and smog formation. Full article

Sign language machine translation (SLMT)—the task of automatically translating between sign and spoken languages or between sign languages—is a complex task within the field of NLP. Its multi-modal and non-linear nature require the joint efforts of sign language (SL) linguists, technical experts, and SL users. Effective user involvement is a challenge that can be addressed through co-creation. Co-creation has been formally defined in many fields, e.g., business, marketing, educational, and others; however, in NLP and in particular in SLMT, there is no formal, widely accepted definition. Starting from the inception and evolution of co-creation across various fields over time, we develop a relationship typology to address the collaboration between deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing researchers and the co-creation with SL users. We compare this new typology to the guiding principles of participatory design for NLP. We then assess 111 articles from the perspective of involvement of SL users and highlight the lack of involvement of the sign language community or users in decision-making processes required for effective co-creation. Finally, we derive formal guidelines for co-creation for SLMT which take the dynamic nature of co-creation throughout the life cycle of a research project into account. Full article

The outdoor cultivation of true morels has been successfully commercialized in China in recent years. However, unstable yields make it a high-risk business. A lack of understanding of the morel life cycle has led to chaotic spawn production processes, further affecting cultivation. In this study, the life cycle of Morchella sextelata, the most widely cultivated species of true morels, was characterized. A disproportion in the two mating-type idiomorphs, MAT1-1 and MAT1-2, was observed in the mycelia during vegetative growth, successive subcultures, and different parts of the fruiting body. Homokaryotic hyphae were found to dominate the mycelia and fruiting body of M. sextelata through the separation and detection of protoplast-regenerated single strains. The findings suggest that two homokaryotic hyphae with different mating types fuse to form heterokaryotic hyphae just before ascospore production in the life cycle of M. sextelata. The observed disproportion of mating-type idiomorphs is a primary reason for strain degeneration during spawn production. This study offers new insights into the life cycle of M. sextelata, particularly the role of mating-type distribution, which may inform strategies for improving the artificial cultivation of true morels. Full article

Background: Expanded Newborn Screening (ENS) allows the early identification of many inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) for which timely treatment can modify the natural history. For most IMDs, diagnosis by ENS is pre-clinical. However, clinical symptoms may emerge for certain conditions before screening results become available. Methods: We describe six cases of patients with early-onset IMDs born between 2013 and 2023, who were admitted or transferred to Sant’Orsola University Hospital in Bologna (Italy). Results: Over the study period, 379,013 newborns underwent ENS in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Excluding cases of congenital hypothyroidism, pre-clinical diagnoses from ENS were 410. In addition, six cases of IMD presented with early-onset clinical symptomatology, an antecedent to the outcome of newborn screening (incidence over 11 years of 1.58 cases per 100,000 infants). Among these patients, three were diagnosed with Urea Cycle Disorders (UCDs)—two with Citrullinemia type I (CIT1) and one with Argininosuccinic Acidemia (ASA); two were diagnosed with Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA); and one was found to have Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD). Conclusions: Our 11-year experience with ENS has shown that clinical onset can occur between the second and fourth day of life, though rare. Even if dried blood spot (DBS) collection was performed 24–48 h after birth, the time required for sample transportation and processing would still delay result availability, making early intervention unlikely. Therefore, our experience supports performing ENS at 48–72 h, as currently implemented in Italy, while also highlighting the advantages and limitations of earlier screening. Full article

Malaria primarily affects developing nations and is one of the most destructive and pervasive tropical parasite infections. Antimalarial drug resistance, characterized by a parasite’s ability to survive and reproduce despite recommended medication doses, poses a significant challenge. Along with resistance to antimalarial drugs, the rate of mutation a parasite undergoes, overall parasite load, drug potency, adherence to treatment, dosing accuracy, drug bioavailability, and the presence of poor-quality counterfeit drugs are some of the contributing factors that elicit opposition to treatment. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has become a promising drug target for malaria because of its central importance in the parasite’s life cycle and its contribution to artemisinin resistance. Polymorphisms in the Kelch13 gene of Plasmodium falciparum are the best-known markers for artemisinin resistance and are associated with a highly active UPS. Certain proteasome inhibitors, which are the other key players of the UPS, have demonstrated activity against malarial parasites and the ability to work with artemisinin. This work describes how, through targeting the UPS, the greater effectiveness of antimalarial drugs—especially where there is strong resistance—can be achieved, which contributes to overcoming the drug resistance phenomenon in malaria. Full article

The subject addressed in this article is the application of the life cycle assessment (LCA) method for studying the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to public bus transport. The article provides a discussion on the results of the authors’ in-house study on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated over the life cycle of the buses used in Poland’s public transport with the use of well-to-wheel (WTW) fuel life cycle analysis. The project started by adopting the methodology and assumptions for the research; next, the data required to perform the relevant analyses were collected and the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the operation of buses equipped with both diesel fuel (DF) internal combustion engines and electric engines (BEVs) were assessed against real-life data using a selected Polish municipal transport company as an example in 2022. The study also included an assessment of GHG emissions from electric buses powered by renewable energy sources (RESs), using data from the chosen municipal transport company. For the RES fractions of 25%, 50%, and 75% in the energy mix, emission reductions of approx. 19%, 38%, and 57% have been achieved, respectively. For an energy mix entirely derived from RESs, the reduction in emissions comes to ca. 76% vis-à-vis Poland’s energy mix in 2022. Full article

One of the most critical items from the reliability and the State-of-Health (SOH) point of view of wireless sensor networks is represented by lithium batteries. Predicting the SOH of batteries in sensor-equipped smart grids is crucial for optimizing energy management, preventing failures, and extending battery lifespan. Accurate SOH estimation enhances grid reliability, reduces maintenance costs, and facilitates the efficient integration of renewable energy sources. In this article, a solution for SOH prediction and the estimation of the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of lithium batteries is presented. The approach was implemented and tested using two training datasets: the first consists of raw data provided by the Prognostics Center of Excellence at NASA, comprising 168 records, while the second is based on the curve fitting of the measured data using a single exponential degradation model. Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTMs) were trained using data from three different scenarios, where battery cycle consumption reached 30%, 50%, and 65% correspondingly. Various architectures and hyperparameters were explored to optimize the models’ performance. The key finding is that training one of the models with only 50 records (equivalent to 30% of battery usage) enables accurate SOH prediction, achieving a Mean Squared Error (MSE) of and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of . The best model trained with 110 records achieved an MSE of and an RMSE of . Full article

The aerospace industry is actively seeking sustainable solutions within the aviation sector to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions driven by increasing population demands. This study presents the first environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of economy-class seating frames, comparing conventional alloy steel with lightweight alternative materials, including magnesium alloy, aluminum alloy, and titanium. Seat frames account for an aircraft’s total weight, making them a critical component for innovation toward more sustainable solutions. Using SolidWorks V3.1, economy-class seat frames were designed and evaluated through a cradle-to-grave assessment of a functional unit (FU) representing the interior of a single aircraft. The analysis was conducted using SimaPro V8.4.0 with the Ecoinvent V3.10 database. The total GHG emissions associated with seat frames composed of alloy steel, titanium, aluminum alloy, and magnesium alloy were 208 kt CO₂ equivalent (eq.), 120 kt CO₂ eq, 71.1 kt CO₂ eq, and 44.9 kt CO₂ eq per FU, respectively. This study identifies alloy steel and titanium to be the most sustainable seat frame materials relative to other considered materials for commercial aircrafts. Full article

In light of the soaring growth of pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) plants in China in recent years, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of their developmental trajectory and the identification of their multidimensional impacts. This paper reviews the development of PHES in China and highlights its various impacts. Despite the relatively late start of PHES development in China, the country has recently ranked first worldwide with an aggregated installed capacity of 50.94 GW in operation in 2023. These plants are primarily distributed in North China, East China, and South China, contributing to the safe and stable operation of regional power grids. Furthermore, over 300 plants are under construction or in the planning stage across the whole country, aiming to support large-scale renewable energy development and facilitate a sustainable energy transition. However, it is important to recognize that such extensive PHES development requires significant land resources, which can lead to disturbances in local ecosystems and affect nearby residents. Additionally, environmental emissions may arise from a life-cycle perspective. Finally, several countermeasures are proposed to enhance sustainable PHES development in China. They include strengthening the rational planning of new plants to optimize their spatial distribution, refining the engineering design of new plants, and exploring avenues for sharing the benefits of PHES development with a broad spectrum of local residents. Full article

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite capable of infecting warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans. In its intermediate hosts, T. gondii can transition between two life stages: the rapidly replicating tachyzoite and the quiescent bradyzoite. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the p24 protein acts as a cargo receptor, cycling between the ER and Golgi in the early secretory pathway to recruit cargo proteins into nascent vesicles. However, the function of p24 in T. gondii remains undefined. In this study, we identified four p24 proteins in T. gondii, with Tgp24δ specifically localizing to the ER–Golgi system. Loss of p24δ in a type Ι strain (RHΔku80) significantly reduced proliferation and virulence in mice. Transcriptome and proteomic analyses showed that TgΔp24δ tachyzoites expressed high levels of bradyzoite-specific genes, including bag1, ldh2, and bpk1, under standard culture conditions. Additional data indicate that TgΔp24δ tachyzoites can differentiate and form bradyzoites in vitro. This suggests that Tgp24δ is important for the parasite’s growth. Full article

Constructability assessment is a critical component of infrastructure project management, with substantial implications for a nation’s economic growth. Despite significant advancements in this field over the past decades, the development of a comprehensive constructability assessment model remains an ongoing challenge, particularly concerning the integration of all critical elements throughout the infrastructure project life cycle. A significant gap exists in the availability of a systematic Constructability Review Process (CRP) to generate customized decision matrices tailored to the unique specifications and requirements of individual projects. To address this challenge, this study identifies and evaluates the most critical constructability factors through an extensive literature review, followed by an online survey to quantify their relative importance. Based on these insights, a novel Decision Support System (DSS) is proposed which leverages a hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework for the constructability assessment of large-scale infrastructure projects. The application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through a case study of a large-scale bridge project in Australia, providing a practical example of its efficiency. The results showed that the proposed framework can enhance decision-making processes in the complex conditions and not only to mitigate the risks of failure by applying CRP to evaluate project options based on specific criteria and constraints in the feasibility stage, but also improve the project outcomes by enabling designers and decision-makers to choose the best alternative. Full article

Recent investigations have shown that the mechanical and durability properties of recycled aggregate concrete can be enhanced using fly ash (FA) and structural fibres. However, the financial viability of combining these products in concrete has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, this study assessed the long-term cost-effectiveness of using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA), FA, and basalt fibres (BF) simultaneously in high-rise reinforced concrete buildings exposed to corrosive environments. A life cycle cost analysis was conducted using five variables, two design alternatives, and twelve design scenarios. The analysis followed ISO 15686–5:2017 using a discount rate of 0.5% and a construction-to-material cost ratio of 150%. The components considered in the life cycle cost model included materials, construction, maintenance, and disposal. The results demonstrated that employing RCA, FA, and BF in combination in concrete buildings located near the ocean achieved approximately 21% cost savings compared to buildings made with conventional materials over a lifespan of 50 years. The maintenance component exhibited the most significant cost savings, with an average reduction of about 76% in the maintenance costs for all buildings utilising RCA, FA, and BF. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the proposed building with RCA, FA, and BF remained more cost-effective than the conventional concrete building, even with an increasing RCA-to-natural-aggregate price ratio, construction-to-material cost ratio, and increasing the discount rate to 200%, 250%, and 10%, respectively. Full article

This study presents an AI-driven energy management system (EMS) for a hybrid electric flying car, integrating multiple power sources—including solid-state batteries, Li-ion batteries, fuel cells, solar panels, and wind turbines—to optimize power distribution across various flight phases. The proposed EMS dynamically adjusts power allocation during takeoff, cruise, landing, and ground operations, ensuring optimal energy utilization while minimizing losses. A MATLAB-based simulation framework is developed to evaluate key performance metrics, including power demand, state of charge (SOC), system efficiency, and energy recovery through regenerative braking. The findings show that by optimizing renewable energy collecting, minimizing battery depletion, and dynamically controlling power sources, AI-based predictive control dramatically improves energy efficiency. While carbon footprint assessment emphasizes the environmental advantages of using renewable energy sources, SOC analysis demonstrates that regenerative braking prolongs battery life and lowers overall energy use. AI-optimized energy distribution also lowers overall operating costs while increasing reliability, according to life-cycle cost assessment (LCA), which assesses the economic sustainability of important components. Sensitivity analysis under sensor noise and environmental disturbances further validates system robustness, demonstrating that efficiency remains above 84% even under adverse conditions. These findings suggest that AI-enhanced hybrid propulsion can significantly improve the sustainability, economic feasibility, and real-world performance of future flying car systems, paving the way for intelligent, low-emission aerial transportation. Full article

Cymothoidae (Crustacea: Isopoda) infest fish in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments. Cymothoa pulchrum Lanchester, 1902 is a cymothoid commonly found in the buccal cavity of mainly Tetraodontiformes fishes, distributed in the central and western Indo-Pacific region. This study describes the morphology of each life cycle stage of C. pulchrum: adult female, transitional, adult male, juvenile, and manca. In addition, we obtained DNA sequences linked to the morphological information of this species. We compared it with the sequences in the database using the neighbor-joining tree based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA. Prior to this study, morphological data on the immature stages of Japanese Cymothoa was limited to juveniles of Cymothoa indica Schioedte and Meinert, 1884. The research identified 12 distinct morphological features that differentiate juvenile C. pulchrum from juvenile C. indica. Molecular analysis revealed that the COI sequences obtained in this study matched some of the C. pulchrum sequences in the database, whereas other sequences in the database formed a clade with Cymothoa eremita (Brünnich, 1783). In the phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA, C. pulchrum was also divided into two groups. In the COI phylogenetic tree, C. pulchrum and C. eremita form a total of five groups, and these two species might need to be re-examined taxonomically and molecularly. Full article