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Thermal performance of standalone trees in different tropical weather conditions
No full textPeer reviewe
New insights into the effect of carbonated waste materials on the properties of low-carbon cement pastes
Full text linkPublisher Copyright: © 2025 The AuthorsThis paper presents the analysis of the influence of previously carbonated alkaline waste materials when employed as pozzolanic additions in eco-cement pastes made with 7 % and 20 % replacement content, one of the cement industry's priority lines of action in its drive to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The studies conducted focus on three different waste materials: construction and demolition waste (CDW), white ladle furnace slag (LFS) and biomass ash (BA). These are subjected to accelerated carbonation in a static reactor at 100 % CO2 for 90 min. Solid moisture levels differ according to the nature of the waste material. The results show that CO2-induced mineralization of these waste materials increases their surface area and chemical reactivity, as demonstrated by calorimetric assay. The primary hydration phases identified in the hydrated pastes are CSH gels, C4AH13 and C4AcH12. Furthermore, when compared with the same pastes without carbonated content, the carbonated waste materials present greater compressive strength and greater pore structure refinement. These findings confirm the viability of using this emerging technology to improve cement sector sustainability.Peer reviewe
Characterization of brown carbon absorption in different European environments through source contribution analysis
No full textPublisher Copyright: © Author(s) 2025.Brown carbon (BrC) is a fraction of organic aerosol (OA) that absorbs radiation in the ultraviolet and short visible wavelengths. Its contribution to radiative forcing is uncertain due to limited knowledge of its imaginary refractive index (k). This study investigates the variability of k for OA from wildfires, residential, shipping, and traffic emission sources over Europe. The Multiscale Online Nonhydrostatic Atmosphere Chemistry (MONARCH) model simulated OA concentrations and source contributions, feeding an offline optical tool to constrain k values at 370 nm. The model was evaluated against OA mass concentrations from aerosol chemical speciation monitors (ACSMs) and filter sample measurements, as well as aerosol light absorption measurements at 370 nm derived from an Aethalometer™ from 12 sites across Europe. Results show that MONARCH captures the OA temporal variability across environments (regional, suburban, and urban background). Residential emissions are a major OA source in colder months, while secondary organic aerosol (SOA) dominates in warmer periods. Traffic is a minor primary OA contributor. Biomass and coal combustion significantly influence OA absorption, with shipping emissions also notable near harbors. Optimizing k values at 370 nm revealed significant variability in OA light absorption, influenced by emission sources and environmental conditions. Derived k values for biomass burning (0.03 to 0.13), residential (0.008 to 0.13), shipping (0.005 to 0.08), and traffic (0.005 to 0.07) sources improved model representation of OA absorption compared to a constant k. Introducing such emission source-specific constraints is an innovative approach to enhance OA absorption in atmospheric models.Peer reviewe
Evaluation of techniques for automated classification and artery quantification of the circle of Willis on TOF-MRA images: The CROWN challenge
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025 The AuthorsAssessing risk factors for intracranial aneurysm (IA) development on images is crucial for early detection of high-risk cases. IAs often form at bifurcations within the circle of Willis (CoW), but manual assessment of these arteries is both time-consuming and susceptible to inconsistencies. Previous studies on imaging markers for IA development lack sufficient evidence for clinical implications, highlighting the need for automated methods to assess CoW morphology. No systematic approach currently exists to identify the best methodological strategies. To address this, we organized a scientific challenge to compare various techniques against a clinical reference standard. Participants were tasked with (1) automated classification of CoW anatomical variants and (2) automated prediction of CoW artery diameters and bifurcation angles. We provided 300 TOF-MRA scans for training and another 300 for testing, all manually annotated. Submissions were evaluated using balanced accuracy, mean absolute error, and Pearson correlation coefficient metrics. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the results from six participating teams. The findings show that various methods may be suitable for automated CoW assessment, but that these need further improvement to meet clinical standards. The challenge remains open for future submissions, offering a benchmark for new techniques.Peer reviewe
Characterization of thrombosis risk in ambulatory patients with cancer: Results of the observational, prospective, multicenter CARTAGO study
Full text linkPublisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press.Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the leading causes of death in patients with cancer. Currently, there is a need to develop an easily applicable risk model that can identify patients who will benefit from receiving primary thromboprophylaxis to reduce the incidence of VTE. Patients and methods This was a non-interventional, multicenter, observational, prospective study carried out in 62 Oncology and Hematology services in Spain and Portugal between January 2018 and December 2019. The main objective of the CARTAGO study was to develop a predictive model within a competitive risk framework to assess the risk of VTE in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, biological, or hormonal treatment. Results A total of 1596 patients were analyzed. VTE events occurred in 124 (8%) during the 6-month follow-up period (42% of deep vein thrombosis [DVT], 48% of pulmonary embolism [PE], and 10% of both DVT and PE). Four variables were selected for the multivariate predictive model to determine the risk of VTE (tumor type, D-dimer, compression of a vessel by the tumor, and leukocyte count). The 4 variables were associated with an increased risk of VTE (C-statistic, 0.646 [95%CI, 0.620-0.673]). The most significant variables in the internal validation with bootstrapping were the "very high risk"tumors (hazard ratio [HR] 2.032; 95%CI, 1.287-3.211). Conclusion The CARTAGO model predicts the VTE risk in patients with cancer receiving anticancer therapy in an outpatient setting. This model can easily aid in identifying ambulatory patients who would probably benefit from primary thromboprophylaxis.Peer reviewe
An Unsupervised Approach to Identify an Optimal Detector for Application in EMG-Driven Robot-Assisted Therapy
No full textPublisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.Robot-assisted therapy contingent on the intention to move ensures the active engagement of patients during training. However, detecting the intention to move in severely impaired patients with no visible movement is a challenge where physiological signals such as Electromyogram signals (EMG) can be used. An effective EMG-driven robot-assisted therapy in severely impaired patients should provide naturalistic human-machine interaction, which requires an optimal EMG detector with high detection accuracy and low latency. Non-availability of ground truth about the presence/absence of EMG in severely impaired patients with no movement is a challenge, which hinders the computation of detection latency and accuracy. Therefore, this paper identifies an optimal EMG detector without the ground truth about the presence of residual EMG signals. An unsupervised approach using total variation distance was used for this purpose to distinguish between the rest state when the muscle is fully relaxed and the move state where there could be muscle activity. The analysis was done on residual EMG data from one severely impaired stroke patient. The results reveal that the modified Hodges and approximate generalized likelihood ratio (AGLR) detectors maximally separate the rest and move states. The AGLR detector showed poor performance in both detection latency and accuracy, whereas the modified Hodges detector demonstrated better performance, making it a potentially better choice for personalized EMG-driven robot-assisted therapy.Peer reviewe
Definition of Standardized Digital Product Passport: A Use Case to Make Solar Panels More Sustainable
No full textPublisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.The paper discusses the concept of Digital Product Passport (DPP) within the context of the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan, and attempts to align both the content of the DPP and the technology needed to support it with the initiatives proposed from Europe in digital and sustainable domains. The DPP aims to provide sustainable information about products, empowering informed decisions, facilitating repairs and recycling, and increasing transparency about a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle. The paper proposes the alignment of the DPP content with the new Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and a digital approach based on standardization and interoperability, utilizing technologies like Asset Administration Shell (AAS) to support the DPP. A use case focusing on managing the end-of-life treatment of solar panels is presented, demonstrating how the application of the proposed DPP allows the information flow along their life cycle and enhances their end-of-life management. The research aims to fill gaps in previous studies by aligning DPP content with eco-design strategies and developing an interoperable digital solution to support the DPP concept at a European level and based on standards.Peer reviewe
Simultaneous brine and CO2 utilization in construction material production: A life cycle assessment
Full text linkPublisher Copyright: © 2025, Association of American Publishers. All rights reserved.Economic development has led to a significant increase in CO2 emissions, resource depletion, and freshwater demand. In arid regions, seawater desalination has been employed as a reliable source of freshwater. However, the environmental challenges associated with reject brine management have been increasingly scrutinized for their adverse effects on adjacent ecosystems. Recent research efforts have explored the potential for simultaneous treatment of CO2 emissions and reject brine, by recovering valuable minerals and converting waste into a resource. This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of construction material produced using industrial byproducts locally sourced in the Gulf region. The production process involves two main stages: CO2 absorption from flue gas in an alkaline solution and subsequent ex-situ mineralization. Desalination reject brine is used as a steady source of dissolved Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, contributing to a circular. The developed construction product exhibits superior mechanical performance compared to industrial standards. The presented LCA examines environmental impacts, including climate change, resource depletion, and water use. The new material contains approximately 30 wt.% sequestered CO₂. The total quantified environmental impacts include 0.391 kg CO₂ eq. for climate change, 0.23 kg oil eq. for fossil depletion, and 0.021 m³ for freshwater consumption per kilogram of plasterboard. These findings underscore the potential of this innovative process to provide sustainable construction alternatives while mitigating the impacts of CO₂ emissions and waste from desalination.Peer reviewe
Organic Plastic Crystal Composite Electrolytes: A Path to High-Conductivity and Low-Temperature Operation in Solid-State Lithium Batteries
Full text linkPublisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical SocietySolid-state batteries are the next generation of electrochemical devices, offering enhanced safety and higher energy density for the energy transition. Among solid electrolytes, composite polymers are appealing candidates due to their balanced ionic conductivity and mechanical flexibility compared to their purely inorganic or polymeric counterparts. In this work, we develop a composite polymer electrolyte incorporating an organic ionic plastic crystal (OIPC) into a poly(ethylene) oxide matrix with a Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3ceramic filler. The addition of the OIPC significantly enhances the ionic conductivity by a factor of 3 at room temperature. Coupled with the mechanical reinforcement from the ceramic phase, the resulting electrolyte enables cycling in full cells at 40 °C, a temperature typically unsuitable for PEO-based systems. Besides elucidating the synergistic effects of the composite electrolyte, its electrochemical assessment is validated in symmetric lithium cells and full LiFePO4cathodes, validating the potential of this electrolyte system for advanced battery applications.Peer reviewe
Improved fouling resistance in polysulfone-based ultrafiltration membranes by the addition of polar peptoid oligomers obtained from Ugi-4CR. Synthesis and characterization
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2025 Elsevier LtdThis study explores the synthesis and characterization of eight polar peptoid oligomers obtained via the Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi-4CR), which were used as polar additives in the preparation of polysulfone membranes using the phase inversion technique. The membranes were characterized by morphology, porosity, hydrophilicity, and water permeability analysis and evaluated based on Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) rejection. The results demonstrated that the addition of these oligomers with polar groups significantly improved the affinity of the membranes for water, thereby increasing their resistance to fouling. Pore size and porosity were found to vary depending on the concentration and structure of the oligomer added. The modified membranes exhibited reduced permeability but higher BSA rejection efficiency compared to the unmodified polysulfone membrane. These findings suggest that Ugi-4CR-derived oligomers represent an effective strategy to enhance the properties of ultrafiltration membranes, which could have valuable applications in water treatment and protein separation processes.Peer reviewe