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Development and evaluation of data analytics and machine learning approaches for enhanced urban air mobility operations
Get PDFDue to their flexibility and general robustness, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),
have increasingly been deployed for diverse applications. These include aerial
mapping, surveillance, package delivery, and even agriculture. Increased
employment, however, has also entailed new demands for smart, nimble and
effective UAV traffic-management systems, particularly in urban areas. If
numerous, fully automized UAVs are to be flown frequently, and beyond the
visual line of sight (BVLoS), then efficient unmanned traffic management (UTM)
is essential, not least as UAV traffic will inevitably become denser. In future,
indeed, air-traffic management will also be more complex, and airspace more
crowded, as the sheer volume of UAVs continues to rise. Consequently, UTM will
require swift, efficient decision-making mechanisms.
Important challenges also remain in terms of machine-learning algorithm
verification, these stemming primarily from a lack of explicability and
transparency. Given that traditional safety mechanisms are unequal to the tasks
involved, this has been an inhibiting factor in the integration of UAVs into very
low-level (VLL) airspace.
This thesis develops a data-analytics framework to analyze simulated historical
data and characterize traffic-flow patterns in UTM airspace. The framework
enhances risk analysis and improves trajectory planning across various airspace
regions. It considers all dynamic parameters, such as extreme weather,
emergency services, and dynamic airspace structures. Furthermore, and to meet
the critical need for accurate congestion prediction in UAS traffic-flow
management (UTFM), this study uses state-of-the-art machine learning
techniques to integrate air traffic-flow prediction with the intrinsic complexity
metric. In this study, air-traffic congestion analysis and prediction will be
addressed via a deep-learning methodology, within a UTM context, across a
timeframe of three minutes. The proposed model is distinct from approaches that
would focus on the more conventional issues of conflict detection, conflict
resolution and trajectory prediction.
In addition, this thesis proposes a tailored solution to the needs of demand-and-
capacity-management (DCM) services. This solution deploys a transparency-
based methodology, with a fusion of both black-box and explainable, white-box
models. It generates, therefore, an intelligent system that can be both explicable
and reasonably comprehensible. The results show that the advisory system will
be able to indicate the most appropriate regions for UAV operations, while
increasing UTM airspace availability by more than 23%.PhD in Aerospac
AI-assisted advanced propellant development for electric propulsion
No full textArtificial Intelligence algorithms are introduced in this work as a tool to predict the performance of new chemical compounds as alternative propellants for electric propulsion, focusing on predicting their ionisation characteristics and fragmentation patterns. The chemical properties and structure of the compounds are encoded using a chemical fingerprint, and the training datasets are extracted from the NIST WebBook. The AI-predicted ionisation energy and minimum appearance energy have a mean relative error of 6.87% and 7.99%, respectively, and a predicted ion mass with a 23.89% relative error. In the cases of full mass spectra due to electron ionisation, the predictions have a cosine similarity of 0.6395 and align with the top 10 most similar mass spectra in 78% of instances within a 30 Da range.Journal of Electric Propulsio
Leveraging additive manufacturing for inventory optimization: a dual-sourcing model for cost and performance enhancement in retail supply chains
No full text11th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control MIM 2025: 30 June – 3 July 2025, Trondheim, NorwayThis study examines the integration of additive manufacturing (AM), specifically 3D printing (3DP), into retail supply chains to optimize inventory costs while maintaining high service levels (CSL ≥ 95%). A dual-sourcing inventory model is developed, balancing demand between traditional suppliers and in-house 3DP production. The model, solved using Microsoft Excel Solver, incorporates economic order quantity (EOQ), economic production quantity (EPQ), and reorder points to minimize total costs. Experimental results show that hybrid sourcing with 3DP reduces inventory costs, particularly at higher demand levels, while capacity constraints limit full adoption. Findings suggest that retailers should invest in AM expansion to maximize cost efficiency. This study provides a data-driven framework for hybrid inventory strategies and highlights future research directions in demand uncertainty, queueing effects, and advanced optimization techniques.11th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control MIM 2025IFAC-PapersOnLin
Soil fauna community body size structure mediates litter loss responses to temperature and plant litter treatments in ecological microcosms
No full textLitter decomposition is strongly influenced by soil communities, composed of soil biota which display large variations in body size. Body size plays a central role in metabolism and mediates the functional potential of soil biota, but the influence of soil community body size structure on litter decomposition is unresolved. Here, we conduct ecological microcosm experiments to investigate how soil fauna community body size structure mediates litter loss in response to temperature and plant litter availability. Community-weighted mean body mass (CWMBM) calculations are taken as an indicator of structural shifts in soil fauna community body size across treatments. Structural equation models revealed that CWMBM was strongly influenced by Collembola body mass and exhibited a non-linear response to temperature, with convergence at intermediate temperatures. Collembola CWMBM mediated a portion of the temperature effect on CWMBM, while Nematode responses were opposite and weakly correlated. Litter loss was jointly driven by CWMBM and plant litter input, with no direct effect of temperature. Sensitivity and mediation analyses confirmed the central role of Collembola in linking temperature to soil fauna community shifts but identified plant litter availability as the dominant driver of litter loss. Linear mixed effects models of relative litter loss, however, highlight a key role of the soil fauna community across temperature treatments when the effects of plant litter availability are controlled. Our experiment included extreme low plant litter availability (0 g) and high temperature (30°C) treatments to detect critical thresholds for the functioning of soil communities, but high variation in temperature responses between 20 and 30°C require exploration in future studies. Although our experiment did not isolate body size effects independently of treatments, our findings suggest an important role of soil fauna body size structure in soil functioning. Future work, experiments and statistical models should be designed to test the causal mechanisms driving emergent shifts in soil community structure and soil function in response to environmental perturbations. Such an understanding could guide management practices which buffer against potentially detrimental effects of environmental change.Soil Organism
Impact of leadership styles and organisational citizenship behaviours on organisational green innovation performance: the moderating role of organisational legitimacy
No full textFirms' green innovation performance is influenced by several factors, including external legitimacy pressures and internal leader–member exchange relationships. Existing studies make little distinction between types of sustainable innovation and neglect leader, employee and organisational factors in the same strategic management framework. Based on institutional and social exchange theories, data from 537 Chinese enterprises are analysed through a hierarchical regression to explore how different leadership styles, organisational citizenship behaviours and legitimacy outside organisations affect green innovation performance. Research findings suggest that both transactional and transformational leadership contribute to organisational citizenship behaviours and green innovation performance. Organisational citizenship behaviours partially mediate between leadership styles and green innovation. Organisational legitimacy only positively moderates between leadership styles and organisational citizenship for green product innovation. This implies that organisations should pay attention to fostering high‐quality leader–member exchange relationships, formulating sustainable innovation management strategies and seeking a balance between obtaining organisational legitimacy and promoting organisational citizenship.The Ministry of Science and Technology of China through the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China—Project Number: DL2023200001LThe European Union-NextGeneration EU in the framework of the GRINS—Growing Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Project (GRINS PE00000018—CUP E83C22004690001)The framework of the ECS 0000024 Rome Technopole—CUPB83C22002820006, NRP Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.5Business Strategy and the Environmen
Addressing the drivers and concerns towards agri‐food strategy: prioritizing environmental management business models
No full textSustainability in the agri‐food sector has been increasingly important with regard to the environment, health, and employment of local farmers. The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of drivers and barriers on consumer behavior toward sustainable agri‐food products in India under the Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT). This study employs a mixed‐methods approach, integrating both exploratory and confirmatory strategies designed to understand the behavioral motivators and barriers in sustainable purchase decisions. The study concludes that environmental concern, health, and support for local farmers positively enhance consumer intention to purchase sustainable agri‐food products. Conversely, payment and limited accessibility serve as barriers in highly price‐sensitive markets like India. Environmental concern moderates the impact of supportive and negative agri‐food reasons by amplifying the positive influence while reducing the negative one. Addressing the barriers alongside the motivators will enable greater achievement of sustainable consumption. This makes well‐founded recommendations for businesses and public institutions in developing strategies to promote sustainable agri‐food products optimized for hesitant consumers. It also broadens the scope of BRT, portraying consumer decision‐making in a less‐considered light, and offers a practical approach to fostering green purchase intentions in developing nations.European CommissionThe European Union funded this study – NextGenerationEU, through two projects: (1) GRINS – Growing Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable project (GRINS PE00000018 – CUP E83C22004690001); (2) ECS 0000024 Rome Technopole – CUP B83C22002820006, NRP Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.5.Business Strategy and the Environmen
Bacterial pore sealing as a tool for chemical risk reduction
No full textHydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) such as naphthalene are persistent environmental contaminants whose mobility and bioavailability challenge conventional remediation. Sorptive amendments such as biochar can reduce HOC mobility but may introduce pollutants and lose sorption capacity over time. In this work, we investigated whether the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, biochar, and mixtures of bacteria and biochar could seal pores and impede naphthalene diffusion. We employed two experimental approaches: (i) centrifugation-compacted layers over solid naphthalene (simulating source-zone conditions) and (ii) bioreactors with 3 and 12 μm membranes representing distal transport. B. subtilis exhibited a higher sorption affinity than biochar alone (Freundlich capacity or log K F of 4.33 vs 3.47) and reduced naphthalene mobilization 3-fold, releasing only 2% of the applied mass. The mixture of biochar and bacteria achieved the greatest reductions in naphthalene flux (70% and 50% for 3 and 12 μm membranes, respectively), with effective diffusivities 2 orders of magnitude lower than molecular diffusion through water. Electron microscopy confirmed pore occlusion by bacterial extracellular polymeric substances and biochar aggregation. These findings demonstrate microbial pore sealing as a promising strategy to limit HOC diffusion in porous media, with potential applications for source-zone and plume containment.The authors are thankful for the support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Project PID2022-139732OB-C21).Environmental Science & Technology Letter
Identifying pre-existing ballistic trauma in burnt bone
No full textThis article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Analysis of Bioarchaeology, Skeletal Biology and EvolutionDistinguishing peri-mortem trauma from heat-induced trauma is often a challenging aspect of forensic anthropology casework where fire has been used as a means of concealing evidence. This paper aims to explore the extent to which peri-mortem ballistic trauma characteristics are still present after burning and whether they can be distinguished from heat-induced fractures. This research used Sus domesticus femora and ribs that had been manually defleshed and shot with 7.92 × 57 mm Mauser ammunition at a shooting distance of 3 m, 10 m and 20 m. This type of firearm and ammunition were commonly used in a number of conflicts, such as the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The fracture patterns as a result of the ballistic trauma were analysed prior to placing the samples in an electric furnace, where they were heated at a peak temperature of 850 °C for 30 min. Post-burning, each fragment was analysed for ballistic and heat-induced trauma. Following reconstruction, entry and exit wound morphology and radiating fractures remained, with entry wounds being more clearly defined than exit wounds. Ballistic trauma characteristics such as bevelling were still apparent after burning. The results of this study reveal that pre-existing ballistic trauma is still identifiable after bones have been exposed to heat and it is possible to reconstruct the bones to gain a better interpretation.Heritag
Environmental stewardship education in Tuvalu Part 2: insights into curriculum integration and classroom realities
Get PDFThis commentary is the second in a two-part series on Environmental Stewardship Education (ESE) in Tuvalu. While Part 1 examined the alignment between education and environmental policies, this follow-up focuses on how those policies are—or are not—translated into formal curriculum and classroom practice. Drawing on both academic research and professional experience in government, this article explores the gap in curriculum design, student engagement, and teaching strategies. It argues for the early integration of ESE in primary education, greater inclusion of traditional ecological knowledge, and participatory teaching approaches. These insights are grounded in Tuvalu’s context but offer valuable lessons for other small island developing states striving to align sustainability policy with educational delivery.This research received external funding from the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (0006192)Sustainabilit
Postharvest stress manipulation in Tenderstem® broccoli – examining the potential for stress-adaptative responses to promote sustainable quality retention
Get PDFLow temperature postharvest management is used to reduce quality and nutritive losses in broccoli after harvest, although this increases postharvest energy demand and the environmental impacts of food supply chain. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) have been shown to reduce postharvest yellowing in broccoli by enhancing oxidative stress resistance and were examined as treatments for Tenderstem® broccoli florets to offset the effects of warmer storage temperatures. H2O2 elicitation was perceived on a regulatory level through activation of the jasmonate pathway, but did not reduce postharvest yellowing. MeJA treatment was detrimental to quality, even at concentrations shown to be beneficial for conventional broccoli varieties. Carotenoid accumulation was shown to be a leading factor in Tenderstem® yellowing during early storage, while photopigment degradation contributed to late stage quality loss. The physiological basis for floret yellowing in Tenderstem® was also shown to be due to carotenoid accumulation rather than chlorophyll loss. These results highlight the impact of genotypic and developmental effects on stress perception and response, which hinder optimisation of hormesis-based approaches for postharvest management.Funding for this work was provided through the Horticulture Quality and Food Loss Network under the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council grant BB/T010819/1 and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council project EP/V042548/1The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnolog