教育合作促民心相通（深观察）

With the advance of digital transformation, the assessment of the environmental impact of digital tools and technologies grows more relevant. Considering the inflated expectations of environmental responsibility in higher education, this study analyses how websites of Polish universities conform to sustainable web design criteria. The sustainability audit employed a methodology encompassing carbon emissions measurement, technical website analysis, and SEO evaluation. The author analysed 63 websites of public universities in Poland using seven independent audit tools, including an original AI Custom GPT agent preconfigured in the ChatGPT ecosystem. The results revealed a substantial differentiation in CO₂ emissions and website optimisation, with an average EcoImpact Score of 66.41/100. Nearly every fourth website exhibited a significant carbon footprint and excessive component sizes, which indicates poor asset optimisation and energy-intensive design techniques. The measurements exposed considerable variability in emission intensities and resource intensity among the university websites, suggesting the need for standardised digital sustainability practices. Regulations on the carbon footprint of public institutions’ websites and mobile applications could become vital strategic components for digital climate neutrality. Promoting green hosting, “Green SEO” practices, and sustainability audits could help mitigate the environmental impact of digital technologies and advance sustainable design standards for the public sector. The proposed auditing methodology can effectively support the institutional transition towards sustainable management of digital infrastructure by integrating technical, sustainability, and organisational aspects. Full article

The safe and reliable operation of autonomous vehicles is contingent on comprehensive testing. However, the operational scenarios are inexhaustible. Corner cases, which critically influence autonomous vehicle safety, occur at an extremely low probability and follow a long-tail distribution. Corner cases can be defined as combinations of driving task and scenario elements. These scenarios are characterized by low probability, high risk, and a tendency to reveal functional limitations inherent to autonomous driving systems, triggering anomalous behavior. This study constructs a novel corner case dataset using naturalistic driving data, specifically tailored for autonomous vehicle testing. A scenario marginality quantification method is designed to analyze multi-source naturalistic driving data, enabling efficient extraction of corner cases. Heterogeneous scenarios are systematically transformed, resulting in a dataset characterized by diverse interaction behaviors and standardized formatting. The results indicate that the scenario marginality of the dataset constructed in this study is 2.78 times that of mainstream naturalistic driving datasets, and the scenarios exhibit considerable diversity. The trajectory and velocity fluctuations, quantified at 0.013 m and 0.021 m/s, respectively, are consistent with the kinematic characteristics of real-world driving scenarios. These results collectively demonstrate the dataset’s high marginality, diversity, and applicability. Full article

This paper is concerned with the problem of dynamic output feedback exponential stability control of T-S fuzzy networked control systems (NCSs) with varying communication delays. First, with consideration of varying communication delays, a new model of the networked systems is established by using the T-S fuzzy method, and a state observer is designed to estimate the unknown control disturbance. Then, a delay-dependent exponential stability criterion of closed-loop systems is derived by means of iterative technique and multiple augmented Lyapnov functionals and the linear matrix inequality (LMI) method. Furthermore, an observer-based controller is explicitly constructed to realize exponential stability control for this class of NCSs. An iterative algorithm is developed to compute the controller’s matrix by means of the Cone Complementarity Linearization Method (CCLM). Lastly, the validity and feasibility of the proposed exponential stability criterion are confirmed via a numerical simulation example. Full article

Photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) technology has attracted considerable attention for its ability to significantly improve solar energy conversion efficiency by simultaneously providing electricity and heat during the day. PVT technology serves a purpose in condensers and subcoolers for passive cooling in refrigeration systems at night. In our previous work, we proposed a switchable film-insulated photovoltaic–thermal–passive cooling (PVT-PC) module to address the structural incompatibility between diurnal and nocturnal modes. However, the performance of the proposed module strongly depends on two key design parameters: the structural height and the vacuum level of the air cushion. In this study, a numerical model of the proposed module is developed to examine the impact of design and meteorological parameters on its all-day performance. The results show that diurnal performance remains stable across different structural heights, while nocturnal passive cooling power shows strong dependence on vacuum level and structural height, achieving up to 103.73 W/m² at 10 mm height and 1500 Pa vacuum, which is comparable to unglazed PVT modules. Convective heat transfer enhancement, induced by changes in air cushion shape, is identified as the primary contributor to improved nocturnal cooling performance. Wind speed has minimal impact on electrical output but significantly enhances thermal efficiency and nocturnal convective cooling power, with a passive cooling power increase of up to 31.61%. In contrast, higher sky temperatures degrade nocturnal cooling performance due to diminished radiative exchange, despite improving diurnal thermal efficiency. These findings provide fundamental insights for optimizing the structural design and operational strategies of PVT-PC systems under varying environmental conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Typically, studies aiming to assess the ability of canine parvovirus (CPV) vaccines to immunise puppies with maternally derived antibody (MDA) are undertaken using group-housed puppies. Since live attenuated vaccine virus is invariably shed in the faeces, this can result in repeated oral re-exposure and puppies which failed to respond to the initial vaccination may respond instead to shed vaccine virus in the environment, thus artificially enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine. This problem can be avoided by adopting a pair-housed study design where one vaccinated pup is housed with one unvaccinated sentinel. Using this design, we examine the capability of four commercially available canine parvovirus vaccines to immunise MDA-positive pups. Methods: Thirty-four 6-week-old puppies born to vaccinated dams were divided into four vaccine groups with similar MDA ranges. Within each group puppies were paired based on matching MDA titres, and each pair was housed in separate biocontainment accommodation. In each pair, the pup with the highest MDA was vaccinated and the other left as an unvaccinated sentinel. All vaccinates were given a single dose of one of the vaccines. Vaccinates and sentinels were then bled every 2–4 days and CPV antibody was measured. Daily rectal swabs were also collected from all pups to identify any shed vaccinal CPV. Results: All the pups vaccinated with Nobivac DP PLUS seroconverted, with significantly higher antibody titres compared to the pups in other vaccine groups, all shed vaccine virus, and all bar one of the sentinel pups seroconverted. In the other groups, only vaccinated pups with lower levels of MDA seroconverted and shed vaccine virus but none of the sentinel pups seroconverted. Conclusions: Different canine parvovirus vaccines differ in their ability to replicate in and immunise puppies with MDA, the levels of which may vary widely between individuals. The shedding of vaccinal CPV is an important consideration when designing studies to demonstrate efficacy in MDA-positive puppies. Full article

This research aims to identify and prioritize key planning elements for the redevelopment of such housing complexes by incorporating perspectives from both experts (supply-side) and residents (demand-side). To achieve this, a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making framework was developed by integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A total of 25 planning elements were identified through Focus Group Interviews and organized into five domains: legal and institutional reforms, project feasibility, residential conditions, social integration, and complex design. The AHP was used to assess the relative importance of each element based on responses from 30 experts and 130 residents. The analysis revealed a clear divergence in priorities: experts emphasized feasibility and regulatory considerations, while residents prioritized livability and spatial quality. Subsequently, the TOPSIS method was applied to evaluate four real-world redevelopment cases. From the supply-side perspective, Seoul A District received the highest score (0.58), whereas from the demand-side perspective, Gyeonggi D District ranked highest (0.69), illustrating the differing priorities of stakeholders. Overall, Gyeonggi D District emerged as the most favorable option in the combined evaluation. This research contributes a structured and inclusive decision-making framework for the regeneration of public housing. By explicitly comparing and quantifying the contrasting preferences of key stakeholders, it underscores the critical need to balance technical feasibility with resident-centered values in future redevelopment initiatives. Full article

Meta-heuristic algorithms are the dominant techniques for parameter estimating for solar photovoltaic (PV) models. Current algorithms are primarily designed with a focus on search performance and convergence speed, but they fail to account for the significant difference in the lengths of the feasible regions for each decision variable in the solar parameter estimation problem. The consideration of variable length difference in algorithm design may be beneficial to the efficiency for solving this problem. A gray predictive evolutionary algorithm with adaptive threshold adjustment strategy (GPEat) is proposed in this paper to estimate the parameters of several solar photovoltaic models. Unlike original GPEs and their existing variants with fixed thresholds, GPEat designs an adaptive threshold adjustment strategy (ATS), which adaptively adjusts the threshold parameter of GPE to be proportional to the length of each dimensional variable of the PV problem. The adaptive change of the threshold helps GPEat to select suitable operators for different dimensions of the PV problem. Several sets of experiments are conducted based on single-, double-, and triple-diode models and PV panel models. The experimental results indicate the highly competitive in parameter estimation for solar PV models of the proposed algorithm. Full article

During the coronavirus 2019 pandemic, sports activities were restricted, raising concerns about their impact on the physical condition of adolescent athletes, which remained largely unquantified. This study was designed with two primary objectives: first, to precisely quantify and elucidate the differences in the physical condition of adolescent athletes before and after activity restrictions due to the pandemic; and second, to innovatively develop and validate a non-contact medical checkup application. Medical checks were conducted on 563 athletes designated for sports enhancement. Participants were junior high school students aged 13 to 15, and the sample consisted of 315 boys and 248 girls. Furthermore, we developed a smartphone application and compared self-checks using the application with in-person checks by orthopedic surgeons to determine the challenges associated with self-checks. Statistical tests were conducted to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in range of motion and flexibility parameters before and after the pandemic. Additionally, items with discrepancies between values self-entered by athletes using the smartphone application and values measured by specialists were detected, and application updates were performed. Student’s t-test was used for continuous variables, whereas the chi-square test was used for other variables. Following the coronavirus 2019 pandemic, athletes were stiffer than during the pre-pandemic period in terms of hip and shoulder joint rotation range of motion and heel–buttock distance. The dominant hip external rotation decreased from 53.8° to 46.8° (p = 0.0062); the non-dominant hip external rotation decreased from 53.5° to 48.0° (p = 0.0252); the dominant shoulder internal rotation decreased from 62.5° to 54.7° (p = 0.0042); external rotation decreased from 97.6° to 93.5° (p = 0.0282), and the heel–buttock distance increased from 4.0 cm to 10.4 cm (p < 0.0001). The heel–buttock distance and straight leg raising angle measurements differed between the self-check and face-to-face check. Although there are items that cannot be accurately evaluated by self-check, physical condition can be improved with less contact by first conducting a face-to-face evaluation under appropriate guidance and then conducting a self-check. These findings successfully address our primary objectives. Specifically, we demonstrated a significant decline in the physical condition of adolescent athletes following pandemic-related activity restrictions, thereby quantifying their impact. Furthermore, our developed non-contact medical checkup application proved to be a viable tool for monitoring physical condition with reduced contact, although careful consideration of measurable parameters is crucial. This study provides critical insights into the long-term effects of activity restrictions on young athletes and offers a practical solution for health monitoring during infectious disease outbreaks, highlighting the potential for hybrid checkup approaches. Full article

The expression of recombinant proteins in heterologous hosts is a common strategy to obtain larger quantities of the “protein of interest” (POI) for scientific, therapeutic or commercial purposes. However, the experimental success of such an approach critically depends on the choice of an appropriate host system to obtain biologically active forms of the POI. The correct folding of the molecule, mediated by disulfide bond formation, is one of the most critical steps in that process. Here we describe the recombinant expression of hirudin, a leech-derived anticoagulant and thrombin inhibitor, in the yeast Komagataella phaffii (formerly known and mentioned throughout this publication as Pichia pastoris) and in two different strains of Escherichia coli, one of them being especially designed for improved disulfide bond formation through expression of a protein disulfide isomerase. Cultivation of the heterologous hosts and expression of hirudin were performed at different temperatures, ranging from 22 to 42 °C for the bacterial strains and from 20 to 30 °C for the yeast strain, respectively. The thrombin-inhibitory potencies of all hirudin preparations were determined using the thrombin time coagulation assay. To our surprise, the hirudin preparations of P. pastoris were considerably less potent as thrombin inhibitors than the respective preparations of both E. coli strains, indicating that a eukaryotic background is not per se a better choice for the expression of a biologically active eukaryotic protein. The hirudin preparations of both E. coli strains exhibited comparable high thrombin-inhibitory potencies when the strains were cultivated at their respective optimal temperatures, whereas lower or higher cultivation temperatures reduced the inhibitory potencies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Targeting individuals with certain characteristics provides improved precision in many healthcare applications. An alert mechanism for COPD exacerbations has recently been validated. It has been argued that its efficacy improves considerably with stratification. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the cough data of the stratified cohort to identify options for and the feasibility of improved precision in the alert mechanism for the intended patient group. Methods: The alert system was extended using a system complementary to the existing one to accommodate observed rapid changes in cough trends. The designed system was tested in a post hoc analysis of the data. The trend data were inspected to consider their meaningfulness for patients and caregivers. Results: While stratification was effective in reducing misses, the augmented alert system improved the sensitivity and number of early alerts for the acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD). The combination of stratification and the augmented mechanism led to sensitivity of 86%, with a false alert rate in the order of 1.5 per year in the target group. The alert system is rule-based, operating on interpretable signals that may provide patients or their caregivers with better insights into the respiratory condition. Conclusions: The augmented alert system operating based on cough trends has the promise of increased precision in detecting AE-COPD in the target group. Since the design and testing of the augmented system were based on the same data, the system needs to be validated. Signals within the alert system are potentially useful for improved self-management in the target group. Full article

Humanoid robots have attracted considerable attention for their anthropomorphic structure, extended workspace, and versatile capabilities. This paper presents a novel humanoid upper-body robotic system comprising a pair of 8-degree-of-freedom (DOF) arms, a 3-DOF head, and a 3-DOF torso—yielding a 22-DOF architecture inspired by human biomechanics and implemented via standardized hollow joint modules. To overcome the critical reliance of zeroing neural network (ZNN)-based trajectory tracking on the Jacobian matrix derivative, we propose an integration-enhanced matrix derivative observer (IEMDO) that incorporates nonlinear feedback and integral correction. The observer is theoretically proven to ensure asymptotic convergence and enables accurate, real-time estimation of matrix derivatives, addressing a fundamental limitation in conventional ZNN solvers. Workspace analysis reveals that the proposed design achieves an 87.7% larger total workspace and a remarkable 3.683-fold expansion in common workspace compared to conventional dual-arm baselines. Furthermore, the observer demonstrates high estimation accuracy for high-dimensional matrices and strong robustness to noise. When integrated into the ZNN controller, the IEMDO achieves high-precision trajectory tracking in both simulation and real-world experiments. The proposed framework provides a practical and theoretically grounded approach for redundant humanoid arm control. Full article

While boreal forests constitute 30% of the Earth’s forested area and are responsible for 20% of the global carbon sink, there is considerable concern about their sustainability. This paper focuses on the role of elevated CO₂, examining whether wood volume in these forests has responded to increased CO₂ over the last 60 years. To accomplish this, we use a rich set of wood volume measurement data from the Province of Alberta, Canada, and deploy quasi-experimental techniques to determine the effect of elevated CO₂. While the few experimental studies that have examined boreal forests have found almost no effect of elevated CO₂, our results indicate that a 1.0% increase in lifetime exposure to CO₂ leads to a 1.1% increase in aboveground wood volume in these boreal forests. This study showcases the value of research designs that use natural settings to better account for the effects of prolonged exposure to elevated CO₂. Our results should enable improved delineation of the drivers of historical changes in wood volume and carbon storage in boreal forests. In addition, when combined with other studies, these results will likely aid policymakers in designing management or policy approaches that will enhance the sustainability of forests in boreal regions. Full article

Research on children’s singing development is extensive. Different ages, approaches, and variables have been taken into consideration. However, research on singing with text or a neutral syllable is scarce, and findings are inconclusive. This study investigated the influence of singing with text and a neutral syllable on children’s vocal performance. Children aged 4 to 9 (n = 135) participated in two periods of instruction and assessment. In Period One, Song 1 was taught with text and Song 2 with a neutral syllable, and in Period Two, the text was added to Song 2. In each period, children were individually audio-recorded singing both songs. Three independent raters scored the songs’ vocal performances using two researcher-designed rating scales, one for each song, which included the assessment of tonal and rhythm dimensions. Before data analysis, the validity and reliability of the rating scales used to assess vocal performance were examined and assured. The results revealed that 4-, 5-, and 7-year-olds sang Song 1 significantly better in Period One, and 4- and 5-year-olds sang Song 1 significantly better in Period Two. Thus, singing with text seems to favour younger children’s vocal performance. Findings also revealed that girls scored significantly higher than boys for Song 1 in both periods, but not for Song 2 in Period One. The implications of incorporating songs with text and neutral syllables into music programs, as well as the instruments used to assess vocal performances, are discussed. Full article

Sources of renewable energy have attracted considerable attention. Their expanded use will have a substantial impact on both the cost of energy production and climate change. Solar energy is one efficient and safe option; however, solar energy harvesting sites, irrespective of the location, can impact the ecosystem. This experimental study explores the energy available inside and outside of novel miniature energy harvesting cages by measuring light intensity and power generated. Varying light intensity outside the cage has been utilized to study the remaining energy inside the cage of a flexible design, where the heights of the harvesting panels are parameters. Cages are built from custom photovoltaic panels arranged in a staircase manner to provide access to growing plants. The balance between power generation and biological development is investigated. Two different structures are presented to explore the variation of illumination intensity inside the cages. The experimental results show a substantial reduction in energy inside the cages. The experimental results showed up to 24% reduction in illumination inside the cages in winter. The reduction is even larger in summer, up to 57%. The results from the models provide a framework to study the possible impact on a biological system residing inside the cages, paving the way for practical farming with sustainable energy harvesting. Full article

Aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs) represent an advancing class of electrochemical energy storage systems showing considerable promise for large-scale grid integration due to their unique aqueous organic chemistry. However, the use of small-molecule active materials in AORFBs is significantly limited by the issue of stability and crossover. To address these challenges, we designed a high-water-solubility polymer cathode material, P-T-S, which features a polyvinylimidazole backbone functionalized with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and sulfonate groups. P-T-S exhibits a solubility of 34 Ah L⁻¹ in water and 31 Ah L⁻¹ in 1.0 M NaCl aqueous solution (NaCl_aq). When paired with methyl viologen to assemble a pH-neutral AORFB with a theoretical capacity of 15 Ah L⁻¹, the system exhibits a material utilization rate of 92.0%, an average capacity retention rate of 99.74% per cycle (99.74% per hour), and an average Coulombic efficiency of 98.69% over 300 consecutive cycles at 30 mA cm⁻². This work provides a new design strategy for polymer materials for high-performance AORFBs. Full article