Open Access

The transition towards sustainable and efficient energy systems is a major challenge. This is particularly the case for industrial processes, where the choice of energy source has significant economic and environmental consequences.

The bioconversion of salinized land into healthy agricultural systems by utilizing low-rank coal (LRC) is a strategic approach for sustainable agricultural development. The aims of this study were: (1) to isolate bacterial strains associated with the rhizosphere of native plants in coal-containing soils, (2) to characterize their plant growth-promoting (PGP) and coal-solubilizing capabilities under laboratory conditions and (3) to evaluate their influence on the germination and growth of chia seeds under saline stress. Fourteen bacterial cultures were isolated from the rhizosphere of Artemisia annua L. using culture media containing salt and coal. Based on their PGP activities (nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore and indole-3-acetic acid production), five strains were selected, belonging to the genera Bacillus, Phyllobacterium, Arthrobacter, and Pseudomonas. Solubilization assays were conducted to confirm the ability of these strains to utilize coal efficiently. Finally, the selected strains were inoculated with chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) to evaluate their ameliorating effect under saline stress conditions in coal-containing media. Inoculation with A. subterraneus Y1 resulted in the highest germination and growth metrics of chia seeds. A positive but comparatively weaker response was observed with P. frederiksbergensis AMA1 and B. paramycoides Lb-1 as inoculants. Coal inoculated with halotolerant bacteria can serve as the foundation for humified organic matter in salt-affected environments. The selected halotolerant bacteria enhance coal biotransformation while exhibiting PGP traits.

The most dominant type of damage in the February 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes was the failure of infills walls. This paper shows just part of the effects of these earthquakes on the infills and concequences on the building inventory and people. The data was collected during the reconaissance field mission one month after the earthquake. In all cities visited damage of the infilled RC frame structures was devastating. Poor behaviour and heavy damage due to the interaction of flexible frames with the stiff infill walls showed that traditional infills (mortar connection between frame and infill) are conceptually wrong system for the buildings in earthquake active areas. Beside heavy in-plane damage, inadequate connection between frames and infills led to the widespread out-of-plane collapse of infill walls. This has jeopardized people and escape routes during the earthquakes as well it produced significant economic loss. Many other earthqukes before showed that this is not acceptable anymore, but this one confirmed it. Therefore, this paper also proposes isolation of infill walls as a solution that can prevent such a devastating effects in future earthqaukes. Although isolation of infills is presribed in the codes it is not in use due to the fact that there are no simple and easy applicable solutions on the market. With the aim to fill this gap, a system presented here is developed. Its goal is to provide functional and easy applicable solution to the designers and construction companies and workers. Experimental tests on the full scale specimens of isolated infilled RC frames are shown, confirming the effectiveness of the isolation system. Infill walls with windows, doors and full walls are tested under various earthquake loading conditions. Furthermore, comparison with the traditional system was done, showing benefits and improvements brought by this system.The most dominant type of damage in the February 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes was the failure of infills walls. This paper shows just part of the effects of these earthquakes on the infills and concequences on the building inventory and people. The data was collected during the reconaissance field mission one month after the earthquake. In all cities visited damage of the infilled RC frame structures was devastating. Poor behaviour and heavy damage due to the interaction of flexible frames with the stiff infill walls showed that traditional infills (mortar connection between frame and infill) are conceptually wrong system for the buildings in earthquake active areas. Beside heavy in-plane damage, inadequate connection between frames and infills led to the widespread out-of-plane collapse of infill walls. This has jeopardized people and escape routes during the earthquakes as well it produced significant economic loss. Many other earthqukes before showed that this is not acceptable anymore, but this one confirmed it. Therefore, this paper also proposes isolation of infill walls as a solution that can prevent such a devastating effects in future earthqaukes. Although isolation of infills is presribed in the codes it is not in use due to the fact that there are no simple and easy applicable solutions on the market. With the aim to fill this gap, a system presented here is developed. Its goal is to provide functional and easy applicable solution to the designers and construction companies and workers. Experimental tests on the full scale specimens of isolated infilled RC frames are shown, confirming the effectiveness of the isolation system. Infill walls with windows, doors and full walls are tested under various earthquake loading conditions. Furthermore, comparison with the traditional system was done, showing benefits and improvements brought by this system.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are well-suited for various short-distance missions in urban environments. However, the path planner of such UAV is constantly challenged with the choice between avoiding obstacles horizontally or vertically. If the path planner relies on sensor information only, i.e. the path planner is a local planner, usually predefined manoeuvres or preferences are used to find a possible way. However, this method is stiff and inflexible. This work proposes a probabilistic decision-maker to set the control parameters of a classic local path planner during a flight mission. The decision-maker defines whether performing horizontal or vertical avoidance is preferable based on the probability of encountering a given number of obstacles. Here, the decision-maker considers predictions of possible future avoidance manoeuvres. It also defines an ideal flight altitude based on the probability of encountering obstacles. This work analyses the building height of all European capital cities and the probability of encountering obstacles at different altitudes to feed the decision-maker. We tested the feasibility of the proposed decision-maker with the 3DVFH*, a commonly used local path planner, in multiple simulations. The proposed probabilistic decision-maker allows the local path planner to reach the goal point significantly more often than the standard version of the 3DVFH*.

Muscle function is compromised by gravitational unloading in space affecting overall musculoskeletal health. Astronauts perform daily exercise programmes to mitigate these effects but knowing which muscles to target would optimise effectiveness. Accurate inflight assessment to inform exercise programmes is critical due to lack of technologies suitable for spaceflight. Changes in mechanical properties indicate muscle health status and can be measured rapidly and non-invasively using novel technology. A hand-held MyotonPRO device enabled monitoring of muscle health for the first time in spaceflight (> 180 days). Greater/maintained stiffness indicated countermeasures were effective. Tissue stiffness was preserved in the majority of muscles (neck, shoulder, back, thigh) but Tibialis Anterior (foot lever muscle) stiffness decreased inflight vs. preflight (p < 0.0001; mean difference 149 N/m) in all 12 crewmembers. The calf muscles showed opposing effects, Gastrocnemius increasing in stiffness Soleus decreasing. Selective stiffness decrements indicate lack of preservation despite daily inflight countermeasures. This calls for more targeted exercises for lower leg muscles with vital roles as ankle joint stabilizers and in gait. Muscle stiffness is a digital biomarker for risk monitoring during future planetary explorations (Moon, Mars), for healthcare management in challenging environments or clinical disorders in people on Earth, to enable effective tailored exercise programmes.