Urban areas are centres of business and innovation. Freight transport is indispensable for the proper functioning of any modern urban society. Urban areas can’t function without an appropriate freight transport system, due to the need to replenish stocks of food and other goods in retail shops. The complexity of the decisions concerning implementation of measures to improve the movement of goods in the city requires tools designed to support this process. The purpose of this article is to introduce the possibility of applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as well as the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Method (DEMATEL) in choosing a set of measures and in analysing in the field of distribution logistics, which will help to solve the delivery problems and streamline the cargo flows in Szczecin, in the context of sustainable development.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the NMS-E represents a valuable preoperative diagnostic tool for endometriosis, effectively correlating with the disease's severity and surgical outcomes. Incorporating the NMS-E into clinical practice could significantly enhance the management of endometriosis by addressing current diagnostic limitations and guiding surgical planning.

We examine data assimilation coupling between meteorology and chemistry in the stratosphere from both weak and strong coupling strategies. The study was performed with the Canadian operational weather prediction Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model coupled online with the photochemical stratospheric chemistry developed at the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, described in Part I. Here, the Canadian Meteorological Centre’s operational variational assimilation system was extended to include errors of chemical variables and cross-covariances between meteorological and chemical variables in a 3D-Var configuration, and we added the adjoint of tracer advection in the 4D-Var configuration. Our results show that the assimilation of limb sounding observations from the MIPAS instrument on board Envisat can be used to anchor the AMSU-A radiance bias correction scheme. Also, the added value of limb sounding temperature observations on meteorology and transport is shown to be significant. Weak coupling data assimilation with ozone-radiation interaction is shown to give comparable on meteorology whether a simplified linearized or comprehensive ozone chemistry scheme is used. Strong coupling data assimilation, using static error cross-covariances between ozone and temperature in a 3D-Var context, produced inconclusive results with the approximations we used. We have also conducted the assimilation of long-lived species observations using 4D-Var to infer winds. Our results showed the added value of assimilating several long-lived species, and an improvement in the zonal wind in the Tropics within the troposphere and lower stratosphere. 4D-Var assimilation also induced a correction of zonal wind in the surf zone and a temperature bias in the lower tropical stratosphere

This research aimed to determine the most viable locations for establishing solar energy facilities in Yemen through the utilization of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Best-Worst Method (BWM), and Geographic Information System (GIS). A total of twelve key criteria were meticulously selected and evaluated based on their impact on the appropriateness of sites for solar power plants. These criteria were amalgamated using a weighted overlay tool, resulting in a map that classified regions as either optimal, highly suitable, or suitable. The findings of the study indicated that the eastern, southern, and northern parts of Yemen are prime candidates for solar energy installations due to their moderate climate and flat topography. On the other hand, the western regions were deemed less favorable. The breakdown of site classifications revealed that 38% of areas were optimal, 61% were highly suitable, and only 1% were considered suitable, based on the assigned weights from the AHP and BWM methodologies. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the impact of adjusting the weights of Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and slope on site classifications. A minor increase in the weights of GHI (from 30% to 31%) and slope (from 10% to 11%) resulted in a significant alteration in the suitability categories, highlighting the importance of weight adjustments in multi-criteria decision-making processes. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the effectiveness of AHP, BWM, and GIS in assessing site suitability for solar energy facilities, as well as the significance of sensitivity analyses. These approaches provide valuable insights for decision-makers, aiding in strategic planning and fostering sustainable energy development in Yemen.

A method for estimating river water surface elevation (WSE) from Landsat imagery using the river inundation area - water surface elevation (RIA-WSE) rating curve constructed from the U.S. Geological Survey Topobathymetric Elevation Model (TEM) data was developed and tested at six gauging stations along the upper Mississippi River. The Otsu's automatic threshold selection algorithm was employed for the image classification and estimation of inundation areas within each pre-defined polygon around each gauging station. In addition to the commonly used green-band based water indices, Landsat 8 and 9 OLI's ultra-blue, blue, and red band-based water indices were also tested in this study, which resulted in twenty different water indices: NDWIv (Normalized Difference Water Index), MNDWI1v and MNDWI2v (Modified Normalized Difference Water Index), AWEIsv (Automatic Water Extraction Index with shadow), and AWEInsv (AWEI without shadow), where v represents the visible light band used in the water index. At each station, about 60-80 Landsat 8 or 9 images during 2013-2023 were used for assessing the performances of the twenty water indices through comparing the estimated WSEs with the measured WSEs. Results showed that the ultra-blue or red band-based AWEIs yielded the most accurate estimations of WSEs among the twenty tested water indices.

In this paper, we extend the KdVSKR equations in (1+1)-dimension and (2+1)-dimension to fractional KdVSKR equations with modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. The (2+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, which is a recent extension of (1+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, can model the resonances of solitons in shallow water. By means of the Hirota bilinear method, finite symmetry group method and consistent Riccati expansion method, many new interaction solutions have been derived. Soliton-cnoidal interaction solution of the (1+1)-dimensional fractional KdVSKR equation has been derived for the first time. For the (2+1)-dimensional frac-tional KdVSKR equation, two-wave interaction solutions and three-wave interaction solutions, including dark-soliton-sine interaction solution, bright-soliton-elliptic interaction solution, and lump-hyperbolic-sine interaction solution, have been derived. Impact of the fractional order on the shapes of these solutions has been illustrated by figures. Three-wave interaction solutions of fractional systems have not been reported in the existing references. The research idea in this paper can be applied to other fractional differential equations.

This comprehensive analysis thoroughly examines the topic of adversarial attacks in artificial intelligence (AI), providing a detailed overview of the various methods used to compromise machine learning models. It explores different attack techniques, ranging from the simple Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) to the intricate Carlini and Wagner Attack (C&W), emphasising the wide range of adversarial approaches and their intended goals. The discussion also distinguishes between targeted and non-targeted attacks, highlighting the adaptability and versatility of these malicious efforts. Additionally, the study delves into the realm of black-box attacks, revealing the capability of adversarial strategies to compromise models even with limited knowledge. Real-life examples illustrate the tangible consequences and potential dangers of adversarial attacks in various fields such as self-driving cars, multimedia, and voice assistants. These cases highlight the difficulties in ensuring the legitimacy and dependability of AI-powered technologies and programs. The article stresses the importance of ongoing research and innovation to address the growing difficulties posed by advanced methods like deepfakes and disguised voice commands in preserving the security of AI systems. This study provides valuable insights on how different adversarial strategies and defence mechanisms interact within AI. The results emphasise the urgent need for stronger and more secure AI models to combat the increasing number of adversarial threats in today's AI landscape. These findings can guide future research and innovations in developing more resilient AI technologies that can better withstand various adversarial vulnerabilities and challenges.

The formation and propagation of cracks occurs through irreversible dislocation movements at notches, material defects and grain boundaries. Since this process is partly thermally controlled, the resistance to dislocation movements at low temperatures increases. This slows both fatigue initiation and fatigue crack propagation. From recent experimental data, it can be seen that fatigue crack growth is accelerated below the fatigue transition temperature (FTT) that correlates with the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) found by well-known fracture mechanics tests, i.e., Charpy impact, fracture toughness, and CTOD. Hence, this study investigates the relation between FTT and DBTT in S500 high-strength steel base material and welded joints at low temperatures using fatigue crack growth, fracture toughness tests as well as scanning electron microscopy. From the tests, an almost constant decrease in fatigue crack propagation rate is determined with decreasing test temperature even below the DBTT.

This study investigates the long-term stability of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) moderate-resolution Thermal Emissive Bands (M TEBs; M12 – M16) covering a period from February 2012 to August 2020. It also assesses inter-sensor consistency of the VIIRS M TEBs among three satellites-S-NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21 over eight months spanning from March 18 to November 30, 2023. The field of interesting is limited to the ocean surface between 60°S and 60°N, specifically under clear-sky conditions. Taking radiative transfer modeling (RTM) as the transfer reference, we employed the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) to simulate VIIRS TEB brightness temperature (BTs), incorporating European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data as inputs. Our results reveal two key findings. Firstly, the reprocessed S-NPP VIIRS TEBs exhibit a robust long-term stability, as demonstrated through analyses of the observation minus background BT differences (O-B ∆BTs) between VIIRS measurements (O) and CRTM simulations (B). The drifts of the O-B BT differences are consistently less than 0.105 K/Decade across all S-NPP VIIRS M TEB bands. Notably, observations from VIIRS M14 and M16 stand out with drifts well within 0.04 K/Decade, reinforcing their exceptional reliability for climate change studies. Secondly, excellent inter-sensor consistency among these three VIIRS instruments is confirmed through the double-difference analysis method (O-O). This method relies on the O-B BT differences obtained from daily data. The mean inter-VIIRS O-O BT differences remain within 0.08 K for all M TEBs, except for M13. Even in the case of M13, the O-O BT differences between NOAA-21 and NOAA-20/S-NPP have values of 0.312 K and 0.234 K, respectively, which are comparable to the 0.2 K difference between some TEBs among VIIRS and MODIS. These disparities are primarily attributed to the significant differences in the Spectral Response Function (SRF) of NOAA-21 compared to NOAA-20 and S-NPP. Our study confirms the RTM-based TEB quality evaluation method’s versatility and effectiveness in assessing long-term sensor stability and inter-sensor consistency. The double-difference approach effectively mitigates uncertainties and biases inherent to CRTM simulations, establishing itself a robust mechanism for assessing inter-sensor consistency. In addition, we’ve observed that, except for M13, M12 always exhibits larger spatial variations of O-O BT differences with greater uncertainties compared to the other M TEBs. The influence of solar contribution through sea surface reflection on the Top of Atmosphere (TOA) radiance measurements during daytime in M12 should not be underestimated.

Socio-ecologic, socio-economic, and socio-technical transitions are opportunities that require fundamental changes in the system. These will encounter matters associated with security, service adoption by end-users, infrastructure and availability. The purpose of this study is to examine and overcome the risks to take advantage of opportunities through the novel Risky-Opportunity Analysis Method (ROAM). A novel quantitative method is designed to determine when, after making some changes, the risks become acceptable so that the opportunity does not deviate from the objectives. The approach provided a quantitative evaluation of the possible changes in parallel with digitization, towards providing a green Service Supply Chain (SSC). The result of ROAM shows that the most cost-effective change to increase the resilience of the system is a solution (SMS) which is different from that identified by a TOPSIS multi-criteria method. Real-word decisions in change management should tackle the complexity of systems and uncertainty of events during and after transition through a careful analysis of the alternatives. A case-study was carried out to evaluate the alternatives of an ancillary service in the Payment Service Providers (PSP). The comparison of the ROAM results with the traditional TOPSIS of the case-study unveils the priority of the ROAM in practice when the alternatives are Risky-Opportunities. The existing risk assessment tools do not take advantage of risky opportunities. To this aim, the current article introduces the term Risky-Opportunity, and two indexes Stress and Strain of the alternatives that are designed to be employed in the new quantitative ROAM approach.

Mereotopology is a concept rooted in analytical philosophy. The phase-field concept is based on mathematical physics and finds applications in materials engineering. The two concepts seem to be disjoint at a first glance. While mereotopology qualitatively describes static relations between things like x isConnected y (topology) or x isPartOf y (mereology) by first order logic and Boolean algebra, the phase-field concept describes the geometric shape of things and its dynamic evolution by drawing on a scalar field. The geometric shape of any thing is defined by its boundaries to one or more neighboring things. The notion and description of boundaries thus provides a bridge between mereotopology and the phase-field concept. The present article aims to relate phase-field expressions describing boundaries and especially triple junctions to their Boolean counterparts in mereotopology and contact algebra. An introductory overview on mereotopology is followed by an introduction to the phase-field concept already indicating first relations to mereo- topology. Mereotopological axioms and definitions are then discussed in detail from a phase-field perspective. A dedicated section introduces and discusses further notions of the isConnected relation emerging from the phase-field perspective like isSpatiallyConnected, isTemporallyConnected, isPhysicallyConnected, isPathConnected and wasConnected. Such relations introduce dynamics and thus physics into mereotopology as transitions from isDisconnected to isPartOf can be described.

This article describes the use of the PI ProcessBook software tool for visualization and indirect monitoring of occupancy of SHC rooms from the measured operational and technical quantities for monitoring of daily living activities for support of independent life of elderly persons. The proposed method for data processing (predicting the CO₂ course using neural networks from the measured temperature indoor T_i (°C), temperature outdoor T_o (°C) and the relative humidity indoor rHi (%)) was implemented, verified and compared in MATLAB SW tool and IBM SPSS SW tool with IoT platform connectivity. Within the proposed method, the Stationary Wavelet Transform de noising algorithm was used to remove the noise of the resulting predicted course. In order to verify the method, two long-term experiments were performed, (specifically from February 8 to February 15, 2015, from June 8 to June 15, 2015) and two short-term experiments (from February 8, 2015 and from June 8, 2015). For the best results of the trained ANN BRM within the prediction of CO₂, the correlation coefficient R for the proposed method was up to 90%. The verification of the proposed method confirmed the possibility to use the presence of persons of the monitored SHC premises for rooms ADL monitoring.

Let β= (((24!)!)!)!, and let {${\mathcal P}_{n^2+1}$} denote the set of all primes of the form {$n^2+1$}. Let ${\mathcal M}$ denote the set of all positive multiples of elements of the set {${\mathcal P}_{n^2+1} \cap (\beta,\infty)$}. The set {${\mathcal X}=\{0,\ldots,\beta\} \cup {\mathcal M}$} satisfies the following conditions: (1) ${\rm card}({\mathcal X})$ is greater than a huge positive integer and it is conjectured that ${\mathcal X}$ is infinite, (2)} we do not know any algorithm deciding the finiteness of ${\mathcal X}$, (3)~a~known and short algorithm for every {$n \in N$} decides whether or not {$n \in {\mathcal X}$}, (4) a known and short algorithm returns an integer~$n$ such that ${\mathcal X}$ is infinite if and only if ${\mathcal X}$ contains an element greater than $n$. The following problem is open: {\em simply define a set {${\mathcal X} \subseteq N$} such that ${\mathcal X}$ satisfies conditions (1)-(4), and \underline{we do not know any representation of~~${\mathcal X}$~~as a finite union of sets whose definitions are simpler than} \underline{the definition of ${\mathcal X}$}} {\tt (5)}. Let {$f(1)=2$}, {$f(2)=4$}, and let {$f(n+1)=f(n)!$} for every integer {$n \geqslant 2$}. For a positive integer $n$, let {$\Psi_n$} denote the following statement: {\em if a system of equations ${\mathcal S} \subseteq \Bigl\{x_i!=x_k: i,k \in \{1,\ldots,n\}\Bigr\} \cup \Bigl\{x_i \cdot x_j=x_k: i,j,k \in \{1,\ldots,n\}\Bigr\}$ has only finitely many solutions in positive integers \mbox{$x_1,\ldots,x_n$}, then each such solution \mbox{$(x_1,\ldots,x_n)$} satisfies {$x_1,\ldots,x_n \leqslant f(n)$}.} We prove that for every statement $\Psi_n$ the bound {$f(n)$} cannot be decreased. The author's guess is that the statements {$\Psi_1,\ldots,\Psi_9$} are true. We prove that the statement $\Psi_9$ implies that the set ${\mathcal X}$ of all {non-negative} integers $k$ whose number of digits belongs to {${\mathcal P}_{n^2+1}$} satisfies conditions {\tt (1)-(5)}.

For evaluating probabilities of arbitrary random events with respect to a given multivariate probability distribution, specific techniques are of great interest. An important two-dimensional high risk limit law is the Gauss-exponential distribution whose probabilities can be dealt with based upon the Gauss-Laplace law. The latter will be considered here as an element of the newly introduced family of (p,q)-spherical distributions. Based upon a suitably defined non-Euclidean arc-length measure on (p,q)-circles we prove geometric and stochastic representations of these distributions and correspondingly distributed random vectors, respectively. These representations allow dealing with the new probability measures similarly like with elliptically contoured distributions and more general homogeneous star-shaped ones. This is demonstrated at hand of a generalization of the Box-Muller simulation method. En passant, we prove an extension of the sector and circle number functions.

The main objective of this communication is to describe the ‘Global Salt Cycle’. Giant salt accumulations are commonly found along continental margins of former rifts. The first stage in the accumulation process is saturation of newly formed oceanic crust with seawater. Final mobilisation and accumulation of the salts occurs during rifting, localised in the vicinity of relict subduction zones. Oceanic crust is created along the spreading ridges in the deep oceans of the Earth. It exchanges mass and energy with seawater in hydrothermal circulation cells that penetrate deep into the new and fractured crust. Water-rock interactions include the formation of hydrated and hydroxylated minerals, e.g., serpentinites and clay minerals. By incorporating hydroxyl groups and water in their crystal lattices, the salinity of remaining brines increases. Subduction of oceanic crust and serpentinised lithosphere transports water, hydrated minerals, and marine salts deep into the crust and mantle. Upon pressurisation and heating of the subducting slab, different parts of this water are expelled at different depths/temperatures. The resulting fluids will contain salts brought in with the slab, as well as new salts formed by water-rock interaction. The combination of elevated pressures and temperatures, water, salinity, and CO2, create permeability in the normally impermeable, peridotitic mantle, by altering the fluid-rock dihedral angles of mineral grains. This P/T-determined intergranular permeability allows ascent of saline fluids, under lithostatic pressure, within the mantle wedge, or the slab itself. The fluids produce a mechanically weakened and buoyant zone within the mantle wedge due to high pore pressure between mineral grains and reduced mantle density. During the lifetime of a subduction zone, a substantial accumulation of saline fluids within the mantle wedge and crust, is evident. Deep, fluid reservoirs accumulate between the subduction trench and the volcanic front. They may exist for hundreds of millions of years, even after the extinction of the subduction zone. Saline fluids may escape to the surface along deep faults, due to overfilling of available pores/fractures. Fluids within the mantle wedge may form rock melts or exist as supercritical, mineral rich fluids. The combination of reduced pressure due to rifting, and a saline and buoyant mantle, creates a mantle circulation that brings the accumulated, saline fluids, to crustal levels. Salts will therefore accumulate during initial stages of rifting as a result of massive fluid expulsion, phase change and boiling of mantle fluids. No extra energy is required to produce phase change and boiling. The result is formation of solid salts or dense brines/slurries invading fractured crustal rocks, or escaping to the surface/seabed. This process may take place both before and after the sea has invaded a continental rift.