Search in Publications

Found 6278 publications

Direct-to-Device Satellite Communications in the European Union: Spectrum Allocation and Regulatory Pathways Within the ITU Framework

Péter Vári András Lapsánszky Hussein Taha

Publication Name: IEEE Access

Publication Date: 2025-01-01

Volume: 13

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 190556-190581

Description:

Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communications—where standard mobile devices connect directly with satellites—offer a promising solution to extend coverage and improve network resilience. This paper examines the spectrum allocation and regulatory challenges of enabling D2D satellite services in the European Union (EU), situating the analysis within the broader evolution of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regulatory processes. While anchored in the preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 (WRC-27), the study emphasizes that regulatory developments are dynamic and extend beyond a single conference cycle, ensuring long-term relevance for spectrum governance. The paper provides an overview of satellite communication fundamentals and defines key D2D concepts, including Internet of Things (IoT) use cases and differences between terrestrial mobile bands and Mobile-Satellite Service (MSS) bands. The analysis highlights the current EU landscape for MSS spectrum, particularly the 2 GHz S-band, and its upcoming licensing challenges. It contrasts the EU approach with international developments—notably the United States’ new “Supplemental Coverage from Space” framework and the United Kingdom’s satellite-to-mobile integration plans—to draw lessons for spectrum-sharing models. Technical and regulatory challenges for integrating D2D are identified, and potential alternative frequency bands and spectrum-sharing techniques are explored. A policy roadmap is proposed, outlining short-, medium-, and long-term actions for EU policymakers and stakeholders to enable D2D services. The study ultimately supports the formulation of a forward-looking regulatory framework that secures Europe’s role in shaping the future of hybrid satellite-terrestrial connectivity.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3627536

Wounded Collective Identity in Europe: Trauma, Religiosity, Modernization and Visions of the Future Based on Empirical Studies of Thirty-Eight European Countries

Miklós Gyorgyovich Bernadett Balassa Máté Tóth András Dávid Kollár Tamás László

Publication Name: Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe

Publication Date: 2025-12-30

Volume: 18

Issue: 1

Page Range: 3-23

Description:

Máté-Tóth (2015, 2022) uses the concept of woundedness and the theory of wounded collective identity to describe the collective self-understanding of the Central and Eastern European region. An international study by the Századvég Foundation in 2022, based on 38,000 respondents (1,000 per country), provided an opportunity to test the theory on a European sample. This study sought to answer the question of the prevalence of a wounded collective identity in Hungary and other European countries, and whether the theory has any region-specific relevance. The results show that regional in-betweenness can be considered to be a determining factor for wounded collective identity.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.20413/rascee.2025.18.1.3-23

Supplementary description of Liacarus neonominatus Subías, 2004, with remarks on the genus Liacarus (Acari, Oribatida, Liacaridae)

Andrey V. Soromotin Sergey G. Ermilov Jenő Kontschán Badamdorj Bayartogtokh Nikita A. Shulaev

Publication Name: Persian Journal of Acarology

Publication Date: 2025-01-01

Volume: 14

Issue: 1

Page Range: 115-127

Description:

The supplementary description of Liacarus neonominatus Subías, 2004 (Oribatida, Liacaridae) is presented, based on the material collected from soil and sand in a shrub-lichen tundra, Yamal Peninsula, Western Siberia, Russia. The main morphological traits of this species are summarized. The taxonomic status of some liacarid genera related with Liacarus is discussed, resulting in the following taxonomic proposals: Liacarus Michael, 1898 (= Dorycranosus Woolley, 1969 syn. nov., = Procorynetes Woolley, 1969 syn. nov., = Rhaphidosus Woolley, 1969 syn. nov.).

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.22073/pja.v14i1.86331

CLUSTERING ANALYSIS OF PATCHOULI PLANTATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE PATCHOULI OIL SUPPLY CHAIN USING K-MEANS ALGORITHM

Friesca Erwan Prima Denny Sentia Hazful Maizi Geta Ambartiasari

Publication Name: Journal of Applied Engineering and Technological Science

Publication Date: 2025-12-29

Volume: 7

Issue: 1

Page Range: 337-355

Description:

Growing demand for patchouli oil has undoubtedly become an opportunity for the patchouli industry, particularly in Aceh, which supplies about 80% of Indonesia’s patchouli oil in the global supply chain system. However, the opportunity is often misguided by farmers and even the government, which implements various programs related to patchouli cultivation without identifying the potential land that is suitable to be used for it. The condition indicated that not every land is suitable for patchouli cultivation. Thus, it is necessary to cluster the distribution of existing patchouli plantations. The clustering aims to identify the existing patchouli plantations that have the potential for replication. This study uses the K-Means method that combines variables (the planting land, the harvesting land, and total production) to provide information on the plantation’s potential scale in each region. The clustering measurement pointed out that the plantation in South Aceh Regency has the most potential land for sustainable cultivation, followed by several other areas included in Cluster 2 and Cluster 3. The study’s result is essential in contributing significantly to optimizing patchouli cultivation management sustainability to fulfill Aceh Province’s role as the best quality patchouli oil supplier.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.37385/jaets.v7i1.7188

Investigation of the cascade utilization of LNG cold energy using total site heat integration method

Dongxu Han Xiaoyu Yang Yujie Chen Bohong Wang Ting Pan Mingyang Ji Yunpeng Zhao Zixin Li

Publication Name: Thermal Science and Engineering Progress

Publication Date: 2025-11-01

Volume: 67

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) undergoes regasification before delivery to end users, releasing a large amount of cold energy that is significant for efficient utilization. Therefore, based on the principle of “temperature counterpart, cascade utilization”, this study integrates Pinch Analysis with Total Site Heat Integration (TSHI) to propose two new types of integrated systems for LNG cold energy cascade utilization. The first system, designed for rich-gas LNG, comprises light hydrocarbon separation, cryogenic comminution of rubber, electricity generation by organic rankine cycle, and heat management of data center by direct cooling (LHS-CCR-ORC-DC). The second system, designed for lean gas LNG, replaces the LHS unit with an air separation process (ASP) while retaining CCR, ORC, and DC. Through the synergistic optimization of the Grand Composite Curve (GCC) and total site composite curve (TSCC), the proposed system realizes the cascade and efficient utilization of the LNG cold energy in the whole temperature range (−160 °C to 10 °C). Thermodynamic analysis shows that the energy utilization efficiency of the LHS-CCR-ORC-DC and ASP-CCR-ORC-DC systems is improved by 50.06 % and 40.93 %, respectively, compared with the single cold energy utilization mode. Economic evaluation indicates net present values of 1.81 × 108 $ and 2.32 × 108 $ for the two systems, with levelized costs of energy of 0.062 $/kWh and 0.055 $/kWh, respectively. By replacing fossil‐fuel power generation and compression‐based refrigeration, the integrated systems achieve annual CO2 reductions of 261.84 kt and 238.20 kt, respectively. This study provides theoretical basis and technical support for the efficient utilization of LNG cold energy and for the synergistic optimization of its cascade utilization in industrial parks.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.tsep.2025.104209

Resurgent Africa: A Socialist Past, a Multipolar Present: Introduction

Adam Mayer

Publication Name: International Critical Thought

Publication Date: 2025-01-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 2

Page Range: 153-166

Description:

Africa’s 20th century national liberation heroes and African Marxist thinkers have identified Africa’s predicament as one of neo-colonialism. Political experiments in Africa during the Cold War had built on the revolutionary experiences of China (in Mauritania, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Sudan, Somalia, and Benin) and the USSR (in Ethiopia, Sudan, Ghana, the African National Congress in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Congo Brazzaville, and Madagascar). China’s opening up in the late 1970s, as well as the painful Soviet re-capitalisation in 1991, ushered in the world’s “unipolar moment.” The “Washington consensus” and its neoliberalism destroyed Africa’s potential, deindustrialized the continent, and, with INGO (international non-government organization) conditionality and donor dominated relationships, looted Africa’s primary resources and agricultural produce for Western corporate benefit while perpetuating ineffectual aid systems for the continent’s people. The 1990s brought genocidal wars and the near-disappearance of African statehood, while raw materials found their way to the Global North at giveaway prices. Twenty years of renewed African engagement with China altered this framework in a decisive way: the Belt and Road Initiative has helped rebuild Africa’s infrastructure; China has become Africa’s number one direct capital investor; FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) has strengthened win-win relationships; and China has played a role in building common security with Africa.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1080/21598282.2025.2511108

Physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of Dalbergia sissoo wood waste-filled poly(lactic acid) composites

Gusztáv Fekete László Lendvai Tej Singh Gabor Dogossy

Publication Name: Polymer Composites

Publication Date: 2021-09-01

Volume: 42

Issue: 9

Page Range: 4380-4389

Description:

The present work intended to investigate the effect of Dalbergia sissoo wood waste on physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based composites. The composite specimens, containing wood waste (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% by weight) mixed with PLA granules, were prepared by melt compounding. It was found that increased wood waste content resulted in higher modulus, porosity, and water absorption with decreased density, tensile strength, impact strength, and stress at break. Nevertheless, the flexural strength values of the composites were similar to unfilled PLA and they remained almost constant irrespective of the wood waste content. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis revealed that the presence of wood waste content increased the glass transition and cold crystallization temperature of the PLA composites. Moreover, the fractured surfaces of the composites were examined with a scanning electron microscope to study the possible failure mechanisms. The conducted investigations demonstrated that low-cost wood waste-based composites can be used as an environmentally and economically attractive substitute for lightweight applications.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1002/pc.26155

Revolutionising autonomous vehicles: inspiring consumers in the age of Industry 4.0 technologies

Fraser McLeay Ameet Pandit Jessica Lichy Hesam Olya

Publication Name: Journal of Marketing Management

Publication Date: 2025-01-01

Volume: 41

Issue: 13-14

Page Range: 1341-1369

Description:

Advances in AI and Industry 4.0 technologies are reshaping society, yet consumer resistance to innovations like autonomous vehicles (AVs) remains significant. Despite the proven benefits of fully autonomous vehicles, adoption lags. This study addresses gaps in AV adoption research by developing a sequential theoretical framework to explore the psychological relationships between AV stressors, benefits, trust, adoption difficulty, and consumer resistance. Grounded in trust, JTBD theory, and inspiration theories, the model was tested on 671 consumers in Australia and the USA, revealing that trust and inspiration play a crucial role in reducing resistance. Notably, inspired consumers exhibit lower resistance, suggesting a focus on AV benefits to foster inspiration and facilitate adoption. The study’s findings have practical implications for promoting AV adoption, highlighting the pivotal role of trust and inspiration in reducing consumer resistance. Marketers and policymakers can benefit from this research by designing strategies that inspire consumers and ease adoption barriers.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1080/0267257X.2025.2541840

Integration of Life Cycle Assessment in Structural Optimisation of Steel Structures

G. P. Cimellaro Marco Domaneschi Roberta Di Bari Majid Movahedi Rad Raffaele Cucuzza Giuseppe Carlo Marano

Publication Name: Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering

Publication Date: 2025-01-01

Volume: 770 LNCE

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 181-190

Description:

Lowering environmental impacts has lately been a critical objective of structural optimisation due to the significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the civil engineering sector. This work introduces a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based multi-objective optimisation framework for the optimal design of mixed steel-timber structures by varying the building design’s size, shape, and topology. The study’s novelty stems from the integration of an environmental objective function in the early design process, based on LCA methodology and standard environmental indicators, and the definition of a structural target function where a penalty-based approach is implemented for reducing structural complexity in situ. The structural cost and the Global Warming Potential (GWP) are the objective functions of the optimisation problem. The analysis outcomes reveal that minimising the number of connections as well as moving towards timber-steel solutions represents the key aspect to achieve a sustainable and effective design of spatial truss structures.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-08407-1_16