Structural Conditions Research Articles

Food poverty as a barrier for a healthy and climate-friendly nutrition in Austria

Abstract Background The food system plays a crucial role in promoting healthy and climate-friendly living. One fundamental aspect is accessibility. However, in Austria, there is a lack of systematic and regularly conducted studies on food system accessibility. To address this gap, a comprehensive study on food poverty has been conducted for the first time in Austria. Methods We used a mixed methods approach, combining expert workshops, a representative questionnaire survey (n = 2004) using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and focus groups (n = 20) with affected individuals. Results Approximately 12 percent of people living in Austria are affected by moderate and/or severe food poverty. These individuals struggle to afford sufficient quantities and quality of food due to financial constraints or limited access in general. Over four percent experience severe food poverty, leading to skipped meals or even days without food. People affected by food poverty would like to focus more on healthy shopping and quality of food (prioritizing fresh food over cheap high-processed food). The biggest hurdles relate to a lack of financial resources, too little time and a lack of affordable (healthy and climate-friendly) options. Conclusions Food poverty is a phenomenon in Austria that has received little attention to date. Public discourse often attributes nutritional problems to information gaps or individual competence, neglecting the impact of structural conditions. Addressing food poverty requires holistic approaches that avoid stigmatization. Recognizing it as a social, health, climate, and agricultural policy concern necessitates robust monitoring and considering the social and environmental aspects of nutrition holistically.

Mobile computed tomography at the Munich Oktoberfest : From idea to implementation.

The Munich Oktoberfest, the largest folk festival in the world, attracts around 6.2million visitors over 16-18days. Some of the visitors exhibit certain risky behaviors, leading to asignificantly increased number of medical emergencies during the festival. During Oktoberfest, the prehospital and clinical emergency services of the city are heavily strained, as one-third more ambulances are needed, and over 7000 patients must be treated on-site each year. Until 2022, there was no option for guideline-compliant radiological assessment on-site for patients with head or facial trauma and suspected serious trauma-related injuries. This required alarge number of emergency service admissions to hospitals, mostly for outpatient assessments. To relieve the overburdened medical system, amobile computed tomography (CT) scanner was set up on the Oktoberfest grounds in 2022 for the first time. Amobile CT scanner at the Munich Oktoberfest was utilized for diagnosing injuries to the face, cranium, and cervical spine. For an indication of cranial CT, we used acombination of the Canadian CT Head Rule and NEXUS criteria. Despite the complex structural conditions, this integration seamlessly fit into the structured processes of the on-site medical service. Since this deployment was, to our knowledge, the first of its kind globally, we had to develop and implement new clinical concepts and procedures tailored to the unique conditions of afolk festival. We demonstrated that aCT scanner could be effectively integrated into the preclinical processes of amedical service without direct hospital connection. On-site CT diagnostics proved to be ahighly effective means of avoiding unnecessary transportation to the hospital. Consequently, areduction in emergency medical service provision and stabilization of clinical emergency medicine during the Oktoberfest became feasible. From the authors' perspective, establishing amobile CT scanner at events with high or very high demands on preclinical and clinical emergency medicine is feasible and provides significant relief for the system. The primary goal of stabilizing prehospital and clinical emergency structures, as well as improving the detection and treatment of potentially life-threatening patients on-site, was successfully achieved. Careful integration into the overall process flow is essential.

An advanced closed-loop geothermal system to substantially enhance heat production

Heat production through conventional closed-loop geothermal systems is constrained by the limited contact area for heat exchange between rock formations and the wellbore. To address this challenge, an advanced closed-loop geothermal system (ACGS) is proposed to enhance heat production in this research. The ACGS incorporates a hydraulic fracture, partitioned by a horizontal insulator for vertical zonal isolation of fluid flow in the fracture, into the closed-loop system’s fluid circulation. To assess heat production from the ACGS, a three-dimensional ACGS numerical model is established and validated, utilized to simulate heat production through the ACGS under conditions of different fracture dimensions and structures, tubing materials, and fluid heat capacities. Performances of complicated fracture structures, including a branched fracture and a multiple-wing fracture, in improving heat production are evaluated. It is found that due to the incorporation of a double-wing fracture, the cumulative extracted heat of a closed-loop system over 20 years is enhanced by 162.94 %. Increasing fracture half-length and fracture height both enhances the heat production of the ACGS considerably. Polyurethane foam proves an excellent tubing material for the ACGS due to its low cost and outstanding adiabatic functionality. Compared with a multiple-wing fracture, a branched fracture results in better heat production through the ACGS, with more fracture branches leading to higher heat production. A branched fracture can improve the cumulative extracted heat from a closed-loop system over 20 years by 321.77 %, and increasing the inter-branch angle further enhances heat production. Working fluid with smaller heat capacity yields considerably higher outlet temperature.

Review on Biodegradable Aliphatic Polyesters: Development and Challenges.

Biodegradable polymers are gaining attention as alternatives to non-biodegradable plastics to address environmental issues. With the rising global demand for plastic products, the development of non-toxic, biodegradable plastics is a significant topic of research. Aliphatic polyester, the most common biodegradable polyester, is notable for its semi-crystalline structure and can be synthesized from fossil fuels, microbial fermentation, and plants. Due to great properties like being lightweight, biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic, aliphatic polyesters are used in packaging, medical, agricultural, wearable devices, sensors, and textile applications. The biodegradation rate, crucial for biodegradable polymers, is discussed in this review as it is influenced by their structural properties and environmental conditions. This review discusses currently available biodegradable polyesters, their emerging applications, and the challenges in their commercialization. As research in this area grows, this review emphasizes the innovation in biodegradable aliphatic polyesters and their role in advancing environmental sustainability.

Deep learning-based approach for identifying vortex-induced vibrations in stay cables

Due to variations in wind speed profiles along the length of bridge stay cables, vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) exhibit multimodal characteristics, presenting challenges for VIV identification. Currently, the VIV identification is concentrated on the stable stage of VIV, lacking an available early warning system for detecting the initial developing stage of VIV. In this study, a deep learning-based approach that integrates energy distribution ratio features derived from frequency band wavelet packet decomposition to recognize VIV of stay cable was proposed. Firstly, vibration characteristics induced by vortices in cable-stayed bridges were analyzed based on field monitoring data from the bridge health monitoring system, aiming to propose suitable feature indicators for VIV identification. Secondly, using root mean square as label classification, a deep learning model was constructed, incorporating convolutional neural networks, long short-term memory networks, and attention mechanisms. Finally, four different stages in the evolution of stay cables VIV were identified utilizing field monitoring datasets to analyze the optimal parameter. Meanwhile, effective early warning recognition was achieved through the classification and recognition of confusion matrix. This study provides technical support for early warning systems and structural condition assessment concerning bridge stay cable VIV.

In‐Vitro Alloyable Unidimensional Polymeric Interface to Mitigate Pulverization and Dendritic Growth for Long Lifespan Lithium Metal Batteries

AbstractWith its high energy density, lithium metal battery technology encounters empirical challenges such as pulverization and dendrite growth. These can hinder the achievement of long lifespans. To address these challenges, it is important to optimize the lithium charge behavior. Here, the determination of the appropriate structural conditions and processes to prevent the accumulation of lithium ions on the lithium surface is discussed. Employing a hierarchical structure of polymeric macro/mesopores at the lithium interface, the favorable behavior of lithium ions and the reaction process is monitored. And the way of alloying process is proposed, revealing lithium ion accepted alloyable metals make to lithium‐metal intermetallic compounds. The well‐distributed alloyable metals in the unidimensional polymeric interface have sufficient capacity to accommodate and transport lithium ions. This emphasizes the need for innovative strategies to address irregular lithium nucleation and enhance lithium metal battery technology.

Reliability and partial factor‐based assessment of a highway bridge supported by nondestructive testing

AbstractThe preservation of the degrading transport infrastructure is vital, as replacing it is impossible in view of limited budgets and environmental impacts. One component in overcoming this challenge is the evaluation of the reliability and the calculation of the remaining service life of existing structures. These structural reliability reassessments allow for the identification and utilization of load‐bearing capacity reserves. The consideration of actual structural characteristics and environmental conditions, various of which can be gathered by means of numerous measurement and inspection techniques, has the potential for more realistic computation results and therefore more economic decisions about the operation as well as maintenance activities. This article attempts to shed light on the potential of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for updating the input variables in the ultimate limit states during a recalculation. The approach of the NDT‐supported reliability reassessment is demonstrated using a prestressed concrete bridge emphasizing the bending proof in transversal direction. As a result, the semi‐probabilistic, probabilistic and NDT‐based reassessment results are compared and the effects of NDT‐supported structural analysis on the calculated reliability are highlighted.

AVALIAÇÃO DAS PATOLOGIAS ENCONTRADAS NA VIA URBANA AVENIDA CAMAPUÃ LOCALIZADA NA ZONA NORTE DA CIDADE DE MANAUS/AM: ESTUDO DE CASO

Roads and highways are important for the development of the country, through them there is the transport of cargo and people daily, moving the country's economy. However, many find their pavement in a precarious situation, without adequate maintenance and conservation by the responsible agencies. The pavements have a limited useful life, so it is necessary to pay attention to their structural conditions, aiming at improvements in the roads. This work presents a study of the pathological manifestations in an avenue with flexible pavement, and aims to evaluate, catalog, point out the probable causes and propose possible solutions for each type of pathologies identified on this road.

Social workers’ support of the status quo: Results from a national survey

Summary Social work has an intimate and complex relationship with the systems that shape the social, political, economic, and environmental fabric of the United States. System justification theory helps explain why people are motivated to accept the status quo of systems and unequal social arrangements. This study examined the system-justifying beliefs of a national sample ( N = 516) of master’s-level social workers to better understand how beliefs about the status quo may shape job outcomes (e.g., burnout and satisfaction) and practice outcomes (e.g., goals, motivations, perceptions of clients, and endorsement of practice behaviors). Findings Ordinary least squares regression analyses adjusting for demographic characteristics indicated significant relationships with both practice outcomes and job outcomes. Higher system-justifying beliefs were associated with less social justice motivation, more practical motivation, less transformative practice goals, and less understanding of clients’ needs as symptoms of structural failures. However, higher system-justifying beliefs were also associated with more compassion satisfaction, less secondary trauma, and less emotional exhaustion. Applications Key interventions into the structural conditions of social work practice so that social workers rely less on system-justifying beliefs to cope with burnout and increase satisfaction are discussed. Examples include investments in support resources, workplace empowerment, increased discretion, and workload reduction. Cognitive and psychological interventions, specifically the development of critical consciousness and critical thinking, are also suggested.

Perforation design coupled with heterogeneity during underground hydrogen storage in steeply dipping anticline aquifers

Hydrogen has been recognized as a crucial energy carrier to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, as it is not always possible to meet current energy demands, underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is required for energy supply and consumption. UHS is an emerging field of study with limited investigations regarding structural conditions and wellbore perforation design in steeply dipping anticline aquifers. This study investigates different perforation schemes with respect to UHS within steeply dipping anticline aquifers to find the most suitable injection/production design while examining small-scale reservoir heterogeneities. Several UHS improvement techniques are evaluated, including water and CO2 injection through flank wells during hydrogen production. The results indicate that the highest hydrogen production is achieved with a fully perforated H2 well located at the crest as it provides the maximum contact between the hydrogen and aquifer layers during H2 injection/production. In contrast, hydrogen production is diminished with increased heterogeneity, as higher heterogeneities raise the chance of H2 being trapped. To enhance UHS performance, first H2 initialization before UHS beginning was evaluated but the results showed that it does not enhance UHS performance in a steeply dipped anticline aquifers, as effectively as it does in gas reservoirs. Water injection from flank wells during H2 production cycles showed improvement in hydrogen withdrawal, while water production experienced a slight increase. CO2 injection from flank wells was evaluated to effectively increase H2 recovery as a cushion gas and to maintain hydrogen purity during production. According to results, hydrogen purity was not affected only in high heterogeneity, since more hydrogen gets trapped in the small-scale high heterogeneity level, which prevents the mixing zone from reaching the H2 well during production. While the method prevents hydrogen contamination in anticline aquifers due to the high dip angle coupled with high heterogeneity levels, it leads to a lower hydrogen recovery.

Mental Health Care and Policy (In)justice in Ontario: Making Intersections Visible

This paper applies an Intersectionality Based Policy Analysis Framework to Ontario’s current mental health plan – The Roadmap: A Plan to Build Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Services – in order to identify the contextual influences, underlying values and assumptions, which promote or undermine the uptake of human rights and equity as a mental health policy priority in Ontario. We found that dominant framings of the “problem” of mental health (as lack of access, coordination or integration, as a fiscal drain, as an economic burden, and as a clinical or medical problem) served to obscure and ignore the underlying social and structural conditions that impact mental health and the human rights violations that routinely occur in the context of “care.” We discuss the implications of The Roadmap ignoring social and structural determinants of health, and by way of contrast, explore how citizen engagement and activism can support rethinking mental health policy so that it is more just and equitable.

KK is Wrong Because We Say So

Abstract This paper offers a new argument against the KK thesis, which says that if you know p, then you know that you know p. We argue that KK is inconsistent with the fact that anyone denies the KK thesis: imagine that Dudley says he knows p but that he does not have 100 iterations of knowledge about p. If KK were true, Dudley would know that he has 100 iterations of knowledge about p, and so he wouldn’t deny that he did. We consider several epicycles, and also explore whether the argument type also challenges other structural conditions on knowledge, such as closure under deduction.

Being family via WeChat: Children's interpretation of long‐distance family relationships

AbstractThis study explores how left‐behind children in rural China maintain long‐distance family relationships through WeChat, highlighting the significant role of social media during family separation. It underscores the importance of considering children's voices in understanding family relationships in the digital age. Drawing on online workshops and interviews with 41 participants, the research examines how Chinese left‐behind children use WeChat to facilitate parental engagement and manage their emotions. It also investigates the challenges children face in online communication and their perspectives on grandparental involvement. This article argues that children's agency is situated within structural conditions shaped by a confluence of factors, including technological affordances, unique familial contexts, and socio‐economic inequalities. This situatedness fosters creativity, compromises, and adaptations in ‘being family’ at a distance.

Reference Material for the Composition of Fuel Oil

Electrical transformers are a key element in the process of distributing electricity from the producer to the final consumer. The reliability of electrical transformers is ensured through systematic monitoring of the structural condition using chemical analysis of fuel (transformer) oil used for electrical insulation and cooling of transformers. The working life of energy oil and paper insulation can be assessed by evaluating the content of antioxidant additive (ionol) and furan derivatives (furfuryl alcohol, furfural, 2-acetylfuran and 5-methylfurfural). The article provides a critical analysis of methods for measuring ionol and furan derivatives in oils. In particular, it has been established that the most widely used methods for the identification of ionol and furan derivatives are liquid and gas chromatography methods with preliminary isolation of analytes based on the principles of liquid/solid-phase extraction. At the same time, the need for matrix reference materials with established metrological traceability was identified for metrological support of methods for measuring the content of ionol and furan derivatives in oils. Therefore, the purpose of this study was the development of a certified reference material (CRM) for the composition of fuel oil. The technology for producing such a CRM makes it possible to prepare the material with the required concentrations of analytes. The article describes the sequence of preparation of a CRM batch and presents the conclusions of studying the stability and between-bottle homogeneity of the material. The given calculation of the standard uncertainty for the certified value of the CRM from the characterization method, heterogeneity, and instability of the material in accordance with GOST ISO Guide 35–2015 deserves attention. The metrological traceability of certified values of the CRM to the unit of value «mass fraction of a component» reproduced by the State Primary Standard of units of mass (molar) fraction and mass (molar) concentration of organic components in liquid and solid substances and materials based on liquid and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with isotope dilution and gravimetry (GET 208–2019). The competence of the study is confirmed by the fact that the CRM was recognized as GSO 12232–2023.

Theoretical investigation of Rayleigh-type surface acoustic waves with high electromechanical coupling coefficient in c-axis-tilted ScAlN film/3C-SiC substrate structure

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators are essential components of mobile communication technology. Advanced performance SAW resonators are needed to support beyond fifth-generation mobile communication technology, which aims to achieve unprecedentedly high data rates and low latency using wide frequency bands in the RF spectrum. This study theoretically investigates the propagation characteristics of a non-leaky Rayleigh-type SAW (RSAW) propagating in a c-axis-tilted ScAlN film/3C-SiC substrate structure. By appropriately selecting the c-axis tilt angle and the film thickness of the ScAlN film, a high electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2) value was obtained in the second-mode RSAW (Sezawa wave). The maximum K2 value for the Sezawa wave was 8.03%, with a phase velocity of 7456 m/s and a power flow angle of 0° under the structural conditions where the K2 value was maximized. These properties offer significant advantages for achieving wide frequency bands, high operating frequencies, and ease of design for SAW resonators. The structural conditions under which good propagation characteristics were obtained in the Sezawa waves were found to coincide with the conditions that maximize the electromechanical coupling coefficient of the quasi-longitudinal wave in the ScAlN film, and a significant increase in the shear vertical component of Sezawa wave particle displacement was observed. Additionally, ScAlN films with a 40% Sc concentration can be fabricated using sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy. Recent advancements have reported the production of high-quality 3C-SiC wafers and large 3C-SiC film/silicon wafers. Therefore, the c-axis-tilted ScAlN film/3C-SiC substrate structure shows great potential as a candidate for next-generation SAW resonators.

Caring for Indebted Migrant Workers: Financial Literacy Training, Debt, and Filipino Migrant Workers in Dubai

This article explores the politics of care that undergird state and private initiatives that seek to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Dubai. In addition to their precarious work conditions in the city, levels of debt are believed to be on the rise even among those categorized as professional, skilled, and semiskilled. These workers thus become the ideal subjects of financial literacy training programs aiming to turn them into “financially mature” individuals free from debt and capable of becoming future entrepreneurs if and when they return to the Philippines. This article highlights the ways in which financial literacy education, despite being framed as an act of care, can still work to obscure the specific political economic and structural conditions that produce and maintain debt among Filipino migrant workers in Dubai. Following Raghuram (2016), I “trouble care” to shed light on the “hidden geographies” of migrant worker debt and the challenges and complexities that need to be taken into account in caring for them. This article seeks to empirically and theoretically contribute to discussions on how debt can be viewed and used to constitute and shape future migrant solidarities.

Characteristics of Phytoplankton Community Structure in Lakes of Wetlands Dominated by Different Aquatic Plants and Its Driving Factors

In wetland ecosystems, small shallow lakes are critical transition zones of land and water, which are usually dominated by aquatic plants with different growth forms. However, the differences and key influencing factors of phytoplankton communities in shallow lakes dominated by different aquatic plants are unclear. On this basis, nine surveys were conducted at five sampling sites of three lakes in Zhangye National Wetland Park from June to November in 2022, which were respectively dominated by the emergent Phragmites australis （LL）, the submerged Potamogeton perfoliatus （CL）, and the floating-leaved Nymphaea tetragona （SL）. During the study period, the three lakes showed obvious habitat differences. A total of 237 species of phytoplankton in seven phyla and 93 genera were identified in the three lakes, including 189 species, 151 species, and 147 species in the LL, CL, and SL lakes, respectively. Among them, Ulnaria acus, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Nitzschia stagnorum, Navicula radiosa, and Gymnodinium aeruginosum were shared dominant species of all three lakes, indicating that they had strong environmental adaptability, whereas Navicula lanceolala, Encyonopsis cesatii, and Eunotia diodon and Cymbella aequalis were only dominant in the CL, LL, and SL lakes, respectively. Simultaneously, these dominant algae appeared with obviously distinct statuses of niche width, niche overlap, and interspecific correlation among the three lakes. Using principal coordinate analysis （PCoA） and permutational multivariate analysis of variance （PERMANOVA）, significant differences were found in algal community composition among the three lakes （P<0.001）. Multiple regression on （dis）similarity matrices analysis （MRM） showed that the heterogeneity of phytoplankton communities among the three lakes was positively affected by NO3--N and pH and negatively affected by dissolved oxygen （DO） and was closely positively correlated with the abundance of six dominant species, namely, S. quadricauda, U. acus, N. stagnorum, Pseudoanabaena sp., Merismopedia punctata, and A. minutissimum. These results indicate that aquatic plants with different growth types could affect the composition, structure, and stability of phytoplankton communities in the same habitat with them by shaping their habitat heterogeneity. Therefore, selecting specific growth types of aquatic plants for aquatic ecosystem restoration in wetland construction and management will be conducive to regulate the state of water habitat and phytoplankton community structure effectively.

A Remote-Sensing-Based Method Using Rockfall Inventories for Hazard Mapping at the Community Scale in the Arequipa Region of Peru

Small communities in the Arequipa region of Peru are susceptible to rockfall hazards, which impact their lives and livelihoods. To mitigate rockfall hazards, it is first necessary to understand their locations and characteristics, which can be compiled into an inventory used in the creation of rockfall hazard rating maps. However, the only rockfall inventory available for Arequipa contains limited data of large, discrete events, which is insufficient for characterizing rockfall hazards at the community scale. A more comprehensive inventory would result in a more accurate rockfall hazard rating map—a significant resource for hazard mitigation and development planning. This study addresses this need through a remote method for rockfall hazard characterization at a community scale. Three communities located in geographically diverse areas of Arequipa were chosen for hazard inventory and characterization, with a fourth being used for validation of the method. Rockfall inventories of source zones and rockfall locations were developed using high-resolution aerial imagery, followed by field confirmation, and then predictions of runout distances using empirical models. These models closely matched the actual runout distance distribution, with all three sites having an R2 value of 0.98 or above. A semi-automated method using a GIS-based model was developed that characterizes the generation and transport of rockfall. The generation component criteria consisted of source zone height, slope angle, and rockmass structural condition. Transport was characterized by rockfall runout distance, estimated rockfall trajectory paths, and hazard ratings of corresponding source zones. The representative runout distance inventory model of the validation site matched that of a nearby site with an R2 of 0.98, despite inventorying less than a third of the number of rockfalls. This methodology improves upon current approaches and could be tested in other regions with similar climatic and geomorphic settings. These maps and methodology could be used by local and regional government agencies to warn residents of rockfall hazards, inform zoning regulations, and prioritize mitigation efforts.

Revealing organisational influence: conceptual and empirical reflections on doing inequality in digital work organisations.

The impact of digitalisation at work on existing inequalities is a growing concern. Social inequality is not solely determined by material circumstances, but also by the new social practises that arise in the workplace. However, the discourse about the digitalisation of work lacks specific organisational references. From an organisational theory perspective, it is important to note that digitality always takes place in an organisation-specific manner. Therefore, digitality and organisation are in a reciprocal relationship, resulting in the development of new organisational practises that impact organisational actors as structural conditions of organisational digitality. How the changes at the organisational level affect the mechanisms of production of social inequality in the course of digitalisation has not yet been taken into account, which means that previous research on inequality in digitalised work only allows an organisation-unspecific view of the subject. In contrast, this article places the organisation at the centre of the debate and presents a methodical approach for researching social inequality in the digitalisation of work from the perspective of organisational theory.

Historical Foundations of Green Developmental Policies: Divergent Trajectories in United States and France

ABSTRACTIn recent years, many countries have adopted biodiversity offset policies to internalize the ecological impacts of land developments. Although national policies share the general principle of equalizing ecological harm with gain, there is substantial variation across programs regarding the institutional forms governing offsetting. In this paper, we compare biodiversity governance in the United States and France to reflect more broadly on the factors shaping divergent trajectories of green developmental policies. Both countries have some form of biodiversity offsetting in place, but the major fault line of difference is the more extensive use of market‐based instruments (MBI) in the United States. Using a historical lens, we argue that one important reason for this variation lies in the different legal‐institutional definitions of biodiversity. A narrower definition in the United States focused on individual species, versus a broader definition in France focused on ecosystems, has facilitated a more standardized biodiversity governance arrangement in the United States. Leveraging this standardization, biodiversity markets have expanded in the United States while similar efforts to institutionalize market mechanisms have struggled in France. The comparison allows us to draw insights into the challenges in greening economic development, particularly in showing how historical scientific, legal, and institutional structures condition policy outcomes.