Mobilization Strategies Research Articles

Muscle energy technique versus Maitland’s mobilization on shoulder pain and disability after neck dissection surgeries

Background. A substantial number of patients who undergo various neck dissection procedures experience shoulder dysfunction and pain, which can significantly complicate or disrupt daily routines, social engagements, and overall Quality of Life (QOL). Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) and mobilization have been demonstrated to effectively reduce shoulder pain and disability. Objective. The objective of this study was to examine the therapeutic benefits of MET and mobilization in improving shoulder pain and disability following neck dissection surgeries and compare these two techniques’ efficacies. Design. The present study employed a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial Methods. Thirty patients between the ages of 25 and 70 (13 men and 17 women) with shoulder dysfunction following six months’ post-neck dissection surgeries were enrolled in the study. Patients were equally randomized into two groups of 15per each: Group A received the Muscle Energy Technique (MET), and Group B underwent Maitland’s Mobilization. Both groups participated in identical conventional physiotherapy regimens. Both interventions were administered at a frequency of three sessions per week over four weeks. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain assessment, Shoulder Pain, and Disability Index (SPADI), in addition to shoulder range of motion (flexion, abduction, and lateral rotation), were measured before and after four weeks of intervention. Results. Following four weeks of intervention, both groups exhibited significant improvements in VAS, SPADI, and shoulder flexion, abduction, and lateral rotation, with p values ≤ 0.001. A comparison between the groups showed a statistically significant difference in all measured outcomes, favoring Group A, with p-values < 0.001. Conclusion. The Muscle Energy Technique (MET) and Maitland’s Mobilization were effective therapeutic strategies for alleviating shoulder pain and disability following neck dissection surgeries. However, the results showed that MET outperformed Maitland’s Mobilization strategies.

Optimizing Traveler Behavior Between MADINA and JEDDA Using UPPAAL Stratego: A Stochastic Priced Timed Games Approach

This study looks at how travelers move between MADINA and JEDDA, using the UPPAAL Stratego tool to tackle the complexities of urban mobility. As cities grow, effective transportation planning becomes more challenging. Travelers have three options: car, bus, and train. The choices for car and bus travel are impacted by traffic conditions, which can vary between heavy and light, affecting both travel time and cost. We propose a detailed mathematical model that captures all possible scenarios related to these travel options, incorporating the uncertainties of real life. This allows us to simulate different traffic situations. By using UPPAAL Stratego, we evaluate three strategies: the Safe Strategy, which minimizes risk; the Fast Strategy, which aims to reduce travel time; and the Fast and Safe Strategy, which seeks a balance between speed and safety. This paper starts with an introduction to the Stochastic Priced Timed Games approach, highlighting its relevance in modeling dynamic travel environments. We then provide an overview of UPPAAL Stratego, showcasing its abilities in generating, optimizing, and comparing strategies. Next, we outline our mathematical model, explaining the assumptions, parameters, and data sources we used. Our simulation results illustrate how each strategy performs under different conditions, shedding light on traveler preferences and behaviors. The findings underscore the significance of accounting for traffic variability in travel planning and offer important insights for urban transportation policies aimed at improving the traveler experience and optimizing resource use. Additionally, we emphasize the theoretical contributions of our model by demonstrating its applicability to real-world scenarios and its potential to inform future research in urban mobility optimization. Ultimately, this research adds to the growing knowledge of smart transportation systems, demonstrating how formal mathematical modeling can address complex real-world challenges and inform future urban mobility strategies.

Autonomous and Electric Vehicles in Urban Living Labs: Smart Mobility Strategies for the Future

The deployment of electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles on public roads presents a significant challenge that can be addressed through previously established frameworks developed globally for implementing these technologies as part of an urban living lab (ULL). This systematic review, based on records from four distinct databases, focuses on projects that have conducted deployments of self-driving technologies in streets within urban environments. The review describes relevant information about various initiatives, including a classification of the stages of development reached according to the urban area covered, safety considerations, and lessons learned for optimal deployment. On-board sensing technology, digital infrastructure, and energy and communication systems emerge as the essential components of a ULL with autonomous vehicles (AVs). A crucial goal for smart cities is ensuring the scalability of large-scale deployments of such ULLs for safe, clean, and future mobility experimentation. This can only be achieved through effective coordination among academia, government, industry, and society to guarantee the successful integration of multiple projects in a unique environment.

Getting Brexit done? The politics of issue-eclipsing pledges

ABSTRACT Leaders are rewarded for delivering on policy pledges. Yet mobilisation strategies often depend on keeping issues and unsolved problems ‘alive’ for electoral purposes. What happens when these incentives collide has been subject to little attention. Drawing on the example of Brexit in the United Kingdom, this article examines the politics of issue-eclipsing pledges – scenarios in which policy pledges directly undercut mobilisation strategies. Brexit offers a good example of these tensions because the referendum vote called the bluff of decades-long Conservative efforts to instrumentalise EU membership for electoral gain. We show how issue-eclipsing pledges produce cyclical and path-dependent dynamics that tend towards radicalisation, as pledges of incumbent elites to guarantee policy delivery are vulnerable to the efforts of non-incumbents to re-interpret pledges and re-mobilise bases of electoral support. We illustrate these dynamics by narrating the interplay of reform pledges and re-mobilisation strategies encountered by successive UK governments since the 2016 referendum.

NGOisation and food sovereignty: unearthing the intricacies of NGO-driven food sovereignty efforts. Insights from Uganda

AbstractIn many places, social movements and organised networks are the primary drivers of mobilisation for food sovereignty. Elsewhere, the concept has been institutionalized and incorporated into national food policy frameworks. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding places where food sovereignty efforts are spearheaded by NGOised civil society. This study addresses this gap by examining five Civil Society Organisations promoting food sovereignty in Uganda through qualitative research. Through in-depth interviews, the study explores the implementation, activism, and mobilisation strategies employed by these organisations. The findings reveal that civil society organisations play a significant role in advancing food sovereignty in Uganda. They do so through practical initiatives such as disseminating knowledge, building capacity among smallholder farmers, promoting agroecological practices, and politicizing agricultural development through farmer mobilisation, policy advocacy, and formation of strategic alliances. Nonetheless, the study highlights critical areas for improvement. First, the need for better coordination among CSOs to create synergies that can enhance the impact and sustainability of their efforts. Second, the need to complement non-contentious strategies with more politically assertive actions to address systemic barriers. Finally, the need to forge alliances for FS among rural producers, urban consumers, and other non-farming populations. The main takeaway from these findings is that Food Sovereignty is a dynamic and context-dependent concept, requiring equally flexible strategies to promote it. Therefore, the choice of mobilisation strategies should be carefully adapted to the unique political, cultural, and economic context, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

Exploring the Impact of Mobile Devices in E-Learning: A case Study Evaluating its Effectiveness

Aim. The integration of mobile devices into educational environments has revolutionized the landscape of e-learning, presenting new opportunities and challenges. This research paper aims to examine the pivotal role of mobile devices in the e-learning environment and assess the effectiveness of mobile learning applications in enhancing the educational experience. Methodology. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data through surveys and usage analytics with qualitative insights derived from interviews and focus group discussions. Results. By analyzing the perspectives of both educators and learners, the research investigates how mobile devices contribute to the flexibility and accessibility of e-learning content. Additionally, the paper evaluates the effectiveness of various mobile learning applications in promoting engagement, knowledge retention, and overall learning outcomes. It scrutinizes the features that contribute to the success of these applications, such as user interface design, interactivity, and adaptability to diverse learning styles. Furthermore, the research delves into the challenges associated with mobile learning, including issues related to device compatibility, connectivity, and user motivation. Strategies to overcome these challenges and optimize the benefits of mobile learning are explored. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights for educators, curriculum designers, and developers of mobile learning applications. Conclusion. The research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the effective integration of mobile devices in e-learning environments and offers recommendations for optimizing the design and implementation of mobile learning strategies.

Smartphones: A Catalyst for Tobacco Control Training in India

The tobacco crisis confronting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires scale-up of effective tobacco control programs, such as Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society (TFT-TFS). We previously demonstrated the efficacy of TFT-TFS in increasing tobacco use cessation among teachers and schools’ adoption of tobacco control policies in Bihar, India. To scale TFT-TFS, we are now pioneering a smartphone-based mobile learning strategy to train principals (or their designees) in Madhya Pradesh to implement and monitor TFT-TFS in schools. Research underscores the transformative potential of mobile learning: a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to in-person training methods. Our study is a unique opportunity to test a training approach that could have implications for wider and more efficient delivery of other public health programs. The strategic use of gamification and digital storytelling enhances the TFT-TFS mobile training app. Gamification mechanics—including points, leaderboards, and digital badging—foster a dynamic learning environment to enhance learning outcomes. This approach propels continuous participant engagement toward understanding and implementation of TFT-TFS’s six monthly themes and four program components. The TFT-TFS smartphone training program weaves in elements of Indian culture, notably the symbolic use of colors and kites. The Indian kite festival celebrates communal harmony through healthy competition. Similarly, the app employs the idea of school kites, which are divided into six blank segments corresponding to the TFT-TFS monthly themes. Participants navigate each module, engaging with animated videos, digital assessments, and interactive activities. Upon a principal’s successful completion of each monthly theme’s program components, the school’s kite receives a new color, unlocking the subsequent theme. The TFT-TFS smartphone training showcases a unique interactive mobile learning application that integrates gamification and tests how to scale up an effective tobacco control program in schools in India and other LMICs. The TFT-TFS smartphone-based training app may also have relevance to other public health-related training efforts in resource-constrained areas.

Effects of Wake Separation on Aerodynamic Interference Between Rotors in Urban Low-Altitude UAV Formation Flight

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation flight has become an effective strategy for urban air mobility (UAM). However, close rotor separation during formation flight leads to complex aerodynamic interference between rotors, significantly affecting UAV flight performance and operational safety. This study systematically examines the effects of axial and lateral rotor separation on the rotor’s thrust performance through wind tunnel experiments. The tests simulate horizontal, vertical, and hovering states by generating relative airflow in the wind tunnel, focusing primarily on the thrust coefficient changes of the bottom rotor at various separations. The results are compared with a single rotor operating under the same conditions without wake interference. Additionally, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the Fluent software were conducted to investigate the effect of wake interactions by analyzing the velocity flow field between the two rotors in different separations. Both the experimental and simulation results demonstrate that rotor aerodynamic performance is notably influenced by wake interactions. Under hovering and vertical states, substantial aerodynamic interference occurs in the region directly beneath the top rotor, within 1D ≤ Z ≤ 3D. This interference gradually diminishes as the rotor separation increases. Additionally, the thrust coefficient of the bottom rotor decreases with increasing flight speed due to the wake, and at higher flight speeds, the wake tends to contract. When the lateral separation is X = 0D, the mid-sectional flow field of the two rotors exhibits symmetry; however, with lateral separation, the symmetry of the bottom rotor’s wake velocity field is disrupted. During the horizontal flight, the rotor wake tilts backward due to the relative airflow, and the extent of this influence is governed by both rotor rotational speed and flight velocity. Therefore, when UAVs operate in formation, it is crucial to account for these factors affecting aerodynamic performance, and rotor separation must be optimized to enhance flight safety and efficiency.

Evaluating the environmental benefits of autonomous vehicles in urban intersections: a microscopic simulation approach

This research delves into the environmental and energy implications of incorporating autonomous vehicles (AVs) into urban traffic systems, mainly focusing on emissions and fuel efficiency. The study employed PTV VISSIM simulation software to model a four-leg signalized intersection in Balgat, Ankara, under varying levels of AV integration and driving behaviors. A total of 21 scenarios were simulated, assessing the impact of cautious, normal, aggressive, and platooning AV behaviors on emissions of CO, NOx, and VOCs, as well as fuel consumption, across different traffic signal cycle durations. The results indicate that shorter signal cycle times consistently significantly reduce emissions and fuel consumption, irrespective of AV driving behavior. The most notable improvements were observed in platooning scenarios, attributed to their optimized traffic flow. In contrast, longer cycle times increased emissions and fuel consumption, especially with human-driven and cautious AVs, due to more frequent idling and stop-and-go traffic patterns. This study highlights the importance of refining AV driving algorithms and optimizing signal control systems to reduce environmental impacts and improve fuel efficiency in urban settings, providing crucial insights for advancing sustainable urban mobility and traffic management strategies.

Large eddy simulation of the dispersion of short duration emissions: Implications for the metrological evaluation of remote sensing devices for on-road emissions monitoring

Remote sensing techniques have emerged as valuable tools for characterizing pollutant emissions from large vehicle fleets and identifying high emitter single vehicles in real driving conditions. Nevertheless, the use of these systems for official emission control purposes by public administrations is an issue because the remote sensing devices must obtain official metrological certification, which currently lacks an international technical standard. The fluid dynamic study that we present demonstrates the promising potential of using pulsed synthetic reference plumes of known chemical composition in order to simulate exhaust emissions produced by combustion engine vehicles in a repetitive and controlled way. This scheme would facilitate the implementation of these complex metrological certification tests and drastically reduce the potential costs associated to these certifications and the emission of gases. In this paper, the atmospheric dispersion of the synthetic puff-like plumes after being released from a vehicle has been studied through fluid dynamic simulations, in order to identify their optimal usage conditions as reference materials. The simulations have allowed to study the evolution of two types of reference short plumes (puffs generated at 2 and 6 bars) from a vehicle at static and dynamic conditions. Results show that, in spite of the fast dispersion of these puffs, it is possible to accurately determine their chemical composition by optical techniques, for instance, by differential absorption spectroscopy. This opens the way for designing advanced and robust metrological evaluation procedures that could be the basis of a future technical standard for the certification of optical remote sensors of traffic emissions. This would allow future deployment of those certificated remote sensors on roads, contributing to a sustainable mobility and effective air pollution management strategies.

Early mobilization in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage may im-prove functional status and reduce cerebral vasospasm rate: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of early mobilization in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies and observational studies. Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Pedro, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. Screening and data extraction were performed by 2 independent reviewers. Sixteen studies involving 1,757 patients were included. Meta-analysis of the data estimated that early mobilization improved mRS score at discharge (mean difference -1.39, 95% CI -2.51 to -0.28, I2 = 86%) and at 3 months (mean difference -1.10, 95% CI -1.54 to -0.66, I2 = 7%). Early mobilization was associated with a reduction in cerebral vasospasm rate, both radiological (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.96, I2 = 7%) and clinical (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.72, I2 = 8%); 6% of mobilization sessions involved adverse events, mostly haemodynamic changes. This review found moderate-quality evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of early mobilization in patients with SAH. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to identify the appropriate mobilization strategy and confirm these results.

Community Mobilization to Guide the Public Health Response During the 2022 Ontario Mpox Outbreak: A Brief Report.

The 2022 mpox epidemic predominantly affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). Led by a provincial community program and co-galvanized by clinician-researchers, GBM community leaders in Ontario coordinated a robust response, representing a reproducible strategy for community engagement and mobilization during future epidemics.

Examining the Effect of Parents on Children’s Career Choices in the Context of Class Positions

This article delves into the social mobility strategies employed by parents and their descendants from diverse social classes in structuring educational pathways and vocational choices across successive generations. The study relies on qualitative data from in-depth interviews conducted in Ankara with 24 parents and 18 offspring. Data analysis reveals that the strategies parents and their offspring embrace are intricately shaped by their social class positions and the cultural, social, and economic capital available to the latter. Labourer families grappling with cultural capital limitations exhibit constrained guidance to their offspring. In contrast, self-employed professional families actively deploy their comprehensive cultural capital to perpetuate privileged class positions across generations. Business owners or commercial entrepreneurs, characterised by a distinctive outlook, view education as a pathway to attain heightened social status rather than as a means of upward mobility. To address the inequalities uncovered in this research, establishing counselling centres for families to guide how to mentor their children and for the children themselves to facilitate the discovery of their abilities and interests could offer a solution toward mitigating these inequalities.

Tested by the COVID-19 economic shock: peace-positive entrepreneurship and intergroup collaboration in post-conflict business recovery

ABSTRACT Establishing economic collaboration between previously antagonistic groups during post-conflict business recovery advances peacebuilding by nurturing intergroup ties. However, we have a limited understanding of how post-conflict intergroup economic collaboration develops and how it is sustained. We address these gaps from the perspective of peace-positive entrepreneurship. Specifically, an ecosystem approach that we apply directs analysis to dynamic entrepreneurial action in the local context. To examine the role of intergroup interactions in decision-making of entrepreneurs in post-conflict business recovery and in response to the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted fieldwork on two micro-economies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our findings demonstrate that entrepreneurs’ engagement across ethnic lines was a main facet of resource mobilisation strategies that enabled them to (re)establish and develop market presence post-conflict. Likewise, intergroup economic collaboration was a lynchpin of entrepreneurs’ effective response to the COVID-19 economic shock. This path-dependent analysis of entrepreneurial action shows that intergroup economic collaboration is not simply a side-effect of post-conflict business recovery and development. Rather, intergroup economic collaboration also needs to be actively pursued by entrepreneurs attuned to the local context. Intergroup economic collaboration can be instrumental in business (re)engagement in the post-conflict economy, generating wider benefits to peacebuilding.

Postoperative challenges addressed through nursing care of patients receiving lower extremity tumor prosthesis

BackgroundPatients with primary Bone Sarcoma and Giant Cell Tumors in the lower extremities often require major surgery involving tumor prostheses. The postoperative course for this patient group can be complex and influenced by various factors and challenges that demand careful nursing care. This study aims to identify challenges related to the nursing care of individuals with primary bone tumors following surgery for tumor prostheses in the lower extremities.MethodsA retrospective cohort study of 15 patients treated at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, between November 5. 2016, and April 1. 2020 was conducted by medical record review, focusing on challenges related to postoperative nursing care. All patients with the surgery code “Bone Excision” were identified within the surgery booking system and screened for eligibility.ResultsPatients experienced postoperative challenges such as severe pain, prolonged time to mobilization (mean: 4 days), and defecation (mean: 5 days). The mean length of stay at the Rigshospitalet was 13 days. Furthermore, eleven patients (73%) reported disrupted sleep and nausea.ConclusionPatients undergoing tumor prosthesis surgery in the lower extremities face considerable postoperative challenges that contribute to a prolonged hospital stay. These challenges, including severe pain, delayed mobilization, and gastrointestinal issues, significantly impact recovery. The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted nursing interventions to address these issues effectively. Enhanced pain management protocols, early mobilization strategies, and comprehensive postoperative care plans are essential to improve patient outcomes and reduce the length of hospital stays. Addressing these challenges through dedicated nursing care is crucial for optimizing the recovery process for patients receiving lower extremity tumor prostheses.

Salafism, neo-salafism, and post-salafism. Evolutions of a radical current of Islam in France

ABSTRACT The issue of Salafism has become central to public debate in France today. While the Salafi movement in France has been portrayed in politics and media alike as a major security threat opposed to republican principles, its sociology reveals more complex patterns than one of radicalism alone, especially from a long-term perspective. An empirical analysis of discourses, behaviours and mobilization strategies within these puritanical fundamentalist communities leads us to hypothesize that since the early 2000s, the radicalism initially displayed by Salafism has proved unsustainable. Through looking at the long-term life trajectories of Salafi believers, we propose an overview of the different biographic scenarios that characterize these actors. What can we say about the way in which they have reinforced, reformulated, nuanced, or broken their ties with their Salafi socialisation? We show that Salafism in France today can be characterized as a fundamentalism diluted by a broader global dynamic of distrust towards violence and classic forms of political militancy, while at the same time maintaining claims to certain forms of religious radicalism. Based on a micro-sociological approach, we examine whether the respective prefixes ‘neo’ or ‘post’ most accurately characterize the long-term evolution of French Salafism.

An observational cohort study evaluating PrEP reach, engagement and persistence through a community-based mobile clinic in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Barriers to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access have limited its reach to priority populations. Community-based mobile clinics have potential to broaden PrEP engagement. We evaluated reach and persistence for fixed and mobile clinic cohorts in Miami-Dade County, Florida. This observational cohort study analysed data from 1896 clients engaged through our fixed or mobile clinic from August 2018 to March 2023. Services were offered at no cost to clients. The same staff and package of barrier-lowering strategies was deployed across fixed and mobile clinic sites. Chi-square and Fisher's exact test or the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to test for differences in characteristics across sites as well as across services sought. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to evaluate persistence on PrEP and in care, defined as completion of at least one clinic visit (including PrEP prescribing, for PrEP persistence, or for any reason, for persistence in care) within 24 weeks of the prior visit. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate risk factors for discontinuation of PrEP or clinic care by 48 weeks by gender, race, ethnicity, insurance status and site. The fixed and mobile clinics reached 781 and 1109 clients, respectively, during the study period. The median client age was 35 years; the majority (70.4%) of clients were cisgender men, identified as Hispanic/Latino (62.5%) and were men who have sex with men (54.5%). The mobile clinic extended reach to a higher proportion of cisgender women (32.1% mobile vs. 12.9% for fixed clinic), Black clients (34.5% vs. 13.1%) and older clients (median 37 vs. 33 years) compared with the fixed setting. Uninsured individuals, men and those who initiated services in the mobile clinic were more likely to continue PrEP to 48 weeks (HR: 1.20, p = 0.01; HR: 2.02, p<0.01; HR: 1.68, p<0.01, respectively). Persistence did not differ by race or ethnicity. A mobile clinic strategy for PrEP engagement can increase reach to key populations underrepresented in HIV prevention care including cisgender women and Black clients. Persistence in PrEP was increased for the mobile clinic cohort, suggesting an additional benefit to this modality beyond other barrier-lowering strategies employed in our fixed and mobile clinics.

REVOLUTIONIZING EDUCATION: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF MOBILE LEARNING APPS ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND ATTITUDES

This study examines the impact of mobile learning applications on the academic achievement of gifted students and their attitudes toward mobile learning. A quasi-experimental research design was employed. The study population consisted of all gifted eleventh-grade students in the Al-Ahsa region during the first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. The study sample included 81 gifted male and female students. The experimental group received instruction based on a mobile learning strategy, while the control group participated in traditional classroom settings. Two instruments were developed to evaluate different aspects. The first tool aimed to examine the impact of mobile learning applications on student achievement and was designed based on the course content, while the second tool was a questionnaire to measure participants' attitudes towards mobile learning. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the average academic achievement of gifted students in the experimental group, who learned using mobile learning, and the average achievement of gifted students in the control group, who learned in the usual way. The difference was in favor of the experimental group. Additionally, there were statistically significant differences between the average level of attitudes toward mobile learning (including dimensions such as satisfaction, impact on learning, motivation, and ease of use) among gifted students in the experimental group and the average level of attitudes toward mobile learning among students in the control group. The difference was also in favor of the experimental group. These findings suggest that the integration of mobile learning applications can have a positive impact on the academic achievement of gifted students and their attitudes towards this learning approach. The study highlights the potential of mobile learning technologies to enhance the educational experiences and outcomes of gifted learners.

Predictive Artificial Intelligence Models for Energy Efficiency in Hybrid and Electric Vehicles: Analysis for Enna, Sicily

Developments in artificial intelligence techniques allow for an improvement in sustainable mobility strategies with particular reference to energy consumption estimates of electric vehicles (EVs). This research proposes a vehicle energy model developed on the basis of deep neural network (DNN) technology. This study also explores the potential application of the model developed for the movement data of new vehicles in the province of Enna, Sicily, Italy, which are characterized by numerous attractors and the increasing number of hybrid and electric cars circulating. The energy model for electric vehicles shows high accuracy and versatility, requiring vehicle velocity and acceleration as input data to predict energy consumption. This research article also provides recommendations for the energy modeling of electric vehicles and outlines additional steps for model development. The implemented methodological approach and its results can be used by transport decision-makers to plan new transport policies in Italian cities aimed at optimizing vehicle charging infrastructure. They can also help vehicle users accurately estimate energy consumption, generate maps, and identify locations with the highest energy consumption.

Middle Stone Age technological organisation from MIS 5 at Mertenhof Rockshelter, South Africa

Lithic technological organisation within the southern Africa Early Middle Stone Age (∼315,000–80,000 years ago) has seen relatively little investigation owing to the subtly of technological change, frequent use of locally derived raw materials, and the archaeological spatio-temporal discontinuity. This has resulted in relatively limited use of explanatory models for technological variability, including mobility, provisioning, tool production, and core reduction strategies. This paper uses 2952 artefacts to test the lithic technological organisation across Marine Isotope Stage 5 units of Mertenhof Rockshelter. Here we argue that the scales and concepts currently used to approach Early Middle Stone Age technology requires reconsideration. The Mertenhof sequence exhibits high proportions of non-local raw materials with their transport reflective of tactical adjustments within relatively stable mobility, provisioning, and reduction strategies. We demonstrate that Early Middle Stone Age populations maintained a diverse array of tactical solutions across these strategic domains, offering a durable and flexible strategy that would be adapted to changing contexts.