Rapid Transit Research Articles

Development and analysis of a Numbas diagnostic tool for use in a mathematics refresher program

We describe the development and analysis of an online diagnostic tool implemented in the Numbas e-learning system and used in an Australian university mathematics refresher program. Following the rapid transition to online delivery of the refresher program caused by COVID-19, the diagnostic instruments and methods used within the pre-pandemic, in-person, version of the program were lost. In 2022, we undertook to revive them in a way that would honour their original diagnostic purpose but offer a more sophisticated approach utilising the Numbas diagnostic exam type. Improvement of the tool after its initial deployment has involved the use of Rasch-based item analysis and recursive refinement of the knowledge map underlying the items.

Design of flexible partitions for physical distancing in buses in Colombia during COVID-19

The scientific community recognizes that the transport of cargo and passengers is a key factor in the spread of infectious disease pandemics. In particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic, public transport systems have been considered high-risk environments for the transmission of the virus; therefore, in many places around the world, restrictions have been imposed on passenger transport. Although different aspects of transport have been studied during the pandemic, there are still gaps in knowledge about the effect of different means of transport and specific interventions for vehicle design strategies to reduce transmission rates. In this context, this article presents the process of co-designing a flexible partition to divide seats on articulated, standard and complementary vehicles of a bus rapid transit system in a Colombian capital city as a vehicle design strategy to contain the spread of the virus and generate a physical barrier when the physical distance of one meter, as required by national regulations, was unable to be maintained. The design methodology followed an incremental and iterative process of 6 stages until reaching the final design. The process began with the identification of the need, the establishment of the design requirements and determinants, the generation of proposals framed within the requirements, the performance of functionality and cost feasibility tests and the building of the prototype with the chosen design. Additionally, a participatory evaluation was carried out based on the identification of relevant aspects, doubts, criticisms and new contributions to the prioritized prototype. Finally, the generated prototype met the design requirements in addition to a significant cost reduction of 70% compared with the initial proposal by the bus rapid transit. The low cost allows the implementation of the partition throughout the bus fleet, but controlled observational and clinical studies on the effectiveness of the partition in the prevention of COVID-19 are required.

Safety performance of dedicated and preferential bus lanes using multivariate negative binomial models for Bogotá, Colombia

Public transport priority systems such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Buses with High Level of Service (BHLS) are top-rated solutions to mobility in low-income and middle-income cities. There is scientific agreement that the safety performance level of these systems depends on their functional, operational, and infrastructure characteristics. However, there needs to be more evidence on how the different characteristics of bus corridors might influence safety. This paper aims to shed some light on this area by structuring a multivariate negative binomial model comparing crash risk on arterial roads, BRT, and BHLS corridors in Bogotá, Colombia. The analyzed infrastructure includes 712.1 km of arterial roads with standard bus service, 194.1 km of BRT network, and 135.6 km of BHLS network. The study considered crashes from 2015 to 2018 –fatalities, injuries, and property damage only– and 30 operational and infrastructure variables grouped into six classes –exposure, road design, infrastructure, public means of transport, and land use. A multicriteria process was applied for model selection, including the structure and predictive power based on [i] Akaike information criteria, [ii] K-fold cross-validation, and [iii] model parsimony. Relevant findings suggest that in terms of observed and expected accident rates and their relationship with the magnitude of exposure –logarithm of average annual traffic volumes at the peak hour (LOG_AAPHT) and the percentage of motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks– the greatest risk of fatalities, injuries, and property damage occurs in the BHLS network. BRT network provides lower crash rates in less severe collisions while increasing injuries and fatalities. When comparing the BHLS network and the standard design of arterial roads, BHLS infrastructure, despite increasing mobility benefits, provides the lowest safety performance among the three analyzed networks. Individual factors of the study could also contribute to designing safer roads related to signalized intersection density and curvature. These findings support the unique characteristics and traffic dynamics present in the context of Bogotá that could inform and guide decisions of corresponding authorities in other highly dense urban areas from developing countries.

TRAFFIC PULSE-ROADWAY CONTROL SYSTEM

Rapid transit and transportation networks are essential to any country's economic progress. Long wait times, lost fuel, and financial losses are the outcomes of poor management and traffic congestion. For the sake of national development, a quick, affordable, and effective traffic control system is thus absolutely essential. In many nations, keeping an eye on and managing urban traffic is turning into a significant issue. The Traffic Monitoring Authority needs to come up with innovative ways to solve this issue because there are more and more cars on the road. Using automation and intelligent control techniques is one option to enhance the current transportation system's traffic flow and safety. Efficient and quick congestion relief is the aim. The project includes sound sensors that can recognize emergency cars as they approach in order to improve emergency vehicle detection. By prioritizing and streamlining emergency vehicle traffic at signalized junctions, this cutting-edge feature seeks to enhance overall traffic management and response times. Additionally, the concept has a novel element for pedestrian safety: when a signal changes from red to orange or orange to green, a dynamically triggered block is deployed. By erecting a barrier that guarantees pedestrians are securely clear of traffic before crossing, this creative solution seeks to improve pedestrian safety. Keywords: Traffic jams, traffic surveillance, automation, and clever control techniques, Changes in signals, sound sensors, emergency vehicle detection, quicker reaction times, barriers, and pedestrian safety.

Exploring trade-offs between residential and industrial functions in rural areas and their ecological impacts across transitioning agricultural systems: Evidence from the metropolitan suburbs of China

The rapid transition of agricultural systems substantially affects residential and industrial land use systems in rural areas, often generating spatiotemporal trade-offs between residential and industrial functions and producing considerable ecological impacts, which has thus far not been well understood. We conduct an indicator-based assessment of transitioning agriculture systems, and then links the transitioning agricultural systems to trade-offs between residential and industrial functions from 2005 to 2020 by using a case study—the metropolitan suburbs of Beijing, China. Also, the associated ecological impacts of the trade-offs are characterized based on the calculation of the ecological quality index (EQI) and ecological contribution rate. The results show that trade-offs between residential and industrial functions in the metropolitan suburbs have gradually adapted to the different agricultural systems in transition, which can be characterized by increasing industrial function as well as declining residential function, together with the diversification of land use into a mixed pattern. Additionally, along with the transitioning process comes a U shape of the ecological quality curve, which indicates that relentless industrial sprawl into regions where the agricultural system has a low capacity for technology, as well as decay in rural areas attributed to a rural exodus and industrial decline in semi-subsistence agricultural areas, even cause ecological degradation. In general, trade-offs between residential and industrial functions (especially for the non-agricultural production function) in rural areas could partially and temporally generate unfavorable ecological impacts, but it seems to be a favorable phenomenon to promote ecological quality in the long term. Therefore, to achieve rural sustainable planning, it is necessary for land use management to observe the trade-offs between residential and industrial functions while avoiding negative impacts, such as low-density land use patterns, disordered land use functions, and eco-environmental deterioration. Such effective strategies can contribute to the feasible implementation of policies aiming to achieve the compatible development of liveable residences, highly efficient industrial production, and eco-friendly operations in rural areas.

Assessment of energy consumption, environmental effects and fuel costs of the bus rapid transit system in Bogotá (Colombia)

Abstract Colombia aims to boost the utilization of mass transportation systems in its major cities while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, in alignment with the commitments of the COP21 agreement. In 2020, the transport sector in Colombia accounted for 34.4% of the country’s energy demand and was responsible for ~49% of its total CO2 emissions. This article presents an assessment of energy consumption, environmental effects and the fuel costs of Bogotá’s bus rapid transit system based on the Activity, Share, Intensity, Fuel methodology. A long-term analysis spanning from 2021 to 2040 was developed using the long-range energy alternatives planning platform. To conduct this assessment, the tool was calibrated using data from 2019 and 2020. Four distinct scenarios based on energy policies implemented in Bogotá were examined: Business as Usual, Fast Transition, High Growth and Low Growth. Regarding energy consumption and environmental effects, the results underscore the pivotal role of diversifying energy sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as oil. Consequently, the analysis emphasizes the urgent need to accelerate the transition to alternative energy sources such as natural gas and electricity.

Emotional State Transitions in Trauma-Exposed Individuals With and Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is marked by the contrasting symptoms of hyperemotional reactivity and emotional numbing (ie, reduced emotional reactivity). Comprehending the mechanism that governs the transition between neutral and negative emotional states is crucial for developing targeted therapeutic strategies. To explore whether individuals with PTSD experience a more pronounced shift between neutral and negative emotional states and how the intensity of emotional numbing symptoms impacts this shift. This cross-sectional study used hierarchical bayesian modeling to fit a 5-parameter logistic regression to analyze the valence ratings of images. The aim was to compare the curve's slope between groups and explore its association with the severity of emotional numbing symptoms. The study was conducted online, using 35 images with a valence range from highly negative to neutral. The rating of these images was used to assess the emotional responses of the participants. The study recruited trauma-exposed individuals (witnessed or experienced life-threatening incident, violent assault, or someone being killed) between January 17 and March 8, 2023. Participants completed the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-5) (PCL-5). On the basis of DSM-5 criteria (endorsing at least 1 symptom from clusters B and C and 2 from D and E), participants were categorized as having probable PTSD (pPTSD) or as trauma-exposed controls (TECs). The main outcome was the slope parameter (b) of the logistic curve fitted to the valence rating. The slope parameter indicates the rate at which emotional response intensity changes with stimulus valence, reflecting how quickly the transition occurs between neutral and negatively valenced states. The secondary outcome was the association between emotional numbing (PCL-5 items 12-14) and the slope parameter. A total of 1440 trauma-exposed individuals were included. The pPTSD group (n = 445) was younger (mean [SD] age, 36.1 [10.9] years) compared with the TEC group (mean [SD] age, 41.5 [13.3] years; P < .001). Sex distribution (427 women in the TEC group vs 230 in the pPTSD group) did not significantly differ between groups (P = .67). The pPTSD group exhibited a steeper slope (mean slope difference, -0.255; 89% highest posterior density [HPD], -0.340 to -0.171) compared with the controls. Across all individuals (n = 1440), a robust association was found between the slope and emotional numbing severity (mean [SD] additive value, 0.100 [0.031]; 89% HPD, 0.051-0.15). Additional analysis controlling for age confirmed the association between emotional numbing and transition sharpness (mean [SD] additive value, 0.108 [0.032]; 89% HPD, 0.056-0.159), without evidence of an age-related association (mean [SD] additive value, 0.031 [0.033]; 89% HPD, -0.022 to 0.083). These findings support that individuals with PTSD undergo rapid transitions between neutral and negative emotional states, a phenomenon intensified by the severity of emotional numbing symptoms. Therapeutic interventions aimed at moderating these swift emotional transitions could potentially alleviate PTSD symptoms.

Impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation on the first inter-monsoon rainfall over Sri Lanka in the post-El Niño years

Sri Lanka has a tropical monsoon climate. The first intermonsoon (FIM) season is one of four rainfall seasons. Previous investigations have explored the concurrent ramifications of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO); however, its impact on seasonal rainfall patterns in the country in the post-El Niño years remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate anomalous FIM rainfall in Sri Lanka during the post-El Niño years. Weather station rainfall data from the Department of Meteorology for 114 stations for 1975–2019, Japanese 55-year reanalysis data, and COBE sea surface temperature data were used in this study. A significant negative correlation between rainfall at most stations and the preceding year’s November, December, and January Niño3.4 index (NDJ Niño3.4) was identified for the FIM season. All three super El Niño events and one of the two strong El Niño events agree with the above results, showing a clear negative rainfall anomaly pattern. The Indo-western Pacific Ocean Capacitor effect was identified as the cause of rainfall reduction during the FIM season in Sri Lanka and in contrast, the post-El Niño season in 1988 exhibited a positive rainfall anomaly. A rapid transition from El Niño to La Niña and the associated atmospheric conditions were identified as significant contributors to these features. The findings of this study will help overcome this research gap and improve the accuracy of seasonal forecasts for the country.

A 2.5V In-Plane Flexi-Pseudocapacitor with Unprecedented Energy and Cycling Efficiency for All-Weather Applications.

As electronic devices for aviation, space, and satellite applications become more sophisticated, built-in energy storage devices also require a wider temperature spectrum. Herein, an all-climate operational, energy and power-dense, flexible, in-plane symmetric pseudocapacitor is demonstrated with utmost operational safety and long cycle life. The device is constructed with interdigital-patterned laser-scribed carbon-supported electrodeposited V5O12·6H2O as a binder-free electrode and a novel high-voltage anti-freezing water-in-salt-hybrid electrolyte. The anti-freezing electrolyte can operate over a wide temperature range of -40-60°C while offering a stable potential window of ≈2.5V. The device undergoes rigorous testing under diverse environmental conditions, including rapid and regular temperature and mechanical transition over multiple cycles. Additionally, detailed theoretical simulation studies are performed to understand the interfacial interactions with the active material as well as the local behavior of the anti-freeze electrolyte at different temperatures. As a result, the all-weather pseudocapacitor at 1Ag-1 shows a high areal capacitance of 234.7mFcm-2 at room temperature and maintains a high capacitance of 129.8mFcm-2 even at -40°C. Besides, the cell operates very reliably for over 80950 cycles with a capacitance of 25.7mFcm-2 at 10Ag-1 and exhibits excellent flexibility and bendability under different stress conditions.

Socioeconomic inequalitiesincancerincidence and mortality: An analysis of GLOBOCAN 2022.

Given the recent updates in cancer burden estimates by GLOBOCAN 2022, this study was undertaken to provide pertinent perspectives within the context of the Human Development Index (HDI) and major world economies. Datasets sourced from GLOBOCAN encompassed cancer cases and deaths across all cancer types in 2022, alongside projections up to 2050. Cancer incidences and deaths of the top 10 cancers within China and four distinct HDI-classified regions were compared using descriptive analyses. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) and mortality rates (ASMRs) worldwide for the most prevalent cancers in 2022 across ten largest economies and four-tier HDIs were examined. The top five cancer types concerning both incidence and mortality in China were delineated by sex and age group. In males, prostate cancer predominated in countries with low, high (except China), and very high HDI. Prostate and liver cancers were prominent causes of death in countries with low HDI. In females, breast and cervical cancers predominated in countries with low-to-medium HDI. Lung and colorectal cancer incidence and deaths increased with high HDI for both sexes. ASIRs and ASMRs for breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers in the top 10 economies were higher than the global average. However, liver, stomach, and cervical cancers in most Western countries exhibited lower rates. In China, hematologic malignancies (43%) were prevalent among children aged 0-14 years, whereas thyroid cancer led among adolescents and young adults aged 15-39 years. Regarding incidence and mortality, lung cancer predominated for individuals over 40 years, except for females aged 40-59 years, in whom breast cancer predominated. Projected trends indicated substantial increases in new cancer cases (76.6%) and deaths (89.7%) over the next three decades. Infection- and poverty-related cancer burdens are offset by increased prostate, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer incidence associated with rapid societal and economic transitions. Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in China feature characteristics of developed and developing countries, necessitating tailored, evidence-based, and comprehensive strategies for effective cancer prevention and control.

Single-cell transcriptome landscape elucidates the cellular and developmental responses to tomato chlorosis virus infection in tomato leaf.

Plant viral diseases compromise the growth and yield of the crop globally, and they tend to be more serious under extreme temperatures and drought climate changes. Currently, regulatory dynamics during plant development and in response to virus infection at the plant cell level remain largely unknown. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing on 23 226 individual cells from healthy and tomato chlorosis virus-infected leaves was established. The specific expression and epigenetic landscape of each cell type during the viral infection stage were depicted. Notably, the mesophyll cells showed a rapid function transition in virus-infected leaves, which is consistent with the pathological changes such as thinner leaves and decreased chloroplast lamella in virus-infected samples. Interestingly, the F-box protein SKIP2 was identified to play a pivotal role in chlorophyll maintenance during virus infection in tomato plants. Knockout of the SlSKIP2 showed a greener leaf state before and after virus infection. Moreover, we further demonstrated that SlSKIP2 was located in the cytomembrane and nucleus and directly regulated by ERF4. In conclusion, with detailed insights into the plant responses to viral infections at the cellular level, our study provides a genetic framework and gene reference in plant-virus interaction and breeding in the future research.

The Significance of Communication in Resolving Disputes: Insights into the Negotiation Process in BRT Project, Peshawar

Negotiation means reaching a mutual consensus with the aim of resolving the disputes with acceptable solutions for all the parties. Negotiation is common in day-to-day affairs, but is of more significance in the areas, like contracts, business deals and domestic problems. The literature shows that negotiation is a communication process and provides a medium for the opposite sides to sit across the table and resolve the disputes and conflicts. Contrary to this, the available literature emphasis more on the decision-making aspect of the negotiation, but lacks discussion on the communication processes, which can in fact make or break a deal, project, or a contract. To address this issue, the aim of this study was to investigate the communication processes in an actual negotiation scenario. For this purpose, the communication processes in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) were studied and 30 interviews were conducted from the project team and the affected persons. Data was analyzed using applications of constructivist grounded theory which leads to the formation of Communication as a major theme of study. The results exhibit that communication serves as a medium for exchange of information and has an integral part in negotiation processes. Meetings, interactions, discussions, and networking emerged as major themes of communication in this study, and it mediates the negotiation process and leads to the resolution of disputes. Therefore, effective communication plays a significant role in negotiation, reaching agreements and resolving disputes. This research studied negotiation and communication in BRT project only. Further studies could analyze the negotiation processes in other projects and scenarios to further elaborate mediation of communication in negotiations.

Advancement in gastro retentive floating tablet: an updated review

The widespread use of oral dose forms in disease treatment may lead to inadequate pharmacokinetic properties due to rapid transit through the gastrointestinal tract. This makes it challenging to achieve therapeutic levels in situations where the medicine is barely soluble. Studies have been conducted to identify formulations that enhance these characteristics while extending stomach residence time, with gastro retentive controlled drug delivery systems being beneficial. This study evaluates recent developments in FDDS, focusing on how these systems function to make dosage forms float in stomach fluid for gradual release, better gastric retention, and improved bioavailability of oral medicine. It discusses the pharmaceutical importance of GRDDS, stomach physiology, and factors controlling gastric retention. The review also discusses the preparation of GRDDS, polymeric materials, dosage form evaluation, and comparisons between conventional and GRDDS. In this abstract, we will keep an eye on updated review on recent advancement in gastro retentive floating tablet.

Superoxide radical-induced rapid valence cycling of Mn(II/III/IV) for efficient degradation of organic pollutants

Transition metal oxides are one of the commonly used catalysts for ozone oxidation, and the slow redox cycling of different valence metal components inside the catalysts currently becomes a key bottleneck limiting their catalytic activity. In this work, the superoxide radicals generated at the N/C sites were used to reduce the neighboring high-valence metal components to low-valence states to construct a new mechanism for the rapid cyclic transition of Mn (II/III/IV) valence states. What's more, N/C sites enhanced the ozone adsorption and conversion ability, synergized with the adjacent MnO2 sites to generate interfacial hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals, and effectively inhibited the quenching effect of inorganic salt ions (e.g., Cl-, SO42-) on the free radicals. For the actual printing and dyeing wastewater, the COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal rate was as high as 70 % in 60 min and remained stable in 10 cycles with almost no manganese ions leaching. In addition, characterization such as EPR combined with DFT calculations showed that the dual-site structure significantly increased the oxygen vacancy content and Lewis acidity, and the synergistic interaction between graphite N and MnO2 was the most favorable for ozone conversion with the lowest reaction energy barriers.

A PDMS-encapsulated cylindrical non-closed-packed photonic crystals composite with Bragg-enhanced Fresnel reflectance for optical gain and spectral selection

According to the Fresnel theory, the reflectivity intensity of spherical and cylindrical convex surfaces decreases from their edge to center, and it is noteworthy and interesting for optical gain to study the enhancement of center reflectance. In this paper, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) − encapsulated cylindrical non-closed-packed photonic crystals (NPCs) composite with Bragg-enhanced Fresnel reflectance was designed for spectral selectivity and optical gain. Theoretically and experimentally, the periodically ordered structure of NPCs achieved high-reflection of light in photonic bandgap and high-transmission in other bands, which enhanced Fresnel reflectivity of the convex center to specific bands. Furtherly, the cylindrical NPCs hydrogel with stretchability was applied for the dynamic tuning of optical signals. The reflection peak of the PDMS-encapsulated cylindrical NPCs composite blue-shifted from 608 nm to 413 nm with 50 % tensile strain and achieved a rapid transition of structural color from orange to blue-violet in 60 cycles. The new kind of photonic crystals composite for optical gain and spectral selection broke through the limitations of traditional Fresnel curved mirrors with the lowest central reflectivity and inability to perform spectral selectivity, and have great significance and application prospects in fields of signal transmission, optical measurement, and instrument design.

Mechanism of rapid accretion-erosion transition in a complex hydrodynamic environment based on refined in-situ data

Morphological changes in estuaries are typically discussed on decadal time scales, with reported changes often exceed several decimeters. In our study, we utilized refined in-situ data to investigate bed-level changes and rapid accretion-erosion transitions during tidal cycles off the Changjiang Estuary. A field study employing a high-resolution bottom tripod system was conducted, measuring various parameters such as water level, waves, velocity profiles, near-bottom suspended sediment concentration (SSC), and bed level changes over ten tidal cycles. Our findings reveal significant and intense bed level changes occurring at the scale of tidal cycles. The data suggests that downward sediment transport plays a dominant role in the overall accretion tendency throughout the study period. Additionally, our research introduces a dynamic critical bed shear stress that increases during tidal cycles, deviating from fixed values. We also present a new quadrant analysis method to elucidate the primary processes controlling near-bed sediment transport. The results highlight the importance of horizontal advective sediment transport in frequent accretion-erosion transitions at tidal-cycle timescales. This implies a frequent exchange of sediment between adjacent shoals and channels in the seaward region of the North Channel in the Changjiang Estuary, which holds significance for future navigation and construction management.

Urban Landscape Changes and Land Use Patterns: The Impact of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System Construction in the Context of Development in the Klang Valley between 2010 and 2020

Urban Landscape Changes and Land Use Patterns: The Impact of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System Construction in the Context of Development in the Klang Valley between 2010 and 2020

Exploring Urban Changes: The Impact of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Construction in the Context of Development in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

Exploring Urban Changes: The Impact of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Construction in the Context of Development in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

Photo-triggered caffeic acid delivery via psyllium polysaccharide- gellan gum-based injectable bionanogel for epidermoid carcinoma treatment

Here, the simultaneous effect of chemo- and photothermal therapy against epidermoid carcinoma (EC) was investigated. A novel hydrogel, termed bionanogel (BNG), was designed using psyllium mucilage polysaccharide and bacterial gellan gum, incorporated with nanocomplex carrying caffeic acid (CA) and IR-820, and further characterized. The dual effect of BNG and 808 nm laser (BNG + L) on EC was investigated. Staining and scratch assays were performed to analyze their therapeutic effect on EC. In vivo evaluations of BNG + L in xenograft models were performed. Rapid transition, limited swelling, degradability and high tensile strength indicated BNG stability and sustained drug release. Irradiation with 808 nm laser light at 1.25 W /cm2 for 4 min resulted in a temperature increase of 53 °C and facilitated cell ablation. The in vitro studies showed that BNG + L suppressed cancer progression via a late apoptotic effect. The in vivo study showed that the slow release of CA from BNG + L significantly attenuated EC with low mitotic index and downregulation of proteins involved in cancer proliferation such as EGFR, AKT, PI3K, ERK, mTOR and HIF-1α. Thus, BNG could be a novel medium for targeted and controlled drug delivery for the treatment of epidermoid cancer when triggered by NIR light.

Optimizing alkali-pretreatment dosage for waste-activated sludge disintegration and enhanced biogas production yield

The rapid transition towards modernization and industrialization led to an increase in urban population, resulting in paramount challenge to municipal sewage sludge management. Anaerobic digestion (AD) serves as a promising venue for energy recovery from waste-activated sludge (WAS). Addressing the challenge of breaking down floc structures and microbial cells is crucial for releasing extracellular polymeric substances and cytoplasmic macromolecules to facilitate hydrolysis and fermentation process. The present study aims to introduce a combined process of alkaline/acid pre-treatments and AD to enhance sludge digestion and biogas production. The study investigates the influence of alkali pretreatment at ambient temperature using four alkali reagents (NaOH, Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, and KOH). The primary goal is to provide insights into the intricate interplay of alkali dosages (0.04–0.12 g/gTS) on key physic-chemical parameters crucial for optimizing the pre-treatment dosage. Under the optimized alkaline/acid pre-treatment condition, the TSS reduction of 18%–30% was achieved. An increase in sCOD concentration (24%–50%) signifies the enhanced hydrolysis and solubilization rate of organic substrate in WAS. Finally, the biomethane potential test (BMPT) was performed for pre-treated WAS samples. The maximum methane (CH4) yield was observed in combination A1 (244 mL/g) and D1 (253 mL/g), demonstrating the pivotal role of alkali optimization in enhancing AD efficiency. This study serves as a valuable resource to policymakers, researchers, and technocrats in addressing challenges associated to sludge management.