Dataset "Results of centreline extraction based on maximal disks"

Maps of road layouts play an essential role in autonomous driving, and it is often advantageous to represent them in a compact form, using a sparse set of surveyed points of the lane boundaries. While lane centrelines are valuable references in the prediction and planning of trajectories, most centreline extraction methods only achieve satisfactory accuracy with high computational cost and limited performance in sparsely described scenarios. This paper explores the problem of centreline extraction based on a sparse set of border points, evaluating the performance of different approaches on both a self-created and a public dataset, and proposing a novel method to extract the lane centreline by searching and linking the internal maximal circles along the lane. Compared with other centreline extraction methods producing similar numbers of centre points, the proposed approach is significantly more accurate: in our experiments, based on a self-created dataset of road layouts, it achieves a max deviation below 0.15 m and an overall RMSE less than 0.01 m, against the respective values of 1.7 m and 0.35 m for a popular approach based on Voronoi tessellation, and 1 m and 0.25 m for an alternative approach based on distance transform

Influence of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur concentration on bioplastic and FAMEs production in Scenedesmus sp.

Microalgae can fix CO2 into valuable molecules; these products are expected to sustainably replace petroleum-derived plastics and oils. The biorefinery strategies are implemented to simultaneously generate high-value products by extracting a fraction of the microalgae. This research evaluated the growth kinetics of Scenedesmus sp. under different macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur (low, medium and high concentration). The correlation of cell growth behavior with biochemical characterization was determined with emphasis on the potential of the microalgae to use as raw material for bioplastic production. The results showed. that a high sulfur concentration has influenced and increased the cell growing reaching 1.42 g L^−1 at 15th cultivation day compared with the nitrogen and phosphorus variation. The content of carbohydrates in the biomass was enhanced under limitation of nitrogen and phosphorus. The same statement was proved for the PHA accumulation reaching 9.5 ± 0.83 % and 6.4 ± 0.32 % DW (dry weight) respectively. Deprivation of nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur improved the microalgae culture for lipids production. In the present study the higher lipid content (273 mg g^−1) was observed under phosphorus limitation. The monitoring of FAMES considering former condition in the medium revealed high content of palmitic [30 ± 1.5 %TFA], stearic (C18:0) [1.8 ± 0.11 %TFA], and oleic acid. Therefore, these results lead to observing the impacts of macronutrients (N, P, S) on the microalgae growth and determined the better conditions for the accumulation of macromolecules that can be extracted under biorefinery concepts valorizing the biomass for bioplastic production and other biomolecules for future industrial applications.Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (ACONHCYT) supported partially this study under PhD scholarship to IYL-P[CVU: 859227] and Sistema Nacional de Investigadores [SNI] program awarded to EMM-M [CVU: 230784], GM-M [CVU: 490688], JRR [CVU:445590] and RP-S [CVU: 35753].TEC funded this work by the project "Exploring and optimizing CO2 bio fixation process for microalgae lipids production to formulate green metalworking fluids - for cleaner manufacturing processes" (ID: I023 - IAMSM002 - C4-T2 - E). Tec Challenge-based projects call 2022.Heliyo

Pinewood and wheat straw bio-oil aqueous phase electrochemical hydrogenation utilising a PtRu/ACC catalyst

Bio-oil from biomass pyrolysis contains a wide range of oxygenated compounds, limiting its direct use as a fuel due to chemical instability and low energy density. This study investigates the application of electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) as an alternative to the conventional hydrogenation process to upgrade bio-oil derived from wheat straw and pinewood. Experiments were conducted in a two-chamber electrochemical cell, with ECH conditions optimised based on prior research. Platinum–ruthenium on activated carbon cloth (PtRu/ACC) was selected as the catalyst for ECH reactions. The process preferentially reduced phenolic and carbonyl compounds while increasing the concentration of alcohols, as confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. The ECH study revealed substantial reductions in phenolic compounds, notably p-cresol (62.1%) and phenol (29.3%), alongside an increase in alcohol content from 49.3% to 56.5% in pinewood-derived bio-oil. These chemical transformations demonstrate ECH's potential as a milder, more sustainable alternative to traditional hydrodeoxygenation processes. This study provides insights into the ECH process and suggests future directions for optimising bio-oil upgrading and supporting the development of renewable fuels.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)The authors are grateful for the pyrolysis liquid supplied for this research from the Biochar CleanTech Accelerator project. Innovate UK Project No. 10055261. The authors also wish to thank UK EPSRC (EP/T518104/1) for supporting the work published in the paper through an EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Funding.Sustainable Energy & Fuel

Impact of whale tubercles on the aerodynamics characteristics of F1 front wing - adjoint optimization

This research aimed to investigate the impact of varying tubercles frequency and amplitudeon the leading edge of a double-element Formula One (F1) front wing at two different ride heights in the pre-stall regime. A bio-inspired tubercle distribution was implemented, varying in amplitude and frequency across the span. Computational simulations were performed at 30m/s using the κ − ω SST model. The results showed that implementing bio-inspired tubercles on front wings did not improve aerodynamic efficiency at any ride height. The clean leading-edge model consistently achieved the highest lift-to-drag ratio at both ride heights. Configurations with various tubercle amplitude presented different results: for low-amplitude tubercles, the down force increased compared to the baseline at the cost of increased drag. Models with higher amplitude tubercles led to significant down force reduction due to flow separation, further diminishing aerodynamic performance. Variations in tubercle frequency had minimal impact on aerodynamic performances. Among the tubercle configurations tested, the model with the lowest amplitude and the fewest tubercles achieved the highest aerodynamic efficiency.AIAA SCITECH 2025 Foru

Brief Communication: measurement of boundary layer turbulent transition using an acoustic microphone unit

In this article the transition of a laminar boundary layer (BL) over a flat plate is characterized using an acoustic technique with a pitot probe linked to a microphone unit. The probe was traversed along a BL plate at a fixed wind tunnel flow velocity of 5.5 m/s. A spectral analysis of the acoustic fluctuations showed that this setup can estimate the streamwise location and length of the BL transition region, as well as the BL thickness, by using the intermittency similitude approach. Further work is required to quantify the uncertainty caused by signal attenuation within the data acquisition system.SAE International Journal of Aerospac

Can digital twin technology revolutionize wildfire management and energy resilience in Los Angeles?

Wildfires increasingly threaten energy and water infrastructure in regions such as Los Angeles (LA), requiring real-time, resilient coordination strategies. This study introduces an integrated framework that combines digital twin technology with distributionally robust optimization (DRO) to manage uncertainty and improve operational resilience. The system dynamically models wildfire spread using terrain and wind data, and jointly simulates energy and water systems under real-time disruption scenarios. Validation is performed using real-world data from the Palisades Fire, benchmarked against deterministic dispatch models without robust adaptation. Simulation results show that the DRO-based method reduces average PV efficiency loss by 22.4% through real-time reconfiguration and increases battery discharge support during evacuation surges by 18.7%. Compared to baseline strategies, the proposed framework shortens average critical load outage duration by 35%, improves firefighting water delivery reliability by 21.8%, and lowers total daily water consumption by 12.5 million gallons. Fire spread prediction achieves a 24-hour localization error below 310 meters, ensuring precise hazard mapping. These outcomes confirm the framework’s ability to enhance system resilience, minimize resource waste, and support post-disaster recovery. The presented approach offers a scalable and adaptive tool for next-generation wildfire response planning under complex, uncertain conditions.This research was funded by Researchers Supporting Project grant number RSPD2025R635, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Energy Report

Nanomaterials as a new frontier platform: metal-doped and hybrid carbon dots as enzyme mimics for environmental applications

Environmental pollution has become an inexorable problem for the planet Earth. The precise detection and degradation of heavy metals, pesticides, industrial-, pharmaceutical- and personal care- products is needed. Nanotechnology holds great promise in addressing global issues. Over the past decades, nanozymic nanomaterials have exceptionally overcome the intrinsic limitations of natural enzymes. Carbon dots (CDs) exhibit unique structures, surface properties, high catalytic activities, and low toxicity. Different techniques, such as doping or surface passivation, can enhance these exceptional properties. Doping modifies CDs’ electronic, magnetic, optical, and catalytic properties considerably. Metal doping, a more significant strategy, involves the introduction of metallic impurities, which offer insight into enhancing the physicochemical properties of CDs. Metal-doped CDs exhibit higher optical absorbance and catalytic performance than pristine CDs. The literature shows that researchers have utilized various synthetic approaches to fabricate CDs-Metal nanozymes. Researchers have reported the metal-doped and hybrid CDs’ peroxidase, catalase, laccase, and superoxide dismutase-like activities. These metal-doped nanozymes put forward substantial environmental remediations and applications such as sensing, photocatalytic degradation, adsorption, and removal of environmental contaminants. This review thoroughly discussed the metal-based functionalization of CDs, the enzyme-like properties, and the ecological applications of metal-doped and hybrid enzymes. The review also presents the current novelties, remaining challenges, and future directions with key examples.Frontiers in Material

Visual-based automated aircraft inspections for 3d skin damage

Avdelidis, Nico - Associate SupervisorVisual inspection is the common mean to detect damages on the aircraft skin. Standard maintenance programmes require engineers to perform frequent inspections that are costly, time consuming, hazardous and subject to human factors. Engineers are required to inspect all the areas, including crown, wings and vertical stabiliser, and personally evaluate the damage. Dents, in particular, are flaws that are challenging to detect and measure due to undefined boundaries, complex geometry and difficult access. Because of these characteristics, dents cannot be detected by monocular cameras and automation of their inspection has been lacking momentum, generally limited to manually operated 3D scanning tools. Moreover, no solution has been explored to replace the human judgement of the damage. The aim of this work is the design of an automatic system to inspect the aircraft skin, identify dents, measure and report them to the engineer, thus demonstrating the feasibility of such autonomous task via unmanned aerial vehicles. After reviewing the state of the art, data is acquired by means of a single-shot structured-light algorithm for 3D scanning based on Fourier transform profilometry and compatible with the use of un- manned aerial vehicles, yet delivering submillimetre accuracy. Machine learning is then considered for the autonomous identification of dents, implemented through a novel point cloud segmentation algorithm. Finally, a mathematical model is proposed to evaluate dent shapes, replacing the current reporting standards by allowing accurate and comparable dimensional evaluation. The three main contributions operate together to enable autonomous aircraft dent inspections, whose feasibility is demonstrated by experiments with a prototype system. This work paves the way for future automated systems capable to increase safety and advance aircraft inspection reliability, while reducing human workload, downtime and thus costs.PhD in Transport System

High foot traffic power harvesting technologies and challenges: a review and possible sustainable solutions for Al-Haram Mosque

The growing global demand for sustainable energy solutions has led to increased interest in kinetic energy harvesting as a viable alternative to traditional power sources. High-foot-traffic environments, such as public spaces and religious sites, generate significant mechanical energy that often remains untapped. This study explores energy-harvesting technologies applicable to public areas with heavy foot traffic, focusing on Al-Haram Mosque in Saudi Arabia—one of the most densely populated religious sites in the world. The research investigates the potential of piezoelectric, triboelectric, and hybrid systems to convert pedestrian foot traffic into electrical energy, addressing challenges such as efficiency, durability, scalability, and integration with existing infrastructure. Piezoelectric materials, including PVDF and BaTiO3, effectively convert mechanical stress from footsteps into electricity, while triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) utilize contact electrification for lightweight, flexible energy capture. In addition, this study examines material innovations such as 3D-printed biomimetic structures, MXene-based composites (MXene is a two-dimensional material made from transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides), and hybrid nanogenerators to improve the longevity and scalability of energy-harvesting systems in high-density footfall environments. Proposed applications for Al-Haram Mosque include energy-harvesting mats embedded with piezoelectric and triboelectric elements to power IoT devices, LED lighting, and environmental sensors. While challenges remain in material degradation, scalability, and cost, emerging hybrid systems and advanced composites present a promising pathway toward sustainable, self-powered infrastructure in large-scale, high-foot-traffic settings. These findings offer a transformative approach to energy sustainability, reducing reliance on traditional energy sources and contributing to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 for renewable energy adoption.Applied Science

AI-assisted advanced propellant development for electric propulsion

Artificial Intelligence algorithms are introduced in this work as a tool to predict the performance of new chemical compounds as alternative propellants for electric propulsion, focusing on predicting their ionisation characteristics and fragmentation patterns. The chemical properties and structure of the compounds are encoded using a chemical fingerprint, and the training datasets are extracted from the NIST WebBook. The AI-predicted ionisation energy and minimum appearance energy have a mean relative error of 6.87% and 7.99%, respectively, and a predicted ion mass with a 23.89% relative error. In the cases of full mass spectra due to electron ionisation, the predictions have a cosine similarity of 0.6395 and align with the top 10 most similar mass spectra in 78% of instances within a 30 Da range.Journal of Electric Propulsio