蔚蓝海岸大学

The growing demand for low-carbon and locally sourced construction materials and the consequent interest in eco-construction solutions enhance compressed earth block (CEB) applications. The use of CEBs in retaining walls represents a potential solution for sustainable geotechnical engineering. The construction of CEB masonry gravity walls in seismic zones requires extending the research on earthen masonry in the framework of dynamic soil-structure interaction analysis. In this research, the performance of a CEB gravity retaining wall is first investigated under lateral earth pressure, in gravity conditions, and then under seismic loading. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model is developed, through a simplified micro-modeling strategy, explicitly representing extended masonry units and both horizontal and vertical mortar joints. The contact law at the CEB interface is validated by comparison with single- and double-lap shear tests. The numerical simulation of the out-of-plane wall response under pushover loading, including tension and shear effects, and progressive joint degradation, is validated by comparison with published experimental data.The proposed 3D finite element model incorporates the simultaneous interaction between CEB masonry wall, backfill soil, and foundation soil. In seismic conditions, the CEB masonry wall model is coupled with a wave propagation model in a multilayered soil having nonlinear behavior. Inertial forces, soil response, and lateral residual displacement of the CEB masonry wall are directly simulated, as well as the possible interface cracking due to cyclic loading. The proposed modeling methodology represents a reliable numerical tool for assessing the feasibility and performance of CEB masonry gravity walls, supporting their integration into eco-construction and seismic design practice.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumour with limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. This study presents a spatially resolved, nonlinear mathematical framework to investigate the efficacy of immunotherapy strategies based on cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) infusion. The model couples tumour and immune dynamics through a system of partial differential equations (PDEs), incorporating cell proliferation, diffusion, and chemotactic migration in response to TGF-β, a tumour-secreted signalling molecule. A reduced ordinary differential equation (ODE) model is first analysed to derive threshold conditions for tumour eradication, identifying critical infusion levels consistent with clinical data. Numerical bifurcation analysis further reveals the influence of key model parameters on tumour persistence and therapeutic response. The full PDE model is solved using the finite element method on simplified 2D domains, followed by sensitivity analyses to quantify parameter influence on tumour mass and volume. The model is then applied to a realistic 3D brain geometry reconstructed from patient-specific MRI and DTI data, accounting for anatomical anisotropy and tissue heterogeneity. Therapeutic scenarios are simulated with spatially localised lymphocyte infusion. Results show the complex spatial interplay between tumour growth, immune response, and brain microstructure, showing that infusion intensity and tumour location critically influence therapeutic outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating patient-specific anatomical features and spatial heterogeneity into spatially informed mathematical models to support the design and optimisation of personalised immunotherapy strategies for GBM.

CONTEXT Living Labs (LLs) bring agricultural research into real-world settings where researchers and practitioners co-create, test and adapt solutions as conditions change. This flexibility is valuable, but creates a less visible problem: if reference conditions (comparators), sampling, measurements or research questions change during the process, the scientific claim may no longer be supported in the same way. OBJECTIVE We propose controlled flexibility as a framework for keeping evidence scientifically interpretable while preserving the adaptiveness and co-creation that make LLs useful. METHODS This Perspective focuses on quantitative, experimental and structured observational research embedded within LLs. It distinguishes two questions that are often conflated: did the LL generate useful learning or change, and can the resulting data support a specific scientific claim?, thus differentiating between “evaluation for impact” and “evidence for publication”. Systems thinking helps match the measurements to the claimed level of change. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The framework separates a protected evidential core (research question and claim, analytical unit, comparator or case-selection logic, core indicators, sampling rules, metadata, analysis plan and model of change) from elements that may be adapted locally. Decision logs, deviation records, shared scientific rationale and data audits make adaptations visible. If a change affects the evidence supporting the claim, a new claim version is defined before further analysis. SIGNIFICANCE Controlled flexibility offers a practical way to remain adaptive without weakening scientific credibility. It helps LLs produce evidence that is transparent, proportionate to the claim and publishable, without sacrificing co-creation and situated learning.

Linear settlements represent a distinctive village typology that is prevalent across numerous regions of Europe, encompassing both rural and more urban areas. In the context in and around Vienna, historical linear settlements are a defining feature of the built landscape.From historically grown structures to top-down planned settlements, these linear village types are defined by a range of factors, e.g. agricultural activities, geographical conditions or even internal colonisation processes by monarchs. Over the course of history, a canon of different village forms with distinct spatial qualities has developed. However, within the scope of this research on Vienna and against the background of the umbrellaing 15 mC project (emc2), the predominant types of Straßendorf and Angerdorf are the primary focus. In Vienna, these historic linear settlements are integrated into the urban fabric while still retaining varying degrees of permanence and persistence in the urban layout.By combining different methods - local morphogenetic analysis, urban network analysis, regional typological mapping and comparative analysis to regions in France and Italy - this study provides insights and findings on how linear settlement types in and around Vienna have developed morphologically, with a particular focus on the last two centuries. The objective of this study is to explore the influence of these linear settlements on the shaping of territories, networks and urbanisation processes, and their subsequent characterisation of contemporary urban and rural environments.

Background Scalp necrosis after neurosurgery is usually attributed to repeated surgery. We report two cases in which necrosis was precipitated by a single reoperation incision that disregarded scalp arterial anatomy and the previous scars, and describe how this dictated the reconstruction. Cases Case 1: a 56-year-old woman underwent emergency decompressive hemicraniectomy two days after meningioma resection, through a circumferential incision along the bone-flap margin that islanded the cutaneous flap from every axial pedicle; the whole hemiscalp necrosed with brain exposure. Case 2: a 15-year-old boy, operated on repeatedly for subdural empyema, underwent cranioplasty through an incision that transected the superficial temporal pedicle, the last axis supplying a scalp segment already isolated by previous incisions. In both cases the extent of necrosis and the absence of any remaining axial pedicle precluded local, regional or expanded flaps; a free latissimus dorsi muscle flap anastomosed to the superficial temporal vessels was the only option. Hair restoration in Case 2 was completed by follicular unit extraction onto the flap. Conclusions A scalp flap survives only if at least one axial pedicle enters its base. Neurosurgical incisions, particularly at reoperation, should be drawn on the arterial map and previous scars; plastic and neurosurgical teams should share this rule.