Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. T...Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. This study assessed the effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the completion of SMHP project in Kisumu County, Kenya. More specifically, the study addressed two research questions： What is the relative importance of delayed payment of the contractor compared to other forms of contractual delays？ What is the perceived effect of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion？ A causal-comparative design was adopted and primary data sourced in May 2011 from 39 senior management staff of contractual parties. Relative importance index （RII） was used to determine the relative importance of perceived effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion; while Kendell＇s coefficient of concordance was applied to determine the degree of agreement among participants regarding their perceived effects of delayed payment. The study found that delayed payment of the contractor affected the project by causing： loss of productivity and efficiency （71.8%）; increase in time-related costs （71.8%）; re-scheduling and re-sequencing of works （69.2%）; extension of time and acceleration （69.2%）; as well as prevention of early completion （53.8%）. The study concludes that timely payment of contractors is crucial for ensuring the continuity of works and completion of infrastructural projects within time, budget, and quality specifications. The study recommends the need for appropriate mitigative measures against potential risks, such as delayed disbursement of funds by external financiers, delayed approval of contractors＇ payment requests, as well as community participation and involvement of civil society to influence accountability in the management of project funds and expedite disbursement of funds for subsequent project phases.展开更多
Financial pressure of multifactorial etiology promises to create new obstacles for academic anesthesia departments. Integrating the priorities of the academic and clinical mission of the anesthesia department, the med...Financial pressure of multifactorial etiology promises to create new obstacles for academic anesthesia departments. Integrating the priorities of the academic and clinical mission of the anesthesia department, the medical school, and the university hospital will require that anesthesia departments operate with maximal operational efficiency. Maintenance or expansion of institutional infrastructural support of the university anesthesia department will be necessary to achieve operational efficiencies, and to ensure that the safety of our patients is in no way compromised by financial concerns. Previous studies have documented increasing need for monetary institutional supports of academic anesthesia departments [1]. The purpose of this study is to delineate non-monetary institutional support afforded to academic anesthesia departments by their University Hospitals. After IRB approval, we electronically solicited the response to a 63 question survey (43 of which were used for the present study) from all 133 chairpersons of academic anesthesia departments in the United States. The remaining 20 questions were unrelated to the topics presented in this manuscript. 62 responded electronically, for an overall response rate of 46.6%. This study establishes the current state of infrastructural support afforded to academic anesthesia departments in the United States.展开更多
A number of studies conducted in Kenya </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">internationally indicate</span>...A number of studies conducted in Kenya </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">internationally indicate</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">d</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> that most of the construction firms and contractors do not seem to strictly observe safety administration in construction industry, hence compromised performance at implementation stage of projects and even later in the post implementation or post-delivery stage. The study aimed to examine the influence of contractors’ safety record on road performance. This is to create better understanding of how the safety record of contractors could either positively or negatively influence performance of roads during post-delivery stage. The study used both descriptive survey research design and correlation design based on a pragmatic mixed method approach. Through stratified sampling and proportionate sampling, a sample of 210 was drawn from a population of 460 comprising of registered contractors and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) drivers within Nairobi County in Kenya. Questionnaires were distributed using simple random sampling. The questionnaires returned were 153 in total representing 72.8% of all questionnaires distributed to the respondents. Data was descriptively analyzed using percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations for measuring central tendency and variability. Inferential analysis was done by use of correlation and regression. The descriptive analysis revealed that safety policy management system, insurance policy, and adequacy of standards in addressing safety outcome are to some extent practiced and adhered to. However, compliance behavior to safety procedures is still weak and requires improvement. The null hypothesis was tested and the results obtained from a simple linear regression indicated that, R = 0.657, R</span><sup><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana;">2</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> = 0.431, B = 0.359, t = 10.703, F (1,151) = 114.558, p = 0.000 < 0.05. This means that contractors’ safety record has a strong positive and significant relationship with road performance and that 43.1% of variation in performance is explained by safety record. This study recommends that contractors’ safety record should be part</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and parcel of the evaluation criteria used in selection of a suitable road contractor to ensure road performance is achieved even after construction is completed. The study is significant in that it contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical data on the need for safety procedures in urban road construction and beyond.展开更多
The enlargementof government’sinvestmentinto infrastructural construction is both a help medicinecuring economiccontraction and an effective measureto accumulatelong-termeconomicgrowth..How-ever,the investmentby fina...The enlargementof government’sinvestmentinto infrastructural construction is both a help medicinecuring economiccontraction and an effective measureto accumulatelong-termeconomicgrowth..How-ever,the investmentby finance into infrastructure also has a problemof optimization and reasonable selec-tion.In view of marketeconomicrequirements,the policy direction of financial investmentinto infrastruc-tural industries must be doing somethingat the expense of some other things.In the process of the adjust-mentand optimizationof economicstructure,state financial investmentinto infrastructural facilities has to first of all solve the problemof delimitating the best fields and selecting trades.As to the infrastructure facilities producingand selling pure public products,the developmentmust be madeby financial investment;As to the productionfields of subpublicproducts,finance should ensure reasonable investment;As to the in-frastructural facilities of pure privite production,finance should completely,in principle,pull out and let marketsupply.Onthis basis,selections should be madeon best capital soureces and investmentways.The capital sources should be mainly from tax and regulational incomeand direct investmentmay be made.As to the productionfields of most subpublicproduction,the best capital sources are national debt incomeand in-direct investmentmaybe made.In addition,the optimization of financial investmentinto infrastructural fa-cilities must reform the managerialsystem of infrastructural facilities and raise investmentefficiency.On-ly by scientifically selecting and arranging the financing ways and managerialsystem in investmentfields,can the maximumeconomicefficiency and social welfare results be realized in carrying out financial invest-mentinto infrastructural facilities. [展开更多
Cloud infrastructural resource optimization is the process of precisely selecting the allocating the correct resources either to a workload or application.When workload execution,accuracy,and cost are accurately stabi...Cloud infrastructural resource optimization is the process of precisely selecting the allocating the correct resources either to a workload or application.When workload execution,accuracy,and cost are accurately stabilized in opposition to the best possible framework in real-time,efficiency is attained.In addition,every workload or application required for the framework is characteristic and these essentials change over time.But,the existing method was failed to ensure the high Quality of Service(QoS).In order to address this issue,a Tricube Weighted Linear Regression-based Inter Quartile(TWLR-IQ)for Cloud Infrastructural Resource Optimization is introduced.A Tricube Weighted Linear Regression is presented in the proposed method to estimate the resources(i.e.,CPU,RAM,and network bandwidth utilization)based on the usage history in each cloud server.Then,Inter Quartile Range is applied to efficiently predict the overload hosts for ensuring a smooth migration.Experimental results show that our proposed method is better than the approach in Cloudsim under various performance metrics.The results clearly showed that the proposed method can reduce the energy consumption and provide a high level of commitment with ensuring the minimum number of Virtual Machine(VM)Migrations as compared to the state-of-the-art methods.展开更多
Infrastructure development in Nigeria has attracted the attention of researchers in view of the attitudes of contractors and government lead-lag role playing. These attitudes led to the enactment of Fiscal Responsibil...Infrastructure development in Nigeria has attracted the attention of researchers in view of the attitudes of contractors and government lead-lag role playing. These attitudes led to the enactment of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and Public Procurement Act 2007 to reduce internal control system deficiencies and budget indiscipline in the Nigerian public sector fiscal matters and procurement process. Ironically, despite these efforts, infrastructure development is still a problem affecting the lives of Nigerians as their poverty level is on the increase. This paper tests the effects of internal control system deficiency on contractors＇ capability in infrastructure development in the Nigerian public sector. Data drawn from a sample of 228 infrastructures were used for analysis. Two research questions on contractors＇ fiduciary obligation to government and capacity were analysed. Kendall＇s Tau-br correlation of coefficient and Chi-square X^2 statistics were employed for data analysis. Findings show that deficient internal control system strongly and directly breeds deficiency in the contractors＇ capability for infrastructure development. The paper recommends that oath of bribery should complement oath of secrecy to ensure that contractors and government agencies that are responsible for execution of infrastructure play to the rules of the ＂games＂, especially the provisions of Public Procurement Act 2007 and Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. Public-private-partnership-initiative, such as build-operate and transfer method of contracting, should be encouraged to improve on contractors＇ capability and stewardship.展开更多
This paper explores a fuzzy analytic network process(FANP)approach in identifying the content of manufacturing strategy infrastructural decisions that integrates sustainability and classical manufacturing strategy fra...This paper explores a fuzzy analytic network process(FANP)approach in identifying the content of manufacturing strategy infrastructural decisions that integrates sustainability and classical manufacturing strategy framework with firm size component.The findings are as follows:(1)firms must ensure highquality product requirements with a make-to-order production system;(2)large firms must prioritize decentralization of functional areas but they must also provide higher systems integration of all production-related information to mobilize better communication channels;(3)large firms must employ highly skilled human resources in order to provide strong support on functional areas;and(4)small and medium enterprises must focus on product introduction to the market as a strategy priority area.The main contribution of this paper is the decision-making framework under uncertainty that holistically identifies the decisions that comprise a sustainable manufacturing strategy which may serve as guidelines in improving existing sustainable manufacturing practices or in creating new ones.展开更多
Enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure(CI)systems has become a focal point of national and inter-national policies.However,the formulation of resilience enhancement strategies often requires component-(i....Enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure(CI)systems has become a focal point of national and inter-national policies.However,the formulation of resilience enhancement strategies often requires component-(i.e.asset-)level prioritization,which entails many complexities.Acknowledging the complex and interdependent nature of infrastructure systems,this paper aims to aid researchers,practitioners and policy-makers by pre-senting a review of the relative literature and current state-of-the-art,and by identifying future research op-portunities to improve the applicability and operationalizability of CI component identification and prioritization methods.Theoretical and practical applications are reviewed for definitions,analysis and modelling approaches regarding the resilience of interdependent infrastructure systems.A detailed review of infrastructure criticality definitions,component criticality assessment and prioritization frameworks,from scientific,policy and other documents,is presented.A discussion on social justice and equity dimensions therein is included,which have the potential to greatly influence decisions and should always be incorporated in infrastructure planning and in-vestment discussions.The findings of this review are discussed in terms of applicability and operationalizability.Key recommendations for future research include:(i)developing quantification frameworks for CI component criticality based on formal definitions and multiple criteria,(ii)incorporating the entire resilience cycle of CI in component prioritization,(iii)accounting for the socio-technical nature of CI systems by integrating social di-mensions and their wider operating environment and(iv)developing comprehensive model validation,cali-bration and uncertainty analysis frameworks.展开更多
Habitat loss driven by land-use change is a major factor shaping the dynamics of urban bird community structures.However,the potential mechanisms by which the spatial configuration and composition of blue-green infras...Habitat loss driven by land-use change is a major factor shaping the dynamics of urban bird community structures.However,the potential mechanisms by which the spatial configuration and composition of blue-green infrastructure,recognized as biodiversity hotspots in urban landscapes,influence urban bird beta diversity remain insufficiently understood.This study was conducted in the built-up area of Yinchuan,an internationally recognized wetland city in Northwest China.From December 2023 to June 2024,we systematically surveyed bird communities during both the breeding and wintering periods across 29 blue-green space mosaics.We quantified taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity,along with their turnover component and nestedness-resultant component,based on both pairwise beta diversity and multiple-site beta diversity.We further assessed the relative importance of landscape variables and spatial geographic distance in shaping beta diversity patterns and used hierarchical modeling of species communities(HMSC)to explore the responses of bird occurrence and functional traits to landscape variables.Our results revealed that species turnover was the dominant driver of taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity.Seasonal differences were observed in the effects of spatial geographic distance and landscape structure on beta diversity and its components,with landscape variables showing higher explanatory power than geographic isolation.In the breeding period,landscape diversity and waterbody area had positive effects on bird occurrence,whereas in the wintering period,most landscape features—except for landscape diversity—exerted neutral or negative influences.Regarding functional traits,we found that reproductive traits,flight ability,and foraging characteristics responded significantly to landscape structure,and that some small-bodied species active in aerial and canopy layers were more adaptable to habitat fragmentation.This study provides novel insights into the assembly processes and driving mechanisms of urban bird communities and offers scientific support for the notion that designing and maintaining blue-green infrastructure can contribute to urban biodiversity conservation.展开更多
In April 2016,a moment magnitude(Mw)7.8 earthquake struck near Muisne(Pedernales),Ecuador,causing 671 fatalities,displacing>30,000 people,and generating approximately USD 3.6 billion in economic losses that severel...In April 2016,a moment magnitude(Mw)7.8 earthquake struck near Muisne(Pedernales),Ecuador,causing 671 fatalities,displacing>30,000 people,and generating approximately USD 3.6 billion in economic losses that severely impacted the coastal province of Manabí.Nine years later,the recovery trajectory of its principal urban centers-Pedernales,Manta,Portoviejo,and Chone-offers a critical perspective to assess adaptive resilience in earthquake-prone coastal cities of Latin America.This study conducts a regional assessment of post-earthquake recovery using the 4Rs resilience framework-robustness,redundancy,resourcefulness,and rapidity-applied across housing,health,education,infrastructure,and economic sectors.Official reports,statistical databases,and field validations collected between 2016 and 2025 provide the basis for documenting both progress and persistent challenges.The findings indicate that robustness improved with the enforcement of the Ecuadorian seismic code NEC-15 and the adoption of advanced technologies such as base isolation and supplemental damping in hospitals and high-rise buildings.Redundancy expanded selectively,being stronger in healthcare yet limited in housing and utilities.Resourcefulness varied across cities:municipal leadership and civic oversight in Manta and Portoviejo facilitated adaptive recovery,whereas Pedernales and Chone remained dependent on central agencies.Rapidity was similarly uneven;lifeline services were restored promptly,but complex projects-including hospitals,sewer systems,and residential complexes-faced delays of five to nine years.Structural assessments of 97 buildings revealed that nearly half remain without reinforcement,with recurrent deficiencies such as soft-story mecha-nisms,brittle masonry infill,and reinforcement corrosion sustaining latent seismic risk.Governance fragmen-tation,equity gaps,and insufficient monitoring thus emerged as critical barriers,underscoring the need for integrated governance,community participation,and AI-enabled monitoring to strengthen long-term disaster recovery in coastal cities.展开更多
The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.It also marks the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.At this pivotal...The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.It also marks the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.At this pivotal juncture linking past achievements with future development,Wang Yi,member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and foreign minister,continued the longstanding diplomatic tradition under which the Chinese foreign minister makes Africa the destination of the first overseas visit of the year,a practice upheld for 36 consecutive years,underscoring the stability,continuity and sincerity of China’s policy towards Africa.展开更多
Structural Health Monitoring(SHM)plays a critical role in ensuring the safety,integrity,longevity and economic efficiency of civil infrastructures.The field has undergone a profound transformation over the last few de...Structural Health Monitoring(SHM)plays a critical role in ensuring the safety,integrity,longevity and economic efficiency of civil infrastructures.The field has undergone a profound transformation over the last few decades,evolving from traditional methods—often reliant on visual inspections—to data-driven intelligent systems.This review paper analyzes this historical trajectory,beginning with the approaches that relied on modal parameters as primary damage indicators.The advent of advanced sensor technologies and increased computational power brings a significant change,making Machine Learning(ML)a viable and powerful tool for damage assessment.More recently,Deep Learning(DL)has emerged as a paradigm shift,allowing for more automated processing of large data sets(such as the structural vibration signals and other types of sensors)with excellent performance and accuracy,often surpassing previous methods.This paper systematically reviews these technological milestones—from traditional vibration-based methods to the current state-of-the-art in deep learning.Finally,it critically examines emerging trends—such as Digital Twins and Transformer-based architectures—and discusses future research directions that will shape the next generation of SHM systems for civil engineering.展开更多
The integration of large-scale foundation models(e.g.,GPT series and AlphaFold)into oncology is fundamentally transforming both research methodologies and clinical practices,driven by unprecedented advancements in com...The integration of large-scale foundation models(e.g.,GPT series and AlphaFold)into oncology is fundamentally transforming both research methodologies and clinical practices,driven by unprecedented advancements in computational power.This review synthesizes recent progress in the application of large language models to core oncological tasks,including medical imaging analysis,genomic interpretation,and personalized treatment planning.Underpinned by advanced computational infrastructures,such as graphics processing unit/tensor processing unit clusters,heterogeneous computing,and cloud platforms,these models enable superior representation learning and generalization across multimodal data sources.This review examines how these infrastructures overcome key bottlenecks in intelligent oncology through scalable optimization strategies,including mixed-precision training,memory optimization,and heterogeneous computing.Alongside these technical advancements,the review explores pressing challenges,such as data heterogeneity,limited model interpretability,regulatory uncertainties,and the environmental impact of artificial intelligence(AI)systems.Special emphasis is placed on emerging solutions,encompassing green AI and edge computing,which offer promising approaches for low-resource deployment scenarios.Additionally,the review highlights the critical role of interdisciplinary collaboration among oncology,computer science,ethics,and policy to ensure that AI systems are not only powerful but also transparent,safe,and clinically relevant.Finally,the review outlines potential avenues for future research aimed at developing robust,scalable,and human-centered frameworks for intelligent oncology.展开更多
Highways are a vital component of global transportation infrastructure,but their environmental impact,particularly in terms of carbon emissions,poses significant challenges to achieving global sustainability and clima...Highways are a vital component of global transportation infrastructure,but their environmental impact,particularly in terms of carbon emissions,poses significant challenges to achieving global sustainability and climate goals.This literature review discusses the new area of low-carbon highways,including next-generation construction technologies and near-zero carbon operation strategies.It discusses the purpose of innovative materials,such as low-carbon cements,recycled asphalt,and geopolymers,and intelligent infrastructure solutions,including intelligent traffic control and electric vehicle charging systems.The article also explores the significance of Lifecycle Assessment(LCA)and carbon accounting in the measurement and minimization of the carbon footprint of highways.Even though a lot of progress has been made,there are still several technical,economic,and regulatory obstacles,among which are the prohibitive initial cost of low-carbon technologies and the non-standardization of policies.The future outlook indicates that to alleviate these challenges,a coordinated effort among the research,policy,industry,and communities is necessary.Low-carbon highways can help to have a robust,sustainable transport system that meets global climate goals by incorporating sustainable processes in highway design,construction,and operation.展开更多
As an Indian journalist who has lived and worked in China for more than a decade,I have witnessed firsthand the astounding pace of China’s urban transformation-high-speed rail networks linking megacities,digital paym...As an Indian journalist who has lived and worked in China for more than a decade,I have witnessed firsthand the astounding pace of China’s urban transformation-high-speed rail networks linking megacities,digital payment systems reshaping daily life,smart manufacturing emerging across industrial zones,and modern infrastructure spreading nationwide.Yet,my recent eight-day media tour to Zhejiang Province o!ered a new and deeply thought-provoking perspective.展开更多
Against the backdrop of accelerated development of new forms of trade,the question of whether rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce(CBEC)can help to reduce carbon emissions among Chinese enterprises is of great s...Against the backdrop of accelerated development of new forms of trade,the question of whether rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce(CBEC)can help to reduce carbon emissions among Chinese enterprises is of great significance for seizing new opportunities in foreign trade,and advancing firms’green and low-carbon transformation.This study treats the creation of CBEC pilot zones as a quasi-natural experiment,employing panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies matched with city-level information from 2006 to 2021.We construct a multi-period difference-in-differences model to identify the impact of CBEC pilot zone policy on corporate carbon emissions.Our findings indicate the construction of these pilot zones significantly reduces firms’carbon emissions intensity,and the results are robust across multiple tests.We show the pilot zone initiative contributes to emission reductions by enhancing the adoption of digital infrastructure,promoting green technological innovation,and increasing environmental awareness among enterprises.Quantile regressions reveal pilot zones exert a more pronounced carbon-reduction effect on firms characterized by high carbon emissions intensity and advanced levels of digital transformation.Moreover,the policy effect is especially significant in heavily polluting industries,and regions with weaker governmental environmental regulations or lower public environmental concerns.This study makes an innovative contribution to the literature by empirically verifying the environmental governance effect of establishing CBEC pilot zones,and offers practical guidance for governments in formulating cross-border e-commerce policies and for enterprises pursuing low carbon development.展开更多
Zero-day attacks present a critical cybersecurity challenge for Internet of things(IoT)infrastructures,where the inability of signature-based intrusion detection systems(IDSs)to recognize novel threat behaviors compro...Zero-day attacks present a critical cybersecurity challenge for Internet of things(IoT)infrastructures,where the inability of signature-based intrusion detection systems(IDSs)to recognize novel threat behaviors compromises both system reliability and operational continuity.Existing hybrid IDS solutions often struggle to balance accurate classification of known attacks with reliable anomaly detection,particularly under the computational constraints of IoT environments.To address this gap,we introduce ZeroDefense,an adaptive fusion-based IDS designed for simultaneous detection of known intrusions and emerging zero-day threats.The framework employs a four-layer architecture consisting of i)feature standardization and class balancing,ii)anomaly detection using isolation forest,autoencoder,and local outlier factor,iii)fine-grained attack classification via random forest,extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost),light gradient boosting machine(LightGBM),and attentive interpretable tabular learning(TabNet),and iv)a confidence-aware fusion engine that adaptively selects the most reliable decision path.Suspicious or previously unseen traffic is isolated early through fused anomaly scoring,while benign and known-malicious flows are processed through supervised classification for precise attack labeling.With an anomaly cascaded decision pipeline,a dynamic confidence-driven fusion mechanism,and a deploymentconscious design,ZeroDefense enables real-time inference on IoT edge gateways.Evaluation on the CICIoT2023 benchmark demonstrates 99.94% overall accuracy and 95.64%macro-average F1-score for known attacks,while 5.76% of traffic is successfully flagged as potential zero-day activity,with inference latency maintained below 100 ms/flow.These results indicate that ZeroDefense offers a scalable,resilient,and practically deployable defense capability for modern IoT infrastructures.展开更多
Purpose-This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Brazilian freight railway system,examining the efficacy of the current concession renewal model in light of persistent structural problems such as market con...Purpose-This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Brazilian freight railway system,examining the efficacy of the current concession renewal model in light of persistent structural problems such as market concentration,cargo dependence on export commodities and underutilization of the network.Situating Brazil within the broader international debate on railway reforms,the paper evaluates whether the ongoing early renewal of concessions can deliver a more diversified and competitive freight system.Design/methodology/approach-The study adopts a sequential mixed-methods research design that integrates longitudinal quantitative analysis with qualitative institutional and policy evaluation.The quantitative component examines time-series indicators published by ANTT,DNIT and INFRA S.A.from 1999 to 2023 to identify structural patterns in traffic growth,investment,safety and market concentration.The qualitative component employs a process-tracing logic to reconstruct the evolution of concession renewals and the implementation of Railway Law 14.273/2021,drawing on concepts from regulatory economics,institutional theory and industrial organization.These empirical streams are synthesized through an analytical framework that connects three dimensions-regulatory design,market structure and system performance-allowing for a systematic assessment of how Brazil’s institutional configuration shapes incentives,competitive dynamics and network utilization.Findings-The analysis confirms that the early renewal of concessions has successfully secured substantial private investment for capacity expansion on existing trunk lines.However,it has perpetuated the vertically integrated model,reinforcing the market power of incumbent operators and failing to significantly promote intramodal competition or cargo diversification.The system remains dominated by iron ore and agricultural commodities,with general cargo representing a minuscule share.The new authorization regime and short-line railway policies present a viable pathway for market opening but face significant operational and institutional barriers to implementation.Originality/value-This research offers a timely and critical assessment of a pivotal moment in Brazilian railway policy.It moves beyond a simplistic evaluation of volume growth to a structural analysis of market failures and the interplay between concession renewal and regulatory innovation.The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers in Brazil and other emerging economies seeking to balance private investment with public interest goals in railway infrastructure,highlighting the necessity of complementary,pro-competitive measures alongside financial investment.展开更多
In a first for the African continent,Senegal will host the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games(YOG)from 31 October to 13 November.The Dakar 2026 YOG carry a strong symbolic ambition,embodied by their motto“Africa welcomes...In a first for the African continent,Senegal will host the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games(YOG)from 31 October to 13 November.The Dakar 2026 YOG carry a strong symbolic ambition,embodied by their motto“Africa welcomes,Dakar celebrates.”Host Senegal sees the event as a catalyst for its influence,the modernisation of its infrastructure,and the mobilisation of its youth.展开更多
文摘Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. This study assessed the effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the completion of SMHP project in Kisumu County, Kenya. More specifically, the study addressed two research questions： What is the relative importance of delayed payment of the contractor compared to other forms of contractual delays？ What is the perceived effect of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion？ A causal-comparative design was adopted and primary data sourced in May 2011 from 39 senior management staff of contractual parties. Relative importance index （RII） was used to determine the relative importance of perceived effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion; while Kendell＇s coefficient of concordance was applied to determine the degree of agreement among participants regarding their perceived effects of delayed payment. The study found that delayed payment of the contractor affected the project by causing： loss of productivity and efficiency （71.8%）; increase in time-related costs （71.8%）; re-scheduling and re-sequencing of works （69.2%）; extension of time and acceleration （69.2%）; as well as prevention of early completion （53.8%）. The study concludes that timely payment of contractors is crucial for ensuring the continuity of works and completion of infrastructural projects within time, budget, and quality specifications. The study recommends the need for appropriate mitigative measures against potential risks, such as delayed disbursement of funds by external financiers, delayed approval of contractors＇ payment requests, as well as community participation and involvement of civil society to influence accountability in the management of project funds and expedite disbursement of funds for subsequent project phases.
文摘Financial pressure of multifactorial etiology promises to create new obstacles for academic anesthesia departments. Integrating the priorities of the academic and clinical mission of the anesthesia department, the medical school, and the university hospital will require that anesthesia departments operate with maximal operational efficiency. Maintenance or expansion of institutional infrastructural support of the university anesthesia department will be necessary to achieve operational efficiencies, and to ensure that the safety of our patients is in no way compromised by financial concerns. Previous studies have documented increasing need for monetary institutional supports of academic anesthesia departments [1]. The purpose of this study is to delineate non-monetary institutional support afforded to academic anesthesia departments by their University Hospitals. After IRB approval, we electronically solicited the response to a 63 question survey (43 of which were used for the present study) from all 133 chairpersons of academic anesthesia departments in the United States. The remaining 20 questions were unrelated to the topics presented in this manuscript. 62 responded electronically, for an overall response rate of 46.6%. This study establishes the current state of infrastructural support afforded to academic anesthesia departments in the United States.
文摘A number of studies conducted in Kenya </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">internationally indicate</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">d</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> that most of the construction firms and contractors do not seem to strictly observe safety administration in construction industry, hence compromised performance at implementation stage of projects and even later in the post implementation or post-delivery stage. The study aimed to examine the influence of contractors’ safety record on road performance. This is to create better understanding of how the safety record of contractors could either positively or negatively influence performance of roads during post-delivery stage. The study used both descriptive survey research design and correlation design based on a pragmatic mixed method approach. Through stratified sampling and proportionate sampling, a sample of 210 was drawn from a population of 460 comprising of registered contractors and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) drivers within Nairobi County in Kenya. Questionnaires were distributed using simple random sampling. The questionnaires returned were 153 in total representing 72.8% of all questionnaires distributed to the respondents. Data was descriptively analyzed using percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations for measuring central tendency and variability. Inferential analysis was done by use of correlation and regression. The descriptive analysis revealed that safety policy management system, insurance policy, and adequacy of standards in addressing safety outcome are to some extent practiced and adhered to. However, compliance behavior to safety procedures is still weak and requires improvement. The null hypothesis was tested and the results obtained from a simple linear regression indicated that, R = 0.657, R</span><sup><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana;">2</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> = 0.431, B = 0.359, t = 10.703, F (1,151) = 114.558, p = 0.000 < 0.05. This means that contractors’ safety record has a strong positive and significant relationship with road performance and that 43.1% of variation in performance is explained by safety record. This study recommends that contractors’ safety record should be part</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and parcel of the evaluation criteria used in selection of a suitable road contractor to ensure road performance is achieved even after construction is completed. The study is significant in that it contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical data on the need for safety procedures in urban road construction and beyond.
文摘The enlargementof government’sinvestmentinto infrastructural construction is both a help medicinecuring economiccontraction and an effective measureto accumulatelong-termeconomicgrowth..How-ever,the investmentby finance into infrastructure also has a problemof optimization and reasonable selec-tion.In view of marketeconomicrequirements,the policy direction of financial investmentinto infrastruc-tural industries must be doing somethingat the expense of some other things.In the process of the adjust-mentand optimizationof economicstructure,state financial investmentinto infrastructural facilities has to first of all solve the problemof delimitating the best fields and selecting trades.As to the infrastructure facilities producingand selling pure public products,the developmentmust be madeby financial investment;As to the productionfields of subpublicproducts,finance should ensure reasonable investment;As to the in-frastructural facilities of pure privite production,finance should completely,in principle,pull out and let marketsupply.Onthis basis,selections should be madeon best capital soureces and investmentways.The capital sources should be mainly from tax and regulational incomeand direct investmentmay be made.As to the productionfields of most subpublicproduction,the best capital sources are national debt incomeand in-direct investmentmaybe made.In addition,the optimization of financial investmentinto infrastructural fa-cilities must reform the managerialsystem of infrastructural facilities and raise investmentefficiency.On-ly by scientifically selecting and arranging the financing ways and managerialsystem in investmentfields,can the maximumeconomicefficiency and social welfare results be realized in carrying out financial invest-mentinto infrastructural facilities. [
文摘Cloud infrastructural resource optimization is the process of precisely selecting the allocating the correct resources either to a workload or application.When workload execution,accuracy,and cost are accurately stabilized in opposition to the best possible framework in real-time,efficiency is attained.In addition,every workload or application required for the framework is characteristic and these essentials change over time.But,the existing method was failed to ensure the high Quality of Service(QoS).In order to address this issue,a Tricube Weighted Linear Regression-based Inter Quartile(TWLR-IQ)for Cloud Infrastructural Resource Optimization is introduced.A Tricube Weighted Linear Regression is presented in the proposed method to estimate the resources(i.e.,CPU,RAM,and network bandwidth utilization)based on the usage history in each cloud server.Then,Inter Quartile Range is applied to efficiently predict the overload hosts for ensuring a smooth migration.Experimental results show that our proposed method is better than the approach in Cloudsim under various performance metrics.The results clearly showed that the proposed method can reduce the energy consumption and provide a high level of commitment with ensuring the minimum number of Virtual Machine(VM)Migrations as compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
文摘Infrastructure development in Nigeria has attracted the attention of researchers in view of the attitudes of contractors and government lead-lag role playing. These attitudes led to the enactment of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and Public Procurement Act 2007 to reduce internal control system deficiencies and budget indiscipline in the Nigerian public sector fiscal matters and procurement process. Ironically, despite these efforts, infrastructure development is still a problem affecting the lives of Nigerians as their poverty level is on the increase. This paper tests the effects of internal control system deficiency on contractors＇ capability in infrastructure development in the Nigerian public sector. Data drawn from a sample of 228 infrastructures were used for analysis. Two research questions on contractors＇ fiduciary obligation to government and capacity were analysed. Kendall＇s Tau-br correlation of coefficient and Chi-square X^2 statistics were employed for data analysis. Findings show that deficient internal control system strongly and directly breeds deficiency in the contractors＇ capability for infrastructure development. The paper recommends that oath of bribery should complement oath of secrecy to ensure that contractors and government agencies that are responsible for execution of infrastructure play to the rules of the ＂games＂, especially the provisions of Public Procurement Act 2007 and Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. Public-private-partnership-initiative, such as build-operate and transfer method of contracting, should be encouraged to improve on contractors＇ capability and stewardship.
基金The support provided by the University of San Carlos in terms of resource use is also recognized.
文摘This paper explores a fuzzy analytic network process(FANP)approach in identifying the content of manufacturing strategy infrastructural decisions that integrates sustainability and classical manufacturing strategy framework with firm size component.The findings are as follows:(1)firms must ensure highquality product requirements with a make-to-order production system;(2)large firms must prioritize decentralization of functional areas but they must also provide higher systems integration of all production-related information to mobilize better communication channels;(3)large firms must employ highly skilled human resources in order to provide strong support on functional areas;and(4)small and medium enterprises must focus on product introduction to the market as a strategy priority area.The main contribution of this paper is the decision-making framework under uncertainty that holistically identifies the decisions that comprise a sustainable manufacturing strategy which may serve as guidelines in improving existing sustainable manufacturing practices or in creating new ones.
基金supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.101037424.
文摘Enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure(CI)systems has become a focal point of national and inter-national policies.However,the formulation of resilience enhancement strategies often requires component-(i.e.asset-)level prioritization,which entails many complexities.Acknowledging the complex and interdependent nature of infrastructure systems,this paper aims to aid researchers,practitioners and policy-makers by pre-senting a review of the relative literature and current state-of-the-art,and by identifying future research op-portunities to improve the applicability and operationalizability of CI component identification and prioritization methods.Theoretical and practical applications are reviewed for definitions,analysis and modelling approaches regarding the resilience of interdependent infrastructure systems.A detailed review of infrastructure criticality definitions,component criticality assessment and prioritization frameworks,from scientific,policy and other documents,is presented.A discussion on social justice and equity dimensions therein is included,which have the potential to greatly influence decisions and should always be incorporated in infrastructure planning and in-vestment discussions.The findings of this review are discussed in terms of applicability and operationalizability.Key recommendations for future research include:(i)developing quantification frameworks for CI component criticality based on formal definitions and multiple criteria,(ii)incorporating the entire resilience cycle of CI in component prioritization,(iii)accounting for the socio-technical nature of CI systems by integrating social di-mensions and their wider operating environment and(iv)developing comprehensive model validation,cali-bration and uncertainty analysis frameworks.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32401409)the Central Government’s Special Fund for National Key Protected Wildlife Conservation Projects in Yinchuan City(HXCG-ZC2023148,XZ-2024-16)。
文摘Habitat loss driven by land-use change is a major factor shaping the dynamics of urban bird community structures.However,the potential mechanisms by which the spatial configuration and composition of blue-green infrastructure,recognized as biodiversity hotspots in urban landscapes,influence urban bird beta diversity remain insufficiently understood.This study was conducted in the built-up area of Yinchuan,an internationally recognized wetland city in Northwest China.From December 2023 to June 2024,we systematically surveyed bird communities during both the breeding and wintering periods across 29 blue-green space mosaics.We quantified taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity,along with their turnover component and nestedness-resultant component,based on both pairwise beta diversity and multiple-site beta diversity.We further assessed the relative importance of landscape variables and spatial geographic distance in shaping beta diversity patterns and used hierarchical modeling of species communities(HMSC)to explore the responses of bird occurrence and functional traits to landscape variables.Our results revealed that species turnover was the dominant driver of taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity.Seasonal differences were observed in the effects of spatial geographic distance and landscape structure on beta diversity and its components,with landscape variables showing higher explanatory power than geographic isolation.In the breeding period,landscape diversity and waterbody area had positive effects on bird occurrence,whereas in the wintering period,most landscape features—except for landscape diversity—exerted neutral or negative influences.Regarding functional traits,we found that reproductive traits,flight ability,and foraging characteristics responded significantly to landscape structure,and that some small-bodied species active in aerial and canopy layers were more adaptable to habitat fragmentation.This study provides novel insights into the assembly processes and driving mechanisms of urban bird communities and offers scientific support for the notion that designing and maintaining blue-green infrastructure can contribute to urban biodiversity conservation.
基金funded by the Chilean National Agency for Research and Development(ANID)through the Beca de Doctorado Nacional 21220089.
文摘In April 2016,a moment magnitude(Mw)7.8 earthquake struck near Muisne(Pedernales),Ecuador,causing 671 fatalities,displacing>30,000 people,and generating approximately USD 3.6 billion in economic losses that severely impacted the coastal province of Manabí.Nine years later,the recovery trajectory of its principal urban centers-Pedernales,Manta,Portoviejo,and Chone-offers a critical perspective to assess adaptive resilience in earthquake-prone coastal cities of Latin America.This study conducts a regional assessment of post-earthquake recovery using the 4Rs resilience framework-robustness,redundancy,resourcefulness,and rapidity-applied across housing,health,education,infrastructure,and economic sectors.Official reports,statistical databases,and field validations collected between 2016 and 2025 provide the basis for documenting both progress and persistent challenges.The findings indicate that robustness improved with the enforcement of the Ecuadorian seismic code NEC-15 and the adoption of advanced technologies such as base isolation and supplemental damping in hospitals and high-rise buildings.Redundancy expanded selectively,being stronger in healthcare yet limited in housing and utilities.Resourcefulness varied across cities:municipal leadership and civic oversight in Manta and Portoviejo facilitated adaptive recovery,whereas Pedernales and Chone remained dependent on central agencies.Rapidity was similarly uneven;lifeline services were restored promptly,but complex projects-including hospitals,sewer systems,and residential complexes-faced delays of five to nine years.Structural assessments of 97 buildings revealed that nearly half remain without reinforcement,with recurrent deficiencies such as soft-story mecha-nisms,brittle masonry infill,and reinforcement corrosion sustaining latent seismic risk.Governance fragmen-tation,equity gaps,and insufficient monitoring thus emerged as critical barriers,underscoring the need for integrated governance,community participation,and AI-enabled monitoring to strengthen long-term disaster recovery in coastal cities.
文摘The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.It also marks the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.At this pivotal juncture linking past achievements with future development,Wang Yi,member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and foreign minister,continued the longstanding diplomatic tradition under which the Chinese foreign minister makes Africa the destination of the first overseas visit of the year,a practice upheld for 36 consecutive years,underscoring the stability,continuity and sincerity of China’s policy towards Africa.
基金The authors would like to thank CNPq(Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico)—grants 407256/2022-9,303550/2025-2,402533/2023-2 and 303982/2022-5FAPEMIG(Fundação de AmparoàPesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais)—grants APQ-00032-24 and APD-01113-25 for their financial support.
文摘Structural Health Monitoring(SHM)plays a critical role in ensuring the safety,integrity,longevity and economic efficiency of civil infrastructures.The field has undergone a profound transformation over the last few decades,evolving from traditional methods—often reliant on visual inspections—to data-driven intelligent systems.This review paper analyzes this historical trajectory,beginning with the approaches that relied on modal parameters as primary damage indicators.The advent of advanced sensor technologies and increased computational power brings a significant change,making Machine Learning(ML)a viable and powerful tool for damage assessment.More recently,Deep Learning(DL)has emerged as a paradigm shift,allowing for more automated processing of large data sets(such as the structural vibration signals and other types of sensors)with excellent performance and accuracy,often surpassing previous methods.This paper systematically reviews these technological milestones—from traditional vibration-based methods to the current state-of-the-art in deep learning.Finally,it critically examines emerging trends—such as Digital Twins and Transformer-based architectures—and discusses future research directions that will shape the next generation of SHM systems for civil engineering.
文摘The integration of large-scale foundation models(e.g.,GPT series and AlphaFold)into oncology is fundamentally transforming both research methodologies and clinical practices,driven by unprecedented advancements in computational power.This review synthesizes recent progress in the application of large language models to core oncological tasks,including medical imaging analysis,genomic interpretation,and personalized treatment planning.Underpinned by advanced computational infrastructures,such as graphics processing unit/tensor processing unit clusters,heterogeneous computing,and cloud platforms,these models enable superior representation learning and generalization across multimodal data sources.This review examines how these infrastructures overcome key bottlenecks in intelligent oncology through scalable optimization strategies,including mixed-precision training,memory optimization,and heterogeneous computing.Alongside these technical advancements,the review explores pressing challenges,such as data heterogeneity,limited model interpretability,regulatory uncertainties,and the environmental impact of artificial intelligence(AI)systems.Special emphasis is placed on emerging solutions,encompassing green AI and edge computing,which offer promising approaches for low-resource deployment scenarios.Additionally,the review highlights the critical role of interdisciplinary collaboration among oncology,computer science,ethics,and policy to ensure that AI systems are not only powerful but also transparent,safe,and clinically relevant.Finally,the review outlines potential avenues for future research aimed at developing robust,scalable,and human-centered frameworks for intelligent oncology.
文摘Highways are a vital component of global transportation infrastructure,but their environmental impact,particularly in terms of carbon emissions,poses significant challenges to achieving global sustainability and climate goals.This literature review discusses the new area of low-carbon highways,including next-generation construction technologies and near-zero carbon operation strategies.It discusses the purpose of innovative materials,such as low-carbon cements,recycled asphalt,and geopolymers,and intelligent infrastructure solutions,including intelligent traffic control and electric vehicle charging systems.The article also explores the significance of Lifecycle Assessment(LCA)and carbon accounting in the measurement and minimization of the carbon footprint of highways.Even though a lot of progress has been made,there are still several technical,economic,and regulatory obstacles,among which are the prohibitive initial cost of low-carbon technologies and the non-standardization of policies.The future outlook indicates that to alleviate these challenges,a coordinated effort among the research,policy,industry,and communities is necessary.Low-carbon highways can help to have a robust,sustainable transport system that meets global climate goals by incorporating sustainable processes in highway design,construction,and operation.
文摘As an Indian journalist who has lived and worked in China for more than a decade,I have witnessed firsthand the astounding pace of China’s urban transformation-high-speed rail networks linking megacities,digital payment systems reshaping daily life,smart manufacturing emerging across industrial zones,and modern infrastructure spreading nationwide.Yet,my recent eight-day media tour to Zhejiang Province o!ered a new and deeply thought-provoking perspective.
基金support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[Grant No.72204202]2025 Annual Research Program of the China Society for Commercial Statistics[Grant No.2025STY10]General Project of Philosophy Society in Jiangsu Province Universities[Grant Nos.2023SJYB0923 and 2025SJYB0708].
文摘Against the backdrop of accelerated development of new forms of trade,the question of whether rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce(CBEC)can help to reduce carbon emissions among Chinese enterprises is of great significance for seizing new opportunities in foreign trade,and advancing firms’green and low-carbon transformation.This study treats the creation of CBEC pilot zones as a quasi-natural experiment,employing panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies matched with city-level information from 2006 to 2021.We construct a multi-period difference-in-differences model to identify the impact of CBEC pilot zone policy on corporate carbon emissions.Our findings indicate the construction of these pilot zones significantly reduces firms’carbon emissions intensity,and the results are robust across multiple tests.We show the pilot zone initiative contributes to emission reductions by enhancing the adoption of digital infrastructure,promoting green technological innovation,and increasing environmental awareness among enterprises.Quantile regressions reveal pilot zones exert a more pronounced carbon-reduction effect on firms characterized by high carbon emissions intensity and advanced levels of digital transformation.Moreover,the policy effect is especially significant in heavily polluting industries,and regions with weaker governmental environmental regulations or lower public environmental concerns.This study makes an innovative contribution to the literature by empirically verifying the environmental governance effect of establishing CBEC pilot zones,and offers practical guidance for governments in formulating cross-border e-commerce policies and for enterprises pursuing low carbon development.
文摘Zero-day attacks present a critical cybersecurity challenge for Internet of things(IoT)infrastructures,where the inability of signature-based intrusion detection systems(IDSs)to recognize novel threat behaviors compromises both system reliability and operational continuity.Existing hybrid IDS solutions often struggle to balance accurate classification of known attacks with reliable anomaly detection,particularly under the computational constraints of IoT environments.To address this gap,we introduce ZeroDefense,an adaptive fusion-based IDS designed for simultaneous detection of known intrusions and emerging zero-day threats.The framework employs a four-layer architecture consisting of i)feature standardization and class balancing,ii)anomaly detection using isolation forest,autoencoder,and local outlier factor,iii)fine-grained attack classification via random forest,extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost),light gradient boosting machine(LightGBM),and attentive interpretable tabular learning(TabNet),and iv)a confidence-aware fusion engine that adaptively selects the most reliable decision path.Suspicious or previously unseen traffic is isolated early through fused anomaly scoring,while benign and known-malicious flows are processed through supervised classification for precise attack labeling.With an anomaly cascaded decision pipeline,a dynamic confidence-driven fusion mechanism,and a deploymentconscious design,ZeroDefense enables real-time inference on IoT edge gateways.Evaluation on the CICIoT2023 benchmark demonstrates 99.94% overall accuracy and 95.64%macro-average F1-score for known attacks,while 5.76% of traffic is successfully flagged as potential zero-day activity,with inference latency maintained below 100 ms/flow.These results indicate that ZeroDefense offers a scalable,resilient,and practically deployable defense capability for modern IoT infrastructures.
文摘Purpose-This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Brazilian freight railway system,examining the efficacy of the current concession renewal model in light of persistent structural problems such as market concentration,cargo dependence on export commodities and underutilization of the network.Situating Brazil within the broader international debate on railway reforms,the paper evaluates whether the ongoing early renewal of concessions can deliver a more diversified and competitive freight system.Design/methodology/approach-The study adopts a sequential mixed-methods research design that integrates longitudinal quantitative analysis with qualitative institutional and policy evaluation.The quantitative component examines time-series indicators published by ANTT,DNIT and INFRA S.A.from 1999 to 2023 to identify structural patterns in traffic growth,investment,safety and market concentration.The qualitative component employs a process-tracing logic to reconstruct the evolution of concession renewals and the implementation of Railway Law 14.273/2021,drawing on concepts from regulatory economics,institutional theory and industrial organization.These empirical streams are synthesized through an analytical framework that connects three dimensions-regulatory design,market structure and system performance-allowing for a systematic assessment of how Brazil’s institutional configuration shapes incentives,competitive dynamics and network utilization.Findings-The analysis confirms that the early renewal of concessions has successfully secured substantial private investment for capacity expansion on existing trunk lines.However,it has perpetuated the vertically integrated model,reinforcing the market power of incumbent operators and failing to significantly promote intramodal competition or cargo diversification.The system remains dominated by iron ore and agricultural commodities,with general cargo representing a minuscule share.The new authorization regime and short-line railway policies present a viable pathway for market opening but face significant operational and institutional barriers to implementation.Originality/value-This research offers a timely and critical assessment of a pivotal moment in Brazilian railway policy.It moves beyond a simplistic evaluation of volume growth to a structural analysis of market failures and the interplay between concession renewal and regulatory innovation.The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers in Brazil and other emerging economies seeking to balance private investment with public interest goals in railway infrastructure,highlighting the necessity of complementary,pro-competitive measures alongside financial investment.
文摘In a first for the African continent,Senegal will host the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games(YOG)from 31 October to 13 November.The Dakar 2026 YOG carry a strong symbolic ambition,embodied by their motto“Africa welcomes,Dakar celebrates.”Host Senegal sees the event as a catalyst for its influence,the modernisation of its infrastructure,and the mobilisation of its youth.
