Architects Council of Europe

An integrated framework is introduced and applied to assess the health impact of airborne pollution with greater physiological relevance, moving beyond conventional exposure metrics. Measured particle number size distribution data was integrated with a regional respiratory tract deposition fractions to estimate total and alveolar deposited particle surface area concentrations. Land use regression modeling, combined with randomized commuting patterns, enabled the evaluation of city-specific alveolar surface area deposition doses, providing new insight into localized average exposure and its implications for public health. The results showed that although the mean street-level air pollution in Lithuania is higher than in other European cities, the urban background levels are on the same level. We found that the total respiratory deposited surface area concentration is up to 18-fold higher due to coarse particles, which also determines alveolar deposited particle surface area dose. Our findings advocate for using integrated pollution assessments and region-specific policies rather than broad diesel vehicle-targeted bans. The proposed methodology is expected to enhance traditional exposure assessments by switching to lung deposited surface area, which can be further refined by incorporating daytime activity patterns, socio-economic status, and personal health conditions.

Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains a leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults worldwide, particularly in settings with limited access to ophthalmic care. Deep learning (DL) algorithms have shown promise in automating DR detection from retinal fundus images, but a comprehensive evaluation of their diagnostic performance across diverse clinical studies is needed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the pooled diagnostic accuracy of DL models for DR detection using fundus photographs. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore for peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024. Eligible studies included clinical validations of DL algorithms reporting sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) against a reference standard. Data extraction and analysis followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A bivariate random-effects model was used to pool diagnostic metrics. 14 studies involving over 500,000 retinal images were included. The pooled sensitivity was 92.1% (95% CI: 89.3–94.4%), specificity 90.4% (95% CI: 87.2–93.1%), and AUC 0.961, with a diagnostic odds ratio of 106.3. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses indicated consistent performance across model architectures, validation strategies, imaging modalities, and geographic settings. These findings suggest that DL systems can reliably detect referable and vision-threatening DR with performance comparable to expert human graders. Given their scalability and diagnostic strength, DL-based tools are clinically ready to augment or replace manual screening in real-world workflows, particularly in resource-constrained environments. Wider deployment, coupled with real-time validation and cost-effectiveness studies, could help transform global DR screening programs.

Flash LiDAR instruments offer many advantages over scanning LiDAR instruments for rendezvous and landing applications in a space and extra-terrestrial context by the absence of moving parts. This abstract deals with the development of an image sensor for the above-described applications. The 1280(H)x1024(V) pixel image sensor is designed to provide 500fps in full frame readout mode, and 2000fps at smaller ROI, e.g., 500(H)x500(V). Consequently, the update rate for the 3D point cloud will be in the order of 5 – 20 Hz. Presently, the circuit is already validated to a frame rate of [400 – 450] Hz; after further ADC (operation) optimization, the full frame rate is in reach. The pixel pitch of the image sensor is 14µm, and can operate in 3 different modes: • RM1: fast time gating with RST, readout without CDS • RM2: slower timing gating due to limited S&H settling time, CDS readout • RM3: fast time gating with photodiode sensitivity modulation, CDS readout. The Control diodes for the RM3 mode are reducing slightly the responsivity of the other modes, but this does not affect the targeted distance accuracy for the RM1 and RM2 modes. The selectivity between “on” and “off” state in RM3 mode is limited, but sufficient to allow multiple NDR accumulation of samples at large distances. The readout noise is expected to be < 8 e-rms for RM2 & RM3, and < 50e-rms for RM1. All functional tests on chip level are successfully completed; the package for the final application is designed and the radiation tests to check the space environment resistance are planned.

Les développements récents de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) forcent la reconfiguration des interactions humains-machines (IHM). Initiée par la cybernétique, cette évolution s’est déroulée en trois phases : standardisation, automatisation, adaptabilité. Permettant une collaboration entre conception et computation, l’IA favorise des réseaux d’hybridation entre mondes physique et numérique, où cognition humaines et artificielles interagissent pour renforcer l’émulation créative et décisionnelle. En conception architecturale, ces réseaux sont peu développés. Pour révéler ce potentiel, une analyse des réseaux de conception hybrides et une comparaison des niveaux de cognition sont proposées à l’aide de la taxonomie de Bloom croisée avec le modèle Cattell-Horn-Carroll.

The Rohingya people group has confronted persistent savagery, segregation and statelessness in the Rakhine Territory of Myanmar. In 2017, a savage crackdown by Myanmar's military on Rohingya Muslims sent just about 1,000,000 escaping across the line of Bangladesh. They tracked down their transitory home in the evacuee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh – presently the biggest displaced person camp on the planet [1]. Because of the abrupt deluge to Cox's Bazar, a focal point of advanced bio-variety, the region is confronting extreme difficulties to keep up with the normal environment. Areas like Teknaf, with an untamed life asylum of around 11,615 ha are presently practically abandoned. This paper plans to portray the major ecological impacts of the Rohingya exile inundation including: deforestation, serious water shortage and contamination, untamed life living space misfortune, fracture, and obliteration, helpless administration of strong and human waste, illadvised seepage frameworks, air contamination, surface water contamination, and so forth Besides, the paper looks to dissect the strategies, practices and job of the host-local area government to alleviate the impacts. While there are eminent effective tasks, similar to the Evacuee, Alleviation and Bringing home Commission (RRRC) giving condensed oil gas (LPGs) to address energy issues of the Rohingya, effects on biodiversity keeps on being influenced by absence of usable water and untamed life obliteration. All the more extensively, ecological effects from the displaced person camps present hitches to the Rohingya evacuees themselves & the host-local area, further tarnishing natural concerns[2].

En juillet-août 2020, Futuribles a lancé, en collaboration avec Denis Lacroix, une série consacrée à l’océan, la mer, les littoraux… Plusieurs articles ont été publiés depuis un an dans le cadre de cette série, sur la montée du niveau des océans, la biodiversité marine, l’artificialisation du littoral, etc. Tous témoignent des conséquences du changement climatique sur les écosystèmes marins. Et s’il faut persévérer dans les actions de lutte contre ce changement climatique, il faut aussi apprendre à s’y adapter. Pour ce faire, les urbanistes et architectes ont leur rôle à jouer, comme en témoigne ici l’expérience de Jacques Rougerie, architecte visionnaire, spécialisé notamment dans les habitats marins et littoraux. Dans cette interview menée par Denis Lacroix pour Futuribles , Jacques Rougerie montre combien il est important d’explorer les multiples possibilités d’aménagement durable des espaces marins et littoraux, en s’inspirant de la nature et en s’appuyant sur l’énergie des nouvelles générations, aujourd’hui très impliquées dans la protection de l’environnement. Il souligne également la nécessité de coopérer à l’échelle internationale pour défendre ce bien commun de l’humanité qu’est la mer, afin d’éviter une adaptation à deux vitesses permettant aux populations aisées d’échapper au pire, mais laissant les populations les plus pauvres à la merci des conséquences du changement climatique. S.D.

Through the observation of land property (le foncier) and, specifically, large landholdings, this research aims to take a fresh look at urbanization and urban planning in the Belgian Walloon Brabant Province. In contrast with most Belgian urban studies that tackle the issue of sprawling urbanization through small-scale parcels, fragmentation processes and individual initiatives, this investigation complements recent research on estate urbanization by examining large-scale properties and how they played a role in the city-territory’s urbanization during the second half of the 20th century. Large landholdings in Walloon Brabant are remnants of 18th century territorial dominions inherited from nobility and clergy, progressively dismantled, reorganized or maintained as result of the urbanization dynamics integral to the reproduction of modern and contemporary society. The village of Rixensart is the subject of a series of these transformations. By mapping the de Merode family’s large landholdings in the south of the commune and analyzing the allotments permit, we retrace urban transformations and the reordering of social and ecological relations through changing land structure. The palimpsest notion is used as a tool to unravel the set of actors involved in urbanization dynamics and to highlight the socio-spatial transformations and construction of recent urbanization. The profound transformations taking place in Walloon Brabant today present an opportunity to reflect on its future, and questions regarding landed estates suggest potential for tackling the city-territory’s greater systemic challenges.

Capacity development support of Southern partners has become a cornerstone of the work of many Northern development NGOs. While there is a growing consensus in the aid sector about the importance of capacity development (CD), the support base among the general public and policy makers for these kinds of activities is weak. This is linked with the observed difficulties of demonstrating the relevance and effects of CD efforts. In 2008, the Belgian Special Evaluation Office commissioned a large-scale evaluation focusing on CD support within NGO partnerships, including 31 partnerships of 21 Belgian NGOs in six countries. Important methodological challenges emerged, related to (1) the large diversity in actors, projects, themes and contexts that had to be assessed, (2) the dynamic nature and non-linearity of CD processes, (3) and the implicit character of NGO practice in this area. This article argues that the eclectic use of different frameworks – including more recently developed ones related to the nature of CD, support for CD, and organizational change – supports the production of comprehensive evaluation results.