Open research Europe最新文献

{"title":"A holistic framework for assessing the uptake potential of EU-funded security research and innovation project results.","authors":"Marcel van der Lee, Clara Peters, Marcel van Berlo, Luis Unzueta, David Ríos, Sirra Toivonen, Gonçalo Cadete, Björn Hoog, Salvatore Vicari, Ernesto La Mattina, Laurynas Adomaitis, Alexei Grinbaum, Hassane Essafi, Souzanna Sofou, Katerina Valouma, Ilias Gkotsis, Nikos Chantavas, Luke Bates, Helen Gibson, Babak Akhgar, Christelle Magimel, Robert Kuch Wesolowski, Anders Åström, Zakarias Subeh, Eleni Darra, Michalis Angelou, Dimitrios Kavallieros, Nicholas Vretos, Theodora Tsikrika, Stefanos Vrochidis","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.19711.3","DOIUrl":"10.12688/openreseurope.19711.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) has been adopted since 2014 within the European Union (EU) as a metric to evaluate the maturity of results from EU-funded research and innovation projects. This metric is crucial for distinguishing between innovation actions aimed at early-stage innovations and market-ready solutions. Ideally, EU-funded research and innovation projects should lead to the development of innovative concepts and technologies by EU industries, which in turn enhance security capabilities within EU member states. However, there is a notable challenge: the adoption rate of outcomes from EU-funded security research and innovation projects is not as high as expected. The current TRL maturity assessment method is insufficient in exposing the possible cause of the limited uptake by fully pointing out where the development is lacking. The TRL's limitations include a lack of comprehensive assessment from various perspectives especially in the civil security research and projects, which is necessary to bridge the gap, often referred to as the \"valley of death,\" between project results and their effective adoption. To address these shortcomings, in the MultiRATE EU research project we propose a holistic framework that enhances the TRL scale by adding additional Readiness Levels (RLs) for a more complete evaluation of security projects. These include the Societal RL (SocRL), Security RL (SecRL), Legal, Privacy and Ethical RL (LPERL), Integration RL (IRL), Commercialisation RL (CRL), and Manufacturing RL (MRL). In this open letter, we explain the background of the design considerations of this framework. Our goal is to define and integrate these seven Readiness Level (RL) dimensions and an investment forecasting tool to support policy makers, practitioners, and investors in bridging the \"valley of death\" between research and adoption.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"5 ","pages":"115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12949380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147328390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Public perceptions and willingness to accept somatic gene therapy: A Belgian survey study.","authors":"Phaedra Locquet, Margaux Reckelbus, Eva Van Steijvoort, Pascal Borry, Bram Korbmacher, Sofie Gordts, Lauren Vanceer, Isabelle Huys","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.21462.4","DOIUrl":"10.12688/openreseurope.21462.4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Genetic disorders affect millions worldwide, yet fewer than 10% of patients currently receive effective treatment. While gene therapies offer significant promise, their clinical translation is hindered by technical, regulatory, and societal challenges. Low enrolment rates in clinical trials, ethical concerns surrounding inclusion criteria, and uncertainty about preventive applications all contribute to slow progress. Public perception plays a crucial role in shaping trial participation and the integration of gene therapies into healthcare systems. This study examines public attitudes in Belgium to support the responsible development and implementation of gene therapy trials.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>A cross-sectional online survey using convenience sampling was conducted in Belgium with adults (18+) recruited through local pharmacies. The survey included 12 items assessing self-reported knowledge of gene therapy and willingness to accept gene therapy. To evaluate willingness to accept, hypothetical vignettes were used, which varied by treatment characteristics (e.g., side effects, efficacy, limited evidence), patient age (5, 20, 65 years), and symptomatic status (symptomatic, asymptomatic with uncertain or expected future symptoms). Descriptive statistics summarised all items included in the questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The sample included 289 participants, of whom 67% had completed higher education, 64% had children, and 87% had heard of gene therapy before. Overall willingness was high. Attitudes were generally positive, with limited concerns about its experimental features (e.g., unknown side effects (12%), long-term effects (8%), and uncertain effectiveness (8%)). However, key barriers included fears of altered identity (39%), external pressure (38%), and skepticism about its novelty (31%). Uncertainty about symptom development consistently reduced willingness. Patients' age played a secondary role, with younger individuals generally receiving higher support for gene therapy than older adults.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Public attitudes toward gene therapy were largely positive, guided by perceived benefits over scientific certainty. Support favored curative over preventive use, with participants balancing autonomy and medical guidance in shared decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"5 ","pages":"319"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12905533/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146204017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EUPopLink Country report - Norway.","authors":"Elena Baro","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.23512.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.23512.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This country report examines the relationship between populism and Euroscepticism in Norway, a non-EU state where citizens have twice rejected EU membership yet where political and legal integration with the European Union remains extensive. Euroscepticism cuts across the political spectrum and remains tied to longstanding cleavages, especially centre-periphery divides and rural resistance to EU membership. Two populist parties-the right-wing Progress Party and the far-left Red Party-hold Eurosceptic positions, though for different reasons: the Progress Party adopts a strategic, issue-driven critique linked to immigration and sovereignty, while the Red Party advances a consistent ideological opposition to the EU as a neoliberal project undermining democratic control. The strongest Eurosceptic actor, however, is the non-populist Centre Party, which mobilizes territorial grievances more effectively than populist competitors. Norway's consensus-oriented political culture and deliberate depoliticization of EU issues limit the political salience of European integration, making Euroscepticism fragmented and less central to populist mobilization than in many European states.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"6 ","pages":"133"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13146460/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147847244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Delineating the contours of citizen science: Development of the ECSA characteristics of citizen science.","authors":"Dilek Fraisl, Muki Haklay, Gerid Hager, Uta Wehn, Linda See, Susanne Hecker, Bastian Greshake Tzovaras, Margaret Gold, Luigi Ceccaroni, Barbara Kieslinger, Sasha Woods, Christian Nold, Bálint Balázs, Marzia Mazzonetto, Simone Rüfenacht, Lea A Shanley, Alice Motion, Andrea Sforzi, Daniel Dörler, Florian Heigl, Katrin Vohland, Katherin Wagenknecht, Teresa Schaefer, Dorte Riemenschneider, Ariel B Lindner, Maike Weißpflug, Monika Mačiulienė","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.19411.4","DOIUrl":"10.12688/openreseurope.19411.4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Citizen science is increasingly recognized as a valuable scientific approach across disciplines, contexts, and research areas. However, its rapid expansion and diverse methodologies make it challenging to establish a single definition or universal criteria for what constitutes citizen science. Building on our previously published work that detailed findings from a vignette study used to identify the ECSA Characteristics, this paper specifically focuses on the descriptive results from that study and examines the Characteristics in relation to the ECSA 10 Principles of Citizen Science.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed the ECSA Characteristics through a vignette study, a survey method that captures diverse perspectives on complex topics. We then reviewed the ECSA 10 Principles of Citizen Science, a broad framework for best practices in citizen science, to identify its gaps and limitations, showing how the ECSA Characteristics can help address them.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results highlight the disciplinary distinctions as well as ambiguities surrounding various citizen science practices. In this context, it is beneficial to adopt an inclusive approach and language that allows the audience to define its own criteria depending on its needs, intended use and specific circumstances.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The ECSA Characteristics were developed in a spirit of openness; identifying areas with diverse and even conflicting views was central to this practice. We recommend their use as a whole set and contend that no one area or characteristic is more important than the other. They should be considered as a toolkit with examples that can guide efforts towards defining citizen science for a specific context and purpose. They are built on the ECSA 10 Principles, addressing some of their gaps and limitations, while at the same time acknowledging the need to update and improve the 10 Principles based on developments in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"5 ","pages":"128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12831952/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146055215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ERGA-CBP chromosome-level genome assembly of the blind scorpion <i>Belisarius xambeui</i> Simon, 1879 (Belisariidae, Scorpiones), a singular scorpion in Europe.","authors":"Sara Guirao-Rico, Vadim A Pisarenco, Paula Escuer, Pau Balart-García, Marc Domènech, Adrià Bellvert, Silvia Adrián-Serrano, Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia, Miquel A Arnedo, Julio Rozas","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.22872.2","DOIUrl":"10.12688/openreseurope.22872.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present a chromosome-level reference genome for the blind scorpion <i>Belisarius xambeui</i> Simon, 1879 (Belisariidae, Scorpiones). The genome size estimated by flow cytometry (4.32 Gb) closely matches the final assembly size (3.98 Gb). The final assembly comprises 19,045 scaffolds, including 56 chromosome-level scaffolds (pseudochromosomes) that account for 90.08% of the total assembly. Nucleotide diversity across the genome was low, with an average <i>π</i> of 0.0018.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"6 ","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12957889/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147367564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Fast-Track Training Program for Living Lab Methodologies: program components, acceptability, and participant perceptions.","authors":"Kim Helsen, Vicky Van der Auwera, Femke Drijkoningen, Despoina Petsani, Teemu Santonen, Panagiotis Bamidis, Evdokimos Konstantinidis, Nele A J De Witte","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.21200.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.21200.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Living Labs have proven to be valuable environments for fostering innovation through user-centred approaches. However, many researchers and companies still face challenges in implementing these methodologies sustainably. Addressing these challenges requires not only structural solutions within Living Labs, but also the cultivation of expertise among researchers and practitioners. It is crucial to educate researchers and innovators in practices aligned with user-centred research, living lab practices and co-design, emphasizing societal relevance and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) within the research community.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This paper presents and evaluates a novel training program developed within the VITALISE project, aimed at onboarding external researchers and familiarizing them with Living Lab Research Infrastructures through transnational visits and collaborations. Results The program features a modular design covering key topics such as Living Lab methodology, harmonisation of research practices, and participant recruitment and panel management. A total of 49 participants completed an evaluation questionnaire, with results indicating high satisfaction and perceived usefulness across all training modules. Post-training, most participants reported feeling confident in applying Living Lab methodologies after the training. Notably, individual differences in interest across training blocks highlighted the need for flexible, tailored programs that accommodate varying levels of prior knowledge and specific research needs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study suggests that targeted, adaptable training initiatives are acceptable. Self-reported feedback suggests that it could help to enable researchers to integrate Living Lab methodologies into their work. However, further formal evaluation of learning gains is needed. Continued development of structured, scalable, and context-sensitive training programs, supported by international collaborations and standardized approaches, will be essential for fostering sustainable and impactful Living Lab research across disciplines and borders.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"5 ","pages":"343"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13129519/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147824152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EUPopLink Country report - United Kingdom.","authors":"Mike Bolt","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.23498.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.23498.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This country report provides a summary of the UK-EU relationship since the UK's entry in 1973. The report explores populist actors in the United Kingdom, with an emphasis on these actors in the period since the global financial crisis in 2008. The report notes that there have been both left and right populist parties active in the UK in this period. It explores key populist actors (George Galloway, Jeremy Corbyn, Nigel Farage) and parties including the Respect Party, UKIP, the Brexit Party, and Reform UK. It examines the basis of these party's euroscepticism, their broader positions on the UK-EU relationship, and how they have mobilised populism and populist ideas. It finds that populist Eurosceptic parties belonging to the Populist Radical Right (PRR) have achieved the most success and influence in the UK context. The report also considers the response of the UK's traditional largest political parties (the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats) to the rise of Euroscepticism in the UK.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"6 ","pages":"126"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13133619/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147824467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing direct-modulated laser LiFi systems for hospital environments through simulation-driven analysis of BER, SNR, and Q-factor performance.","authors":"Ajay Sharma, Lalit Garg, Peter A Xuereb","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.21605.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.21605.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background Modern hospital environments require wireless communication systems that ensure electromagnetic interference (EMI) compliance, privacy, and high throughput for mission-critical applications, such as telemetry, medical imaging, and Electronic Health Record (EHR) synchronization. Traditional RF-based wireless systems are susceptible to EMI, limited spectrum availability, and security issues. Direct-Modulated Laser (DML)-based Light Fidelity (LiFi) offers a promising alternative by leveraging the visible spectrum for high-speed, interference-free communication in terms of intended optical emissions. Methods The optimized configuration achieves BER well below the commonly cited analytical reliability benchmark ( <i>BER</i> < <math><msup><mn>10</mn> <mrow><mo>-</mo> <mn>9</mn></mrow> </msup> </math> ), <i>SNR</i> ≈ 74.94 dB, and <i>Q</i> ≈ 18.84 at 25 m, under idealized detector-noise-limited assumptions. Launch powers ≥ +5 dBm are required beyond ~15 m, modulation indices of 0.8-1.0 yield higher Q across distances, narrow beam divergences (1-2 mrad) maintain stronger SNR, and receiver apertures of 4-6 mm provide a balance between light collection and noise. Results The optimized configuration achieves BER well below the analytical benchmark ( <i>BER</i> < 10 ^-9), <i>SNR</i> ≈ 74.94 dB, and <i>Q</i> ≈ 18.84 at 25 m, demonstrating a substantial analytical performance margin in a best-case, well-aligned line-of-sight configuration. Launch powers = +5 dBm are required beyond ~15 m, modulation indices of 0.8-1.0 yield higher Q across distances, narrow beam divergences (1-2 mrad) maintain stronger SNR, and receiver apertures of 4-6 mm provide a balance between light collection and noise. Conclusions This paper introduces a four-parameter DML-LiFi optimization framework tailored to hospital environments, which offers a theoretical explanation of link-budget feasibility and parameter sensitivity to idealized indoor environment. These results indicate an upper-bound performance study, and not a demonstration of deployment-ready reliability, and are meant to be used in future experimental and system-level studies that focus on mobility, line-of-sight blockage, ambient-light-induced shot noise, electromagnetic interference pickup, and eye-safety constraints in hospital settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"6 ","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13126009/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147824474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How to navigate the EU's CBAM trilemma: A review of policy objectives and possible designs.","authors":"Fausto Corvino","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.22147.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.22147.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article focuses on the trilemma faced by EU policymakers when balancing three conflicting policy goals of the EU in implementing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The first goal is to create a level playing field between EU and non-EU producers by setting a uniform carbon price across borders. The second goal is to uphold climate justice. The third goal is to encourage third countries to adopt their own carbon pricing measures thus extending the scope of a <i>de facto</i> climate club. The article reviews the four main approaches to navigating the CBAM trilemma and examines the resulting trade-offs between policy goals. The first approach, favoured by EU institutions, is the dual-track policy design, in which any climate justice issues raised by the CBAM pass to the remit of foreign climate aid. The second approach involves setting differentiated CBAM liabilities for third countries, depending on their level of development, or granting some of them full exemptions from the policy. The third approach is to recycle CBAM revenues back to low- and lower-middle-income countries. The fourth approach consists of enabling foreign operators to deduct voluntary carbon credits from their CBAM liabilities, thereby incentivising climate finance flows towards low- and lower-middle-income countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"6 ","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13109700/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147791497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design and optimization of a Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication system for reliable outdoor connectivity in hospital departments in Malta.","authors":"Ajay Sharma, Lalit Garg, Peter A Xuereb, Ahmad Atieh","doi":"10.12688/openreseurope.21257.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.21257.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Modern healthcare facilities face the challenge of ensuring secure, high-speed, and interference-free communication across hospital campuses. In Maltese hospitals, electromagnetic interference (EMI) from RF systems and the high cost of fibre deployment are major limitations. Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication offers a promising solution by providing gigabit-per-second transmission without EMI-related disruptions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study proposes the design and parametric performance evaluation of a 1550 nm FSO communication system using OptiSystem 21 and MATLAB R2024b. The design incorporates Malta's Mediterranean climate, dominated by haze with rare fog, into atmospheric attenuation models. System parameters, including attenuation coefficients, Q-factor, bit error rate (BER), and link availability, were evaluated under different weather conditions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The system maintains reliable performance when rain attenuation is below 3.5 dB/km, achieving a Q-factor above 6 and error-free transmission in clear air with BER < 10 ^-12 and a Q-factor of 13. The link operates within the explored simulation parameter space up to 2 km and sustains receiver sensitivity (-35 dBm) up to 5 km at 17 dBm transmit power. Simulations demonstrate high availability (>99%) under clear, hazy, and rainy conditions, while fog-occurring less than two days per year in Malta-reduces availability but does not impact the overall system feasibility. These availability estimates are modeled atmospheric predictions of a simulation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The developed standalone FSO system shows simulation viability of EMI-immune hospital connectivity in Maltese typical atmospheric models. Although the findings show high availability and great link margins, experimental validation and long-term performance evaluation would be needed to implement it in practice. The framework gives a hospital-based analytical foundation for the assessment of high-speed optical connections in the conditions of regional climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":74359,"journal":{"name":"Open research Europe","volume":"5 ","pages":"311"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13146486/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147847095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}