Search Results (11,971)

The growth of microalgae poses a significant threat to the preservation of stone heritage, particularly in ornamental fountains and water-related architecture. Traditional chemical cleaning methods, such as quaternary ammonium compounds and chlorine-based solutions, are often ineffective and can be harmful to both the environment and cultural properties. In response, biocleaning, which involves the use of live microorganisms and is part of biorestoration, is gaining prominence in cultural heritage conservation, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional methods. The use of microorganisms antagonistic to microalgae growth has been extensively studied in environmental biotechnology to eliminate harmful algae, though its application in heritage conservation remains limited. This review summarizes current knowledge on bacteria capable of inhibiting microalgae growth, discussing their mechanisms, effectiveness, and potential applications, alongside the environmental and economic benefits and challenges of these methods. By collating and critically assessing available information, this paper aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for conservators, restorers, and researchers interested in innovative and sustainable approaches to combat biodeterioration in stone heritage, thereby fostering the development of effective and environmentally sustainable treatments for such culturally significant properties. Full article

Background/Objectives: In Pakistan, 41.7% of women of reproductive age and 53.7% of children aged 6–59 months are anaemic. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutritional supplementation programme, underpinned with behaviour change communication and implemented through Lady Health Workers (LHWs), in reducing anaemia among pregnant and lactating women as well as 6–59-month-old children. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental design with an intervention and a control group. A total of 2821 and 2410 pregnant and lactating women and 3397 and 3277 children aged 6–59 months participated in the baseline and endline surveys, respectively. The study areas were matched for demographic and economic characteristics, and both had routine public-sector health and nutrition programmes, including iron–folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. The participants in the intervention group received additional nutritional support. Throughout the pregnancy and in the first six months of exclusive breast feeding, women were provided 5 kg (165 g/day) of wheat soya blend (WSB) per month. Children aged 6–23 months received lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS), and those aged 24–59 months received micronutrient powder. We applied a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis with kernel propensity score matching to assess the impact on anaemia, a secondary outcome of a stunting prevention programme. Results: Maternal anaemia (both pregnant and breastfeeding women) declined substantially in the intervention areas from 80.4% to 62.6% compared with a smaller reduction in the control areas (80.0% to 72.9%). The DID estimate showed a 10.7-percentage-point (pp) greater decline in maternal anaemia (p ≤ 0.001). Both pregnant and lactating women benefited, with DID reductions of 16.7 pp (p ≤ 0.001) and 9.4 pp (p = 0.005), respectively. The largest gains occurred among women in higher-wealth quintiles, with reductions up to 22.6 pp (p ≤ 0.001). In contrast, childhood anaemia showed no overall significant difference between intervention and control areas (DID = −0.7 pp, p = 0.73). However, significant improvements were observed among male children (DID = −10.3 pp, p = 0.001) and those in higher-wealth quintiles (DID = −15.0 pp, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that LHWs can effectively reduce maternal anaemia when iron–folic acid supplementation is complemented with WSB and targeted behaviour change communication. Full article

The paper investigates the role of digitalization in strengthening the sustainability of supply chains in the Romanian restaurant sector. The starting point is the intersection between the pressures for digital transformation and the integration of sustainability principles. Digitalization, through advanced digital solutions, can strengthen traceability, reduce waste, and optimize resources, strengthening responsibility for economic efficiency and the environment. However, the implementation of these solutions in HoReCa remains disproportionate and faces barriers such as lack of digital skills, high costs, and resistance to change. The authors conducted a quantitative research study among restaurant managers in Romania. The research was complemented with two Principal Component Analyses (PCA) and a TwoStep Cluster Analysis. The role of the TwoStep Cluster Analysis was to identify a typology of restaurants according to managerial behaviors related to digitalization from a sustainable perspective. The results showed that digitalization is applied predominantly in inventory management, but less in the relationship with consumers and supply chain, where it would bring considerable benefits for sustainability. The study provides theoretical and practical contributions, highlighting the role digitalization has as a facilitator of sustainability and indicating recommendations for managers and decision-makers regarding professional training and financial support policies dedicated to sustainable digitalization. Full article

In the context of China’s “dual carbon” strategy, carbon productivity serves as a central in dicator for coordinating economic development with carbon emissions. While the digital economy reshapes spatial economic configurations and affects regional carbon productivity, its spatial interdependence and spillover effects remain insufficiently explored. Our study constructs composite indicators to measure both digital economy development and carbon productivity, examining 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2022 using the super-efficiency SBM model and exploratory spatial data analysis. Spatial regression is applied to assess the spatial influences of the digital economy and the moderating role of industrial structure transforming. Results reveal that: (1) China’s carbon productivity has improved overall but with notable regional disparities; (2) a U-shaped linkage between digital development and carbon productivity is confirmed, with early-stage suppression and later environmental benefits; (3) industrial rationalization and upgrading significantly enhance this relationship, though structural frictions remain obstacles. Full article

Hydrogen is emerging as a key energy carrier in the transition to a low-carbon economy. This study reviews blue and green hydrogen, analysing their production technologies, environmental impacts, economic viability and global deployment trends. Blue hydrogen, derived from natural gas, coal or biomass with carbon capture, utilisation and storage, offers a transitional pathway by reducing emissions relative to unabated fossil routes, but its benefits depend on high CO₂ capture efficiencies and strict methane leakage control. Green hydrogen, produced via renewable-powered electrolysis and advanced thermochemical, photochemical and photoelectrochemical methods, represents the most sustainable long-term solution, though it is currently limited by cost and scale. This comparative assessment shows that green hydrogen’s production emissions, in the range of 0.67 kgCO-eq/kgH to 1.74 kgCO₂-eq/kgH₂, are substantially lower than those of blue hydrogen, in the range of 1.21 kgCO₂-eq/kgH₂ to 4.56 kgCO₂-eq/kgH₂, reinforcing its alignment with climate neutrality goals. Global production remains below 1% from low-emission sources, yet momentum is growing, with renewable-rich regions investing in large-scale electrolysers. A long short-term memory forecast suggests that blue hydrogen will dominate in the short term, but green hydrogen will surpass it around 2042. Together, both pathways are essential, blue hydrogen as a bridging option and green hydrogen as the foundation of a sustainable hydrogen economy. Full article

The first extensive Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the Philippines, the EDSA Busway, was put into place as a result of Metro Manila’s ongoing traffic congestion. This study uses an integrated framework that combines cost–benefit analysis (CBA), commuter perception survey, and traffic simulation to assess its economic, social, and environmental implications. The operational viability and traffic impact of the planned Magallanes BRT station were evaluated through simulation using PTV VISSIM. A total of 385 commuters participated in a survey measuring their impressions of safety, accessibility, and satisfaction using a four-point Likert scale. The Busway’s excellent economic feasibility was confirmed by the CBA results, which showed a Benefit–Cost Ratio (BCR) of 15.38 and a Net Present Value (NPV) of ₱778.64 billion. Results from the simulation showed a 24% decrease in PM₂ emissions, a 75% increase in throughput, and a 64% reduction in bus trip time. According to survey results, 61% of commuters said accessibility had improved and 62% said travel satisfaction had increased. The study supports the EDSA Busway’s status as a feasible model for future BRT expansion in Metro Manila and other emerging metropolitan regions by showing how it greatly improves environmental sustainability and mobility efficiency. Full article

Kazakhstan’s mining sector, a vital pillar of the national economy, generates significant volumes of waste. This waste has been found to hold considerable residual value, presenting a substantial opportunity for resource recovery and economic benefit. To unlock this value, establishing efficient reverse logistics operations is fundamental, as it enables the recovery, recycling, and reuse of materials in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. This paper introduces a conceptual optimization framework tailored to Kazakhstan’s mining industry to explore the feasibility of reverse supply chain processes. The implementation of strategies informed by this model can improve resource utilization, reduce environmental impact, and deliver long-term economic benefits. The study also identifies potential challenges to adoption and suggests pathways for further refinement of the model to adapt to the evolving needs of Kazakhstan’s mining sector. The model provides a robust analytical foundation to support discussions on developing a holistic strategy for waste management in the sector. It offers key insights into optimizing waste handling, advancing material recovery technologies, and promoting collaboration between public and private stakeholders. By aligning these insights with the regulatory and economic landscape of Kazakhstan, the model serves as a reference point to shape a broader national framework. The outcomes of this study contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 and 12 by promoting industrial innovation, resource efficiency, and responsible production practices within Kazakhstan’s mining sector. Full article

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into newsroom workflows has transformed journalistic writing. Still, selecting reliable co-writing tools remains a multi-criteria challenge as it involves technical, ethical, and economic trade-offs. This study develops a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework that integrates the Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to the Compromise Solution (MARCOS) model with Entropy, CRITIC, MEREC, CILOS, and Standard Deviation objective weighting methods fused through the Bonferroni operator to reduce subjectivity and enhance robustness. Nine generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot, were evaluated against sixteen benefit- and cost-type criteria encompassing accuracy, usability, transparency, risk, and scalability. The decision matrix was normalized and benchmarked against ideal and anti-ideal profiles. The MCDM model was validated through correlation and sensitivity analyses using Spearman’s and Kendall’s coefficients. The results indicate that Gemini and Claude achieved the highest overall performance due to superior factual accuracy, transparency, and workflow integration, while ChatGPT demonstrated high linguistic versatility. The hybrid model achieved a stability index above 0.9 across perturbation scenarios, confirming its consistency and reliability. Overall, the proposed MARCOS–objective weight framework provides a mathematically transparent and reproducible decision protocol for newsroom technology evaluation, supporting evidence-based selection of generative AI co-writing systems. Full article

The search for sustainable alternatives to synthetic composites has become increasingly relevant in aerospace engineering education and student rocketry. Fiberglass is widely used for rocket fuselages due to its favorable balance of performance and cost, but it is energy-intensive, non-biodegradable, and environmentally burdensome. This study provides the first demonstration of natural fiber composites applied to student rocket fuselages, evaluating bamboo and jute as sustainable alternatives to fiberglass. Fiberglass, bamboo, and jute laminates were fabricated following the procedures of the RocketWolf team at CEFET/RJ. The fuselages were characterized by parachute ejection tests, surface roughness analysis, and flight simulations using OpenRocket software. Additional data such as laminate mass, wall thickness, fiber–resin ratio, and cost analysis were incorporated to provide a comprehensive assessment. Results revealed contrasting behaviors: untreated bamboo composites showed poor resin impregnation, brittle behavior, and lack of structural stability, confirming their unsuitability without chemical treatment. Jute composites, in contrast, achieved adequate impregnation, cylindrical geometry, and superior surface roughness (Ra = 37 µm) compared to fiberglass with paint (62 µm) or envelopes (52 µm). Both fiberglass and jute fuselages successfully passed parachute ejection tests, while simulations indicated apogees close to 1 km, fulfilling competition requirements. The jute fuselage also presented slightly improved stability margins. Economically, jute was ~492% cheaper than fiberglass in fiber-only comparison but absorbed more resin; nevertheless, real purchase prices favored jute. These findings confirm that jute composites are a technically feasible, cost-effective, and sustainable substitute for fiberglass in student rocket fuselages. Beyond technical validation, this work demonstrates the educational and environmental benefits of integrating natural fibers into academic rocketry, bridging sustainability, performance, and innovation. Full article

Almost all societal grand challenges, whether concerning the environment, health, well-being, or the development of sustainable economic models, have at their heart a need to understand people’s behaviour. However, uniting data and insights across disparate fields requires an explicit and shared understanding of concepts, variables, and ideas (e.g., how to characterise and differentiate behaviours). Ontologies provide a mechanism for creating this explicit and shared understanding and are starting to be developed and used in the social and behavioural sciences. This paper proposes an online co-design approach to use and develop ontologies of behaviour to specify the characteristics of behaviour (e.g., habitual, changeable, effortless) and studies that investigate behaviour as part of a project designed to understand how behaviours are related. We report on our experience of collaborative co-development of ontologies using real-time interactive tools and reflect on the benefits and challenges of our approach. We also offer a set of recommendations for researchers interested in applying such methods to co-develop ontologies. The work contributes to efforts to understand the characteristics of behaviour and enable these to be used to understand questions about behaviour (e.g., is poor sleep associated with greater engagement in habitual behaviours?). Full article

Achieving sustainability is a strategic challenge for manufacturing. This study investigates the environmental and economic benefits of remanufacturing as a circular strategy to extend the lifetime of mechanical components while ensuring structural integrity, safety, and compliance with EU regulations. A mechanical synchronizer shaft used in the continuously variable transmission (CVT) of earth-moving machinery is analysed through a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA). Three scenarios are modelled: (i) the production of a new component; (ii) the remanufacturing of a discarded (at the end of its nominal life) component, considering the current remanufacturable rate of the inspected discarded lot (53.6%); and (iii) the remanufacturing of a discarded component assuming an improved remanufacturable rate (85%). Industrial data combined with Ecoinvent datasets are used to model cradle-to-grave impacts through SimaPro^®. Results show that a remanufactured component significantly decreases the global warming potential compared with a new component. However, when accounting for the actual remanufacturable rate achievable in practice, the reduction in the global warming index is more limited, highlighting the need to improve remanufacturability to unlock the full environmental benefits. A parametric LCA model integrating the DfRem approach is developed to evaluate how increasing the initial shaft diameter enables multiple remanufacturing cycles. Over multiple remanufacturing cycles, the improved design demonstrates substantial cumulative emission savings compared with repeated production of new components, also confirming the long-term environmental benefits of remanufacturing strategies. In addition to the environmental analysis, a cost evaluation is carried out to evaluate the economic feasibility of the different scenarios. The results confirm that higher remanufacturable rates not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also lower overall production costs, providing a comprehensive perspective on the benefits of remanufacturing-oriented design. Full article

Driven by the dual-carbon strategy, achieving low-carbon economic operations through coordinated optimization of multi-energy flows in integrated energy systems (IES) has emerged as a critical research focus. This paper proposes a low-carbon optimized scheduling strategy for IES based on frequency-domain modeling and multi-agent collaborative game theory, presenting a dual-dimensional innovative methodology for electricity–heat–gas integrated energy systems. At the physical modeling level, the study overcomes the limitations of conventional steady-state models and finite difference methods by pioneering a frequency-domain analytical approach for day-ahead scheduling. Through Fourier transform, the partial differential equations (PDEs) governing thermal and gas network dynamics are converted into linear complex algebraic equations, significantly reducing solution complexity while preserving modeling accuracy and enhancing computational efficiency. In operational optimization, a multi-agent cooperative mechanism is established by partitioning system operators into a tripartite alliance comprising power-to-gas (P2G) facilities, carbon capture units, and energy storage systems. A collaborative optimization model incorporating dynamic energy transmission characteristics is developed, with innovative application of Shapley value method to quantify agent contributions and allocate collaborative surplus. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy maintains dynamic constraint accuracy in gas–thermal networks while achieving notable improvements: significant reduction in total operational costs, enhanced wind power accommodation rates, and decreased carbon emission intensity. This research provides novel insights that help to resolve the modeling accuracy–computational efficiency dilemma in multi-energy coupled systems, concurrently establishing an equitable and economically viable benefit distribution mechanism for multi-agent collaboration. The findings offer substantial theoretical significance for advancing the low-carbon transition of modern power systems. Full article

Incorporating recycled plastics into construction materials offers environmental and economic benefits. This study examined the properties of cementitious composites incorporating recycled polypropylene (PP) powder to evaluate the feasibility of plastics as construction materials. Experimental parameters included PP content and a curing method. Ninety-six specimens were fabricated for compressive strength tests and 48 for flexural strength tests, with six specimens per parameter. The mechanical behavior of the PP cementitious composites was assessed through compressive and flexural strength tests alongside digital image correlation analysis. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were used to analyze the pore structure of cementitious composites. Additionally, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis examined the thermal and chemical characteristics. Compared with the control specimens, cementitious composites containing 30% PP exhibited approximately 30% reduction in compressive strength but a 28% increase in flexural strength. FE-SEM and MIP results revealed defects that deteriorated the performance of the cementitious composites. However, the compressive strengths exceeded 30 MPa across all the tested parameters, which is satisfactory for construction applications. Furthermore, the addition of PP enhanced flexural strength, providing structural benefits that render it a viable option for sustainable construction materials. Full article

Background: Jute, recognized as the ‘golden fiber’ of Bangladesh, produces a substantial amount of stick left over (waste), a byproduct of the fiber. Usually, unused jute sticks (JS) are thrown away or burned, since they are treated as landfill or unusable waste. Noteworthy research gaps exist in the farming process, infrastructure, [supply chains], unfavorable policies, government interference, and insufficient farmers’ knowledge of the export market. This research examines the potential of jute stick charcoal (JSC) as a sustainable and value-added product within the circular economy framework. Methods: This study employs a system dynamics (SD) modeling approach to examine how various factors, including agricultural output, supply chain process efficiency, trade flows, and relevant variables, influence JSC supply chain performance. Considering technologies, logistics, and policy variables, this study constructed a simulation model with three scenarios: current, worst-case, and improved, using Vensim DSS to identify system behavior under changing conditions. Results: The simulation indicates that optimizing idle jute resources, enhancing supply chain processes, and expanding markets can increase economic returns, reduce waste, and create more rural jobs, particularly for women. Conclusions: Enhanced coordination, technologies, and logistics can reduce carbon emissions, benefit farmers, support rural industries, and contribute to SDGs 8, 12, and 13. Full article

This study investigates factors that encourage and discourage farmers to adopt rice–fish (RF) farming in the Hau Giang province in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. A mixed-method approach was employed to collect data, comprising focus group discussions, face-to-face interviews with rice (R) and rice–fish (RF) farmers, as well as in-depth interviews with agricultural officers and selected R and RF farmers. Economic benefits are the main motivation for adopting RF farming, but suitable agro-ecological conditions, farm size and access to social networks, technical training, and support from extension officers also positively influence the adoption of RF farming. Environmental and health factors have less impact on farmers’ choice of farming. The study also identifies several barriers to the adoption of RF farming, including spatial, operational, and market barriers. To enhance the adoption of RF farming, policymakers should prioritize promoting RF farming in areas with suitable agro-ecological conditions and implement supportive measures, particularly financial assistance and technical training. Additionally, raising farmers’ awareness of both the economic advantages and long-term ecological benefits of RF farming is essential. Full article