Artiles
Article
25 November 2024Partial Duration Series of Wet and Dry Years Can Improve Flood Estimates in the Context of a Nonstationary Climate and Anthropogenic Disturbances
Accurately estimating flood levels is essential for effective infrastructure design, reservoir management, and flood risk mapping. Traditional methods for predicting these levels often rely on annual maximum flood (AMF) data, which may not always fit well to statistical models. To improve these estimates, we tested an approach that considers floods in relation to annual climate conditions—specifically, average, wet, and dry years—using daily streamflow data. We examined how well the Log Pearson Type III (LP3) distribution, a commonly used statistical model in flood frequency analysis, estimates flood levels when applied to these customized datasets instead of standard AMF data. Our study included over 70 years of data from 2028 basins across the United States, with drainage areas ranging from small (4.0 km2) to large (50,362 km2). We found that in some regions, LP3 better estimated frequent floods (recurrence interval of 2 to 25 years) when applied to AMF data. However, for less frequent, larger floods (recurrence interval of 50 to 200 years), the LP3 model worked better when applied to datasets representing wet or dry years. This approach could lead to more reliable flood predictions, which would benefit infrastructure planning and flood preparedness efforts.
Commentary
25 November 2024A Novel Mechanism for Photogenerated Thiyl Radical Cleavage of β-O-4 Bonds in Natural Lignin to Generate Functionalized Aromatic Compounds
The high-value conversion of native lignin into functionalized aromatic compounds under visible light holds significant promise yet presents considerable challenges. In a recent study published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Li and colleagues developed ultrathin ZnIn2S4 microribbons using mercaptoalkanoic acid ligands, enhancing the depolymerization efficiency of lignin under visible light. This approach provides a new mechanism for converting lignin into aromatic compounds by cleaving β-O-4 bonds in natural lignin under mild conditions.
Review
22 November 2024Dermal Fibrosis and the Current Scope of Hydrogel Strategies for Scarless Wound Healing
Dermal fibrosis poses a significant challenge in wound healing, affecting both the appearance and functionality of the scarred skin tissue. Beyond aesthetic implications, fibrosis can lead to pruritus, chronic pain, loss of mechanical flexibility, and impeded restoration of skin appendages, blood vessels, and nerves. Therefore, scar prevention remains a priority in wound management, and hydrogels, with their hydrophilic three-dimensional network and extracellular matrix-mimicking properties, have emerged as promising biomaterials for achieving scarless wound regeneration. In this review, we explore advancements in various hydrogel strategies designed to regulate myofibroblast differentiation, control the wound microenvironment, and mitigate dermal fibrosis. We provide an overview of dermal fibrosis, the scar-forming cells involved, and the various types of dermal scars. We then summarise advancements made in antifibrotic hydrogel formulations, emphasizing their practical applications in scarless skin wound healing. By reviewing the current research landscape and highlighting key hydrogel-based biomaterial strategies employed in this field, we aim to offer insights into design principles and underlying mechanisms of action. We intend for this review to serve as a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians interested in entering this field or exploring the potential of hydrogels to promote scarless wound healing.
Communication
21 November 2024Trade-offs in Encapsulation Efficiency and Drug Release: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach
Multi-objective optimization (MOO) techniques are crucial in addressing complex engineering problems with conflicting objectives, particularly in pharmaceutical applications. This study focuses on optimizing a biodegradable micro-polymeric carrier system for drug delivery, specifically maximizing the encapsulation efficiency and drug release of Candesartan Cilexetil antihypertensive drug. Achieving a balance between these two goals is essential, as higher encapsulation efficiency ensures adequate drug loading. In contrast, optimal drug release rates are critical for maintaining bioavailability and achieving therapeutic efficacy. Using response surface models to formulate the problem definition, five prominent MOO algorithms were employed: NSGA-III, MOEAD, RVEA, C-TAEA, and AGE-MOEA. The optimization process aimed to generate Pareto fronts representing compromise solutions between encapsulation efficiency and drug release. The results revealed inherent conflicts between objectives: increasing encapsulation efficiency often came at the cost of reducing the drug release rate. Evaluation of MOO algorithms using performance metrics such as hypervolume, generational distance, inverted generational distance, spacing, maximum spread, and spread metric provided insights into their strengths and weaknesses. Among the evaluated algorithms, NSGA-III emerged as the top performer, achieving a Weighted Sum Method (WSM) score of 82.0776, followed closely by MOEAD with a WSM score of 80.8869. RVEA, C-TAEA, and AGE-MOEA also demonstrated competitive formulation quality, albeit with slightly lower WSM scores. In conclusion, the study underscores the importance of MOO techniques in optimizing pharmaceutical formulations, providing valuable insights for decision-makers in selecting optimal formulations.
Article
21 November 2024The Impact of Renewable Energy Consumption, Economic Growth, Globalization, and Financial Development on Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Evidence from Selected G7 Economies
The aggregate upsurge in carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) witnessed through environmental degradation and global climate change is a call for great concern. This, therefore, calls for the enactment, utilization and implementation of provisions and policies geared towards curbing this global economic bad without impeding global economic growth rates. This study ascertains the extent to which renewable energy consumption (REC), economic growth (GDP), population growth (POP), globalization (GLO), and financial development (FD) affect carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) in selected G7 economies (France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and the United Kingdom) from 1990–2020. The Dynamic Fixed Effect Autoregressive Distributive Lag (DFE-ARDL) and the Pooled Mean Group ARDL (PMG-ARDL) methods were employed for analysis. The empirical findings for DFE-ARDL showed that REC, GDP, and POP have an adverse association with CO2 in the long-term. However, in the short-term, REC and FD improve the environment, while GDP and POP drive CO2. It is observed that the result for REC in the short and long-run is consistent. The PMG-ARDL results revealed that REC and GLO negatively affect CO2 in the long-run, and in the short-run, GDP spurs CO2, while FD reduces it. The result summary of both methods employed demonstrates that REC, GLO, and FD benefit the environment. At the same time, GDP and POP harm the environment in the short-run but reduce CO2 in the long-run. Conclusively, the research recommends increasing the utilization of renewable energy and policies that enable economic growth and CO2 to move in the opposite direction.
Article
20 November 2024Contextualization of Industry 4.0 Design Principles for the Imminent Industry 5.0 Scenario
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0 (I4.0), has introduced a completely disruptive pace compared to the rhythm of the three previous industrial revolutions. With a wide range of technologies, design principles, and a high potential to replace the human workforce, this industry presents aspects that urgently require greater attention. With a purpose close to meeting this need, Industry 5.0 (I5.0) emerges, a milestone not yet registered with historical facts but with great hopes for positive changes. While I4.0 maintains design principles for its complete activity, I5.0 has a supporting tripod for its operation. As I5.0 is still perceived as an evolutionary character of I4.0, it is expected that for the time being, it will use these same design principles for its activity and may later include new principles. Based on this context, this article seeks to contextualize, in a descriptive way, the functioning of design principles 4.0 for the imminent industrial context 5.0. The article uses a conceptual approach based on previously published literature on the subject of design principles in I4.0. Although the characteristics of I5.0 are not yet fully known, it is assumed that it has a more refined character than I4.0, so that points that presented a positive, significant, and already consolidated result are maintained for the new model. The distinctive feature of this article is its presentation of a textual analysis that breaks down the potential contributions of design principles in relation to the three core values of Industry 5.0: Sustainability, Human-Centricity, and Resilience.
Article
19 November 2024Calcite as a Mineralizer and Stabilizer for Low-Cost Zirconia-Mullite-Alumina Composites Synthesized from Siliceous Clay, Alumina and Zirconia
Fused zirconia-mullite (ZM) and zirconia-alumina (ZA) are expensive aggregates used in refractory formulations to enhance thermal shock tolerance and corrosion resistance, respectively. A cost-effective alternative approach was explored in this work to produce 37.4 wt% ZrO2 containing ZM utilizing conventional reaction sintering of siliceous clay, calcined alumina and monoclinic ZrO2. A series of chemical reactions ensued from 1200 °C, forming low quartz and cristobalite from the clay, in situ ZrSiO4, monoclinic ZrO2, α-Al2O3 and traces of leucite. 1600 °C was required to fully form mullite and monoclinic ZrO2 but it had 26.5% porosity even after firing at 1650 °C for 2 h. It consisted of small equiaxed primary mullite grains secondary mullite rods, and scattered and clustered, round ZrO2 grains. With 1.05% CaO addition, tetragonal ZrO2 formed, but 22.7% porosity remained despite the presence of 13.5% liquid phase having a low viscosity (0.6 Pa.s, from FactSage). With 2.11% CaO, porosity reduced to 10.7% but mullite partly dissolved, forming α-Al2O3 (ZMA aggregate). The added CaO mostly remained in the intergranular glassy phase rather than inside the ZrO2 grains but increased the thickness of the secondary mullite and the ZrO2 grains. Mullite was completely lost with 4.21% CaO doping but favorably formed cubic ZrO2 containing up to 0.26 at% Ca, interlinked α-Al2O3 rods and attained a low porosity of 0.2%. This ZA aggregate is limited to 1550 °C application temperature as excess liquid phase drained out beyond that. 7.37% CaO addition was detrimental as it formed an excessive anorthite-like liquid phase that percolated out at 1550 °C with 5.6% weight loss. Thus, in ZM-based calcium aluminate cement bonded refractory castables, the final CaO content should be restricted to below 2.1% to avoid partial dissolution of mullite.
Article
18 November 2024Developing a Climate Litigation Framework: China’s Contribution to International Environmental Law
Although “climate litigation” is not an indigenous term in China, localizing it is essential to support the development of an independent environmental legal knowledge system in China. Rooted in China’s judicial tradition, which emphasizes substantive rationality, traditional legal theories have primarily focused on environmental law. However, the contemporary practices in the rule of law have created an unclear trajectory for climate litigation. Research in this area has long been trapped in a paradigm that relies on lawsuits for ecological environmental damage compensation and environmental public interest litigation, leading to a significant disconnect between theoretical framworks and practical application. With the advancement of the "dual carbon" strategic goals—carbon peaking and carbon neutrality—it has become imperative to redefine the concept of climate litigation within the Chinese context. We need to establish a theoretical framework that aligns with the “dual carbon” objectives while providing theoretical and institutional support for climate litigation, ultimately contributing to the international discourse on climate justice. Additionally, Hong Kong’s proactive climate governance and robust ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices provide valuable insights for developing comprehensive climate litigation mechanisms. Based on this analysis, we propose concrete plans for building a climate litigation system in China, establishing a preventive relief system and a multi-source legal framework at the substantive level and developing climate judicial mechanisms for mitigation and adaptation at the procedural level.
Article
15 November 2024Long-Term Change in Human Impact and Environmental Perceptions: A 40-Year Case Study of an Environment-Focused Non-Governmental Organization
Non-governmental environmental organizations are diverse in scope, goals and doctrine, ranging from natural history societies to green parties. It was from the 1960s that they became widespread worldwide. To characterize a French NGO and assess the changing trends in its objectives over time, we have qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed the journal it has published without interruption for 40 years: 140 issues, 4500 pages, and almost 250 keywords. The initial scope of the NGO was focused on ‘humans and nature’: we do not protect the environment against humans but with humans, i.e., at the same time as humans, which is the very definition of sustainable development, with its three-fold focus: nature, economy and social justice. The primary issues included recognizing water as a shared resource for all people, promoting sustainable agriculture and transportation (such as railways), advancing peace efforts, and protecting nature. This approach emphasizes a rigorous, evolving scientific perspective that goes beyond a focus on a few charismatic species (‘deluxe biodiversity’), embracing biodiversity in its entirety. Over time, the discourse has kept track of the shifting priorities of most Green parties: less and less focused on nature (e.g., forests, ecosystems) and more and more on social issues (e.g., health, housing, transport). However, it differs in not focusing on the idées fixes of the Greens (e.g., rejection of civil nuclear power, GMOs).
Review
15 November 2024Intelligent Manufacturing Factory: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Hotspots and Progress
Intelligent factories provide flexible and adaptive production processes, offering significant competitive advantages to manufacturers and are widely studied in industrial production. Information technology is recognized as a key factor influencing the production efficiency and intelligence of Intelligent factories. However, current research has primarily focused on the operational processes of intelligent factories, with limited analysis of information technology. To address this gap, this paper conducts a bibliometric analysis of information technology in intelligent factories, along with a review of its development and applications. Firstly, the data collection and visualization methods of bibliometrics are introduced. Secondly, bibliometric analyses are performed using platforms such as VOSviewer and Scimago to investigate co-authorship, co-citation, and contributions from countries and institutions in the field of information technology for intelligent factories. Finally, a framework for information technology in intelligent factories is established, summarizing its development in terms of information acquisition, transmission, processing, management, and control. This paper aims to assist scholars in understanding the development trends of intelligent factory technology and enhancing the informatization level of intelligent factories.
