With the development of automobile electrification and intelligence, the demand for electro-mechanical braking (EMB) systems is increasing rapidly. This paper reviews the development status of the EMB actuator on the basis of extensive patent and literature research. By analyzing the basic structure of the EMB actuator, this paper decomposes the actuator into five modules: service brake module, parking brake module, brake clearance compensation module, quick-return module and sensor module. On the basis of basic structure, the estimation algorithm for indirect clamping force control and the direct clamping force control algorithm of the actuator are summarized. In addition, the requirements of the EMB system for intelligent vehicles and its typical architecture are analyzed, and the preliminary application of the EMB system in intelligent driving is summarized. Full article

Agricultural mulch waste that is mechanically recycled has a high resource value. It has been found that the mulch is tightly entangled in the crop straw, forming a knotted feature that prevents further resource utilization. Traditional cutting tools were found to be ineffective in breaking up the knotted feature. In response to the above problems, a sliding cutting device for mechanically recovered mulch waste was proposed and built. The structure of the device and key components were designed and analyzed. A three-factor five-level orthogonal test was conducted and regression variance analysis was performed with the Central Composite Design (CCD) module in Design expert 8. The relationship model was constructed between the test factors such as supporting motor speed a, cutting-support rotation speed ratio b, and cutting edge angle c and the response indicators such as film breakage rate y₁ and knotted feature removal rate y₂. The influence law between each key parameter with its significant interaction and the waste crushing effect was analyzed, and the optimum combination of parameters of the crushing device were obtained. Under the same conditions, the errors between the physical test values and the model prediction values of the two response indicators were 2.17% and 3.52%, respectively, indicating that the verification test results were basically consistent with the model prediction results. Full article

This study aimed to assess global trends in research on salt stress in rice and provide new directions for future studies. The subjects in this study are a plain text file with full records and cited references (Web of Science core collection as the database, “rice” and “salt” as the retrieved title with the date range from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2021). The bibliometric method was used in this study, and the results were visualized using Scimago Graphica, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. The results showed that China, India, and Japan contributed most of the literature in this field, and the institutes with the largest academic output were the Chinese Academy of Science, the International Rice Research Institute, and Nanjing Agriculture University. This study argues that research on salt stress in rice has been conducted in three main areas: phenotypes, response mechanisms, and remediation strategies. Inoculation of rhizosphere bacteria, ion homeostasis, soil remediation, and gene editing will be popular topics in rice salt stress research in the future. This study aimed to provide a potential theoretical direction for research on salt stress in rice as well as a reference for feasible studies on the exploitation of saline–alkali lands. Full article

Pyrus spinosa Forssk. (almond-leaved pear) is a wild-growing native tree of the hilly countryside of Greece, which has recently gained interest for its valuable endogenous substances. In the present work, the determination of the total phenol content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (AC) was carried out during 2021 and 2022 in leaves from 32 genotypes of mature wild-growing trees at four different locations of Central Macedonia District, Greece: Agia Anastasia, Chalkidiki, Lagadas and Pieria. The measurements taken from the leaf samples of all genotypes revealed a strong positive linear correlation between TPC and AC (R² = 0.772). Two genotypes from Agia Anastasia, coded as AA2 and AA3, were comparatively the richest in TPC (44.86 for AA2 and 46.32 mg GAE/g fresh weight for AA3) and AC (70.31 and 71.21 μg AAE/g fresh weight for the same genotypes). For these two genotypes of high TPC and AC, an efficient micropropagation protocol was developed to preserve and multiply this valuable germplasm. Newly emerged shoot tips were excised from winter shoots and, after disinfestation, they were established on a modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) nutrient medium with 5 μΜ of 6-Benzyloaminopurine (BAP). For shoot multiplication, explants from clean cultures were transferred to Pear Medium 1 with 5 μΜ of BAP. The effect of the nutrient medium was tested by using five different nutrient media (modified MS, Pear Medium 1, Pear Medium 2, DKW and WPM) supplemented with 5 μΜ of BAP. Pear Medium 1 was the most effective in shoot formation. Among the four different BAP concentrations (0, 5, 10 and 20 μΜ) used in Pear Medium 1, 5 μΜ of BAP resulted in the production of the significantly highest number of shoots (22.7 shoots per explant, 2.4 cm long). The exposure of cultures to 10 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ for one week under light irradiance followed by 35 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ for four weeks increased both the number and length of the shoots produced. A 20-s dip of the shoot bases into 49.0 μΜ of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) in EtOH equally affected rooting in a modified rooting MS (79%) and Pear Medium 1 (80%). The root system developed better in the modified rooting MS medium (mean number of roots of 2.7 with a length of 3.9 cm). The acclimatization of the plantlets was successfully carried out (high survival rates five weeks after their establishment) on a perlite substrate under controlled environmental conditions. Full article

In the face of drastic global climate change, the transition to a green economy is becoming increasingly important and it is understood as an opportunity to redesign and redefine business models, products and services, market approaches, forms of consumption, and production. Thus, this study aims to understand how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adhere to green innovation activities in the management of their business. To answer this objective, the qualitative approach (case study) was used with recourse to interview three SME owner-managers as data collection. From a content analysis, the results obtained show that green innovation is a focus of concern for managers but its operationalization has not proved easy. So two of the SMEs studied here have only implemented measures to recycle the waste produced by their daily activity, although they consider their transition to a green and sustainable business model to be important. The current macroeconomic scenarios reveal the urgent need for SMEs to change their traditional business models to a more sustainable model that involves their managers’ commitment to sustainable development objectives, supported by the green and circular economy, which requires reduction, reuse, and recycling that, as has been shown, still falls far short of expectations. This means that all business stakeholders must understand the reason for adopting green innovation. Full article

The authors have proposed a method of reiterating the statistical analysis of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the UNFCCC Parties, which were updated at Conference of the Parties-26. The present analysis confirms the taxonomy developed in 2020, based on 2475 adaptive solutions recorded in 2022 NDCs, and discusses the differences observed. An ex ante adaptation metric is proposed, which allows monitoring of adaptive solutions over time and comparisons between projects in time and space. The fitness coefficient evaluates the ex ante relevance of these adaptive projects in relation to the climate challenges of each country. The authors have proposed a program of continuous improvement instead of a definitive calculation. The authors have developed an algorithm to automate the text analysis and minimize the subjectivity of the analysis. The objective is to assign a level of vulnerability to each project for each hazard in the country. The correspondence analysis was used to derive the most representative dimensions of project category dispersion and vulnerability intensities from a contingency table for each hazard. This coefficient can be made available to experts, project developers, and funders for ex ante evaluation and selection of candidate projects for funding before more in-depth analyses are carried out. Full article

This study maps the conceptual structure of the body of knowledge concerning bank risk to understand this research strand better. A bibliometric analysis including 671 publications from January 1978 to October 2022 was conducted to achieve the aim of the study. The analysis of descriptive indicators identifies the main traits of scholars debating bank risk in terms of the annual production of publications; most productive authors, countries, affiliations, and journals; and most cited articles in the dataset. This study performs a co-word analysis by adopting social network analysis tools to analyze the conceptual structure of the dataset. The results highlight growing academic interest in bank risk research topics, especially following the global financial crisis. The bibliometric analysis reveals three main topics concerning the consideration of bank risk: (1) the adoption of risk management and bank risk, (2) the use of bank risk during the financial crisis, and (3) the interrelations between corporate governance and bank risk. Full article

Understanding climate change awareness and its related risks is crucial to plan efficient climate-smart strategies. An online survey was conducted on Italian consumers with the aim to understand consumers’ inclination toward food products obtained with climate-smart strategies. Specifically, consumers’ awareness about climate change and willingness to choose and pay for products derived from climate-smart agriculture were investigated. Results highlighted two targeted consumers, one more interested in economic issues and more “conservative” and the second one more concerned with climate changes risks with a higher interest in environmental and ethical values (fair trade), representing the primary target consumers for climate-smart foods. This segmentation can be useful to identify expectations and purchase drivers that can facilitate climate-smart policies and the establishment of the climate-smart foods on the market. Full article

Data surveys show that near-fault ground motion does great damage to tunnel structures, especially the portal section and fault zone. In this paper, a series of shaking table model tests of near-fault tunnels were conducted and the surrounding-rock fault-zone-lining model of the near-fault tunnel was established. Accelerometers and strain gauges were arranged at specific locations, and the experimental process of earthquake occurrence was simulated by inputting seismic waves of different working conditions, which obtained the characteristics of stress, damage and deformation of the tunnel model. The tested results showed that the acceleration response of the tunnel portal section was close to the wave shape of the inputted seismic wave, and the acceleration response of the arch shoulder, arch waist and arch foot was more prominent. The internal force of lining at the arch shoulder and arch foot was greater than that at the arch crown, and the peak internal force appeared at the arch foot. The internal force and the maximum or minimum principal stress of the lining under impulse ground motion were larger than those under non-impulse ground motion. Additionally, the surrounding rock had a filtering effect on the high-frequency band of seismic waves. Meanwhile, when the geological characteristics of the fault zone were poor, and the tensile damage first appeared at the arch foot, the compressive damage appeared at the junction of the surrounding rock and fault zone. This study will offer a practical guidance for tunnel engineering earthquake damage. Full article

This paper examines the role of financial stress in explaining the relationship between financial literacy and financial well-being among individuals in the United States. The 2018 FINRA National Financial Capability Study dataset is used for the empirical analyses of this study. The results found that financial literacy was positively associated with financial well-being. The study also found that the association between financial literacy and financial well-being was mediated by perceived financial stress experienced by individuals. Additionally, the results from the moderated mediation model showed that while financial stress mediated the association between financial literacy and financial well-being, the association between financial stress and financial well-being was moderated by financial literacy. Financial education was positively associated with financial literacy in this study. The broader implications of the main findings of this study for individuals’ sustainable financial well-being are presented for policymakers, financial educators, and financial counselors and planners. Full article

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) are posing emerging potential threats to global ecosystems and human health. Recently, the individual effects of MPs/NPs and combined effects of MPs/NPs-coexisting pollutants on soil–terrestrial plant systems have attracted increasing attention. Based on the latest research progress, this review firstly summarized the sources of MPs/NPs and the interaction between MPs/NPs and coexisting pollutants in soil environment, and then systematically induced their multilevel impacts on soil properties and terrestrial plants. Soil and agroecosystem are major long-term sinks of primary and secondary MPs/NPs, with extensive sources. MPs/NPs exhibit universal adsorption capacities and can further serve as the vectors for varied heavy metal, organic and biological contaminants. Generally, MPs/NPs and the combination with coexisting contaminants may affect soil physical, chemical and microbiological properties, soil structure and functions, while the specific impacts and degree depend on MP/NP characteristics including polymer type, size, shape, concentration and degradability. Increasing evidence confirmed the uptake and translocation of MPs/NPs in terrestrial plants and proved their influence on growth performance, metabolism and physiological toxicity, as well as cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. The specific effects vary as a function of MP/NPs properties, plant species and environmental conditions. The joint effects of MPs/NPs and coexisting pollutants are complex, and synergistic, antagonism and neutralization effects have been reported at different circumstances. Further comprehensive and in-depth studies are urgently needed to fulfill the current knowledge gaps, especially the deficiency in the inherent mechanisms. Full article

Pollution by heavy metal cadmium (Cd) in soil is still serious and control measures are constantly updated. In this paper, one indoor culture method was applied to investigate the effect of phosphate and thermo-activated nano silicate combined application on soil cadmium (Cd) speciation transformation. A total of 7 treatments were designed, which were: simulated cadmium-contaminated soil without phosphate and silicate recorded as the reference (CK) treatment; mixtures of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% soil heavy dose of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 700 °C thermo-activated nano serpentine (potassium dihydrogen phosphate: thermo-activated nano serpentine ratio = 1:2) added to simulated cadmium-contaminated soil, denoted as nPS₇₀₀-0.5, nPS₇₀₀-1.0, and nPS₇₀₀-2.0, respectively; and 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% soil heavy dose of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 700 °C thermo-activated nano zeolite mixture (potassium dihydrogen phosphate: thermo-activated nano zeolite ratio = 1:2) added to simulated cadmium-contaminated soil, denoted as nPF₇₀₀-0.5, nPF₇₀₀-1.0, and nPF₇₀₀-2.0, respectively. The results showed that the combined application of potassium dihydrogen phosphate with thermo-activated nano serpentine or potassium dihydrogen phosphate with thermo-activated nano zeolite reduced the soil exchangeable Cd content to varying degrees and increased levels of carbonate-bound, Fe-Mn oxide-bound, organic-bound, and residual Cd forms to different degrees. In combined application of phosphate and thermo-activated nano silicate, the higher the dosage level, the greater the reduction of exchangeable Cd content and the better the effect on Cd-contaminated soil remediation: nPS₇₀₀-2.0 > nPS₇₀₀-1.0 > nPS₇₀₀-0.5, nPF₇₀₀-2.0 > nPF₇₀₀-1.0 > nPF₇₀₀-0.5 (N, P, S, and F represent nano, KH₂PO₄, serpentine, and zeolite, respectively, and 700 represents the activation temperature). At the same dosage level, the combined application of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and thermo-activated nano serpentine was more effective than that of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and thermo-activated nano zeolite in repairing Cd-contaminated soil (nPS₇₀₀-2.0 > nPF₇₀₀-2.0, nPS₇₀₀-1.0 > nPF₇₀₀-1.0, nPS₇₀₀-0.5 > nPF₇₀₀-0.5), which indicated that the combination of phosphate and thermo-activated nano silicate can passivate heavy metal cadmium (Cd) to a certain extent and promote the transformation of bioavailable Cd into an unusable state. The reason why potassium dihydrogen phosphate, zeolite, and serpentine can absorb heavy metal cadmium after entering the soil is because the silicate mineral itself can directly absorb cadmium. Second, after nano treatment and thermal activation, the specific surface areas and pores of the minerals increase, which enhances the adsorption performance. Third, because the pH value of the mineral itself is high, the pH value of the soil environment will rise, thereby transforming H₂PO₄⁻ into PO₄³⁻, which is conducive to the adsorption of Cd²⁺. Full article

Japan’s urban planning system began with the Urban Renewal (1885) and has been modified since then in various ways through the Tokyo City Improvement Ordinance (1888) and the City Planning Law (1919). From 1895 to 1945 (Japanese colonization era), Japan applied and tested its urban planning in Taipei (1895–1945), Seoul (1910–1945, Gyeongseong), and Beijing (1936–1945). Although Tokyo was the first city discussed for planning, urban renewal was implemented in other colonized cities in a similar period. What Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Taipei have in common is that they are built around fortress walls. Hence, the present study aims to examine the characteristics of Tokyo’s urban planning and reveal how Japan’s urban planning transformed these cities in East Asia, which had different cultures and styles, during Japanese colonial rule. We analyzed urban renewal projects implemented in each city, the organization of a committee to plan the City Planning Ordinance, the effect of urban planning, the characteristics of urban planning, and changes in existing downtowns. Full article

COVID-19 has resulted in the increased use of distance learning around the world. With the advancement of information technology, traditional classroom teaching has gradually integrated the Internet and distance learning methods. Students need to be able to learn on their own in a distance learning environment, so their ability to self-regulate their learning in a distance learning environment cannot be ignored. However, in previous studies on self-regulated learning, most learners learn alone. When they have academic doubts, they cannot obtain help and support from their studies, resulting in reduced learning outcomes. This study uses the peer self-disciplined learning mechanism to establish a distance teaching system that assists students and to improve their own learning status by meeting with peers at a distance. It can also help learners orient themselves by observing their peers’ learning status and goal considerations. The participants in this study were 112 college students in the department of information management. The control group used a general self-regulated teaching system for learning, and the experimental group used a distance learning system, incorporating peer self-regulated learning. The results of the study found that learners who used the distance peer learning mechanism were more effective than those who used the general distance self-regulated learning system; learners who used the distance peer-regulated learning mechanism had better motivation, self-efficacy, and reflection after the learning activity than those who used the general distance self-regulated learning system. In addition, with the aid of such mechanisms, learners’ cognitive load can be reduced, and learning effectiveness can be improved. Full article

Liaoning Province, as an old industrial urban agglomeration since the founding of China, is an important link between the Bohai Economic Zone and the Northeast Economic Zone, and it has made great contributions to the economic development of China. The transformation of China’s economy and heavy industrial development have posed great challenges to the long-lasting growth of Liaoning Province. In this study, the driving force of land expansion was detected using the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model in Liaoning Province, and the land situation in 2030 was predicted under natural development, ecological protection, and economic development scenarios. We then further coupled the PLUS model with the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) model to explore the spatial autocorrelation and synergistic relationship between carbon storage and habitat quality. The results indicated the following: (1) The total accuracy of the simulation in 2020 using the PLUS model reached 94.16%, and the Kappa coefficient reached 0.9089; therefore, the simulation result was highly reliable. (2) The overall spatial pattern of both carbon storage and habitat quality decreased from the northwest and southeast to the middle, and habitat quality had an impact on carbon storage to a certain extent, with a positive spatial correlation. (3) The ecological protection (EP) scenario was the only development prospect with increasing total carbon storage, which could increase carbon sequestration by approximately 7.83 × 10⁶ Mg/C, and development prospects with optimal habitat quality. (4) Weak trade-off and weak synergy dominated in the 2030 natural development (ND) scenario; most regions showed weak synergy in the ecological protection scenario, spatial heterogeneity became more pronounced in the economic development (ED) scenario, and a strong trade-off and strong synergy emerged in individual regions. The results of the study have a positive feedback effect on establishing an ecological security barrier in Liaoning Province and furthering long-lasting low-carbon urban development. Full article