Search Results (3,383)

As an emerging energy-saving approach, bio-inspired drag reduction technology has become a key research direction for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This study introduces the latest research progress on bio-inspired microstructured surfaces in the field of underwater drag reduction, focusing on analyzing the drag reduction mechanism, preparation process, and application effect of the three major technological paths; namely, bio-inspired non-smooth surfaces, bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces, and bio-inspired modified coatings. Bio-inspired non-smooth surfaces can significantly reduce the wall shear stress by regulating the flow characteristics of the turbulent boundary layer through microstructure design. Bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces form stable gas–liquid interfaces through the construction of micro-nanostructures and reduce frictional resistance by utilizing the slip boundary effect. Bio-inspired modified coatings, on the other hand, realize the synergistic function of drag reduction and antifouling through targeted chemical modification of materials and design of micro-nanostructures. Although these technologies have made significant progress in drag reduction performance, their engineering applications still face bottlenecks such as manufacturing process complexity, gas layer stability, and durability. Future research should focus on the analysis of drag reduction mechanisms and optimization of material properties under multi-physical field coupling conditions, the development of efficient and low-cost manufacturing processes, and the enhancement of surface stability and adaptability through dynamic self-healing coatings and smart response materials. It is hoped that the latest research status of bio-inspired drag reduction technology reviewed in this study provides a theoretical basis and technical reference for the sustainable development and energy-saving design of ships and underwater vehicles. Full article

Prefabricated buildings, known for their energy efficiency, environmental benefits, and industrial advantages, play a crucial role in urban renewal. Previous studies on the carbon emissions of prefabricated buildings mainly concentrate on the assessment and auditing of carbon emissions at the materialization and construction phase. Few of them have analyzed the carbon emissions at the operational phase or the influence mechanisms of prefabricated buildings on carbon emissions in urban renewal. Thus, this paper explored the factors and mechanisms that influence carbon emissions in prefabricated buildings in China’s urban renewal. Firstly, the factors that influence the carbon emissions of prefabricated buildings in China’s urban renewal were identified through meta-analysis. Secondly, the theoretical model was developed to illustrate the influence paths of prefabricated buildings on the carbon emissions of urban renewal. Finally, the structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses in the theoretical model using data collected from questionnaires. The results show that the carbon emission reduction potential of prefabricated buildings is influenced by four aspects, namely, socioeconomic factors, policy regulations, building operation, and materialization. Policy regulations have the greatest impact on the carbon emissions of prefabricated buildings. They not only directly affect the carbon emissions of urban renewal but also influence carbon emissions indirectly through the social economy aspect. The direct impact of social economy on the carbon emissions of prefabricated buildings is insignificant, while it can indirectly affect the carbon emission reduction in prefabricated buildings by influencing building operations and the materialization stage. The findings could help provide strategies for prefabrication and enhance the reduction potential of urban renewal. Full article

In Europe, corporate sustainability reporting through the double materiality assessment was formally introduced with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in response to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. The double materiality assessment is essential not only to determine the scope of corporate sustainability reporting but also to guide companies toward an efficient allocation of resources and shape corporate sustainability strategies. However, although EFRAG represents the technical adviser of the European Commission, there are numerous “interoperable” standards related to the assessment of double materiality, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), or UNI 11919-1:2023. This research intends to systematically analyze similarities and divergences between the most widespread double materiality assessment standards at the global scale, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and trying to identify a comparable path toward the creation of a set of common guidelines. This analysis is carried out through the systematic study of seven standards and by answering nine questions ranging from generic ones, such as “what is the concept of double materiality?”, to more technical questions like “does the standard identify thresholds?”, but adding original prospects such as “does the standard refer to different types of capital?”. Findings highlight that EFRAG, UNI 11919-1:2023, and GRI represent the most complete and least-discretionary standards, but some methodological aspects need to be enhanced. In the double materiality assessment, companies must identify key stakeholders, material topics and material risks, and must develop the double materiality matrix, promoting transparent disclosure, continuous monitoring, and stakeholders’ engagement. While comparability is principally required among companies operating within the same sector and of similar size, this does not preclude the possibility of comparing firms across different sectors with respect to specific indicators, when appropriate or necessary. Full article

In light of the ongoing discussion concerning the energy transition of the heating sector, primarily focused on district heating and shaped by heating corporations towards an incremental transformation, an alternative direction for the energy transition of the heating sector towards electroheating—a breakthrough transformation—is presented in this paper, along with a justification of its rationale. Arguments “for” and “against” both transformation paths are provided. Analyses of the costs of transforming district heating systems along both trajectories are conducted. The opportunities of a breakthrough transformation are characterized. An alternative approach to the energy transformation of district heating systems will provoke resistance and opposition from representatives of institutions operating within the current model. Transforming the existing heating model without changing its structure will burden society with high transformation costs through demands for government guarantees to cover these expenses. The analysis presented in this paper shows that these costs can be significantly reduced if the approach to the generation and distribution of district heat is changed. Full article

Soilless cultivation technology is a key means of overcoming traditional agricultural resource limits, providing an important path to efficient and sustainable modern agriculture by precisely regulating crop rhizospheric environments. This paper systematically reviews the technical system of soilless cultivation, nutrient solution management strategies, the interaction mechanism of rhizosphere microorganisms, and future development directions, aiming to reveal its technical advantages and innovation potential. This review shows that solid and non-solid substrate cultivation improves resource utilization efficiency and yield, but substrate sustainability and technical cost need urgent attention. The dynamic regulation of nutrient solution and intelligent management can significantly enhance nutrient absorption efficiency. Rhizosphere microorganisms directly regulate crop health through nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, and pathogen antagonism. However, the community structure and functional stability of rhizosphere microorganisms in organic systems are prone to imbalance, requiring targeted optimization via synthetic biology methods. Future research should focus on the development of environmentally friendly substrates, the construction of intelligent environmental control systems, and microbiome engineering to promote the expansion of soilless cultivation towards low-carbon, precise, and spatial directions. This paper systematically references the theoretical improvements and practical innovations in soilless cultivation technology, facilitating its large-scale application in food security, ecological protection, and resource recycling. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between sovereign credit rating transitions and domestic equity market performance, focusing on Greece from 2004 to 2024. Although credit ratings are central to sovereign risk assessment, their immediate influence on financial markets remains contested. This research adopts a multi-method analytical framework combining algebraic combinatorics and time-series econometrics. The methodology incorporates the construction of a directed credit rating transition graph, the partially ordered set representation of rating hierarchies, rolling-window correlation analysis, Granger causality testing, event study evaluation, and the formulation of a reward matrix with optimal rating path optimization. Empirical results indicate that credit rating announcements in Greece exert only modest short-term effects on the Athens Stock Exchange General Index, implying that markets often anticipate these changes. In contrast, sequential downgrade trajectories elicit more pronounced and persistent market responses. The reward matrix and path optimization approach reveal structured investor behavior that is sensitive to the cumulative pattern of rating changes. These findings offer a more nuanced interpretation of how sovereign credit risk is processed and priced in transparent and fiscally disciplined environments. By bridging network-based algebraic structures and economic data science, the study contributes a novel methodology for understanding systemic financial signals within sovereign credit systems. Full article

Fire spread between buildings is the primary cause of extensive fire damage in traditional village timber structure clusters. Accurately assessing fire spread risk is crucial for the preservation of these architectural ensembles. During the development and conservation of traditional villages, fire risk dynamics may shift due to fire-resistant retrofits or layout modifications, necessitating repeated risk reevaluations. To address challenges such as the computational intensity of fire spread simulations, high costs, and data acquisition difficulties, this study proposes a directed graph-based method for fire spread risk analysis and risk level classification in timber structure clusters, accounting for their unique fire propagation characteristics. First, localized fire spread paths and propagation times between nodes (buildings) are determined through fire spread simulations, constructing an adjacency matrix for the directed graph of the building cluster. Path search algorithms then identify the spread range and velocity under specific fire scenarios. Subsequently, a zoned risk assessment model for individual buildings is developed based on critical fire spread loss and velocity, integrating each building’s fire resistance and its probability of exposure to different risk zones to determine the overall cluster’s fire spread risk level. The method is validated using a case study of a typical village in Yunnan Province. Results demonstrate that the approach efficiently computes fire spread characteristics across different scenarios and quantitatively evaluates risk levels, enabling targeted fire safety interventions based on village-specific spread patterns. Case analysis reveals significant variations in fire spread behavior: Village 1, Village 2, and Village 3 exhibit fire resistance indices of 0.59, 0.757, and 0.493, corresponding to high, moderate, and high fire spread risk levels, respectively. Full article

With the rapid expansion of higher education in China, university teachers are facing increasing workloads and mounting performance pressures, posing significant threats to their occupational health. Consequently, how to enhance job performance while safeguarding faculty well-being has become a critical issue for higher education administrators. This study aims to explore the role of health-promoting leadership (HPL) in addressing the dual challenge of enhancing university teachers’ job performance while maintaining their occupational health. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study conceptualizes job burnout as both a core indicator of occupational health and a mediating variable, as well as proposing a dual-path model to examine the direct and indirect effects of HPL on teachers’ job performance. A survey of 556 university teachers in Jiangxi Province, China, was conducted; the data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 and AMOS version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The findings suggest that HPL is positively associated with job performance, both directly and indirectly through reduced burnout, supporting a dual-pathway mechanism consistent with COR theory. These results contribute to a better understanding of the potential role of HPL in balancing teacher well-being and performance in the context of Chinese higher education. This study also extends the cross-cultural application of COR theory and provides theoretical and practical insights into how HPL may help alleviate teacher burnout and support the development of health-promoting universities. Full article

This study examines the performance characteristics of four commonly used short-path algorithms, including Dijkstra, Bellman–Ford, Floyd–Warshall, and Dantzig, on randomly generated directed graphs. We analyze theoretical computational complexity and empirical execution time using a custom-built testing framework. The experimental results demonstrate significant performance differences across varying graph densities and sizes, with Dijkstra’s algorithm showing superior performance for sparse graphs while Floyd–Warshall and Dantzig provide more consistent performance for dense graphs. Time complexity analysis confirms the theoretical expectations: Dijkstra’s algorithm performs best on sparse graphs with O (E + V log V) complexity, Bellman–Ford shows O (V · E) complexity suitable for graphs with negative edges, while Floyd–Warshall and Dantzig both demonstrate O(V³) complexity that becomes efficient for dense graphs. This research provides practical insights for algorithm selection based on specific graph properties, guiding developers and researchers in choosing the most efficient algorithm for their particular graph structure requirements. Full article

Climate change is becoming one of humanity’s major concerns. Remarkable steps are being implemented to reduce global emissions in all economic sectors, including the built environment. Historical buildings use a considerable amount of energy and produce emissions; therefore, retrofitting these buildings will enhance the global path towards zero-emissions targets. This paper applies a systematic literature review methodology to identify the research around energy efficiency retrofit in historical buildings, then analyzes this data to find out the common scopes of these studies. After that, the study focuses on the research that covered the life cycle assessment. Lastly, the paper identifies where the research in this field stands, what is accomplished, and what needs to be done. The study used two databases, ScienceDirect and the Web of Science. The output of this study that evaluated 362 publications showed that research in historical building energy efficiency has increased significantly in the last ten years. A few studies cover the topic of whole life cycle assessments and mainly focus on specific processes: energy/emissions, or specific suggested interventions. The suggested future plans for research in this area are to consider the whole life energy and emissions in retrofitted historical buildings. Full article

As the global urbanization process accelerates, rural settlements in China are facing the challenges of rural hollowing and widening urban–rural disparities. The establishment of the national scenic area system has made scenic settlements a primary direction for tourism development. However, industrial transformation has led to significant restructuring of the human–land relationship and the spatial functions of these settlements, resulting in issues such as over-tourism, ecological degradation, and cultural loss. This paper focuses on the Mosuo settlements around Lugu Lake, selecting nine villages, including Gesha Village, Wuzhiluo Village, and Daluoshui Village, to explore the formation and expression of Mosuo spatial concepts. Through spatial measurement, area statistics, and the analysis of development paths, the core of the research is to propose that “there is consistency between conceptual order and spatial form,” revealing the multi-dimensional evolutionary mechanism of Mosuo settlement spatial morphology under the intertwining of traditional concepts, market logic, and institutional policies, providing a replicable Chinese reference for global cultural heritage rural areas. Full article

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing technologies, the penetration of industrial robots into Chinese markets has profoundly reshaped the structure of the labor market. However, existing studies have largely concentrated on the employment substitution effect and the diffusion path of these technologies, while systematic analyses of how industrial robots affect labor resource allocation efficiency across different regional and industrial contexts in China remain scarce. In particular, research on the mechanisms and heterogeneity of these effects is still underdeveloped, calling for deeper investigation into their transmission channels and policy implications. Drawing on panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2023, this paper employs a Bartik-style instrumental variable approach to measure the level of industrial robot penetration and constructs a two-way fixed effects model to assess its impact on urban labor misallocation. Furthermore, the analysis introduces two mediating variables, industrial upgrading and urban innovation capacity, and applies a mediation effect model combined with Bootstrap methods to empirically test the underlying transmission mechanisms. The results reveal that a higher level of industrial robot adoption is significantly associated with a lower degree of labor misallocation, indicating a notable improvement in labor resource allocation efficiency. Heterogeneity analysis shows that this effect is more pronounced in cities outside the Yangtze River Economic Belt, in those experiencing severe population aging, and in areas with a relatively weak manufacturing base. Mechanism tests further indicate that industrial robots indirectly promote labor allocation efficiency by facilitating industrial upgrades and enhancing innovation capacity. However, in the short term, improvements in innovation capacity may temporarily intensify labor mismatch due to structural frictions. Overall, industrial robots not only exert a direct positive impact on the efficiency of urban labor allocation but also indirectly contribute to resource optimization through structural transformation and innovation system development. These findings underscore the need to account for regional disparities and demographic structures when advancing intelligent manufacturing strategies. Policymakers should coordinate the development of vocational training systems and innovation ecosystems to strengthen the dynamic alignment between technological adoption and labor market restructuring, thereby fostering more inclusive and high-quality economic growth. Full article

Digital transformation (DT) has become a critical focus in both academia and industry. However, its rapid evolution complicates our understanding of its core concepts and developmental patterns. Understanding the development path of DT is crucial for both scholars and practitioners because it provides a structured view of how the field has progressed over time. This study employs main path analysis (MPA), a citation-based scientometric method, to systematically review and trace the intellectual trajectory of DT research over the past 30 years. Drawing on 1790 academic articles from the Web of Science database, the study identifies key influential works and maps the primary citation paths that shape the field. The analysis reveals three major developmental phases of DT research—engagement, enablement, and enhancement—each characterized by distinct thematic and conceptual shifts. Furthermore, five emerging research trends are uncovered: reinventing digital innovation affordance, value-creation paths of DT, synergistic DT with business and management practices, disciplinary boundaries of DT, and digital leadership. Understanding the intellectual trajectory and emerging trends of DT helps practitioners anticipate technological shifts and align transformation efforts, guiding decision-makers in effectively managing their DT processes. Also, these findings provide a structured framework for understanding the evolution of DT and offer valuable directions for future research in information systems and digital innovation. Full article

To address the operational demands of irregular farmland with fixed obstacles, this study proposes a full-coverage path planning framework that integrates UAV-based 3D perception and angle-adaptive optimization. First, digital orthophoto maps (DOMs) and digital elevation models (DEMs) were reconstructed from low-altitude aerial imagery. The feasible working region was constructed by shrinking field boundaries inward and dilating obstacle boundaries outward. This ensured sufficient safety margins for machinery operation. Next, segmentation angles were scanned from 0° to 180° to minimize the number and irregularity of sub-regions; then a two-level simulation search was performed over 0° to 360° to optimize the working direction for each sub-region. For each sub-region, the optimal working direction was selected based on four criteria: the number of turns, travel distance, coverage redundancy, and planning time. Between sub-regions, a closed-loop interconnection path was generated using eight-directional A* search combined with polyline simplification, arc fitting, Chaikin subdivision, and B-spline smoothing. Simulation results showed that a 78° segmentation yielded four regular sub-regions, achieving 99.97% coverage while reducing the number of turns, travel distance, and planning time by up to 70.42%, 23.17%, and 85.6%. This framework accounts for field heterogeneity and turning radius constraints, effectively mitigating path redundancy in conventional fixed-angle methods. This framework enables general deployment in agricultural field operations and facilitates extensions toward collaborative and energy-optimized task planning. Full article

Ninety-five-year-old Doris Held, a great niece of Sigmund Freud, has been convening the Shakespeare Reading Group in Northampton, Massachusetts, my hometown, since she moved here in 2016. In the following essay, which is a personal response to my experience of this group of Shakespearean readers, to Doris Held, and to the work of Shakespeare in general, I attempt to chart the full impact of the Bard’s work on my life and on the world around me. I am neither a scholar nor a historian. In a true sense, I am a bystander Shakespearean, who has received deep reward and benefit from the experience, but it is Doris Held and her group who opened my eyes to the precise nature of this unexamined reward. Doris brought the spirit of the group from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she had been a dues-paying member for decades of something called the Old Cambridge Shakespeare Association, which itself dates to 1880. My wife Debra and I attended the first meeting in Northampton more than a decade ago, and we have been receiving emails from Doris four times a year ever since. While these communications often induce guilt, they invariably lead to pleasures that I would never want to relinquish. That is a complicated dynamic in my routine, and I try to grapple with its ebb and flow in the pages that follow. Each time I get one, I have a version of the same conversation in my head. Is Doris still doing this? Haven’t they done all the plays by now? All things considered, wouldn’t they—and I—rather be home watching a true crime documentary about Gaby Petito on Netflix? What the hell is William Shakespeare to me anyway? At this point, if I’m honest, Shakespeare is Doris. The experience with this group led me in two directions. One took me back to my now long-ago history with Shakespeare’s work as an actor in college. The other took me via historical research into the prehistory of Doris Held’s previous Shakespeare group in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The two paths gave me a deeper grasp of the influence of his work across the world and on my own life. Full article