Search Results (2,135)

The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) introduces significant implications for sustainable trade and industrial decarbonization for non-EU industrial exporters. As a major cement supplier to the EU, Turkey faces key economic and environmental transition risks under this framework. This study quantifies the compliance exposure of Turkey’s cement exports to the EU by 2030 within an industrial sustainability framework across multiple carbon pricing, domestic policy, and decarbonization scenarios. Incorporating time-series forecasting, benchmark emissions intensities, and the operational 2026 CBAM regulatory framework alongside Turkey’s Climate Law No. 7552, the study evaluates compliance costs relative to export revenues. Results indicate that under business-as-usual conditions, without decarbonization or domestic carbon pricing, CBAM surcharges would equal 154% of total export revenue by 2030. Accounting for the 2030 CBAM phase-in factor (48.5%), compliance costs remain substantial at 75% of revenue. Establishing a national Emissions Trading System (TR ETS) under Climate Law No. 7552, with a domestic carbon price of €20/tCO₂e, reduces residual CBAM border payments to 44% of revenue, while a €50/tCO₂e domestic price offsets border surcharges entirely, redirecting carbon revenues to an industrial green transition fund. Furthermore, achieving a 41% reduction in direct cement emissions intensity lowers total carbon compliance costs to 21–26% of revenue. These findings demonstrate that domestic carbon pricing paired with dedicated resource allocation for low-carbon technologies is essential to advance long-term industrial sustainability, preserve export competitiveness, and prevent pass-through risks to downstream construction sectors. Full article

Flood disaster risk assessment serves as an important foundation for formulating regional sustainable development strategies. This study establishes a risk assessment model for flood disasters in small and medium-sized rivers based on a theoretical framework integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Delphi method, and Bayesian networks (Delphi–BNs). An indicator system for the assessment was developed from three dimensions: hazard, vulnerability, and exposure. Hazard is represented by flood inundation area and depth; vulnerability is indicated by population distribution and economic layout; and exposure is reflected by road accessibility. By constructing a GIS-based Bayesian network and employing the Delphi method to create a probabilistic and spatially explicit model, this approach quantifies various sources of uncertainty in the assessment process, enabling a probabilistic expression of risk. Based on the risk assessment results, a stratified, phased flood emergency rescue and personnel transfer plan was established, designating extremely high-risk areas as the core zones for the first phase of personnel transfer, high-risk areas as the second-phase rescue zones, and medium-risk areas as the third-phase rescue zones, thereby providing clear operational guidance for flood emergency response in the basin. The Delphi–BN assessment framework developed in this study focuses on the core elements of flood disaster risk formation, organically integrates expert experience with spatial big data, and effectively overcomes the limitations of traditional assessment methods, such as strong subjectivity, insufficient accuracy, and poor quantification. It achieves a refined and quantitative assessment of flood risk in small and medium-sized river basins in semi-arid regions. The outcomes of this research contribute to a clearer understanding of both the driving mechanisms and the spatial patterns of regional flood risk. Furthermore, they establish a scientifically credible and operationally relevant foundation for key disaster-response decisions, encompassing timely emergency actions, phased population transfers, and the optimized deployment of limited emergency resources. Full article

Sudden tailings dam breaches trigger large-scale heavy metal compound pollution in coupled surface water–groundwater systems, requiring systematic full-cycle ecological damage quantification tools applicable to diverse contamination types. This study constructs an integrated full-cycle ecological damage assessment framework for sudden water pollution accidents, integrating three core modules: multi-model pollutant migration prediction, multi-scale aquatic biological damage diagnosis, and three-dimensional ecological-economic loss accounting. The framework adopts a modular design that can potentially accommodate heavy metals (Cd, Cr, As, Pb) and organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with standardized molecular, individual, and population-level biological endpoints and corresponding pollutant dose–response templates reserved as reference calculation modules. However, applicability beyond this case has not been validated and requires case-specific calibration. To verify the operability and accuracy of the proposed integrated system, a typical tailings dam leakage incident dominated by hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and arsenic (As) pollution was selected as the practical validation case; all field monitoring, pollutant simulation, and final economic loss quantification in this case exclusively rely on on-site measured Cr(VI) and As data, while Cd and PAH-related biological response curves and remediation cost formulas retained in the manuscript only serve as illustrative universal template components of the framework rather than case-measured results. For the Cr(VI)/As pollution case, the advection–diffusion model simulation revealed that the Cr(VI) contamination plume horizontally spread 250 m within 48 h and extended to 560 m after seven days, and anaerobic groundwater environments drove the transformation of toxic mobile trivalent arsenic (As(III)) from primary pentavalent arsenic. The calibrated SWAT model achieved Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficients of 0.75 for dissolved Cr(VI) and 0.68 for particulate As. The graph theory-based rapid prediction model cut computation duration down to minutes; when validated against independent field monitoring data, it yielded an average relative error of 14.2%, and its consistency with the SWAT model reached 10.5% relative deviation, satisfying the accuracy requirement for emergency early warning. Field biological monitoring demonstrated substantial ecological impairment: metallothionein (MT) expression in fish tissues was markedly elevated (the reported 6.2-fold induction value derives from standard Cd exposure template tests within the framework, with analogous MT upregulation also observed for field Cr(VI)/As co-stress), and benthic community Shannon diversity declined by over 50% in polluted river reaches. The standardized Ecological Damage Index (EDI) of the case was calculated as 480.2, indicating severe aquatic ecosystem damage, with total comprehensive ecological and economic losses reaching 17.25 million CNY. This study innovatively couples high-precision physical transport models with fast emergency prediction algorithms and establishes a complete multi-tier biological indicator chain linking molecular biomarkers to community integrity metrics; the three-dimensional loss accounting system integrating ecosystem service impairment, restoration expenditure, and post-pollution recovery loss realizes closed-loop full-cycle damage evaluation. The proposed framework, demonstrated for Cr(VI) and As pollution, has a modular design that may potentially be extended to other pollutants such as Cd and PAHs by adjusting model parameters, providing a quantitative reference for emergency disposal, pollution remediation, and ecological compensation of water contamination accidents, although further validation across different pollutants and hydrological settings is required. Full article

Whether and how Agricultural Socialized Services (ASS) are associated with grain-growing smallholders’ general self-reported subjective well-being (SWB) remains unclear. Using 894 survey records collected in Sichuan Province, China, from 21 to 31 August 2023, we estimate ordered probit and instrumental variable two-stage least-squares models. ASS Adoption Breadth is positively associated with SWB. One additional service category is associated with a 2.73-percentage point increase in the probability of reporting the highest SWB category. The IV estimate remains positive and statistically significant (0.077, p < 0.05), conditional on the maintained instrument assumptions. ASS Adoption Breadth is also positively associated with Relative Income Comparison, Log Hired Labor Expenditure, and Plant-protection Drone Adoption. These measured behavioral indicators provide evidence consistent with the hypothesized channels of Perceived Relative Economic Gain, Market-based Labor Substitution, and technology-enabled reduction in direct occupational exposure. They do not directly measure physical workload, pesticide exposure, or health outcomes. The findings inform policies that expand smallholders’ access to agricultural services, but the mechanism interpretations remain provisional. Full article

Metal corrosion and microbial contamination cause severe damage to marine facilities and result in immeasurable economic losses. Highly efficient and durable anti-corrosion and anti-fouling coatings represent the most effective solution strategy widely employed, whilst two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), owing to its non-toxic and highly effective properties, is frequently utilized as a coating filler. Herein, this work innovatively engineered g-C₃N₄ into rod-like structures with layer-oriented alignment through a two-step simplified synthesis process, naturally achieving the self-assembly integration of ultrathin sheets. Subsequently, the special rod-like g-C₃N₄ (RCN) was blended with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix, ultimately yielding a multifunctional nanocomposite coating (RCN/PDMS) that combines mechanical reinforcement, long-term corrosion resistance, and microbial fouling protection. Notably, the compact lamellar structure within uniformly dispersed RCN particles in the polymer matrix effectively enhances the crosslinking density of the composite, significantly improving the coating’s adhesion and tensile strength (1.795 MPa). Furthermore, upon exposure to light, the modified RCN-2 releases substantial reactive oxygen species (ROS), exhibiting pronounced antibacterial activity (90.3% of E. coli and 95.1% of S. aureus) against surface-adhering microorganisms. Following a 60 d marine immersion simulation test, the impedance arc radius of the RCN-2/PDMS coating remained as high as 5.17 × 10⁹ Ω·cm², representing an improvement of nearly two orders of magnitude over pure PDMS coatings. This work expands the application of morphology-controlled g-C₃N₄-based fillers in marine anti-fouling and anticorrosion coatings. Full article

Colonias are historically underserved communities along the Texas–Mexico border facing infrastructure deficiencies, socioeconomic vulnerability, and environmental hazards. This study examines parcel-level development conditions across 66,160 properties in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties, Texas. Property appraisal records, colonia boundaries and 2014 classifications, and geographic information system analyses were integrated to evaluate property values, platting, public service district coverage, floodplain exposure, and reconstructed building patterns from 1990 to 2025. These indicators represent physical and economic conditions associated with resilience rather than a comprehensive measure of community resilience. Results reveal variation among counties and 2014 baseline classification categories. Communities classified as Green exhibited higher property values, greater district coverage, and more established development, whereas those classified as Red showed lower values and greater developmental disadvantages. Reconstructed building inventories more than doubled in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties and increased in Starr County, although survivorship bias and missing year-built data limit interpretation of growth rates. Many colonia properties remain within mapped floodplains, particularly in Hidalgo County. Because the analysis is descriptive, these patterns cannot be causally attributed to specific policies. This study provides a replicable parcel-level framework for evaluating development disparities and floodplain exposure to inform equitable infrastructure investment and planning in underserved border communities. Full article

Mechanical force offers a distinctive nonequilibrium mode of energy input for lignocellulosic biomass valorization through localized, transient action. This review systematically examines the multiscale physicochemical effects of mechanical force, its synergistic coupling with chemical pretreatments, and its role in enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis. The principal contribution of mechanical force is not merely particle-size reduction, but the exposure of active sites and improvement in substrate accessibility at the molecular level. Coupling mechanical force with chemical pretreatment enables the efficient component fractionation under mild conditions while mitigating irreversible lignin condensation. In high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis, a periodic mechanical energy input can tear fiber bundles, release constrained water, and renew reaction interfaces, thereby allowing enzymes to sustain a high catalytic efficiency at extremely low liquid-to-solid ratios and reducing the dependence on large amounts of free water. An economic analysis indicates that feedstock and enzyme costs dominate the overall process economics. Accordingly, mechanical-force strategies should prioritize the maximized sugar yield and reduced enzyme loading under a controlled energy input. Future research should focus on continuous operation, the balance between mechanical deconstruction and lignin structural integrity, and multidimensional evaluation frameworks that integrate the energy consumption, sugar yield, enzyme dosage, and full-process energy balance. Full article

In-storage food loss is a persistent yet under-addressed source of economic, environmental, and social waste in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) cold chains, where continuous monitoring and lean workflows are typically absent. This study asks how such loss can be reduced under SME constraints and what benefits an intervention designed for that setting could yield. Following a design science approach in a Thai chilled warehouse case, it develops an integrated intervention coupling an Internet of Things (IoT) early-warning platform—ESP-32 and DHT22 sensing with commodity-specific alerting through the LINE Messaging API—with value stream mapping (VSM) of the depositing and withdrawing workflows. Monitoring showed that 7.4% of quality-controlled readings exceeded the 6 °C control threshold. Value stream analysis established that elapsed time is governed by information latency rather than physical work and that produce spends 290 min per handling cycle outside controlled conditions. The redesigned workflows project lead-time reductions of 47.5% and 69.4% and remove 125 min of that exposure. An ex ante Triple Bottom Line assessment estimates approximately 19,700 kg of avoided produce loss, 6500 kg CO₂e, and 590,000 THB retained annually. This study contributes a complementarity account of digital monitoring and process improvement, advancing SDG Target 12.3. Full article

Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) is a cactus species of considerable economic importance in agriculture and various nutritional applications. We aimed to establish a feasible method for polyploid induction in OFI using colchicine treatment, as well as to identify and characterize the resulting polyploid plants. Diploid cladodes were treated with 0.5% and 1.0% colchicine for 24 or 48 h to induce polyploidization. The results demonstrated that colchicine concentration and exposure duration influenced tetraploid induction, leading to statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in cladode size, shoot proliferation, and stomatal guard cell length and density. Higher concentrations of colchicine resulted in larger cladode dimensions and expanded guard cell sizes, along with increased shoot sprouting. In contrast, prolonged exposure durations caused reduced cladode dimensions and lower plant survival rates. Among the tested treatments, 1.0% colchicine for 48 h produced pronounced morphological responses, including increased cladode growth and reduced spine-to-spineless phenotype, although this treatment was also associated with reduced plant survival. Furthermore, induced tetraploid plants exhibited treatment-dependent increases in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities. Specifically, 0.5% colchicine for 24 h yielded the highest total flavonoid content and antioxidant capacities (DPPH and FRAP), whereas 1.0% colchicine for 48 h significantly enhanced total phenolic content compared to control plants. Overall, the results indicate that colchicine-induced polyploidization can generate OFI variants with altered morphological characteristics and treatment-dependent bioactive profiles, providing potential breeding material for further evaluation. Full article

The digital transformation of work has increasingly blurred the temporal, spatial, and psychological boundaries between professional and personal life. As a result, structural conditions have emerged that are associated with an elevated risk of burnout. This narrative review draws on literature identified through searches of Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed covering publications from 2004 to early 2026, which yielded 36 included studies, supplemented by further sources identified outside that search. It integrates key theoretical perspectives, including boundary theory, the Areas of Worklife model, the Job Demands-Resources framework and Conservation of Resources theory. Across diverse occupational contexts, three pathways recur: rising work-family conflict, reduced ability to psychologically detach from work during non-work time and the gradual depletion of personal resources. Structural drivers, comprising organisational availability norms, leadership behaviour, technology and platform design, workload, and economic precarity, are treated as the conditions under which exposure arises, and the review argues that responses pitched at individual coping are correspondingly limited. The public health implications extend beyond mental health, encompassing cardiovascular risk associated with long working hours, strain on healthcare systems, productivity losses and widening health inequities along gendered and socioeconomic lines. Addressing these challenges requires multilevel interventions, including organisational job redesign, leadership development, enforceable right-to-disconnect policies and greater recognition of recovery as a public health priority. At the same time, there remains a need for more longitudinal and intervention-based research, particularly in non-Western contexts. Full article

Filipino immigrants play a central role in Canada’s essential workforce, particularly in health care, caregiving, and service sectors. This paper examines how their labour market outcomes have changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on employment, exposure to precarious work, and earnings. Using Labour Force Survey data from 2016 to 2025, we compare Filipino immigrants with other major immigrant groups, using Canadian-born workers as a benchmark. The results point to a consistent pattern: since the start of the pandemic, Filipino immigrants became more likely to experience unemployment and to be concentrated in precarious forms of work. At the same time, their earnings did not keep pace with those of Canadian-born workers, resulting in a widening gap. Compared to other immigrant groups, Filipino immigrants stand out as facing a combination of worsening job conditions and slower earnings growth. These findings suggest that the pandemic reshaped the labour market in ways that left Filipino immigrants increasingly vulnerable, despite their central role in essential work. The paper concludes by discussing policy measures that could better protect immigrant workers in future periods of economic disruption. Full article

This paper develops a stylized continuous-time framework for open-end fund investment in which state-dependent fund flows, passive benchmarking, and strategic manager–investor interaction are modeled jointly. The contribution is not a new Stackelberg solution concept; rather, it is the economic mechanism created by combining a scale-dependent value-added objective with endogenous subscription and redemption jumps. Fund flows are represented by marked compound Poisson processes, and the manager acts as leader while a representative investor chooses participation as a follower. Under bounded controls, bounded Lipschitz jump intensities, admissible jump-size distributions, and strict-concavity conditions, we establish positivity and moment bounds for the state process, provide sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a Markov feedback Stackelberg equilibrium, and state a jump-diffusion verification theorem. A transparent local feedback approximation and Monte Carlo robustness exercise illustrate how redemption pressure, subscription intensity, jump-size dispersion, benchmark volatility, and risk aversion affect active exposure and terminal fund wealth. The results show that stronger redemption pressure and benchmark-relative risk reduce active positions, whereas subscription incentives increase risk-taking only when expected value added compensates for flow-induced dilution. Within its stated assumptions, the model provides a tractable theoretical benchmark rather than an empirically validated structural model. Full article

Bacterial tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) have been reported in Latin America, but information on their prevalence in cattle and dogs in Bolivia are scant. In the present survey, blood serum samples from 95 cattle and 67 dogs living in different communities of Bolivian Chaco, a region in southeastern Bolivia, were tested for antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichia canis, and Rickettsia rickettsii. Indirect immunofluorescence assays detected 54/95 (56.84%) cattle sera positive to one or more pathogens: 29/95 (30.5%) to A. phagocytophilum, 27/95 (28.42%) to R. rickettsii, 5/95 (5.26%) to C. burnetii; all sera were negative to B. burgdorferi s.l. Among canine sera, 11/67 (16.41%) were positive to at least one pathogen: 2/67 (2.98%) to C. burnetii, 3/67 (4.48%) to E. canis, 6/67 (8.95%) to R. rickettsii; all sera were negative to A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first serological survey investigating exposure to multiple TBPs in cattle and dogs from the Bolivian Chaco. Our findings suggest the circulation of A. phagocytophilum, E. canis, C. burnetii, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia among the animals living in this area. The results are relevant because these pathogens pose a significant threat to human and animal health and may result in substantial economic losses. Full article

International shipping decarbonization has expanded beyond technical and operational regulation to include contested market-based bargaining. The proposed International Maritime Organization (IMO) Net-Zero Framework (NZF) combines a marine fuel standard with an economic compliance mechanism. Drawing on IMO submissions, voting records, official statements, and domestic and sectoral materials, this two-level game analysis examines why support sufficient to approve the draft for circulation in April 2025 did not translate into timely adoption later that year. The evidence suggests that the initial agreement space was not durable enough to support adoption on the planned timetable. At Level I, bargaining involved three linked dimensions: rule-making authority, responsibility allocation, and transition pathway design. At Level II, domestic, regional, and sectoral constraints included regulatory credibility and investment signals for the European Union; sovereignty and cost concerns for the United States; trade exposure and disproportionate impacts for trade-exposed emerging economies; ambition and revenue-supported transition for small island developing States; and fuel availability, fleet competitiveness, and legal certainty for energy exporters and open registries. A coalition sufficient at one procedural stage may therefore not remain sufficient at the next. A more durable agreement space would likely require an IMO-centered regulatory core, targeted enabling support, an ambition floor with compliance flexibility, and sequenced implementation and review. Full article

Air pollution in urban and coastal regions is increasingly shaped by interactions among port operations, freight logistics, urban mobility systems, spatial development patterns, and governance arrangements. Although emission reduction technologies and regulatory measures have advanced significantly, their implementation frequently remains distributed across sector-specific institutional and operational domains. This paper introduces the concept of Air-Aware Port–City–Logistics Systems, proposing an integrated governance framework that treats air quality as a system-level outcome of linked maritime, logistics, urban transport, spatial, technological, and adaptive processes. Drawing on a structured interdisciplinary synthesis of literature in transport planning, maritime economics, logistics, environmental governance, air-quality management, and resilience, the study identifies key gaps in cross-sectoral coordination and in the governance of interdependencies influencing air-quality outcomes. The framework maps relationships among emission sources, transport and logistics flows, spatial configurations, population exposure, institutional coordination, technological and data systems, and adaptive capacity, thereby identifying potential intervention points across the port–city–logistics system. Its distinctive contribution lies not merely in combining these dimensions, but in organising them through a governance-oriented architecture in which monitoring, operational decisions, institutional responses, and adaptive learning are treated as interconnected processes. The framework also incorporates resilience and risk perspectives, emphasising adaptive governance approaches capable of responding to disruptions, changing demand patterns, climatic pressures, and other external environmental influences. By advancing a systems-based perspective, the paper contributes to air quality management and policy development through the integration of port–city interfaces, freight distribution networks, mobility planning, exposure considerations, and institutional decision-making within a unified analytical framework. As a conceptual framework, AAPCLS provides a transferable basis for future empirical application, contextual adaptation, and policy-oriented analysis rather than a validated operational model. Full article