Search Results (36)

Brachial plexus root avulsion [BPRA] and concomitant spinal cord injury [SCI] represent devastating injuries that come with limited hope for recovery owing to the adult spinal cord’s loss of intrinsic ability to spontaneously regenerate. BPRA/SCI is an enormous public health issue the world over, and its catastrophic impact goes beyond the patient, the family, businesses, and national health budgets, draining billions of dollars annually. The rising population and economic growth have seen the incidence of SCI surging. Genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic studies have yielded loads of information on the various molecular events that precede, regulate, and support both regenerative and degenerative pathways post-SCI. Metabolomics, on the other hand, comes in as the search for a cure and the objective monitoring of SCI severity and prognosis remains on the horizon. Despite the large number of review articles on metabolomics and its application fields such as in cancer and diabetes research, there is no comprehensive review on metabolite profiling to study disease mechanisms, biomarkers, or neuroprotection in SCI. First, we present a short review on BPRA/SCI. Second, we discuss potential benefits of metabolomics as applied in BPRA/SCI cases. Next, a look at the analytical techniques that are used in metabolomics. Next, we present an overview of the studies that have used metabolomics to reveal SCI metabolic fingerprints and point out areas of further investigation. Finally, we discuss future research directions. Full article

Just and fair transitions to low-carbon and nature-positive ways of living need to occur fast enough to limit and reverse the climate and nature crises, but not so fast that the public is left behind. We propose the concept of “Regenerative Good Growth” (RGG) to replace the language and practice of extractive, bad GDP growth. RGG centres on the services provided by five renewable capitals: natural, social, human, cultural, and sustainable physical. The term “growth” tends to divide rather than unite, and so here we seek language and storylines that appeal to a newly emergent climate-concerned majority. Creative forms of public engagement that lead to response diversity will be essential to fostering action: when people feel coerced into adopting single options at pace, there is a danger of backlash or climate authoritarianism. Policy centred around storytelling can help create diverse public responses and institutional frameworks. The practises underpinning RGG have already created business opportunities, while delivering sharp falls in unit costs. Fast transitions and social tipping points are emerging in the agricultural, energy, and city sectors. Though further risks will emerge related to rebound effects and lack of decoupling of material consumption from GDP, RGG will help cut the externalities of economies. Full article

This manuscript explores how incorporating temporal dimensions into built environment research can promote a more circular society, adding societal improvements to efficiency-driven measures closing waste or material cycles. The current circularity approaches in industrial environments mainly focus on short-term innovations reducing resource extraction and waste, overlooking long-term circularity potentials of natural resource management such as living soils as a basis for all life. This study addresses this gap by investigating, analyzing, and drawing interplays between regenerative soil cycles and business development cycles in two Flemish industry parks, Kortrijk-Noord and Haasrode. Using diachronic mapping, a qualitative design and action research tool, the study aims to generate a space–time composite of soil and business cycles, integrating archival research, interviews, and policy document reviews. This method visually captures interplays between geology, land valuation, and economic development, demonstrating that integrating soil and business cycles can suggest new pathways for site-specific circular practices on Flemish industry parks, which can inform site-specific project frameworks for circular built environments. As such, the research advocates a paradigm shift in industry park (re)development, from product and material innovation within a ‘time is money’ framework to an integrated ‘time is life’ approach, where time’s historical and social dimensions are part of circular landscape development. Full article

This article presents the results of a study focused on collaboratively developing an Innovation Management Model (MGI) for the leather agro-industrial chain in Colombia. This study integrates the participation of interested parties, the prioritization of variables, the literature review, and the validation of the model, emphasizing sustainability considerations throughout the process. The methodology involved a literature review, using Scopus and Google Scholar, focusing on innovation management models, open innovation, and sustainability of the leather sector. In addition, three surveys were conducted to prioritize the established variables, using Likert scale questions, to assess relevance and congruence. Key findings included 26 critical variables covering aspects such as agricultural and technological innovation in platforms and projects, capacity development, R&D activities, supply chain dynamics, innovation management processes, knowledge and technology integration, business model adaptation for sustainable development, and environmental impact assessment. The prioritized innovation model aims to guide stakeholders to define open innovation strategies, sustainable and regenerative innovation generation, and improvement of strategic and technological capabilities. Full article

This paper presents a novel circular-ESG framework integrating circular economy (CE) principles with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria to address the lack of uniform sustainability measures. We introduce normalized sustainability coordinates (NSCs) as a comprehensive metric for sustainability performance, reconciling economic development with environmental balance. The circular-ESG model employs a four-quadrant Cartesian system to map business model impacts on natural and socio-economic systems, ranging from linear open-loop to circular closed-loop ESG models. This framework enables empirical analysis through data-driven NSCs (−1 to 1) and establishes temporal key performance indicators. By incorporating the Human Development Index within ecological limits, the model promotes regenerative development aligned with planetary boundaries. The circular-ESG approach offers a practical tool for businesses, households, organizations, and policymakers to navigate sustainable development complexities. This integrated framework fosters innovation and supports a just transition towards regenerative practices, providing a roadmap for high human development within ecological limits. The circular-ESG model advances sustainability science and management, contributing to the discourse on measuring and implementing sustainable practices across sectors and scales. The model is currently conceptual; we encourage empirical validation and further research to explore its practical applications and effectiveness in real-world scenarios. While the provided examples of use cases serve as conceptual demonstrations, future research could empirically apply the model to real-world data. Full article

The transition from a linear to a circular economy is an increasingly popular solution to the dual problems of scarcity of virgin resources at the point of extraction and the exponential growth of waste at the point of disposal. The linear economy adheres to a model wherein natural resources are extracted, transformed into products, utilized, and ultimately discarded as waste. In contrast, the circular economy is designed to promote sustainability. This is achieved by reducing the use of raw materials, waste, reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials at the end of the useful life of products. The result is a closed and regenerative cycle that preserves natural resources and minimizes environmental impacts. The manner in which each country and company responds to this reality is markedly disparate. This research endeavors to ascertain the strategies employed by Portuguese SMEs in addressing this challenge. A review of the literature was conducted to ascertain what has been published on this subject. However, the results of this review indicate that the existing literature does not fully address the intended topic. The articles identified in the literature review only partially address this issue, focus on other geographical regions, or in some cases, are dedicated to specific business sectors. In light of the dearth of research on this topic, we turned to the Portuguese context, employing the Grounded Theory methodology to conduct semi-structured interviews with 34 SMEs. Upon analysis of the results, it became evident that the circular economy is not yet a prerequisite for consumer choice. Portuguese legislation does not facilitate the implementation of the circular economy, consumers are not yet engaged with the issue itself, companies face challenges in communicating their practices, and there is a perceived lack of credibility by consumers. Additionally, the cost–benefit ratio is not always favorable for such practices. Full article

This paper addresses a pragmatic and well-articulated qualitative methodology for the identification, prioritization, and consultation of stakeholder groups for a higher education institution as a key element for the organization in the context of digital transformation and Industry 5.0. First, the identification phase required technological surveillance and competitive intelligence, which allowed for defining the organization’s stakeholders and their characteristics. Then, the prioritization phase was performed to determine the stakeholders that potentially will have the greatest impact on achieving the institution’s strategic objectives to the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals prioritized by the institution, and those who will be most affected (positively or negatively) by the HEI activities. Finally, different methods and technological tools were used for consulting internal and external stakeholders, according to the type of relationship with each group, which allowed the understanding of the perceptions of different stakeholder groups on issues such as gender equity, mental health, regenerative economy, and diversity training. The results are then presented in terms of organizational context, where the concept of stakeholder group was defined by the dynamics of the selected HEI; the prioritized stakeholders include students, employees, academic and research sector, public sector, business sector, social sector, community, archdiocese and diocese, alumni, donors, and benefactors. This approach enabled the identification of issues that became a priority in the university’s actions towards the future. Although the presented methodology is mainly qualitative, which can represent a high degree of subjectivity, the stakeholder prioritization exercise provides organizations with inputs for decision making aligned with their needs and expectations. Using such a methodology can help the organization to experience structural changes reflected in improved strategic alignment, understanding, and satisfaction of stakeholders’ expectations and needs, enhancement of reputation, risk and conflict mitigation, and the consolidation of long-term healthy and trustworthy relationships, in the context of Society 5.0, where human-centered solutions are expected. Full article

High-efficiency and low-emissions heavy-duty (HD) internal combustion engines (ICEs) offer significant GHG reduction potential. Mild hybridization via regenerative braking and enabling the use of an electric heater component (EHC) for the aftertreatment system (ATS) warm-up extends these benefits, which can mitigate tailpipe GHG and NOx emissions simultaneously. Understanding such integrated hybrid powertrains is essential for the system optimization of real-world driving conditions. In the present work, the potential of a low engine-out NOx (1.5–2.5 g/kWh range) ‘Low-NOx’ HD diesel engine and EHCs were analyzed in a 48V P1 mild-hybrid system for a class 8 commercial vehicle concept and compared with those in an EPA-2010-certified HD diesel truck as a baseline under real-world driving cycles, including those from the US, Europe, India, China, as well as the world harmonized vehicle cycle (WHVC). For analysis, an integrated 1-D vehicle model was utilized that consisted of models of the ‘Low-NOx’ HD engine, the stock ATS, and a production EHC. For the real driving cycles, ‘GT-RealDrive’-based vehicle speed profiles were generated for busy trucking routes for different markets. For each cycle, the effects of the Low-NOx and EHC performances were quantified in terms of the ATS warm-up time, engine-out NOx emissions, and net fuel consumption. Depending on the driving route, the regenerative braking fully or partly neutralized the EHC power penalty without a significant impact on the ATS thermal performance. For a two-EHC system, the fueling penalty associated with every second reduction in the warm-up time ${FC}_{EHC}$ (g/s) was several-fold higher for the real driving routes compared with the WHVC. Overall, while a multi-EHC setup accelerated the ATS warm-up, a single EHC integrated at the SCR inlet showed minimized EHC heating power, leading to a minimized fueling penalty. Finally, for the India and China routes, being highly transient, the P1 hybridization proved inadequate for GHG reduction due to the limited energy recuperation. A stronger hybridization was desirable for such driving cycles. Full article

The mechatronic industry is currently subject to huge changes challenging it to offer products matching individual customer requirements at competitive prices. The design of such products calls for sophisticated and complex components integration following different technologies. Since we are on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which the world of mechatronic production, network connectivity, the Internet of Things, and cyber-physical systems are correlated, the complexity of these systems increases exponentially, and we are talking about advanced mechatronic systems. To assist these changes, various methods, sweeping all project phases, are used by business houses. Predictive dependability assessment in the earlier design stage is considered a powerful metric used to evaluate the performances of different kinds of mechatronic products before the production phase. Altogether, dependability analysis ties the design directly to the desired functionality, operability, and integrity of the system. This paper explores an approach to assessing the dependability attributes, reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM), of repairable mechatronic systems based on timed colored Petri nets and a Monte Carlo simulation, integrating simultaneously diverse components technologies: mechanical, electronic, and software. The proposed approach is tested taking the case of a regenerative braking system. The methodology appears to be efficient for evaluating predictive RAM indicators (MTTFF, MTTR, MTBF…) for the whole system and for each individual component separately. Full article

Amidst escalating environmental and social challenges, this study explores regenerative business models’ definition and characteristics. While sustainable models have made considerable strides in research, policy, and practice, the advent of regenerative business models offers a progressive leap forward. Regenerative business models aspire to contribute to ecological restoration and societal well-being. The regenerative business model concept is, however, still in its infancy and lacks a comprehensive definition. Our study aims to expand this knowledge, using a Delphi-inspired approach that builds on the knowledge of academic and business experts. Our approach includes three rounds of surveys: an open-ended survey, a survey for rating and ranking the earlier responses of all participants, and a final survey to select key characteristics. We investigate patterns and distinctions among regenerative, regenerative business, and regenerative business models, and analyze their positioning vis-a-vis circular and net-positive models. Findings underscore that organizations adopting regenerative business models focus on planetary health and societal well-being. They generate value across multiple stakeholder levels, including nature, societies, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and employees. Despite overlapping with circular and net-positive models, regenerative business models also emphasize interdependencies between humans and nature, and provide a more holistic approach, centered on restoration rather than mere mitigation. Full article

Due to the ecologically unfavorable state of the living world, any formal commitment made by the accommodation sector for the practical implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies needs to be followed up by a credible plan, courageous action, and an attentive monitoring and reporting phase. Only in this way can high-end hotels in cities emerge as regenerative sustainability (RS) hubs and better amalgamate whole life-cycle thinking and economic performance in their day-to-day activities. This paper provides a detailed literature review of the ongoing transformation of the hospitality sector toward the RS paradigm, which is a concept that underpins Hortel’s business model. Hortel is then contextualized as the first example of an eco-innovative turnkey business-to-business (B2B) service for a high-end hotel with an annexed restaurant. Hortel implemented nature-based solutions adapted to the hospitality sector in order to contribute to local urban biodiversity and bring hotel clients closer to nature through biophilic tactics. Services like Hortel can support, with today’s resources and competences, hotels that are putting at the core of their business model planetary health and societal well-being. It also includes the description of the prototype built at Four Points by Sheraton Catania, the monitoring phase that lasted between 2016 and 2017, and other strategic business-related initiatives. This paper also contributes to the advancement of the literature discussing regenerative business models, which to date has been a largely unexplored aspect of hospitality. Full article

This paper examines a Business Model (BM) from a socio-economic system perspective to discern key factors and understand its interactions resulting in the Scaling of Social Impact (SSI) in Social Entrepreneurship (SE). Previously, studies have explained the importance of the BM in relation to SE. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on how a BM’s transitions through participation of various actors result in the SSI, causing a gap in this field’s research. This research applies a qualitative analysis on a single case study of a Japanese social startup, “mymizu”, the first water refill application platform in Japan. The findings show that collaboration amongst different stakeholders on the initial phase of the BM could increase awareness of responsible consumption, convert into actual users for sustainability, and change their behavior. Secondly, members of society could take on dual roles, both as users and collaborators in the BM, which results in an exponential scaling effect of the Social Impact (SI). This paper contributes towards adding a Participatory Stakeholder (PS) to the ecosystem of the SSI and building a Regenerative BM (RBM) that is relevant in SE towards sustainability. Full article

Indonesia’s vast forested areas have the potential to serve as a crucial source of livelihood for local communities. However, the current contributions of these forests to community livelihoods are significantly underutilized in comparison to their potential. This study evaluates the financial performance and sustainability of community forest-based businesses operating around the forest management area of the Lakitan-Bukit Cogong forest management unit (LBC FMU). Data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with the key informants through purposive sampling. Financial viability analysis and a qualitative approach were used to assess the feasibility of the businesses. The findings revealed that all businesses show positive values for all financial indicators. From profit estimation and value-added distribution, all products are shown to be feasible. Concerning the value and supply chain, the rubber-processing industry has a remarkable flow. Moreover, small forest enterprises (SFEs) highlight natural capital optimization through multitudinous derivatives of products that could support a substantial regenerative economy, including citronella essential oil, native honeybees, rubber-based product, biochar, skewers, and liquid smoke. In addition, the multidimensional scaling and rapid appraisal for forest (MDS-RAPForest) approach generates a result based on multiple dimensions (ecology, economics, social and human resources, and institutional and administrative dimensions) showing that overall, SFEs are categorized as sufficient/quite sustainable. Furthermore, mainstreaming adaptable forest-based enterprises, jurisdiction approaches, and cross-production system strategies are also discussed. Our findings suggest that sustainable NTFP-based activities within a community context can be facilitated through interconnected market systems, appropriate price regulations, and support from stakeholders and legal frameworks. Full article

This study uses a qualitative approach to address limitations and blockages to current plastics reduction via semi-structured interviews with zero waste business practitioners in India. Although they are nascent, India is home to a budding zero waste community that is grappling with how to reduce plastics—via trial and error—and these stakeholders hold insights from lived experience on how plastic reduction can actualize in the Indian subcontinent. This research involved interviewing zero waste businesses and consultants and makers of plastic alternatives in India to understand their experiences with plastic reduction strategies. The key stakeholder interviews reveal key insights for moving forward with plastic reduction initiatives, including challenges faced at government, business, and social levels; considerations regarding plastic waste generation; motivations for starting zero waste businesses and organizations; how it will be possible to operationalize plastic bans in India; appropriate actions for plastic waste reduction; elements that would help India shift into a more circular, regenerative economy; and locally appropriate alternatives to plastics. The discussion further delves into caveats with various alternatives to plastic materials, economic considerations, and characteristics of the zero waste network, and provides next steps for action at the government, business, and civil levels for reducing plastic waste generation in India and minimizing plastic pollution. Full article

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a global concern, especially in low–middle-income countries such as Pakistan, which require the redressal of MSW treatment issues to attain sustainability in the waste sector. The prosperity of municipal solid waste (MSW) collectors, i.e., the sanitary workers, is critical in the waste management hierarchy. Hence, the health, safety, social welfare, economic conditions and overall wellbeing of this tier need to be focused on more. Safeguarding the interests of the sanitary workers will support the MSW management sector in sustainability, which will help to generate revenue and minimize climatic impacts. An innovative MSW business model with waste ownership and technological intervention has excellent potential to support the sector towards a circular economy in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, generating about 100,000 metric tons of MSW per day. The proposed recycling business model will ensure a daily material recovery of 26,070 tons with 4721 tons of compost manufacturing in the country, which ultimately helps towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and meeting the targets of nationally determined contributors (NDCs) by 2030. In addition, the sector’s economic potential can contribute 5.5% to the total annual budget and possibly pay 1.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP) per annum to service national foreign debt, thus helping maintain the debt threshold value with an opportunity to accelerate the economic growth of Pakistan. Full article