Search Results (19,672)

Multifunctional land use has gained increasing attention for reconciling societal (life function), economic (production function), and environmental (ecological function) development needs and addressing sustainable land use challenges in rapidly urbanizing regions. Consistent with mainstream international land use functions (LUFs), this study’s production-living-ecological (PLE) framework covers three key land functions, matching global research paradigms. To develop a sustainable county-level land use quantitative structure optimization model, this study innovatively integrates a mechanical equilibrium model with the multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), overcoming the limitations of conventional qualitative production-living-ecological spaces (PLES) optimization. Furthermore, by establishing a mapping relationship between urbanization drivers and PLES functional evolution, it also enables structural optimization across urbanization subsystems. The optimization results indicate the following adjustment directions: southern coastal and southwestern counties require targeted population and socioeconomic urbanization improvements, while northern counties demand differentiated ecological urbanization regulation, and southeastern coastal areas should prioritize ecological protection. Most counties exhibit cropland and construction land expansion alongside woodland shrinkage, featuring expanded production and living spaces but contracted ecological functions. In contrast, certain counties achieve coordinated sustainability by eliminating inefficient construction land. This study operationalizes macroscopic PLE coordination into feasible quantitative strategies, enriching optimization methodologies and providing transferable insights for territorial spatial governance. Full article

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a preservation and packaging technology used to extend the shelf life of foods and agricultural products, maintain quality stability, and ensure food safety. To systematically review and summarize the current research landscape, technical challenges, and development trends in the MAP field, this study selected 1568 publications related to MAP from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database during 2016–2025 and conducted bibliometric and visualization analysis. The results indicate that research activity in the MAP field has remained robust over the past decade, mainly focusing on four research areas: atmosphere regulation and packaging system design; microbial ecology, safety, and spoilage control; physicochemical deterioration and quality regulation; functional packaging materials and integrated preservation technologies. Countries such as China, Italy, and Spain have demonstrated outstanding performance in terms of publication output and academic influence in the MAP field, forming a solid research foundation in the MAP of perishable foods such as fruit and vegetables, meat products, and aquatic products. Research in the MAP field has gradually shifted from the verification of application effects toward system design and mechanistic analysis. Active packaging, intelligent packaging, bio-based materials, natural functional ingredients, volatile organic compounds, microbial community succession, and quality deterioration mechanisms have gradually become research hotspots, indicating a trend toward precision, sustainability, and functionality. These findings may provide references for future research topic selection, innovative packaging system design, and the development of novel food preservation technologies in the MAP field for foods and agricultural products. Full article

The growing demand for clean-label, high-quality, and sustainable meat products has increased interest in non-conventional processing technologies as alternatives to conventional processing methods. Therefore, this review aims to critically evaluate the technological advances, practical benefits, limitations, and industrial implementation potential of cold plasma, high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasound, microwave processing, and ohmic heating in meat and meat products. Studies published between 2016 and 2026 were analyzed, with emphasis on mechanisms of action, effects on physicochemical and microbiological properties, processing performance, and evidence of industrial applicability. Current evidence indicates that these technologies have progressed beyond laboratory-scale investigations in several applications, with HHP showing the highest level of commercial adoption, particularly in ready-to-eat meat products, while ultrasound, cold plasma, microwave processing, and ohmic heating exhibit different degrees of pilot- and industrial-scale development depending on the application. These technologies can enhance microbial safety, improve techno-functional properties, optimize processing efficiency, and contribute to shelf-life extension while reducing reliance on synthetic additives. However, their effectiveness is strongly influenced by processing conditions, product composition, economic feasibility, and technology-specific limitations. Reported challenges include lipid oxidation, color deterioration, texture modifications, heating non-uniformity, high implementation costs, limited process standardization, and regulatory uncertainties. Overall, recent advances demonstrate meaningful progress toward industrial application, but the degree of technological maturity varies substantially among technologies and applications. Further research should prioritize industrial-scale validation, process standardization, techno-economic assessment, regulatory harmonization, and consumer acceptance to facilitate broader commercial adoption. Full article

The Artificial Intelligence Pilot Zone Policy is an important strategic initiative for building artificial intelligence (AI) innovation hubs. It provides new opportunities to enhance manufacturing firm resilience and promote the sustainable development of the manufacturing sector. The creation of the National New-Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Development Pilot Zones (AI Pilot Zones) is viewed in this study as a quasi-natural experiment. Using data from Chinese A-share-listed manufacturing firms from 2015 to 2023, we employ a staggered DID model to evaluate the impact of the policy on manufacturing firm resilience. We find that the AI Pilot Zone policy increases manufacturing firm resilience by an average of 0.0282 units. The analysis of potential mechanisms shows that the policy significantly promotes digital talent agglomeration, stimulates urban innovation vitality, and improves firm-level supply chain efficiency. These findings are consistent with the theoretical expectations and provide supportive evidence that these factors may constitute potential mechanisms associated with the policy’s effect on manufacturing firm resilience. The heterogeneity analysis reveals a pronounced “weakness-compensating” effect. At the regional level, the resilience-enhancing effect is stronger for manufacturing firms located in areas with relatively weak digital infrastructure. At the industry level, the effect is more pronounced among firms in low-technology manufacturing industries. At the firm level, the effect is stronger for firms with lower levels of human capital, weaker innovation capacity, and lagging digital transformation. Overall, this study provides micro-level evidence on the resilience effects of the AI Pilot Zone policy and offers policy implications for integrating AI more effectively with the real economy. Full article

Higher education institutions are increasingly expected to contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by equipping students with the competencies needed to address complex sustainability challenges. Among these competencies, critical thinking, perspective-taking, evidence-based reasoning, and informed decision-making are considered essential for education for sustainable development. However, limited research has examined how SDG-oriented instructional approaches can foster sustainability-oriented reasoning through argumentative engagement within teacher education. This study investigated the implementation of an SDG-oriented argumentative writing course designed for pre-service teachers. Using a scholarship of teaching and learning approach, this study examined participants’ learning readiness, argumentative performance, and perceived learning outcomes. Data were collected from 16 pre-service teachers through learning readiness questionnaires, argumentative writing tasks, Toulmin-based text analysis, self-assessment questionnaires, and reflective feedback. Descriptive statistics indicated a moderate-to-high level of learning readiness before instruction (M = 4.38) and highly positive perceived learning outcomes after the course (M = 4.61). Qualitative findings further indicated that SDG-related issues provided meaningful contexts for engaging pre-service teachers in critical reflection, perspective integration, and sustainability-oriented reasoning. Participants’ written work showed evidence of structured argumentation, particularly in claim construction and reason development, whereas evidence integration and rebuttal construction remained challenging higher-order dimensions of sustainability-oriented reasoning. Self-assessment data further revealed increased awareness of issue analysis, argumentation strategies, and the social relevance of sustainability-related topics. This study contributes to the growing literature on sustainability in higher education by illustrating how SDG-oriented argumentative writing may support sustainability-oriented reasoning within a teacher education course. The findings provide context-specific insights into how argumentative engagement can encourage evidence-based reasoning, perspective integration, and reflective judgment when addressing sustainability-related issues. Implications are discussed for curriculum innovation, education for sustainable development, and the design of instructional scaffolds that support sustainability-oriented reasoning in teacher education. Full article

Tax incentives are central to environmental policy, yet the innovation effects of liquidity-based fiscal instruments remain underexplored. This study asks whether China’s value-added tax (VAT) credit refund promotes corporate green innovation, and how firm governance and the policy environment condition that effect. Exploiting the 2018 industry-targeted pilot as a quasi-natural experiment, we estimate two-way fixed-effects difference-in-differences models on 25,259 firm-year observations for 4044 Chinese A-share listed firms over 2014–2021, measuring green innovation by invention-patent applications and defining treatment by industry eligibility. The refund raises green invention-patent applications by 17.0 percent, significant at the 1 percent level. A sequential decomposition is consistent with transmission through eased financing constraints and higher R&D investment. The effect is stronger where internal control quality is higher and pre-treatment financial slack is greater, and is absent where climate policy uncertainty (CPU) is high. Results survive removing control firms drawn in by the 2019 policy expansion, sector-by-year and province-by-year fixed effects, heterogeneity-robust estimators, and a triple difference on the innovation-quality margin. Fiscal liquidity complements governance quality and regulatory predictability rather than substituting for them. Full article

As religious tourism expands across Asia, it remains unclear who benefits from its growth and who is overlooked in policy and industry accounts. Drawing on fieldwork in the temple-towns of Jejuri and Tuljapur in Maharashtra, India, this paper aims to make a timely and original contribution about the significance of informal, family-run and ritual-linked enterprises to the centre of debates on entrepreneurship and inclusive tourism development. The study combines visitor surveys, detailed enterprise mapping and entrepreneur interviews to reveal a dense but precarious local economy which is sustained by religious retail (a term articulated for sale of items related to rituals), street vending and small-scale service provision. These micro-enterprises are culturally central but economically fragile, low-margin and weakly recognised in policy. The paper argues that entrepreneurship is constrained by traditional religious authority, informality, seasonality and limited innovation capacity, while rising visitor numbers are creating opportunities in travel, accommodation and food. It shows that sustainability in temple-towns depends on livelihood durability, socio-cultural continuity, participatory governance and distributional justice. By foregrounding actors often omitted from formal economic analysis, the paper reframes religious tourism as an embedded entrepreneurial ecosystem and calls for policies that strengthen local enterprise capability, resilience and participation. Full article

The transition towards a circular economy of agri-food wastes requires innovative strategies for transforming them into value-added products. This study evaluates the environmental and economic sustainability of a laboratory-scale process that converts 100 g of pomegranate waste, experimentally processed and defined as functional unit (FU), into a cosmetic emulsion. Primary data were collected from laboratory activities carried out in an Italian university, including material and reagent consumption, equipment operating times and energy use. A cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment was performed in SimaPro according to ISO 14040 and 14044 using the Environmental Footprint 3.1 method, while Life Cycle Costing was developed in Microsoft Excel using the same system boundaries. The process valorized the three main pomegranate fractions (arils, mesocarp and exocarp) to obtain a cosmetic emulsion. The exocarp treatment was identified as the main impactful phase. The overall climate change impact reached 328 g CO₂ eq/FU, while fossil resource use amounted to 5.3 MJ/FU. The total production cost was estimated at 189 €/FU, mainly due to labor, reagents, enzymes and equipment costs. Although laboratory-scale operation results in relatively high impacts and costs, the study identifies the main hotspots and provides a baseline for future process optimization and industrial scale-up. Full article

The smart city concept promotes the use of innovative solutions to improve residents’ quality of life while supporting sustainable urban development. In the context of climate change and rapid technological advancement, there is a growing demand for energy-efficient cooling systems that use natural resources. This study evaluates the influence of the hydrological regime of the Warta River on its cooling potential in Poznań, one of the largest cities in Poland. Based on hydrological data collected between 1971 and 2024, the distributions of river discharge and water temperature were analysed, as these represent the two key parameters determining the feasibility of river-based free-cooling systems. Considering environmental flow requirements and water temperature thresholds, several operating scenarios were developed to simulate cooling capacities of 100, 150, and 200 MW at temperature differences (ΔT) of 3 and 5 K. Among the analysed variants, the lowest cooling demand scenario (100 MW, ΔT = 3) provided suitable operating conditions for a river-based free-cooling system during 10,582 days, corresponding to 53.6% of the study period. In contrast, the highest cooling demand scenario (200 MW, ΔT = 5) was feasible during 43.9% of the analysed period. The results indicate that the Warta River has considerable potential as a natural cooling source for free-cooling applications, although this potential exhibits pronounced seasonal variability. The highest cooling capacity can be achieved during spring and autumn, while lower capacities are available in summer and the lowest in winter. River water temperature was identified as the dominant limiting factor, accounting for approximately 96% of all cases in which free-cooling operation was not feasible. Furthermore, the observed increase in river water temperature has reduced the number of summer days during which the required cooling capacity can be achieved. The findings enable the identification of periods when river water can fully or partially replace conventional mechanical cooling systems. They also provide a framework for assessing the seasonal and operational potential of surface waters in support of future investments integrating rivers into urban cooling infrastructure. Full article

Drawing on panel data from firms listed on the SME Board and Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) between 2010 and 2024, this study examines how patient capital influences SME innovation. It considers both the quantity and quality of innovation and investigates the underlying mechanisms. Using the China Industrial Enterprises Database (2000–2014), it further explores the innovation effects of patient capital on unlisted SMEs. The empirical findings are as follows. First, patient capital, measured by the proportion of relationship-based debt and stable equity, exhibits a significant and robust positive association with the output and quality of SME innovation, and this association gradually strengthens over time. Second, heterogeneity analyses show that relationship-based debt is more strongly associated with innovation in state-owned enterprises and national-level “Little Giant” firms (specialized, refined, distinctive, innovative SMEs), whereas stable equity is significantly associated with innovation only in private and ordinary enterprises. The association between stable equity and innovation is more pronounced in non-regulated industries, while the association for relationship-based debt remains consistent across industries. Third, mechanism tests reveal that patient capital is linked to SME innovation through four channels: alleviating financing constraints, fostering university–industry–research collaboration, improving knowledge conversion efficiency, and strengthening market power. Fourth, an extended analysis confirms that patient capital is also significantly associated with innovation among unlisted SMEs, indicating strong external validity of the study’s conclusions. Based on these findings, this paper advocates for establishing a long-term financing mechanism oriented toward patient capital, with differentiated allocation and optimization of institutional environments across industries. Such an approach should facilitate three transmission channels—university–industry–research collaboration, knowledge transfer, and market power—while extending policy coverage to unlisted SMEs, thereby nurturing a virtuous cycle ecosystem of “long-term capital → sustained R&D → high-quality innovation.” Full article

Backgroundand Objectives: Endometrial cancer ranks among the most prevalent gynecologic malignancies in high-income countries, with increasing incidence and mortality driven by the global obesity epidemic. Evidence suggests that women with early-stage disease face a greater risk of death from obesity-related comorbidities than from cancer recurrence and that weight reduction is associated with improvements in quality of life and in the long-term burden of obesity-related morbidity and mortality. Minimally invasive (MIS) metabolic/bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for achieving significant, sustained weight loss and comorbidities resolution/improvement. Advances in MIS (laparoscopic, robotic, and endoscopic) techniques have reduced perioperative morbidity and mortality. Novel pharmacotherapies, including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), have recently received regulatory approval for weight management and ongoing studies are investigating their therapeutic impact on endometrial carcinogenesis and tumor biology. This review synthesizes and critically appraises evidence on metabolic interventions, including innovative bariatric techniques and pharmacologic agents, with the aim of informing their integration into multidisciplinary, risk-adapted management strategies for patients with severe obesity and endometrial cancer. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted in accordance with SANRA (Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles) criteria. Results: Emerging evidence indicates that MIS metabolic/bariatric surgery combined with hysterectomy is feasible and may be integrated into the multidisciplinary management of selected patients with severe obesity and endometrial hyperplasia or carcinoma. GLP-1RAs may modulate both the obesogenic systemic milieu and selected tumor-associated pathways, although definitive clinical evidence of direct antitumor effect and oncologic benefit in endometrial cancer has not been established. Conclusions: Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for endometrial cancer. Metabolic/bariatric interventions represent a promising component of the comprehensive, patient-centered management of this disease. Prospective studies are essential to clarify the association between these interventions and longitudinal oncologic outcomes, the feasibility and potential benefits of combined approaches, and their differential impact according to the molecular classification of endometrial cancers. Although weight reduction is associated with a lower risk of endometrial cancer, a direct improvement in cancer-specific survival has not yet been demonstrated; weight-loss management therefore represents a promising component of care in the severely obese population, and its incorporation into formal guidelines requires confirmation in prospective studies. Full article

This paper examines the energy renovation of buildings using building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems applied to facades and roofs. Although BIPVs are increasingly recognized as a vital component of sustainable retrofit strategies, designers still lack comparative decision-support tools for the simultaneous technical and economic evaluation of roof- and facade-integrated (envelope-integrated) configurations. To address this gap, this study presents a methodology for the energy-efficient retrofit of multi-story student residence halls through a parametric analysis. This comparative approach evaluates energy performance and electricity production while estimating the associated costs of BIPV systems. Building upon prior research, the current analysis utilizes innovative, energy-optimized models to form the basis of computer simulations. The methodology relies on a fundamental assumption involving an arbitrary parameter that defines grid-energy substitution rates by BIPV-generated electricity. Regarding the economic aspects, the results indicate that while certain rooftop installations offer lower costs and shorter payback periods than facade systems, other rooftop configurations exhibit higher costs and extended payback periods. This research provides valuable insights for optimizing civil engineering solutions in photovoltaics, where local electricity production effectively replaces grid-supplied energy. Furthermore, the proposed innovative qualitative and quantitative input/output models can be extended to parameterize other building renovation characteristics within civil engineering methods. Full article

Industry–University–Research (IUR) networks are vital for knowledge sharing and collaborative innovation, yet existing network research largely ignores the maintenance cost of inter-organizational ties, which creates persistent theoretical tension between social capital theory (advocating dense connections) and structural hole theory (advocating sparse non-redundant ties). This study constructs a simulation model integrating barter knowledge exchange and multi-dimensional relational maintenance cost loss and systematically simulates the evolution of average knowledge stock (AKS) under regular, small-world and random network structure. The simulation results show that there exists a stable optimal node degree range of 20–40 for IUR actors, which is robust against changes in network scale, initial knowledge endowment and relational cost coefficients. Under moderate technological complexity, small-world networks realize the highest efficiency of knowledge accumulation; when technological complexity rises to a high level, regular networks with local agglomeration advantages become more efficient. This study supplements a cost-based analytical perspective to reconcile the contradiction between two core network theories and provides preliminary simulation evidence for the contingent design of IUR collaborative networks. From a practical perspective, the findings offer reference for adaptive governance of IUR alliances to balance relational costs and knowledge gains and further respond to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). Limitations of this simulation-based analysis are clearly acknowledged in the discussion section. Full article

Increased contamination and complexity of wastewater due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and new contaminants have highlighted the limitations of conventional treatment technologies. The treatment of complex wastewater matrices containing heavy metals, refractory organic contaminants, pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), nutrients, and pathogens requires an integrated treatment approach with complementary removal mechanisms. This review critically analyzes the principles, recent developments, and engineering applications of biosorption, membrane separation, and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and highlights their possible combination in hybrid wastewater treatment systems. Recent advances in engineered biosorbents, multifunctional membranes, and catalytic materials, including their mechanisms, material innovations, operational benefits, and limitations, are critically evaluated. Special focus is placed on the mechanistic synergy among the different technologies, showing how contaminant load reduction, membrane fouling mitigation, selective concentration, and oxidative degradation collectively improve treatment efficiency with reduction in energy and chemical consumption. This article also introduces a framework for process-engineered integrated hybrid treatment systems. Comparative analyses of hybrid configurations, engineering challenges, research gaps, and a decision support framework are provided to aid the selection of the technologies based on the wastewater characteristics and treatment objectives. New opportunities for artificial intelligence, digital process control, multifunctional materials, and circular resource recovery are also addressed. Overall, this review emphasizes that intelligently engineered hybrid systems integrating biosorption, membrane separation, and AOPs can be a promising pathway toward efficient contaminant removal, water reuse, resource recovery, and sustainable wastewater management. Full article

Spinal pathologies, including degenerative disc disease, spinal cord injury, and conditions requiring spinal fusion, pose a substantial global health burden. While contemporary interventions provide symptomatic relief, achieving durable tissue repair in biologically compromised environments remains a critical challenge. This narrative review synthesizes the current literature on three major nanotechnology applications in spine care: nanostructured implant surfaces, nanoparticle-enhanced bone grafts, and nano-drug delivery systems (NDDSs). Preclinical evidence indicates that nanoscale surface modifications and nanoparticle-augmented synthetic grafts significantly enhance osseointegration and bone fusion by mimicking the native extracellular matrix. Furthermore, in animal models of intervertebral disc degeneration, NDDSs utilizing polymeric nanoparticles and exosomes facilitate sustained, stimuli-responsive therapeutic delivery into the avascular disc space. Although early clinical data on nanostructured cages demonstrate reduced subsidence and stable long-term fusion, the direct translation of these robust preclinical outcomes to widespread clinical efficacy faces substantial hurdles. Significant translational barriers include stringent Class III regulatory classifications, sparse long-term safety data regarding nanoparticle biodistribution, and scale-up manufacturing challenges such as batch variability. Future progress relies on artificial intelligence-guided design, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, and multifunctional “smart” nanomaterials. Ultimately, close collaboration among materials scientists, clinicians, and regulatory bodies is essential to safely bridge the gap between preclinical innovation and predictable clinical therapeutic success. Full article