Engineering

The cognitive sciences, especially at the intersections with computer science, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience, propose 'reverse engineering' the mind or brain as a viable methodology. We show three important issues with this stance: 1) Reverse engineering proper is not a single method and follows a different path when uncovering an engineered substance versus a computer. 2) These two forms of reverse engineering are incompatible. We cannot safely reason from attempts to reverse engineer a substance to attempts to reverse engineer a (...) computational system, and vice versa. Such flawed reasoning rears its head, for instance, when neurocognitive scientists reason about what artificial neural networks and brains have in common using correlations or structural similarity. 3) While neither type of reverse engineering can make sense of non-engineered entities, both are applied in incompatible and mix-and-matched ways in cognitive scientists' thinking about computational models of cognition. This results in treating mind as a substance; a methodological manoeuvre that is, in fact, incompatible with computationalism. We formalise how neurocognitive scientists reason (metatheoretical calculus) and show how this leads to serious errors. Finally, we discuss what this means for those who ascribe to computationalism, and those who do not. -/- . (shrink)

Communities of nuclear workers have evolved in distinctive contexts. During the Manhattan Project the UK, USA and Canada collectively developed the first reactors, isotope separation plants and atomic bombs and, in the process, nurtured distinct cadres of specialist workers. Their later workplaces were often inherited from wartime facilities, or built anew at isolated locations. For a decade, nuclear specialists were segregated and cossetted to gestate practical expertise. At Oak Ridge Tennessee, for example, the informal ‘Clinch College of Nuclear Knowledge’ aimed (...) to industrialise the use of radioactive materials. ‘We were like children in a toy factory’, said its Director: ‘everyone could play the game of designing new nuclear power piles’. His counterpart at Chalk River, Ontario headed a project ‘completely Canadian in every respect’, while the head of the British project chose the remote Dounreay site in northern Scotland because of design uncertainties in the experimental breeder reactor. With the decline of secrecy during the mid-1950s, the hidden specialists lauded as ‘atomic scientists’ gradually became visible as new breeds of engineers, technologists and technicians responsible for nuclear reactors and power plants. Mutated by their different political contexts, occupational categories, labour affiliations, professional representations and popular depictions, their activities were disputed by distinct audiences. This chapter examines the changing identities of nuclear specialists and the significance of their secure sites. Shaped successively by Cold War secrecy, commercial competition and terrorist threats, nuclear energy remained out of site for wider publics and most nuclear specialists alike. The distinctive episodes reveal the changing working experiences of technical workers in late-twentieth and early twenty-first century environments. (shrink)

Two goals - improving replicability and accountability of Machine Learning research respectively, have accrued much attention from the AI ethics and the Machine Learning community. Despite sharing the measures of improving transparency, the two goals are discussed in different registers - replicability registers with scientific reasoning whereas accountability registers with ethical reasoning. Given the existing challenge of the Responsibility Gap - holding Machine Learning scientists accountable for Machine Learning harms due to them being far from sites of application, this paper (...) posits that reconceptualizing replicability can help bridge the gap. Through a shift from model performance replicability to claim replicability, Machine Learning scientists can be held accountable for producing non-replicable claims that are prone to eliciting harm due to misuse and misinterpretation. In this paper, I make the following contributions. First, I define and distinguish two forms of replicability for ML research that can aid constructive conversations around replicability. Second, I formulate an argument for claim-replicability's advantage over model performance replicability in justifying assigning accountability to Machine Learning scientists for producing non-replicable claims and show how it enacts a sense of responsibility that is actionable. In addition, I characterize the implementation of claim replicability as more of a social project than a technical one by discussing its competing epistemological principles, practical implications on Circulating Reference, Interpretative Labor, and research communication. (shrink)

This paper explores how generative AI technologies like ChatGPT and Gemini are reshaping knowledge production and dissemination. While AI offers democratized access to information, it also disrupts traditional norms of intellectual authority and epistemic rigor. Drawing on the role of the rejection mechanism in scholarly publishing, the essay argues that AI lacks critical filtering mechanisms, risking the amplification of bias, misinformation, and oversimplified narratives. It advocates for robust validation frameworks and intellectual humility in both human and machine learning processes. Ultimately, (...) it calls for careful reflection on AI’s epistemic limits and its role within evolving knowledge ecosystems. (shrink)

Tháng đầu năm 2024 chứng kiến mức tăng rất đáng kể số lượt download chương trình máy tính bayesvl của AISDL chạy trên R và Stan. Đồ thị của RDocumentation (CRAN) dưới đây cho thấy hình ảnh bước nhảy khi có dữ liệu của tháng 1-2024.

Trước những lo ngại về khí hậu toàn cầu ngày càng gia tăng, các quốc gia trên thế giới đã ký kết thỏa thuận toàn cầu nhằm thể hiện sự cam kết mạnh mẽ để chung tay tìm kiếm các giải pháp sáng tạo để giảm thiểu phát thải khí nhà kính và tác động của nó đối với môi trường. Việt Nam là một trong những thành viên tích cực tham gia và có trách nhiệm, nhưng đồng thời cũng (...) là một nước bị ảnh hưởng nặng nề nhất của biến đổi khí hậu. Nhận thấy sự cần thiết phải giải quyết vấn đề biến đổi khí hậu, Việt Nam đang triển khai nghiên cứu việc thành lập thị trường các-bon trong nước, trong đó việc xây dựng và vận hành một hệ thống lưu ký các-bon được coi là một trụ cột quan trọng, trên cơ sở học hỏi kinh nghiệm từ các mô hình trên thế giới. Bài viết này đi sâu vào việc phân tích, đánh giá điều kiện, bối cảnh của Việt Nam và rút ra bài học kinh nghiệm từ các hệ thống lưu ký trên thế giới để đề xuất các giải pháp xây dựng một hệ thống lưu ký các- bon hiệu quả cho Việt Nam. (shrink)

Since the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT, the world has entered a race to develop more capable and powerful AI, including artificial general intelligence (AGI). The development is constrained by the dependency of AI on the model, quality, and quantity of training data, making the AI training process highly costly in terms of resources and environmental consequences. Thus, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the AI training process is essential, especially when the Earth is approaching the climate tipping points and planetary (...) boundaries. It is evident that AI can function better when trained to mimic certain human mental processes. Based on insights from quantum mechanics and the informational entropy-based notion of value, we suggest AI developers can enhance the AI training processes' effectiveness and efficiency by creating and implementing parameter systems that are capable of effectively assigning probabilities to informational quanta. Such systems can help reduce entropy within the system, which lowers the energy required for data storage and processing while decreasing the likelihood of information loss during training. Successfully applying the concept of information entropy-based value in AI development will be crucial for advancing generative AI and achieving AGI in a sustainable manner. (shrink)

It is argued that logic, and in particular mathematical logic, should play a key role in the undergraduate curriculum for students in the computing fields, which include electrical engineering (EE), computer engineering (CE), and computer science (CS). This is based on 1) the history of the field of computing and its close ties with logic, 2) empirical results showing that students with better logical thinking skills perform better in tasks such as programming and mathematics, and 3) the skills students are (...) expected to have in the job market. Further, the authors believe teaching logic to students explicitly will improve student retention, especially involving underrepresented minorities in STEM, whose rate of attrition is higher than for non-minority students. Though this work focuses specifically on the computing fields, these results demonstrate the importance of logic education to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) as a whole. (shrink)

Purpose. This study aims to develop a structured four-tier taxonomy that systematically organizes aerospace engineering tasks suitable for the application of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), while validating this classification through a literature review and identifying opportunities for future research. Design / Method / Approach. The methodology involves grouping tasks into four distinct tiers—Physical Modeling, Dynamic Analysis, Functional Assessment, and System-Level Assessment—based on their physical, operational, and systemic characteristics. This framework is subsequently populated with real-world examples derived from the analysis of (...) 145 peer-reviewed studies. Findings. The reviewed literature confirms a balanced distribution of PINNs applications across all tiers. Contrary to initial assumptions, studies were identified even in areas previously presumed underrepresented, such as acoustic modeling, optical simulations, and environmental impact assessment. This outcome reveals the broader applicability of PINNs and calls for a reassessment of current assumptions regarding underexplored domains. Theoretical Implications. The proposed taxonomy offers a coherent framework for structuring interdisciplinary PINNs applications by integrating physics-based modeling with machine learning across aerospace engineering contexts. Practical Implications. It provides engineers and researchers with a practical roadmap for selecting PINNs methods tailored to specific problem types, potentially improving computational efficiency and enhancing predictive accuracy in aerospace design and analysis. Originality / Value. The study’s originality lies in its empirically validated, four-tier taxonomy that synthesizes the fragmented body of literature on PINNs in aerospace, offering a unified perspective for researchers and practitioners. Research Limitations / Future Research. While the taxonomy covers a wide range of existing applications, future studies should consider extending it with new tiers—particularly related to manufacturing-aware modeling—and pursue methodological standardization to ensure reproducibility and scalability. Article Type. Review. (shrink)

Scotland's North Sea offshore oil-drilling-fields have long been stereotyped as sites reinforcing and reproducing unique forms of masculinities aligning with hegemonic masculinity (HM) descriptors: stoicism, competition, and conflict. Oilfields encompass near-all-male workplaces, requiring labour in difficult conditions, distancing from friends, family, and home life. Emerging research in oilfields has begun to resist the HM-stereotype in favour of complex understandings of masculinities, labour-and-identity performances. This work details findings from a lengthy ‘embedded’ ethnography of the UK Offshore Oilfield. Specifically, highlighting and discussing (...) men's metaphorical ‘mask wearing’ practices: the process by which oilmen engaged in complex performances of masculinities that resist HM yet retained overt components of stoicism; a key HM-descriptor. This ‘masked’ stoicism was presented and performed in unique ways that bridged genuine and non-genuine performances of oilfield masculine identities and interconnected with resistances against risk-taking and supports for safety. Goffman's dramaturgical perspective is applied to deepen and interrogate findings. Salient implications for oilmen's wellbeing, masculinities theory and future study are put forward. (shrink)

LiDAR, với khả năng tạo ra các đám mây điểm ba chiều chi tiết về môi trường rừng, trước đây chủ yếu được xử lý bằng các thuật toán dựa trên quy tắc.

Ngành công nghiệp cát dầu của Canada—một trong những nguồn phát thải lớn nhất trong nền kinh tế quốc gia—đã cam kết đạt mức phát thải ròng bằng 0...

Trong khi các đô thị không ngừng mở rộng để phục vụ nhu cầu phát triển của con người, sự gia tăng các bề mặt nhân tạo như bê tông và nhựa đường đang khiến môi trường sống tự nhiên ngày càng bị thu hẹp. Một nghiên cứu mới đây của Corsini và Szulkin (2025) đã chỉ ra rằng hiện tượng “bê tông hóa” (concretization) này đang ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng đến khả năng sinh sản của hai loài chim quen (...) thuộc ở châu Âu: chim sẻ ngô lớn (Parus major) và chim sẻ ngô xanh (Cyanistes caeruleus). (shrink)

Global discussions around the risks, benefits and governance of solar radiation modification (SRM) in the climate change response portfolio are accelerating, but the topic remains nascent in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In 2023, a US start-up (Make Sunsets) performed a small-scale, non-research deployment of SRM in Baja California, Mexico, without prior permission or community engagement. Their actions prompted Mexico to announce its intention to ban SRM experimentation, underscoring the need for governance to prevent irresponsible practices that could discredit (...) legitimate research. We perform an empirical and ethical analysis of the landscape of academic discussions and media coverage on SRM in the LAC region, focusing on the Make Sunset case. Our analysis leads us to three conclusions: first, a lack of regulations in LAC that fosters mistrust, fuels perceptions of neo-colonialism and restricts potentially valuable and responsible research; second, we argue that the theatrical Make Sunsets case is not ethically justified in light of the diversity of risks associated with it; third, we offer foundational, participatory recommendations to promote effective, transparent and sustainable governance of SRM, including LAC in global conversations. (shrink)

Các đô thị ngày càng phải đối mặt với những thách thức chồng chất do sự gia tăng dân số, khí thải từ giao thông và biến đổi khí hậu.

Tuy nhiên, ngành này hiện đang đối mặt với những thách thức lớn do nguồn cung gỗ truyền thống suy giảm, cháy rừng ngày càng nghiêm trọng và sự cạnh tranh ngày càng tăng từ ngành năng lượng sinh học.

Giữa bối cảnh nhiệt độ toàn cầu tăng cao và những lời kêu gọi mạnh mẽ hơn để giảm phát thải carbon cho các ngành công nghiệp nặng,.

Khi cộng đồng toàn cầu tăng cường nỗ lực giải quyết sự suy thoái môi trường, ngành xây dựng nổi lên như một tác nhân gây hại sinh thái đáng kể -.

Khi số lượng vệ tinh quay quanh Trái Đất ngày càng tăng, nguy cơ va chạm cũng tăng theo - tạo ra các mảnh vỡ nguy hiểm đe dọa sự bền vững lâu dài của không gian bên ngoài.

Đèn phát quang perovskite (Perovskite light-emitting diodes – PeLEDs) đang nổi lên như một ứng viên đầy tiềm năng cho thế hệcông nghệ chiếu sáng và hiển thị tiếp theo...

Clean, reliable energy is fundamental to both human development and climate action. Yet over 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa remain without electricity—among them, 97% of refugees lack access to grid power.

PSS kết hợp sản phẩm và dịch vụ trong một gói duy nhất, cho phép các hoạt động như tái sử dụng, sửa chữa và tái sản xuất diễn ra.

Việc quản lý bền vững rừng — yếu tố then chốt đối với đa dạng sinh học và khả năng chống chịu với biến đổi khí hậu — đang được tái định hình nhờ công nghệ đám mây điểm ba chiều.

The European automotive industry is the third-largest consumer of plastics, following packaging and construction [2]. Amid mounting concerns about plastic waste and resource inefficiency, a new study by Baldassarre et al. [3] investigates how recycled plastics can be more effectively integrated into vehicle manufacturing. This research supports the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the proposed revision of the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) regulation introduced in 2023.

Khi châu Âu đẩy nhanh quá trình chuyển đổi sang giao thông điện hóa, nhu cầu đối với các nguyên liệu pin quan trọng—bao gồm lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese và graphite—được dự báo sẽ tăng mạnh.

As Europe accelerates its transition to electric mobility, the demand for critical battery materials—lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite—is set to rise dramatically [2]. At the same time, global supply chains remain vulnerable, and mining new resources poses significant environmental and geopolitical risks. A recent study by Husmann et al. [3] investigates how Europe can reduce reliance on imported materials by tapping into its “urban mine” [4,5]—the untapped reserves found in end-of-life (EoL) batteries and production scrap from electric vehicles (EVs).

Một nghiên cứu mới của McNeil và cộng sự, được công bố trên Nature Sustainability, đã đánh giá tác động đến sức khỏe vàcông bằng xã hội ở cấp quốc gia từ việc điện khí hóa xe tải hạng nặng tại Hoa Kỳ.

The fusion of Large Language Models (LLMs) and robotic systems has led to a transformative paradigm in the robotic field, offering unparalleled capabilities not only in the communication domain but also in skills like multimodal input handling, high-level reasoning, and plan generation. The grounding of LLMs knowledge into the empirical world has been considered a crucial pathway to exploit the efficiency of LLMs in robotics. Nevertheless, connecting LLMs’ representations to the external world with multimodal approaches or with robots’ bodies is (...) not enough to let them understand the meaning of the language they are manipulating. Taking inspiration from humans, this work draws attention to three necessary elements for an agent to grasp and experience the world. The roadmap for LLMs grounding is envisaged in an active bodily system as the reference point for experiencing the environment, a temporally structured experience for a coherent, self-related interaction with the external world, and social skills to acquire a common-grounded shared experience. (shrink)

This volume Economics for Ecology: Science for Sustainable and Innovative Europe presents the proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference Economics for Ecology (ISCS 2025), organized annually by Sumy State University. The 2025 edition is held within the framework of Jean Monnet Projects: the Chair Strengthening EU Leadership and Capacity in Science and Innovation (101175767—EU_STRENGHTS—ERASMUS-JMO-2024-HEI-TCH-RSCH), the Module Fostering EU Practices of Education for Sustainable Development through the Brand Language: Interdisciplinary Studies (101085708—ESDbrandEU—ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH), and the Module Disruptive Technologies for Sustainable Development (...) in Conditions of Industries 4.0 and 5.0: the EU Experience (101083435—DTSDI—ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH). The collection reflects the conference theme Science for Sustainable and Innovative Europe and brings together contributions from scholars and students addressing ecological economics, sustainable development, and innovation in the European and global context. The materials included in this book provide interdisciplinary perspectives, highlight international collaboration, and offer theoretical insights as well as practical approaches to advancing sustainability in the face of contemporary challenges. (shrink)

Spreading the COVID-19 pandemic caused a profound and long-lasting negative impact on the dynamics of air transportation of passengers and cargo, despite the priority role of aviation companies in the global economy. The pandemic also negatively affected the efficiency of air transport logistics, which necessitated a more in-depth analysis of the factors of influence on changes in its level. The study reveals a methodological approach that allows to make a sound assessment of internal and external factors of influence and, based (...) on its results, to develop a system of organizational and economic solutions for improving the efficiency of air transport logistics. In the context of the above, the advantages of using the integral indicators method for analyzing the efficiency of aviation companies logistics are clarified. Based on the methods of selective observation and calculation of the system of relative and average values of changes in basic indicators, global trends in the development of aviation commerce are summarized and aviation companies that occupy leading positions in the provision of air transportation of passengers and cargo are identified. By synthesizing the methods of integral and point evaluation, the influence of sub-factors of external and internal logistics efficiency of the world's leading aviation companies for passenger transportation in the periods before and after COVID-19 was analyzed. It was found that the aviation industry has fully recovered after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of dynamics and efficiency of air transport logistics. As proposals based on the research results, a system of goals, influencing factors and resource provision for increasing the efficiency of air transport logistics in the post-COVID period was specified. (shrink)

The rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies—such as solar panels, electric vehicles (EVs), and wind turbines—has intensified the global demand for critical raw materials (CRMs), including lithium, cobalt, and neodymium. These materials are vital to clean energy infrastructure but are often sourced from geopolitically unstable or environmentally vulnerable regions [2-4]. In response, a recent study proposes an optimal framework for CRM recycling in Italy aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy [5].

Heavy-duty non-road mobile machinery (NRMM)—including forest harvesters, bulldozers, and agricultural tractors—are significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 9% of Finland’s emissions within the Effort Sharing Sector (ESS). As global climate targets, such as the European Union’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, come into sharper focus, the need to decarbonize these essential industrial machines has become increasingly urgent.

Công nghệ COPS mang lại một số ưu điểm đáng kể.

This paper explores the potential of a decision support system for aerospace design that integrates semantic vector search and transfer learning. The study investigates the application of transfer learning to adapt pre-trained neural networks for aerospace-specific datasets and examines how semantic vector search can transform complex design data into high-dimensional vector representations to reveal latent relationships. Various supervised and unsupervised learning approaches are evaluated to address different phases of the aerospace lifecycle. Preliminary validation on both synthetic and real-world datasets indicates (...) promising improvements in design analysis efficiency and predictive accuracy, laying a foundation for further development of AI-based decision support systems in aerospace engineering. (shrink)

This paper provides a brief review of artificial intelligence (AI) methods for sustainable aerospace systems, focusing on predictive and generative models that enable innovation in Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. Predictive AI models are analyzed in terms of their capacity to estimate remaining useful life (RUL), optimize maintenance planning, and enhance safety management of critical aerospace components, such as turbofan engines and aircraft bearings. Generative models, including GANs, VAEs, and diffusion-based approaches, are examined as enablers of aerodynamic design optimization, structural (...) reliability assessment, and digital twin integration, significantly reducing costs of physical testing and accelerating certification. The review highlights how physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) integrate physical laws into machine learning, ensuring reliability and interpretability in real-world aerospace applications. Key challenges such as data scarcity, algorithmic transparency, and compliance with certification standards are addressed, alongside perspectives for hybrid AI approaches combining symbolic reasoning, neural networks, and digital twins. The findings demonstrate that the integration of predictive and generative AI methods not only supports sustainable development goals by reducing emissions, resource consumption, and downtime, but also strengthens the competitiveness of the aerospace sector in the European digital transition. (shrink)

The study is dedicated to analyzing the key role of decision support systems (DSS) in modern science and industry, emphasizing their ability to automate complex processes, reduce the risks of erroneous decisions, and efficiently handle large volumes of data. The work explores the advantages of document-oriented databases (DODBs) over traditional relational databases for managing diverse datasets in materials science and aerospace engineering. The application of Elasticsearch (ES), a distributed search and analytics engine, is investigated for optimizing material selection and design (...) processes in the aerospace industry. Attention is also given to the ethical aspects of using software for making critically important decisions and the synergy between advancements in computational technologies and materials science. The integration of DSS, DODBs, and ES demonstrates the potential to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and reliability of data-driven decision-making. (shrink)

As climate change accelerates, solar geoengineering (SG)—the deliberate reflection of sunlight to cool the Earth—has emerged as a contentious but increasingly discussed climate intervention.

Khi biến đổi khí hậu ngày càng gia tăng, kỹ thuật địa kỹ thuật năng lượng mặt trời (solar geoengineering– SG)—một phương phápphản chiếu có chủ đích ánh sáng mặt trời để làm mát Trái đất—đã nổi lên như một giải pháp can thiệp khí hậu gây tranh cãi nhưngngày càng được quan tâm.

Nghiên cứu này nhấn mạnh rằng các giải pháp khí hậu hiệu quả không nhất thiết phải xa vời hay trừu tượng—chúng có thể nằm ngay phía trên đầu chúng ta.

The rise of generative AI technologies such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini has profoundly transformed how we access and interact with knowledge. These tools synthesize vast datasets to deliver instant, personalized responses to user queries, often mimicking human-like communication. Yet, this transformation invites critical reflection on the authorship, ownership, and reliability of AI-mediated knowledge.

Khi biến đổi khí hậu đang định hình lại các thực hành xây dựng, một nghiên cứu mới đây đã đánh giá tiềm năng của việc tái sử dụng cấu kiện bê tông đúc sẵn.

As climate concerns reshape construction practices, a recent study assesses the potential of reusing precast concrete elements (PCEs) in Sweden’s residential buildings to reduce embodied carbon—the emissions generated across a product’s lifecycle [2]. Through a combination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA) [3,4], the research evaluates whether circular economy strategies such as reuse and recycling can meaningfully curb carbon emissions at the national scale.

Không gian xanh và mặt nước đô thị thường được ca ngợi là những nơi trú ẩn quan trọng cho đa dạng sinh học giữa các khu vực bê tông hóa.

Hydrogen xanh, được tạo ra thông qua quá trình điện phân nước sử dụng điện tái tạo, mở ra một con đường đầy hứa hẹn hướng tới một tương lai bền vững.

Windows in buildings impact energy usage for temperature control through solar heat gain and enable natural light to reduce reliance on artificial lighting. Balancing solar heat gain and daylight utilization is a challenge, which can be addressed by employing automated or manual blind systems to manage daylight and enhance user comfort and energy efficiency. Additionally, accurate weather forecasts are essential for predicting energy-efficient strategies through individual building energy simulations, as weather conditions synergistically interact with occupant behavior to influence energy consumption (...) patterns. This research aims to assess the energy consumption associated with manual and automated internal window blinds in medium-sized office buildings situated within two distinct and significant climate zones in the United States, considering both present and future climate change scenarios based on the IPCC report (RCP 4.5 - 8.5). Employing a simulation-based methodology, the study unveiled varying effectiveness levels of diverse window blind configurations contingent on the specific climate zones (e.g., 4A Mixed-Humid, 2B Hot-Dry). In different climate zones, on-site energy consumption alterations for heating and cooling become evident as temperatures escalate in the forthcoming years. Using simulation as the method and comparing RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios reveals that automated blinds—a more efficient choice than manual blinds—significantly reduces cooling energy consumption, particularly under RCP 8.5 in a 4A Mixed-Humid zone. Rising temperatures in Climate Zone 2B Hot-Dry are a factor in increased energy requirements for cooling and decreased energy requirements for heating due to climate change. This study provides enlightening insights into the potential benefits of diverse window-covering strategies concerning energy conservation within varied climatic contexts for the future. (shrink)

Cầu không chỉ là các tuyến giao thông thiết yếu—chúng còn là “kho tài nguyên vật liệu” khổng lồ có thể được thu hồi để phục vụ cho một nền kinh tế tuần hoàn.

Bridges are more than vital transportation links—they are also repositories of vast material resources that can be reclaimed to support a circular economy [2,3]. In a pioneering study, Lange, Abdelshafy, and Walther [4] present a dynamic-locational material flow analysis (DL-MFA) framework to model the quantity, longevity, and spatial distribution of bridge infrastructure. This approach enables precise forecasting of material flows resulting from demolition, offering essential insights for sustainable urban planning.

As societies pursue circular economy goals, product reparability has emerged as a critical sustainability issue. Scoring systems that quantify how easy it is to repair consumer products—such as smartphones, vacuum cleaners, and televisions—play a vital role in shaping design standards, informing policy, and guiding consumer choices [2,3]. A recent study by Dangal et al. [3] critically assessed the reliability and validity of four widely used scoring systems: the French Reparability Index (FRI), the Joint Research Centre system (JRC), iFixit, and Austria’s (...) ONR19202. (shrink)

Mở rộng đô thị ở Trung Quốc thường được xem là mối đe dọa trực tiếp đối với an ninh lương thực do đất canh tác màu mỡ bị chuyển đổi thành các khu vực xây dựng.