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This document discusses the importance of carbon reduction engineering in combating global climate change. It highlights the role of production and supply chain management in achieving carbon neutrality and reducing carbon emissions. The document presents 20 selected research papers that cover various aspects of production optimization in carbon reduction engineering, including carbon reduction in the production process, low-carbon and sustainable supply chains, assessment and optimization methodologies, and policy instruments. The papers provide insights into topics such as scheduling optimization, renewable energy production, carbon emission efficiency, sustainable consumption, government subsidizing arrangements, and the impact of policy instruments on carbon reduction. The document expresses gratitude to the authors and reviewers for their contributions and acknowledges the support of the International Journal of Production Research. [Extracted from the article]

In this article, aiming at the problems of low mechanical properties and the unstable structure of the binder in inorganic artificial stone, performance improvements were studied. The effects of 12 materials of blast-furnace slag (BFS), fly ash (FA), and kaolin on the properties and microstructure of inorganic binders were systematically studied and analyzed. As a result, the compressive strength of BFS-2, FA-1, and FA-2 binder was increased by 10.0, 6.0, and 1.5%, and the flexural strength was increased by 44.8, 79.2, and 1.3%, respectively. It was worth noting that BFS and FA could effectively promote hydration reactions due to active materials and boost the growth of C–S–H and CH, leading to the inorganic binder forming a stable structure. Thus, this work systematically designs and prepares inorganic binders with high compressive strength and excellent flexural strength. This reveals how inorganic materials affect the properties of inorganic binders on the microstructure and offer a new idea for the development of this field.

In the energy harvesting self-sustaining distributed base-station system (SS-DBS), the problem of optimal resource allocation for secure transmission at the downlink physical layer is studied, including the energy sharing mode, the power allocation, and the remote radio frequency unit (RRFU) selection. First, considering the existence of the eavesdropping user, an SS-DBS model, consisting of a baseband processing subsystem, an energy subsystem, and a radio frequency subsystem, is established for downlink secure transmission at the physical layer. Among the model, the remote radio frequency units are divided into secure remote radio frequency units that transmit secure information to the legitimate user and friendly cooperative remote radio frequency units that transmit artificial noise to interfere with the eavesdropping user. On this basis, a joint optimization problem of energy sharing, power allocation, and RRFU selection with the objective of maximizing the secure information rate of system is formulated. To solve this optimization problem, the problem is decomposed into an energy scheduling optimization subproblem and a RRFU selection optimization subproblem to solve separately. Through mathematical analysis and solution, the condition for the SS-DBS to adopt the partial energy sharing mode or the full energy sharing mode, the optimal power allocation of the RRFUs, and the RRFU selection algorithm for secure transmission at the physical layer of the SS-DBS downlink are obtained. Finally, Monte Carlo simulation is carried out and the simulation results verify the validity of the model and also show that the proposed algorithm has superior performance in terms of secure information rate and secure energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esketamine, a newly developed antidepressant, is the subject of this research which seeks to explore its impact on depressive symptoms in neuropathic pain mice and the potential molecular mechanisms involved. Through transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis combined with in vivo studies, it was identified that esketamine markedly boosts the levels of the m6A methyltransferase METTL3 and the AMPA receptor GluA1 subunit. Esketamine activates METTL3, allowing it to bind with GluA1 mRNA, promoting m6A modification, thereby enhancing GluA1 expression at synapses. Through this mechanism, esketamine may reduce depressive-like behavior in neuropathic pain mice, providing new insights into the potential applications of esketamine and novel therapeutic avenues for neuropathic pain and depressive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to understand the modification mechanism of hydrophobicity nano-CaCO3 to their potential application in different fields of chemistry. However, the water absorption of hydrophobicity nano-CaCO3 is seldom studied. In this study, Raman, BET and TGA experiments were performed on nano-CaCO3 samples to obtain surfactants contents and microstructure characteristics. SEM, TEM and DSL results showed that the nano-CaCO3 modified by stearic acid and sodium stearate had larger particle size and smaller nanoclusters. In the water vapor adsorption test, the order of saturation adsorption capacity was nano-CaCO3(PCC) > nano-CaCO3 modified by sodium stearate(PCC-Sa-Na) > nano-CaCO3 modified by stearic acid(PCC-Sa), and XPS results showed that PCC-Sa had more hydrophobic groups than PCC-Sa-Na, which also explained that the hydrophobicity of PCC modified by stearic acid and sodium stearate was improved by increasing the hydrophobic bond on the surface of CaCO3 and reducing the hydrophilic groups. Our analysis provides a path for the design and the prediction of hydrophobicity of nano-CaCO3, which is the main focus of our work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel elastomer-modified multicomponent, multiphase waste-sourced biocomposites, was prepared for converting waste biomass and plastic into value-added products. The effects of blending elastomer–olefin block copolymer (OBC) and maleic anhydride (MAH), and divinylbenzene (DVB) co-grafting of recycled polypropylene (rPP) matrix on the adhesion interface, structure, and properties of high wood flour-filled (60 wt.%) composites were thoroughly investigated. The results indicated that DVB introduced branched structures into the polymer matrix molecular chain and increased the MAH grafting rate. Co-grafting rPP/OBC blends enhanced the interfacial adhesion among rPP, OBC, and wood flour. Additionally, MAH-grafted OBC was prone to encapsulating rigid wood flour, thereby forming an embedded structure. Notably, the tensile modulus and impact strength of the final three-component composites increased by 60% and 125%, respectively, compared with the unmodified composites. Additionally, dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that DVB-induced branching promoted the formation of microvoids in the OBC shell layer surrounding the wood, which in turn induced significant plastic deformation in the polymer matrix. This work offers a facile and efficient method for preparing high-toughness, high-stiffness, and low-cost waste PP-based composites for automotive interiors, and indoor and outdoor decoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]