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The nature of liquid-to-glass transition is a major puzzle in science. A similar challenge exists in glass-to-liquid transition, i.e., glass melting, especially for the poorly investigated surface effects. Here, we assemble colloidal glasses by vapor deposition and melt them by tuning particle attractions. The structural and dynamic parameters saturate at different depths, which define a surface liquid layer and an intermediate glassy layer. The power-law growth of both layers and melting front behaviors at different heating rates are similar to crystal premelting and melting, suggesting that premelting and melting can be generalized to amorphous solids. The measured single-particle kinetics reveal various features and confirm theoretical predictions for glass surface layer.

The strength $ σ_{y}(D)$ of a polycrystal can decrease or increase with the grain diameter $D$, i.e., the famous Hall-Petch (HP) and inverse-Hall-Petch (IHP) behaviors, respectively. However, $ σ_{y}(D)$ under thick grain boundaries (GBs) (i.e., GB thickness $l>1$ particle) and $ σ_{y}(l)$ have rarely been explored. Here we measure them by systematically varying $D$ and $l$ of two-dimensional glass-crystal composites in simulations. We demonstrate that increasing $l$ and decreasing $D$ have similar effects on reducing dislocation motions and promoting GB deformations. Consequently, the classical HP-IHP behaviors of $ σ_{y}(D,l=1)$ and our generalized HP-IHP behaviors of $ σ_{y}(D,l)$ share similar mechanisms and can be unified as $ σ_{y}$ ($A_\textrm{GB}/A_\textrm{tot}$), where $A_\textrm{GB}/A_\textrm{tot}$ is the fraction of the amorphous region. The results reveal a way to exceed the maximum strength of normal polycrystals. The generalized HP-IHP behaviors of $ σ_{y}(D,l)$ should be similar in 2D and 3D, except that the HP effect in 3D is stronger.

Climate change is increasingly exacerbating water shortages worldwide. Among the various repercussions of water scarcity, notably in developing countries, the most critical are the decline in social sustainability and the widening inequality within farming communities. In response, irrigation reforms aimed at establishing farmer-managed networks have been introduced to foster equitable water distribution and enhance the livelihood and food security of underprivileged farmers. However, these reforms have largely fallen short of achieving their social sustainability goals. A significant factor in this shortfall is the farmers' limited capacity and reluctance to assume roles typically filled by bureaucracy under institutional reforms. This study explores farmers' willingness to engage in a World Bank-assisted participatory irrigation infrastructure program. We utilized questionnaire surveys and hierarchical analysis to evaluate how various factors influence farmers' willingness to participate. The findings indicate a multifaceted challenge that intensifies in communities fragmented by socioeconomic and political divides. Particularly, the predominance of large landowners in agricultural communities and the absence of sufficient bureaucratic support for participation are key impediments. Our research offers comprehensive insights into the regional sociopolitical obstacles obstructing farmer involvement in government-led participatory projects. It also guides policymakers in grasping the intricate interplay between program design, execution, and contextual elements, which is crucial for the sustainable development of resource-stressed areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The march toward fusing business with sustainability is articulated with the hope of offering solutions to global environmental degradation. Green innovation is often regarded as an effective strategy to induce double externality with positive innovation and environmental spillovers. Despite numerous research works on determinants of green innovation, the key question, however, whether and how organizational improvisation exerts its influence on innovatively being green is still unsolved. On this basis, the current study seeks to demonstrate a connection between organizational improvisation and corporate green innovation. According to the presented theoretical framework, organizational improvisation, which serves as a catalyst for improving learning processes, promotes green innovation. Furthermore, dynamic capabilities mediate this relationship, and top management risk aversion could weaken the successful transformation of substantive innovation and being green. Empirical evidence is found based on a sample of Chinese manufacturing firms with a moderated mediation analysis. These results extend the understanding of the role of improvisation in green achievements towards the fusion of unplanned change and order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green buildings have gained increasing momentum during the past decade, evidenced by an uptick in green building construction worldwide. To facilitate green building development, it is crucial to understand the current geographical distribution of green buildings, thereby identifying emerging markets and opportunities for future growth. However, very few studies investigated the spatial characteristics of the green building market and the factors influencing the distribution of green buildings. By examining the national green building market in the United States, we studied the spatial distribution patterns and significant influencing factors of the county-level US green building markets. Cluster mapping and hot spots of the green building markets were identified through spatial autocorrelation analysis. A spatial regression model with high performance (R2 of 0.83) was developed to identify the significant influencing factors. We found a statistically significant clustering phenomenon of county-level US green building markets. The spatial error model reveals that three factors, namely, the number of housing units, gross domestic product, and the local green building company index, significantly influence the number of green buildings at the county level. We also found that the county-level green building market is influenced by these factors of not only the host county, but also the neighboring counties. Our findings provide a useful reference for stakeholders' decision-making process concerning local green building market development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital revolution has swept the world, but the construction industry, the backbone of the global economy, has lagged. Government policy is expected to promote the development of digital technologies centered around building information modeling (BIM) in the construction industry. However, how digital technology–related policies diffuse within a country and influence innovation regionally remains unknown. Using 2011–2019 panel data from 31 provinces in mainland China, we found that BIM policy diffuses not only vertically among national and regional governments, but also horizontally among neighboring regional governments, both of which accelerate the adoption of BIM policy in various regions across the country. We also found that there is a causal relationship between regional BIM policies and related BIM innovation. Further, the positive influence of policies on innovation is more significant in regions with low economic development and high openness levels. This study not only contributes to understanding the impact of policy diffusion on BIM innovation, but also offers insights into the research on policies and innovation of digital technology in the construction industry from a macro perspective. The empirical evidence provides a practical reference for policymakers to accelerate the adoption of digital technology policy within the country and promote technological innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]