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Green procurement plays a crucial role in mitigating emissions, promoting sustainable practices, and achieving the objectives of keeping global warming below the 2°C threshold. However, the implementation of green procurement faces significant challenges. Despite the recognized importance of sectoral collaboration, cross‐sectoral engagement (CSE) has not yet been widely acknowledged as an essential principle in green procurement implementation. This study aims to address these implementation challenges by developing a comprehensive decision‐making framework for CSE in public–private partnership projects, with a focus on advancing sustainable development goals. The research identifies and prioritizes barriers to CSE from multiple theoretical perspectives, employing an integrated approach that combines the Method Based on the Removal Effects of Criteria (MEREC) and the Combinative Distance‐Based Assessment (CODAS) method. The results reveal three primary factors hindering cross‐sectoral engagement: conflicting stakeholder interests and priorities, power imbalances, and communication gaps and language barriers. To promote effective collaboration, policymakers are urged to invest in capacity building initiatives that enhance stakeholders' understanding of green procurement principles and encourage their active participation in achieving sustainable development objectives. Theoretically, this study has, for the first time, developed a CSE framework that can be used to promote green practice implementation, integrate four theories to holistically access barriers to cross‐sectoral collaboration, and show the integration of the MEREC CODAS MCDM technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rise of the logistics industry and the widespread use of ink labels, problems such as the narrow operating temperature range of ink, poor alcohol resistance, and insufficient scratch resistance need to be solved urgently. In this work, creates alcohol‐resistant thermal transfer inks by mixing polypropylene chloride (VP‐365) and epoxidized hydrogenated bisphenol A (P) resin and incorporating them into the ink formulation. The synthetic ink has a lower glass transition temperature (118.2°C), allowing the ink to print at lower temperatures. It has small wetting angles (68°, 63°, 58°, 46°, and 40°) and a large adhesion force (10.44 – 14.4 N) for different labels. Further, to evaluate the printing performance of the ink, the ink was scratched under 1000 g pressure and in the environment of isopropyl alcohol to evaluate its printing performance. The produced ink has high scratch resistance (300 times) and good alcohol resistance (140 times). Moreover, the developed ink showed good printability, printing media versatility, high adhesion, and excellent alcohol resistance. The synthesis method is facile and cost‐effective, which paves a novel way towards high‐performance ink printing and thermal transfer technology industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations has described global warming as reaching a code red point for humanity and requires drastic measures to avert further terrible warming. Green procurement practices have been recognized as sustainable measures towards a low carbon trajectory, yet its implementation is still at the embryonic stage mainly due to weaknesses in organizational creativity skills and learning strategies. For the first time, we provide a theoretical framework that links stakeholder pressure, organizational learning, green procurement, and environmental performance within a public–private partnership environment. The analysis in this study is performed using the partial least square structural equation modelling and a sample of 295 respondents from Ghanaian infrastructure projects. Overall, we have found that exploratory and exploitative learning are necessary to translate stakeholder pressure to implement green procurement practices effectively. Also, firms that yield to stakeholder pressure develop their creative skills and increase their environmental performance. We recommend that managers should consider frequent market research and consistent stakeholder dialogue to create a culture of learning towards green practice implementation and promote environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual‐functional anti‐pathogenic coating with controllable repelling and capturing/inactivation of pathogens, which make it capable of eliminating a broad range of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, including SARS‐CoV‐2, is reported. The reversible switch between repelling and capturing/inactivation is readily made via its CO2‐responsive wettability. In its superhydrophobic state, the coating enables a SARS‐CoV‐2 repellent efficacy of 99.9997%. In its superhydrophilic state, the coating has a virucidal efficacy of up to 99.9897%, which is comparable to the inactivation rate of chemical disinfectants. The coating is highly flexible with anti‐corrosive and anti‐frosting properties, which works for repelling essentially all pathogens and potentially could be applied into various daily used products and materials. The coating has the potential to set a new prevention standard in fighting the current pandemic and preventing future ones via especially intercepting the transmission of pathogens through contaminated surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and construction of Ag2S heterostructures capable of significantly separating photocarriers is a significant challenge in photocatalysis. In this study, CdS/Ag2S heterojunction composite photocatalyst is fabricated through a simple one‐step hydrothermal method. The composite structure is characterized by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV‐visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy. Under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of the sample is evaluated by degradation of methyl orange. The photoelectric chemical performance of the CdS nanoparticles modified by Ag2S is closely related to the ratio of Cd/Ag cation. The experimental results show that the sample ACS‐2 (CdS‐Ag2S = 1:1) composite has higher charge transfer/separation efficiency and longer carrier life. The degradation efficiency reaches 74.4% within 30 min, and the degradation rate constant is 0.047 min−1. After four cycles, the degradation efficiency of the catalyst only decreases slightly, indicating that the CdS/Ag2S catalyst has good stability and repeatability. Meanwhile, the study of the photocatalytic mechanism shows that •O1− is the primary active substance in the catalytic process, and h+ and •OH play a secondary role. This work provides a great significance for constructing efficient Ag2S‐based heterojunction photocatalyst systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a modified mosaic approach method (MMAM), which considers the subgrid‐scale effect of topographical height on atmospheric forcing, is introduced. Two experiments are designed to study the effects of MMAM on surface meteorological variables in Western China within the weather research and forecasting (WRF) modelling framework during June to August 2010. Results show that MMAM has obvious effects on surface 2 m temperature improvement. Simulations of the surface 2 m temperature with MMAM are closer to the observed values over a wide range of areas, particularly around the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and the Tianshan Mountains. However, MMAM does not show obvious improvements on 2 m relative humidity and on 10 m wind velocity. By investigations of two selected grid cells, we find that MMAM always shows a consistent deviation (positive or negative) on 2 m temperatures compared with the control experiment throughout the study period, which is related to the fact that the difference in topographical height within the model grid does not vary with time; the differences of surface energy illustrate that MMAM directly affects the upward longwave radiation due to a revision of the forcing temperature, resulting in a redistribution of surface energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this work, the shear and elongational rheologies have been investigated for a newly developed oil displacing agent, polymeric surfactant-PSf. It was found that the PSf solutions exhibited Newtonian, shear-thinning, and shear-thickening behavior, respectively, depending on the polymer concentration and shear rate, and Cox-Merz rule was not applicable to these systems. The first normal stress difference ( N1) versus shear rate plots for PSf were complicated, which varied with the composition of the solutions. The uniaxial elongation in capillary breakup experimental results indicated that Exponential model could be used to fit the experimental data of the PSf solutions at lower polymer concentrations. In addition, it was found that PSf was more effective in improving shear viscosity than partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, but not in the case of elongational viscosity. The experimental results indicated that the microstructural mechanisms are responsible for the rheological behavior of the polymers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40813. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In resting-state functional MRI studies, the global signal (operationally defined as the global average of resting-state functional MRI time courses) is often considered a nuisance effect and commonly removed in preprocessing. This global signal regression method can introduce artifacts, such as false anticorrelated resting-state networks in functional connectivity analyses. Therefore, the efficacy of this technique as a correction tool remains questionable. In this article, we establish that the accuracy of the estimated global signal is determined by the level of global noise (i.e., non-neural noise that has a global effect on the resting-state functional MRI signal). When the global noise level is low, the global signal resembles the resting-state functional MRI time courses of the largest cluster, but not those of the global noise. Using real data, we demonstrate that the global signal is strongly correlated with the default mode network components and has biological significance. These results call into question whether or not global signal regression should be applied. We introduce a method to quantify global noise levels. We show that a criteria for global signal regression can be found based on the method. By using the criteria, one can determine whether to include or exclude the global signal regression in minimizing errors in functional connectivity measures. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depressive symptoms often coexist with memory deficits in older adults and also are associated with incident cognitive decline in the elderly. However, little is known about the neural correlates of the association between depressive symptoms and memory deficits in nondemented elderly. Fifteen amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and 20 cognitively normal (CN) subjects completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) scans. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test the main effects of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed recall (RAVLT-DR) scores, and their interaction on the intrinsic amygdala functional connectivity (AFC) network activity. Severer depressive symptoms and memory deficits were found in the aMCI group than in the CN group. Partial correlation analysis identified that the RAVLT-DR scores were significantly correlated with the AFC network in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), dorsomedial and anterior prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), middle occipital gyrus, right inferior parietal cortex, and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG). The GDS scores were positively correlated with the AFC network in the bilateral PCC and MTG, and left DLPFC. The interactive effects of the GDS and RAVLT-DR scores on the AFC network were seen in the bilateral PCC, MTG, and left DLPFC. These findings not only supported that there were interactive neural links between depressive symptoms and memory functions in nondemented elderly at the system level, but also demonstrated that R-fMRI has advantages in investigating the interactive nature of different neural networks involved in complex functions, such as emotion and cognition. Hum Brain Mapp , 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starshaped PbWO4crystals have been synthesized in large scale by a hydrothermal route. The influence of reaction time and temperature is studied. It is observed that the luminescence intensity of the same sample increases dramatically with decreasing the temperature, the Luminescence intensity of the different PbWO4particles increases with prolonging the reaction time. The luminescence intensity of the particles is affected by the reaction time and temperature. © 2009 WILEYVCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Cyclocarya paliurus, as a new food resource, is utilized extensively in human and animal diets due to its bioactive compounds, health benefits, and its highly prized sweet flavor. This study aimed to investigate the sweet‐taste ingredient of C. paliurus leaves.Five new dammarane triterpenoid glycosides were isolated and identified as qingqianliutianosides A–E (1–5) by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and a single crystal X‐ray diffraction experiment. Qingqianliutianoside A (1) and qingqianliutianoside C (3), present in relatively high quantities in the plant, were shown to exhibit sweetness by sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis. Further monitoring was conducted on the content changes in 3 in leaves at different growth stages, indicating that 3 reached its peak content in April and then showed a decreasing trend. Molecular docking studies revealed that T1R2/T1R3 receptors Ser212, Ser105, Thr239, Asn380, Thr305, and Val381 may play critical roles, demonstrating that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were the dominant interaction forces between all of the identified compounds and the active sites in the Venus flytrap module of the T1R2/T1R3 receptors.Qingqianliutianosides A–E are promising natural source sugar substitutes for use in functional foods and beverages. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]