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The behavior of airport precast concrete pavement (APCP) involving new design and construction concepts was experimentally analyzed under environmental and moving airplane loads, and the long-term performance of the APCP was evaluated using fatigue failure analysis. The strain characteristics and curling behavior of the APCP under environmental loads were comprehensively analyzed. The APCP slabs exhibited a pronounced curling phenomenon similar to conventional concrete pavement slabs. The dynamic response of the APCP subjected to impact loads was analyzed by performing heavy weight deflectometer tests. The test results confirmed that the vertical deformation of the APCP was small and within the typical range of vertical deformation of conventional concrete pavement. The dynamic strain response of the APCP under moving airplane loads was then analyzed and the strain variation during day and night times was compared. The strains during the day were found to be significantly larger than those at night under airplane loads because of the curling phenomenon of the APCP slabs. Finally, the long-term performance of the APCP was evaluated using fatigue failure analysis based on the obtained behavior. Even using the most conservative fatigue failure prediction model, the service life of the APCP was ascertained to be more than 30 years. Based on the overall results of this study, it is concluded that the APCP, which is designed to reduce slab thickness by placing reinforcing bars in the slabs via reinforced concrete structural design, exhibits typical behavior of concrete pavements and can be successfully applied to airport pavement rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Railway Standard Design is the property of Railway Standard Design Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Nitrogen leaching, resulting from the inefficient use of fertilizers, pollutes the environment, such as groundwater. Biochar can be applied to farmlands to mitigate nitrogen leaching. The effect depends on the application depth. However, the effect has not been examined under crop-farming conditions. Evaluating the interactions between biochar application depth and crop growth is indispensable for considering depth in the actual field. To address this, we conducted a pipe experiment with four treatments, no biochar (control), surface (0–5 cm), plow layer (0–30 cm), and subsurface (25–30 cm) applications, and compared the results with no-crop conditions from a previous study. Biochar application depth affected soil NO3 −−N and NH4 +−N absorption ability and also influenced soil-water stress conditions, affecting crop growth. Surface biochar application improved nitrogen absorption and reduced soil-water stress, improving crop growth. The NO3 −−N leaching was reduced to 87.7%. Plow layer application worsened nitrogen absorption and resulted in frequent dry stress in the shallow-soil layer, preventing root growth in this layer. The NO3 −−N and NH4 +−N leaching increased 106.4% and 264.1%, respectively. The effects of subsurface application were similar to those in the control. Selecting an appropriate application depth can simultaneously improve crop growth and reduce nitrogen leaching.

The paper presents a review of End-of-Life scenarios (EoL) (disposal, incineration, chemical, thermal and mechanical recycling) compared to the production stage of Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) of composites regarding global warming potential. Innovative FRP manufacturing technologies (vacuum infusion, ultraviolet curved pultrusion, hot stamping, three-dimensional printing and automatic tape placement) commonly used in the shipbuilding industry were environmentally assessed. The materials, energy flows and waste discharged to the environment over the whole life cycle were collected, identified and quantified based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis in the frame of the Fibre4Yards project. The results of LCA calculations show that waste management (the EoL scenario) contributes 5 to 39% of the total carbon footprint for FRP technologies. The highest contribution of the EoL scenario was found for technologies where polypropylene was applied, i.e., 33 and 38% of the total CO2 emissions. Our analysis of the literature and information from industrial partners confirm that the standard and most common waste scenario for FRP materials and compounds is still incineration and landfilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mounting 5G antennas on existing power transmission towers can meet the needs of both power supply and 5G communication. Current mounting techniques have the problems of cumbersome process and slow efficiency. This research designs a new type of mounting device of 5G Antenna on power transmission towers. The components and the installation process of this mounting device are introduced, the stress behavior of the mounting device under self-weight load, ice load and wind load is studied through finite element analysis (FEA), and the safety of the mounting device under self-weight load, ice load and wind load is verified through experiments. Furthermore, the safety of power transmission towers is evaluated after 5G antenna is mounted under environmental loads. The results show that: (1) the wind load has the dominant effect on the 5G mounting device, and the proportion of stress caused by wind load is between 89–97%; (2) FEA and experiment show that all the stresses of the device components do not exceed the yield strength limit 355 MPa, indicating that the mounting device is safe to support the 5G antenna under gravity, ice load and wind load; (3) the displacements and stresses of power transmission towers will increase after 5G antenna is mounted, but the values do not exceed the limit, indicating that the power transmission towers are still safe for operation after 5G antenna is mounted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental burden is a global problem affecting the European Union. A comprehensive analysis of the environmental burden is essential for creating strategies supporting sustainable economic development. This study attempts to answer the question of why, despite the continuously decreasing energy consumption of the EU, the environmental burden of this region is not substantially decreasing. This study provides novel insights into this research area by integrating EU economic dynamics and environmental efficiency indicators. In this study, we used the IPAT method. Before the main analysis, the researcher conducted cross-sectional dependence, slope heterogeneity, and Westerlund cointegration tests using the primary data. Based on the results, the EU member states were classified into clusters, and a linear trend model analysis was carried out. The results show that the total environmental load of the EU did not decrease significantly between 2012 and 2022. The fact that the environmental burden remained at the same level is explained by the fact that there were 16 member countries whose total environmental load increased but whose economic output was lower during this time period. This was offset by 11 member countries with high economic outputs, whose total environmental load decreased. This study proved that GDP growth was the main driving force maintaining the total environmental load at the same level. The EU should encourage member states to continue to implement environmental protection rules to limit and eliminate costly environmental burdens on their societies and economies. This study can be helpful to researchers, political decision-makers, and experts working on environmental public policies for the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragile ecosystems that are affected by erosion from high pollution environmental loads pose a serious threat to human health and well-being. The evaluation of regional environmental loads has become a major issue for eco-environmental conservation and management. As a key region in central China, Hubei Province relies on ecosystems and the environment, which offer an important foundation for sustainable development and continuous improvements in social productivity. For this study, seven influencing factors were selected, and a correlation degree model was applied to assess Hubei Province's environmental loads during the period from 1995-2019. The results show that the overall environmental loads exhibit a fluctuating decreasing trend in response to economic growth and development actions. Moreover, as eco-environmental pollution problems have been addressed and improved over time, the ecosystem operating status has been gradually optimized. Finally, the paper concludes with a proposal of specific measures designed to mitigate Hubei Province's ecological loading from the perspectives of industrial structure, public awareness and technological innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent occurrence of extreme climate events has a significant impact on people's lives. Heavy rainfall can lead to an increase of regional Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS), which will cause land subsidence due to the influence of hydrological load. At present, regional TWS is mostly obtained from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data, but the method has limitations for small areas. This paper used water level and flow data as hydrological signals to study the land subsidence caused by heavy rainfall in the Chaohu Lake area of East China (June 2016–August 2016). Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to study the interconnection between water resource changes and Global Navigation Satellites System (GNSS) vertical displacement. Meanwhile, to address the reliability of the research results, combined with the Coefficient of determination method, the research findings were validated by using different institutional models. The results showed that: (1) During heavy rainfall, the vertical displacement caused by atmospheric load was larger than non-tidal oceanic load, and the influence trends of the two were opposite. (2) The rapidly increasing hydrologic load in the Chaohu Lake area resulted in greater subsidence displacement at the closer CORS station (CHCH station) than the more distant CORS station (LALA station). The Pearson correlation coefficients between the vertical displacement and water level were as high as −0.80 and −0.64, respectively. The phenomenon confirmed the elastic deformation principle of disc load. (3) Although there was a systematic bias between the different environmental load deformation models, the deformation trends were generally consistent with the GNSS monitoring results. The average Coefficients of determination between the different models and the GNSS results were 0.63 and 0.77, respectively. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of GNSS in monitoring short-term hydrological load. This study reveals the spatial-temporal evolution of land deformation during heavy rainfall around Chaohu Lake, which is of reference significance for water resource management and infrastructure maintenance in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Sustainability analysis of agricultural ecosystems is important in their decision-making and proper management. Quantifying the sustainability of cropping agroecosystems can provide solutions to achieve positive economic and environmental results. Emergy analysis can be used to determine the degree to which ecological and economic systems are sustainable. By employing this method, we can gain a better understanding of ecological and economic systems and their interactions. Emergy analysis quantifies both environmental and economic costs associated with achieving sustainability, allowing for integrated management of ecological and economic factors. Emergy analysis is currently being used in agriculture to determine the sustainability of various scales of production systems. The present study was conducted to monitor the sustainability and productivity of the use of inputs in wheat, barley and alfalfa production systems using emergetic indicators, using information collected from the smallholder in Boland village, Sistan, Iran during 2019.Materials and Methods Boland village is located in Teymurabad village, approximately 17 kilometers north of Zabol city in Sistan and Baluchestan province. Boland village's agricultural composition includes wheat, barley, and alfalfa cultivation. 148.9 hectares were designated for wheat cultivation, 50.8 hectares for barley cultivation, and 13.5 hectares for alfalfa cultivation during the study year. The inputs used included environmental renewable and non-renewable resources as well as purchased resources. These data were gathered during the study period using a database of agricultural organizations, verbal estimates, field measurements, and researcher observations. The first step is to analyze the system's boundaries and draw an energy diagram to classify the system's inputs. Emergy analysis's second step is to create emergy evaluation tables. After quantifying each system's input flow in joules, grams, or Rials, the inputs were multiplied by their transformities to obtain the solar emjoule (sej). Specific emergy, unit emergy value, renewable emergy percentage, emergy investment ratio, emergy yield ratio, environmental loading ratio, environmental sustainability index, and emergy exchange ratio were all used in this study.Results and Discussion Free renewable and non-renewable flows accounted for 50.79%, 45.89% and 42.29% of the total input current of wheat, barley and alfalfa production systems, respectively. The large share of free domestic inputs indicates that the majority of study farms are non-industrial systems that are managed in a semi-traditional, low-input manner. The emergy input of non-renewable environmental resources was 2.73E+17, 6.42E+17, and 4.99E+17 sej/ha in wheat, barley, and alfalfa systems, respectively. Wheat and barley production systems have high emergy flows due to the high loss of soil organic matter and soil erosion in these systems. In wheat, barley, and alfalfa production systems, the highest proportions of purchased exergy resources were associated with animal manure, nitrogen fertilizer, and phosphorus fertilizer, respectively. In wheat, barley, and alfalfa production systems, the unit emergy value was 4.44E+05, 3.80E+05, and 3.64E+05 sej/J, respectively. The higher exergy efficiency of alfalfa production systems compared to wheat and barley production systems may be attributed to alfalfa's comparable economic performance to other systems. EYR was calculated to be 2.03, 1.85, and 1.73 in wheat, barley, and alfalfa production systems, respectively. The reason for the higher EYR in wheat production is that less purchased resources are used and a greater proportion of inputs are provided by purchased resources. Additionally, the ELR values for wheat, barley, and alfalfa production systems in Boland village were 17.36, 16.09, and 7.08, respectively.The calculated values ​​for emergy sustainability indices (ESI and ESI*) showed that the ecological sustainability of the alfalfa production system is higher than other study systems. The main reason for the greater sustainability of this system was the large share of input energy related to free environmental inputs and economic renewable resources. Also, low energy exchangeable ratio (EER), environmental sustainability resulting from market impact, less emergy expended in the production of each output unit and higher productivity of total production factors indicate a greater comparative advantage of the alfalfa production system.Conclusion In general, the evaluations based on the calculation of emergy-based indicators showed that in the dominant agricultural systems of the Boland village, Sistan, attention to practical solutions in the comprehensive management of the production system, especially protection of soil organic matter and prevention of soil erosion, can have a significant impact on ecological sustainability.

IntroductionSustainability in agriculture at regional scale is about balancing food security with maintaining environmental health. Therefore, agricultural operations are sustainable when they maintain the health of the environment, the interaction between plant and animal production, social acceptance and economic benefits (Kumaraswamy, 2012). Excessive use of environmental resources and excessive consumption of chemicals in agriculture have caused environmental problems and reduced sustainability (Quintero-Angel & Gonzales-Acevedo, 2018). Therefore, it is necessary to study the patterns of energy consumption and efficient use of energy in agriculture, which is one of the basic principles in sustainable agriculture. Emergy analysis, as suitable tool for this purpose, is used in the various ecosystems (Odum, 2000; Brown & Ulgiati, 2004). Emergy analysis is able to determine the degree of sustainability of connected ecological and economic systems. Emergy indices are effective tools for integrating ecological-economic systems and make it possible to measure and compare all aspects of these ecosystems (Patterson et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to evaluate sustainability indices for rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) production systems using emergy indices and provide suggestions for sustainable product of the crop in Kalaleh county. Materials and MethodsIn this study, production systems of rapeseed were evaluated using emergy sustainability indices in Kalaleh County (Golestan province), during the period of 2018-2019. For this purpose, 50 rapeseed fields were selected as Cochran equation. First, the spatial and temporal boundaries of the system were defined (Odum, 1996; Odum, 2000) and resources were divided into four categories: renewable environmental resources, nonrenewable environmental resources, purchased renewable resources and purchased nonrenewable resources (Amiri et al., 2019). Emergy flow for each input was multiplied by their transformities in joules and grammes (Odum, 2000). Finally, emergy indices such as renewability, emergy yield ratio, emergy self-support ratio, environmental loading ratio and emergy sustainability index were calculated and evaluated in rapeseed production systems. Results and DiscussionTotal emergy input for the rapeseed production was estimated as 1.64E+16 sej ha-1 year-1. In rapeseed production, dependence on environmental and nonrenewable inputs was higher than purchased and renewable inputs. Soil erosion emergy was the largest emergy inputs of the total in rapeseed production system with share of 47.31%. Also, fossil fuel emergy was the largest emergy inputs of the purchased with share of 38.41%. In this research, we calculated the transformity equal to 2.59E+05 sej j-1, specific emergy equal to 7.33E+09 sej g-1, emergy renewability equal to 8.16%, emergy yield ratio equal to 2.17 and emergy investment ratio equal to 0.85. Also, emergy self-support ratio, standard environmental loading ratio, modified environmental loading ratio, standard emergy sustainability index, and modified emergy sustainability index were estimated 0.54, 13.81, 11.27, 0.16 and 0.19, respectively. Despite the higher contribution of environmental resources in the rapeseed production system, the high share of soil erosion as a non-renewable input along with the unreasonable consumption of some nonrenewable purchased inputs, such as fossil fuels, led to a decrease in renewability and an increase in environmental load. Based on evaluation of emergy indices, rapeseed ecosystem had the high production efficiency and resource consumption efficiency and it had the great potential to increase economic productivity. However, rapeseed production in Kalaleh county had low environmental and economic sustainability. The implementation of conservation tillage methods and the modernization of machinery can contribute to a reduction in the consumption of nonrenewable and economic inputs in rapeseed production ecosystems. This reduction in input consumption not only alleviates environmental pressure but also enhances sustainability. By prioritizing the use of renewable environmental inputs and minimizing the utilization of nonrenewable and economic inputs, the emergy sustainability index can be improved.ConclusionThe rapeseed ecosystems exhibited high production efficiency and resource consumption efficiency, along with significant potential for increasing economic productivity. However, despite the substantial contribution of environmental resources in these systems, the prevalence of soil erosion as a significant portion of the total emergy input resulted in a decline in renewability, an escalation in environmental burden, and ultimately a decrease in sustainability. It appears that enhancing management methods to minimize the consumption of nonrenewable and economic resources would be effective in bolstering the environmental and economic sustainability of rapeseed farming ecosystems in Kalaleh county.

Aim. Agroecological assessment of herbicides application on crops of soybean variety Arleta in the central zone of Krasnodar Territory.Materials and Methods. The experiments were carried out on the experimental field of the Federal Research Centre of Biological Plant Protection in 2022 according to the methodological recommendations for testing herbicides in agriculture. Herbicides from different chemical classes were used in the experiment. Efficiency was assessed by the difference in weed and soybean grain yield in comparison with the control. The comparative ecotoxicological load of preparations was carried out according to the ecological load and the coefficient of selectivity of action for the soil.Results. Weed species in the experiment were highly effectively suppressed by the herbicides Pulsar, BP, Pivot, VK and a mixture of Bazagran, BP + Zellek Super, and KE (88–98 %). When using Dual Gold, EC, Frontier Optima, EC and Proponit, and EC before the soybean shoots, the biological efficacy was lower. The preparations Pulsar, BP and Pivot, and VK, in comparison with other herbicides, had a lower level of environmental load and a high coefficient of selective action and meet modern safety requirements for the natural environment.Conclusions. In order to protect the environment when choosing herbicides for application on soybean crops in the central zone of Krasnodar Territory, they should be comprehensively selected taking into account the ecotoxicological load of the preparations.

Copyright of Hungarian Medical Journal / Orvosi Hetilap is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Latest release of international terrestrial reference frame has been generated with an enhanced modeling of nonlinear station motions, while more investigations on the strategies applied for the terrestrial reference frame modeling nonlinear station motions still needed. Methods: A global GPS (global positioning system) network has been reprocessed, using the latest GNSS (global navigation satellite system) data processing models and an integrated strategy, and then accurate and consistent input data are obtained; the post-seismic deformation models of 13 CMONOC (crustal movement observation network of China) stations are established and used as the input data, and FREQ2016 based on the function model, and GFZ2016 and EOST2016 considering the environmental loading correction are realized; these GPS terrestrial reference frames with different models are compared in terms of the goodness for fit, velocities and seasonal signals, and then the optimal model is explored. Results: The results show that the weighted root mean square averages of the postfit residuals of FREQ2016 are smaller than those of GFZ2016 and of EOST2016; FREQ2016 shows more significant seasonal signals, especially for semi-annual signals; the horizontal velocity field differences of these three are almost negligible (<0.08 mm/a), and the large vertical velocity differences, for some stations, reach 1.3 mm/a; the reduction of FREQ2016 horizontal velocity formal errors is about 10%. Conclusions: This paper suggests that the strategy based on the function model is better than that of considering the environmental loading correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the advantage of the emergy approach in estimating the stability of greenhouse systems leads to the use of correct management methods to increase the stability of production in these systems. In this research, two production systems of cucumber and tomato in Sistan region were assessed, using emergy indices. For this purpose, 166 cucumber and 111 tomato greenhouses were selected. The result of measuring 13 indicators showed the relative stability of the cucumber production system to the tomato system. The highest and lowest values of transformity index in tomato and cucumber systems were 2.77×103 and 2.00×103 (solar MJ per gram), respectively. Physiological characteristics of cucumber such as longer growth period and the greater use of free renewable energies, more production and the effective use of labor, made this system more sustainable, compared to the tomato one. In the tomato production system, the high proportion of purchased non-renewable resources was responsible for unsustainability. In order to increase the sustainability in greenhouse production systems, it is necessary to select plants with a higher capacity in using free environmental energies, capability of a more efficient labor use, and to use of greenhouse structures with the technologies aimed at reducing the inputs and the purchased non-renewable inputs.

As the core carrier of information storage, a semiconductor memory device is a basic product with a large volume that is widespread in the integrated circuit industry. With the rapid development of semiconductor manufacturing processes and materials, the internal structure of memory has gradually shifted from a 2D planar packaging structure to a 3D packaging structure to meet industry demands for high-frequency, high-speed, and large-capacity devices with low power consumption. However, advanced 3D packaging technology can pose some reliability risks, making devices prone to failure, especially when used in harsh environmental conditions, including temperature changes, high temperature and humidity levels, and mechanical stress. In this paper, the authors introduce the typical structure characteristics of 3D packaged memory; analyze the reasons for device failure caused by stress; summarize current research methods that utilize temperature, mechanical and hygrothermal theories, and failure models; and present future challenges and directions regarding the reliability research of 3D packaged memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The impacts of pollutants on the aquatic environment have become an increasingly important subject of study over the past few decades. Pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, can have direct and/or indirect effects on biota, affecting individual trophic levels in the food chain, the composition of populations, or even the degree of parasitism, a secondary stressor to the host. In this study, we assessed uptake of pharmaceutical compounds in tissues of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) and parasite community response to the change in environmental conditions six months after relocation from a control to a treatment pond loaded by organic pollution from a sewage treatment plant outlet using partial cross-over experimental design. By comparing fish from control and treatment ponds, we observed higher pollutant uptake and the concentration of pharmacological compounds in fish tissues restocked to the treatment pond, along with changes in fish biometric parameters and parasite load. Fish from polluted environment exhibited decreased parasite diversity and higher ectoparasite abundance; however, the major differences were observed between families within taxonomic groups. Our results, therefore, highlight the need for more detailed taxonomic analyses in studies using parasites as potential environmental bioindicators. The response of parasite communities to aquatic contamination has been shown to vary with both type of pollutant and parasite lifestyle. In this semi-experimental study, we examined uptake of pharmaceutical compounds in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) restocked from a control pond to a treatment pond fed with organic pollution from a sewage treatment plant and assessed changes in parasite community composition and fish biometric parameters. The parasite community of restocked fish changed over the six-month exposure period, and the composition of pharmaceutical compounds in the liver and brain was almost the same as that in fish living in the treatment pond their whole life. While fish size and weight were significantly higher in both treatment groups compared to the control, condition indices, including condition factor, hepatosomatic index, and splenosomatic index, were significantly higher in control fish. Parasite diversity and species richness decreased at the polluted site, alongside a significant increase in the abundance of a single parasite species, Gyrodactylus sprostonae. Oviparous monogeneans of the Dactylogyridae and Diplozoidae families and parasitic crustaceans responded to pollution with a significant decrease in abundance, the reduction in numbers most likely related to the sensitivity of their free-living stages to pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, cracking patterns and widths were analytically investigated in a continuously reinforced bonded concrete overlay (CRBCO), as they developed due to temperature change and drying shrinkage, as the environmental load for the sustainable management of deteriorated concrete pavements. The parameters of the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model used for the nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) of the continuously reinforced concrete pavement were determined through comparison of the FEA results with the field crack survey results so as to be used in the nonlinear FEA of the CRBCO pavement. The total temperature change, which combines the actual temperature change with the temperature change converted from the drying shrinkage, considering stress relaxation, was adopted in the FEA as the environmental load applied to the CRBCO pavement. The locations and movements of the reflection and transverse cracks in CRBCO were investigated via FEA. The reflection cracks occurred in the overlay at all of the joints of the existing pavement. Only one secondary crack, with a width that was 5–6 times narrower than that of the reflection cracks, occurred between adjacent reflection cracks under various conditions. Thus, the crack width of the CRBCO was predominantly affected by joint movement in the existing pavement. In addition, the crack widths predicted by the CDP model were narrower than those predicted using the elastic model by approximately 10%. Therefore, crack movement in a CRBCO pavement can be reasonably predicted by the CDP model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Geodesy & Geodynamics (1671-5942) is the property of Editorial Board Journal of Geodesy & Geodynamics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Taking the advantage of the emergy approach in estimating the stability of greenhouse systems leads to the use of correct management methods to increase the stability of production in these systems. In this research, two production systems of cucumber and tomato in Sistan region were assessed, using emergy indices. For this purpose, 166 cucumber and 111 tomato greenhouses were selected. The result of measuring 13 indicators showed the relative stability of the cucumber production system to the tomato system. The highest and lowest values of transformity index in tomato and cucumber systems were 2.77x10³ and 2.00x10³ (solar MJ per gram), respectively. Physiological characteristics of cucumber such as longer growth period and the greater use of free renewable energies, more production and the effective use of labor, made this system more sustainable, compared to the tomato one. In the tomato production system, the high proportion of purchased non-renewable resources was responsible for unsustainability. In order to increase the sustainability in greenhouse production systems, it is necessary to select plants with a higher capacity in using free environmental energies, capability of a more efficient labor use, and to use of greenhouse structures with the technologies aimed at reducing the inputs and the purchased non-renewable inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the problems of energy depletion and environmental pollution caused by non renewable energy such as oil and coal have seriously hindered the sustainable development of our society. Biomass energy is a reliable low-carbon alternative energy with renewable, clean and other characteristics. Therefore, the energy transformation to renewable energy is crucial to China's development. Research shows that China has rich biomass resources. For example, agricultural wastes can be used to produce biogas by anaerobic fermentation of agricultural wastes straw, which can reduce a lot of carbon emissions. Therefore, it is of great significance for China's development to make full and reasonable use of this resource. This paper discusses two types of biogas power generation technologies using straw as raw material, namely, traditional biogas direct combustion power generation technology and biogas fuel cell power generation technology. Based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and time value dynamic analysis method, the feasibility of two types of biogas power generation technologies is comprehensively evaluated from both environmental and economic aspects. The feasibility of this technology is compared with that of coal-fired power generation technology, and the feasibility of straw biogas power generation technology in both economic and environmental aspects is discussed. In the feasibility analysis of environmental benefits, three potential values of environmental impact categories are considered: global warming (GWP), environmental acidification (AP) and human toxicity (HTP). The environmental impact potential of the three power generation technologies is calculated according to the equivalence factor of each environmental category. After the environmental impact potentials are standardized, the total environmental impact loads of different environmental categories are obtained. The analysis of the total environmental impact is consistent with the judgment of the environmental benefits of the three power generation technologies. The economic feasibility analysis adopts the dynamic analysis method of time value, and selects the dynamic investment payback period, internal rate of return and net present value as the analysis indicators. According to literature review, find representative power plants, and calculate dynamic payback period, net present value and internal rate of return by referring to capital input and output data of power plants. According to the calculation results, the economic feasibility of different power generation technologies is comprehensively analyzed. The results show that the biogas fuel cell power generation technology is the best in terms of total environmental impact, and the total environmental impact load is 8.55×10-4, followed by biogas direct combustion power generation technology, with a total environmental impact load of 2.15×10-2。 Compared with coal-fired power generation technology (2.97×10-1), the emission reduction rate reached 99.71% and 92.76% respectively. In terms of economic benefits, when the dynamic payback period and NPV are taken as indicators, the payback period of the straw biogas direct fired power generation project is the shortest (12.03 years), the NPV in the operation period can reach 1 361 246 Yuan/MW, and the economic benefits are the best; The second is coal-fired power generation project (14.5 years), with a net present value of 423 933 Yuan/MW; The dynamic payback period of biogas fuel cell power generation project is more than 20 years, and there is no surplus during operation. Therefore, compared with biogas fuel cell power generation technology, biogas direct combustion power generation technology has more significant economic benefits. This shows that biogas direct fired power generation technology will remain one of the best power generation technologies to replace coal-fired power generation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floating bridge bears the dead weight and live load with buoyancy, and has wide application prospect in deep-water transportation infrastructure. The structural analysis of floating bridge is challenging due to the complicated fluid-solid coupling effects of wind and wave. In this research, a novel time domain approach combining dynamic finite element method and state-space model (SSM) is established for the refined analysis of floating bridges. The dynamic coupled effects induced by wave excitation load, radiation load and buffeting load are carefully simulated. High-precision fitted SSMs for pontoons are established to enhance the calculation efficiency of hydrodynamic radiation forces in time domain. The dispersion relation is also introduced in the analysis model to appropriately consider the phase differences of wave loads on pontoons. The proposed approach is then employed to simulate the dynamic responses of a scaled floating bridge model which has been tested under real wind and wave loads in laboratory. The numerical results are found to agree well with the test data regarding the structural responses of floating bridge under the considered environmental conditions. The proposed time domain approach is considered to be accurate and effective in simulating the structural behaviors of floating bridge under typical environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of new infrastructure in China, the demand for copper has increased significantly. In 2021, copper consumption in this sector accounted for 9.1% of China's total consumption, becoming a new driving force for copper demand. This study analyzed copper flow characteristics and primary driving factors in China's new infrastructure sectors using the material flow analysis method, quantified the environmental loads of the metabolic processes, and predicted copper demand in the new infrastructure sectors by 2030 through scenario analysis. The primary conclusions drawn are as follows: In 2021, copper consumption in new infrastructure sectors was 1,225,700 tons, with the rail transportation sector accounting for 59.6% and the artificial intelligence sector accounting for 0.6%. The rail transportation sector had the largest total environmental load, with carbon emissions of approximately 3,513,372 tons. From the perspective of tons of copper products, the 5G sector had the highest environmental load, while the big data centers had the lowest. In the seven sectors of new infrastructure, the environmental load contribution rates across the four stages showed little variation, with their proportions being 49.0, 29.8, 15.8, and 5.4%, respectively. Recycling of discarded copper products can effectively reduce industrial energy consumption and carbon emissions. Under the three scenarios set in this study, the copper demand in the new infrastructure sector by 2030 will be 3.856, 3.233, and 2.625 million tons, respectively. Using wind energy to replace coal in copper production can reduce carbon emissions by approximately 43.2%. • Rapid new infrastructural development drives rapid growth in copper consumption. • Quantified the environmental impact of copper usage in new infrastructure field through lifecycle assessment methods. • Copper demand in new infrastructure field projected to increase significantly by 2030. • Replacing 50% coal in copper production with wind energy can reduce CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to systematize trends in the low-carbon economy in Russia and to identify drivers and inhibitors for its further development.Methods: description and comparison were used to identify the main trends in the low-carbon economy; the principal component method was used to classify specific indicators of resource and energy efficiency and to identify the key factors in the formation of a low-carbon economy.Results: the analysis of the dynamics of specific indicators of the low-carbon economy development in Russia showed a decrease in energy intensity, an increase in the electric power of labor in the industrial sector and the use of renewable energy sources, an increase in total greenhouse gas emissions and in the formation of production and consumption waste. Based on the principal component method, the author proposes a method for classifying the specific indicators and the key development factors and calculating an integral indicator of the low-carbon economy development. The key factors of the low-carbon economy development are identified: energy consumption and the ecological footprint of production, as well as inhibitors - consumption of fuel and energy resources per employee, total greenhouse gas emissions, and a low degree of waste disposal. Based on the analysis and modeling results, we suggest ways to improve efficiency in the sphere of resource and energy saving.Scientific novelty: the article for the first time proposed and tested the method of calculating the integral indicator for a low- carbon economy, taking into account the integral factors - energy consumption and the ecological footprint of production. Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in the development of programs and projects in the field of resource efficiency and reduction of negative impacts on the environment in the real sector of the economy.

The application of the emergy approach to analyzing the sustainability of greenhouse systems has resulted in the deployment of adequate management in order to boost the production sustainability of these systems. The goal of this study was to apply the emergy approach to assess the sustainability of greenhouse tomato production systems. The data for this study was collected from greenhouse owners through face-to-face referrals and the completion of a questionnaire. Sixty three tomato greenhouses were chosen for this purpose in Mirjaveh district, Zahedan, Iran. In tomato greenhouse systems, the average total emergy supporting output was 1.06E+16 sej/1000 m2 of greenhouse area. The unit emergy value of economic product (unit emergy value) was calculated to be 9.94E+03 sej/J, indicating that greenhouse systems outperform open field systems of various crops by at least 100 times. The significant proportion of purchased non-renewable resources affected the tomato production system's sustainability in this study. As a result, using productive renewable local environmental inputs, more efficient labor, and technologies to reduce greenhouse building inputs and acquire non-renewable inputs will make the greenhouse tomato production system more sustainable.

Copyright of Nihon Chikusan Gakkaiho is the property of Japanese Society of Animal Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Measuring environmental capacity of total nitrogen (TN) in marine water has become an effective indicator of how much TN is entering the ocean from various sources. However, the TN environmental capacity balance is affected not only by external input but also by removal of TN from water. This removal occurs by numerous mechanisms, among which sedimentation is one that should not be ignored. Materials and methods: The influence of sedimentation rates on the environmental capacity of TN in the water body in the northern area of Bohai Bay was studied by investigating the total nitrogen contents of both water and sediments independently. The radioactivity of lead and cesium isotopes (i.e., 210Pb and 137Cs) that were present in columnar sediment samples was measured for time periods ranging from 48 to 72 h using a high-purity germanium detector. A constant rate of supply model (CRS) was used to calculate sedimentation rates. Results and discussion: The results indicate that 5.81 × 106 t of sediment are removed from the water column annually through precipitation. Based on the concentration of TN in the studied sediment samples, we calculate that a total of 3.34 × 103 t of nitrogen are removed from the water via sedimentation every year. According to the target TN concentrations for the marine environment that were adopted for the study area for 2025 and 2030, the amount of TN removed from water by sedimentation could remove 62.08% and 64.85%, respectively, of the TN introduced to the marine environment by allowable amounts of anthropogenic discharge into the northern area of Bohai Bay in 2025 and 2030. Conclusions: The high sedimentation rate in Bohai Bay can be expected to remove half of all nitrogen currently entering the water in this area. This demonstrates that when the environmental capacity of TN in ocean water is used to determine the total amount of nitrogen that can be permissibly discharged from land sources, the capacity of the environment to "self-purify" via sedimentation should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the operation of a high-temperature superconducting maglev system, external factors, such as crosswind, rain and earthquake, will cause some changes in the levitation and guidance forces and even an undesirable modification of the levitation point. The dynamic behavior is, thus, essential for the maglev and must be well understood. According to Newton's second law, the thermal diffusion equation, Maxwell's equations and a nonlinear power-law constitutive relation, a 2D thermal-electromagnetic coupling model is built to study the dynamics of an actual superconducting maglev under environmental loads. It is assumed that after a zero-field-cooled bulk superconductor slowly descends to a working height above a permanent-magnet guideway, its dynamic motion will be triggered by external disturbance or excitation. The influences of the amplitude and frequency of periodic external disturbance exerted on the guideway, and the magnitude and direction of external excitation applied on the superconductor on the vibration characteristics, including the drift phenomenon occurring in both vertical and lateral directions and temperature evolution, are fully analyzed. Moreover, the resonance phenomenon induced by these external factors is predicted, tending to aggravate the local temperature rise and levitation drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic positioning (DP) vessels necessitate the use of thrusters to counteract environmental disturbances during operations. However, the requisite thrust levels may lead to elevated energy consumption. Thus, optimizing thruster utilization and placement emerges as a critical issue. This study introduces a thruster optimization configuration methodology that integrates computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology with a thruster's mathematical model to assess thruster performance on a novel DP vessel. The findings from CFD simulations are compared with physical model test outcomes, validating the CFD approach's accuracy and practicality. According to the environmental load coefficients and thruster constraints, the vessel's thruster capacity is evaluated through a wind speed envelope analysis, from which a configuration plan is proposed. Eight thrusters were optimized to six thrusters, and thrust limitation was applied, which met the positioning requirements and reduced the power consumption by 43.1% at the maximum. Meanwhile, it can be concluded that the influence of environmental loads on the positioning capability of thrusters is closely related to the characteristics of the environmental load coefficients themselves. This study employs CFD technology to thoroughly investigate the marine environmental impact, load force, and thruster optimization, which provides important insights for new hull design and thruster configuration validation. • A model of the OEET vessel was prepared with an appropriate scale ratio for a model experiment in a towing tank. Concurrently, a scaled model for simulation in a numerical towing tank was developed. Towing tank experiments and numerical simulations were conducted using CFD. The feasibility and effectiveness of numerical simulations were validated by comparing the CFD simulation results with data from model tests. • A solution method considering different environmental loads was proposed based on simulation analysis. According to the proposed method, wind, current, and wave load calculated separately. Furthermore, a new thruster capability analysis method was introduced, predicated on environmental load coefficients derived from these calculations. • Upon completing the thruster capability analysis, an optimized thruster configuration scheme for all-around operation under faulty conditions and the environmental load consistency of the vessel were determined based on the capability envelope line. • The estimation of thruster power consumption, both before and after optimization under faulty conditions and considering all-around operation, underscored the feasibility and practical value of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Pulp & Paper is the property of China Pulp & Paper Magazines Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Industria Textila is the property of Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Textile si Pielarie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on the comprehensive calculation of CORS network, this paper uses the load field removal‐ recovery technology to study the crustal vertical deformation and ground gravity spatio ‐ temporal changes caused by environmental load in Wenzhou ‐Lishui region and compares it with GRACE gravity satellite results. Some conclusions are drown as follows: ① The effects of environmental load on the vertical deformation and gravity change of crust are up to the centimeter and ten micro ‐gauge levels, respectively, and the seasonal variation characteristics are significant. ② The vertical deformation and gravity change in winter show a decreasing and increasing trend from west to east, respectively. ③ Compared with GRACE results, in addition to local region differences, the overall trend of spatiotemporal changes has a higher consistency. ④ The CORS network can monitor the spatiotemporal changes of crustal vertical deformation and gravity field caused by total surface environmental load. The research methods and results of this paper can provide an important reference for environmental dynamics research and geological disaster monitoring and early warning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second-order components of the wave loads on floating wind turbines may induce severe resonance at the natural frequencies of the structures and result in fatigue damage. A conceptual semi-submersible platform for the DTU 10 MW Wind Turbine was introduced and simulated by FAST to obtain the second-order responses under steady winds with collinear random waves. The dynamic responses were calculated according to three models, labeled as "1st", "1st + the full Quadratic Transfer Function (QTF)", and "1st + Newman approximation". The average and wave-frequency responses are similar based on three models. With a larger natural frequency, the pitch resonant responses differed more significantly between the Newman model and the full QTF model, as compared to the surge resonant responses. Thus, the method using Newman approximation is not accurate for second-order calculation. A high-frequency response appeared in the tower-top shear force spectrum only when the full QTF was utilized. Sensitivity studies were conducted with various wind speeds, significant wave heights, wave periods, and wave directions. The wind load significantly affected the pitch motion and tower-top shear force and functioned as aerodynamic damping in low-frequency and high-frequency ranges. The second-order responses exhibited quadratic relationships with the significant wave height. • A conceptual semi-submersible 10 MW wind turbine is introduced. • Motion, tower-top shear force, fairlead tension and power production are discussed. • Quadratic Transfer Function method obtains the most accurate second-order response. • The second-order responses show quadratic relationships with the Hs. • Tp and wind-wave misalignment both show influence on the second-order responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To understand the agricultural production dynamics and sustainability in the hilly areas of southeast China, this paper took Dehua county, a typical mountainous area in Fujian province, as an example to quantitatively analyze the changes of input, output, environmental load and sustainability of farmland-livestock systems from 2007 to 2016, and constructed the indicators of waste emergy ratio and environmental pollution emergy negative output. The results showed that the input of the farmland- livestock system in the study area was mainly based on the purchasing emergy, accounting for 68%-79% of the total emergy input, and the emergy of water resources accounted for 21%-31%. The emergy output of livestock systems accounted for more than 72% of the total output. And the emergy density fluctuated between 2.68×1012 and 3.33×1012 sej·m-2, and emergy per person increased from 1.23×1016 sej to 1.72× 1016 sej. The net emergy yield ratio decreased by 40%, and the environmental load increased significantly, which could have been maintained since 2015. The emergy sustainability index fell rapidly from 1.14 to 0.42 after a brief rise in 2007-2010. From the indicators of construction, the proportion of system waste emergy decreased, and environmental pollution emergy output decreased by about 22%. In terms of comprehensive economic benefits and waste utilization, the sustainable development of Dehua county has gradually improved in recent years. Dehua county is currently adjusting its output structure of farmland- livestock system. It should increase the amount of feedback emergy in the system, control fertilizer and feed input, and improve waste utilization to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Engineering Mechanics / Gongcheng Lixue is the property of Engineering Mechanics Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)