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This paper investigates the challenge of decarbonizing the steel industry, a pillar of the global economy but also a major carbon emitter. Analyzing current decarbonization strategies, their effectiveness, and the role of corporate commitment and risk management offers insights needed to identify development paths in the current environment characterized by pressure driven by stringent environmental standards and fierce competition. An empirical approach, including a survey model and simulation, is used to answer prominent research questions. Aspects such as the influence of environmental and governance criteria, specific initiatives that can be undertaken, the importance of corporate commitment, and the integration of risk management into strategic planning are examined. Simulations suggest that the probability of meeting the 2030 goals range from 65.08 to 75.98 percent and the delta between low and high commitment ranges from 4.917 to 4.133 percent according to the share of renewables in the energy mix decarbonization. The influence of the energy mix is also included in the analysis. The research highlights the need for greater coordination and commitment across the industry to improve decarbonization efforts. It emphasizes the critical role of government policies and market dynamics in shaping industry actions toward achieving decarbonization goals. The findings contribute to understanding decarbonization processes, offering insights and guidance for the steel sector's transition to a low-carbon economy.

The drive toward decarbonization has spurred the growth of renewable energy sources, reshaping energy production and consumption patterns. As the energy landscape evolves, so must the market design supporting it to steer the integration of renewable energy. Addressing the challenges of promoting distributed renewable energy is paramount for developing a cleaner energy system and meeting decarbonization targets. This study presents a modern market design that efficiently integrates renewable energy sources, long-term contracts, and flexibility technologies into a single evolved market framework. The approach described herein provides proper price signals for diverse assets and decouples renewable energy from fossil fuels, ensuring economic viability and efficient integration. Taking into consideration key barriers and drivers, the findings provide insights for perfecting energy markets, meeting decarbonization targets, and guiding policymaking to boost cleaner energy systems.

Purpose – The paper aims to compare the efficiency of alternative municipal solid waste (MSW) management business models: a single provider against multiple providers. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the drivers of MSW management costs are analysed to test the impact of the scale and scope of MSW management services on the average cost. While the business-as-usual scenario foresees a single provider, the alternative scenario foresees multiple providers. Findings – Based on the empirical data on municipal waste management costs, on average, the size and the average cost of the service are inversely related. This trend is supported using sub-sets defined by the quantity of waste managed. Multiple factors aid in explaining this result, and among others, due to scale and scope, factors such as transition costs increase with the number of players running different services. Practical implications – The provision of public services of economic interest should favour the participation of more companies wherever possible to the extent that social surplus is produced. However, pursuing this principle to the detriment of efficient service delivery is not ideal. This paper demonstrated that a single-provider waste management business model is efficient under specific conditions, as in this article. Originality/value – This paper presents an original research methodology for comparatively analysing waste management service efficiency in urban areas and provides adequate evidence using alternative measures of costs according to the phase of the waste management chain, the scale and ultimately the scope of MSW management services. 研究目的 – 本學術論文擬比較另類的都市固體廢物管理模式的效率, 比較的對像是:單一服務提供者和多個提供服務者。 研究設計/方法/理念 – 研究人員分析都市固體廢物管理成本和價格的動因, 以測試有關的管理服務之規模和範圍對平均成本的影響。若在一切照常的情況下, 我們會預見單一服務提供者, 唯在不尋常的情況下, 我們則會預見多個提供服務者。 研究結果 – 根據都市廢物管理價格和成本上的實證數據, 平均而言, 服務的規模與其平均成本是成反比的。我們使用了以所處理之廢物量來界定的子集來支持這趨勢。多重因素會幫助解釋和說明這研究結果, 其中包括:因規模和範圍的關係, 諸如過度成本等的因素, 會按著提供各種不同服務的主要參與者的數目而增加。 實務方面的啟示 – 在能達創造社會剩餘的前題下, 會帶來經濟效益之公共服務的提供, 應有利於在可行範圍內有更多公司的參與; 但如果實行這原則而因此有損於服務提供的效率的話, 則這是不理想的。本文展示了在特定的情況下, 單一服務提供者的廢物管理商業模式是高效率的, 本文已說明這些特定情況。 研究的原創性/價值 – 本文為以比較分析法去探討城市地區廢物管理服務的效率、提出了一個新穎的研究方法, 並根據廢物管理鏈的階段、都市固體廢物管理服務的規模、以及最終其範圍, 考慮了成本和價格的另類測量方法, 繼而提供充分的證據, 以支持這些測量方法。

Spent mushroom substrates (SMSs) and mushroom basal bodies (MBBs) are significant by-products because of their nutrient content even after harvesting. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of these two by-products, derived from Agaricus bisporus (Ab) and Cyclocybe cylindracea (Cc) cultivation, as potential growth and biochemical composition add-value enhancers of edible mushroom mycelia such as Pleurotus ostreatus, C. cylindracea, and Lentinula edodes. Fungal growth substrates enriched with SMS and MBB extracts significantly affected the growth of mushroom mycelia. In particular, on P. ostreatus, the MBBs Ab and Cc extracts determined an increase in mycelial weight by 89.5%. Also, by-products influenced mushrooms’ mycelial texture, which appeared more floccose and abundant in growth. FT-IR analysis showed that L. edodes mycelium, grown on MBB substrates, showed the highest increase in bands associated with proteins and chitin. Results demonstrated that mushroom by-products enhance mycelial growth and confer an enrichment of compounds that could increase mycelial resistance to pathogens and make a nutraceutical improvement.

The Ethiopian magic scrolls are traditional parchment artifacts used by the Christians of Ethiopia as protection against disease and demonic possessions. On the occasion of their restoration in the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Bologna (Italy); a preliminary characterization before the treatments has been performed on four Ethiopian scrolls belonging to the Archivio storico della provincia di Cristo Re dei Frati Minori dell’Emilia Romagna of Bologna (Italy). In order to plan an effective preservative restoration procedure and; at the same time; to investigate the manufacturing techniques; the text and the decorations on the magic scrolls were studied and characterized. A combined approach by imaging and compositional techniques was used: Infrared Reflectography (IRR) for the preliminary characterization of the graphic supports and the identification of the points to sample the chemical measurements; and the spectroscopic analyses to clarify the hypothesized investigations and confirm the chemical composition of the inks. In particular; Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy has provided information relating to the molecular composition of inks and pigments; while a characterization of the constituent elements is obtained with the Ion Beam Analysis (IBA). The ink composition proved to be consistent with data generally documented in the literature and contributing to the expansion of knowledge on Ethiopian magic scrolls and their production.

Juglone, a quinonic compound present in walnut extracts, was proposed as a restoring agent for hair keratin treated with permanent or discoloration processes. The proposed mechanism of restoration by juglone involves the formation of a Michael adduct between the quinone and the thiol moieties of cysteine residues. To this purpose, the first part of the present paper involved the spectroscopic study of the product of the reaction between juglone and N-acetyl-L-cysteine as a model compound. IR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) monitored the chemical and morphological variations induced by applying juglone to hair keratin. In order to simulate the most common hair treatments (i.e., permanent and discoloration), juglone was applied to hair that had been previously treated with a reducing agent, i.e., methyl thioglycolate (MT) or with bleaching agents (based on hydrogen peroxide and persulfates) followed by sodium hydrogen sulfite. IR spectroscopy allowed us to monitor the formation of Michael adducts between juglone and cysteine residues: the Michael adducts’ content was related to the cysteine content of the samples. In fact, MT and sodium hydrogen sulfite favored the reduction of the disulfide bonds and increased the content of free cysteine residues, which can react with juglone. SEM analyses confirmed the trend observed by IR spectroscopy since hair samples treated with juglone adopted a more regular hair surface and more imbricated scales, thus supporting the possible use of juglone as a restoring agent for damaged hair keratins.

The airline market is constantly evolving and requires managers to adopt strategies to meet the changing demands and organizational requirements of the sector. As a result of its liberalization, the European market has transformed from a set of national protected sectors to a single sector. Although the market has grown over the last two decades, the industry has faced difficulties due to various economic, safety, environmental, and health issues, which have recently emerged. This study analyzes the airlines’ strategic responses to increased competition from the turn of the century to 2019, excluding the pandemic period, to focus on market dynamics driven by European competition policy. A five-pillar strategic framework highlighting common strategies and divergences between major European network carriers is outlined through a multi-case analysis of major European markets. The sample includes France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Results have managerial implications that highlight the importance of strategic adaptability in an industry landscape that continues to evolve. Managerial implications fall into the following three categories: strategic positioning, cost optimization, and business diversification.

Abstract Background Amblyopia is a major public health concern. Its screening and management require reliable methods of visual acuity assessment. New technologies offer nowadays many tests available on different app stores for smartphone or tablet but most of them often lack of scientific validation for a medical use. The aim of our study was to attempt validating a tablet-based near visual acuity test adapted to the pediatric population: the eMOVA test (electronic Measurement Of Visual Acuity) by comparing visual acuity measured with more conventional test. Methods A cohort of 100 children aged 3 to 8 attending the ophthalmic-pediatric for eye examination between September 2016 and June 2017 were included in the study. Near visual acuity was assessed on participants using both the eMOVA test and a Standard test (Rossano-Weiss test). Duration of each test, its comprehension, its acceptability and the attention of the child during the test was also investigated. Results The eMOVA test overestimated near visual acuity by 0.06 logMAR. This difference, statistically significant, was not clinically relevant. The duration of the eMOVA test was longer than the reference test, but less discomfort and preferred by children and their parents compared to standard tests. Conclusion The eMOVA test appears as a reliable test to assess near visual acuity in children. By its portability and efficiency, this application proved to be a relevant tool to be used for children eye examination in daily routine at the hospital.

Spent mushroom substrates (SMSs) and mushroom basal bodies (MBBs) are significant by-products because of their nutrient content even after harvesting. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of these two by-products, derived from Agaricus bisporus (Ab) and Cyclocybe cylindracea (Cc) cultivation, as potential growth and biochemical composition add-value enhancers of edible mushroom mycelia such as Pleurotus ostreatus, C. cylindracea, and Lentinula edodes. Fungal growth substrates enriched with SMS and MBB extracts significantly affected the growth of mushroom mycelia. In particular, on P. ostreatus, the MBBs Ab and Cc extracts determined an increase in mycelial weight by 89.5%. Also, by-products influenced mushrooms' mycelial texture, which appeared more floccose and abundant in growth. FT-IR analysis showed that L. edodes mycelium, grown on MBB substrates, showed the highest increase in bands associated with proteins and chitin. Results demonstrated that mushroom by-products enhance mycelial growth and confer an enrichment of compounds that could increase mycelial resistance to pathogens and make a nutraceutical improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guttapercha (GP, trans-1,4-polyisoprene) is the most used tooth root filling material, and it must be used with an appropriate cement (typically a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based sealer) to ensure an adequate canal obturation. This study aimed to assess the bioactivity and dentin remineralization ability of a bioglass containing PDMS commercial endodontic sealer, BG-PDMS (GuttaFlow Bioseal), and to evaluate the possible influence of a GP cone (Roeko GP point) on the mineralization process. To this end, BG-PDMS disks were aged alone or in the presence of a GP cone in Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (28 d, 37 °C). Dentin remineralization experiments were carried out under the same conditions. Micro-Raman and IR analyses demonstrated that BG-PDMS is bioactive, thanks to the formation of a silica-rich layer with nucleation sites for B-type carbonated apatite deposition. This phase was thicker when BG-PDMS was aged in the presence of GP. The two materials influenced each other because GP, which alone did not show any bioactivity, nucleated a calcium phosphate phase under these conditions. Analogously, dentin remineralization experiments showed that BG-PDMS is able to remineralize dentin, especially in the presence of GP. Under the experimental conditions, GP acted as a templating agent for calcium phosphate deposition.

Governance of waste management is historically based on local issues, with different applications and rules across countries. To meet the increasing number of circular economic goals, countries worldwide are seeking to improve the efficiency of waste management markets in terms of environmental performance and cost efficiency. For this market to effectively move toward a more circular perspective, sound reforms are needed at the market design level. We suggest that a system operator should be introduced in the industry to coordinate and support the healthy functioning of the market. We develop our idea starting from lessons learned from the energy market that apply governance characteristics and environmental goals. Focusing on the industry structure, we identify tasks and duties that a waste management system operator should perform to boost the transition toward a more circular economy. Our proposal has policy ramifications, with the most important identifying an appropriate legal entity. The study has managerial implications, and we suggest that a system operator is needed for reporting environmental results, ensuring the universality of service, planning and monitoring environmental goals, and supporting local authorities, as well as other coordination activities. These activities will facilitate a move toward a more circular economy, addressing issues concerning the complexity of waste management industries, markets, and outputs.

Hardystonite-based (HT) bioceramic foams were easily obtained via thermal treatment of silicone resins and reactive oxide fillers in air. By using a commercial silicone, incorporating strontium oxide and magnesium oxide precursors (as well as CaO and ZnO), and treating it at 1100 °C, a complex solid solution (Ca1.4Sr0.6Zn0.85Mg0.15Si2O7) that has superior biocompatibility and bioactivity properties compared to pure hardystonite (Ca2ZnSi2O7) can be obtained. Proteolytic-resistant adhesive peptide mapped on vitronectin (D2HVP), was selectively grafted to Sr/Mg-doped HT foams using two different strategies. Unfortunately, the first method (via protected peptide) was unsuitable for acid-sensitive materials such as Sr/Mg-doped HT, resulting in the release of cytotoxic levels of Zinc over time, with consequent negative cellular response. To overcome this unexpected result, a novel functionalization strategy requiring aqueous solution and mild conditions was designed. Sr/Mg-doped HT functionalized with this second strategy (via aldehyde peptide) showed a dramatic increase in human osteoblast proliferation at 6 days compared to only silanized or non-functionalized samples. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the functionalization treatment does not induce any cytotoxicity. Functionalized foams enhanced mRNA-specific transcript levels coding IBSP, VTN, RUNX2, and SPP1 at 2 days post-seeding. In conclusion, the second functionalization strategy proved to be appropriate for this specific biomaterial and was effective at enhancing the material’s bioactivity.

A long-lasting dilemma on the efficient provision of services of general economic interest has become increasingly important in the waste management industry: competition or monopoly in municipal solid waste management. Previous literature has primarily examined the economics of scale and scope to provide an adequate response. Here, we contribute by investigating subadditivity in municipal solid waste management service costs. Subadditivity is a critical concept used to justify imperfect competition, which encourages natural monopolies where one producer will function more effectively than more firms. To test the hypothesis that a subadditivity in costs in waste management exists, we design a simulation based on empirical data for Milan, Italy. We compared the total production cost of the incumbent firm with the alternative hypothesis built by dividing the city into four areas and assigning each area to a different hypothetical firm. The results suggest that the existence of subadditivity results in 6% lower production costs, primarily stemming from business synergies, lower transactional costs, and optimization of productive resources and facilities. The evidence justifies, ceteris paribus, that the provision by a single firm is preferable to multiple firms in the analysis case. Implications for policies are straightforward. The one-fit rule approach fails to set the best condition for policymakers to create a level playing field transparently and efficiently for industry operators to perform efficiently.

Natural fibers have received increasing attention as starting materials for innovative applications in many research fields, from biomedicine to engineering. Bombyx mori silk fibroin has become a material of choice in the development of many biomedical devices. Grafting represents a good strategy to improve the material properties according to the desired function. In the present study, Bombyx mori silk fibroin fibers were grafted with methacrylonitrile (MAN) with different weight gains. The potential interest in biomedical applications of MAN functionalization relies on the presence of the nitrile group, which is an acceptor of H bonds and can bind metals. IR and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the grafted samples and the possible structural changes induced by grafting. Afterward, the same techniques were used to study the bioactivity (i.e., the calcium phosphate nucleation ability) of MAN-grafted silk fibroins after ageing in simulated body fluid (SBF) for possible application in bone tissue engineering, and their interaction with Ag+ ions, for the development of biomaterials with enhanced anti-microbial properties. MAN was found to efficiently polymerize on silk fibroin through polar amino acids (i.e., serine and tryptophan), inducing an enrichment in silk fibroin-ordered domains. IR spectroscopy allowed us to detect the nucleation of a thin calcium phosphate layer and the uptake of Ag+ ions through the nitrile group, which may foster the application of these grafted materials in biomedical applications.

AIM: To validate a visual acuity (VA) test application on touchpad in the screening of pediatric population by comparing VA results obtained with conventional tests. METHODS: A cohort of 101 patients, 44 girls and 57 boys with a median of 6.5 years old (3-10 years of age), presenting for eye examinations in Ophthalmology Department (Strasbourg, France) between November 1st, 2018, and February 1st, 2019 were enrolled. Monocular and binocular VA testing was performed on the subject using both a standard test and the touchpad application (Monoyer, “E” or, Pigassou depending of children’s capacities). Patients were excluded if they were physically or mentally unable to use the touchpad. The duration of each tests, the painfulness, the comprehension, the attention of children during the test and test’s preferences were also evaluated. RESULTS: There was a good linear correlation and intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC=0.50 (0.34, 0.64) for binocular acuity, 0.74 (0.64, 0.82) for right eyes and 0.525 (0.37, 0.66) for left eye]. The standard errors of measurement were very low (0.08, 0.05, 0.08 for binocular VA, right eyes VA and left eyes VA, respectively). There was no difference between two tests for right eye (P=0.126), left eye (P=0.098) and binocular acuity (P=0.085). Non inferiority was proved for all binocular [-0.06 (-0.09, -0.03)], right eye [-0.04 (-0.07, -0.01)] and left eye [-0.06 (-0.09, -0.02)] VA. The sensitivity and specificity, which correspond to the ability for our app to detect amblyopia, were 92% and 80% respectively. CONCLUSION: Our touchpad application represents an efficient and valid test of VA in children with a high specificity to detect visual impairment.

This study explores trends in recycling rates and municipal solid waste landfilling to construct a circularity index (CI) forecasted up to 2035. This projection is contrasted with the pathways that countries must adopt to attain set targets. We further estimate the impact of the CI on factors such as sustainability performance, innovation, commodity trade balance, and waste reduction. Moreover, we provide policy implications useful for designing industrial and environmental strategies, including accelerating permit approval times for waste treatment facilities, introducing more flexibility in state aid rules, empowering service users or waste generators, implementing tax credits, and leveraging specialized funds. These strategies are aimed at supporting the recycling industry to stimulate convergence and achieve circular economy objectives.