Evolutionary theory has been applied to help understand and predict parenting decisions. Parent-offspring conflict theory posits that conflicts between mothers and infants are inevitable because they share only half of their genes. A prediction drawn from this body of theory is that infants will typically benefit from later weaning than the timing that most benefits the mother, who has other arenas in which she must allocate her energy to ensure her family has enough resources, that her other children are cared for, and that she has energy to allocate to future pregnancies. This research tested whether the timing of weaning from breastmilk, measured as the maternally reported age at which their infant last breastfed, is consistent with expectations from parent-offspring conflict theory in the UK Millennium Cohort. Cox proportional hazards models predicting age last breastfed for the entire sample, including those never breastfed (adjusted model N = 15,825), and models for the subsample who ever breastfed were carried out (adjusted model N = 9678). Many of the results were consistent with predictions, including for variables that would not logically link to early weaning without thinking from an evolutionary perspective, such as preeclampsia (HR for weaning ever-breastfed infants = 1.08; 95% CI 1.00–1.17), and birthweight (HR for each 1 kg increment = 0.90; 95% CI 0.88–0.93). Older mothers weaned their infants later (HR for each year of maternal age = 0.94; 95% CI 0.92–0.97). The findings are discussed from evolutionary and public health perspectives as an example of the utility of evolutionary thinking for understanding health-related behaviours.
This study applies an integrated water–energy–food (WEF) nexus approach to melon and grape value chains, combining life cycle assessment, water footprinting (blue/green/grey), carbon footprint, and exergy analysis within a circular economy framework. Türkiye, the fourth-largest melon producer (~1.7 Mt/yr) with over 80 indigenous grape cultivars, serves as the primary case study, supplemented by global data. In the wine chain, cultivation (37%) and glass packaging (28%) dominate global warming potential (GWP), with a baseline of 1.38 kg CO2eq per 0.75 L bottle (ReCiPe 2016-H). Recovering pomace bioethanol, polyphenolic extracts, grape seed oil, and tartaric acid in a circular economy scenario lowers the footprint to 1.12 kg CO2eq (−19%). Turkish wine grapes exhibit blue-water shares of 38–41%, well above the global 25%, reflecting irrigation reliance in semi-arid Anatolia (Elazığ, Diyarbakır, Cappadocia). Exergy analysis identifies refrigeration as the top energy sink (280 MJ/t grapes, 32%) and primary exergy destruction site (193 MJ/t; second-law efficiency: 31%). Fermentation records the lowest exergy efficiency (28%) due to the irreversibility of sugar-to-ethanol conversion. These findings demonstrate that combining WEF nexus management with circular bioeconomy strategies can substantially reduce the overall environmental burden, particularly in water-stressed agricultural regions.
The accumulation of post-consumer cotton textile waste brings environmental challenges and opportunities for resource recovery. In this work, cotton waste was valorized into nitrocellulose via a pure nitration method, and its potential as a multifunctional material was systematically assessed. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the process parameters with a Box-Behnken design, and the results indicated that nitric acid concentration was the most important parameter affecting nitrogen incorporation. The optimized process produced nitrocellulose with a Nitrogen content of 11.17%, as confirmed by CHNS analysis. However, the FTIR results confirmed that the nitrocellulose was successfully nitrated, as evidenced by the nitro group absorption bands. The produced nitrocellulose was evaluated in various applications, including pyrotechnic green mixtures, adhesive systems, and film production. Gas emission analysis indicated a nitrogen-rich and comparatively cleaner combustion profile. The adhesive test showed moderate bonding to cellulosic materials, whereas the tensile test of films showed a high tensile strength of 60.8–65.8 MPa. The findings indicate that multifunctional nitrocellulose can be successfully produced from post-consumer cotton waste, providing a viable alternative to textile waste recycling methods and adding to efforts to build a sustainable circular economy.
This research presents a comprehensive mooring design flow for a pendulum-based wave energy converter, including the design of extreme and operational sea states, a step-by-step mooring optimization, and a code check for Ultimate Limit State (ULS), Accidental Limit State (ALS), and Fatigue Limit State (FLS) based on the DNV standard. The numerical model built in OrcaFlex was validated through an experimental campaign and used for mooring design. Finally, a 3-leg hybrid mooring system consisting of elastic ropes and catenaries was obtained. Its comparison with the original design demonstrates a production increase of at least 20.7%, and the durability of the mooring system was also improved, mainly due to pretension and fairlead position adjustments. Besides, the safety code check results illustrate that fatigue damage functions as the primary threat for such a pitch-dominated device, indicating the importance of considering fatigue damage in preliminary design to avoid undesired mooring with high service life in ULS while significantly low design life in FLS. This work provides a comprehensive reference for future mooring design of the WECs that operate mainly on pitch motion, and the findings contribute to the research toward practical application of such wave energy technologies in rotating mass.
