Erosion Resistance of BaZrO₃-Y₂O₃ Two-Phase Crucibles against Highly Active Ti₂Ni Alloys

In this paper, (100-m) BaZrO₃-mY₂O₃ (m = 0, 20, 25, 33, 50, 100) crucibles were prepared, respectively. Then, the effect of crucible composition on the interaction between crucibles and highly active titanium alloys (Ti₂Ni) was investigated. The degree of the erosion resistance of crucibles was compared before and after melting as well as the contaminated extent of the alloys. The results show that the two-phase crucibles consisting of BaZr_1−xY_xO_3−δ and Y₂O₃(ZrO₂), could be prepared after adding Y₂O₃ into the BaZrO₃ crucible. As the amount of Y₂O₃ addition in the crucible was increased, the erosion resistance of the crucible to the alloy melt was gradually improved. The two-phase crucible with 50 wt.% Y₂O₃ addition exhibited the best erosion resistance with a 7 μm thick erosion layer, which was at the same level compared to the pure Y₂O₃ crucible (6.5 μm). However, the inclusion contaminants caused by this two-phase crucible were smaller than those of the pure Y₂O₃ crucible. This study provided a theoretical basis for further research on the preparation of highly stable crucibles for melting highly active titanium alloys.

Mixed Matrix Membranes Produced from a Fluorinated MOF and Pebax for CO₂/H₂ Separation

Hydrogen (H₂) emerges as a promising clean energy source, but its efficient purification from various sources needs advanced separation technologies. This study explores the use of CO₂-selective membranes, especially mixed matrix membranes (MMM) incorporating KAUST-7 metal-organic framework (MOF), for hydrogen purification. The MMM was fabricated with various KAUST-7 content in a polymer matrix (Pebax 1657) and characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and gas permeation tests. The XRD analysis confirms the incorporation of KAUST-7 into the MMM, while SEM reveals a homogeneous particle distribution at low content (below 10%) but agglomeration at higher ones (above 10%). FTIR confirms good interfacial interactions between the MOF and polymer matrix. TGA results show that the MMM thermal stability slightly decreases with increasing MOF content. Gas permeation results reveal improved CO₂ permeability (79%) and CO₂/H₂ selectivity (19%) for MMM compared to neat Pebax membranes, with an optimal performance observed at 10 wt.% KAUST-7. Beyond this threshold, the performance deteriorates, possibly due to polymer rigidity and MOF agglomeration. Overall, the study highlights the potential of KAUST-7/Pebax MMM for enhanced hydrogen purification.

Current Application of Modeling and Cell-Free System for Synthetic Gene Circuit Design

The desire to harness nature’s capability of precise gene expression regulation has motivated the pursuit of synthetic gene circuits. However, designing and building novel synthetic gene circuits with predictable dynamics is nontrivial. To facilitate the design, cell-free systems have emerged as an effective alternative testbed to living biological systems in characterizing and prototyping synthetic gene regulatory networks, given its relative simplicity and designability in terms of cellular contents. Meanwhile, as parameterizing and analyzing first principle-based models can shed light on the required kinetic parameter values, thus the specific regulatory components, for the desired dynamics, coupling mathematical modeling with cell-free experiments has become an effective approach in exploring novel synthetic gene circuits. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of current progress on using deterministic first principle-based mathematical modeling in conjunction with cell-free systems, in designing and characterizing novel gene circuits, as well as the standing challenges and issues with this approach.

Medical Drones for Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience: Delivering Health for All

Amid a global metacrisis of health, environmental and economic challenges, medical delivery drones (or uncrewed aerial vehicles) offer a promising method to prepare for, and rapidly respond, to future emergencies. This opinion article summarizes the current medical delivery drone landscape, evidence base, and policy implications in the context of public health emergencies, such as pandemics, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises, with a particular emphasis on the region of sub-Saharan Africa. Using a multilateral, international health policy perspective, key challenges and opportunities, such as the development of sustainable funding mechanisms, robust regulatory frameworks, and capacity building, are identified.

Building a Shared Vision for a Green and Fair Economic Transformation

Maturity Model for the Manufacturing Industry with Case Experiences

This manuscript describes the research path when extending a maturity model. The initial model—ManuMaturity—was for manufacturing companies aiming beyond Industry 4.0. The extended OSME model covers data sharing within a supply chain, an open innovation ecosystem and sustainable manufacturing. The OSME maturity model has five maturity levels: traditional factory, modern factory, agile factory, agile cognitive factory and agile cognitive industry and seven dimensions (such as infrastructure, data, customer, business model, employee, sustainability and processes). The tool was experimented with in manufacturing companies on two occasions: with a set of manufacturing companies and a group of companies. In both cases, feedback was gathered from the respondents. The article follows the maturity assessment development phases such as scope, design, populate, test, deploy and maintain, and reports the software implementation of the maturity tool. With the help of the developed maturity model and the tool, it was possible to make assessments in case companies, where the tool and its results were commented mostly positively. The tool can be applied in various ways. For example, a group of people can jointly submit their common understanding and have a thorough discussion or a group of company representatives submit their responses and the variation is discussed afterwards.

Differences in Flood Quantiles Estimate of Disturbed and Undisturbed Watersheds in the United States

Nonstationarity due to climate variation and anthropogenic disturbances has altered high flow regimes. However, the extent of change has not been evaluated for undisturbed versus disturbed watersheds. This article aimed to determine how partitioning watersheds into undisturbed and disturbed categories can improve the performance of probability distributions for flood analysis throughout the United States. We utilized peak flow information for 26 reference (undisturbed) and 78 nonreference (disturbed) watersheds with drainage areas ranging from 135 to 42,367 km² and record lengths of 100 to 140 years. Results indicated that flood quantile estimates of the Log Pearson Type III (LP3) distribution were likely being overestimated for return periods of 2 to 10 years, while flood estimates of 50 years and higher might be underestimated. In contrast, the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution outperformed LP3 in estimating floods with return periods of 50 years or more. These findings enhance flood frequency analysis and forecasting under nonstationary conditions.

Marine Energy, the Future Practical Route to Carbon Neutrality—Foreword: Navigating the Voyage of Marine Energy Research

Hazardous Gas Monitoring with IoT Enabled Drone in Underground Tunnels and Cavities

Considering the healthiness of the atmosphere in mining activities (e.g., tunnelling), two of the most important parameters to be monitored are the concentration of oxygen and the presence of harmful gases such as CO₂. Traditional methods for their measurement are fixed platforms and portable gas detectors carried by miners; they are incapable of recognizing sudden or short-term pollution events or correctly accounting for the spatial scarcity of gases. A UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) device capable of guaranteeing the measurement and continuous monitoring of concentrations has been designed. By using innovative technologies, it promotes digitization in the mining sector. This approach replaces current methods that, while effective at detecting and measuring environmental parameters, are slow, routine, and heavily reliant on human input. It saves productive expenses in the sector since it reduces costs compared to hiring a field technician for activities such as analysis of environmental conditions. This saving is about 110 euros daily, representing a 32% saving per working day for each mining technical responsible for environmental control. It also obtains a 3D spatial distribution of contaminants, a high sample resolution and a high sample resolution.. It reduces inspection time in mining works and the data collection time by more than 50%. The ECODRONE project constitutes a contribution to the MINE THE GAP challenge is a project financed with European funds whose line of desire aims to combine the innovation and development of SMEs or business groups from different regions of the mining, raw materials and materials sector. This program is aimed at strengthening the existing value chains and developing new industrial ones while designing new procedures, automated technologies, information and communication flows, which increase efficiency in the consumption of resources. All of the above implies integration with a circular economy and respect for European and global efficiency policies aimed at sustainability, industrial modernization, human health and the environment.

Application of Synthetic Biology to the Biosynthesis of Polyketides

Polyketides (PKs) are a large class of secondary metabolites produced by microorganisms and plants, characterized by highly diverse structures and broad biological activities. They have wide market and application prospects in medicine, agriculture, and the food industry. The complex chemical structures and multiple steps of natural polyketides result in yield that cannot be met by purely synthetic methods. With the development of synthetic biology, a number of novel technologies and synthetic strategies have been developed for the efficient synthesis of polyketides. This paper first introduces polyketides from different sources and classifications, then the reconstruction of biosynthetic pathways is described using a “bottom-up” synthetic biology approach. Through methods such as enhancing precursors, relieving feedback inhibition, and dynamic regulation, the efficient production of polyketides is achieved. Finally, the challenges faced by polyketides research and future development directions are discussed.