Technical academia goes back to school: the role of universities in environmental and sustainable education for childhood

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between academia and society focusing on how technical universities perform Third Mission (TM) to promote knowledge outside the academic environment producing multiple benefits. This investigation is performed through the conceptual approach. The theoretical background of the TM is explored through scientific literature review. It analyses a selected pool of experiences focused on Environmental and Sustainable Education (ESE). The study identifies significant aspects of two specific case studies, designed and implemented by the authors. Outcomes show opportunities and limitations in the application of ESE on behalf of technical academia. The study suggests solutions, precautions and systemic changes to promote ESE for childhood as TM activity in technical engineering academia. These recommendations can be useful for policymakers to set academic goals and plan the strategic management of teaching, research and TM. The paper focuses on the role of technical engineering universities and criticalities faced by academics to foster and perform ESE. Future perspectives aim to create new opportunities to strengthen the social impact of scientific and technical research by building bridges with childhood education

Fire safe and sustainable lightweight materials based on Layer-by-Layer coated keratin fibers from tannery wastes

The increasing consciousness about the depletion of natural resources and the sustainability agenda are the major driving forces to try to reuse and recycle organic materials such as agri-food and industrial wastes. In this context, keratin fibers, as a waste from the tannery industry, represent a great opportunity for the development of green functional materials. In this paper, keratin fibers were surface functionalized using the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition technique and then freeze-dried in order to obtain a lightweight, fire-resistant, and sustainable material. The LbL coating, made with chitosan and carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibers, is fundamental in enabling the formation of a self-sustained structure after freeze-drying. The prepared porous fiber networks (density 100 kg m–3) display a keratin fiber content greater than 95 wt% and can easily self-extinguish the flame during a flammability test in a vertical configuration. In addition, during forced combustion tests (50 kW m–2) the samples exhibited a reduction of 37 % in heat release rate and a reduction of 75 % in smoke production if compared with a commercial polyurethane foam. The results obtained represent an excellent opportunity for the development of fire-safe sustainable materials based on fiber wastes

Harnessing an adapted strain of Clostridium carboxidivorans to unlock hexanol production from carbon dioxide and hydrogen in elevated-pressure stirred tank reactors

To successfully scale-up the production of bio-based building blocks through CO2 and H2-based gas fermentation, it is crucial to deeply understand and control the microbial catalyst response to the bioreactor environment. This study investigates the effects of key process parameters, such as CO2 and H2 partial pressures, gas feeding strategies, and mixture composition, on the production pathways of an evolved Clostridium carboxidivorans strain. The ultimate goal is to optimize 1-hexanol production in elevated-pressure stirred-tank reactors. Continuous gas feeding enhanced acetogenic and solventogenic metabolisms, while gas-limited conditions promoted chain elongation to caproic acid. An optimized process, combining an initial gas-limited step followed by a continuous gas phase, increased 1-hexanol production, achieving a maximum biomass-specific productivity of 0.9 g gCDW−1 day−1. In-situ product extraction improved 1-hexanol carbon selectivity to an unprecedented 60 %. These findings demonstrate the potential of CO2 and H2-fed fermentation to produce high-value chemicals other than ethanol and acetate

A Cutting-Edge Energy Management System for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle relying on Soft Actor–Critic Deep Reinforcement Learning

Thanks to its superior learning capabilities and its model-free nature, Reinforcement Learning (RL) is increasingly regarded as an effective solution for addressing complex optimization tasks such as energy management in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). In this paper, we implement a Soft Actor-Critic (SAC) agent on a digital twin of a plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (pHEV) operating in charge-sustaining mode. We employ multi-cycle training, which significantly improves the SAC model’s ability to generalize across diverse conditions. We fist evaluate the SAC agent capabilities on the Worldwide harmonized Light-duty vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) by comparing its performance to the global optimum achieved by Dynamic Programming (DP), a local optimization strategy, i.e., Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS), and a Double Deep Q-Learning (DDQL) algorithm. Furthermore, we test the agent across a broad range of driving cycles to assess its ability to generalize to scenarios beyond those used during training. Simulation results show that the SAC agent achieves results close to the optimal benchmark set by the DP, with CO emissions differing by only 3-4%

Microbial-modified coal-based solid waste backfill material: Mechanical improvement and its effect on the water environment

This study explored the application of microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) technique for enhancing backfill microbial-modified material strength and reducing cement use. Laboratory tests assessed the strength of microbial-modified materials and their environmental impact by characterizing harmful elements speciation in the material and examining pH and concentrations of harmful elements in different water environments after soaking. The results revealed that microbial-modified materials achieve higher strength than traditional ones composed of coal gangue, fly ash (FA), and cement without microbial modification, with optimal performance at 30% FA compared to 25% FA in traditional materials. Cement addition does not alter the interaction between Bacillus pasteurii and coal-based solid wastes, but increasing cement content from 3% to 5% further boosts strength through combined effects of cement hydration and microbial modification. Microbial-modified materials without cement achieve a strength of 471.1 KPa, similar to traditional materials with about 3.5% cement, and require 36% and 42.67% less cement for target strengths of 1000 KPa and 2000 KPa, respectively. Additionally, Microbial-modified materials improve water pH, ensuring all tested water types and harmful elements meet quality standards within the Class I-III range. This approach not only reduces cement use and enhances material strength but also improves environmental safety, making it a promising option for backfill applications

Impact of concomitant aortic valve replacement in patients with mild-to-moderate aortic valve regurgitation undergoing left ventricular assist device implantation: EUROMACS analysis

Introduction: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy may lead to an aortic regurgitation, limiting left ventricular unloading and causing adverse events. Whether concomitant aortic valve replacement may improve outcomes in patients with preoperative mild-to-moderate aortic regurgitation remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective propensity score-matched analysis of adult patients with preoperative mild-to-moderate aortic regurgitation undergoing durable LVAD implantation between 01/01/2011 and 30/11/2021 was performed. Patients undergoing concomitant valve surgery other than biological aortic valve replacement were excluded, resulting in 77 with concomitant biological aortic valve replacement and 385 without. Results: Following 1:1 propensity score matching, two groups of 55 patients with and without biological aortic valve replacement were obtained, (mean age 59 ± 11 years, 92% male, 59.1% HeartWare). Aortic regurgitation was mild in 72.7% and 76.4% and moderate in 27.3% and 23.6% in non-replacement and replacement cohorts respectively. The 30-day survival was 89.1% vs. 85.5% (p = 0.59), 1-year survival 69.1% vs. 56.4% (p = 0.19), and 2-year survival 61.8% vs. 47.3% (p = 0.10) in the non-replacement and replacement groups, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 1.2 years, non-replacement patients had a higher incidence of pump thrombosis (11 [20%] vs. 3 [5.5%], p = 0.022) and fewer major bleedings (2 [3.6%] vs. 11 [20%], p = 0.008). Conclusion: Compared with those treated conservatively, patients with mild-to-moderate aortic regurgitation undergoing concomitant aortic valve replacement during LVAD implantation have a similar survival up to 2 years on support. Patients with concomitant valve replacement had a higher risk of bleeding complications but fewer pump thromboses

Methodologies for Modeling, Assessment, and Optimization of Integrated Community Energy Systems

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