Search results for "circular"
showing 10 items of 856 documents
Symmetry of minimizers with a level surface parallel to the boundary
2015
We consider the functional $$I_\Omega(v) = \int_\Omega [f(|Dv|) - v] dx,$$ where $\Omega$ is a bounded domain and $f$ is a convex function. Under general assumptions on $f$, G. Crasta [Cr1] has shown that if $I_\Omega$ admits a minimizer in $W_0^{1,1}(\Omega)$ depending only on the distance from the boundary of $\Omega$, then $\Omega$ must be a ball. With some restrictions on $f$, we prove that spherical symmetry can be obtained only by assuming that the minimizer has one level surface parallel to the boundary (i.e. it has only a level surface in common with the distance). We then discuss how these results extend to more general settings, in particular to functionals that are not differenti…
Backcasting for desirable futures in Finnish forest-based firms
2020
Purpose In Finland, new forest-based sector (FBS) businesses are seen as important for the transition to the circular bioeconomy. The purpose of this study is to explore the transition of Finnish FBS companies to new business models. The aim is to understand how FBS companies define their ideal future states and related business models for the year 2030. Design/methodology/approach This study uses thematic interviews with managers from various FBS firms and companies from interfacing sectors. In the interviews, the key idea of backcasting was pursued when respondents discussed the desirable future states of their business. Findings The effort to achieve growth of the business and the appea…
Circular economy business models: The state of research and avenues ahead
2020
This study investigates how the circular economy and business models are related in the current business and management literature. Based on bibliometric analytical procedures, 253 articles were retrieved from the Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect scientific databases. The articles were analyzed according to network analysis principles, and key terms were mapped into a network. We used VOSviewer to build the network, explore the most‐researched terms and their relationships, and identify less‐explored terms and research gaps. We furthermore conducted a qualitative review of selected publications to provide an illustration of quantitative results and delve deeper into the research to…
Circular economy - foundament of challenges for business environment
2017
Abstract Circular economy is one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development. The limited character of resources, the demographic explosion, the urban agglomerations and the high volume of waste have become extremely sensitive issues in the current period. As a result, the implementation of policies based on fundamental objectives such as material recycling, energy consumption from renewable sources and the design of products that meet the recycling and re-use requirements must be a priority for the worldwide. The paper aims to highlight the principles underpinning the circular economy and to identify the challenges faced by important areas in terms of the capacity to ensure their…
Is circular economy the key to transitioning towards sustainable development? Challenges from the perspective of care ethics
2019
Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals represent a global consensus on the urgency to preserve the conditions that make life possible on this planet and ensure a future of wellbeing for humanity. Transforming consumption and production processes is a fundamental priority of this development agenda. Circular Economy has emerged as an alternative model, given its potential for value creation, while generating social and environmental positive impacts. An exploratory study carried out in Navarra (Spain) shows its potentiality for socio-economic and environmental benefits as well as technological, organizational, financial, institutional and social challenges. However, through the lenses of…
Composite Material Recycling Technology – State-of-the-Art and Sustainable Development for the 2020s.
2020
Recently, significant events took place that added immensely to the sociotechnical pressure for developing sustainable composite recycling solutions, namely (1) a ban on composite landfilling in Germany in 2009, (2) the first major wave of composite wind turbines reaching their End-of-Life (EoL) and being decommissioned in 2019–2020, (3) the acceleration of aircraft decommissioning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and (4) the increase of composites in mass production cars, thanks to the development of high volume technologies based on thermoplastic composites. Such sociotechnical pressure will only grow in the upcoming decade of 2020s as other countries are to follow Germany by limiting and ba…
The S-kernel: A measure of symmetry of objects
2007
In this paper we introduce a new symmetry feature named ''symmetry kernel'' (SK) to support a measure of symmetry. Given any symmetry transform S, SK of a pattern P is the maximal included symmetric sub-set of P for all directions and shifts. We provide a first algorithm to exhibit this kernel where the centre of symmetry is assumed to be the centre of mass. Then we prove that, in any direction, the optimal axis corresponds to the maximal correlation of a pattern with its symmetric version. That leads to a second algorithm. The associated symmetry measure is a modified difference between the respective surfaces of a pattern and its kernel. A series of experiments supports the actual algorit…
Recombinant expression, in vitro refolding, and biophysical characterization of the N-terminal domain of T1R3 taste receptor
2012
Facteur d'impact (5 ans) : 1,617Notoriété à 2 ans : Acceptable (biochem.res.methods); The sweet taste receptor is a heterodimeric receptor composed of the T1R2 and T1R3 subunits, while T1R1 and T1R3 assemble to form the umami taste receptor. T1R receptors belong to the family of class C G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). In addition to a transmembrane heptahelical domain, class C GPCRs have a large extracellular N-terminal domain (NTD), which is the primary ligand-binding site. The T1R2 and T1R1 subunits have been shown to be responsible for ligand binding, via their NTDs. However, little is known about the contribution of T1R3-NTD to receptor functions. To enable biophysical characteriza…
Biochar amended soils and water systems: Investigation of physical and structural properties
2021
There are significant regional differences in the perception of the problems posed by global warming, water/food availability and waste treatment recycling procedures. The study illustrates the effect of application of a biochar (BC) from forest biomass waste, at a selected application rate, on water retention, plant available water (PAW), and structural properties of differently standard textured soils, classified as loamy sand, loam and clay. The results showed that soil water retention, PAW, and aggregate stability were significantly improved by BC application in the loamy sand, confirming that application of BC to this soil was certainly beneficial and increased the amount of macropores…
The rediscovery of nature: the lost innocence of the digital world
2022
L’impatto della nostra impronta ecologica legata al tasso di crescita incontrollato della tecnologia digitale sta portando ad un aggravamento degli squilibri ambientali esistenti. Il digitale e i new media che fino a ieri ci apparivano una terra promessa dell’emancipazione umana, oggi rilevano enormi effetti inquinanti sulla biosfera che devono essere obbligatoriamente evidenziati. Nel contributo si intende sottoporre a indagine le cause della “perduta innocenza” del mondo digitale anche attraverso una ricostruzione analitica sui fenomeni che sino a poco tempo fa venivano percepiti come veicoli immateriali, assolutamente non invasivi per l’ambiente e dalle straordinarie potenzialità di prog…