Synthetic membranes play a crucial role in a wide range of separation processes, including dialysis, electrodialysis, ultrafiltration, and pervaporation, with growing interest in synthetic emulsion membranes due to their precision, versatility, and ion exchange capabilities. These membranes enable tailored solutions for specific applications, such as water and gas separation, wastewater treatment, and chemical purification, by leveraging their multi-layered structures and customizable properties. Emulsion membrane technology, particularly in pressure-driven methods like reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF), has shown great potential in overcoming traditional challenges, such as fouling and energy inefficiency, by improving filtration efficiency and selectivity. This review explores the latest advancements in emulsion membrane development, their adaptability to various industrial needs, and their contribution to addressing long-standing limitations in membrane separation technologies. The findings underscore the promise of emulsion membranes in advancing industrial processes and highlight their potential for broader applications in water treatment, environmental management, and other key sectors.

This article analyzes the use and limitations of nonmonetary contract incentives in managing third-party accountability in human services. In-depth case studies of residential care homes for the elderly and integrated family service centers, two contrasting contracting contexts, were conducted in Hong Kong. These two programs vary in service programmability and service interdependency. In-depth interviews with 17 managers of 48 Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (RCHEs) and 20 managers of 10 Integrated Family Service Centers (IFSCs) were conducted. Interviews with the managers show that when service programmability was high and service interdependency was low, nonmonetary contract incentives such as opportunities for self-actualization professionally or reputation were effective in improving service quality from nonprofit and for-profit contractors. When service programmability was low and service interdependency was high, despite that only nonprofit organizations were contracted, many frontline service managers reported that professional accountability was undermined by ambiguous service scope, performance emphasis on case turnover, risk shift from public service units and a lack of formal accountability relationships between service units in the service network. The findings shed light on the limitations of nonmonetary contract incentives.

Introduction: The selection of genotypes with determinate growth habit in tomato should contemplate adequate selection criteria to increase the efficiency of the breeding program. Objective: The objective of this work was to estimate selection criteria for “chonto” type tomato lines with determined growth habit. Materials and methods: This work was carried out at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Palmira Campus), in 2016, with seven lines with determinate growth habit and a control with indeterminate growth. Heritability in a broad sense (h² g), coefficient of environmental variation, coefficient of genetic variation, selection efficiency and genetic gain were determined in parameters of morphological, phonological, fruit quality, fruit shape and production, using the RELM/BLUP procedure of the SELEGEN software. Results: There were three ranges of h² g, the first with values of h² g greater than 0.76, the second between 0.53 and 0.38, and the third with a value less than 0.38. The highest values of h² g were for final plant height with 0.92, plant height at harvest with 0.88, yield per plant with 0.83, days to flowering with 0.83, number of fruits per plant with 0.82, and days to harvest with 0.82. For genetic gain it was found that the control had the highest values for final plant height, plant height at harvest, internode length, days to harvest, harvest duration, soluble solids content, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and yield per plant; however, in some parameters such as height and phenology for selection by determined growth habit, the lowest values were better. Conclusion: There was evidence of genetic parameters that could be considered as selection criteria for “chonto” type tomato lines with determinate growth habit.

During property renovations, sustainability is increasingly playing a crucial role in reducing environmental impacts, utilizing resources efficiently, and improving the quality of living environments. In our research, we examined the environmentally conscious thinking of potential clients for sustainable renovations, including their requirements for materials, which encompass enhancing energy efficiency, the importance of waste reduction, the significance of using alternative energy, and the application of eco-friendly, durable, and local materials. According to the results of our quantitative survey, respondents recognized the importance of sustainability considerations and expressed their commitment towards energy-efficient and eco-friendly solutions, although costs and payback periods continued to be decisive factors. We found that advocates of sustainable property renovations in our sample displayed environmentally conscious characteristics, and environmentally conscious consumers are willing to spend more for significant and long-term results. As part of our research, we conducted in-depth interviews with real estate agents and general contractors to understand sustainability considerations in the decision-making process of property renovations. The key lesson from the interviews was that buyers can be segmented into different groups, with those prioritizing environmental awareness being of significant importance. Based on the findings, sustainability is increasingly coming to the forefront in property renovations. Thus, our publication offers a detailed insight into market trends and practices.

The Circular Economy is one of the most prominent cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral concepts to emerge in recent decades. It has permeated academia, policymaking, business, NGOs, and the general public, leading to numerous applications of the concept, some of which only partially overlap. In this article, we review recent debates and research trends in the Circular Economy, outlining the ten most common groups of its conceptualizations using the PRISMA (Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) method. We then propose a post disciplinary and transnational research program on the Circular Economy that would not only combine hard and soft sciences in unprecedented ways but also have important practical applications, such as developing tools to embed the Circular Economy in natural, technical, economic, and socio-cultural settings.

The primary objective of this paper is to explore the impact of household policies in both Saudi Arabia and Nigeria towards achieving efficient and sustainable economic growth in the 21st century. Fundamentally, the objective of the study was sparked by the basic factors of comparison the importance of culture in international relations, challenges related to terrorism which impede adequate implementations of economic policies, trade facilitation and logistics to enhance economic growth and cross-border movement of goods and services. Systematic literature review (SLR) and content analysis (CA) were used as methodological approaches of the paper. The articles explored for review were accessed using visualization of similarities (VOS) by exploring different database such as: journals, core collection of Web of Science (WOS), peer review sources and library sources. The findings demonstrated that Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have different policies regarding households in achieving sustainable economic growth. On one hand, in Saudi Arabia, the focus is on the economic burden associated with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the out-of-pocket spending among individuals diagnosed with these diseases. In addition, the study found that households with older and more educated members, an employed head of household, higher socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, and urban residency had significantly higher out-of-pocket expenditure in achieving sustainable economic development. On the other hand, Nigeria’s policy is centered around trade liberalization and its impact on household welfare as an integral part of sustainable economic development. The policies implemented in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have implications for the well-being of their citizens. In Saudi Arabia, the household policies have significantly impacted the quality of life (QoL) of households, particularly those with low income, large size, male-led, urban, and with elderly heads. In Nigeria, trade liberalization policies have mixed welfare implications for households in the aspects of real income, they also induce unemployment in key sectors, such as agriculture and industry. To mitigate negative effects, it is suggested that Saudi Arabia should effectively address chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the households while Nigeria should efficiently pursue trade liberalization on a sectorial basis, focusing on sectors that do not severely undermine household welfare.