This review provides an overview of the importance of nanoparticles in various fields of science, their classification, synthesis, reinforcements, and applications in numerous areas of interest. Normally nanoparticles are particles having a size of 100 nm or less that would be included in the larger category of nanoparticles. Generally, these materials are either 0-D, 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D. They are classified into groups based on their composition like being organic and inorganic, shapes, and sizes. These nanomaterials are synthesized with the help of top-down bottom and bottom-up methods. In case of plant-based synthesis i.e., the synthesis using plant extracts is non-toxic, making plants the best choice for producing nanoparticles. Several physicochemical characterization techniques are available such as ultraviolet spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the atomic force microscopy, the scanning electron microscopy, the vibrating specimen magnetometer, the superconducting complex optical device, the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the nanomaterials. In the meanwhile, there are some challenges associated with the use of nanoparticles, which need to be addressed for the sustainable environment.

This article explores the development and legislative process of concession agreements within the framework of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the EU, tracing their origins to the United Kingdom in the early 1990s. Driven by national policies, the Ministry of Finance in China has promoted PPPs in infrastructure and public services. This study focuses on the basic principles, legal nature, and general rules of EU concession agreements, aiming to provide legal strategies for Chinese franchising agreement legislation by drawing on the EU’s legislative experiences.

The design of effective flood risk mitigation strategies and their subsequent implementation is crucial for sustainable development in mountain areas. The assessment of the dynamic evolution of flood risk is the pillar of any subsequent planning process that is targeted at a reduction of the expected adverse consequences of the hazard impact. This study focuses on riverbed cities, aiming to analyze flood occurrences and their influencing factors. Through an extensive literature review, five key criteria commonly associated with flood events were identified: slope height, distance from rivers, topographic index, and runoff height. Utilizing the network analysis process within Super Decision software, these factors were weighted, and a final flood risk map was generated using the simple weighted sum method. 75% of the data was used for training, and 25% of it was used for testing. Additionally, vegetation changes were assessed using Landsat imagery from 2000 and 2022 and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The focus of this research is Qirokarzin city as a case study of riverbed cities, situated in Fars province, with Qir city serving as its central hub. Key rivers in Qirokarzin city include the Qara Aghaj River, traversing the plain from north to south; the primary Mubarak Abad River, originating from the east; and the Dutulghaz River, which enters the eastern part of the plain from the southwest of Qir, contributing to plain nourishment during flood events. The innovation of this paper is that along with the objective to produce a reliable delineation of hazard zones, a functional distinction between the loading and the response system (LS and RS, respectively) is made. Results indicate the topographic index as the most influential criterion, delineating Qirokarzin city into five flood risk zones: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Notably, a substantial portion of Qirokarzin city (1849.8 square kilometers, 8.54% of the area) falls within high- to very-high flood risk zones. Weighting analysis reveals that the topographic humidity index and runoff height are the most influential criteria, with weights of 0.27 and 0.229, respectively. Conversely, the height criterion carries the least weight at 0.122. Notably, 46.7% of the study area exhibits high flood intensity, potentially attributed to variations in elevation and runoff height. Flood potential findings show that the middle class covers 32.3%, indicating moderate flood risk due to changes in elevation and runoff height. The low-level risk is observed sporadically from the east to the west of the study area, comprising 12.4%. Analysis of vegetation changes revealed a significant decline in forest and pasture cover despite agricultural and horticultural development, exacerbating flood susceptibility. 

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that drastically hinders plant growth and development, resulting in lower crop yields and productivity. As one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide, tomato (Solanum lycropersicum L.) plays a key role in the human diet. The current study aimed to explore the differential tolerance level of two tomato varieties (Rio Grande and Agata) to salt stress. To this end, various growth, physiological and biochemical attributes were assessed after two weeks of 100 mM NaCl treatment. Obtained findings indicated that, although the effects of salt stress included noticeable reductions in shoots’ and roots’ dry weights and relative growth rate as well as total leaf area, for the both cultivars, Rio Grande performed better compared to Agata variety. Furthermore, despite the exposure to salt stress, Rio Grande was able to maintain an adequate tissue hydration and a high leaf mass per area (LMA) through the accumulation of proline. However, relative water content, LMA and proline content were noticeably decreased for Agata cultivar. Likewise, total leaf chlorophyll, soluble proteins and total carbohydrates were significantly decreased; whereas, malondialdehyde was significantly accumulated in response to salt stress for the both cultivars. Moreover, such negative effects were remarkably more pronounced for Agata relative to Rio Grande cultivar. Overall, the current study provided evidence that, at the early growth stage, Rio Grande is more tolerant to salt stress than Agata variety. Therefore, Rio Grande variety may constitute a good candidate for inclusion in tomato breeding programs for salt-tolerance and is highly recommended for tomato growers, particularly in salt-affected fields.

Developing “New Quality Productive Forces” (NQPFs) has been accepted as a new theory to accelerate the high-quality development in China. In current, China’s high-quality development mainly relies on the traction of the digital economy. In view of this, developing NQPFs in China’s digital economy sector requires locate and remove some obstacles, such as the insufficient utilization of data, inadequate algorithm regulation, the mismatched supply and demand of regional computing power and the immature market environment. As a solution, it is necessary to allocating data property rights in a market-oriented way, establishing a user-centered algorithm governance system, accelerating the establishment of the national integrated computing network, and maintaining fair competition to optimize the market environment.

In recent years, the environment in the manufacturing industry has become strongly competitive, which is why companies have found it necessary to constantly adjust their strategies and take actions aimed at improving their performance and competitiveness in a sustainable way to grow and remain in the market. Therefore, this paper aims to present an analysis to explain the current situation in the manufacturing industry in Aguascalientes, Mexico, by means of a survey in which product eco-innovation (PEI), process eco-innovation (PrEI) and organizational eco-innovation (OEI) and its effect on environmental performance (EP) and sustainable competitive performance (SCP) were measured. The results show that (EP) is positively and significantly influenced by (PEI) and (PrEI), while no significant influence is found for (OE). Furthermore, it is confirmed that environmental performance positively and significantly influences (SCP). The findings obtained from this study point to the relevance of promoting eco-innovation activities in the manufacturing sector, as this will ensure sustainable competitiveness.