Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the main leafy vegetable grown in Brazil. Its productivity and quality are limited by the growing season, the nearby environment and the type of cultivar adopted. The objective of this work was to verify at different times of the year the best planting environment for lettuce cultivation in a semi-humid tropical climate. For this purpose, an experiment was set up in three different seasons (October–November 2014, January–March, May–July 2015). The experimental design was randomized blocks, in a 3 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, consisting of three seasons, three cultivars (cvs. Vera^®, Tainá^® and Rafaela^®) and two growing environments (low tunnel with beds protected with mulching consisting of soil protection with plastic fabric covering, and beds without protection or conventional cultivation) and four replicates per treatment. Plant biomass, stem length, head diameter, number of leaves per head and crop productivity were evaluated as response parameters. The results showed that the May–July period favored biomass production, head diameter and productivity. Despite the similarity between varieties, the variety Vera^® is more productive in biomass, number of leaves per head, stem length and productivity. The low tunnel planting system with mulching is adequate under the conditions evaluated for lettuce cultivation. This system in the May–July period favors a superior development in the characteristics biomass, head diameter and productivity, if compared to conventional cultivation during the October–November period.

Technology development in the agricultural sector is important in the development of Thailand’s economy. The purpose of this research was to study the approach of guidelines for future agricultural technology development to increase productivity in the Agricultural sector in order to develop a structural equation model. The research applied mixed-methodology. Qualitative research by in depth interview from 9 experts and focus group with 11 successful businesspersons for approve this model. The quantitative data gather from firm, in the 500 of agricultural sector by using questionnaire, using statistical tests of descriptive analysis, inferential analysis, and multivariate analysis. The research found guidelines for future agricultural technology development to increase productivity in the Agricultural sector composed of 4 latent. The most important item of each latent were as following: 1) Agrobiology Technology (= 4.41), in important item as choose seeds that for disease resistance and tolerate the environment to suit the cultivation area, 2) Environmental Assessment (= 4.37),, in important item as survey of cultivated areas according to topography with geographic information system, 3) Agricultural Innovation (= 4.30), in important item as technology reduces operational procedures, reduce the workforce and can reduce operating costs, and 4) Modern Management Systems (= 4.13), in important item as grouping and manage as a cooperative to mega farms. In addition, the hypothesis test found that the difference in manufacturing firm sizes. Medium and Small size and large size revealed overall aspects that were significantly different at the level of 0.05. The analysis of the developed structural equation model found that there was in accordance and fit with the empirical data and passed the evaluation criteria. Its Chi-square probability level, relative Chi-square, the goodness of fit index, and root mean square error of approximation were 0.062, 1.165, 0.961, and 0.018, respectively.

This study focuses on the environmental cost accounting and economic benefit optimization of China’s FAW Hongqi New Energy Vehicle manufacturing enterprise under uncertain conditions, within the context of the emission permit system This study calculates the pollution situation throughout the manufacturing and production process of FAW Hongqi new energy vehicles, and constructs a multi-level environmental cost evaluation system for FAW Hongqi new energy vehicle manufacturing projects. Through the interval fuzzy model of FAW Hongqi new energy vehicle manufacturing projects, the maximum economic benefits of the enterprise are simulated. The research results indicate that the pollution emissions of enterprises are mainly concentrated in the three processes of welding, painting, and final assembly. Enterprises use their own exhaust gas and wastewater treatment devices to meet the standards for pollution emissions. At the same time, solid waste generated during the automobile manufacturing process is handed over to third-party companies for treatment. Secondly, based on the accounting results of enterprise pollution source intensity and a multi-layer environmental cost evaluation system, the environmental costs of enterprises are accounted for, and the environmental costs are represented in interval form to reduce uncertainty in the accounting process. According to the accounting results of enterprise environmental costs, the main environmental costs of enterprises are environmental remediation costs caused by normal pollution discharge and purchase costs of environmental protection facilities. Pollutant emission taxes and routine environmental monitoring costs are relatively low. Enterprises can adopt more scientific solutions from the aspects of environmental remediation and environmental protection facilities to reduce environmental costs. After optimization by the fuzzy interval uncertainty optimization model, the economic benefits of the FAW Hongqi new energy vehicle manufacturing project were [101,254.71, 6278.5413] million yuan. Compared with the interval uncertainty optimization model, the lower bound of economic benefits increased by 57.68%, and the upper bound decreased by 12.08%, shortening the results of the economic benefits interval. Clarify the current environmental pollution situation of FAW Hongqi’s new energy vehicle manufacturing enterprise, provide data support for sustainable development of the enterprise, and provide reasonable decision-making space for enterprise decision-makers.

The economic viability of a photovoltaic (PV) installation depends on regulations regarding administrative, technical and economic conditions associated with self-consumption and the sale of surplus production. Royal Decree (RD) 244/2019 is the Spanish legislation of reference for this case study, in which we analyse and compare PV installation offers by key suppliers. The proposals are not optimal in RD 244/2019 terms and appear not to fully contemplate power generation losses and seem to shift a representative percentage of consumption to the production period. In our case study of a residential dwelling, the best option corresponds to a 5 kWp installation with surplus sale to the market, with a payback period of 18 years and CO₂ emission reductions of 1026 kg/year. Demand-side management offers a potential improvement of 6%–21.8%. Based on the increase in electricity prices since 2020, the best option offers savings of up to €1507.74 and amortization in 4.24 years. Considering costs and savings, sale to the market could be considered as the only feasible regulatory mechanism for managing surpluses, accompanied by measures to facilitate administrative procedures and guarantees for end users.

The year of 2024 marked the twelfth anniversary of the cooperative mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European countries (China-CEEC). China has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to implement the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), which created many opportunities to enhance the cooperation of the two sides. The paper exemplified some cases in the process of the cooperation, which were rarely discussed previously as normally it was dominated by the large-scale investment project. The cases of the climate change and ocean issues were perceived as a package of holistic EU-China relations that demonstrates the commitments from both sides to deal with SDG 13 and SDG 14. A qualitative method of the policy-circle evaluation and the goal-setting in the global governance was applied in the paper. The findings affirm that the current China-CEEC cooperation scheme is still carrying on both opportunities and challenges and affected by various internal and external factors.

The rapid increase in the aging population has raised significant concerns about the living conditions and well-being of elderly residents in old communities. This study addresses these concerns by proposing a Sustainable Urban Renovation Assessment Model (SURAM) specifically designed to enhance elderly-friendly environments in Chongqing City. The model encompasses multiple dimensions, including the comfort of public facilities, service safety and convenience, medical travel services, infrastructure security, life service convenience, neighbor relations, ambulance aid accessibility, commercial service facilities, privacy protection, elderly care facilities and service supply, and medical and health facilities. By employing factor analysis, the study reduces the dimensionality of the 49 indicator factors, allowing for a more focused and comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of aging-friendly renovation efforts. The main factors identified in the proposed model include community infrastructure security, elderly comfort of community public facilities, completeness and convenience of surrounding living services, and security and convenience of elderly care services. The results reveal that the age-appropriate comfort of public facilities plays a significant role in achieving successful aging-appropriate renovation outcomes. The findings demonstrate that by addressing specific needs such as safety, accessibility, and convenience, communities can significantly improve the quality of life for elderly residents. Moreover, the application of SURAM provides actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and community stakeholders, guiding them in implementing targeted initiatives for sustainable and inclusive urban development.