Building cooling load depends on heat gains from the outside environment. Appropriate orientation and masonry materials play vital roles in the reduction of overall thermal loads buildings. A net-zero energy building performance has been analyzed in order to ascertain the optimum orientation and wall material properties, under the climatic conditions of Owerri, Nigeria. Standard cooling load estimation techniques were employed for the determination of the diurnal interior load variations in a building incorporating renewable energy as the major energy source, and compared with the situation in a conventionally powered building. The results show a 19.28% reduction in the building’s cooling load when brick masonry was used for the wall construction. It was observed that a higher heat gain occurred when the building faced the East-West direction than when it was oriented in the North-South direction. Significant diurnal cooling loads variation as a result of radiation through the windows was also observed, with the east facing windows contributing significantly higher loads during the morning hours while the west facing windows contributed higher amounts in the evening. The economic analysis of the net-zero energy building showed an 11.63% reduction in energy cost compared to the conventional building, with a 7-year payback period for the use of Solar PV systems. Therefore, the concept of net-zero energy building will not only help in energy conservation, but also in cost savings, and the reduction of carbon footprint in the built environment.

Quantum dot can be seen as an amazing nanotechnological discovery, including inorganic semiconducting nanodots as well as carbon nanodots, like graphene quantum dots. Unlike pristine graphene nanosheet having two dimensional nanostructure, graphene quantum dot is a zero dimensional nanoentity having superior aspect ratio, surface properties, edge effects, and quantum confinement characters. To enhance valuable physical properties and potential prospects of graphene quantum dots, various high-performance nanocomposite nanostructures have been developed using polymeric matrices. In this concern, noteworthy combinations of graphene quantum dots have been reported for a number of thermoplastic polymers, like polystyrene, polyurethane, poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl alcohol), and so on. Due to nanostructural compatibility, dispersal, and interfacial aspects, thermoplastics/graphene quantum dot nanocomposites depicted unique microstructure and technically reliable electrical/thermal conductivity, mechanical/heat strength, and countless other physical properties. Precisely speaking, thermoplastic polymer/graphene quantum dot nanocomposites have been reported in the literature for momentous applications in electromagnetic interference shielding, memory devices, florescent diodes, solar cells photocatalysts for environmental remediation, florescent sensors, antibacterial, and bioimaging. To the point, this review article offers an all inclusive and valuable literature compilation of thermoplastic polymer/graphene quantum dot nanocomposites (including design, property, and applied aspects) for field scientists/researchers to carry out future investigations on further novel designs and valued property-performance attributes.

Urban public spaces are the interface of any city that could tell about the city’s dynamic and status quo. In addition, Urban public spaces play a pivotal role in shaping societies’ dynamics and can significantly affect conflict and peacebuilding initiatives. In a context marked by Conflict’s profound impact, this article aims to contribute to the knowledge base for informed urban interventions that foster positive interactions and reconciliation in post-conflict cities. The article seeks to explore the intricate relationship between urban spaces and their influence on war or to promote sustainable peacebuilding through investigating the various roles of the urban public spaces during the war and peacetimes via residents’ experiences of the diverse spaces’ functions that shaped the city’s status quo. In addition, considering the interplay of social dynamics, conflict history, and the mental spatial map of cities in public urban spaces can influence lasting peace or upcoming conflicts. This article focuses on Aleppo as a case study, understanding the positive and negative experiences from the residents’ perspective before and during the current war in Syria, and even distinguishes between two periods during the recent war, which are the active violence and after the end of the direct active violence, where it could inform the decision-makers and urban planners on the areas of focus while developing post-war urban public spaces to ensure its positive role in fostering peace and be able to deal with the social dynamic and the mental spatial map that developed along with the conflict history. The paper utilised a mixed-methods approach, encompassing a case study review of Aleppo City from an urban perspective and fieldwork involving focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with Aleppian from different backgrounds and geographic areas that represent the social dynamic of the city, as well as approached Aleppian who are still in living in the city and those who flee out of it to ensure the coverage of different political direction in addition field work engaged with academia and technical from the city who shared their knowledge and experiences working in the city. Participants were prompted to reflect on their pre-war familiarity with public places and share their experiences. These experiences were categorized by enabling a comprehensive understanding of how conflict context influenced these spaces. The article results offer an understanding of the peace-guiding functions of the urban public spaces based on the city residents’ experiences that could inform architects and urban planners in designing spaces conducive to sustainable peacebuilding. The article’s findings underscore the importance of strategically designed urban public spaces in promoting peace and social cohesion.

Shipbuilding industry is characterized by high price competition, as well as tight deadlines for product design and production. The dominant positions in the civil shipbuilding market are occupied by the countries of Southeast Asia, and for a number of reasons, participants from other countries are uncompetitive. Thus, in order to ensure the sustainable development of companies in the global civil shipbuilding market, it is necessary to identify and analyze the main factors that provided the competitive advantages of industry leaders. Assessment of further directions of shipbuilding development is a necessary condition for the formation of competitive advantages of new market participants. The article analyzes the main directions of development of the world civil shipbuilding in the period after World War II, as well as prospects for the future. As a result of the analysis of the latest organizational management concepts, the concept of modular production in shipbuilding is proposed, and directions for further research are determined.

Simulation training in dental medical eduaction is a modern high-tech approach in providing quality higher education. Simulation training immerses students in realistic scenarios, allowing them to develop both technical and non-technical skills essential for effective patient care. This study highlights key contemporary issues in high-tech simulation training for dental education and consolidates its rationale and benefits. We searched the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ResearchGate. This review includes 36 articles published in English, Russian, and Ukrainian from 2020 to 2024. Non-peer-reviewed papers or those not published in indexed journals were not considered. Simulation training was found to impact integration of theory and practice, training a wide range of psychomotor skills, development of complex clinical competences, cultivating confidence, empathy and patient-oriented care, neuroplasticity of the brain and the cognitive load. Pedagogical benefits and the place of simulation training in the curriculum were also discussed.

The construction industry is responsible for over 40% of global energy consumption and one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Generally, 10%–20% of energy is consumed in the manufacturing and transportation stages of materials, construction, maintenance, and demolition. The way the construction industry to deal with these impacts is to intensify sustainable development through green building. The author uses the latest Green Building Certification Standard in Indonesia as the Green Building Guidelines under the Ministry of Public Works and People’s Housing (PUPR) Regulation No. 01/SE/M/2022, as a basis for evaluating existing office buildings or what is often referred to as green retrofit. Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) is used by the authors to detail the factors influencing the application of green building by analyzing several variables related to the problem studied, which are used to build and test statistical models of causal models. From this study, it is concluded that the most influential factors in the implementation of green retrofitting on office buildings are energy savings, water efficiency, renewable energy use, the presence of green building socialization programs, cost planning, design planning, project feasibility studies, material cost, use of the latest technology applications, and price fluctuations. With the results of this research, there is expected to be shared awareness and concern about implementing green buildings and green offices as an initiative to present a more energy-efficient office environment, save operating costs, and provide comfort to customers.