Graphene and derivatives have been frequently used to form advanced nanocomposites. A very significant utilization of polymer/graphene nanocomposite was found in the membrane sector. The up-to-date overview essentially highlights the design, features, and advanced functions of graphene nanocomposite membranes towards gas separations. In this concern, pristine thin layer graphene as well as graphene nanocomposites with poly(dimethyl siloxane), polysulfone, poly(methyl methacrylate), polyimide, and other matrices have been perceived as gas separation membranes. In these membranes, the graphene dispersion and interaction with polymers through applying the appropriate processing techniques have led to optimum porosity, pore sizes, and pore distribution, i.e., suitable for selective separation of gaseous molecules. Consequently, the graphene-derived nanocomposites brought about numerous revolutions in high-performance gas separation membranes. The structural diversity of polymer/graphene nanocomposites has facilitated the membrane selective separation, permeation, and barrier processes, especially in the separation of desired gaseous molecules, ions, and contaminants. Future research on the innovative nanoporous graphene-based membrane can overcome design/performance-related challenging factors for technical utilizations.

Recent technological advances in the fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering have spurred interest in biopolymers for various biomedical applications. The advantage of biopolymers is their favorable characteristics for these applications, among which proteins are of particular importance. Proteins are explored widely for 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering applications, wound healing, drug delivery systems, implants, etc., and the proteins mainly available include collagen, gelatin, albumin, zein, etc. Zein is a plant protein abundantly present in corn endosperm, and it is about 80% of total corn protein. It is a highly renewable source, and zein has been reported to be applicable in different industrial applications. Lately, it has gained attention in biomedical applications. This research interest in zein is on account of its biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and certain unique physico-chemical properties. Zein comes under the GRAS category and is considered safe for biomedical applications. The hydrophobic nature of this protein gives it an added advantage and has wider applications in drug delivery. This review focuses on details about zein protein, its properties, and potential applications in biomedical sectors.

This study further explores women’s role in top management in Indonesia, where men still dominate that position. This study underlines the role of women’s boards of commissioners in producing better financial performance in the specific sectors, manufacturing and service sectors, where the power of women to lead these sectors is more optimal. The sample is selected from the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2009–2018. The final sample is 780 observations. This study applies panel data, which is more robust when controlling heterogeneity. Data panel regression is applied to analyze data. This study finds that gender diversity harms market-based performance, while from accounting-based measures, gender diversity has a significant positive effect. This study is applied explicitly in the manufacturing and services industrial sectors; therefore, carefully generalizing the results is necessary. Research in other specific sectors is very open to obtaining specific results in various industries, including developing countries other than Indonesia. The market has not trusted the role of women in top management; there is still a kind of ‘hidden distrust’ about the capabilities of women in running the top leadership captain. The market needs more substantial evidence to believe in women’s performance on the board of directors. Therefore, it is necessary to provide wider opportunities for women to sit on the board of commissioners, as much as men have.

Increasing number of smart cities, the rise of technology and urban population engagement in urban management, and the scarcity of open data for evaluating sustainable urban development determines the necessity of developing new sustainability assessment approaches. This study uses passive crowdsourcing together with the adapted SULPiTER (Sustainable Urban Logistics Planning to Enhance Regional freight transport) methodology to assess the sustainable development of smart cities. The proposed methodology considers economic, environmental, social, transport, communication factors and residents’ satisfaction with the urban environment. The SULPiTER relies on experts in selection of relevant factors and determining their contribution to the value of a sustainability indicator. We propose an alternative approach based on automated data gathering and processing. To implement it, we build an information service around a formal knowledge base that accumulates alternative workflows for estimation of indicators and allows for automatic comparison of alternatives and aggregation of their results. A system architecture was proposed and implemented with the Astana Opinion Mining service as its part that can be adjusted to collect opinions in various impact areas. The findings hold value for early identification of problems, and increasing planning and policies efficiency in sustainable urban development.

The recent development of characteristic towns has encountered a multitude of challenges and chaos. Nevertheless, there have been many instances of information asymmetry due to the absence of an effective management model and an intuitive digital management system. Consequently, this has caused the erosion of public interests and inadequate supervision by public agencies. As society is progressing at a rapid pace, there is a growing apprehension regarding poor management synergy, outdated management practices, and limited use of technology in traditional construction projects. In today's technologically sophisticated society characterized by the “Internet+” and intelligent management, there is an urgent requirement to identify a more efficient collaborative management model, thereby reducing errors caused by information asymmetry. This paper focuses on the integration of building information modeling (BIM) and integrated project delivery (IPD) for collaborative management within characteristic towns in the PPP mode. By analyzing the available literature on the application status, this study investigates the implementation methods and framework construction of collaborative management while exploring the advantages and disadvantages. On this basis, this study highlights the problems that arise and provides recommendations for improvement. Considering this, the application of the BIM-based IPD model to characteristic towns in PPP mode will enhance the effectiveness of collaborative management among all parties involved, thereby fostering an environment that facilitates decision-making and operational management in the promotion of characteristic industries.