Port city symbiosis: introduction to the special issue

Port cities and their neighbouring areas, located at the confines between sea and land, are key hubs in the transportation of goods and people. Ports serve global transport needs, while they are embedded in local geographies, topographies, political, economic and historical settlements. People have always been attracted to human settlements...

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Sterilization Packaging for Surgical Instruments in the Operating Room: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable versus Reusable Systems

The widespread use of single-use polypropylene packaging for sterilization of surgical instruments (blue wrap) results in enormous environmental pollution and plastic waste, estimated at 115 million kilograms on a yearly basis in the United States alone. Rigid sterilization containers (RSCs) are a well-known alternative in terms of quality...

Improving printability of limestone-calcined clay-based cementitious materials by using viscosity-modifying admixture

In 3D concrete printing (3DCP), it is necessary to meet contradicting rheological requirements: high fluidity during pumping and extrusion, and high stability and viscosity at rest to build the layered structure. In this paper, the impact of the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-based viscosity-modifying admixture (VMA) on the 3D printability...