Battery electric vehicles (BEV) powered by renewable energy are expected to enable a largedecarbonization of the land-based transport. Recent estimations of the International EnergyAgency suggest that BEVs could grow 20-fold by 2030, reaching 200 to 350 million unitsglobally. However, the environmental impacts of BEVs remains a critical issue to be addressed.Batteries are responsible for 80% of the life cycle environmental impacts of BEVs, mainly dueto the extraction of raw materials, manufacture and charge. A concept that aims at avoiding theexploitation of new materials by extending the lifetime of resources and products is circularity.Among various circular business models, one that so far has not been substantially addressedin the literature is battery leasing.This thesis investigates the economic and environmental impacts of leasing batteries for BEVsas a circular business model and compares them to those of the linear model of selling-buyingbatteries. For doing this, we combine three models, namely a battery fleet model, a net presentvalue (NPV) model and a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA). In contrast to commonLCAs, our battery fleet model considers different types of driving profiles instead of the typical‘average’ profile, which offers a more accurate depiction of reality.Results indicate that leasing batteries may be as profitable as selling them, but leasingcompanies may require higher revenues and pay higher taxes to attain the same NPV as selling.To generate more income, companies would need to charge fees to customers that are notalways beneficial for them. In fact, buying the battery remains the cheapest option for usersdriving more than 10 thousand km/year, which is the majority. From an environmentalperspective, LCA results show that environmental benefits of leasing batteries compared toselling them are marginal. This suggests that while leasing batteries offer some advantages(e.g., making BEVs more affordable, facilitating flexibility to users, promote the repairing,repurpose and recycling of batteries, etc.), it is unlikely to improve the cost-effectiveness andenvironmental impact of buying/selling them.

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<p dir="ltr">Circularity or circular economy (CE) offers an approach to creating a closed-loop system toward minimizing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. Such a solution is vital in construction as it is known for its substantial resource consumption and waste generation. Despite the growing adoption of this framework in the construction industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lag behind their larger counterparts. This study examines the barriers to implementing circularity practices within SMEs in the United States (U.S.). Through a comprehensive investigation involving case studies comprised of company data and semi-structured interviews with industry professionals from three varying-sized construction firms, the research elucidates client preferences, financial constraints, supply chain fragmentation, and a prevalent skills gap as significant obstacles to the adoption of circularity in construction SMEs. Large enterprises with more resources exhibit a distinct set of challenges, particularly in aligning their established practices with the emerging paradigms of CE. Despite the hurdles, circularity's potential economic, environmental, and societal benefits motivate SMEs and large enterprises alike. The research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable construction by identifying strategic, operational, and market-based factors stymieing CE adoption. It recommends financial incentives, regulatory support, and increased stakeholder collaboration to overcome identified barriers. The study also underscores the need for continued research to advance the understanding and practical application of circularity principles within the construction industry.</p>

The manufacturing industry stands in front of huge challenges. Negative environmental impacts must be drastically reduced and new sustainable products must be introduced at an accelerating pace. Coping with these challenges are significant in order to deal with the increasingly emerging climate crisis. To slow down the climate crisis, the approach of circularity wherein the utilization and lifetimes of resources and materials are maximised with the aim to achieve a near perpetual closed material loop has gained a significant increase in attention. However, most research within circularity has emphasised on the product, especially practices occurring after being produced. A seldomly studied perspective involves exploring the realization of circularity within the production system. A clear description is lacking regarding what circularity in production systems actually constitutes of, and how this can be realized. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to expand the knowledge regarding the realization of circularity in production systems. To fulfil the purpose, this research was initiated by a literature review and a document study, which were conducted in order to describe which circularity practices exist in production systems, both form an academic and practical point of view. Subsequently were workshops with industrial experts within production systems held in order to identify challenges with realizing circularity in production systems. The literature review, document study, and workshops laid the foundation for support development, which was the final phase in the thesis. This included supporting the longevity of production systems by adopting circularity theories to cover production system, as well as investigating how to analyse and evaluate circularity in production systems. The results from this were incorporated in a conceptual framework for circular production systems and in a tool for rapid assessment of circularity in production systems. / Tillverkningsindustrin står inför enorma utmaningar. Miljöpåverkan måste drastiskt minska och nya hållbara produkter måste introduceras i allt snabbare takt. Att hantera dessa utmaningar är betydande för att hantera den alltmer framväxande klimatkrisen. För att bromsa klimatkrisen har cirkularitet, där utnyttjandet och livslängden för resurser och material maximeras med målet att uppnå en nästan evig sluten materialslinga, fått en betydande uppmärksamhet. Hittills har forskning inom cirkularitet fokuserat på produkterna som tillverkas, framför allt under användningen av produkten. Ett sällan studerat perspektiv innebär att undersöka hur cirkularitet i produktionssystem kan uppnås. En tydlig beskrivning saknas gällande vad cirkularitet i produktionssystem egentligen innebär och hur detta kan realiseras. Därför är syftet med denna avhandling att utöka kunskapen om realiseringen av cirkularitet i produktionssystem. För att uppfylla syftet initierades denna forskning av en litteraturgenomgång och en dokumentstudie. Dessa genomfördes för att beskriva arbetssätt kopplat till realiseringen av cirkularitet inom produktionssystem, både från en akademisk och praktisk ståndpunkt. Vidare hölls även workshops med experter inom produktionssystem för att identifiera utmaningar med att uppnå cirkularitet inom produktionssystem. Litteraturgenomgången, dokumentstudien och workshops lade grunden för stödutveckling, som var den sista fasen i avhandlingen. Denna inkluderade att stödja produktionssystemens livslängd genom att anpassa existerande teorier om cirkularitet till produktionssystem, samt att undersöka hur man analyserar och utvärderar cirkularitet i produktionssystem. Resultaten från detta införlivades i ett konceptuellt ramverk för cirkulära produktionssystem och i ett verktyg för snabb utvärdering av cirkularitet i produktionssystem.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T19:30:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leandro Pereira Goncalves.pdf: 3857211 bytes, checksum: 2115a9dc4bc60857b07d75c4602aba24 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis aims to investigate the trajectory of Plínio Salgado for the formation and development of Brazilian integralism in its various stages, seeking multiple discursive matrices and cultural circularity in the field of appropriation, observing the process of cultural circularity in dealing with Lusitanian components. The analysis has established discussions with reference to bibliographical productions such as doctrinal, political, literary and religious, as well as manifestos, interviews and testimonials, that is, bibliographical elements that contributed to the understanding of Brazilian integralism, especially with regard to the leader Plínio Salgado, who was the main mentor of the movement. On the basis of the concept of political culture, the investigation has proposed the analysis of evolutionary thought of the integralist leader by focusing on the context of Lusitanian influence and basically Catholic, precept that accompanied him throughout his life. The research has been organized based on the understanding of the author's works since his first productions from the 1910s to his last writings in 1975. Belonging to a traditional and conservative family from the interior of the state of São Paulo, he was born in 1895 in the city of São Bento do Sapucaí. Still as a young man, he went to São Paulo where he excelled intellectually in the 1920s so as to subsequently form, in the following decade, the first mass movement in Brazil, the Brazilian Integralist Action. With multiple matrices, Salgado had the purpose of constructing an original political doctrine. However, the circularity of ideas of the period made the Head suffer considerable influences on the formation of his thought, having in Portugal the doctrinal example, Lusitanian Integralism: a movement with a nationalist character of the radical right wing that had visible formation based on the precursor of conservatism, the Action Française, which, as well as all the political groups of the early twentieth century, established a practical response to the theory given by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 through the encyclical Rerum Novarum. After the Lusitanian influence on the formation of Plínio s thought and idealization of integralism, once again Portugal was a highlight in the doctrinal organization of the author, when he was exiled between 1939 and 1946, a period of time which he used to reorder his thought, actions and political articulations, keeping Catholic spiritualism as a central force. With the end of the period of Vargas dictatorship, he returned to Brazil and declared himself to be Luso-Brazilian, becoming a supreme supporter of the politics of António de Oliveira Salazar, an image that he followed until the end of his life. One of the proposals of the thesis lies in the approach to the integralist movement from a multiplicity of perspectives, but predominantly in a comparative analysis with Portugal. The current thesis has searched for the verification of political actions so as to contribute to a better understanding of the relation between Portugal and Brazil, through the analysis of the radical conservatism enlarging this focus on the Portuguese right wing. The Christian political thought of the author holds a significant importance to the Political History of the 20th century, not only for Brazil, due to the fact that his actions and dialogues established with Lusitanian groups have been fundamental to the comprehension of the political matters of the two countries / Esta tese tem como objetivo a investigação da trajetória de Plínio Salgado para a formação e o desenvolvimento do integralismo brasileiro em suas mais variadas fases, buscando as múltiplas matrizes discursivas e a circularidade cultural no campo das apropriações, observando o processo de circularidade cultural no trato com os componentes lusitanos. A análise estabeleceu discussões com referência à produção doutrinária, política, literária e religiosa, além de manifestos, entrevistas e depoimentos, ou seja, elementos bibliográficos que contribuíram para a compreensão do integralismo brasileiro, notadamente em relação ao líder Plínio Salgado, que foi o principal mentor do movimento. Com base no conceito de cultura política, a investigação propôs a análise do pensamento evolutivo do líder integralista centrada no contexto de influência lusitana e basicamente católica, preceito que o acompanhou por toda a vida. A pesquisa foi organizada com base na compreensão das obras do autor, desde as primeiras produções na década de 1910 até seus últimos escritos em 1975. Pertencente a uma família conservadora e tradicional do interior paulista, nasceu em 1895, na cidade de São Bento do Sapucaí. Ainda jovem foi para São Paulo onde se destacou intelectualmente nos anos de 1920, para posteriormente formar, na década seguinte, o primeiro movimento de massa do Brasil: a Ação Integralista Brasileira. Com matrizes múltiplas, Salgado tinha como propósito a construção de uma doutrina política original. No entanto a circularidade de ideias do período fez com que o Chefe sofresse influências consideráveis para a formação de seu pensamento, tendo, em Portugal, o exemplo doutrinário, o Integralismo Lusitano: um movimento de cunho nacionalista da direita radical que teve visível formação embasada na precursora do conservadorismo, a Action Française, que assim como todos os grupos políticos do princípio do século XX estabeleceram uma resposta prática à teoria proferida pelo Papa Leão XIII, em 1891, através da Rerum Novarum. Após a influência lusitana na formação do pensamento pliniano e a idealização do integralismo, novamente Portugal foi um destaque na organização doutrinária do autor, quando ficou exilado nos anos de 1939 a 1946, momento que utilizou para reordenar o seu pensamento, ações e articulações políticas, tendo a vertente do espiritualismo católico como força central. Com o fim do período ditatorial varguista, retornou para o Brasil com a afirmação de ser um luso-brasileiro, passando a ser um defensor supremo da política de António de Oliveira Salazar, imagem que seguiu até o fim da vida. Uma das propostas da tese está na abordagem do movimento integralista a partir de uma multiplicidade de perspectivas, mas com predominância de uma análise comparativa com Portugal. A tese buscou a verificação das ações políticas a fim de contribuir para o melhor entendimento da relação Portugal-Brasil, através da análise do conservadorismo radical ampliando esse foco com o português. O pensamento político-cristão do autor possui uma importância significativa para a História Política do século XX, não só para o Brasil, pois suas ações e os diálogos estabelecidos com grupos lusitanos são fundamentais para a compreensão da política dos dois países

Adapting a circular system through business model experimentation can generate profit and sustainable growth for fashion firms. Business model experimentation explores novel opportunities to be at the forefront of transforming existing markets. Remanufacturing is one circular strategy that entails the process of recovering both raw material and value from end-of-life products for the production of new items. Remanufacturing in the context of business model experimentation is a promising solution in the fashion and textile industry to drive the transition into a circular economy. Through case study research the phenomenon of remanufacturing business model experimentation within the fashion and textile industry is investigated. The case phenomenon is investigated by means of the Re:workwear project, in which the brand Cheap Monday uses discarded workwear for a remanufactured collection next to its common collection. The focus of the study is on remanufacturing business model experimentation alongside the brand’s business-as-usual and decisive factors of this phenomenon. The processes and -steps within experimentation were analysed through semi-structured interviews with various involved parties of the supply chain. A framework combining the Business Model Canvas and the stepwise approach of business model experimentation by Bocken et al. (2017) is developed and applied throughout the research. It is found that (1) motivation and scope, (2) input material, (3) flexibility, (4) stakeholder collaboration and (5) system development are decisive factors for remanufacturing business model experimentation. Further research is necessary to investigate the phenomenon in other settings and within a variety of other firms in the industry in order to test the findings and validate the generalisability.

The hemocompatibility of crystalline Silicon Carbide (SiC), in its cubic form (i.e., 3C-SiC), has been evaluated and compared to Silicon (Si), the leading material in biosensing applications. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a hard, chemically robust material, very well suited for harsh environment applications, and has been suggested to have very good biocompatibility. Additionally, SiC in its amorphous form, has been used as a coating for medical implantable devices such as bone prosthetics and cardiovascular stents. However, assessment of single crystal 3C-SiC for cardiovascular applications has not been reported. In this research we have studied the interactions of single crystal 3C-SiC with platelets and human microvascular endothelial cell (HMVEC) to assess the degree of hemocompatibility of 3C-SiC. The more hemocompatible a material is, the less platelet adhesion would be expected. Using fluorescence microscopy higher platelet adhesion was statistically observed on Si than on SiC. In addition 3C-SiC surfaces showed less platelet reactivity, measured by the degree of platelet adhesion, aggregation and activation, with mostly circular morphology of adhered platelets while Si showed an elevated presence of non-activated (Circular) platelet clumps. Additionally, HMVEC proliferation assessment suggest that 3C-SiC performs comparably to high attachment culture wells with enhanced proliferation, without affecting cell morphology. These results suggest that 3C-SiC is a promising candidate for applications in the blood stream due to its low thrombogenic characteristics and good hemocompatibility.

O paradigma de circularidade cultural entre a comunidade judaica e a sociedade romana foi construído pela historiografia através da análise do contato sociocultural e embates entre romanos e judeus que, ao longo da história, ocuparam o mesmo espaço em diversas regiões anexadas ao Império Romano. As relações de poder estabelecidas entre Roma e Jerusalém, após a ocupação da Judéia, apontam para uma hierarquização nas relações sociais, culturais e políticas entre romanos e judeus. O conceito de circularidade cultural de Carlo Ginzburg nos permite, a partir da trajetória de Flávio Josefo, identificar a dualidade no mundo social de Josefo, na qual, de um lado estavam as culturas dominantes (sociedade romana) e, do outro, as culturas subalternas (comunidades judaicas) que, apesar da marcação das diferenças, se influenciavam reciprocamente. / The paradigm of cultural circularity between the Jewish community and Roman society built by historiography through analysis of the cultural contact and clashes between Romans and Jews. They occupied same space in different regions of the Roman Empire. Power relations established between Rome and Jerusalem after the occupation of Judea indicate a hierarchy in social, cultural and political relations between Jews and Romans. The concept of cultural circularity of Carlo Ginzburg identifies a duality in the Josephus social world. The influence of dominant cultures (Roman society) and subordinate cultures (Jewish communities) was reciprocal.