High-entropy carbide ceramics (HECs) represented by (TiZrHfNbTa)C, as an important component of the new generation of ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) system, have shown broad application prospects in extreme service environments such as spacecraft thermal protection systems, thanks to their excellent oxidation resistance and ablation resistance, extremely high melting points, and good hardness and strength matching. However, the inherent brittleness of HECs has become a key factor restricting their further application in ultra-high-temperature structural components. Carbon fibers possess remarkable characteristics such as low density, near-zero thermal expansion coefficient, ultra-high specific strength and specific modulus, and excellent thermal conductivity. The UHTCs-based composites constructed by introducing carbon fibers into the UHTCs matrix not only achieve a significant improvement in fracture toughness that is difficult for single ceramic materials to reach, but also possess comprehensive performance advantages such as low density, high mechanical strength, and excellent thermal shock resistance. However, the full play of the mechanical properties of UHTCs-based composites highly depends on an efficient load transfer mechanism between the fibers and the matrix, and the insufficient interfacial bonding strength has become a key bottleneck restricting their performance improvement.

Republic of Korea launched its national emissions trading system (K-ETS) in 2015 and is currently in Phase 3 of implementation. As one of the most prominent examples of a successfully established national ETS, the K-ETS covers 73.5% of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during Phase 3, playing a pivotal role in achieving national mitigation goals. This study reviews the institutional development of the K-ETS over the past decade and assesses the performance and limitations of its key components—allocation, trading, and compliance—based on operational data. It also provides a quantitative assessment of emissions reporting and verification procedures, the use of Korean Credit Unit (KCU), and the application of flexibility mechanisms such as banking and borrowing. The analysis highlights several institutional improvements, including the expansion of auctioned allocations, adoption of the benchmarking (BM) method, and introduction of market facilitators. These reforms have contributed to a significant increase in market activity, driven by a broader range of participants, greater use of flexibility mechanisms, and influence of policy events. Based on the findings, the paper proposes policy directions to enhance market liquidity, institutional credibility, and mitigation effectiveness. The study offers valuable insights for designing the forthcoming Phase 4 of the K-ETS and supporting Republic of Korea’s carbon neutrality target for 2050.

A recent study investigated the tensile behavior and microstructural evolution of rubber-modified engineered cementitious composites (R-ECC) under coupled thermal–mechanical loading conditions. Unlike conventional post-heating evaluations, the research examined real-time tensile responses of R-ECC at elevated temperatures ranging from 25 ℃ to 150 ℃. The results reveal that while increasing temperature reduces tensile strength, sub-high temperatures (70–100 ℃) can significantly enhance ductility through favorable fiber-matrix interactions. The findings provide new insights into the design and application of ECC materials for structures operating in elevated-temperature service environments.

Identifying structural damage with limited sensors based on modal parameters is a significant research topic aimed at evaluating the impact of damage on structural health. The latest work has extracted the index using limited sensors based on principal component analysis and discrete wavelet transform to detect the damage location. It is well-equipped for conducting detection analysis of structural health monitoring.

Critical lifeline systems such as transportation networks, water supply, and energy infrastructure are increasingly exposed to extreme natural hazards. A newly published review highlights how smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), a powerful mesh-free numerical method, is transforming the simulation and visualization of complex lifeline disasters such as dam-break floods and debris flows, offering new opportunities for emergency safety assessment and disaster mitigation.

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) operate under complex ocean conditions, where currents generate vortex shedding that can trigger platform oscillation, affecting turbine safety and energy output. This study uses high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to explore how different flow incidence angles (0°, 90°, 180°) influence the vortex-induced motion (VIM) of a semi-submersible FOWT platform. Results show clear differences in surge, sway, and yaw responses when the current direction changes, with strong lock-in behavior occurring at reduced velocity V_R = 6–10. The work highlights how pontoons and cross braces suppress VIM amplitudes by disturbing the wake patterns. The findings provide valuable insight for improving design safety and optimizing hydrodynamic performance of FOWT platforms.

Powered descent is the make-or-break phase for pinpoint soft landing, yet fuel and mass uncertainties can derail optimized trajectories. A new study, published in the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cja.2025.103914), proposes a worst-case robust convex-optimization approach plus receding-horizon closed-loop guidance to keep trajectories feasible and improve landing accuracy under adverse mass variations.

The systematic under-valuation of nature is creating growing risks for the global financial system, raising the prospect of a “Nature’s Minsky Moment” - a sudden repricing of assets triggered by ecosystem collapse. A new peer-reviewed study shows how recent advances in NatureFinTech now make it possible to measure ecosystem integrity at scale, enabling nature to be financed as critical infrastructure and laying the groundwork for a new asset class called Nature Equity.

A pioneering open-source modeling framework is enabling mapping of high-resolution, stakeholder-informed pathways to net-zero emissions for nations worldwide. Researchers at Princeton University describe a new standard for decision-support modeling, drawing from their experiences leading the influential Net-Zero America project and catalyzing an expanding global network of "Net-Zero X" studies.