bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of State of Health of Lithium-Ion Battery Using Health Index Informed Attention Model
Authors: Wei Yupeng
Published: February 2023

State-of-health (SOH) is a measure of a battery’s capacity in comparison to its rated capacity. Despite numerous data-driven algorithms being developed to estimate battery SOH, they are often ineffective in handling time series data, as they are unable to utilize the most significant portion of a time series while predicting SOH. Furthermore, current data-driven algorithms are often unable to learn a health index, which is a measurement of the battery’s health condition, to capture capacity degradation and regeneration. To address these issues, we first present an optimization model to obtain a health index of a battery, which accurately captures the battery’s degradation trajectory and improves SOH prediction accuracy. Additionally, we introduce an attention-based deep learning algorithm, where an attention matrix, referring to the significance level of a time series, is developed to enable the predictive model to use the most significant portion of a time series for SOH prediction. Our numerical results demonstrate that the presented algorithm provides an effective health index and can precisely predict the SOH of a battery.
RP-HPLC-Based Bioanalytical Approach for Simultaneous Quantitation of Cinnarizine and Domperidone in Rat Plasma
Authors: Vij Mohit , Dand Neha , Kumar Lalit , Ankalgi Amardeep , Wadhwa Pankaj , Alshehri Sultan , Shakeel Faiyaz , Ghoneim Mohammed M. , Alam Prawez , Wani Shahid Ud Din
Published: February 2023

An accurate, precise and sensitive reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) bioanalytical approach was developed for the simultaneous estimation of cinnarizine (CIN) and domperidone (DOM) in rat plasma using irbesartan (IRB) as an internal standard (IS). The proposed RP-HPLC approach was validated as per the latest ICH M10 guidelines. The analytes (CIN and DOM) and IS were extracted from plasma samples using the protein precipitation strategy. Chromatographic separation is accomplished by a C18 SunfireTM (5 µm, 250 mm × 4.6 mm) analytical column, using an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-methanol in 30:70 proportions at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The detection of all three constituents was recorded at a wavelength of 270 nm with a UV detector. DOM, CIN and IS were eluted at 3.2, 4.5 and 6.1 min, respectively, utilizing a total run time of 10 min. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 ng/mL for CIN and DOM in rat plasma. The proposed RP-HPLC approach was linear in the 5–200 ng/mL range for CIN and DOM. The recovery of the method was greater than 95%, and the relative uncertainty was less than 2%, indicating that the proposed bioanalytical approach was accurate and precise. The limit of detection was established as 1.1 ng/mL for CIN and 1.7 ng/mL for DOM. The created approach was found to be robust and passed all validation criteria; thus, the proposed RP-HPLC approach can be employed successfully for the simultaneous assessment of CIN and DOM in rat plasma.
Experimental Study on the Separation Performance of an Intermittent Discharge Concentrated Hydrocyclone
Authors: Liu Peikun , Wang Hui , Jiang Lanyue , Zhang Yuekan , Li Xiaoyu , Zhang Yulong , Li Zishuo
Published: February 2023

In the pretreatment for the solid–liquid separation of sewage, the traditional hydrocyclone cannot reasonably achieve a high underflow concentration and high separation efficiency at the same time. An intermittent discharge concentrated hydrocyclone was proposed in this paper to solve this problem. In order to determine the specific separation performance of the intermittent discharge concentrated hydrocyclone, this paper studied the influence of the structure parameters and process parameters on its separation performance through experimental testing. The results indicate that increasing the overflow backpressure improves the separation efficiency but reduces the underflow concentration; that increasing the diameter of the overflow pipe and reducing the diameter of the underflow orifice improve the underflow concentration but reduce the separation efficiency; and that a proper increase in the inlet pressure simultaneously increases the separation efficiency and underflow concentration. The parameter combinations of the hydrocyclone were separately optimized for the underflow concentration and total separation efficiency.
Understanding the Vicious Cycle: Relationships between Nonconsensual Sexting Behaviours and Cyberbullying Perpetration
Authors: Hu Yunhao , Clancy Elizabeth Mary , Klettke Bianca
Published: February 2023

With the increased ubiquity of digital technology, sexting behaviours, defined as the online sending, receiving, or disseminating of sexually explicit messages, images, or videos, have become increasingly frequent, particularly among young adults. While prior research found sexting behaviours to be associated with cyberbullying behaviours, the role of consent as part of this association has been largely unexplored. The current study investigates whether the relationship between sexting behaviours and cyberbullying perpetration might be explained by a subset of nonconsensual sexting behaviours, such as engagement in nonconsensual sext dissemination and sext-hassling. A large convenience sample of young Western cisgendered adults (n = 1688, M age = 23.15, SD = 3.23, 52.7% women) completed an anonymous online survey exploring harmful online behaviours (nonconsensual sext dissemination, sext-hassling, cyberbullying victimisation/perpetration). A hierarchical logistic regression was used to analyse predictive relationships between variables. The results showed no significant association between consensual sext-sending and cyberbullying perpetration in young adults. However, nonconsensual sexting behaviours, particularly sext-hassling and nonconsensual sext dissemination, were predictive of cyberbullying perpetration. Finally, cyberbullying victimization appeared to be the most strongly associated factor with cyberbullying perpetration. These findings suggest that future research and prevention efforts surrounding sexting and cyberbullying perpetration would benefit from a focus on consent and the bidirectional nature of cyberbullying behaviours.
Street Art in Aveiro: City Walls as Dialogic Spaces of Collective Memories and Identity
Authors: Simões Anabela V.
Published: February 2023

In urban centers around the world, street art has become an unavoidable element of the landscape. Located in west-central Portugal, Aveiro is no exception to this trend, and the art form has been used to enhance the cultural vibrancy of a place where tourism is one of the most important economic pillars. Seeking to look beyond the value of street art as a tourism product, by combining observations and photos from field research with bibliographic and documental data, as well as residents’ responses on social media, this paper adopts an autoethnographic approach to offer an exploratory, (self-)reflexive perspective on how street art has evolved into a phenomenon that has contributed to locals’ cultural identity (re)construction. Drawing on Jan Assmann’s cultural memory theory, it is argued that street art can be understood as a form of communicative memory, an ephemeral vehicle into our history, knowledge, traditions and practices, one that, by retelling the story of who we are, stimulates awareness of selfhood and a feeling of belonging to a place and a community.
Alternative and Traditional Media on Twitter: Ecuador National Strike of 2019
Authors: Medranda-Morales Narcisa , Sánchez-Montoya Roberto , Palacios Mieles Victoria
Published: February 2023

The constant demands of citizens to be informed in real time have made Twitter an ideal tool for mass use. This social network has originated a new user of social communication, and is used to present public images and appeal to the population, at the same time that it is displacing the pre-eminence of traditional communication media. During the national strike in Ecuador in October 2019, alternative and conventional media used this platform to inform, generate debate, carry out calls and mobilizations, and position perspectives. This study analyzes the tweets and hashtags published on the most viral days of the strike. A mixed methodology was applied, i.e., qualitative and quantitative. The techniques applied were discourse analysis and the systematic review of each hashtag. The sample was taken from the hashtags published by traditional and alternative media from October 3 to 13. As the main result, it was concluded that the published hashtags had a high impact on informing users and, to a certain extent, on the calls that were made.
Same-Sex Parenting Competence Evaluation: The Role of Gender Essentialism, Political Orientation, and Attribution of Conflict
Authors: Ballone Chiara , Pacilli Maria Giuseppina , Teresi Manuel , Taurino Alessandro , Paolini Daniele , Pagliaro Stefano
Published: February 2023

Many countries are discussing LGBT rights, such as the right to wed and create a family. Despite research indicating that there is no reason to deny same-sex couples the right to be parents, negative attitudes persist concerning the quality of parenting by gay and lesbian individuals. The purpose of this study (N = 436) was to explore the relationship between the attribution of conflict in same-sex couples and the attribution of lower parenting competencies. We examined the attribution of conflict within heterosexual vs. same-sex couples in order to determine if the alleged conflict attributed to the latter can be used in a strategic manner to justify reduced same-sex parenting competence. Results showed a positive association between the attribution of conflict and lower parenting competence, especially in the same-sex couple evaluation. Furthermore, the attribution of conflict appears to be associated with a conservative political stance, gender essentialist beliefs, and homonegativity. A moderated mediation model confirmed our prediction, revealing that right-wing (vs. center and left-wing) participants considered same-sex couples to be less competent as parents due to the attribution of conflict within the couple. Results might be useful to foster the dissemination of reliable information about same-sex parent families.
Socio-Developmental Network Analysis: Establishing a Research Method to Examine Socio-Contextual Dynamics of Children in the Mockingbird FamilyTM
Authors: Patmisari Emi , McLaren Helen , Jones Michelle
Published: February 2023

In recent years, social network analysis has had its own distinctive theoretical and methodological underpinnings. This article proposes a novel method for the application of a fused mixed-methods approach and social network analyses that incorporates the critical aspects of numerous characteristics of children’s social development in a statutory care setting. We collected data from children involved in the Mockingbird Family out-of-home care model, following its implementation in Australia. Our approach involves three steps: social-developmental network indicators, relational dynamics, and social-developmental network narrative. We contend that this approach has the potential to provide powerful data representation that facilitates the understanding of the complexities of children’s social development, the links between different positions and roles of children, and their social network in the Mockingbird family. Using exemplars, we show the potential of the research method to unearth rich data for seeking to understand the system change important for strengthening children’s safe and protective environments.
Understanding Motivations for Individual and Collective Sustainable Food Consumption: A Case Study of the Galician Conscious and Responsible Consumption Network
Authors: Lema-Blanco Isabel , García-Mira Ricardo , Muñoz-Cantero Jesús-Miguel
Published: February 2023

Although consumer attitude towards sustainable food has increased over time, scientific research suggests that more profound comprehension is needed of the social and psychological dimensions that condition consumers’ willingness to purchase food items produced in a sustainable way. The current study attempts to understand the individual motivations that drive conscious consumption, in both the individual and collective spheres, expressed through joining a local social innovation in the food domain. A multi-method design was used, which combined participatory observation, document analysis, and twenty-six in-depth interviews with members of eight local food consumption initiatives located in the Galician region (Spain). The findings reveal that sustainable food purchasing is driven by the individual’s motivation to maintain a healthy diet, pro-environmental and social values, environmental awareness, and attachment to Galician rural areas. Concerning motivations underlying people’s willingness to engage in conscious and responsible consumption initiatives, the first reason relates to the fulfilment of basic needs (affordability and accessibility to organic, low-carbon, and fair-trade goods), followed by sociopolitical goals and the aspiration to satisfying social and psychological needs such as the need for connectedness or the desire for autonomy and control over one’s purchasing decisions.
Analyzing the Impact of Geographic Environment Differences on the Dual Backwardness of Rural Economy and Information in the Perspective of Digital Poverty
Authors: Fang Zhi , Huang Li , Zhang Huan
Published: February 2023

This paper mainly focuses on the causes, states and relationship structure of digital poverty of rural residents. The research samples consist of 60 rural residents from two rural areas in Shaanxi Province. The survey data is obtained through a one-to-one in-depth semi-structured interview method, and exploratory analysis is conducted by qualitative coding. The results show that the causes of digital poverty of rural residents include three dimensions: insufficient digital efforts, insufficient digital support and poor digital experience. Based on this, this paper puts forward some suggestions including strengthening information education, strengthening investment in digital construction and strengthening the support for characteristic industries in rural areas to implement the digital poverty reduction action of rural residents from the integrated perspective of information ecology theory and public cultural service system construction.
Quantifying Progress Made in Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 in Chile: A Holistic and Local Approach
Authors: Madrazo-Ortega Daniela , Molinos-Senante Maria
Published: February 2023

The implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) in Chile, a middle-income country, has only been partially measured, mainly due to the lack of the data required to quantify all indicators related to this goal. Quantifying the progress made in achieving SDG 6 is particularly relevant in countries such as Chile, which is currently facing major drought and water management issues. This research aims to quantify all indicators in SDG 6 based on a holistic and local approach. In doing so, a three-step process is proposed: a critical analysis of SDG 6 indicators using the specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound (SMART) indicators framework, a new definition proposal for indicators when necessary, and lastly, a composite index capable of reflecting the progress made toward achieving SDG 6. The results show that none of the targets in SDG 6 have been achieved in Chile. The main challenges the country faces are related to integrated water resource management, transboundary arrangements, and community participation in water management. Conversely, Chile’s performance in water supply and sanitation services is closer to the target. This research contributes a group of specific indicators for Chile, which provide an inexpensive and pragmatic way to measure the progress made in achieving SDG 6.
Research on Lithium Technology Safety Issues: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Li Kai , Su Qiudan , Ma Xiaofan , Zhang Haifeng
Published: February 2023

(1) Background: Lithium plays an extremely important role in the national economy. However, the chemical activity of lithium metal leads to many safety problems in the application of lithium technology, which is the bottleneck problem restricting the development of lithium technology. The purpose of this paper is to describe the research status of lithium technology safety issues visually and dynamically, elucidate the pressing issues in this field and reveal future development trends. (2) Methods: In this paper, metrology literature analysis and knowledge graph methods were adopted. With the help of visualization tools, namely, CiteSpace and VOSviewer, literature data exported from the Web of Science were analyzed in a multi-angle and all-round way. (3) Results: The number of papers in the field of lithium technology safety showed an accelerating trend. Close collaboration between authors and institutions. The scope of the research has gradually shifted from the early focus on the medical application of lithium and the resulting safety issues to the health and safety of lithium batteries. (4) Conclusions: Lithium technology safety is a hot topic in the current academic community. Future research trends will continue to focus on the safety problems and solutions of lithium technology, and pay more attention to sustainable development, especially the research on the improvement and optimization of lithium-ion battery performance.
Comprehensive Benefit of Crop Straw Return Volume under Sustainable Development Management Concept in Heilongjiang, China
Authors: Mao Jia , Zhao Ziang , Li Xiangyu , Zhao Honggang , Lin Ciyun
Published: February 2023

Straw burning can cause serious environmental pollution, whereas returning straw to the fields, as a green production method, can improve the rural environment and strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture. According to statistics, China produced 797 million tons of straw in 2020, but the current straw return technology still needs to be improved; the ability of farmers to choose the correct amount of straw to be returned to the field and their awareness of environmental protection still need to be strengthened. Straw is still openly burned in some areas, causing environmental pollution and the waste of resources, which are contrary to the concept of sustainable development in China. In this study, we estimated the amount of straw resources in Heilongjiang Province, a major grain-producing province in China, by quantifying the production of major crops between 2011 and 2020. We then identified and analyzed the current problems in terms of policy support and other aspects. We used an integrated AHP-fuzzy evaluation method to evaluate the comprehensive benefits of different straw return amounts, and we determined the amount of straw that should be returned to the soil to produce the best comprehensive benefits. We provide suggestions for the current main problems regarding the amount of crop straw to return to the soil in Heilongjiang Province, arguing that choosing a reasonable straw return amount will help farmers increase profit, reduce environmental pollution, and contribute to the sustainable development of the environment.
Determinants of Household Food Security during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia
Authors: Akbar Akbar , Darma Rahim , Fahmid Imam Mujahidin , Irawan Andi
Published: February 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted national and household food security in Indonesia. The objectives of this study were to: (1) identify the socio-economic characteristics of Indonesian households related to food security, (2) analyze the factors that have affected household food security during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (3) provide recommendations for improving programs to increase household food security. The study was conducted in eight provinces in Indonesia, namely North Sumatra, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, East Java, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara. Data collection was carried out from April to July 2020. The results showed that 50.63% of the households surveyed were food insecure. The binary-logit-regression-model results showed that variables of gender, age, family size, education, occupation, income, and expenditure on food had a significant effect on household food security status. Variables that had a positive influence on household food security were gender, age, education, occupation, income, and food expenditure. On the other hand, household size had a negative effect on household food security. The marginal effect of gender was 0.035, age was 0.058, education was 0.192, type of work was 0.016, income level was 0.521, and food expenditure was 0.114, while for the number of family members the marginal effect was 15.725. This study was conducted in eight provinces affected by COVID-19, using the Household-Food- Insecurity-Access-Scale and binary-logit model approaches, which had never been performed before. Policy and program recommendations for increasing household food security in Indonesia are presented.
The Failure Characteristics and Energy Evolution Pattern of Compound Coal–Rock under the Action of Cyclic Loading
Authors: Zhang Guohua , Wang Lei , Qin Tao , Li Ji , Liu Gang , Li Yubo
Published: February 2023

Based on the entire loading process of compound coal–rock, test pieces with three different coal/rock ratios (1:3, 1:1, and 3:1) have been constructed and the corresponding cyclic loading experiments have been carried out. Through the experiment, the deformation and failure characteristics of the compound coal–rock samples have been explored and the stage evolution characteristics of energy density have been subsequently analyzed. Ultimately, the relation between deformation failure and the energy evolution mechanism has been established, and thus the reasons behind rock bursts in the coal–rock compounds have been discussed. The experimental results indicate that with the increase in cyclic loading, the stress–strain curve of the compound coal–rock demonstrates a positive shift, whereas the change in the hysteretic curve from dense to sparse results in a “hysteresis expansion”. The increase in the coal body height increases the chance of brittleness failure of the compound coal–rock. The coal body, as the main controlling factor of compound coal–rock failure, generates cracks that expand to the rock body along the juncture of the coal and rock, leading to instability. The energy density evolution curve can be described by a quadratic function. The evolution process is initiated from the slow increase in input energy density and elastic energy density. A large amount of energy is stored through the rapid increase in the density mentioned above. At last, the evolution is completed by a surge in dissipated energy. The energy evolution drives the crack expansions in the compound coal–rock under load. The energy accumulation in the compound coal–rock is increased by the exploitation of the clamping effect of the thick and hard top and bottom plate. The risk of rock burst is intensified by the failure of the coal body because of the energy in the coal–rock system. The study results help to comprehend the energy evolution pattern in the surrounding rock of deep mining roadways and expand the prevention methods for impact ground pressure.
Reverse Chain for Electronic Waste to Promote Circular Economy in Brazil: A Survey on Electronics Manufacturers and Importers
Authors: Neto Geraldo Cardoso de Oliveira , Correia Auro de Jesus Cardoso , Tucci Henrricco Nieves Pujol , Melatto Rosângela Andrade Pita Brancalhão , Amorim Marlene
Published: February 2023

Government requirements for the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by electronics manufacturers and importers has raised some difficulties in structuring the reverse chain of WEEE in Brazil, notably due to the territorial extension of the country. The need to implement circular economy practices (CE) in the reverse chain of WEEE has been acknowledged as a key requirement for sustaining the international competitiveness of Brazilian companies. In this context, this study sets up to evaluate the flows of the reverse chain of WEEE, aiming to promote CE as well as its actions for the recycling, reuse, remanufacturing, and reduction of WEEE in Brazil. The study identifies and characterizes key manufacturing decisions for developing waste management capabilities, including the need for waste management responsibilities for installing and operating the collection points and transporting waste to recyclers. Likewise, the study highlights the relevance of the adoption of strategies for selling recycled materials to the secondary market, along with reusing and reducing the use of virgin materials. Initially, the managerial strategy is based on recycling and remanufacturing actions due to short-term monetary revaluation, in addition to the immediate resolution of the complex problem. It should be noted that the decision to outsource WEEE management does not exempt the manufacturer from reusing and reducing material consumption, an important contribution that must be taken into account in organizational practice, beyond the immediate resolution of the complex problem.
Factors Influencing the Coordinated Development of Urbanization and Its Spatial Effects: A Case Study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region
Authors: Sun Xuesong , Zhang Chunwang , Tan Qi
Published: February 2023

The purpose of the coordinated development of urbanization is to achieve the coordination of the internal subsystems of urbanization and the spatial coordination within the region. The coordinated development level of urbanization and its spatial effect are affected by many factors. Based on the influence mechanism of coordinated development of urbanization, in this study, the evaluation index system of coordinated development of urbanization and the analysis of influencing factors are constructed respectively. The coupling coordination model, fixed effect model and spatial lag model are used to analyze the coordinated development level and influencing factors of urbanization in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the changes of influencing factors before and after the spatial effects are compared. The results are as follows: although the coordinated development level of urbanization in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region shows a trend of increasing year by year, the spatial differentiation phenomenon is becoming more and more obvious. In this process, the internal and external influencing factors of coordinated development of urbanization play a decisive role. In addition, after the spatial effect is included, the significance level of the influencing factors has changed, and the promotion effect on the coordinated development of urbanization is reduced. The performance is as follows: there is insufficient population transfer and employment among regions, low spatial spillover effect of economic development, strong dependence on land finance, expansion of habitat destruction and low degree of governance coordination, imbalance between public resource allocation and public service supply, lack of unified market-oriented environment and strong government intervention. The key points of future policies and reforms are as follows: under the guidance of the national strategic thinking, we should deepen the reform of the administrative system of the government, actively break through the institutional obstacles restricting the coordinated development of urbanization, continuously optimize the state of the urbanization system and form a joint force of coordinated development.
Analysis of the Hydrochemical Characteristics and Genesis of Bosten Lake, China
Authors: Wang Xiaolan , Aji Dilinuer , Tuoheti Saimire
Published: February 2023

The hydrogeochemical evolution of Bosten Lake has an important impact on the lake’s ecology and water environment. Kriging interpolation, principal component analysis and Piper and Gibbs charts were used to analyze the hydrochemical characteristics and genesis of Bosten Lake in summer and autumn. The following are the main conclusions: (1) In summer and autumn, the hydrochemistry of the lake follows the order of SO42− > Cl− > HCO3− > Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+. (2) The concentrations of TDS, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl− and HCO3− in Bosten Lake increased significantly in autumn. Ion concentrations in most of the Little Lake District were higher than those in the Great Lake District. (3) In summer, ion correlation was strong, the evaporation effect was strong and the TDS contribution rate was high. Evaporation was weak in autumn, and Mg2+ and Ca2+ contributed more. (4) The hydrochemical type (SO4·Cl-Na·Mg) was the same in both seasons; in summer, the Great and Little lakes were mainly characterized by evaporation and crystallization; in autumn, evaporation crystallization was dominant in the Great lake. (5) The ions mainly came from the dissolution of gypsum, salt rock, calcite, etc. Cationic alternating adsorption occurred in summer.
Repurposing a Geothermal Exploration Well as a Deep Borehole Heat Exchanger: Understanding Long-Term Effects of Lithological Layering, Flow Direction, and Circulation Flow Rate
Authors: Kolo Isa , Brown Christopher S. , Falcone Gioia , Banks David
Published: February 2023

In the drive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, decarbonisation of heating is essential. This can be facilitated by geothermal energy, but drilling geothermal wells is associated with high risks and costs. The use of preexisting wells (e.g., exhausted hydrocarbon wells or failed geothermal exploration boreholes) offsets this cost while potentially turning liabilities into assets. The Newcastle Science Central Deep Geothermal Borehole (NSCDGB) is a geothermal exploration well that was drilled to target the Carboniferous Fell Sandstone Formation at 1418.5 to 1795 m depth. However, low hydraulic conductivities prevented the development as a conventional “wet” geothermal abstraction well; therefore, new alternative methods of development are being explored. This work investigates the repurposing of the NSCDGB as a deep borehole heat exchanger (DBHE), focusing on the sustainable operation of the system in the long term by employing a constant heat load designed to contribute to local buildings or a heat network. Numerical modelling was undertaken by using OpenGeoSys software to analyse the thermal and hydraulic performance of the system. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous models were developed to compare the influence of lithological layering in contrast to a homogeneous (nonstratified) subsurface geological model. Results from homogeneous simulations modelling the DBHE to a depth of 922 m show that a 50-kW heat load can be supported for a lifetime of 25 years. This corresponds to a 65-kW building load when coupled to a heat pump with a coefficient of performance of 4.33. Thus, the DBHE could meet up to 72% of the heat demand of the adjacent urban sciences building. Rather than being a purely hypothetical case study, this work considers a real existing borehole, adjacent to a building cluster which could make use of the geothermal heat. Heterogeneity, which has been considered for the first time at the NSCDGB site, exhibits a minor impact in comparison to homogeneous simulation results. Flow direction and mass flow rate also exhibited small effects on the system performance, whereas if the exploration well could be repurposed to increased depths, the heat load could be increased. This is the first study of a coaxial DBHE at the NSCDGB site considering long-term effects of mass flow rate, heterogeneity, and flow direction. The study evaluates the feasibility of repurposing an exploratory geothermal well in the UK as a DBHE that can be used as a low-carbon heat source for space heating, thus converting liabilities into potential “green energy” assets.
Determining the Key Drivers for the Acceptance and Usage of AR and VR in Cultural Heritage Monuments
Authors: Wen Xinlu , Sotiriadis Marios , Shen Shiwei
Published: February 2023

An increasing number of visitor attractions and monuments are designing and implementing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies and services to enhance tourists’ experiences and make their visit more attractive and enjoyable. It is essential to acquire an in-depth understanding of AR/VR applications and their influence on consumers’ experience. This paper set to investigate the key factors influencing tourists to adopt and use AR and VR applications by exploring the consumers’ perceptions within the cultural heritage settings, focusing on the use of technological tools during the on-site experience (core service experience). This study applied the Ntheoretical basis of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) and suggested a research model of twelve hypotheses. The latter was empirically investigated within the Chinese context in two cultural heritage monuments. The findings indicated that AR/VR technology plays an important role in influencing the tourism experience. Performance expectancy, price value, habit, personal innovativeness, and involvement significantly positively affect behavioral intention. The most important drivers are price value and facilitating conditions. This study’s contribution is twofold: (i) theoretical, by elaborating an extended framework for digital technologies implemented in a challenging field of visitors’ experience, and (ii) practical, by formulating a set of suggestions for industry practitioners as well as designers and developers of AR/VR applications regarding the effective design and implementation of AR/VR technologies in cultural heritage monuments.
Executive’s Environmental Protection Background and Corporate Green Innovation: Evidence from China
Authors: Bai Xiyan , Lyu Chan
Published: February 2023

Green innovation is crucial to the sustainable development of corporates. The executive’s environmental protection background has an impact on their comprehensive skills, value orientation, management style, and behavioral patterns, thus playing an important role in corporate green innovation strategy. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between executives’ environmental protection background and corporate green innovation and its boundary mechanisms. Using data of A-share listed companies in China from 2007 to 2021, this relationship was empirically investigated using Stata analysis software and the establishment of a fixed-effects analysis model. Based on the upper echelons theory, this study finds that executive environmental protection background positively affects corporates’ green innovation. The above positive relationship persists when measures of green innovation and alternative regression models address robustness. Furthermore, this study explores the moderating role of the external environment and internal organizational factors (i.e., media attention and board independence). This study concludes that media attention and board independence positively moderate the positive relationship between executives’ environmental protection background and green innovation. The study contributes to the upper echelons theory and provides new insights into green innovation in emerging economies.
The Influence of Outdoor Activities and Campus Landscape on University Students’ Subjective Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Chen Huojin , Ye Jian-Hong
Published: February 2023

COVID-19 is reshaping the relationship between humans and their living environment, potentially generating a profound impact on human physical and mental health and quality of life. The objective of this study was to explore how outdoor activities and the campus landscape impacted the subjective well-being (SWB) of Chinese university students in the pre-COVID-19 era (before December 2019) and during the COVID-19 era (from December 2019 to early December 2022). This study collected 439 valid questionnaires from students at a Chinese university, with the questions focusing on the frequency and length of time that university students of different genders, grades, and abilities to cover their living expenses participated in outdoor activities in the pre- and COVID-19 eras, as well as the changes in their SWB. Paired sample t tests revealed a significant decrease in SWB during the COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era, while independent sample t tests and a one-way ANOVA showed that changes in the SWB of university students pre- and during COVID-19 were not related to their gender or their ability to cover their living expenses, but were related to their grades. Hierarchical linear regression showed that outdoor activities in the COVID-19 era had a significant effect on mitigating the decline in students’ SWB. These results suggest a proactive way to increase resilience to future public health challenges and other crises of human life safety.
Examining the Influence of UK Public Clients’ Characteristics on Their Own Innovation-Decision towards the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)
Authors: Saad Ali M. , Dulaimi Mohammed , Zulu Sambo Lyson
Published: February 2023

Construction has long been identified as an industry resistant to change and innovation, a reality that has prevailed to shape its overall reputation. The public sector includes an influential client type that dominates the major percentage of construction demand and is subject to public law. The Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) have been championed recently by the UK government and early adopters upon the emergence of data indicating their effectiveness in addressing key construction challenges. However, the uptake of MMC has been low among UK construction clients, particularly among public client organisations. Theories emerge across decades to inform researchers of variable clusters that can aid a broader understanding of decision-making and innovation adoption. One of the popular innovation theories suggests a relation between the characteristics of decision-makers and their own innovation decisions. This paper, therefore, aims to investigate the characteristics that are responsible for public clients’ low MMC uptake despite the associated relative advantages. Overall, 91 public client organisations have responded to this research’s survey, reflecting their organisation’s characteristics in line with the constructs adapted from the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory. Results suggest that among the ten influences that are captured from a detailed review of the literature, confidence in MMC firms supersedes all other factors in critically influencing the organisation’s favourable decision towards using MMC. Evidence provided in this paper suggests that a communication issue is presenting itself in the public construction sector, which is evident by the lack of confidence that public clients have in MMC businesses. This is the first study to utilise quantitative means to examine construction clients’ characteristics and relate the same to the adoption of construction innovation. Future research is encouraged to acknowledge the most influencing characteristics and detail how such knowledge can be embraced by supply to develop business models that can orchestrate better confidence in the public sector.
Potential for Economic Transition and Key Directions of Cross-Border Cooperation between Primorsky Krai (Russia) and Jilin (China)
Authors: Ji Mengchen , Li Fujia , Xu Shuangjie , Zhuang Yan , Bair Tsydypov , Bilgaev Alexey , Guo Kexin
Published: February 2023

The potential of cross-border regional cooperation development is important for evaluating the present and future capacity for regional development. Primorsky Krai (Russia) and Jilin (China) share borders and complementary advantages. China and Russia have growing intention to strengthen cooperation, with geopolitical considerations. This study constructs a regional development potential assessment index system from the perspective of cross-border cooperation, and it establishes a multilayer cross-border regional development potential assessment (RDPA) model with three layers: target, factor, and indicator. By coupling four modules (economic, social, transportation, and resource environment), this study builds a development potential value system. The results illustrate that Primorsky Krai and Jilin have potential for cross-border cooperative development. The results reveal that Primorsky Krai has comparative advantages in port logistics, agriculture, fishery, and mining, which are all complementary to Jilin. These are important directions for cross-border international cooperation. Additionally, this study provides suggestions on decision-making and strategy consultation for the international cooperation between Jilin and Primorsky Krai and creates references for the study of cross-border cooperation opportunities and challenges for other neighboring regions around the world.
Relationships between Average Wages in the Manufacturing Sector and Economic Indicators of the Manufacturing Sector in the Region of Visegrad Group Countries
Authors: Suhányi Ladislav , Suhányiová Alžbeta , Kádárová Jaroslava , Janeková Jaroslava
Published: February 2023

The role and position of the manufacturing sector changes over time. Its importance in the sustainable growth of the economy, innovations, trade, reducing energy demand, and environmental problems is currently being shown again. The study underlines the significance and importance of the manufacturing sector in the economy of countries, and the generally applicable economic principles are explicitly examined in regard to the manufacturing sector. It examines whether selected economic indicators of the manufacturing sector in the region of the Visegrad Group countries can affect the level of average wages in the sector. Wages represent a key determinant of attractiveness, as well as the potential to increase the standards of living and the long-term sustainability of a given sector. The selected economic indicators for the period 2008–2019 concerning average wages in the manufacturing sector were: FDI Flow, GDP, labour productivity, employment, and the number of hours worked in the manufacturing sector. The source of secondary data was the OECD database. A multiple regression model was used and tested. The suitability of the proposed model was tested using the ANOVA method. A significant effect was shown in the case of two of the examined variables, namely the GDP and employment in the manufacturing sector. Based on the findings of the study, it can be assumed that the sectoral GDP can positively affect average wages in the sector and the level of employment in manufacturing can negatively affect them. The summary of implications and proposals indirectly supports the need to develop and introduce innovations, new technologies, automation, and robotization, as well as for further implementation and support of Industry 4.0 and 5.0.
Smarter Sustainable Tourism: Data-Driven Multi-Perspective Parameter Discovery for Autonomous Design and Operations
Authors: Alsahafi Raniah , Alzahrani Ahmed , Mehmood Rashid
Published: February 2023

Global natural and manmade events are exposing the fragility of the tourism industry and its impact on the global economy. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism contributed 10.3% to the global GDP and employed 333 million people but saw a significant decline due to the pandemic. Sustainable and smart tourism requires collaboration from all stakeholders and a comprehensive understanding of global and local issues to drive responsible and innovative growth in the sector. This paper presents an approach for leveraging big data and deep learning to discover holistic, multi-perspective (e.g., local, cultural, national, and international), and objective information on a subject. Specifically, we develop a machine learning pipeline to extract parameters from the academic literature and public opinions on Twitter, providing a unique and comprehensive view of the industry from both academic and public perspectives. The academic-view dataset was created from the Scopus database and contains 156,759 research articles from 2000 to 2022, which were modelled to identify 33 distinct parameters in 4 categories: Tourism Types, Planning, Challenges, and Media and Technologies. A Twitter dataset of 485,813 tweets was collected over 18 months from March 2021 to August 2022 to showcase the public perception of tourism in Saudi Arabia, which was modelled to reveal 13 parameters categorized into two broader sets: Tourist Attractions and Tourism Services. The paper also presents a comprehensive knowledge structure and literature review of the tourism sector based on over 250 research articles. Discovering system parameters are required to embed autonomous capabilities in systems and for decision-making and problem-solving during system design and operations. The work presented in this paper has significant theoretical and practical implications in that it improves AI-based information discovery by extending the use of scientific literature, Twitter, and other sources for autonomous, holistic, dynamic optimizations of systems, promoting novel research in the tourism sector and contributing to the development of smart and sustainable societies.
Environmental Status Goods and Market-Based Conservation: An Arm of Ostrom’s Polycentric Approach?
Authors: Sanders Shane
Published: February 2023

Ostrom suggests that collective action problems may present an obstacle to the reduction in (external costs from) global greenhouse gas emissions and that a polycentric approach is necessary to find a solution. A market-based prong of such a polycentric solution—alongside, e.g., governance-based prongs such as transferable pollution permits—may lie in the nature of certain salient “environmentally friendly” goods (e.g., Toyota Prius, Tesla cars, home solar panels). The present study analyzes the social welfare consequences of positional conservation (i.e., consumption of salient environmentally friendly goods for the purpose of status signaling) within a choice theoretic model. For example, the Toyota Prius and Tesla have been shown to be such a type of good. In a two-good model of strategic consumer choice, in which consumers choose between a positional, “conservation good” and an externally costly, “non-conservation good”, we find that positional conservation improves social welfare if the unit external cost of the non-conservation good consumption is sufficiently large. In such a case, positionality serves to (partly or fully) correct an under-consumption of the positional good. Fershtman and Weiss find, within a one-good (action) model, that positionality can be corrective of distortions from positive externalities but not of distortions from negative externalities (e.g., pollution). Within a two-good model of consumer choice, we find that “social rewards” can help to correct distortions generated by negative externalities and improve social welfare. The results of the present study suggest that the Paretian objective may not be to curb positional spending but to shift positional spending toward conspicuous goods that are otherwise under-consumed (e.g., conservation goods or education).