bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Change in BMI and Fitness among Primary School Children in Austria: A 24-Month Follow-Up Study of 303 Children Measured before and during the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Jarnig Gerald , Kerbl Reinhold , van Poppel Mireille N. M.
Published: May 2022

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic not only impacted the health of school children directly through SARS-CoV-2 infections, but the associated closures of schools and sports facilities also resulted in long-term negative side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19-related mitigation measures on the health and fitness status of primary school children in Austria. A total of 303 primary school children participated in the longitudinal study. Data on height, weight, and fitness were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2019) and at one-year intervals (September 2020 and September 2021) during the course of the pandemic. In the first year, from September 2019 to September 2020, there were alarming increases in body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores (SDSs) (from 0.32 to 0.49) and dramatic decreases in both cardiorespiratory endurance (CRE) (from 0.49 to −0.43) and action speed (from −0.31 to −0.64). In the second year (September 2020 to September 2021), the BMI scores stabilized, and improvements in CRE were observed, especially in the subgroup of children who were members of sports clubs. In the future, more initiatives and projects, in addition to sports club activities, should be started and expanded, particularly in schools, to specifically counteract the observed health damage and, thus, have a positive effect on the development of all children, especially those without sports club membership.
State of the Art of Automated Buses
Authors: Ainsalu Jaagup , Arffman Ville , Bellone Mauro , Ellner Maximilian , Haapamäki Taina , Haavisto Noora , Josefson Ebba , Ismailogullari Azat , Lee Bob , Madland Olav , Madžulis Raitis , Müür Jaanus , Mäkinen Sami , Nousiainen Ville , Pilli-Sihvola Eetu , Rutanen Eetu , Sahala Sami , Schønfeldt Boris , Smolnicki Piotr Marek , Soe Ralf-Martin , Sääski Juha , Szymańska Magdalena , Vaskinn Ingar , Åman Milla
Published: May 2022

Urban transportation in the next few decades will shift worldwide toward electrification and automation, with the final aim of increasing energy efficiency and safety for passengers. Such a big change requires strong collaboration and efforts among public administration, research and stakeholders in developing, testing and promoting these technologies in public transportation. Working in this direction, this work provides a review of the impact of the introduction of driverless electric minibuses, for the first and last mile transportation, in public service. More specifically, this paper covers the state of the art in terms of technological background for automation, energy efficiency via electrification and the current state of the legal framework in Europe with a focus on the Baltic Sea Region.
Does Contextual Factor Influence Travelers’ Towel Reuse Behavior? Insights from Circular Economy
Authors: Rafiq Farrukh , Adil Mohd , Sadiq Mohd
Published: May 2022

This study examines the role of environmental knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, and willingness to sacrifice on travelers’ towel reuse behavior. Additionally, it tests whether environmental consciousness moderates the effect of environmental knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, willingness to sacrifice, and attitude towards towel reuse on actual towel reuse behavior. The proposed research model was tested using Amazon Mechanical Turk data. Using partial least square structural equation modelling, we analyzed the hypotheses. The results demonstrate that environmental knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, and willingness to sacrifice have significant influences on travelers’ towel reuse behavior. Additionally, findings about environmental consciousness indicate that high levels of environmental consciousness can help bridge the attitude-behavior gap. To bridge the gap between travelers’ attitude and behavior, managers should develop communication strategies to raise awareness and a sense of responsibility among them.
Energy Efficient Clustering Protocol for FANETS Using Moth Flame Optimization
Authors: Bharany Salil , Sharma Sandeep , Bhatia Surbhi , Rahmani Mohammad Khalid Imam , Shuaib Mohammed , Lashari Saima Anwar
Published: May 2022

FANET (flying ad-hoc networks) is currently a trending research topic. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have two significant challenges: short flight times and inefficient routing due to low battery power and high mobility. Due to these topological restrictions, FANETS routing is considered more complicated than MANETs or VANETs. Clustering approaches based on artificial intelligence (AI) approaches can be used to solve complex routing issues when static and dynamic routings fail. Evolutionary algorithm-based clustering techniques, such as moth flame optimization, and ant colony optimization, can be used to solve these kinds of problems with routes. Moth flame optimization gives excellent coverage while consuming little energy and requiring a minimum number of cluster heads (CHs) for routing. This paper employs a moth flame optimization algorithm for network building and node deployment. Then, we employ a variation of the K-Means Density clustering approach to choosing the cluster head. Choosing the right cluster heads increases the cluster’s lifespan and reduces routing traffic. Moreover, it lowers the number of routing overheads. This step is followed by MRCQ image-based compression techniques to reduce the amount of data that must be transmitted. Finally, the reference point group mobility model is used to send data by the most optimal path. Particle swarm optimization (PSO), ant colony optimization (ACO), and grey wolf optimization (GWO) were put to the test against our proposed EECP-MFO. Several metrics are used to gauge the efficiency of our proposed method, including the number of clusters, cluster construction time, cluster lifespan, consistency of cluster heads, and energy consumption. This paper demonstrates that our proposed algorithm performance is superior to the current state-of-the-art approaches using experimental results.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Comparative Analysis of Standing Electric Scooters’ European Regulations Integrated with the Aspect of Forensic Traumatology
Authors: Buongiorno Luigi , Stellacci Alessandra , Cazzato Gerardo , Caricato Pierluigi , Luca Benedetta Pia De , Tarantino Francesca , Baldassarra Stefania Lonero , Ingravallo Giuseppe , Marrone Maricla
Published: May 2022

Fuel-driven cars are widely considered unsustainable and contrary to the new paradigm of smart growth planning. The need to reform transport behavior, policies, and infrastructure is among the priorities in urban policies around the world. Electric vehicles are an emerging technology that could advance sustainability programs. In the past year, there has been a rapid increase in the diffusion of electric scooters in several European cities, but various states have been unprepared for the rapid spread of green micro-mobility from a regulatory point of view. In addition, in parallel with the spread, there have been numerous road collisions involving standing electric scooters. The aim of this study was to obtain a detailed view of this phenomenon. We focused on the current legislation on electric micro-mobility at the European level to study and summarize the different attitudes adopted by various states whose regulations are present on the web. (It was not possible to evaluate the regulations of all European countries because they are not all available on online platforms.) The elements assessed in the various regulation were age limits, speed limits, compulsory use of helmets, administrative penalties, and the obligation to insure the new e-vehicle (standing scooter). In this study, we analyze the state of the art in electric micro-mobility, highlight the current situation’s limits, and propose new strategies to adequately integrate this new smart vehicle into the urban transport network.
Abandoned Croplands: Drivers and Secondary Succession Trajectories under Livestock Grazing in Communal Areas of South Africa
Authors: Moyo Bethwell , Ravhuhali Khuliso Emmanuel
Published: May 2022

Cropland abandonment has been happening in different parts of the world and is being driven by socio-economic, ecological, edaphic, and environmental factors. Most of the research focusing on drivers of cropland abandonment, succession trajectories, and responses to active restoration initiatives has been conducted in the republic of Nepal and regions such as Europe and America. In South Africa, the impact of cropland abandonment on household livelihoods, changes in vegetation and soil properties, and soil seed bank statuses have been conducted mainly in the Eastern Cape Province. The drivers of cropland abandonment in South Africa are like those observed in other countries, except for a few, which are country-specific such as poor support of communal farmers compared to their counterparts in the highly mechanised commercial farming sector. There is also a shift from low input cropping in the distant fields to high input cultivation in homestead gardens. Research results elsewhere suggest a woody growth suppressive effect of grazing, particularly average grazing intensities, being crucial in suppressing woody proliferation while high grazing intensities are detrimental to herbaceous species’ richness and promote woody species’ encroachment. A combination of fire and grazing alters the natural succession trajectory by promoting fire-tolerant species and arresting woody species. Similar to other countries, cropland abandonment is associated with colonisation by alien invasive species which are favoured by cropping legacies, such as altered soil levels of pH, Nitrogen, and phosphorus. Furthermore, limited moisture in semi-arid areas promotes the encroachment of indigenous woody species. Secondary succession in abandoned croplands can be manipulated for the benefit of livestock production in communal areas by introducing management strategies that will discourage encroachment by both invasive and indigenous woody species which lowers the grazing capacity. Furthermore, active restorative practices, such as reseeding with indigenous mid succession perennial grasses and legumes, will improve forage quality in abandoned croplands. Our understanding of succession trajectories under various unique disturbance regimes experienced in South Africa, such as communal grazing of abandoned croplands, compared to situations in other parts of the world is limited. Furthermore, the influence of other factors such as fire, soil fertility, and moisture needs to be understood.
Environmental Drivers and Social Structure Features behind the Low Reproductive Success of Dusky Groupers Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area
Authors: Lozano-Quijada Felio , González-Correa José Miguel , Bayle-Sempere Just Tomàs
Published: May 2022

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered key tools for achieving the sustainability of coastal fisheries by allowing habitat and species conservation by means of use regulations and active management. The effects of protection are more visible in slow-growing, high site fidelity and late-maturing species such as dusky grouper, a flagship species for all the fishermen and divers in the Mediterranean Sea. We studied the reproductive behavior of dusky grouper at Tabarca Island Marine Protected Area (TIMPA) in order to: (a) describe its temporal pattern; (b) evaluate the relationships among reproductive behavior and environmental factors and (c) verify the effects of social structure on reproductive activity. We observed all the behavior patterns previously reported in other studies besides the final spawn event. Our results evidenced that the monthly average density of dusky groupers tended to increase when temperature rose close to the seabed and without defined temporal limits for reproductive behavior. Among the environmental factors considered, visibility exhibited a very strong effect on the reproductive behavior of dusky grouper, interacting significantly with seabed temperature and thermocline. Regarding the effects of social structure, reproductive activity was positively correlated with the presence of large-sized individuals. We have discussed the differential facts of the reproductive activity of dusky groupers observed at TIMPA relating the results to the biogeographical location, the patterns of the environmental drivers (such as the seabed temperature per day, the thermocline, the visibility, the stream force, the photoperiod and the divers per day) and the structure of the habitat. These negative results contrast with the existing knowledge and generate new working hypotheses useful to improve the efficiency of MPAs and the sustainability of coastal fisheries.
Revealing the Chemical Profiles of Airborne Particulate Matter Sources in Lake Baikal Area: A Combination of Three Techniques
Authors: Semenov Mikhail Y. , Marinaite Irina I. , Golobokova Liudmila P. , Semenov Yuri M. , Khodzher Tamara V.
Published: May 2022

Positive matrix factorization (PMF) is a widely used multivariate source apportionment technique. However, PMF-derived source profiles are never compared to real ones because of the absence of data on the chemical composition of source emissions. The aim of this study was to verify the validity of PMF-derived source profiles using the diagnostic ratios (DR) method and end-member mixing analysis (EMMA). The composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in particulate matter (PM) sampled in the air above Lake Baikal in summer and the composition of inorganic elements (IE) in PM accumulated in Lake Baikal snowpack were used as study objects. Five PAH sources and five IE sources were identified using PMF. Eight PAHs and six IEs selected from PMF-derived source profiles were recognized as eligible for calculating the DRs (species 1/(species 1 + species 2)) suitable for testing PMF results using EMMA. EMMA was based on determining whether most samples in mixing diagrams that use DR values as coordinates of source points could be bound by a geometrical shape whose vertices are pollution sources. It was found that the four PAH sources and four IE sources obtained using PMF were also identified using EMMA. Thus, the validity of the most of PMF-derived source profiles was proved.
The Interactive Influence of Institutional Quality and Resource Dependence on Regional Economic Growth: Evidence from China’s Resource-Based Provinces
Authors: Ma Jing , Ahn Young-Gyun , Lee Min-Kyu
Published: May 2022

In China, after experiencing high resource dependence (RD) and extensive development, some regions that once had abundant resource reserves have fallen into a state of long-term economic stagnation. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of the relationship, the influencing mechanisms, and the key influencing factors between natural resources and regional economic development will help to clarify the change in and the development of China’s resource-based regions. This study takes 19 resource-based provinces in China as the research object, and it builds an analysis model that includes the regional economic growth, the RD, the institutional quality (IQ), the technological innovation (TI), and other variables, on the basis of panel data from 2000 to 2019. China’s actual research conclusions. First, there is a substantial negative correlation between RD and economic development; that is, at the current stage of economic development in the sample provinces, the resource-curse (RC) phenomenon exists, and RD has become an obstacle to economic growth. Moreover, through further research, we find that institutional relationships between quality and economic growth are not apparent, but there is a significant positive correlation between the interaction term of the IQ and RD and economic growth. Finally, TI plays an important intermediary function in the relation between RD and economic growth; high-quality TI can significantly reduce the adverse impact of RD on economic growth. The conclusions of this study help enrich the connotation of the “resource curse” theory in terms of emerging economies, and the policy implications have guiding significance for China’s ongoing “regional economic transformation and sustainable development.”
Integrated Recreation Cities and Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia: Contributions, Constraints, and Policies
Authors: Alyousef Tufail , Alshihri Faez , Abdellatif Mahmoud , Alrawaf Tareq , Abdellatif Reham
Published: May 2022

Despite the importance of integrated recreation cities (IRC) to the wellbeing of individuals, families, and society, there is only one IRC which is under development in Saudi Arabia (KSA). This research aims to study the potential contributions of IRCs to sustainable development in KSA, the constraints facing them, and effectuation policies to support their applications. To achieve this goal, the research used a documentary inductive approach, which includes a review of related literature and an applied approach that includes field surveys of a random sample of 160 experts and officials. In addition to articulating the most significant contributions of IRCs and the most important constraints facing them, the research was able to provide a number of policies and measures useful in guiding the development of new IRCs in KSA and Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA) in support of sustainable development. The contributions of this research are aligned with that put forward by the 2030 Vision of KSA, which considers the promotion of “recreational development” a necessary step to achieve environmental, economic, and social sustainability for the Saudi society.
Influence Paths and Spillover Effects of Agricultural Agglomeration on Agricultural Green Development
Authors: Xu Pei , Jin Zehu , Tang Huan
Published: May 2022

Analyzing the impact of agricultural industrial agglomeration (AIG) on agricultural green development (AGD) is of a great significance to realizing the sustainable and high-quality development of agriculture. Panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2009 to 2019 were analysed. For measuring efficiency, a non-parametric DEA approach in the presence of undesirable outputs, a slack-based measure (SBM) was used. From the perspective of the spatial spillover analysis and heterogeneity analysis, Moran’s I index and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) were used to empirically analyze the impact of AIG on AGD to alleviate conflicts between agricultural sustainable development and environmental pollution and further explore the regional heterogeneity of AIG on AGD-efficiency due to the vast territory of China. The mediation model is constructed to explore the paths of AIG affecting AGD. The results show that: (1) Chinese efficiency of AGD was raised continuously and the high efficiency was mainly located in the southeastern coastal areas. (2) AIG not only has a significant U-shaped impact on the AGD, but also has a nonlinear U-shaped spatial spillover effect in related regions, which shows that the “siphon effect” will be triggered in the early stage of AIG and the “diffusion effect” will be evoked in the later stage of AIG. (3) From the perspective of heterogeneity analysis, AIG significantly promotes the efficiency of AGD in the central region of mainland China. In the eastern region, the AIG has an inverted U-shaped effect on the efficiency of AGD from positive to negative. On the contrary, the AIG has a U-shaped impact on the efficiency of AGD from negative to positive in the western region. (4) The analysis of the mediation model plays a partial positive mediating role for AGD to persist in promoting technology innovation and increasing the speed of talent agglomeration. Accordingly, suggestions are provided to strengthen the coordination and cooperation in sustainable agricultural development among provinces, to drive the efficiency of science and technology through the scale knowledge spillover effect, and to conduct a scientific layout of agricultural industry development.
Entitlement, Indeterminacy and Professional Discretion in Urban Planning: Problematising a Child’s Right to Clean Air for Play in London
Authors: Taylor Brigid , Nunes Richard
Published: May 2022

The interaction between air quality and play space receives less focus in planning than it has in public health and environmental sciences research. In this paper, seven local planning authorities of inner London (UK) were sampled from the 10 boroughs with the worst air quality in parks. Greenwich, with significantly better air quality, was included for comparison. The selected authorities were validated against deprivation data, ensuring variance in socio-economic terms. Across this sample, 21 major residential planning applications were assessed, alongside a document analysis of planning policy documents for each authority. Lastly, five semi-structured interviews with different practitioners collectively provided multi-disciplinary perspectives on the planning processes across the sample. Despite the national government having conferred children a right to leisure space and a healthy environment via international conventions, the English planning system, as an institutional rights framework, is not consistently prioritising the delivery of children’s play space nor delivering play space where the air quality has been robustly assessed. In other words, such rights have been subjugated to other priorities in limited urban space in London. Therefore, a discretionary planning system does not preclude individual human rights from becoming disadvantaged under democratically controlled decision-making processes.
Blockchain Technology in Operations & Supply Chain Management: A Content Analysis
Authors: Lohmer Jacob , Ribeiro da Silva Elias , Lasch Rainer
Published: May 2022

Scholars are increasingly examining how the distributed blockchain technology can counter specific supply chain and operations management challenges. Various research approaches emerge from different scholarly backgrounds, but the interrelation of research areas and current trends has not been adequately considered in a systematic review. We employ a data-driven content analysis approach to examine previous research on blockchain technology in operations management and supply chain management. We investigate the extent to which blockchain technology was considered in scholarly works, structure the research efforts, and identify trends, interrelated themes, and promising research opportunities. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis is conducted on an extensive literature sample of 410 articles. Results indicate an optimistic attitude due to potentials such as tracking and tracing abilities, efficiency increases, and trust-building. Conceptual studies dominate the literature set, with increasing qualitative research efforts. Grand theories are seldomly addressed in the studies. Blockchain technology is outlined as particularly useful when combined with other technologies like IoT. We also identified sustainability implications of the technology, such as enabling transparency for SC stakeholders. Cryptocurrencies can facilitate further efficiency gains if legal uncertainties are reduced. The study is concluded with managerial and theoretical implications and future research opportunities.
Influence of Miscanthus Rhizome Pyrolysis Operating Conditions on Products Properties
Authors: Klemencova Katerina , Grycova Barbora , Lestinsky Pavel
Published: May 2022

Waste from the Miscanthus production cycle may be a promising source of material for the pyrolysis and biochar production. The biochar can be used to enrich the soil on which the crop grows, thus increasing productivity. A sample of Miscanthus rhizomes was used as a raw material in a series of experiments in order to find the most suitable conditions for the preparation of biochar. Miscanthus biochar was prepared in a laboratory unit using four different temperatures (i.e., 400, 500, 600 and 700 °C). All pyrolysis products were subsequently evaluated in terms of their quality and product yields were determined. For a temperature of 600 °C and a residence time of 2 h, the appropriate properties of biochar were achieved and the process was still economical. The biochar contained a minimal number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and a high percentage of carbon. Surface area was measured to be 217 m2/g. The aqueous extract of biochar was alkaline.
GIS-Based Modeling for Vegetated Land Fire Prediction in Qaradagh Area, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Authors: Salar Sarkawt G. , Othman Arsalan Ahmed , Rasooli Sabri , Ali Salahalddin S. , Al-Attar Zaid T. , Liesenberg Veraldo
Published: May 2022

This study aims to estimate the susceptibility of fire occurrence in the Qaradagh area of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, by examining 16 predictive factors. We selected these predictive factors, dependent on analyzing and performing a comprehensive review of about 57 papers related to fire susceptibility. These papers investigate areas with similar environmental conditions to the arid environments as our study area. The 16 factors affecting the fire occurrence are Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), slope gradient, slope aspect, elevation, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Topographic Position Index (TPI), distance to roads, distance to rivers, distance to villages, distance to farmland, geology, wind speed, relative humidity, annual temperature, annual precipitation, and Land Use and Land Cover (LULC). To extract fires that occurred between 2015 and 2020, 121 scenes of satellite images (most of them are scenes of Sentinel-2) were used, with the aid of a field survey. In total, 80% of the data (185,394 pixels) were used for the training dataset in the model, and 20% of the data (46,348 pixels) were used for the validation dataset. Conversely, 20% of these data were used for the training dataset in the model, and 80% of the data were used for the validation dataset to check the model’s overfitting. We used the logistic regression model to analyze the multi-data sites obtained from the 16 predictive factors, to predict the forest and vegetated lands that suffer from fire. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed models. The AUC value is more than 84.85% in all groups, which shows very high accuracy for both the model and the factors selected for preparing fire zoning maps in the studied area. According to the factor weight results, classes of LULC and wind speed gained the highest weight among all groups. This paper emphasizes that the used approach is useful for monitoring shrubland, grassland, and cropland fires in other similar areas, which are located in the Mediterranean climate zone. Besides, the model can be applied in other regions, taking the local influencing factors into consideration, which contribute to forest fire mitigation and prevention planning. Hence, the mentioned results can be applied to primary warning, fire suppression resource planning, and allocation work. The mentioned results can be used as prior warnings of the outbreak of fires, taking the necessary measures and methods to prevent and extinguish fires.
The Research on the Damping of Prestressed Membrane Structure Subjected to the Impact Load
Authors: Shu Zhe-Feng , Ma Yue , Zhang Anqi , Liu Ping
Published: May 2022

The damping ratio plays a main role in the vibration of membrane structures. In order to study the damping force of air application to membrane structures, this present paper investigated the vibration response of a membrane structure subjected to impact loads. Eight experiments with the application of different tension forces to a tension membrane structure were conducted, and the impact load was simulated using a rigid bullet with a certain velocity. The displacement data were obtained using a laser displacement meter. FEM was used to simulate the vibration, and the results had good agreement. The results show that the effect of air applied to a prestressed membrane was equivalent to viscous damping, and the damping force was determined using the air. The damping ratio was proportional to the density of the air over the density of the membrane. The parameter of the coefficient could be determined using the geometry of the structure.
Switching Intention and Behaviors to Wetland Ecotourism after the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Perspective of Push-Pull-Mooring Model
Authors: Wu Ying-Wei , Liao Ting-Hsiu , Yeh Shang-Pao , Huang Hao-Chen
Published: May 2022

This study used a push–pull–mooring model (PPM model) to build an integrated model to explain the influencing factors of tourists’ switching intention to wetland ecotourism after the COVID-19 pandemic. The push effect is crowding perception, the pull effect is nature-based destination attractiveness, and the mooring effect is the risk perception of COVID-19. The study collected 551 valid research samples by questionnaire survey in two world-class wetlands in Taiwan. The results of the regression analysis showed that push, pull, and mooring influenced tourists’ switching intention to wetland ecotourism. Among them, the mooring effect regulated the relationship between the push effect and switching intention to wetland ecotourism, but did not regulate the relationship between the pull effect and switching intention to wetland ecotourism. Finally, the switching intention to wetland ecotourism further influenced wetland ecotourism behaviors. It is expected that people can go outdoors after the COVID-19 pandemic and bring substantial economic benefits of tourism to wetland ecological attractions in Taiwan.
Corporate Governance Mechanisms and ESG Reporting: Evidence from the Saudi Stock Market
Authors: Bamahros Hasan Mohamad , Alquhaif Abdulsalam , Qasem Ameen , Wan-Hussin Wan Nordin , Thomran Murad , Al-Duais Shaker Dahan , Shukeri Siti Norwahida , Khojally Hytham M. A.
Published: May 2022

The code of corporate governance in Saudi Arabia places a greater focus on social responsibility initiatives by Saudi companies and the reporting of such activities to the community. The current study examines the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures amongst Saudi companies. In particular, we extend previous studies by covering unique Saudi corporate governance mechanisms (i.e., the presence of members of the royal family on the board (BROY) and of external members on the audit committee (ACEXT)), and their impact on ESG disclosure. Using 206 company-year observations for Saudi listed companies spanning the period 2010 to 2019, we find the presence of BROY and ACEXT has a positive and significant association with ESG disclosure. The findings of this study may help policymakers to develop regulations regarding corporate governance mechanisms to enhance ESG disclosure.
Attitudes towards Digital Educational Technologies among Russian University Students before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Novikova Irina A. , Bychkova Polina A. , Novikov Alexey L.
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated the digitalization of education around the world. There has been a lot of recent research on university students’ attitudes towards digital educational technologies (DET) in different countries, but much fewer studies examine how these attitudes change during the pandemic. The purpose of the present exploratory study is to compare the attitudes towards DET among Russian university students majoring in psychology before the start of the pandemic and at its different stages. A mixed method research design was used. The quantitative part of the study included The University Students’ Attitudes toward DET Questionnaire developed by the authors, and the qualitative part of this study included percentage and thematic analyses of answers to additional multiple choice and open-ended questions. The main findings of the study confirm significant changes in attitudes towards DET at the very beginning of the pandemic, and their relative stabilization later. Additional analysis based on the literature review revealed that the advantages and disadvantages of DET listed by Russian university students and students from other countries, generally coincide. The data obtained will be useful in the development of digital competence among university students.
Spatio-Temporal Evolution Dynamic, Effect and Governance Policy of Construction Land Use in Urban Agglomeration: Case Study of Yangtze River Delta, China
Authors: Zhang Biao , Shao Dian , Zhang Zhonghu
Published: May 2022

The urban construction land change is the most obvious and complex spatial phenomenon in urban agglomerations which has attracted extensive attention of scholars in different fields. Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration is the most mature urban agglomeration in China, a typical representative in both China and the world. This paper analyzes the evolution dynamic, effect and governance policy of urban construction land in Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration 2011–2020 using a combination of BCG model, decoupling model and GIS tools. The findings are as follows. (1) There are large intercity differences in urban construction land in urban agglomerations, but the spatial heterogeneity is gradually decreasing. (2) The change trends and evolution patterns of urban construction land in urban agglomerations are increasingly diversified, with emergence of a variety of types such as rapid growth, slow growth, inverted U-shape, stars, cows, question and dogs. (3) The population growth, economic development and income improvement corresponding to the change of urban construction land in urban agglomerations have no desirable effect, with most cities in the expansive negative decoupling state. (4) The decoupling types show increasingly complex changes, in evolution, degeneration and unchanged states. Affected by economic transformation and the outbreak of COVID-19, an increasing number of cities are in strong negative decoupling and degeneration states, threatening the sustainable development of urban agglomerations. (5) Based on the division of urban agglomerations into three policy areas of Transformation Leading, Land Dependent, and Land Reduction, the response strategies for each are proposed, and a differentiated land use zoning management system is established.
Commitment Indicators for Tracking Sustainable Design Decisions in Construction Projects
Authors: Al-Tekreeti Mustafa S. , Beheiry Salwa M. , Ahmed Vian
Published: May 2022

The construction industry is considered one of the largest contributors to climate change through its consumption of natural resources and generation of greenhouse gases. Much of this can be attributed to inadequate decision making and follow-up within construction companies. To mitigate this problem, considerable research on Sustainable Development (SD) reports on decision support systems have been developed in order to make sound decisions with respect to the environment. Nonetheless, and despite the availability of such tools, these systems fail to track the commitment to SD decisions and goals during the different phases of construction projects in general and the design phase in particular. As such, this study identified three standard SD indicators: waste reduction, energy consumption, and carbon emissions as the main contributors, and developed the framework to track the project stakeholders’ commitment to the relevant SD indicators during the project design phase. The developed framework was validated via an expert panel and used to create a Sustainable Development Commitment Tracking Tool (SDCTT-D). The SDCTT-D tool was also applied in an infrastructure project case study. The results of this study gauged the usability of the developed tool and corroborated the research premise.
Correction: Ferriz Bosque et al. Using Design Thinking to Improve Cook Stoves Development in Mexico. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3843
Authors: Ferriz Bosque Elena , Muneta Luisa M. , Romero Rey Gregorio , Suarez Berta , Berrueta Víctor , Beltrán Alberto , Masera Omar
Published: May 2022

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...]
Impact of Inter-Annual Variation in Meteorology from 2010 to 2019 on the Inter-City Transport of PM2.5 in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region
Authors: Chen Dongsheng , Jin Xin , Fu Xinyi , Xia Lin , Guo Xiurui , Lang Jianlei , Zhou Ying , Wei Wei
Published: May 2022

Air pollution has become a great challenge to achieving sustainable development. Among the pollutants, aerosols significantly affect human health and play an important role in global climate change. The concentration of aerosols in the ambient air is influenced strongly by the regional transport of pollutants and their precursors and may vary considerably under different meteorological conditions in different years. This inter-annual variation in meteorology may yield conflicting results in the quantification of the contribution from regional transport of air pollutants. It creates uncertainty for local governments to develop pollution control measures to reduce the challenges to sustainable development. Previous studies on this issue are often year-specific or cover short time spans, and the inter-city transport of air pollutants in the long term is still not fully understood. Therefore, in this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was used to assess inter-annual variations in the contribution of inter-city transport to the PM2.5 concentration in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region from 2010 to 2019. To highlight the impact of inter-annual variations in meteorology, the authors used the same emission inventory and the same model configurations for the 10-year simulation. The major findings can be summarized as follows: (1) Both PM2.5 concentration and inter-city transport in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region were influenced by the inter-annual variation in meteorological conditions. (2) The simulated annual average concentrations in 13 cities in BTH are highly variable, with fluctuations ranging from 30.8% to 54.1%, and more evident variations were found in seasonal results. (3) Seven out of thirteen cities have a contribution from regional transport exceeding 50%, which are located in the eastern half of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. (4) The magnitude of the regional transport contribution varies significantly among the cities of BTH, on an annual basis, from a minimum inter-annual fluctuation of 8.9% to a maximum of 37.2%, and seasonal fluctuation is even more strongly evident. These results indicate that, when formulating pollution control strategies, inter-annual changes in meteorological conditions should not be ignored.
The Impact of Fintech on Economic Growth: Evidence from China
Authors: Song Na , Appiah-Otoo Isaac
Published: May 2022

Financial technology (fintech) has seen fast development recently in China; however, studies exploring the contributions of fintech to China’s economic growth remain limited. Thus, this study motivated by the knowledge gaps and fast expansion of fintech examined: (i) the impact of fintech and the submeasures of third-party payment, credit, and insurance on China’s economic growth; (ii) the regional and provincial impact of fintech on China’s economic growth; (iii) the causality relationships between fintech and economic growth. By using a sample of 31 provinces in China and the instrumental variable generalized method of moments (IV–GMM) technique, the study established the following: (i) fintech and the submeasures of third-party payment, credit, and insurance have a statistically significant positive effect on China’s economic growth. Specifically, a 10% rise in fintech, third-party payment, credit, and insurance raises China’s economic growth by 8%, 4%, 5%, and 16%, respectively; (ii) the eastern region has the highest growth effect of fintech. Moreover, Zhejiang province has the highest growth effect of fintech at the provincial level; (iii) a unidirectional causality exists from third-party payment and credit to economic growth, and economic growth to insurance; a bidirectional causality exists between fintech and economic growth. This article explicitly suggests substantial institutional reforms to promote the healthy development of fintech in China.
What Matters Most for Neighborhood Greenspace Usability and Satisfaction in Riyadh: Size or Distance to Home?
Authors: Ledraa Tahar , Aldegheishem Abdulaziz
Published: May 2022

Much research work has been carried out on larger urban parks. Smaller neighborhood greenspaces have not received as much academic attention, particularly in sprawling large cities of the developing world. This paper examines the frequency of use and user satisfaction with smaller urban greenspaces within the residential neighborhoods of Riyadh metropolitan city, Saudi Arabia. To measure use frequency and satisfaction level differentials among neighborhood residents, gap analysis using paired samples t-test was performed to assess the differences between mean score ratings of expected (pre-use) and experienced (post-use) feelings of user satisfaction with local greenspace features. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to measure user satisfaction. Pearson r correlation coefficient, chi-square test and F-test were also used to examine the relationships between dependent (usability and satisfaction) and independent variables. The findings show that smaller size, close-to-home neighborhood greenspaces in Riyadh fell short of drawing many users or meeting user expectations. Larger local greenspaces however, managed to attract much more users even from relatively far-away neighborhoods. Size rather than closeness to home is a much stronger determinant affecting use frequency and user satisfaction with local neighborhood green spaces. It is therefore recommended to amend the city’s planning codes and regulations that require the provision of local greens based on service or catchment areas of 500–800 m. They should insist instead on the need for a minimum area requirement of such facilities if their usability and user satisfaction are to be enhanced.
A Structural Credit Risk Model Driven by the Lévy Process under Knightian Uncertainty
Authors: Huang Hong , Ning Yufu , Chen Xiumei
Published: May 2022

The classic credit risk structured model assumes that risky asset values obey geometric Brownian motion. In reality, however, risky asset values are often not a continuous and symmetrical process, but rather they appear to jump and have asymmetric characteristics, such as higher peaks and fat tails. On the other hand, there are real Knight uncertainty risks in financial markets that cannot be measured by a single probability measure. This work examined a structural credit risk model in the Lévy market under Knight uncertainty. Using the Lévy–Laplace exponent, we established dynamic pricing models and obtained intervals of prices for default probability, stock values, and bond values of enterprise, respectively. In particular, we also proved the explicit solutions for the three value processes above when the jump process is assumed to follow a log-normal distribution. Finally, the important impacts of Knightian uncertainty on the pricing of default probability and stock values of enterprise were studied through numerical analysis. The results showed that the default probability of enterprise, the stock values, and bond values were no longer a certain value, but an interval under Knightian uncertainty. In addition, the interval changed continuously with the increase in Knightian uncertainty. This result better reflected the impact of different market sentiments on the equilibrium value of assets, and expanded decision-making flexibility for investors.
Uncertainty of Preferences in the Assessment of Supply Chain Management Systems Using the PROMETHEE Method
Authors: Ziemba Paweł , Gago Izabela
Published: May 2022

The use of Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems allows for the improvement of an organization’s operations. Companies use many Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems that also include SCM functionalities. As a result, the selection of the right system to be used in the enterprise is a complex problem. The use of multi-criteria decision aid (MCDA) methods provides the possibility of system ordering in a ranking, based on an asymmetric preference relation, symmetric indifference and incomparability relations. The aim of the article is to evaluate ERP systems in terms of their support for SCM. The scientific contribution of the article is the study of the impact of various degrees of uncertainty of the decision-maker’s preferences on the evaluation results and the analysis of the impact of various approaches to the preferences of alternatives on the final ranking. An approach based on MCDA Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) was used for the study. The decision model uses 12 criteria, three different preference functions and two variants of the PROMETHEE method (I and II). In this way, a total of six rankings were built, and each of them includes seven systems, supporting the management of the supply chain. As a result of the study, it was found that the highest functionality in logistics is characterized by the Oracle E-Business Suite system, which is more functional than SAP ERP and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. The remaining analysed systems offer much less functionality. The applied approach, which was possible with the use of various preference functions, allowed three different levels of uncertainty in the preferences of decision-makers to be taken into account in the study. Moreover, the application of two different variants of the PROMETHEE method made it possible for the obtained solution to take into account the uncertainty of positions taken by individual ERP systems in the final rankings.
A New Meshless Method for Solving 3D Inverse Conductivity Issues of Highly Nonlinear Elliptic Equations
Authors: Chang Chih-Wen
Published: May 2022

In this research, the 3D inverse conductivity issues of highly nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) are investigated numerically. Even some researchers have utilized several schemes to overcome these multi-dimensional forward issues of those PDEs; nevertheless, an effective numerical algorithm to solve these 3D inverse conductivity issues of highly nonlinear elliptic PDEs is still not available. We apply two sets of single-parameter homogenization functions as the foundations for the answer and conductivity function to cope with the 3D inverse conductivity issue of highly nonlinear PDEs. The unknown conductivity function can be retrieved by working out another linear system produced from the governing equation by collocation skill, while the answer is acquired by dealing with a linear system to gratify over-specified Neumann boundary condition on a fractional border. As this new computational approach is based on a concrete theoretical foundation, it can result in a deeper understanding of 3D inverse conductivity issues with symmetry and asymmetry geometries. The homogenization functions method is rather stable, effective, and accurate in revealing the conductivity function when the over-specified Neumann data with a large level of noise of 28%.