bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on Design and Deformation Law of Pile-Anchor Support System in Deep Foundation Pit
Authors: Sun Yongshuai , Li Zhiming
Published: September 2022

In this study, a deep foundation pit project of Nanlishi Road in the Xicheng District of Beijing was taken as the engineering background. Based on the monitoring method of that project and referring to its design scheme principle, this study applied advanced monitoring technology methods such as anchor axial force and deep horizontal displacement monitoring. The mechanism of pile–soil interaction, the stress change and deformation law of the three-pile and two-anchor support systems of deep foundation pits, and the stability of deep foundation pit support in an anhydrous sandy pebble stratum, were studied in depth. Results show: The axial force of the anchor rod had great loss in the early stage of prestressed tension locking; with the deepening of foundation pit excavation, the lateral pressure of stratum increased gradually, and the prestress of the anchor increased until the end of excavation, where it tended to be stable; the maximum horizontal displacement of the pile was smaller than the design value, and the maximum horizontal displacement was not at the top of the pile; the axial force of the prestressed anchor varied with the formation pressure and surrounding load; the tension of the lower anchor had a certain influence on the axial force of the upper anchor. Except for the east side of the foundation pit, the anchors of the first layer were all stabilized at about 140 kN, and the anchors of the second layer were stabilized at about 150 kN. The third row of anchors on the north side was stable at around 170 kN. By analyzing the variation law of stress and deformation of the supporting structure of the foundation pit, the timeliness of the data during the construction process was improved, and a reference is provided for the informatization construction of related working conditions.
Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Cost Analysis through the Lens of Uncertainty: A Scoping Review
Authors: Barahmand Zahir , Eikeland Marianne S.
Published: September 2022

Researchers have long been interested in developing new economic assessment methods to provide credible information and facilitate the sustainable development of new technologies and products. The techno-economic analysis (TEA) and the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) are the most widely used approaches for modeling and calculating processes’ economic impacts. A simulation-based TEA is a cost-benefit analysis that simultaneously considers technical and economic factors. In addition, the method facilitates the development of the entire project and provides a systematic approach for examining the interrelationships between economic and technological aspects. When it comes to economic studies, it is intimately bonded with uncertainty. There are numerous uncertainty sources, classified in various ways. The uncertainty reflects “an inability to determine the precise value of one or more parameters affecting a system.” The variability refers to the different values a given parameter may take. This implies that a probability density function (PDF), for instance, can be employed to estimate and quantify the variability of a given parameter. The bias refers to “assumptions that skew an analysis in a certain direction while ignoring other legitimate alternatives, factors, or data.” The present study identifies the frequency with which TEA/LCCA studies address uncertainty and gaps within the selected papers through a scoping review. The results indicate that the uncertainty associated with economic factors and model uncertainties were the main sources of uncertainty in TEA and LCCA. Moreover, possibilistic approaches such as the Monte Carlo methodology were the most frequently used tool to cope with the uncertainties associated with LCCA and TEA.
Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Population and Harvest Changes in Europe since the Early 1980s
Authors: Bijl Hanna , Csányi Sándor
Published: September 2022

Fallow deer is one of the most common and widespread cervid species in Europe. To make informed management decisions on any scale, it is essential to have long-term data on the abundance of populations and their harvest. We provide missing information on the changes and status of fallow deer populations in Europe and analyse the relationships between population and harvest changes using a numerical approach. To conduct our analyses, we collected national statistical data on population sizes and hunting bags for all European countries for four periods: 1984, the mid-2000s, mid-2010s, and early 2020s. The fallow deer population increased five-fold from 1984 to the early 2020s and the harvest increased six-fold in the same period. Although the correlations between the population growth rate and harvest growth rate are not strong, removing outliers strengthened the correlation. This indicates that the hunting effort increases as the population increases. Overall, the lack of some data shows that consistent, reliable data collection (monitoring programs) is needed to efficiently manage the increasing fallow deer populations as a renewable natural resource and mitigate the potential negative impacts in a holistic and responsible manner.
Assessment of the Sharing Economy in the Context of Smart Cities: Social Performance
Authors: Veretennikova Anna , Kozinskaya Kseniya
Published: September 2022

The sharing economy (SE) provides new opportunities to solve social, economic, and environmental problems, as well as increasing resource efficiency and releasing underutilized assets. However, social aspects of the sharing economy remain to be fully appraised. The present study aims to develop and apply a technique for assessing the sharing economy in the context of improving the social performance of smart cities. When considering social performance, we examine the relationship between the development of SE services and the public goods sector, as well as the potential of the sharing economy for improving the quality of life of citizens. A comparative analysis of approaches used to evaluate the sharing economy concluded that the social and environmental significance of the sharing economy can be most appropriately considered at the level of cities. The proposed technique is based on the use of the Smart City Index and Sharing Economy Index databases, data on collaborative economy platforms presented by Eurostat. The methodology used to assess the sharing economy comprises three stages: substantiation of the selected indicators for assessing SE; calculation of the presented integral index of the sharing economy; and construction of a matrix of indices of the sharing economy. At the first stage, correlation analysis was used; at the second stage, the TOPSIS system analysis method was used; and at the third stage we used graphical analysis. As a result, a ranking of 31 European cities was compiled in terms of the level of development of the sharing economy. It is shown that the sharing economy has a greater impact on public goods in cities with lower rates of economic development. In addition, significant changes in the 2020 ranking occurred due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hoped that the obtained results will contribute to the development both of sharing economy methodologies and the urban environment by supporting sharing services.
Determining Factors Affecting the Perceived Preparedness of Super Typhoon: Three Broad Domains of Ergonomics Approach
Authors: Gumasing Ma. Janice J. , Prasetyo Yogi Tri , Ong Ardvin Kester S. , Nadlifatin Reny , Persada Satria Fadil
Published: September 2022

Typhoon Rai (202122) was one of the most devastating natural disasters globally, and the Philippines is the country that was heavily hit by this super typhoon. This study examined the preparedness of Filipinos using a novel framework considering ergonomic domains and disaster knowledge. A total of 414 Filipinos in eight regions affected by the typhoon answered the online questionnaire distributed through social media sites using a convenience sampling approach. Ergonomic-based indicators for physical, cognitive, and macro-ergonomics were analyzed simultaneously with disaster-knowledge indicators such as awareness, adaptation, and risk perception. The results from the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) showed that physical ergonomics and macro-ergonomics are key factors affecting the perceived preparedness of Filipinos for Typhoon Rai (202122). Moreover, disaster awareness, adaptation, and risk perception were also found to positively influence the respondents’ perceived preparedness, while disaster awareness influenced adaptation and risk perception. The findings revealed that residents in highly exposed locations must practice typhoon preparation and evacuation ahead of time. The results of this study could be utilized to educate local communities about the importance of emergency response options during a typhoon to lessen the damage and risks associated with it. Academicians and disaster planners may extend the findings of this study to investigate the role of ergonomics and disaster knowledge in developing preparedness systems to increase resilience by strengthening emergency management knowledge, reinforcing coordination, and communication among communities, decreasing occupational dangers, and improving processes to improve response efficiency and effectiveness.
T90 Codends Improve the Size Selectivity and Catch Efficiency of Shrimp Trawl Fisheries for Southern Velvet Shrimp (Metapenaeopsis palmensis) in the South China Sea
Authors: Yang Bingzhong , Herrmann Bent
Published: September 2022

In order to obtain gear-based management instruments of shrimp trawl fishery for southern velvet shrimp in the South China Sea (SCS), the size selectivity and catch efficiency of four codends were tested and compared. These codends included two mesh sizes, 30 and 35 mm, and two mesh shapes, T0 (diamond-mesh) and T90 (diamond-mesh turned by 90°), respectively. Our results demonstrated that increasing the mesh-sizes of the T0 codends or/and applying the T90 codends would statistically and significantly improve the size selectivity and catch efficiency. Comparing the size selectivity and catch efficiency of four codends tested, and accounting for the results of the previous study, we conclude that the T0 codend with a mesh size of 35 mm (T0_35) or T90 codend with a mesh size of 30 mm (T90_30) would be potential choices for mitigating the bycatch issue of undersized individuals for southern velvet shrimp (Metapenaeopsis palmensis) in the SCS. We recommend that they are applied as the compulsory gears in the fishery management regulation. Our study will be beneficial for the decision-making regarding gear-based management for sustainable fishing in the specific shrimp trawl fishery of the SCS.
Operational Decision and Sustainability of Green Agricultural Supply Chain with Consumer-Oriented Altruism
Authors: Wei Guangxing , Zhou Linrong , Bary Binta
Published: September 2022

The agricultural supply chain has to balance the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. This paper investigates the green agricultural supply chain, consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer, who are both altruistic towards consumers. Such consumer-oriented altruism is different from the widely adopted enterprise-oriented altruism, which only measures the altruistic behaviors among supply chain enterprises. In the approach of game theory, the optimal operational decision is obtained, and thereby the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability are described rationally and attained, respectively. The impacts of consumer-oriented altruism on the sustainability of the green agricultural supply chain are analyzed and compared in a systematic way. A case study is carried out before drawing conclusions and managerial implications. The findings can be concluded as follows. Firstly, consumer-oriented altruism changes the operational performance of the green agricultural supply chain by enhancing the green level of agricultural products, cutting down the pricing decisions and marginal profit of each supply chain enterprise. Secondly, consumer-oriented altruism simultaneously facilitates each dimension of sustainability to different extents, and economic sustainability is promoted the most prominently, whereas environmental sustainability is improved the least. Thirdly, the retailer’s consumer-oriented altruism always improves each dimension of sustainability more than the manufacturer’s altruism does, and the advantage in the economic dimension is the most significant, while that in the environmental dimension is the smallest.
Investigating the Mediating Roles of Income Level and Technological Innovation in Africa’s Sustainability Pathways Amidst Energy Transition, Resource Abundance, and Financial Inclusion
Authors: Ibrahim Ridwan Lanre , Al-Mulali Usama , Ajide Kazeem Bello , Mohammed Abubakar , Bolarinwa Fatimah Ololade
Published: September 2022

The global environment faces the issue of sustainability arising from the persistent growth rates in general production levels. Hence, there is the need to resolve the growth environment conflicts in order to enhance the sustainability of the current and future generations. This study presents the first empirical analysis on the dynamic impacts of non-renewable and renewable energy, total resource rents, population growth, human capital, and financial inclusion on environmental quality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with the conditioning roles of technological progress and income level. The empirical evidence is based on a two-step system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) with forward orthogonal deviations for 42 countries in the SSA region from 2004 to 2018. The following results are established from the empirical analyses. First, renewable energy emerges as a promoter of environmental quality through its reducing impacts on carbon emissions per capita (co2pc). Second, other regressors turn out to impede environmental quality by contributing to the surge in co2pc. Third, the robustness checks analyses, which consider different variants of carbon emissions as outcome variables, revealing that the main results are robust and empirically supported to explain the variations in the level of pollutants in the region. Fourth, the impacts of technological progress from both direct (unconditional) and interactive (conditional) angles mitigate co2pc while income promotes it. On the policy front, promoting investment in renewable energy and structuring human capital development plans to promote green growth are seen as sacrosanct towards achieving a sustainable environment in the region.
A New Feature Based Deep Attention Sales Forecasting Model for Enterprise Sustainable Development
Authors: Huang Jian , Chen Qinyu , Yu Chengqing
Published: September 2022

In recent years, with the rise of the Internet, e-commerce has become an important field of commodity sales. However, e-commerce is affected by many factors, and the wrong judgment of supply and marketing relationships will bring huge losses to operators. Therefore, it is of great significance to establish a model that can effectively achieve high precision sales prediction for ensuring the sustainable development of e-commerce enterprises. In this paper, we propose an e-commerce sales forecasting model that considers the features of many aspects of correlation. In the first layer of the model, the temporal convolutional network (TCN) is used to extract the deep temporal characteristics of univariate sales historical data, which ensures the integrity of temporal information of sales characteristics. In the second layer, the feature selection method based on reinforcement learning is used to filter the effective correlation feature set and combine it with the temporal feature after processing, which not only improves the amount of effective information input by the model, but also avoids the high feature dimension. The third layer of the reformer model learns all the features and pays different attention to the features with different degrees of importance, ensuring the stability of the sales forecast. In the experimental part, we compare the proposed model with the current advanced sales forecasting model, and we can find that the proposed model has higher stability and accuracy.
Exploring the Nexus of Renewable Energy, Ecological Footprint, and Economic Growth through Globalization and Human Capital in G7 Economics
Authors: Radmehr Riza , Shayanmehr Samira , Ali Ernest Baba , Ofori Elvis Kwame , Jasińska Elżbieta , Jasiński Michał
Published: September 2022

This study used panel simultaneous equations models with a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator to examine the three-way linkages between ecological footprint (EFP), renewable energy consumption (REC), and income in the Group of Seven (G7) countries over the period 1990–2018. The outcomes of this study demonstrate a two-way association between gross domestic product (GDP) and renewable energy. The findings confirm the presence of a bidirectional link between outcome and ecological footprint, as well as between EFP and renewable energy. The results of this study demonstrate that improving human capital positively and significantly effects income, environmental quality, and REC. Ecological footprint is not significantly impacted by economic and social globalization, whereas the impact of financial globalization is negative and significant. Trade openness is positively and significantly connected with REC and income, which could contribute to reducing environmental deterioration. In conclusion, we make policy recommendations that are based on the findings of the study.
Study on Alkali Reduction Treatments and Plant Growth Properties of Planting Concrete
Authors: Kong Jiafeng , Wang Zhenghua , Meng Xiangbin , Zhao Yuchao , Chen Mingxu , Quan Hongzhu
Published: September 2022

The use of planting concrete (PC) is one of the most prevalent slope protection methods. However, PC offers poor plant growth properties and poor ecological performance due to its high alkalinity. Therefore, in this study we used an orthogonal experimental design to optimize the mix design, and we used three alkali reduction treatments to reduce alkalinity and improve plant growth properties. The compressive strength, interconnected porosity, and pH values were analyzed to obtain the optimal level. Subsequently, the plant growth property test was conducted both indoors and outdoors. Stem length was used to evaluate different plants, which were grown in both natural soil (NS) and construction waste (CW). The experiment results show that the paste–aggregate ratio (PR) has the greatest impact on the above properties and that the optimum levels for PR, water–binder ratio (W/B), and fly ash addition level (FA) are 1/5, 0.29, and 10%, respectively. Additionally, the compound alkali reduction treatments, which combined the use of 0.4% ferrous sulfate in the planting substance and 3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate in the soaking solution, were effective. Furthermore, tall fescue may have potential applications in combination with CW. In conclusion, PC that has undergone alkali reduction treatments shows potential for application in slope protection, and thus may help to improve sustainability.
Study on the Self-Healing Performance of Microcapsules and Microcapsule-Containing Asphalt
Authors: Jin Jinzhao , Miao Yongzhe , Zhao Huaiwu , Chen Jiao , Qing Longbang , Mu Ru , Chen Xiangshang , Li Zixiang
Published: September 2022

Mixing microcapsules encapsulating asphalt recycling agents into asphalt can effectively enhance its self-healing performance and alleviate the brittle cracking of pavements due to asphalt aging. In practical engineering applications, microcapsules should have good thermal stability, mechanical properties, and uniform dispersion in asphalt or asphalt concrete, for the effective self-healing of micro-cracks which occur as pavements age. The self-healing performance of microcapsule-containing asphalt is affected by several factors. First, the thermal stability, mechanical properties, and dispersibility of microcapsules in the asphalt were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, nanoindentation tests, and fluorescence microscopy. Then, the effects of the microcapsules’ content, temperature, time, degree of damage, and self-healing times on the self-healing performance of microcapsule-containing asphalt were investigated through two-stage fatigue loading tests. The results show that the microcapsules have good thermal stability, mechanical properties, and dispersibility. They will not thermally decompose when mixing the asphalt concrete, nor will they fracture in the early stages of a pavement’s lifetime, or agglomerate in the asphalt. Mixing microcapsules in asphalt effectively improves its self-healing performance. The self-healing index of microcapsule-containing asphalt increases and then decreases with the increase in microcapsule content. It also increases as the temperature and length of time increases, but it decreases as the degree of damage worsens, and thus, the self-healing time increases.
Financial-Return Crowdfunding for Energy and Sustainability in the German-Speaking Realm
Authors: Siebeneicher Sven , Yenice Ilker , Bock Carolin
Published: September 2022

The transformation of the energy system is among the most relevant topics of the current public debate in the German-speaking realm. Crowdfunding is suitable for promoting sustainable development, such as financing renewable energies. We investigate success determinants of financial-return crowdfunding to understand how this financing technique can contribute to realizing sustainable development, such as the energy transition. We conduct a cross-platform study and consider sustainably oriented campaigns to answer two research questions: First, what determinants influence financial-return crowdfunding success? Second, how does a sustainable orientation affect these success determinants? We rely on signaling theory to investigate the effect of quality signals. We consider four meta-platforms that aggregate campaigns with sustainable and other funding purposes, obtaining a dataset of 434 financial-return crowdfunding campaigns, mainly from Austria and Germany. We use hierarchical linear regression models for our statistical analysis. Our findings indicate that sustainable orientation alone does not significantly affect crowdfunding success. Entrepreneurs can increase their chances of campaign success by raising the interest rate unless their campaign has a sustainable orientation. In sustainably oriented campaigns, the effect of the interest rate is compensated. Finally, we find no significant evidence suggesting that the campaign duration affects sustainable or non-sustainable crowdfunding success.
Factors Influencing Entrepreneurship Educators’ Pedagogical Choices—A Configurational Approach
Authors: Nikou Shahrokh , Mezei Jozsef , Brush Candida , Wraae Birgitte
Published: September 2022

Entrepreneurship education is critical for developing the entrepreneurial skills of tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and leaders. In this paper, we aim to identify factors influencing entrepreneurship educators’ pedagogical choices, in particular, factors influencing their preferences to become either a teacher-centric or a student-centric educator. Our analysis includes job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and department support as the antecedent variables influencing the outcome. The data are collected from 289 global entrepreneurship educators, and fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis (fsQCA) was used to obtain multiple configurations of conditions leading to either a teacher-centric or student-centric model. The fsQCA analysis reveals that for teacher-centric educators, job satisfaction and more than 10 years of teaching experience are the most important factors, whereas for student-centric educators, teaching experience is not important factor, but self-efficacy and entrepreneurship teaching training are influential factors. In the article we discuss the important theoretical and practical contributions resulting from the analysis.
Natural Building Materials and Social Representations in Informal Settlements: How Perceptions of Bamboo Interfere with Sustainable, Affordable, and Quality Housing
Authors: Galmarini Bianca , Costa Paolo , Chiesi Leonardo
Published: September 2022

Building with natural materials has proven to be a sustainable approach in addressing the needs of affordable and healthy housing and improving living conditions in informal settlements in an era of ecological transition. In view of this, the use of bamboo as a building material is considered a promising practice. However, although many traditional building techniques incorporate the use of bamboo, its application in contemporary informal settlements is disputed. This interdisciplinary study critically explores the social and cultural factors limiting the use of bamboo in a contemporary context by investigating housing perceptions and practices in an informal settlement in Colombia. Results show how the combined effect of cultural globalization, modernization, and the standardization of construction practices have marginalized and are now devaluing traditional knowledge on natural local building materials. Structured observations and in-depth interviews reveal that inhabitants’ refusal of the local bamboo building tradition, their representation of bamboo as an unsafe and temporary material, and their choices of less sustainable contemporary building materials, are better understood by situating these preferences within the complex system of the community’s imaginary. These social representations validate housing behaviors for their symbolic implications rather than for their actual consequences on livability, comfort, and overall dwelling quality. The study also discusses the limits of policies promoting natural building materials in housing when exclusively focusing on technical performance, while neglecting the prevailing impact of the cultural domain on housing preferences and behaviors.
Hill Dam Design to Improve Water Use in Rural Areas—Case Study: Sacachún, Santa Elena
Authors: Mullo-Sinaluisa Anthony , Oquendo-Borbor Carla , Velastegui-Montoya Andrés , Merchan-Sanmartín Bethy , Chávez-Moncayo Miguel , Herrera-Matamoros Viviana , Carrión-Mero Paúl
Published: September 2022

The Sacachún commune in Ecuador currently faces a lack of water for its agricultural development; this reduces its possibilities of socio-economic development and causes migration to urban areas. This research proposes a presa colinar (hill dam) design that uses ancestral knowledge and classic engineering techniques to promote water use during the dry season in semi-arid regions. The methodology consisted of: (i) a systematic compilation of the ancestral structures used for water planting and harvesting in Ibero-American; (ii) selecting an appropriate place to build the hill dam; (iii) the dam’s body design; (iv) and creating a proposal for agricultural water use. The results helped define a good location for the hill dam implementation. In addition, a 10 m high and 40 m wide earthen dam was designed, with a storage capacity of 114,341 m3, extending agriculture to 7.5 ha through a polyculture system of six different plants. The embankment has a cofferdam located downstream, which provides stability in static and pseudo-static conditions. In addition, the dam slopes have a 2:1 ratio, and a spillway channel and filter drain were dimensioned to protect the dam.
Evidence of Validity and Factorial Invariance of a Diet and Healthy Lifestyle Scale (DEVS) in University Students
Authors: Calizaya-Milla Yaquelin E. , Saintila Jacksaint , Morales-García Wilter C. , Ruiz Mamani Percy G. , Huancahuire-Vega Salomón
Published: September 2022

Background: University students continue to face health challenges related to a healthy diet and lifestyle. In this context, the measurement of diet and health status is important for institutions interested in health care and promotion. Objective: The objective of this study was to translate into Spanish, evaluate the internal structure, reliability, and factorial invariance of the Diet and Healthy Lifestyle Scale (DEVS) scale. Methods: The participants were 4482 university students aged 18 to 59 years (Mean [M] = 21.32, Standard deviation [SD] = 2.81). Data analysis included exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency, and through multigroup analysis, gender invariance was assessed. Results: The results showed the unidimensionality of the DEVS in Spanish and that it provides good reliability indices: Total sample (Ordinal Alpha [ordinal α] = 0.80, Omega [ω] = 0.83, Coefficient H [H] = 0.84), men (ordinal α = 0.79, ω = 0.83, H = 0.81), women (ordinal α = 0.84, ω = 0.85, H = 0.86). Configurational, scalar, and strict metric invariance was verified, indicating that the construct can be evaluated in both men and women. Conclusion: The DEVS is a valid, reliable, and invariable measure to measure the healthy lifestyle in university students.
Graph Embedding-Based Domain-Specific Knowledge Graph Expansion Using Research Literature Summary
Authors: Choi Junho
Published: September 2022

Knowledge bases built in the knowledge processing field have a problem in that experts have to add rules or update them through modifications. To solve this problem, research has been conducted on knowledge graph expansion methods using deep learning technology, and in recent years, many studies have been conducted on methods of generating knowledge bases by embedding the knowledge graph’s triple information in a continuous vector space. In this paper, using a research literature summary, we propose a domain-specific knowledge graph expansion method based on graph embedding. To this end, we perform pre-processing and process and text summarization with the collected research literature data. Furthermore, we propose a method of generating a knowledge graph by extracting the entity and relation information and a method of expanding the knowledge graph using web data. To this end, we summarize research literature using the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers for Summarization (BERTSUM) model based on domain-specific research literature data and design a Research-BERT (RE-BERT) model that extracts entities and relation information, which are components of the knowledge graph, from the summarized research literature. Moreover, we proposed a method of expanding related entities based on Google news after extracting related entities through the web for the entities in the generated knowledge graph. In the experiment, we measured the performance of summarizing research literature using the BERTSUM model and the accuracy of the knowledge graph relation extraction model. In the experiment of removing unnecessary sentences from the research literature text and summarizing them in key sentences, the result shows that the BERTSUM Classifier model’s ROUGE-1 precision is 57.86%. The knowledge graph extraction performance was measured using the mean reciprocal rank (MRR), mean rank (MR), and HIT@N rank-based evaluation metric. The knowledge graph extraction method using summarized text showed superior performance in terms of speed and knowledge graph quality.
The Effect of Social Media on the Ethnic Dynamics in Donations to Disaster Relief Efforts
Authors: Sulaeman Deserina , Sulaeman Johan
Published: September 2022

Efficient resource-sharing via private transfers among households during natural disasters serves to foster a more resilient society. This study explores the effect of social media on private donations from households to natural disaster relief efforts. The donation pattern in a popular charitable crowdfunding platform exhibits inter-ethnic dynamics: Campaigns initiated by Hispanic fundraisers receive disproportionately fewer donations and lower donation amounts from non-Hispanic donors, relative to Hispanic donors. Moreover, we document a novel finding that social media statements from a political figure (President Donald Trump) influence the dynamic of private transfers across households from different ethnic groups. This finding provides a salient consideration for policymakers and government officials regarding the effects of their actions on society’s resilience and sustainability.
How Does the Paradoxical Leadership of Cross-Border e-Commerce (CBEC) Gig Workers Influence Chinese Company Performance: The Role of Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Li Chunyan , Lin Chien-Liang , Chin Tachia
Published: September 2022

Cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) has attracted interest in the global marketplace. Meanwhile, CBEC gig workers have changed CBEC enterprises’ business models, eliminated outdated enterprises, and reset organizational structures. Consequently, CBEC enterprises must adopt new approaches to promote company performance (CP). However, in Chinese CBEC companies, the psychological well-being (PW) of gig workers is largely ignored. Although some enterprises have paid attention to this problem, the leadership is often not in line with the psychological reality of gig work. Moreover, few studies have focused on the impact of paradoxical leadership (PL) on gig workers’ PW in the CBEC industry. Therefore, this study investigates the link between gig workers’ PW and organizational performance under PL based on survey data from CBEC enterprises in China. Data were collected from a survey of 346 employees of CBEC enterprises in China. Results showed that PL exerts a significant positive impact on CP. The PW of Chinese CBEC gig workers positively mediates the relationship between PL and CP. Under different dynamic environmental conditions, CBEC enterprises in China should adopt appropriate leadership methods to improve their performance. This study provides new theoretical and practical perspectives for understanding the management of gigs in Chinese CBEC companies.
The Place of Grasslands in Cattle Farmers’ Perceptions of Forage Production: Useful Insights of 10 Years of Empirical Research on Grasslands
Authors: Petit Timothée , Sigwalt Annie , Martel Gilles , Couvreur Sébastien
Published: September 2022

By summarizing research projects performed over the past 10 years on grasslands in cattle production, we seek to understand the way of farming with grassland and cattle farmers’ way of thinking about it. Based on the combined perspective of sociologists and animal scientists, the cross-analysis we realized reveals that the local context is the main element necessary to understand grassland management practices on livestock farms. Many groups of drivers influence how farmers develop their perceptions about forage services, think about forage production and practice it (i.e., “forage rationales”): (i) soil and climate conditions, (ii) professional network and (iii) existence of networks bringing together farmers and other stakeholders to discuss grassland issues. From the diversity of production contexts, we reveal different perceptions that livestock farmers have about the services that grasslands provide mainly at farm scale: animal production, economic, agronomic, ecological and environmental. The structuring of these perceptions outlines an array of forage rationales in which grasslands have a relatively central place in cattle production. Finally, we show that the farmer’s rationale can evolve over time due to debates with peers and non-agricultural stakeholders. This leads us to discuss how evolution of livestock farmers’ grassland rationales and practices can be supported, and finally to formulate recommendations for maintaining grasslands.
Sustainable Healthy Diets and Demand for the Front-of-Package Labeling: Evidence from Consumption of Fresh Pork
Authors: Huang Beixun , Li Haijun , Huang Zeying , Huang Jiazhang , Sun Junmao
Published: September 2022

Front of Package (FOP) labeling, which assists consumers in understanding the nutritional status of fresh pork, could help reduce Chinese residents’ excessive meat intake and greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, little is known about the price elasticity of consumers’ demand for the FOP labeling on fresh pork. This study implemented a contingent valuation survey by using a representative survey of 930 adults across China. The results indicated that respondents’ demand for FOP labeling applied to fresh pork was price inelastic (−0.209). Moreover, there existed significant population heterogeneity in the price elasticity of demand. Specifically, WTP increased for the urban population and those who paid regular attention to pork’s nutritional value. Overall, Chinese consumers had rigid demand for FOP labeling on fresh pork, and policy makers should pay close attention to consumer reactions to the price of FOP labeling and promote this application on fresh pork.
Grounding the SHIELD Model for Tropical Coastal Environments
Authors: Pereira Cristina I. , Botero Camilo M. , Ricaurte-Villota Contanza , Coca Oswaldo , Morales David , Cuker Benjamin , Milanes Celene B.
Published: September 2022

Customizing environmental assessments to the particularities of the type of environment is crucial for implementing the precautionary principle. This paper uses the SHIELD model (Susceptibility to Human Interventions for Environmental Licensing Determination) in the context of geomorphology for the effective management of coastal environments. This paper describes the customization of the SHIELD model for tropical coastal environments as a way of validating a specific kind of environment. The assessment translates expert knowledge into technical criteria for the environmental control of human interventions through fuzzy logic computations. This assessment identified 21 geomorphological processes across six categories. Moreover, computation of the parameters resulted in a database of susceptibility measures for 4524 interactions. These quantitative results could guide future environmental impact studies of coastal environments, considering licensing instrument requirements. The SHIELD model approach, illustrated here on tropical coastal environments, offers a technical alternative for improving the environmental control of anthropogenic impacts from a geomorphological perspective.
Health and the Urban Environment: A Bibliometric Mapping of Knowledge Structure and Trends
Authors: Van Winkle Taylor , Kotval-K Zeenat , Machemer Patricia , Kotval Zenia
Published: September 2022

The literature on the urban environment and physical and psychological health has steadily increased over the last decade. This paper aims to offer a better understanding of the state of the literature on assessing the urban environment and mental health by mapping the field of research through a scoping review and illuminating emerging trends and future research using bibliometric analysis. Uniquely, this study drew 495 articles from four distinct journal databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest), whereas traditional bibliometric analyses draw from a single source. The results show trends of a consistent increase in research on the topic over the last decade. Research published on this topic is fragmented with a consistent but isolated focus on physical health, mental health, and environmental characteristics. Overall, most attention has been given to assessing the impacts of urban environments on physical activity and general health, while less research has focused on mental health assessments and urban environments. This study concludes by highlighting gaps and making recommendations for future research in the field. Prominent gaps are related to using interdisciplinary and scalable approaches to understanding the relationship between urban environments and mental health.
CO2 Storage and Geothermal Extraction Technology for Deep Coal Mine
Authors: Wang Fangtian , Yan Jinghong
Published: September 2022

This paper aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes to carbon neutrality, and, at the same time, preventing mine heat disasters and extracting highly mineralized (HM) mine water, so as to realize the synergy between CO2 storage (CS) and geothermal extraction and utilization (GEU) in a high temperature (HT) goaf. With this purpose, an innovative CS-GEU technology for HT and HM water in deep mine is proposed, based on the mechanism of water-rock-CO2 effect (WRCE) and the principle of GEU in the mine. This technology uses GEU to offset the costs of CO2 storage and refrigeration in HT mine. A general scheme for a synergistic system of CS and GEU in the goaf is designed. The feasibility of CS-GEU technology in the deep goaf is demonstrated from the views of CS and GEU in the goaf and the principles of a synergistic system. It is clarified that the CO2 migration-storage evolution and the multi-field coupling principle in the goaf are the key scientific issues in realizing the synergic operation of CS and GEU. It proposes the key techniques involved in this process: CO2 capture and CO2 transportation, layout and support of drill holes and high-pressure (HP) pipelines, and HP sealing in the goaf. The research results provide new ideas for CS and GEU of HT and HM mine water in deep mine.
A Comprehensive Review on Graphene Nanoparticles: Preparation, Properties, and Applications
Authors: Yusaf Talal , Mahamude Abu Shadate Faisal , Farhana Kaniz , Harun Wan Sharuzi Wan , Kadirgama Kumaran , Ramasamy Devarajan , Kamarulzaman Mohd Kamal , Subramonian Sivarao , Hall Steve , Dhahad Hayder Abed
Published: September 2022

Graphene, with its amazing prospects and nonpareil aspects, has enticed scientists and researchers all over the globe in a significant fashion. Graphene, the super material, endlessly demonstrates some of the substantial, as well as desired, mechanical, thermal, optical, and chemical characteristics which are just about to bring about an unprecedented transformation in the science and technology field. Being derived from graphite, graphene is made of one-atom-thick, two-dimensional carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. This Nobel-prize-winning phenomenon includes properties that may result in a new dawn of technology. Graphene, the European Union’s (EU) largest pledged project, has been extensively researched since its discovery. Several stable procedures have been developed to produce graphene nanoparticles in laboratories worldwide. Consequently, miscellaneous applications and futuristic approaches in artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, biomedical and nanomedicine, defence and tactics, desalination, and sports are ruling over the next generation’s fast-paced world and are making the existing market competitive and transformative. This review sheds light upon the ideology of the preparation and versatile application of graphene and foretells the upcoming advancements of graphene nanoparticles with the challenges rearing ahead. The study also considers graphene nanoparticles’ diverse fields and portends their sustainability with the possibility of their acceptance in the commercial market as well as in common usage.
Research on the Structural Features and Influence Mechanism of the Low-Carbon Technology Cooperation Network Based on Temporal Exponential Random Graph Model
Authors: Shi Xiaoyi , Huang Xiaoxia , Liu Huifang
Published: September 2022

China actively promotes cross-regional low-carbon technology cooperation to improve low-carbon technologies and remove technological barriers to sustainable development. In this process, a cross-regional low-carbon technology cooperation network (LCTCN) has been developed and evolved. To help China rationalize the allocation of innovation resources and promote the cross-regional exchange of low-carbon technologies, we measured the LCTCN using low-carbon technology co-patents from 2011 to 2020. We investigated changes in the network structure using social network analysis. In addition, we examined the endogenous structures and exogenous factors that influence the formation of cooperation relationships in the network using a time exponential random graph model (TERGM). We came to the following conclusions: (1) The LCTCN develops toward complexity, showing prominent characteristics of spatial imbalance, heterogeneity, and core-periphery. (2) Among the endogenous structural variables, the coefficient of geometrically weighted degree (Gwdegree) is significantly negative, suggesting that regions within LCTCN tend to form partnerships with already well-connected regions. On the other hand, a positive coefficient of geometrically weighted dyad shared partner statistic (GWDSP) suggests that regions tend to link in multiple ways to each other. (3) Among the exogenous variables, the coefficient of the digital economy is significantly positive. As a result, for every level of digital economy development in a region, the probability of establishing low-carbon technology cooperation between that region and other regions increases by 87.39%. (4) External openness and geographical proximity can also facilitate establishing partnerships. The formation of low-carbon partnerships in the network results from a combination of endogenous structures and exogenous variables.
Structural Evolution and Community Detection of China Rail Transit Route Network
Authors: Ding Rui , Fu Jun , Du Yiming , Du Linyu , Zhou Tao , Zhang Yilin , Shen Siwei , Zhu Yuqi , Chen Shihui
Published: September 2022

How to improve the partial or overall performance of rail transit route network, strengthen the connection between different rail network stations, and form corresponding communities to resist the impact of sudden or long-term external factors has earned a lot of attention recently. However, the corresponding research studies are mostly based on the rail network structure, and the analysis and exploration of the community formed by the stations and its robustness are not enough. In this article, the evolution of the China rail transit route network (CRTRN) from 2009 to 2022 is taken as the research object, and its complex network characteristics, BGLL model-based community division, and multi disturbance strategies for network robustness are analyzed in depth to better understand and optimize the rail network structure to further effectively improve the efficiency of the public transport system. It is found that CRTRN is gradually expanding following the southwest direction (with the migration distance of nearly 200 km), the distribution of routes is more balanced, and the number of network communities is steadily decreasing (it dropped from 30 communities in 2009 to 25 in 2019), making various regions become closely connected. However, it can also be found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRTRN is strongly affected, and the network structure becomes relatively loose and chaotic (the number of communities became 30). To protect the railway networks, the CRTRN system should pay more attention to stations with high node degree values; if they get disturbed, more areas will be affected. The corresponding research conclusions can provide some theoretical and practical support for the construction of the rail transit network in China.