bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Impact of Studying abroad in Hungary on Entrepreneurial Intention among International Students
Authors: Wu Jingjing , Rudnák Ildikó
Published: August 2021

With the global development of the regional mobility of education, Hungary has gradually become a priority country for overseas students to pursue tertiary education. Meanwhile, the experience of studying abroad can prepare international students to engage in international business and new entrepreneurial activities around the world. In this context, the research on the change of entrepreneurial intention brought about by studying abroad in Hungary deserves great concern and exploration. Given that, this paper contributes to finding out whether the entrepreneurial intention (EI) of international students has changed after coming to Hungary and what environmental factors would bring about changes in entrepreneurial intention before (EI-before) and after (EI-after) coming to Hungary. Here, the environmental factors tested include multiple network construction (MNC), overseas entrepreneurial perception (OEP) and multicultural cognition (MC). Additionally, an Exploratory Factor Analysis, Paired Samples t-Test and Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis were conducted to process data. The output reveals that after coming to study in Hungary, the entrepreneurial intention (EI-after) of international students has indeed been improved, whilst OEP and MC make a significant impact on the entrepreneurial intention to a similar degree under the control of demographic variables and EI-before.
What Drives the Use of Organic Fertilizers? Evidence from Rice Farmers in Indo-Gangetic Plains, India
Authors: Koovalamkadu Velayudhan Praveen , Singh Alka , Jha Girish Kumar , Kumar Pramod , Immanuelraj Thanaraj Kingsly , Korekallu Srinivasa Aditya
Published: August 2021

There is a growing concern about the sustainability of agriculture due to the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers in several parts of the world. In India, the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a region where the externalities of excessive use of chemical fertilizers for cereal production manifest in groundwater pollution, air pollution due to emissions, and soil degradation. In this context, we study the adoption of organic fertilizers in the region and the determining factors. We use data collected from 400 rice farmers to empirically test the link between farmers’ perceptions, revenue expectations, socioeconomic factors, and the policy environment to adopt organic fertilizers. We use Tobit and Cragg’s double hurdle model to study the farmers’ expenditure and adoption of organic fertilizers, respectively. The results show that only 32% of the farmers adopted organic fertilizers in the region. Further, membership in farmer organizations, training, and education are the key variables that determine the adoption of organic fertilizers, in addition to a positive perception of the benefits of their usage. The findings highlight the need for efficient extension efforts in organic fertilizers and suggest policy interventions that promote collective learning through farmer groups.
Factors Associated with the Equivalence of the Scores of Computer-Based Test and Paper-and-Pencil Test: Presentation Type, Item Difficulty and Administration Order
Authors: Wang Tzu-Hua , Kao Chien-Hui , Chen Hsiang-Chun
Published: August 2021

Since schools cannot use face-to-face tests to evaluate students’ learning effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools implement computer-based tests (CBT) for this evaluation. From the perspective of Sustainable Development Goal 4, whether this type of test conversion affects students’ performance in answering questions is an issue worthy of attention. However, studies have not yielded consistent findings on the equivalence of the scores of examinees’ answering performance on computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-and-pencil tests (PPT) when taking the same multiple-choice tests. Some studies have revealed no significant differences, whereas others have exhibited significant differences between the two formats. This study adopted a counterbalanced experimental design to investigate the effects of test format, computerised presentation type, difficulty of item group, and administration order of item groups of different difficulty levels on examinees’ answering performance. In this study, 381 primary school fifth graders in northern Taiwan completed an achievement test on the topic of Structure and Functions of Plants, which is part of the primary school Natural Science course. The achievement test included 16 multiple-choice items. After data collection and analysis, no significant differences in the answering performance of examinees were identified among the PPT, CBT with single-item presentation, and CBT with multiple-item presentation. However, after further analysis, the results indicated that the difficulty of item group and the administration order of item groups of different difficulty levels had significant influences on answering performance. The findings suggest that compared with a PPT, examinees exhibit better answering performance when taking multiple-choice tests in a CBT with multiple-item presentation.
Relative Effects of Physical Environment and Employee Performance on Customers’ Emotions, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions in Upscale Restaurants
Authors: Ryu Kisang , Kim Hyun Jeong , Lee Hwangyu , Kwon Bongheon
Published: August 2021

This study explored the structural relationships among the physical environment, employee performance, and diners’ emotional states, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions, applying the Mehrabian–Russell’s theoretical framework in upscale restaurants. Empirical data were collected from 275 upscale restaurant patrons. The results showed that both intangible (employee service) and tangible (physical environment) factors have significant impacts on diners’ emotional responses (pleasure and arousal), and these emotional responses affect customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This study found that the physical environment exerted a greater impact on arousal than employee behavior while employee behavior had a greater impact on pleasure than physical environment. In addition, arousal was found to have a positive influence on pleasure. We discussed managerial and theoretical implications based on these findings.
Geospatial Simulation Model of Sustainable Mangrove Development Scenarios for the Years 2030 and 2050 in Marismas Nacionales, Mexico
Authors: Quintero-Morales María Alejandra , Plata-Rocha Wenseslao , Monjardín-Armenta Sergio Alberto , Olimón-Andalón Vicente , Torres-Montoya Edith Hilario
Published: August 2021

Anthropogenic activities influence the loss of mangroves, increase natural phenomena such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and El Niño, and consequently increase concentrations of greenhouse gases such as CO2, promoting climate change. There are strategies to reduce emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the General Law on Climate Change to counteract these conditions. Therefore, this research aims to generate an integral simulation model of sustainable mangrove development scenarios for 2030 and 2050 through mitigation strategies, using geospatial techniques, multi-criteria evaluation, and generating a future surface demand model. The Marismas Nacionales study area is a mangrove ecosystem and an important carbon sink. The simulation model determined that the mangrove area in 2030 will be 77,555 hectares, with an estimated absorption of 358.95 Gg CO2 e (equivalent). By 2050 there will be 86,476 ha, absorbing 400.24 Gg CO2 e. This increase will be in disturbed mangrove areas and other wetlands. The sustainable simulation model and the surface demand model can be applied in any study area to increase, protect, and conserve mangroves to benefit the social, economic, and environmental sectors.
Sea Level Rise Mitigation by Global Sea Water Desalination Using Renewable-Energy-Powered Plants
Authors: Hindiyeh Muna , Albatayneh Aiman , Altarawneh Rashed , Jaradat Mustafa , Al-Omary Murad , Abdelal Qasem , Tayara Tarek , Khalil Osama , Juaidi Adel , Abdallah Ramez , Dutournié Partick , Jeguirim Mejdi
Published: August 2021

This work suggests a solution for preventing/eliminating the predicted Sea Level Rise (SLR) by seawater desalination and storage through a large number of desalination plants distributed worldwide; it also comprises that the desalinated seawater can resolve the global water scarcity by complete coverage for global water demand. Sea level rise can be prevented by desalinating the additional water accumulated into oceans annually for human consumption, while the excess amount of water can be stored in dams and lakes. It is predicted that SLR can be prevented by desalination plants. The chosen desalination plants for the study were Multi-Effect Desalination (MED) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants that are powered by renewable energy using wind and solar technologies. It is observed that the two main goals of the study are fulfilled when preventing an SLR between 1.0 m and 1.3 m by 2100 through seawater desalination, as the amount of desalinated water within that range can cover the global water demand while being economically viable.
Understanding the Dynamics of Green and Blue Spaces for Health and Wellbeing Outcomes in Ireland: A Systemic Stakeholder Perspective
Authors: Kindermann Gesche , Domegan Christine , Britton Easkey , Carlin Caitriona , Isazad Mashinchi Mona , Ojo Adegboyega
Published: August 2021

Despite the recognised benefits to human health from green and blue spaces, socioeconomic inequalities in access to and use of such spaces have been observed. Using a multidisciplinary, multistakeholder systems approach and structural equation modelling, this paper examines the structural and behavioural dynamics of green and blue spaces, people and health and wellbeing outcomes. Systems thinking offers a deeper understanding of the dynamics of collective choices at all levels within the determinants and the circular causality of these processes. The resulting map shows that behavioural and structural dynamics of green and blue spaces reinforce social cohesion, mental and physical benefits and their circular causality. Acknowledging the importance of multiple uses of green and blue spaces, this paper concludes that delivering universal services at a scale and intensity proportionate to the degree of need is vital to ensure services and health and wellbeing benefits are available to all, not only the most advantaged.
Microalga-Mediated Tertiary Treatment of Municipal Wastewater: Removal of Nutrients and Pathogens
Authors: Rani Swati , Chowdhury Raja , Tao Wendong , Nedbalová Linda
Published: August 2021

The microalgal strain Chlorella sorokiniana isolated from a waste stabilization pond was used for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. Three light:dark (L:D) regimes of 12:12, 16:8, and 24:0 were used for treating wastewater in microalga (A), microalga + sludge (A + S), and sludge (S) reactors. The removal of nutrients (N and P) was found to be the highest in the microalga-based reactor, with more than 80% removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and 1.2–5.6 log unit removal of pathogens. The addition of sludge improved chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. Nitrifiers were found to be predominant in the A + S reactor. Algal biomass productivity was more than 280 mg/L/d in all the L:D regimes. The increase in light regime improved nutrient removal and biomass productivity in the algal reactor. Results of the kinetic study showed that (i) nitrifiers had more affinity for ammonium than microalga, and hence, most of the ammonia was oxidized to nitrate, (ii) microalga assimilated nitrate as the primary nitrogen source in the A + S reactor, and (iii) solubilization of particulate organic nitrogen originated from dead cells reduced the nitrogen removal efficiency. However, in the microalga-based reactor, the ammonium uptake was higher than nitrate uptake. Among pathogens, the removal of Salmonella and Shigella was better in the A + S reactor than in the other two reactors (microalga and sludge reactor). Additionally, the heterotrophic plate count was drastically reduced in the presence of microalga. No such drastic reduction was observed in the stand-alone sludge reactor. Kinetic modeling revealed that microalga–pathogen competition and pH-induced die-off were the two predominant factors for pathogen inactivation.
Voluntary Local Review Framework to Monitor and Evaluate the Progress towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals at a City Level: Buraidah City, KSA and SDG11 as A Case Study
Authors: Osman Taher , Kenawy Emad , Abdrabo Karim I. , Shaw David , Alshamndy Aref , Elsharif Mohamed , Salem Muhammad , Alwetaishi Mamdooh , Aly Reda M. , Elboshy Bahaa
Published: August 2021

Around the world, cities are on the front lines of sustainable development. They are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon emissions. Many of these cities are experiencing dangerous levels of pollution, underemployment, and health disparities. Since 2015, 193 countries have endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), intended to help address a wide range of challenges affecting cities and ultimately secure the resources for their next generations. All states are expected to present the national progress towards the SDGs through a Voluntary National Review (VNR). Despite the importance of the cities within this framework, only a handful of them worldwide have actively begun to review and assess progress towards these SDGs on a city scale. This paper seeks to develop a Voluntary Local Review (VLR) framework to assess and evaluate the progress of cities towards contributing to the SDGs. This framework has been developed by localizing the international and national frameworks to measure the performance of cities as they advance towards achieving the SDGs. Such a framework can serve as a tool for benchmarking progress on different aspects of sustainable development and help urban planners and policymakers prioritize policies and actions to improve urban quality of life. This framework is applied to monitor and evaluate the progress of the city of Buraidah in Saudi Arabia, as it strives towards achieving the targets of SDG11 (“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”).
ESG Outcasts: Study of the ESG Performance of Sin Stocks
Authors: Paradis Gabriel , Schiehll Eduardo
Published: August 2021

Certain economic actors are considered by many as involved in or associated with an activity that is considered unethical or immoral, such as the producers of tobacco, alcohol and firearms (often referred to as sin stocks). In an environment in which stakeholders are increasingly interested in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, it is important to understand how firms respond to these issues which divide public opinion. Our study compares the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance for a targeted sample of 79 sin stocks and a control group of comparable firms. We observe that sin stocks have a lower overall ESG performance as well as for each of the three ESG pillars, and that this difference is more significant in relation to governance and some key social and environmental issues for which sin stocks could have compensated risk exposure with responsible management practices. In other words, our results demonstrate that sin stocks are exposed to more severe ESG issues and consistently lack the necessary practices to mitigate these issues. Our study provides relevant insights into the informativeness of ESG scores to distinguish firms (and sectors) investing in management practices that offset ESG risk exposure.
Reduction Effect and Mechanism Analysis of Carbon Trading Policy on Carbon Emissions from Land Use
Authors: Xia Qiuyue , Li Lu , Dong Jie , Zhang Bin
Published: August 2021

The reduction of carbon emissions from land use (CELU) is critical for China to achieve carbon neutrality, which may be greatly facilitated by carbon trading policies. Previous studies of the emission reduction effects of carbon trading policies focused mostly on the reduction of carbon source emissions, and there is a lack of research from the comprehensive perspective of carbon sources and carbon sinks. Understanding the effect of carbon trading policies on emission reduction from the perspective of CELU may help to improve the evaluation system of carbon trading policies, as well as provide important implications for the construction of China’s carbon trading market in the context of global carbon neutrality. Here, based on China’s current carbon-trading pilot areas, quasi-natural experiments were conducted by using the CELU data from 2005 to 2017, the synthetic control method (SCM) and the mediation effect model, aiming to empirically study the reduction effect and mechanism of carbon trading policies on CELU. The following main findings were obtained. (1) Carbon trading policies have had a significant reduction effect on the average CELU of the pilot areas by at least four million tons per year during the study period. (2) The carbon emission reduction effect of carbon trading policies has certain regional heterogeneity. (3) Carbon trading policies reduce CELU through the intermediate effect of energy structure, whose contribution rate reaches 30.433%. (4) Carbon trading policies did not achieve the Porter effect of technological progress during the study period, and technological progress has no significant intermediate effect on the reduction of CELU by carbon trading policy. Based on the above findings, the following policy implications can be proposed. Carbon trading and carbon offset should be studied from a comprehensive perspective of land use; regional heterogeneity should be considered when promoting the carbon emission trading system nationwide; and the energy structure should be optimized continuously.
Family Welfare Expenditure, Contraceptive Use, Sources and Method-Mix in India
Authors: Misra Sheuli , Goli Srinivas , Rana Md Juel , Gautam Abhishek , Datta Nitin , Nanda Priya , Verma Ravi
Published: August 2021

Making universal access to sexual and reproductive health care a reality, and thus building momentum for comprehensive family planning by 2030, is key for achieving sustainable development goals. However, in the last decade, India has been retreating from progress achieved in access to family planning. Family planning progress for a large country such as India is critical for achieving sustainable developmental goals. Against this backdrop, the paper investigated the question of how far family welfare expenditure affects contraceptive use, sources of contraceptive methods, and method-mix using triangulation of micro and macro data analyses. Our findings suggest that, except for female sterilizations, modern methods of contraception do not show a positive relationship with family welfare expenditure. Notwithstanding a rise in overall family welfare expenditure, spending on core family planning programs stagnates. State-wise and socio-economic heterogeneity in source-mix and method-mix continued to influence contraceptive access in India. Method-mix continued to skew towards female sterilization. Public sector access is helpful only for promoting female sterilization. Thus, the source-mix for modern contraceptives presents a clear public-private divide. Over time, access to all contraceptive methods by public sources declined while the private sector has failed to fill the gap. In conclusion, this study identified a need for revitalizing family planning programs to promote spacing methods in relatively lower-performing states and socio-economic groups to increase overall contraceptive access and use in India through the rise in core family planning expenditure.
Factors Affecting the Promotion of Conservation Tillage in Black Soil—The Case of Northeast China
Authors: Qu Yan , Pan Chulin , Guo Hongpeng
Published: August 2021

Taking the conservation tillage influences of black soil in Northeast China as the research object, the paper is written according to the advice of relevant experts and technicians in Northeast China, the study also calculates the weight of each influencing factor through the Delphi and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Then, the significance of the factors affecting the benefit of conservation tillage is analyzed. The results show that, based on the comprehensive analysis, it is concluded that the economic factor is the primary factor affecting the benefit of black soil conservation tillage in Northeast China. Among the twelve influencing factors, eight of them have a significant impact on the development of conservation tillage benefits on black soil in Northeast China. Such as the degree of government subsidy; the adaptability of agricultural machinery; the input of new technology; relevant policies, laws and regulations; the quality of conservation tillage; the income of agricultural machinery farmers; practical application capacity; government publicity. Therefore, in the process of implementing the black soil conservation tillage, we should focus on these influencing factors, which will effectively promote the sustainable development of agriculture in Northeast China.
Digitainability—Digital Competences Post-COVID-19 for a Sustainable Society
Authors: Sá Maria José , Santos Ana Isabel , Serpa Sandro , Miguel Ferreira Carlos
Published: August 2021

The digitalization of societies, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is an unstoppable process. This paper seeks to answer the question: what post-COVID-19 digital competences are needed for a sustainable society? It also aims to analyze the digitalization processes in education for shaping a sustainable digital society. A bibliographic search was performed on some of the most relevant international databases of scientific literature and the selected documents were analyzed through a content analysis. It is concluded that digital education has experienced a strong increase, reinforced by COVID-19, shaping the digital presence in all dimensions of life. However, it is not sufficient to assume that the new generations are naturally engaged in and can master digital social sustainability. The results demonstrate the importance of literacy and the unavoidable promotion of sustainability in a digital society. However, this digitalization of the educational process poses several challenges: it requires both software and hardware conditions, as well as digital literacy as a result of a complex of literacies. It also implies that teachers and students change their standpoints and practices with the attainment of new teaching and learning competences in order to fight the digital divide and to foster the widest possible social inclusion for the promotion of sustainable society—digitainability.
Development of a Mobile Module-Based Wind Tunnel for the Determination of Collection Efficiencies of Particulate Matter on Surface Structures
Authors: Spörl Philipp , Göndör Aron , Irrgeher Johanna , Prohaska Thomas , Trimmel Simone , Capari Leo , Haluza Daniela , Scharf Bernhard , Kasper-Giebl Anne , Pitha Ulrike
Published: August 2021

Ambient air pollutants are a global public health problem accounting for millions of annual deaths. A mobile module-based wind tunnel (WT) was developed to investigate the interaction between airborne particulate matter and various surface structures. The external dimensions were 4.33 m × 1.96 m × 1.73 m (lwh). The tunnel provided a cross-section of 0.40 m × 1.10 m (wh) and a total volume of 2.84 m3. An exchangeable test section in the WT offered a vertical area of one square meter to introduce variable installations. Due to the modular design, the WT could be divided into seven segments. This enables flexibility in setting, easy transport and set up at different locations. Atmospheric parameters (temperature, humidity, flow speeds and flow directions) were measured. At the test section, determined flow speeds ranged from 0.3 to 2.6 m s−1, with turbulence intensities detected between 9% and 11% and Reynold numbers from 10,000 to 90,000. Losses of ambient PM within the blank tunnel were less than 10% for particle counts (>0.25 µm), while smaller losses were obtained for PM1 and PM2.5. Thus, the construction, performance, as well as the limitations and various possible applications of the WT are shown in this article.
Health-Related Benefits of Different Indoor Plant Species in a School Setting
Authors: Pichlhöfer Alexander , Sesto Eldira , Hollands Jutta , Korjenic Azra
Published: August 2021

Humans spend more than 80% of their lives indoors resulting in an increased demand for high indoor air quality (IAQ). At the same time, indoor air tends to be at least twice as polluted as outdoor air, and health threats caused by long-term exposure to indoor air pollution are rising. Few experiments under real-life conditions have demonstrated positive effects of indoor plants on parameters related to IAQ, resulting in improved humidity and temperature, reduced particulate matter concentration and CO2 levels. Indoor living walls allow the presence of many plants—without taking up valuable floor area. This article presents the results of conducted measurements on four do-it-yourself green walls planted with different plant species that are typically used for vertical indoor greenery (golden pothos, Boston fern, spider plant and a combination of plants) in a school setting. Besides the parameters of air humidity and temperature, CO2, mold spore and particulate matter levels, influences on room acoustics were investigated. Based on a custom-developed evaluation matrix, the plants were compared with each other and a reference without plants. The results show that no species led to deterioration of IAQ. Golden pothos had the most substantial effect and delivered improvements in all examined parameters.
How Inclusive Digital Financial Services Impact User Behavior: A Case of Proximity Mobile Payment in Korea
Authors: Mu Hong-Lei , Lee Young-Chan
Published: August 2021

Users’ payment behaviors have changed. The diffusion of mobile devices makes people suitable for proximity mobile payment (PMP) services without traditional payment. Existing mobile payment literature mainly focuses on the adoption and continuous usage behavior. Nevertheless, switching behavior on payment has received little attention, especially on why people switch from traditional payment to PMP. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing users’ traditional payment–PMP switching to comprehend how these factors shape switching intention. To that end, we developed a traditional payment–PMP transition model based on the push–pull–mooring framework derived from migration theory. This study conducted a structural equation modeling analysis on 311 valid data. The findings indicated that a push factor drives users away from traditional payment in terms of dissatisfaction. The pull factors, including perceived substitutability and perceived usefulness, attract users to PMP. Furthermore, a positive mooring factor facilitates users’ switching intention to PMP in terms of perceived technical compatibility. The negative mooring factor, in terms of perceived risk, hinders users’ switching intention. However, another pull factor—perceived ease of use—failed to influence switching intention significantly. This study found some distinctions between mobile payment switching and mobile payment adoption. These findings provide pivotal insights for mobile payment service providers.
Image Processing of UAV Imagery for River Feature Recognition of Kerian River, Malaysia
Authors: Ansari Emaad , Akhtar Mohammad Nishat , Abdullah Mohamad Nazir , Othman Wan Amir Fuad Wajdi , Bakar Elmi Abu , Hawary Ahmad Faizul , Alhady Syed Sahal Nazli
Published: August 2021

The impact of floods is the most severe among the natural calamities occurring in Malaysia. The knock of floods is consistent and annually forces thousands of Malaysians to relocate. The lack of information from the Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia is the foremost obstacle in upgrading the flood mapping. With the expeditious evolution of computer techniques, processing of satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images for river hydromorphological feature detection and flood management have gathered pace in the last two decades. Different image processing algorithms—structure from motion (SfM), multi-view stereo (MVS), gradient vector flow (GVF) snake algorithm, etc.—and artificial neural networks are implemented for the monitoring and classification of river features. This paper presents the application of the k-means algorithm along with image thresholding to quantify variation in river surface flow areas and vegetation growth along Kerian River, Malaysia. The river characteristic recognition directly or indirectly assists in studying river behavior and flood monitoring. Dice similarity coefficient and Jaccard index are numerated between thresholded images that are clustered using the k-means algorithm and manually segmented images. Based on quantitative evaluation, a dice similarity coefficient and Jaccard index of up to 97.86% and 94.36% were yielded for flow area and vegetation calculation. Thus, the present technique is functional in evaluating river characteristics with reduced errors. With minimum errors, the present technique can be utilized for quantifying agricultural areas and urban areas around the river basin.
Evaluation of PM2.5 Particulate Matter and Noise Pollution in Tikrit University Based on GIS and Statistical Modeling
Authors: Ameen Mohammed Hashim , Jumaah Huda Jamal , Kalantar Bahareh , Ueda Naonori , Halin Alfian Abdul , Tais Abdullah Saeb , Jumaah Sarah Jamal
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we assess the extent of environmental pollution in terms of PM2.5 particulate matter and noise in Tikrit University, located in Tikrit City of Iraq. The geographic information systems (GIS) technology was used for data analysis. Moreover, we built two multiple linear regression models (based on two different data inputs) for the prediction of PM2.5 particulate matter, which were based on the explanatory variables of maximum and minimum noise, temperature, and humidity. Furthermore, the maximum prediction coefficient R2 of the best models was 0.82, with a validated (via testing data) coefficient R2 of 0.94. From the actual total distribution of PM2.5 particulate values ranging from 35–58 μg/m3, our best model managed to predict values between 34.9–60.6 μg/m3. At the end of the study, the overall air quality was determined between moderate and harmful. In addition, the overall detected noise ranged from 49.30–85.79 dB, which inevitably designated the study area to be categorized as a noisy zone, despite being an educational institution.
Comparing the Performance of Four Very Large Marine Protected Areas with Different Levels of Protection
Authors: Relano Veronica , Palomares Maria Lourdes Deng , Pauly Daniel
Published: August 2021

In the last decades, several targets for marine conservation were set to counter the effects of increasing fishing pressure, e.g., protecting 10% of the sea by 2020, and establishing large-scale marine protected areas (LSMPAs). Using the ‘reconstructed’ catch data for 1950 to 2018 made available by the Sea Around Us initiative, we show that the declaration of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in 1983 by the U.S.A. and its protection by the U.S. Coast Guard had a much bigger impact on catches around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands than the subsequent creation of a LSMPA. This is similar to Pitcairn Islands, a UK territory. Trends differed sharply in the Galapagos and New Caledonia, where neither their EEZ declaration nor the LSMPA (by Ecuador in 1988 and by France in 2014) stopped local fisheries from continuous expansion. Our results also demonstrate that in the studied multizone LSMPAs continued local fishing induces a ‘fishing down’ effect wherein the mean trophic level (TL) declined, especially in the Galapagos, by 0.1 TL per decade. Stakeholders’ responses to a short questionnaire and satellite imagery lent support to these results in that they documented substantial fishing operations and ‘fishing the line’ within and around multizone LSMPAs. In the case of EEZs around less populated or unpopulated islands, banning foreign fishing may reduce catch much more than a subsequent LSMPA declaration. This confirms that EEZs are a tool for coastal countries to protect their marine biodiversity and that allowing fishing in an MPA, while politically convenient, may result in ‘paper parks’ within which fishing can cause the same deleterious effects as in wholly unprotected areas.
The Role of the Local Host Community’s Involvement in the Development of Tourism: A Case Study of the Residents’ Perceptions toward Tourism on the Route of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Authors: Soares Jakson-Renner-Rodrigues , Casado-Claro Maria-Francisca , Lezcano-González María-Elvira , Sánchez-Fernández María-Dolores , Gabriel Larissa-Paola-Macedo-Castro , Abríl-Sellarés Maria
Published: August 2021

As an economic, social, and cultural activity, tourism shapes the relationship between visitors and local communities in tourist destinations. While tourism generates economic growth and employment opportunities for residents, its benefits come with a social cost. This article highlights the results of an online survey that was carried out at the beginning of 2021 in the seven major Galician cities along the Route of Santiago de Compostela (the Way of St. James) in Spain, which is a historical, natural, and cultural tourist attraction that is inscribed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in the category of cultural assets. The goal of the research work was to get to know first-hand the opinion of local communities about the positive and negative effects of tourism in their cities, on the Route of Santiago, and in the region of Galicia as a whole. Research work shows that residents’ perception of tourism leans toward the positive side, although it also reveals the need for tourism planners to involve host communities in tourism development. This research study about a World Heritage site should prove useful for political decision makers, tourism planners, and experts, both in Galicia and elsewhere.
Exploring the Causes of Design Changes in Building Construction Projects: An Interpretive Structural Modeling Approach
Authors: Shoar Shahab , Chileshe Nicholas
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mutual interactions between the causes of design changes using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and to classify the causes using the “Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement” MICMAC technique. This study further identifies and proposes strategies to mitigate design change occurrence and map them onto the identified connections between the causes. To achieve these goals, critical causes of design changes were identified through a comprehensive literature review; 23 key causes were then refined according to the opinions of relevant experts involved in the Iranian building construction sector. Stakeholders associated with each cause and the management areas from which causes arise were also considered. The factors “Unfamiliarity with new construction methods”, “Design errors”, “Value engineering”, “Scope uncertainty”, “Change orders”, and “Constructability ignored in the design phase”, which are highly influenced by other factors, emerged at the highest level of the ISM diagram, and “Clients’ attitudes and experience” as the main root cause of design changes at the bottom of the diagram. The MICMAC technique results showed that consultant-related causes significantly influence other causes, and policy and client-related causes have a feedback effect on the whole system. The findings of this study provide a better insight into how various causes of design changes are connected to one another and can ultimately assist project managers of different parties, even in other countries, to choose influential strategies to mitigate design changes in building construction projects.
Stochastic Planning and Operational Constraint Assessment of System-Customer Power Supply Risks in Electricity Distribution Networks
Authors: Kisuule Mikka , Hernando-Gil Ignacio , Serugunda Jonathan , Namaganda-Kiyimba Jane , Ndawula Mike Brian
Published: August 2021

Electricity-distribution network operators face several operational constraints in the provision of safe and reliable power given that investments for network area reinforcement must be commensurate with improvements in network reliability. This paper provides an integrated approach for assessing the impact of different operational constraints on distribution-network reliability by incorporating component lifetime models, time-varying component failure rates, as well as the monetary cost of customer interruptions in an all-inclusive probabilistic methodology that applies a time-sequential Monte Carlo simulation. A test distribution network based on the Roy Billinton test system was modelled to investigate the system performance when overloading limits are exceeded as well as when preventive maintenance is performed. Standard reliability indices measuring the frequency and duration of interruptions and the energy not supplied were complemented with a novel monetary reliability index. The comprehensive assessment includes not only average indices but also their probability distributions to adequately describe the risk of customer interruptions. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of this holistic approach, as the impacts of operational decisions are assessed from both reliability and monetary perspectives. This informs network planning decisions through optimum investments and consideration of customer outage costs.
Grain Handling and Storage in Lubero and Rutshuru Territories in the North Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Baributsa Dieudonne , Díaz-Valderrama Jorge R. , Mughanda Déogratias , Lubanzadio André , Nshombo Jean Paul C. , Sperling Louise , Baoua Ibrahim B.
Published: August 2021

Postharvest management of grain and seed is a challenge among smallholder farmers. Limited information is available on how smallholder farmers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who have been exposed to multiple conflicts, manage grain and seed after harvest. We interviewed 690 smallholder farmers in Lubero (Baswagha chiefdom) and Rutshuru (Bwisha and Bwito chiefdoms) territories of the North Kivu province of the DRC to assess how they dried and stored their crops. Results reveal that 95% and 80% farmers produced beans and maize, respectively. About half of respondents in Bwisha grew soybean, suggesting production diversification using conflict-resistant crops to minimize thefts and looting. Rotting and theft were the major challenges during field drying, while insects (81.3%) were the most important issue during storage. Sixty-six percent of farmers did not protect their grain during storage, exposing it to insect damage. Farmers producing beans in both Bwisha and Bwito, farmers storing beans and maize, and those storing for more than three months were more likely to protect their grains during storage. More than 70% of farmers saved seed for planting the next season but suffered significant weight losses of up to 50% due to insects. Storing grain in hermetic bags for six months had an estimated return on investments of up to 63% for maize in Baswagha and 54% for beans in Bwisha. Improved drying and storage technologies would help smallholder farmers to reduce their grain postharvest losses due to mold, theft, and insects. Smallholder farmers using these improved postharvest technologies have the opportunity to secure quality grain for home consumption and sale, and seed for planting.
Ecolabeling as a Policy Instrument for More Sustainable Development: The Evidence of Supply and Demand Interactions from Russia
Authors: Ratner Svetlana , Gomonov Konstantin , Revinova Svetlana , Lazanyuk Inna
Published: August 2021

Ecolabeling can complement more conventional policy instruments such as taxes and subsidies to stimulate more sustainable development of the economy. However, in practice, ecolabels may not always comply with legal requirements in terms of reliability, accuracy and clarity, and sometimes deliberately mislead the consumer. In Russia and many other developing countries, the problem of inaccurate information on the environmental properties of goods and services is still not recognized. The only regulatory document that currently defines the basic principles for developing and using environmental labels and declarations is the national versions of international standards ISO 14020/14021/14024/14025-Environmental Labels Package. This paper contributes to the literature in two main dimensions. It assesses the degree of prevalence of ecolabeling in the Russian market of everyday goods and the reliability and informational content of frequently used labels (supply-side research). Second, it estimates the consumers’ awareness and reaction to ecolabeled products (demand-side research). The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that low consumer awareness keeps the level of greenwashing low, but at the same time does not stimulate eco-innovations. We suggest developing smartphone applications that allow buyers to check the compliance of ecolabels on a product with ISO standards directly during the shopping process. We propose to use this approach as a cost-effective and straightforward way to simultaneously raise consumer awareness of ecolabeling and reduce the likelihood of greenwashing.
Research and Development Talents Training in China Universities—Based on the Consideration of Education Management Cost Planning
Authors: Yang Long-Hao , Liu Biyu , Liu Jun
Published: August 2021

Research and development (R&D) talents training are asymmetric in China universities and can be of great significance for economic and social sustainable development. For the purpose of making an in-depth analysis in the education management costs for R&D talents training, the belief rule-based (BRB) expert system with data increment and parameter learning is developed to achieve education management cost prediction for the first time. In empirical analysis, based on the BRB expert system, the past investments and future planning of education management costs are analyzed using real education management data from 2001 to 2019 in 31 Chinese provinces. Results show that: (1) the existing education management cost investments have a significant regional difference; (2) the BRB expert system has excellent accuracy over some existing cost-prediction models; and (3) without changing the current education management policy and education cost input scheme, the regional differences in China’s education management cost input always exist. In addition to the results, the present study is helpful for providing model supports and policy references for decision makers in making well-grounded plans of R&D talents training at universities
The Link between Sustainable Destination Image, Brand Globalness and Consumers’ Purchase Intention: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Hatzithomas Leonidas , Boutsouki Christina , Theodorakioglou Fotini , Papadopoulou Evanthia
Published: August 2021

The present study investigates the effect of a tourism destination’s perceived sustainable image on the globalness of brands named after the destination and attests the mediating role of brand globalness on the relationship between destination image and purchase intention. A model that incorporates identification with local and global consumer culture as moderators of the relationship between brand globalness and purchase intention is proposed. A 2 (Destination: Santorini vs. Serres) × 2 (Product: tomato paste, yogurt) online experiment was designed through Prolific Academic for the purposes of the study. As Greece is a top destination among British tourists, a British audience was addressed, resulting in 425 participants. Britons with high identification with global consumer culture indicated higher purchase intentions for brands named after a sustainable destination. It also appears that a sustainable destination image is a critical factor in creating brand globalness and purchase intention for a brand named after this destination. Hence, destinations with a sustainable image can be used as a basis for the development of exports. An in-depth understanding of the international image of popular destinations will help indigenous companies create and maintain strong global brands. Significant implications for exporting companies are highlighted.
Analysis of Water and Mud Inrush in Tunnel Fault Fracture Zone—A Case Study of Yonglian Tunnel
Authors: Liu Jun , Li Zhipeng , Zhang Xiao , Weng Xianjie
Published: August 2021

Water and mud inrush disaster is easily induced during tunnel construction through water-rich fault fracture zones. In this paper, based on the field data, the process of water and mud inrush in tunnels is introduced in detail, and generation conditions and evolution mechanisms have been analyzed. Results show that the key factors of water and mud inrush include poor strata lithology, abundant groundwater and tunnel excavation disturbance. These key factors provide material conditions, source power and start-up conditions for water inrush, respectively. The evolution process of water and mud inrush can be divided into three stages: generation, development and occurrence. During generation stage, a seepage channel expands continuously, with water flow increasing gradually until a large range of loose zone is formed. During the development stage, a large amount of groundwater and a large range of softened muddy rock mass accumulates around the tunnel. During the occurrence stage, the “protective layer” and initial supports suddenly lose stability and are destroyed. These research results could provide some references for the effective prediction and forewarning of similar engineering disasters.
Quantitative Research Methods of Linguistic Niche and Cultural Sustainability
Authors: Zhang Lan , Huang Guowen , Li Yongtao , Bao Shitai
Published: August 2021

Building Sustainable Cities and Human Communities is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. And the sustainability of culture plays an important role in the sustainable development of cities and human communities. Language is an important carrier of culture, and the sustainability of language is the key factor in the sustainability of culture. How to measure the sustainability of language and its niche is key to achieving sustainable cities and communities. This paper systematically summarized the concept of niche and the theory of ecolinguistics as a theoretical basis for the quantitative study of the linguistic niche, and at the same time, the methods of niche measurement were summarized to provide mathematical support for the quantitative study of the linguistic niche. The Shannon-Wiener index and Pianka index were used to quantitatively study a particular linguistic niche for the first time, based on the use of Hmong and Mandarin in Jianhe County, Guizhou Province, China. The results showed that in the temporal dimension, the niche overlap indexes of Hmong and Mandarin were all above 0.9 in the sample villages, but in the spatial dimension, the niche overlap indexes of both languages were between 0.5 and 0.6. The spatial niche separation moderated the high temporal niche overlap, which made the two languages’ spatio-temporal niche overlap at a medium-high level. The quantitative study of a linguistic niche proved helpful in quantifying the level of sustainable development of language and culture, thus providing timely, accurate, and dynamic reference data to inform macro-control policies on the sustainable development of cities and human communities.