bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Students’ Engagement in Education as Sustainability: Implementing an Ethical Dilemma-STEAM Teaching Model in Chemistry Learning
Authors: Rahmawati Yuli , Taylor Elisabeth , Taylor Peter Charles , Ridwan Achmad , Mardiah Alin
Published: March 2022

This paper reports the results of a study on the implementation of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model in secondary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. This interdisciplinary curriculum approach employed ‘ethical dilemma story pedagogy’ in a STEAM education project designed to engage students in values-based chemistry learning. Drawing on the arts, specially written ethical dilemma stories posing real-world environmental problems engaged students in exploring their value systems. Students reflected on the pros and cons of ethical dilemmas related to the everyday use of artificial fertilizers, disposal of used cooking oil and detergent waste, and environmental pollution caused by plastic waste. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model to empower Indonesian secondary school students with both chemistry knowledge and transdisciplinary capabilities for resolving environmental problems. The researchers conducted an interpretive case study of four high-school chemistry classes to understand students’ learning experiences and outcomes. Data were obtained from students’ reflective journals, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. The results demonstrate that students engaged in deep chemistry learning while simultaneously developing critical reflective social thinking, collaborative decision-making skills, and increased awareness of the need to protect the environment in order to support sustainable development. The study revealed that chemistry education can play a strategic role through ethical values learning in empowering students to become agents of change for environmental sustainability. Further research is warranted into the efficacy of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model for empowering students in sustainability education across a broad range of science-related topics and sociocultural contexts.
What Type of Households in Mongolia Are Most Hit by COVID-19?
Authors: Gombodorj Ganchimeg , Pető Károly
Published: March 2022

The study aims to validate the measures taken by the government of Mongolia against COVID-19 and to analyse the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the livelihood of different types of households. The survey covers 362 households consisting of five different types, namely, apartment households, ger district households, herder households, vegetable growing households, and small farmer households. Principal component analysis is used to reduce the number of variables to a few factors that best explain the variation in the variables. Two to three components were found from the principal component analyses that describe (i) government policy, (ii) challenges due to COVID-19, and (iii) risk and vulnerability that occurred due to COVID-19. Multiple regression models attributed by the household’s type were used to analyse the impact of the selected variables on the households’ income. According to the regression results, herding households are the least affected, compared to the other four types of households. The government measures to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 have better results for apartment households and ger district households. Rural households are less affected and seem to be more resilient to COVID-19 shocks than other households.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development in Electronic Markets
Authors: Thamik Hanane , Wu Jiang
Published: March 2022

With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), the technological revolution has transformed human lives and processes, empowering the products and services in today’s marketplaces. AI introduces new ways of doing jobs and business, and of exploring new global market opportunities. However, on the other hand, it provides many challenges to comprehend. Therefore, our study’s main objective was to examine the behavioral, cultural, ethical, social, and economic challenges of AI-enabled products and services in consumer markets and discuss how businesses might shape their approaches to address AI-related ethical issues. AI offers numerous social, ethical, and behavioral difficulties for people, organizations, and societies that endanger the sustainable development of economies. These fundamental challenges due to AI technologies have raised serious questions for the sustainable development of electronic markets. Based on this, the current study presents a framework highlighting these issues. Systematic reviewing was our research method; we looked for explicit information and methods that indicate the credibility of research or reduce biases. This paper is of great importance, as it highlights several behavioral, societal, ethical, and cultural aspects in electronic markets which were not presented in previous studies. Some key issues are the security and privacy of consumers, AI biases, individual autonomy, wellbeing, and issues of unemployment. Therefore, companies that use AI systems need to be socially responsible and make AI systems as secure as possible to promote the sustainable development of countries. The results suggest that AI has undoubtedly transformed life and has both positive and negative effects. However, the main aim regarding AI should be to use it for the overall goals of humanity. Moreover, authorities operating in e-business environments need to create proper rules and regulations and make the systems as secure as possible for people.
Design and Implementation of Attention Depression Detection Model Based on Multimodal Analysis
Authors: Park Junhee , Moon Nammee
Published: March 2022

Depression is becoming a social problem as the number of sufferers steadily increases. In this regard, this paper proposes a multimodal analysis-based attention depression detection model that simultaneously uses voice and text data obtained from users. The proposed models consist of Bidirectional Encoders from Transformers-Convolutional Neural Network (BERT-CNN) for natural language analysis, CNN-Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (CNN-BiLSTM) for voice signal processing, and multimodal analysis and fusion models for depression detection. The experiments in this paper are conducted using the DAIC-WOZ dataset, a clinical interview designed to support psychological distress states such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress. The voice data were set to 4 seconds in length and the number of mel filters was set to 128 in the preprocessing process. For text data, we used the subject text data of the interview and derived the embedding vector using a transformers tokenizer. Based on each data set, the BERT-CNN and CNN-BiLSTM proposed in this paper were applied and combined to classify depression. Through experiments, the accuracy and loss degree were compared for the cases of using multimodal data and using single data, and it was confirmed that the existing low accuracy was improved.
Profiling (Non-)Nascent Entrepreneurs in Hungary Based on Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Gosztonyi Márton , Judit Csákné Filep
Published: March 2022

In our study, we examined the characteristics of nascent entrepreneurs using the 2021 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor national representative data in Hungary. We examined our topic based on Arenius and Minitti’s four-category theory framework. In our research, we examined system-level feature sets with four machine learning modeling algorithms: multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and AdaBoost. Our results show that each machine algorithm can predict nascent entrepreneurs with over 90% adaptive cruise control (ACC) accuracy. Furthermore, the adaptation of the categories of variables based on the theory of Arenius and Minitti provides an appropriate framework for obtaining reliable predictions. Based on our results, it can be concluded that perceptual factors have different importance and weight along the optimal models, and if we include further reliability measures in the model validation, we cannot pinpoint only one algorithm that can adequately identify nascent entrepreneurs. Accurate forecasting requires a careful and predictor-level analysis of the algorithms’ models, which also includes the systemic relationship between the affecting factors. An important but unexpected result of our study is that we identified that Hungarian NEs have very specific previous entrepreneurial and business ownership experience; thus, they can be defined not as a beginner but as a novice enterprise.
Integrated Wastewater Management for the Protection of Vulnerable Water Resources in the North of Jordan
Authors: Breulmann Marc , Khurelbaatar Ganbaatar , Sanne Moritz , van Afferden Manfred , Subah Ali , Müller Roland A.
Published: March 2022

The protection of vulnerable groundwater resources and their optimal management is essential for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to meet current and future water demands. Our overall objective was to analyse the water situation in the district of Bani Kinana, which has received a large number of Syrian refugees in the past, resulting in an increased water demand, which in turn leads to local water shortages and puts tremendous pressure on local groundwater resources. An integrated wastewater resources management (IWRM) approach to protect groundwater resources and to reduce the risk to local communities and ecosystems was developed, and the most cost-effective wastewater treatment system solution was identified, based on the ALLOWS tool (Assessment-of-Local-Lowest-Cost-Wastewater-Solutions). The results show that a large volume of drinking water is directed to the Jordan Valley and it is recommended that this water should be retained to meet current needs and the projected future demand of 8.3 MC in 2050. The ALLOWS tool revealed that the current practice of wastewater disposal by tanker is the costliest scenario in the long-term and will cause the pollution of groundwater resources. A tailored solution, such as the implementation of a cost-efficient semi-centralized wastewater treatment plant, would contribute significantly to protecting vulnerable water recourses.
Park Characteristics and Changes in Park Visitation before, during, and after COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Order
Authors: Ding Yizhen , Li Dongying , Sang Huiyan
Published: March 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited people’s visitation to public places because of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders. According to Google’s community mobility reports, some countries showed a decrease in park visitation during the pandemic, while others showed an increase. Although government responses played a significant role in this variation, little is known about park visitation changes and the park attributes that are associated with these changes. Therefore, we aimed to examine the associations between park characteristics and percent changes in park visitation in Harris County, TX, for three time periods: before, during, and after the shelter-in-place order of Harris County. We utilized SafeGraph’s point-of-interest data to extract weekly park visitation counts for the Harris County area. This dataset included the size of each park and its weekly number of visits from 2 March to 31 May 2020. In addition, we measured park characteristics, including greenness density, using the normalized difference vegetation index; park type (mini, neighborhood, community, regional/metropolitan); presence of sidewalks and bikeways; sidewalk and bikeway quantity; and bikeway quality. Results showed that park visitation decreased after issuing the shelter-in-place order and increased after this order was lifted. Results from linear regression models indicated that the higher the greenness density of the park, the smaller the decrease in park visitation during the shelter-in-place period compared to before the shelter-in-place order. This relationship also appeared after the shelter-in-place order. The presence of more sidewalks was related to less visitation increase after the shelter-in-place order. These findings can guide planners and designers to implement parks that promote public visitation during pandemics and potentially benefit people’s physical and mental health.
Eco-Capabilities as a Pathway to Wellbeing and Sustainability
Authors: Walshe Nicola , Moula Zoe , Lee Elsa
Published: March 2022

Eco-Capabilities is an AHRC funded project situated at the intersection of three issues: a concern with children’s wellbeing; their disconnect with the environment; and a lack of engagement with arts in school curricula. It builds on Amartya Sen’s work on human capabilities as a proxy for wellbeing, developing the term eco-capabilities to describe how children define what they feel they need to live a fully good human life through environmental sustainability, social justice and future economic wellbeing. A total of 101 children aged 7–10 from schools in highly deprived areas participated in eight full days of arts in nature practice. The study drew on arts based research methods, participatory observations, interviews and focus groups with artists, teachers and children. Findings suggest that arts in nature practice contributed towards eight (eco-)capabilities: autonomy; bodily integrity and safety; individuality; mental and emotional wellbeing; relationality: human/nonhuman relations; senses and imagination; and spirituality. This was facilitated through four pedagogical elements: extended and repeated arts in nature sessions; embodiment and engaging children affectively through the senses; ‘slowliness’, which envelops children with time and space to (re)connect; and thoughtful practice, which facilitates emotional expression. We suggest that, through these elements, arts in nature practice supports children’s wellbeing, and guides them towards a more entangled relationship with nature and a clearer understanding of themselves as part of it, thereby motivating them to take better care of it.
Causality between Technological Innovation and Economic Growth: Evidence from the Economies of Developing Countries
Authors: Mohamed Maha Mohamed Alsebai , Liu Pingfeng , Nie Guihua
Published: March 2022

Economic growth is a tool for measuring the development and progress of countries, and technological innovation is one of the factors affecting economic growth and contributes to the development and modernization of production methods. Therefore, technological innovation is the main driver for economic growth and human progress. Spending on innovation, research and development as well as investment in innovation supports competition and progress. Accordingly, sustainable economic growth is achieved. This ensures the preservation of resources for future generations and the achievement of economic and social growth. Moreover, a sustainable educational level of the workforce, investment in research, creation of new products, and investor access to stock markets will be ensured through the development of the public and private sectors and the improvement of people’s living conditions. Our study aimed to measure the impact of technological innovation on economic growth in developing countries during the period 1990–2018. To this end, the error correction model (ECM) method has been applied. The results showed that the variables are unstable in the level and stable after taking the first difference. Co-integration was also tested using the ECM, and Granger’s causality test for the direction of causation. The test results showed that an increase in technological innovation indicators (such as spending on education, number of patents for residents and non-residents, R&D expenditures, number of researchers in R&D, high-tech exports, and scientific and technical research papers.) leads to an increase in economic growth in the short term and the long-run with a long-run and two-way causal relationship between technological innovation and GDP, and short-run causation spanning from technological innovation to GDP. The study also concluded that technological innovation has a direct impact on the sustainability of a country’s economic growth, which is why it is crucial to adopt strong policies that encourage international investors to allocate capital for development in developing countries and thus encourage more research and development.
Risk Mitigation, Vulnerability Management, and Resilience under Disasters
Authors: Sapountzaki Kalliopi
Published: March 2022

The present Special Issue is devoted to vulnerability management and resilience-building as cornerstones of disaster risk mitigation [...]
SME Top Management Perception of Environmental Uncertainty and Gender Differences during COVID-19
Authors: Veršič Sabina , Tominc Polona , Štrukelj Tjaša
Published: March 2022

Environmental scanning has become increasingly crucial for an organisation’s existence and a matter of interest for scholars and professionals. This research presents an outline of the situation in the field of multidimensional environmental scanning, focusing on Slovenian micro, small and medium sized organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the paper aims to examine if top managers perceive the multidimensional (external) environment as uncertain and if there have been gender differences in multidimensional (external) environmental uncertainty perception during the COVID-19 pandemic. We researched the field of ecological, social, technological, economic, and political–legal environments. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test and descriptive statistics were used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that top managers are not aware enough of multidimensional environmental uncertainty. They do not perceive the ecological and social environment as unpredictable at all. Among the studied environments, they perceive the political–legal environment as most unpredictable. There are no statistically significant gender differences in perceptions of ecological, social, technological, economic, and political–legal environmental uncertainty. We suggest SME top managers pay more attention to environmental uncertainty and use environmental scanning methods to achieve more sustainable development.
Understanding Science Teachers’ Implementations of Integrated STEM: Teacher Perceptions and Practice
Authors: Hamad Sara , Tairab Hassan , Wardat Yousef , Rabbani Lutfieh , AlArabi Khaleel , Yousif Mohammed , Abu-Al-Aish Ahmad , Stoica George
Published: March 2022

This study examines how science teachers experience integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) approaches into their teaching. In addition, it further examines the encountered challenges in this regard to shed light on STEM current practices within the context of United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study consists of two stages; the first involved collecting qualitative data using semi-structured interviews to explore three science teachers’ perceptions and lived experiences having infused STEM into their regular teaching in cycle 2 for more than two years. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed in the second phase via the developed closed-ended questionnaire to examine teachers’ perceptions across a larger sample regarding “challenges encountered by teachers when implementing STEM teaching”. Research findings showed that science teachers generally have a positive attitude towards using STEM-based activities. In addition, data revealed that participants implement integrated STEM into their teaching frequently and regularly. Results also indicated teachers encounter challenges while implementing STEM: documentation, the vast curriculum content, and lack of time. Moreover, external challenges (i.e., the lack of supportive guidelines) rather than teachers’ competency (i.e., having sufficient knowledge and skills for implementing STEM teaching) appeared to have the highest impending impact. Finally, we discuss findings and presented implications for teachers, educators, and policymakers.
Short Food Supply Chains in Europe: Scientific Research Directions
Authors: Evola Rosalia Stella , Peira Giovanni , Varese Erica , Bonadonna Alessandro , Vesce Enrica
Published: March 2022

In the food sector, new configurations of supply chains, as opposed to global conventional ones, are drawing the attention of researchers and institutions all over the world. These are presented as a panacea for the recovery of rural economies and, in general, of food system sustainability. In this context the short food supply chains (SFSCs) become relevant, as happens in Europe, where strategies and regulations designed on their implementation were adopted. Recognising that scientific research always plays an important role in guiding institutions’ choices in many fields, it seems important to focus on how SFSCs are considered in the European academic panorama. Therefore, this contribution presents a study performed on a sample of 108 papers published in journals during the last decade. The findings concerning the investigated issues and the approaches to analysing SFSC development and effects are reported from both the producer and consumer perspective. The review strongly emphasizes the factors affecting participation in SFSCs. Moreover, it highlights that the positive perception of SFSC sustainability is not based on scientific evidence. The analysis outlines current research directions and identifies challenges that are still open in order to offer researchers food for thought with a view to developing further future insights.
CI-DEA: A Way to Improve the Discriminatory Power of DEA—Using the Example of the Efficiency Assessment of the Digitalization in the Life of the Generation 50+
Authors: Łozowicka Anna , Lach Bartłomiej
Published: March 2022

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a popular and universal method for examining the efficiency with which decision-making units (DMUs) transform multiple inputs into multiple outputs. However, DEA has its limitations, one of them being its decreasing discriminatory power when the number of analyzed DMUs is insufficient or when there are too many variables (inputs/outputs) describing them. When resigning from any of the variables is impossible or undesired, or when the number of units cannot be increased, CI-DEA, a method proposed in this article, proves to be helpful. It consists of replacing the inputs and/or outputs of the studied DMUs with a smaller number of composite indicators. The aggregation of variables is not based on subjective decisions of the analyst, but depends solely on correlations that exist among variables. The construction of the CI-DEA model makes the interpretation of the results unambiguous and easy. The reliability of the results obtained with CI-DEA have been confirmed by extensive simulation studies performed under conditions of predetermined real-efficiency of DMUs. The usefulness of CI-DEA on real data has been demonstrated on the example of the efficiency assessment of the digitalization in the life of the Generation 50+ in 32 European countries.
Exploring the Applicability of Building Energy Performance Certification Systems in Underground Stations in China
Authors: Yu Yanzhe , You Shijun , Wei Shen , Zhang Huan , Ye Tianzhen , Wang Yaran , Na Yanling
Published: March 2022

To improve the energy efficiency of underground metro stations, and in view of the absence of a comprehensive energy performance evaluation system for underground stations, this study introduced building Energy Performance Certification (EPC) tools into underground stations and conducted a comparative analysis of their applicability. The findings indicated that due to the unique characteristics of underground stations, China’s current EPC system was inapplicable to them. Specifically, (1) for basic items, although evaluation methods were available, due to the limited energy use data for the statistical method, the self-reference method was preferred, but its calculation encountered issues with missing reference values; (2) for prescribed items, the emphasis should be placed on the energy efficiency requirements of energy use systems rather than those of the thermal performance of envelopes; (3) for alternative items, the energy recovery measures related to the heat dissipation of trains and the piston wind should be addressed. Furthermore, a case study was conducted for verification of the proposed energy evaluation method, and the EPC system was updated based on the results of the comparison. The authors hope that this study will help improve China’s energy evaluation methods for underground stations and serve as a reference for expanding the EPC system to include public transportation buildings.
Achieving Circularity through Novel Product-Service Systems in the Mining Industry: An Opportunity for Circularity
Authors: Vargas Juan Pablo , Muñoz Lagos Angélica Patricia , Feriz Torres José Guillermo , Kinney Ian Scott , Pérez Cortés Sebastián , Hurtado Juan Pablo
Published: March 2022

The evolution toward sustainable mining can be achieved by implementing circular economies (CEs), and one way forward is via product-service systems (PSSs). However, applying PSSs in the mining industry is an area with little extant research. We seek to contribute to CE and sustainability research by proposing a model by which mining companies can achieve circularity through their suppliers: something which has not yet been explored. First, we present a critical literature review of published papers about the barriers and benefits in industries where servitization or PSS has been applied. We discuss barriers impeding PSS implementation in the mining industry, along with related concepts including CE and PSSs in digital technologies. With this study we hope to draw more discussion to the topic of PSSs in the mining industry and provide useful guidelines to academics and industry professionals for PSS implementation in mining: an important step toward circularity.
Effects of Water-Retaining Agent Dosages on Slope-Protection Plants and Soil Nutrients on Rocky Slopes
Authors: Xerdiman Didar , Zhou Hongxin , Li Shaocai , Sun Hailong , Xin Kewei , Sun Dayuan , Li Chaoyang
Published: March 2022

Rocky slopes lack the necessary conditions for plant growth, i.e., soil and water, making vegetation recovery difficult and necessitating artificial soil conditions for vegetation establishment. Water-retaining agents are essential functional substances for constructing artificial soil on rocky slopes. In this study, the effect of water-retaining agents on the growth of artificial vegetation and soil nutrient loss was investigated by setting different application rates of water-retaining agents (10 g/m2, 20 g/m2, 30 g/m2, 40 g/m2, and 50 g/m2). Artificially simulated rocky slope conditions were achieved using the guest soil spraying technology after hanging the net, which provided support for the application of the water-retaining agent. Results showed that the contents of extractable nitrogen (EN), extractable phosphorus (EP), and extractable potassium (EK) in the soil, the number of plant individuals per unit area, plant height, and ground diameter of the water-retaining agent treatment were significantly higher than those of the control group (set up with no water retention as the control group, hereafter “CK”). By contrast, the nutrient content in the runoff fluid was significantly lower than that of CK. The application of the water-retaining agent significantly enhanced the soil’s ability to retain water and fertilizer, thus improving the growing environment and plant growth. Under the conditions of this experiment, the application rate of a 40 g/m2 water-retaining agent is reasonable from the perspectives of economic cost, soil nutrients, and plant growth.
Mechanism for Financing the Accumulated Debt of Utility Services Water, Electricity and Gas as a Result of the COVID-19
Authors: Verdejo Humberto , Holz Mauricio , Becker Cristhian , Tobar Francisco , García-Muñoz Fernando
Published: March 2022

The effects associated with the pandemic of COVID-19 have left several consequences. The large confinements have caused formal and independent job losses. Therefore, families have been forced to prioritize their monthly utility bills. Most countries have decided on suspending cuts in utility services and give them payment arrangements for the future instead. In this article, the actions taken in Latin America and Europe are presented. Additionally, for the Chilean case, a mechanism for financing the accumulated debt is proposed. The main objective of this is to establish a procedure that allows users to regain the habit of paying for public utilities (water, electricity and piped gas).
Spatial and Temporal Changes in Wetland in Dongting Lake Basin of China under Long Time Series from 1990 to 2020
Authors: Yang Zhi-Min , Han Long-Fei , Liu Qing-Ping , Li Chun-Hui , Pan Zhao-Yi , Xu Ke
Published: March 2022

Wetland plays a pivotal role in sustaining ecosystems and adapting to climate change. This paper used remote sensing images from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 to investigate the changes in wetland in the Dongting Lake Basin (DLB) and their possible causes. The land-use conversion matrix and contribution rate were calculated in 1990–2000, 2000–2010, and 2010–2020, and results showed that the total wetland area displayed an increasing trend, especially the reservoir ponds and channels across DLB from 1990 to 2020. Forest and agricultural land conversion into wetland accounted for the main proportion, with the greatest contribution rate (234.13%) of forest land and the smallest rate (−117.46%) of agricultural land between 1990 and 2000. On the contrary, agricultural land had the highest contribution rate (47.96%) for wetlands compared to other land-cover types from 2000 to 2010, followed by forest land (39.03%). The contribution rates of forest and agricultural lands to wetlands were 60.17% and 39.02% from 2010 to 2020, respectively. Wetlands showed a more significant net gain (a total of 259 km2) in Central and Southern Hunan Province. More specifically, the wetlands area in North Hunan Province decreased by 45 km2 from 1990 to 2000. It increased over the next two decades (155 km2 and 22 km2, respectively). Southern Hunan Province continued increasing from 1990 to 2010 (a total of 149 km2) while decreasing from 2010 to 2020 (a total of −297 km2). Forestation was the principal driving force promoting the continuous increase in wetlands. In addition, agricultural land was mainly related to wetland change in this region, characterized by reclaiming land from lakes in the earlier period and returning agricultural land to wetland in the later period. Built-up land occupied a small area of wetlands over the study period. The study is beneficial to understanding the wetlands’ dynamic changes in the past and present, as well as being useful for wetland management, consistent with sustainable development.
Effectiveness of Usage of Digital Heritage in the Sustainability of Cultural Tourism on Islands: The Case of Northern Cyprus
Authors: Yeniasır Mustafa , Gökbulut Burak
Published: March 2022

In Northern Cyprus, where there is a great potential for cultural tourism, transforming cultural heritage into digital heritage and preserving it, and making it sustainable by conveying it to future generations, are of great importance for the economic development of the island. For the said transformation to be carried out more sustainably and to contribute to cultural tourism, both the knowledge and opinions of those working in the field of tourism and the expectations of the tourists visiting the island are important. In this context, data were collected from both sides through the questions prepared by the researchers. In the collection of data, a semi-structured interview form consisting of nine open-ended questions for tourism professionals and seven open-ended questions for tourists visiting the island was used, four of which were common. The opinions of two experts were taken in the preparation of the interview form, which was created using the existing literature. In the analysis of the obtained data, descriptive analysis was used, while descriptive statistics were employed to quantify the collected data. Based on the research findings, it was concluded that there are important deficiencies in terms of technology, internet, and management when transferring cultural elements to digital media in Northern Cyprus and that the technological infrastructure should be developed first. In addition to the development of technology, organization, planning, and forming legal regulations at the ministerial level is also important. It was also determined in the study that tourists did not want to start and finish their touristic activities in the digital environment in a general sense.
Effect of Product Distribution Structures and Government Subsidy Measures on Product Quality and Consumption under Competition
Authors: Majumder Sani , Nielsen Izabela , Maity Susanta , Saha Subrata
Published: March 2022

To improve social welfare and the sustainable development index, many governments introduce subsidies to manufacturers. Motivated by a subsidy program, we present a parsimonious analysis to determine the impact of subsidies when two competing manufacturers use different distribution structures under competition to sell their products in a three-echelon distribution setting. The objective is to understand better how distribution structures and social welfare measures affect the government’s decision to subsidize. We consider four different distribution structures where the government can provide subsidies to both the manufacturers or one of them. From the perspective of the social welfare optimization goal, we consider two well-established measures to analyze whether those measures impacted the overall dynamics. The two key areas: (i) the effect of distribution structures and (ii) decisions under different social welfare measures are not discussed comprehensively yet. We found that distribution structure significantly impacted product qualities, prices, and amount of government expenditure. The government may need to pay more subsidies in a distribution structure with a two-manufacturers-two-distributors-two-retailers distribution setting, where customers can receive a higher-quality product and pay a higher price. Our analysis reveals that the government’s social welfare goal can change the dynamics. Among four distribution structures, none can simultaneously ensure higher quality, product consumption, supply chain profits, and lower prices. The results provide insights for developing practical government subsidy program goals under competition.
Freight Transport Decarbonization: A Systematic Literature Review of System Dynamics Models
Authors: Ghisolfi Verônica , Tavasszy Lóránt Antal , Correia Gonçalo Homem de Almeida , Chaves Gisele de Lorena Diniz , Ribeiro Glaydston Mattos
Published: March 2022

Freight transport decarbonization is currently an urgent challenge. Decarbonization strategies have a specific time to take effect, and it is essential to consider their time dependence. The system dynamics approach is well suited to represent feedback, lagged responses, and the time dependence of decarbonization strategies. We carried out a systematic literature review of system dynamics models in relation to strategies for freight decarbonization to identify the treatment of relevant dynamics of the system within the models. The 50 studies that fulfilled our search criteria were categorized by decarbonization strategies, the external factors needed to support them, and simulated policy instruments. The results show that no model presented a broad view of the system, addressing a limited combination of strategies. Most importantly, system dynamics models do not clarify how time-dependent behavior is determined, which indicates a significant research gap that can be critical for understanding the policy’s urgency and impacts.
Threats and Opportunities in Digital Transformation in SMEs from the Perspective of Sustainability: A Case Study in the Czech Republic
Authors: Šimberová Iveta , Korauš Antonín , Schüller David , Širáňová Lenka , Straková Jarmila , Váchal Jan
Published: March 2022

Digital technologies represent an important factor in the achievement of the sustainability goals of the European Green Deal. Whether the digitalisation trend will contribute to the sustainable development of societies in the long term depends on how we shape and understand it. The aim of this paper is to create a concept for the management of the threats and opportunities in the digital transformation of SMEs. As part of a broader research project, a complex tool was developed to assess the digital maturity of SMEs, and our paper focuses on one aspect of this tool, which is related to the identification and management of the opportunities and threats that are associated with digital transformation trends. The methodology that was used to develop this paper is based on a pilot survey that involved 154 SMEs in the Czech Republic, 74 of which were used for the follow-up survey on the opportunities and threats. Sixteen key trends were identified, which were then reduced to five latent factors, with their names forming five dimensions. In the cluster analysis, the companies were divided into three clusters, which served as the basis for determining the final cluster centres. The result is a concept for the management of the threats and opportunities in the digital transformation of SMEs. Digital transformation is the broad topic. Therefore, the theoretical overlap of this study can be seen in the narrower focus on the identification and management of the opportunities and threats in digital transformation. In addition, this study focuses on SMEs because there are more than one million small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech Republic, and they create 54% of the innovative solutions. The practical impact of this study can be understood in the fact that the proposed concept may enable SMEs to more easily manage threats and opportunities in their digital transformation.
An Innovative E-Learning Support for Modern History Distance Learning and the Experience during the COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Bures Miroslav , Ripka Vojtech , Buresova Karolina , Frajtak Karel , Maha Jiri , Cinatl Kamil
Published: March 2022

Inquiry-based education in the field of history using modern multimedia and communication technologies has been the subject of several previous studies. However, much less work exists to analyse the unique situation of distance learning, which has been broadly implemented to satisfy lockdown restrictions during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents an overview of the HistoryLab project, which uses various types of multimedia and communication technology to support an interactive education of modern history and encourage an engagement in historical thinking amongst students. This project was successfully employed in recent distance teaching measures enforced under the COVID-19 lockdown in Czechia, so we report on this experience and the lessons learned, useful for the educational community, in this study.
Critical Review of Pakistani Current Legislation on Sustainable Protection of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Khan Nisar Ali , Nuti Camillo , Monti Giorgio , Micheli Mario
Published: March 2022

This paper discusses the contribution of individuals and their effects on the protection and management of archaeological sites found in the British colonies at the beginning of the 19th Century. Despite all these contributions, the most important bequest is the formation of comprehensive legislation on cultural properties that are still applicable and considered essential to the historic, standing, or ruined, monuments located in Pakistan. It should be noted that Pakistan’s heritage laws are uniformly applicable to all kinds of architectural heritage, archaeological sites, and monuments, irrespective of their nature, state, and classification. This contrasts with the lack of updates and amendments of rules and guidelines for the preservation of heritage sites and monuments across the country from further damages. The paper focuses on the current architectural and heritage management rules and policies of Pakistan, which are based on the British colonial legacy with some (partial) changes introduced since Pakistan’s independence in 1947. Finally, the paper emphasizes the need for the development of advanced management policies and proposed heritage management rules for the preservation of heritage constructions, archaeological sites, and architectural monuments to establish the link between the present and past to remain for future generations.
Coupling and Coordination Analysis of Digital Rural Construction from the Perspective of Rural Revitalization: A Case Study from Zhejiang Province of China
Authors: Zhao Yuexu , Li Ruyue
Published: March 2022

Taking the development level of digital village construction in the Zhejiang province of China as the research object, this paper analyzes the current situation of digital village construction in Zhejiang and the relationship between financial development and technological innovation. Firstly, the digital village construction evaluation index system is built, which includes 6 first-level indicators and 18 s-level indicators, and then the comprehensive value to measure the development level of digital village construction in Zhejiang is calculated by the entropy method. Secondly, using the coupling and coordination model, the relationship among digital village construction, financial development, and technological innovation is discussed. The numerical results show that indicators such as infrastructure, beautiful villages, and digital economy play a greater role in the development of digital villages, accounting for 38.22%, 22.89%, and 18.55%, respectively. The continuous improvement of the financial development level, from 17.25% in 2016 to 39.98% in 2019, has an important impact on the construction of digital villages.
Kinetics and Adsorption Equilibrium in the Removal of Azo-Anionic Dyes by Modified Cellulose
Authors: Villabona-Ortíz Ángel , Figueroa-Lopez Kelly J. , Ortega-Toro Rodrigo
Published: March 2022

This study introduces a new and bio-friendly adsorbent based on natural and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC)-modified adsorbent prepared from wheat straw residues for the removal of Congo red (CR) and tartrazine azo-anionic dyes from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), calorimetric differential (DSC), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), and pH point of zero charge (pHPZC) techniques. It was found that decreasing the adsorbent dose and increasing the initial concentration favors the removal of tartrazine and Congo red. Tartrazine adsorption capacities were 2.31 mg/g for the cellulose extracted from wheat residues (WC) and 18.85 mg/g for the modified wheat residue cellulose (MWC) for tartrazine as well as 18.5 mg/g for WC and 19.92 for MWC during Congo red (CR) adsorption, respectively. Increasing the initial and decreasing the adsorbent dose concentration favored the adsorption process. From time effect analysis, it was found that the equilibrium time was reached at 120 min when modified wheat cellulose was used and at 480 min when wheat cellulose was used. The kinetics of adsorption were described by pseudo-second-order in all cases with R2 > 0.95. The obtained data equilibrium from this research was well-fitted by the Freundlich isotherm model.
Thematic Analysis as a New Culturomic Tool: The Social Media Coverage on COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy
Authors: Aria Massimo , Cuccurullo Corrado , D’Aniello Luca , Misuraca Michelangelo , Spano Maria
Published: March 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic influenced people’s everyday lives because of the health emergency and the resulting socio-economic crisis. People use social media to share experiences and search for information about the disease more than before. This paper aims at analysing the discourse on COVID-19 developed in 2020 by Italian tweeters, creating a digital storytelling of the pandemic. Employing thematic analysis, an approach used in bibliometrics to highlight the conceptual structure of a research domain, different time slices have been described, bringing out the most discussed topics. The graphical mapping of these topics allowed obtaining an easily readable representation of the discourse, paving the way for novel uses of thematic analyses in social sciences.
Agriculture and Pollinating Insects, No Longer a Choice but a Need: EU Agriculture’s Dependence on Pollinators in the 2007–2019 Period
Authors: Bugin Giuseppe , Lenzi Lucia , Ranzani Giulia , Barisan Luigino , Porrini Claudio , Zanella Augusto , Bolzonella Cristian
Published: March 2022

One of the new objectives laid out by the European Union’s Common Agriculture Policy is increasing environmental sustainability. In this paper we compare the degree of average dependence index for each member state (ADIMS) in EU28 from 2007 to 2019 in order to verify the following: (1) whether there was a difference in this index when comparing two CAP periods—(a) from 2007 to 2013 and (b) from 2014 to 2019—and (2) which crops had a larger effect on the ADIMS. The study showed no significant variation in the average ADIMS at EU level between the first (2007–2013) and second (2014–2019) CAP periods. The AIDMS index highlighted three types of EU agriculture: (1) agriculture in Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, characterized by a high level of ADIMS (10.7–22) due to the widespread cultivation of oil crops as rapeseed and sunflower; (2) Mediterranean agriculture including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus and France with lower AIDMS levels (5.3–10.3) given their heterogeneous crop portfolios with different degrees of dependence on animal pollination (almond, soy, rapeseed, sunflower and tomatoes) and (3) continental agriculture including Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Baltic countries, Benelux, Finland, Sweden and Ireland, which are characterized by the lowest ADIMS level (0.7–10.6) due to the widespread cultivation of cereals (anemophily and self-pollination) which increase the denominator of the index. The study suggests that a sustainable management of the agroecosystem will be possible in the future only if CAP considers pollinators’ requirements by quantifying the timing and spatial food availability from cultivated and uncultivated areas.
How Does Population Shrinkage Affect Economic Resilience? A Case Study of Resource-Based Cities in Northeast China
Authors: Xie Mingke , Feng Zhangxian , Li Chenggu
Published: March 2022

By constructing an index system, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of the economic resilience of 20 resource-based cities in northeast China after the financial crisis in 2008. On this basis, a mediation model was introduced to explore the mechanism of population shrinkage affecting economic resilience. The results show that: (a) from 2009 to 2019, the trend of the economic resilience of resource-based cities in northeast China was “ascending–descending–stable”. As time went by, the spatial difference of the economic resilience of resource-based cities gradually became obvious, indicating that the number of medium- and high-class cities was increasing. (b) By applying a correlation analysis, it was found that both a significant weak correlation and medium correlation existed between population shrinkage and economic resilience during the periods of 2011–2019 and 2013–2019. (c) Six mediation factors, namely industrial output, population consumption, resource dependence, urban innovation, cultural construction and environment quality, were chosen to apply the mediation model of population shrinkage affecting economic resilience. Among them, industrial output, population consumption, urban innovation, and cultural construction exerted a partial mediation effect on the process of population shrinkage affecting economic resilience, while the meditation effects of resource dependence and environment quality were not significant.