bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
5G as an Enabler of Connected-and-Automated Mobility in European Cross-Border Corridors—A Market Assessment
Authors: Rizopoulos Dimitrios , Laskari Marina , Kouloumbis Gerasimos , Fergadiotou Ioanna , Durkin Patrick , Kaare Kati Kõrbe , Alam Muhammad Mahtab
Published: November 2022

5G systems are capable of facilitating remarkable technological advances and promoting sustainability in Internet-of-Things-centric fields, such as the Transport and Logistics (T&L) sector and applications in Connected-and-Automated Mobility (CAM). The current article provides an overview of the latest developments in the applications of the 5G mobile network standard in CAM and is specifically focused on analyzing existing and potential applications within European T&L corridors and subsequent markets. A focused marketplace analysis is conducteFd, highlighting the demands of commercialization clusters within European cross-border markets, as well as an analysis of how some of these demands can supplement the deployment of 5G products and services in the coming years. With the aim of providing a macro-level description of the landscape of 5G applications in CAM, the authors further discuss and classify the markets’ influencing factors according to the PESTEL framework, which is further enhanced to include the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The findings display that while 5G is a crucial underlying technology for the establishment of CAM, several factors, such as international security, political coordination at the EU level, and common technological standards across EU member states, will have a central role in the successful deployment of its applications.
The Potential and Green Chemistry Attributes of Biopesticides for Sustainable Agriculture
Authors: Fenibo Emmanuel O. , Ijoma Grace N. , Nurmahomed Weiz , Matambo Tonderayi
Published: November 2022

Chemotherapy has advanced modern agriculture with costly side effects such as the extinction of beneficial species, resistant pest resurgence, environmental pollution, tainted food consumption, and health implications. Attention is now focused on biopesticides as a solution to the abovementioned disadvantages. Additionally, there is a growing need to understand the range and relative effectiveness of biopesticides in controlling pests and promoting sustainable agriculture. The latter is the major driver of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In comparison to synthetic pesticides, biopesticides offer nearly similar protection against the most notorious pests, except Albugo candida (oomycetes), Ustilago maydis (fungi), Phytomonas spp. (protozoa), Nacobbus aberrans (nematode), and Cyperus rotundus (weed). This study shows that viruses are more vulnerable to essential oils, nematodes and weeds to natural enemies, herbivorous insects to biochemical insecticides, and plant pathogens to plant-incorporated protectants and microbial pesticides. This work also demonstrates that it is preferable to use plant-derived biopesticides in a field concurrently. Incorporating these findings into large-scale farming via the integrated pest management method would improve the outcome of sustainable agriculture (SA), which connects 11 of the 17 SDGs. Despite their proven efficacy and sustainable attributes, biopesticides have some deficiencies, such as slow action and a short shelf life span, which can be improved by omics, RNA interference, and nano-based technologies. This field of technologies provides relevant prospects for improving existing biopesticides and discovering and developing new bio-controlling agents (BCA).
Board Gender Diversity and Voluntary Carbon Emission Disclosure
Authors: Gonenc Halit , Krasnikova Antonina V.
Published: November 2022

In this study, we investigate the effect of board gender diversity on the decision to disclose carbon emissions voluntarily. Using an international sample consisting of 22,841 firm-year observations from 38 countries for the period 2010–2019, we determine the existence of a positive relationship between the percentage of female directors on the board and carbon disclosure. This evidence supports agency and resource dependency theories, as a gender diverse board indicates strong governance and better communication among stakeholders. Additionally, we examine the moderating effect of gender quotas across sample countries, where either soft or hard quotas have been implemented. We show that the number of firms disclosing their carbon emissions is, on average, higher in countries with either hard or soft quotas than in countries with no quota. Moreover, the positive effect of board gender diversity on voluntary carbon emission disclosure is similar across firms in countries with quotas and without quotas. The reported results demonstrate that there seems to be no need for country-level strict regulations regarding the firm-level percentage of female representation on the board to be effective, as gender board diversity in countries with no quotas has a similar effect in explaining voluntary carbon disclosure as in countries with quotas and those changing to quota regulation.
Impact of Exposure to Indoor Air Chemicals on Health and the Progression of Building-Related Symptoms: A Case Report
Authors: Nakaoka Hiroko , Suzuki Norimichi , Eguchi Akifumi , Matsuzawa Daisuke , Mori Chisato
Published: November 2022

The aetiology of building-related symptoms (BRSs) is not well supported by sufficient scientific evidence, and it remains unclear whether BRSs are mediated by psychosocial and personal factors or a genuine physical susceptibility to low-dose chemical exposure. In April 2014, a 40-year-old man consulted the Environmental Medical Clinic at Chiba University complaining of recurring BRSs. Indoor air samples were collected from the patient’s house at 11 time points and subjected to chemical analyses. The patient simultaneously completed a questionnaire about his symptoms at the time of the measurements. Statistical examination of the indoor environmental factors and patient survey revealed that the patient’s symptoms were highly correlated with the indoor air quality. Additionally, ventilation may have mitigated his BRSs, whereas aerial odour did not trigger symptoms. These findings suggest that exposure to specific airborne chemicals in an indoor environment can cause BRSs, and ventilation may be one of the treatment options to mitigate symptoms. Additional investigations on the adverse impacts of airborne environmental chemicals on human health are necessary to develop effective treatments and establish preventive measures for BRSs, and further improvement of ventilation systems is required to ensure clean indoor air.
Biological Treatment, Advanced Oxidation and Membrane Separation for Landfill Leachate Treatment: A Review
Authors: Kamal Arailym , Makhatova Ardak , Yergali Bakzhan , Baidullayeva Aigerim , Satayeva Aliya , Kim Jong , Inglezakis Vassilis J. , Poulopoulos Stavros G. , Arkhangelsky Elizabeth
Published: November 2022

Landfill leachate, especially when produced in old municipal solid waste landfills, is a challenging type of wastewater which contains a variety of toxic substances. The existence of pollutants in the landfill leachate is primarily due to inadequate solid waste separation at the source. Pretreatment on site is a must for the landfill leachate to be safely released into the environment. One-step treatment is insufficient since landfill leachate has a complex composition that spatially and temporally varies. Often, the landfill leachate and municipal wastewater are treated together. Biological treatment is a routine technique which is applied to landfill leachate less than five years old. The concentration of easily biodegradable organic matter in the young landfill leachate declines with time and, as a result, the application of physical and chemical treatment processes is required. The goal of the current work is to investigate the usefulness and capability of the most efficient and widely available technique/s for landfill leachate treatment, to identify the main challenges and strengths of each technology and seek the optimum solution.
Strategic Alignment of Management Information System Functions for Manufacturing and Service Industries with an F-MCGDM Model
Authors: Bac Ugur
Published: November 2022

Considering constantly increasing global competition in the market and developing technologies, information systems (ISs) have become an important component of the business world and a vital component of intelligent systems. An IS provides support for planning, controlling, analyzing activities, and support in decisions by managing data throughout the organization to assist executives in their decisions. The main function of an IS is to collect data spread between various parts of the organization and business partners and to process these collected data to form reliable information, which is required for decision making. Another critical function of an IS is to transfer the necessary information to the point-of-need in a timely manner. ISs assist in the conversion of data and information into meaningful outcomes. An IS is a combination of software, data storage hardware, related infrastructure, and people in the organization that use the system. Many business organizations rely on management information systems (MISs), and they conduct their critical operations based on these systems. The existence of an efficient MIS is a requirement for the sustainability of any business. However, MIS’s efficiency depends on the business’s requirements and nature. The compatibility of MIS with business in the company is vital for the successful implementation of these systems. The current study analyzes differences in expectations of manufacturing and service industries from MISs. For this aim, a fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making (F-MCGDM) model is proposed to determine the differentiating success factors of MIS in both manufacturing and service industries. Findings indicate that there are considerable differences in the needs of both industries from MIS.
A Time-Space Network-Based Optimization Method for Scheduling Depot Drivers
Authors: Peng Fei , Fan Xian , Wang Puxin , Sheng Mingan
Published: November 2022

The driver scheduling problem at Chinese electric multiple-unit train depots becomes more and more difficult in practice and is studied in very little research. This paper focuses on defining, modeling, and solving the depot driver scheduling problem which can determine driver size and driver schedule simultaneously. To solve this problem, we first construct a time-space network based on which we formulate the problem as a minimum-cost multi-commodity network flow problem. We then develop a Lagrangian relaxation heuristic to solve this network flow problem, where the upper bound heuristic is a two-phase method consisting of a greedy heuristic and a local search method. We conduct a computational study to test the effectiveness of our Lagrangian relaxation heuristic. The computational results also report the significance of the ratio of driver size to task size in the depot.
Corporate Sustainability in the Wake of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: Does CSR Enhance Corporate Survival during a Market Crisis?
Authors: Kim Jangsoon , Choi Donseung , Cho Eunho , Okafor Collins E. , Park Byung Il
Published: November 2022

This study investigates the effect of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and a firm’s sustainability. Prior studies on related topics empirically argue that CSR activities are highly likely to positively impact corporate sustainability. If this is true, firms that engage in CSR activities should demonstrate a higher degree of sustainability than their counterparts during the recent COVID-19 global pandemic. Using a sample of 390 Korean listed companies from 2019 to 2020, we find that CSR has no significant relationship with firm value variations as a proxy for sustainability during the COVID-19 global pandemic period. Our findings suggest that firms that engage in more active CSR activities do not appear to mitigate the market risk associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic compared to their counterparts who engage in less active CSR activities. That is, CSR does not provide a significant cushion that alleviates a firm’s market risk exposure, as heralded by COVID-19. Unlike previous studies that argue that CSR has positive effects on sustainability, our studies suggest that CSR’s impact on sustainability seems to be significantly lowered when uncontrollable market risks occur. It is important to note that this study has methodological limitations in that it was analyzed using proxy variables for CSR and sustainability measurement in Korea. For future studies, it would be insightful to expand the CSR concept to ESG and conduct research using longer-term data in the post-pandemic era.
Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to the Regeneration of Minor Historical Centers: The Case of Mogoro in Sardinia
Authors: Atzeni Carlo , Colavitti Anna Maria , Cadoni Stefano , Floris Alessio , Marras Francesco , Serra Sergio
Published: November 2022

In Italy, the regeneration of historic centers is a relevant issue in the theoretical debate and practice of urban planning, a discourse which usually adopts strictly constraining approaches and tools directed almost exclusively at the preservation of the traditional characters of historic buildings, neglecting social and economic processes. In particular, the redevelopment of minor historic centers becomes a priority action for the revitalisation of marginal territories affected by the phenomena of depopulation and weakening of the socio-economic structure. The paper focuses on the regional context of Sardinia to investigate methods and criteria for the drafting of planning tools for the redevelopment of minor historic centers, enabling the definition and implementation of strategies in accordance with the objectives and guidelines of the Regional Landscape Plan. With a case study methodology applied to the historic center of Mogoro, the research discusses an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to the definition of flexible regulations to manage the urban regeneration process.
Exploring the Impact Mechanism of Interface Management of Prefabricated Construction Projects
Authors: Zhang Shengxi , Yuan Mengqi , Li Long
Published: November 2022

Prefabricated construction (PC) is gaining more acceptance worldwide as a sustainable construction method due to its advantages in energy savings, emissions reduction, and cleaner production. However, the inherent geographical and organizational fragmentation of PC projects causes numerous interface issues. Effective interface management is key to the success of PC projects. Thereby, this study aims to explore how interface management is affected by various factors. Based on the literature review, the hypothesis of interaction between different factors is deduced and put forward, and the conceptual model of the interaction path of influencing factors in interface management of PC projects is established. Based on 117 valid questionnaires, an empirical test based on PLS-SEM analysis was conducted. According to the results, 10 paths affecting the performance of interface management were verified. The 7 factors in the conceptual model can all have an impact on the performance of interface management through direct or indirect paths. Among them, information communication, trust and cooperation, technology and management ability have a greater direct impact on interface management, while technical environment, information communication and contract relationship have a greater total impact on interface management. This study reveals the influence mechanism of interface management of PC projects, which can bridge the existing research shortcomings and provide a reference for solving interface management problems in practice to promote the development of PC.
The Impacts of Traditional Culture on Small Industries Longevity and Sustainability: A Case on Sundanese in Indonesia
Authors: Charina Anne , Kurnia Ganjar , Mulyana Asep , Mizuno Kosuke
Published: November 2022

This study investigates traditional culture as one of the factors of the longevity and cross-generation sustainability of Sundanese small industries in Indonesia. The failure rate of small industries in Indonesia is high, and thus, this study is critical. We mapped the relationship between Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, longevity, and business sustainability in ten selected Sundanese small industries surviving up to three generations. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews and company data. The results revealed that the strength of Sundanese cultural traditions, including high long-term orientation, high collectivism, low power distance, and high indulgences, positively contribute to the longevity of small industries in Indonesia. In addition, the social performance of Sundanese entrepreneurs is mainly based on their religious values and a highly collectivist culture; educational experience also affects their environmental performance. This study highlights the need to understand the traditional culture, which can play an essential role in achieving business longevity but also can present some limitations, especially in terms of economic performance. Therefore, to create a sustainable small industry, efforts are needed to change the mindset of Sundanese entrepreneurs to be more open to an innovative global culture while maintaining local values that positively contribute to business.
From Short-Term Risk to Long-Term Strategic Challenges: Reviewing the Consequences of Geopolitics and COVID-19 on Economic Performance
Authors: Desalegn Goshu , Tangl Anita , Fekete-Farkas Maria
Published: November 2022

The COVID-19 crisis and the war between Russia and Ukraine affects the world economy badly. The western countries’ economic sanctions on Russia and the Russian government’s reverse sanctions on western countries create pressure on the world economy. This study was conducted to investigate how the economic performance is responding to COVID-19 and the geopolitical crisis of the era. In doing so, both theoretical and numerical data reviews have been performed. The objective of the study is to investigate the short-term risks and long-term strategic challenges of the crisis. The study used a bibliometric approach with the help of RStudio software. The Web of Science database was used for extracting the resources in line with the grey literature from the Google Search engine. A total of 895 documents were utilized in this bibliometric analysis. At the same time, secondary panel data extracted from the international monetary fund (IMF) for a period of 4 years (2019–2022) were utilized for reviewing numerical implications. The purposive sampling technique is used for data selection and main economic variables. The findings of the study imply that countries over the world registered less economic growth, high inflation rate, and high government debt in 2022 compared to the fiscal period of 2019–2021. The emerging economies and developing countries of Europe were badly affected by the crisis as the level of inflation rate hit 27 percent and the economic growth of the region registered a negative 2.9 percent. The study also found rising interest rates, exchange rate volatility, risk of stagflation, and rising energy prices are the short-term risks to economies. The issue of sustainable development goals and green aspects, risk of hyperinflation, and risk of economic recession are the long-term strategic challenges or risks to economies. Bailout and debt relief were found to be necessary for those countries badly affected by the crisis. Policymakers should facilitate financial policies and should switch from general assistance to targeted support of viable enterprises.
What Drives the Adoption of Agricultural Green Production Technologies? An Extension of TAM in Agriculture
Authors: Dai Qianchun , Cheng Kequn
Published: November 2022

Understanding farmers’ intentions to use agricultural green production technologies (AGPTs) is essential for reducing agricultural pollution. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study analyzes the impacts of government regulation and social network on farmers’ AGPTs adoption behavior. Field research on 738 responses in China revealed that government regulation and social network were positively related to AGPTs adoption behavior, and that the effects were mediated by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and price value. Furthermore, we found that risk perception moderated the relationships between perceived ease of use and adoption behavior, as well as the relationship between price value and adoption behavior. Implications for the theoretical understanding of government regulation, social network and risk perception are discussed.
Numerical Evaluation of a Novel Development Mode for Challenging Oceanic Gas Hydrates Considering Methane Leakage
Authors: Nie Shuaishuai , Chen Chen , Chen Min , Song Jian , Wang Yafei , Ma Yingrui
Published: November 2022

The exploitation of challenging oceanic gas hydrate reservoirs with low permeability and permeable boundary layers faces the challenges of methane leakage and low production. Considering this aspect, a novel five-spot injection–production system combined with hydraulic fracturing was proposed. In particular, the potential of this development mode, including hydrate dissociation, gas production, and gas capture, was evaluated in comparison with a three-spot injection–production system. The results showed that increasing the fracture conductivity cannot prevent CH4 leakage in the three-spot, and the leakage accounted for 5.6% of the total gas production, even at the maximum fracture conductivity of 40 D·cm. Additionally, the leakage amount increased as the well spacing increased, and the leakage accounted for 36.7% of the total gas production when the well spacing was 140 m. However, the proposed development mode completely addressed CH4 leakage and significantly increased gas production. The average gas production rate reached 142 m3/d per unit length of the horizontal section, which was expected to reach the commercial threshold. The variance analysis indicated that optimal plans for the challenging hydrates in the Shenhu area were well spacing of 100–120 m and fracture conductivity greater than 20 D·cm.
Comparing Inequality in Future Urban Transport Modes by Doughnut Economy Concept
Authors: Moghaddam Ali Alamdar , Mirzahossein Hamid , Guzik Robert
Published: November 2022

Inequality is a problem facing the world community, especially in developing countries, that affects urban transport and vice versa. Which possible urban transportation mode will cause the least inequality? This is a vital question. The development of Autonomous vehicles (AV) has made Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAV) one of the future transport modes. Active and public transport are also mentioned as applicable future modes, based on the literature. This paper aims to compare inequality in active transportation, public transport and SAV as the most important alternatives to private cars in the future. In this regard, we use doughnut economic concepts as the framework for our comparison. First, the inequality concept is expanded and then literature demonstrates the future desirability of modes. We show why doughnut economics could be a beneficial alternative for comparing that resulted in the superiority of active and public transport over SAV in terms of future inequality.
A Multi-Objective Model to Find the Sustainable Location for Citrus Hub
Authors: Alzubi Emad , Noche Bernd
Published: November 2022

Citrus supply chains (CSC) are increasingly important in research due to high loss and waste, increasing demand, wide application for other industries, and differences in CSCs from country to country. This study proposes a new structure for CSC by introducing collection points to collect citrus from the farms in Jordan Valley and transport it to a citrus hub responsible for receiving, packaging, and transporting the citrus to distribution centers. The objective of this structure is to minimize the loss and waste and provide a new supply chain (SC) with stable infrastructure to track citrus from the initial stages and implement technologies such as the Cold SC. Therefore, it is crucial to find the optimum number of collection points, citrus hubs, and locations based on carbon footprint and transportation costs. The model introduced was solved using Open Solver Adds-ins after collecting data such as distances and coordinates using Google Maps and the altitude of those coordinates from SolarGIS. After running the model, it was found that the optimum number of collection points is 52 and the optimum number of citrus hubs is two. The results showed that the transportation costs of one hub are lower by 30%, whereas for two hubs are lower by 60% compared to the current location of the central market of fruits and vegetables (CM). The “kg CO2 e/kg citrus” values are 0.48 and 0.24 for one hub and two hubs, respectively, which showed a significant reduction compared to CM, which was 0.69 kg CO2 e/kg citrus. Therefore, installing two citrus hubs will improve the overall sustainable performance of CSC. Future research might be directed to integrate the circular economy into CSC and find possible applications for citrus loss and waste.
Investigations of Unsaturated Slopes Subjected to Rainfall Infiltration Using Numerical Approaches—A Parametric Study and Comparative Review
Authors: Mburu Joram Wachira , Li An-Jui , Lin Horn-Da , Lu Chih-Wei
Published: November 2022

In the past 30 years, research on rainfall-induced landslides has grown remarkably. The contribution of matric suction to soil strength and the physics of water flow in unsaturated soils are widely accepted phenomena among researchers. However, the adoption of unsaturated soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering practice has been relatively slow, in part due to the practicality of design solutions available to the engineer. This paper conducts a parametric study on unsaturated silty slopes under a vertical steady flow rate to identify the suitable slope and hydrologic conditions to incorporate unsaturated conditions for preliminary stability analysis. Notably, the contribution of suction is most significant for silt/clay slopes with a water table located below the mid-height of the slope. For slopes with slope height ≥20 m and a fairly high water table, the slope height is a primary controlling factor of slope stability. Two case studies based on distinct failure mechanisms are presented to review the application of common geotechnical software in rainfall seepage and stability analyses of unsaturated slopes. Focus is placed on the pre-failure and failure stages of each case study. The slip surface search method, failure mode, and coupling approach integrated into each computer program caused notable differences in output results.
Impact of Digital Economy on Dual Circulation: An Empirical Analysis in China
Authors: Wu Jun , Chen Tianyi
Published: November 2022

With the growth of Internet technologies, including 5G, blockchain, and big data, the digital economy has emerged as an important driving force of economic growth, offering a fresh viewpoint on the sustainability of dual circulation. Thus, this study analyzes the impact of the digital economy on dual circulation and the underlying influencing mechanism. The influence of the digital economy on the degree of dual circulation sustainability was measured using panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, and the influence was found to be significant and statistically positive. The analysis of the mechanism indicates that the increasing technological innovation capacity can amplify the digital economy’s effect on dual circulation. The promotion effect of the digital economy has a spatial spillover effect. The function of the digital economy in fostering dual circulation is heterogenous, with a greater impact on central and eastern China. Therefore, this study proposes that increasing communication infrastructure investment and implementing differentiated policies supporting the digital economy should be considered by policymakers to boost dual circulation.
The Impact of the Digital Economy on High-Quality Development: An Analysis Based on the National Big Data Comprehensive Test Area
Authors: Yu Desheng , Yang Lihua , Xu Yuping
Published: November 2022

This paper takes the establishment of the big national data comprehensive experimental area as a quasi-natural experiment, selects the balanced panel data of 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and cities (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) in China from 2011 to 2019 as the research object, and adopts a multistage DID model to evaluate the impact of the digital economy on high-quality economic development. We found that the digital economy has a significant role in promoting high-quality economic development. The PSM-DID, placebo test, and robustness test of modified model settings also confirmed this conclusion. The heterogeneity analysis found that the digital economy significantly improved the quality of economic development in the eastern region and regions with a better institutional environment, but not in the central and western regions and regions with poor institutional environments. The mechanism test showed that the digital economy mainly improved the quality of economic development by improving regional innovation ability and stimulating residents’ consumption. The spatial spillover effect found that the digital economy also had the incentive to improve the high-quality development of neighboring regions.
Unraveling Microplastic Pollution in Mangrove Sediments of Butuan Bay, Philippines
Authors: Navarro Carl Kenneth P. , Arcadio Cris Gel Loui A. , Similatan Kaye M. , Inocente Sherley Ann T. , Banda Marybeth Hope T. , Capangpangan Rey Y. , Torres Armi G. , Bacosa Hernando P.
Published: November 2022

The mass production and consumption of plastics have serious effects on the environment, human health, and livelihood. Hence, global efforts to reduce plastic generation must be realized. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of microplastics in mangrove sediments of Cabadbaran, Buenavista, and Nasipit in Butuan Bay, Philippines. Seventy-two (72) microplastic particles were extracted from mangrove sediments dominated by fibrous type (71%) and blue (35%) as the most common color. Attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy was used to assess the polymer type of microplastics. Results reveal a total of six polymer types including high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyamide, and polypropylene, with the latter comprising 39% of samples, the highest among the extracted particles. Overall, Nasipit (71.1/kg) obtained the highest microplastic density followed by Buenavista (48.9/kg) and Cabadbaran (40.0/kg). These data will serve as a piece of baseline information in crafting important environmental policies to address plastic pollution issues in the area. Long-term studies are recommended to better understand, monitor, and prevent further microplastic pollution in Butuan Bay.
Long-Term Correlations and Cross-Correlations in Meteorological Variables and Air Pollution in a Coastal Urban Region
Authors: Palmeira Anderson , Pereira Éder , Ferreira Paulo , Diele-Viegas Luisa Maria , Moreira Davidson Martins
Published: November 2022

In this work, we evaluated the evolution of some atmospheric pollutants (O3, NOx and PM10) over time and their relationship with four different climate variables (solar irradiation, air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed). To this end, we assessed the long-range dependence of those concentrations with a Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) and analyzed the cross-correlation of such dependence with the climate variables through a Detrended Cross-Correlation Coefficient Analysis (ρDCCA). The results show that air pollution tends to increase over time, impairing air quality and likely affecting human health. The results indicate a cross-correlation between air pollution and the climatic variables, which persisted for a certain period, with a greater correlation between O3 concentration and wind, mainly temperature, and a negative correlation with humidity for all monitoring stations. Moreover, unlike O3 and PM10, NOx concentrations always had a persistent behavior in the region of study for the entire analyzed period.
Developing a Smart and Sustainable Campus in Singapore
Authors: Das Diganta , Lim Nathaniel Dylan , Aravind P
Published: November 2022

Singapore intends to become a “Smart Nation” through the use of smarter technologies and sustainable means to enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants. Universities are also increasingly seen as places of innovation of new smart and sustainable technologies, provincializing ideas and debates; serving as a testbed for local experimentation. Hence, to determine the status of developing Singapore universities as smart and sustainable campuses, this paper first discusses the role of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative in relation to the development of smart and sustainable universities in Singapore. In particular, NTU’s development as a smart and sustainable campus. Secondly, a conceptual framework is developed to assess NTU as a smart and sustainable campus by understanding the prevailing dimensions of the smart city discourse. Through a detailed survey and ethnographic field study method conducted on NTU Campus, the study finds that the university has been rapidly deploying smart technologies to enhance students’ learning environment and university residents’ everyday quality of living through technology and sustainability initiatives. This paper contributes meaningfully to the development of smart campuses worldwide and brings an Asian university perspective to the existing research on smart and sustainable campuses.
Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Logistics: A Literature Review
Authors: Li Yi , Liu Min , Jiang Dandan
Published: November 2022

The booming development of e-commerce has brought many challenges to the logistics industry. To ensure the sustainability of the logistics industry, the impact of environmental and social sustainability factors on logistics development needs to be considered. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)/drones are used in the logistics field because of their flexibility, low cost, environmental protection and energy-saving advantages, which can achieve both economic benefits and social benefits. This paper reviews 36 studies on UAVs applications in logistics from the Web of Science database from the past two years (2021–2022). The selected literature is classified into theoretical models (the traveling salesman problem and other path planning problems), application scenarios (medical safety applications and last-mile delivery problems) and other problems (UAV implementation obstacles, costs, pricing, etc.). Finally, future directions of UAVs are proposed, such as different application scenarios that can be considered and different algorithms that can be combined to optimize paths for UAVs to specific flight environments.
Sustainable Development Path of Resource-Based Cities—Taking Datong as an Example
Authors: Qiao Risheng , Chen Weike , Qiao Yongsheng
Published: November 2022

Sustainable development has become a global consensus, and cities are important spatial carriers to achieve sustainable development. There are more than 200 resource-based cities in China. These cities have a single industrial and energy structure. With the gradual depletion of urban resources, they are generally facing problems such as difficult industrial transformation, lagging development of alternative industries, and serious damage to the ecological environment. They are facing multiple challenges to achieve sustainable development. Our paper creatively uses the multiple interactive feedback relationships among the systems of “driving force–pressure–state–influence–response” in resource-based cities to establish a comprehensive evaluation model for the sustainable development of resource-based cities through the comprehensive evaluation index system of sustainable development. It is concluded that the higher the coordination degree of each subsystem in the model is, the stronger the sustainable development ability of the city is, which provides new ideas and suggestions for the sustainable development of resource-based cities. The case study shows that the coordinated dispatching C value tends to 2.216, indicating that the sustainable development evaluation values of each subsystem in the model tend to be close, and the coordination between subsystems is high. This confirms the rationality of establishing a comprehensive evaluation model for the sustainable development of resource-based cities.
Impact of Highway Construction on Internal Migration: A Korea Perspective
Authors: Kim Hyun-Woo , Lee Du-Heon
Published: November 2022

Transportation facilities in the classical migration model expand the scale of population movement by reducing the physical distance and costs of travel between regions. This study empirically analyzes the effect of population inflow into a region near a highway construction using a migration model. The purpose was to examine whether large-scale transportation infrastructure such as highways contributes to the growth and balanced development of the connected regions. Four metropolitan transport-type and commuter transport-type highway routes constructed in South Korea after 2000 were used as study subjects. The results show that population inflow occurred in the region where commuter transport-type highways were constructed. However, no effect was observed in regions where metropolitan transport-type highways were constructed. The reason for these unique results is that factors affecting migration include not only transit facilities, but also parameters such as economic factors, housing, and amenities. Moreover, the findings show that the impact of population inflow is affected by the geographical characteristics of the highway construction areas and city size.
Elementary Teachers’ Environmental Education Cognition and Attitude: A Case Study of the Second Largest City in Taiwan
Authors: Liao Chin-Wen , Liao Yu-Hsiang , Chen Bo-Siang , Tseng Ying-Ju , Ho Wei-Sho
Published: November 2022

This study aims to explore the perceptions and attitudes of national elementary school teachers toward environmental education to understand the difference between different teachers’ background variables on environmental education cognition and attitude and the correlation between cognition and attitude. This research adopts the questionnaire survey method and takes elementary school teachers from the second largest city in Taiwan, Taichung City, as the research sample. Stratified random sampling was adopted, and 636 questionnaires were distributed. In total, 536 questionnaires were effectively recovered, and the effective recovery rate was 84.27%. The descriptive statistical analysis of sample data, an independent sample T-test, a one-way analysis of variance, Scheffe’s comparison test, and Pearson’s product-difference correlation were used for analysis. The study results are: (1) Elementary school teachers in Taichung City have good environmental education and teaching cognition and environmental issue cognition. (2) The attitudes toward the environmental education of elementary school teachers in Taichung are positive and active. (3) Senior and experienced elementary school teachers in Taichung City have a high awareness of environmental education due to their participation in many workshops and environmental protection activities. Therefore, there are significant differences in the cognition and attitude of environmental education from elementary school teachers. (4) There is a significant correlation between the cognition and attitude of elementary school teachers in Taichung City toward environmental education. This research shows that teachers with more senior teaching experience have better cognition and attitude toward environmental education.
Analysis of Climate Change Impacts on the Food System Security of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Rahman Muhammad Muhitur , Akter Runa , Abdul Bari Jaber Bin , Hasan Md Arif , Rahman Mohammad Shahedur , Abu Shoaib Syed , Shatnawi Ziad Nayef , Alshayeb Ammar Fayez , Shalabi Faisal Ibrahim , Rahman Aminur , Alsanad Mohammed Ahmed , Rahman Syed Masiur
Published: November 2022

Climate change poses a challenge to the security and long-term viability of the global food supply chain. Climate unpredictability and extreme weather events have significant impacts on Saudi Arabia’s vulnerable food system, which is already under stress. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia faces distinct challenges in comparison to other dry locations across the world. Here, the per capita water demand is high, the population is growing, the water resources are extremely limited, and there is little information on the existing groundwater supplies. Consequently, it is anticipated that there will be formidable obstacles in the future. In order to make data-driven decisions, policymakers should be aware of causal links. The complex concerns pertaining to the Saudi Arabian food system were analyzed and rationally explained in the current study. A causality analysis examined different driving factors, including temperature, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, population, and gross domestic product (GDP) that cause vulnerabilities in the country’s food system. The results of the long-run causality test show that GDP has a positive causal relationship with the demand for food, which implies that the demand for food will increase in the long run with an increase in GDP. The result also shows that Saudi Arabia’s GDP and population growth are contributing to the increase in their total GHG emissions. Although the Kingdom has made some efforts to combat climate change, there are still plenty of opportunities for it to implement some of the greatest strategies to guarantee the nation’s food security. This study also highlights the development of appropriate policy approaches to diversify its import sources to ensure future food security.
Survey Study of the Cultural Integration of International Students in East China under Ecosystem Theory
Authors: Zhu Junqi , Li Guangxia , Wan Ming , Li Shanshan , Sun Liyan , Li Jie , Wang Xue
Published: November 2022

With the gradual formation of the open pattern of higher education, the issue of the cultural integration of international students has attracted increasing attention. This paper conducts a questionnaire survey of 2000 international students in East China and used factor analysis and structural equation modeling to determine the effects of life adaptation, interpersonal communication, and the training system on cultural integration, with possible moderation by study adaptation to explore the cultural integration of international students. The study found that the cultural integration of international students is jointly affected by multiple realistic factors, among which life adaptation and interpersonal communication are the primary factors. Furthermore, the training system has an important impact on the cultural integration of international students through study adaptation. Accordingly, we argue that universities should strengthen the informal organization and guidance of international students, enhance individual adaptability, promote international exchange, cooperation, and policy regulation of international students, and improve their training system. Moreover, efforts are needed to improve the study adaptability of international students so as to comprehensively address the problem of the cultural integration of international students and improve their education level.
Spatial Variation of Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activities of Olive Mill Wastewater: A Chemometric Approach
Authors: El Moudden Hamza , El Idrissi Yousra , El Guezzane Chakir , El Idrissi Zineb Lakhlifi , Harhar Hicham , Assaggaf Hamza , Goh Khang Wen , Ming Long Chiau , Bouyahya Abdelhakim , Tabyaoui Mohamed
Published: November 2022

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) was obtained during the extraction of olive oil. It is typified by an elevated concentration of sugars, acids, proteins, polyphenols, and organic matter. This makes the removal of OMW problematic for all olive oil-producing countries. Due to their high concentration in polyphenols, these wastewaters are a source of danger to the environment. This research aimed to study the spatial distribution effect in terms of geographical origin production of olive oil on the phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of the OMWs. A chemometric approach using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was utilized. Physico-chemical characterization of OMWs was performed to evaluate their pollutant load by setting the following parameters: pH, dry matter, conductivity, and chemical oxygen demand. Quantitative analysis of the phenolic compounds shows that the extract of all samples had a high content of phenolics varying from 238.26 ± 5.67 to 534.16 ± 3.83 mg GAE/g of extract, flavonoids varying from 179.89 ± 1.64 to 421.47 ± 3.42 mg QE/g of extract, and tannins varying from 101.66 ± 0.65 to 216.28 ± 3.41 mg CE/g of extract. Antioxidant activity was determined by two testing systems: DPPH and ABTS assay. The IC50 DPPH varied from 0.30 ± 0.08 to 1.93 ± 0.34 µg/mL, while it varied between 2.04 ± 0.16 and 6.11 ± 0.25 µg/mL for the IC50 ABTS method. The principal component analysis indicated that the two methods DPPH and ABTS are strongly correlated. Furthermore, important correlations were shown by the principal component analysis (PCA) on the one hand between the phenolic compounds and on other hand between their antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS).
An Empirical Study on the Relationship between Scientific Collaboration and Knowledge Production of the Countries along the Belt and Road
Authors: Wang Feifei , Liu Jia , Qiao Xiaoyong
Published: November 2022

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by the Chinese government in 2013, has exerted great influence, not only on geopolitics and the economy but also on scientific research. This paper investigates the relationship between scientific collaboration and knowledge production of the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative project. To this end, we used 314,678 co-authored papers and 6,226,577 paper publications in these countries from 2009 to 2018 to measure scientific collaboration and knowledge production, respectively. Additionally, we selected the country’s economic level, the number of specialized disciplines, and political stability as influencing indicators. Methodologically, we established a dynamic panel model and used the generalised method of moments to empirically analyze the relationship between the two and the influencing factors. The results reveal that the scientific collaboration and knowledge production of the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative are mutually reinforcing and show accumulative effects. The number of specialized disciplines and political stability are major influencing factors for scientific collaboration and knowledge production. Knowledge production can facilitate scientific collaboration by increasing number of specialized disciplines, economic development and political stability. Scientific collaboration can weaken the promotion of knowledge production in a similar way, exclusive of economic development.