bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Empirical Analysis of the Common Factors Influencing the Sharing and Green Economies
Authors: Veith Cristina , Vasilache Simona Nicoleta , Ciocoiu Carmen Nadia , Chițimiea Andreea , Minciu Mihaela , Manta Andreea-Mariana , Isbaita Iyad
Published: January 2022

The digital revolution, driven and accelerated by the current pandemic, involves changes to known business models. The innovative model of the sharing economy can be a real and sustainable solution for long-term green economic development. The aim of our research was to determine the common factors of the sharing economy and the green economy and the perceptions of Romanian users regarding them. Our research questionnaire was based on the elements we found in the academic literature. To evaluate the collected data, we used the factor analysis method with the support of the SPSS program. As our study reveals, digitalization as well as inclinations towards saving are factors impacting both the propensity towards sharing and support for the green economy. The demarcation line between the sharing and the green economies is rather fluid, the two realities being under a reciprocal influence. In our model, the green economy develops according to the principles of the sharing economy, going a step further in considering the relationship between society and environment, society and sustainable, eco-friendly behaviour. Although the sharing economy is not necessarily a prerequisite of the green economy, it is, nevertheless, easy for societies or groups that have internalized the lessons of the sharing economy to move forward towards the green economy. This study can be an important tool and a first step for businesses, and, more importantly, for the Romanian public institutions to accelerate the implementation of necessary measures, including legislative ones, in order to promote the further development of these economies.
Is Buying Local Food a Sustainable Practice? A Scoping Review of Consumers’ Preference for Local Food
Authors: Cappelli Lucio , D’Ascenzo Fabrizio , Ruggieri Roberto , Gorelova Irina
Published: January 2022

Access to healthy food and the introduction of sustainable nutrition practices are two important issues today. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to food security but it has also provided opportunities for local food production. The discussion on local food has been gaining attention in recent years, but there is still a lack of clear understanding of the term ‘local food’ in the literature. The relationship between local food and sustainability issues is still unclear and has various connotations. This discordance leads to further discussions on whether buying local food should be considered a sustainable behavior and whether consumer preference for local food can be perceived as a sustainable practice. A scoping literature review was conducted in order to fill this gap and to shed light on the main tendencies of the scientific literature regarding this topic. The outcomes of the research revealed three dimensions of ‘local food’ definitions in the literature: geographical, geopolitical, and organic; while the problem of a unified local food definition remains open. The studied literature did not show any sound evidence for sustainability attributes in the definition of local food and consumer perception of local food.
Balancing a U-Shaped Assembly Line with a Heuristic Algorithm Based on a Comprehensive Rank Value
Authors: Jiao Yuling , Cao Nan , Li Jin , Li Lin , Deng Xue
Published: January 2022

An aim of sustainable development of the manufacturing industry is to reduce the idle time in the product-assembly process and improve the balance efficiency of the assembly line. A priority relationship diagram is obtained on an existing assembly line in the laboratory by measuring the task time of the chassis model, analyzing the product structure, and designing the assembly process. The type-E balance model of the U-shaped assembly line is established and solved by a heuristic algorithm based on the comprehensive rank value. The type-E balance problem of the U-shaped assembly-line plan of the chassis model is obtained, and the production line layout is planned. Combining instances to compare the results of the heuristic algorithm, genetic algorithm, and simulated annealing, comparison of the results shows that the degree of load balancing is slightly higher than genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. The balance efficiencies obtained by the heuristic algorithm are smaller than the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. The calculation time is significantly less than the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing, and the scale of instances has little effect on the calculation time. The results verify that the model and the algorithm are effective. This study provides a reference for the entire process of the U-shaped assembly-line, type-E balance and the assembly products in laboratories.
Land Take and Value Capture: Towards More Efficient Land Use
Authors: Botticini Francesco , Auzins Armands , Lacoere Peter , Lewis Odette , Tiboni Michela
Published: January 2022

The paper aims to explore the possibilities to enhance the efficiency of land use, considering the evolution of land take (LT), and proposes the use of public value capture (PVC) instruments in selected differently experienced countries. This answers two fundamental questions. How is the concept of LT positioned in relation to the environmental policy of Europe? Which PVC instruments could stimulate more efficient land use? The aim of this article is to identify which tools can guide the transformations of the urban environment by promoting more efficient land use. These tools have been identified in the mechanisms for capturing value as they can pursue the goal of a more attractive net LT. For these reasons, the article initially analyzes the spread of the problem of land consumption, at a European level, showing how this phenomenon is very diversified not only between individual states, but also within each nation. In addition, the knowledge system to define the main initiatives and actions aimed at orienting urban development in the direction of reducing land consumption is highlighted. Subsequently, the theoretical framework concerning the issues relating to the capture of public value in urban planning operations is illustrated. The case studies representing the various European contexts are then introduced, and for each case the dynamics of urban development were analyzed. It has been done in relation to the evolution of the regulatory apparatus of territorial governance and its transformations. On the basis of this analysis, indicators have been defined. Their goal is to allow comparing the results that emerged from the case study analysis, which would otherwise have been inconsistent. In this way, it is possible to demonstrate how land use is more efficient in countries where PVC tools are used systemically and how these tools make it easier to guide urban transformations in line with the principles of sustainable development.
Success Factors in Management of Development Projects
Authors: Surco-Guillen Yovana Clarivel , Romero Javier , Rodríguez-Rivero Rocío , Ortiz-Marcos Isabel
Published: January 2022

From the reports of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE), a limited analysis of the factors affecting the execution of development cooperation projects was identified. Thanks to the review of scientific articles by renowned authors, effectiveness, relevance, competencies and motivation, sustainability, risk management, and additionality were evaluated using the analysis of relationships between variables and causality using IBM SPSS and fsQCA 3.0 software, respectively. As a result, a model was obtained that relates the components, factors, and roles that make up the stakeholder matrix. It was concluded that the effectiveness factor has a significant relationship with the success of a project; however, this could not be possible without a good development of sustainability and risk management, the latter being a necessary and sufficient condition for success in this type of projects. Currently, risk management has not only become a necessity nowadays, but the improvement of risk management will increase sustainability in project management, the main factors for the success of a project.
Analysis of Driving Control Characteristics in Typical Road Types
Authors: Guo Baicang , Hua Qiang , Jin Lisheng , Xie Xianyi , Huo Zhen , Wang Huanhuan
Published: January 2022

Vehicle control requirements for longitudinal and lateral driver control are varied in different road geometries; this makes it irrational and superfluous to represent driving control characteristics with repetitive indices. To address this problem, the present study used multiple cross-analysis methods of vehicle running state parameters from experienced drivers in order to deeply study driving control characteristics in different road geometries. Six common road geometries with different driving control emphases were selected as typical road types and twenty-five experienced drivers were asked to perform an actual driving test. Taking the indices in the long straight road as the control variable, the indices in other roads were compared with it and judged according to the three methods: the overall distribution by box plots, significant difference test by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and relative distance calculation by technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). Moreover, the weight of the driving control characteristic index was calculated through the entropy weight method to reflect its importance. In this paper, the relationships between road geometry and driving control characteristics explicate the influence mechanism and interaction of road geometry on driving behavior, and the indicators that can reflect the control characteristics in different road types are obtained.
Few-Layers Graphene-Based Cement Mortars: Production Process and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Polverino Salvatore , Del Rio Castillo Antonio Esau , Brencich Antonio , Marasco Luigi , Bonaccorso Francesco , Morbiducci Renata
Published: January 2022

Cement is the most-used construction material worldwide. Research for sustainable cement production has focused on including nanomaterials as additives to enhance cement performance (strength and durability) in recent decades. In this concern, graphene is considered one of the most promising additives for cement composites. Here, we propose a novel technique for producing few-layer graphene (FLG) that can fulfil the material demand for the construction industry. We produced specimens with different FLG loadings (from 0.05% to 1% by weight of cement) and curing processes (water and saturated air). The addition of FLG at 0.10% by weight of cement improved the flexural strength by 24% compared to the reference (bare) sample. Similarly, a 0.15% FLG loading by weight of cement led to an improvement in compressive strength of 29% compared to the reference specimen. The FLG flakes produced by our proposed methodology can open the door to their full exploitation in several cement mortar applications, such as cementitious composites with high durability, mechanical performance and high electrical conductivity for electrothermal applications.
A Modeling and Analysis Framework for Integrated Energy Systems Exposed to Climate Change-Induced NaTech Accidental Scenarios
Authors: Di Maio Francesco , Tonicello Pietro , Zio Enrico
Published: January 2022

This paper proposes a novel framework for the analysis of integrated energy systems (IESs) exposed to both stochastic failures and “shock” climate-induced failures, such as those characterizing NaTech accidental scenarios. With such a framework, standard centralized systems (CS), IES with distributed generation (IES-DG) and IES with bidirectional energy conversion (IES+P2G) enabled by power-to-gas (P2G) facilities can be analyzed. The framework embeds the model of each single production plant in an integrated power-flow model and then couples it with a stochastic failures model and a climate-induced failure model, which simulates the occurrence of extreme weather events (e.g., flooding) driven by climate change. To illustrate how to operationalize the analysis in practice, a case study of a realistic IES has been considered that comprises two combined cycle gas turbine plants (CCGT), a nuclear power plant (NPP), two wind farms (WF), a solar photovoltaicS (PV) field and a power-to-gas station (P2G). Results suggest that the IESs are resilient to climate-induced failures.
Women’s Promotion to Management and Unfairness Perceptions—A Challenge to the Social Sustainability of the Organizations and Beyond
Authors: Ramos Amparo , Latorre Felisa , Tomás Inés , Ramos José
Published: January 2022

Inequality between women and men in top management positions is still a current reality where women are underrepresented. Gender discrimination against women in managerial positions violates the Sustainable Development Goal of gender equality. Gender discrimination affects women but also has negative consequences for employee output. Our aim is analyzing how the role of gender moderates the relationship between gender barriers to managerial positions and performance, mediated by organizational justice and commitment, and whether this relationship is stronger in women than in men. This study was carried out with 1278 employees (45.2% women and 54.8% men) of a Spanish financial group consisting of three different organizations. We performed a moderated mediation path analysis with Mplus. Results show that some gender barriers are associated with lower perceptions of organizational justice, which in turn are associated with lower organizational commitment, thus reducing performance. Moreover, this relationship is significant in men and women for work–family balance and barriers to accessing influential networks, but for unfair HR policies and practices, it is only significant in women. Removing gender barriers and unfairness perceptions is the goal that will contribute to organizational sustainability from the gender perspective.
Implementation of Barcode Technology to Logistics Processes of a Company
Authors: Kubáňová Jaroslava , Kubasáková Iveta , Čulík Kristián , Štítik Lukáš
Published: January 2022

The article focuses on expanding the use of barcodes in selected logistics activities in a company. Our study discusses the application of barcode technology to selected logistics activities in the company in order to address the error rate in these activities and to control ownership of this technology in other logistics activities within the company during the COVID-19. The priority of the testing phase was to point out the elimination of errors in the original versus the newly proposed solution for the company on 10 products. In the test phase, the 10 products with the highest turnover in the company were used to point out the elimination of errors in various logistics activities, especially the time saved compared to the work of human personnel in the company. The company has this technology at its disposal, in the parent company as well as in the subsidiary. It was only a matter of expanding the use and applicability of this technology as well as other possibilities for research hypotheses, which we outlined at the end of the article. In this article, we focus on RFID and barcode technologies, since the company initially considered using RFID technology, however, chose the use of barcodes because it was an already known work technology. The current situation affected with COVID-19 disease requires many advantages and disadvantages of both technologies.
Cryosphere Services to Support SDGs in High Mountains
Authors: Zhang Jinglin , Zhang Wei , Liu Shiwei , Kong Weiming
Published: January 2022

The cryosphere is able to provide a variety of services for the benefit of human well-being and underpins regional sustainable development. The cryosphere deterioration induced by climate change is impacting the services and will subsequently impede the efforts to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs) in high mountain societies. Here, we detail the context of cryosphere services and establish a dataset for its linkage to SDGs. This allows us to uncover its roles in supporting SDGs, directly by a causal connection and indirectly through either cascading effects or interconnection among SDGs. We find that the SDGs in association with the basic needs of high mountain societies are mostly affected by the cryosphere services. The different types of services pitch in with distinctions to be embraced by various SDGs, whilst some play a prominent role in the contribution to a broad range of SDGs. We further investigate how the services behave in their contributions to SDGs, by taking a view via the lens of a network that deciphers the relationship between the services and SDG targets as well as the interconnections among SDG targets. With an insight into the centrality and modularity of services in the network, we then delineate the inherent criticality of services to SDG targets as a whole, and reveal the specificity of services that co-contribute to a cluster of SDG targets in each network community. We take out the services from the network and maintain their interlinks to the targets of each underlying SDG system represented in six key entry points, so that the services critical to the transformation pathways in the entry points for SDGs in high mountains can be identified. Finally, we discuss the trade-offs that can occur in high mountains, which is unique for the cryosphere services. It creates more complexity in the assessment of overall benefits that the cryosphere services may provide to SDGs, and urges the balance that has to be maintained in attaining those services for the transformation.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Forest Supply Chain in Austria in the Year 2018
Authors: Kühmaier Martin , Kral Iris , Kanzian Christian
Published: January 2022

Wood is a renewable product, but for the supply of wood non-renewable materials are also necessary, which can have negative environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to analyze the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by the forest supply chain in Austria using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods. The forest supply chain consists of several processes like site preparation and tending, harvesting, and transport. In total, 30 relevant forest processes from seedling production until delivery of wood to the plant gate were considered. Results show that in the year 2018, a total of 492,096 t of CO2 eq. were emitted in Austria for harvesting and transportation of 19.2 hm3 of timber. This corresponds to 25.63 kg CO2 eq. per m3. At 77%, transport accounts for the largest share of emissions within the supply chain. Extraction causes 14% of emissions, felling and processing cause 5%, and chipping causes 4%. GHG emissions for felling, delimbing, and crosscutting are much lower when using a chainsaw compared to harvester. The high numbers for the transport can be explained by the high transportation distances. Especially for the transportation of wood, it is necessary to find more climate-friendly solutions from a technical and organizational point of view. The provision of wood is climate-friendly, and its use enables the substitution of fossil fuels or materials with higher negative effects on climate change such as aluminum, steel, or concrete.
Prediction of Daily Mean PM10 Concentrations Using Random Forest, CART Ensemble and Bagging Stacked by MARS
Authors: Gocheva-Ilieva Snezhana , Ivanov Atanas , Stoimenova-Minova Maya
Published: January 2022

A novel framework for stacked regression based on machine learning was developed to predict the daily average concentrations of particulate matter (PM10), one of Bulgaria’s primary health concerns. The measurements of nine meteorological parameters were introduced as independent variables. The goal was to carefully study a limited number of initial predictors and extract stochastic information from them to build an extended set of data that allowed the creation of highly efficient predictive models. Four base models using random forest, CART ensemble and bagging, and their rotation variants, were built and evaluated. The heterogeneity of these base models was achieved by introducing five types of diversities, including a new simplified selective ensemble algorithm. The predictions from the four base models were then used as predictors in multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) models. All models were statistically tested using out-of-bag or with 5-fold and 10-fold cross-validation. In addition, a variable importance analysis was conducted. The proposed framework was used for short-term forecasting of out-of-sample data for seven days. It was shown that the stacked models outperformed all single base models. An index of agreement IA = 0.986 and a coefficient of determination of about 95% were achieved.
Sustainable Ecotourism through Cutting-Edge Technologies
Authors: Pavlidis George , Solomou Alexandra , Stamouli Spyridoula , Papavassiliou Vassilis , Kritsis Kosmas , Kiourt Chairi , Sevetlidis Vasileios , Karetsos George , Trigas Panayiotis , Kougioumoutzis Konstantinos , Goula Katerina , Proutsos Nikolaos , Pistikos George , Theodoridis Yannis , Galanopoulos Emmanouil , Paraskevas Nikolaos , Foskolou Ursula , Papadopoulos Michael
Published: January 2022

Tourism is a phenomenon that dates back to ancient times. Ancient Greek philosophers recognised, adopted, and promoted the concept of rest-based tourism. Ecotourism is a particular type of tourism that connects with activities that take place in nature, without harming it, along with the herbal and animal wealth. According to estimates, the global ecotourism industry is currently booming due to various reasons, and it is becoming an important factor of sustainable regional development. This article presents the vision, work, and outcomes of project AdVENt, a project focusing natively in sustainable ecotourism through natural science and technological innovation. AdVENt’s study area includes the National Parks of Oiti (or Oeta) and Parnassus in Central Greece, where there is a remarkable native flora with a high endemism rate integrated with areas of cultural value and national and European hiking routes and paths of varying difficulty.
Marketing Performance Sustainability in the Jordanian Hospitality Industry: The Roles of Customer Relationship Management and Service Quality
Authors: Al-Gasawneh Jassim Ahmad , AlZubi Khalid N. , Anuar Marhana Mohamed , Padlee Siti Falindah , ul-Haque Adnan , Saputra Jumadil
Published: January 2022

This study examines the mediating role of service quality between customer relationship management (CRM) performance dimensions and the marketing performance of Jordanian hotels using resource-based view theory and contingency theory. A self-administered survey was conducted on 162 general managers of hotels in Jordan. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The findings of the study indicated that service quality mediated the relationship between the CRM performance dimensions (key customer focus, CRM knowledge management, CRM organization, and CRM-based technology) and the marketing performance of Jordanian hotels. This study provides significant contributions to theory and practice. From a theoretical perspective, this study fills in the literature gaps by providing insights about the mediating role of service quality in the relationship between customer relationship management performance dimensions and marketing performance. For managerial contributions, this study suggested that hotels can enhance their marketing performance by focusing on service quality and customer relationship management performance dimensions, especially the key customer focus dimension.
Characteristics and Driving Factors of Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in Chinese Greenhouse Tomato Cultivation
Authors: Ren Tianjing , Li Yu’e , Miao Tiantian , Hassan Waseem , Zhang Jiaqi , Wan Yunfan , Cai Andong
Published: January 2022

Excessive nitrogen fertilizer application in greenhouses could cause a significant variation in the nitrogen-use efficiency at the regional scale. This study aims to quantify agronomic nitrogen-use efficiency (AEN) and identify its driving factors across Chinese greenhouse tomato cultivation. Three hundred and forty-eight AEN values were obtained from 64 papers, including mineral nitrogen (MN) and mineral combined with organic nitrogen (MON) treatments. The average AEN values for the MN and MON treatments were 56.6 ± 7.0 kg kg−1 and 34.6 ± 3.5 kg kg−1, respectively. The AEN of the MN treatment was higher than that of the MON treatment for cultivation using soil with an organic matter content of less than 10 g kg−1 and the drip fertigation method. The AENs of the MN and MON treatments were divided into two segments according to the nitrogen application rate. The inflection points of the nitrogen application rate were 290 and 1100 kg N ha−1 for the MN and MON treatments, respectively. When the ratio of organic nitrogen to total nitrogen was less than 0.4, it was beneficial for improving the AEN. The soil organic matter content and the nitrogen application rate were the most critical factors determining the AEN. These results suggest that rationally reducing the nitrogen input and partially substituting mineral nitrogen with organic nitrogen can help improve the nitrogen-use efficiency.
Incorporating Sustainability and Maintenance for Performance Assessment of Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms: A Perspective
Authors: Olugu Ezutah Udoncy , Wong Kuan Yew , Chung Ee Jonathan Yong , Mammedov Yslam D.
Published: January 2022

The existence of external two-fold pressure regarding competitiveness and sustainable development in a capital-intensive industry supports the need for sustainable performance. However, endeavors to create a sustainable framework to measure the performance of the oil and gas (O&G) industry are mostly devoted to the production and supply chain of petrochemical products and rarely focus on a maintenance perspective. Motivated by such scarcity, the goal of this research was to discuss and articulate the performance assessment framework by integrating concepts of maintenance and sustainability in the O&G industry. This study proposed the use of a range of performance measures for assessing sustainability on offshore production and drilling platforms. The conceptual framework consists of four aspects of sustainability categorized into technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Each measure was assigned according to its relevance at the strategic, tactical, and functional levels of maintenance decision making. The conceptual framework resulted in hierarchical clusters of twelve strategic indicators. These indicators consist of conventional measures as well as new ones relating to the safety and reliability on offshore platforms. The potential contribution of the present study is found in its intention to empower a better understanding of sustainable maintenance and encourage those making decisions about practical implementation within the O&G industry. This paper culminates with directions for future studies.
Detecting Natural Hazard-Related Disaster Impacts with Social Media Analytics: The Case of Australian States and Territories
Authors: Yigitcanlar Tan , Regona Massimo , Kankanamge Nayomi , Mehmood Rashid , D’Costa Justin , Lindsay Samuel , Nelson Scott , Brhane Adiam
Published: January 2022

Natural hazard-related disasters are disruptive events with significant impact on people, communities, buildings, infrastructure, animals, agriculture, and environmental assets. The exponentially increasing anthropogenic activities on the planet have aggregated the climate change and consequently increased the frequency and severity of these natural hazard-related disasters, and consequential damages in cities. The digital technological advancements, such as monitoring systems based on fusion of sensors and machine learning, in early detection, warning and disaster response systems are being implemented as part of the disaster management practice in many countries and presented useful results. Along with these promising technologies, crowdsourced social media disaster big data analytics has also started to be utilized. This study aims to form an understanding of how social media analytics can be utilized to assist government authorities in estimating the damages linked to natural hazard-related disaster impacts on urban centers in the age of climate change. To this end, this study analyzes crowdsourced disaster big data from Twitter users in the testbed case study of Australian states and territories. The methodological approach of this study employs the social media analytics method and conducts sentiment and content analyses of location-based Twitter messages (n = 131,673) from Australia. The study informs authorities on an innovative way to analyze the geographic distribution, occurrence frequency of various disasters and their damages based on the geo-tweets analysis.
Systematic Literature Review on the Elements of Metacognition-Based Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Teaching and Learning Modules
Authors: Hamzah Hainora , Hamzah Mohd Isa , Zulkifli Hafizhah
Published: January 2022

Contemporary educational approaches which enculturate higher order thinking skills (HOTSs) through teaching and learning have become the latest trend in teaching. Knowledge clarity, understanding mastery, and teaching readiness are the catalysts for successfully implementing HOTS elements in teaching. However, even though HOTS learning is inextricably linked to metacognitive skills, teachers frequently underutilize metacognitive skills as an effective method of teaching HOTSs. Therefore, teachers face difficulties regarding their skills in integrating HOTSs into their teaching. Numerous studies on HOTS teaching and learning modules to guide teachers in applying these have been conducted; however, only a few researchers have conducted systematic literature reviews on the same subject. This article aims to produce a systematic literature review on the elements of a metacognition-based HOTSs teaching and learning module. The systematic literature review (SLR) writing process was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) framework. Using 2 databases, namely, Web of Sciences (WoS) and Scopus, 15 articles were extracted out of 252, from 2017 to 2021, with exclusion and inclusion criteria taken into consideration. Based on the study’s thematic analysis, 3 main themes were identified: (1) HOTS, (2) metacognitive, and (3) inquiry. This study suggests that these three elements should be included in the contribution element of metacognition-based HOTSs teaching modules in school. This study contributes knowledge and guidelines to the construction of metacognition-based HOTSs teaching modules in schools, teachers’ preparedness to plan, monitor, and evaluate students’ higher order thinking skills, and opportunities for students to learn through HOTSs learning elements, as suggested in metacognition-based HOTS teaching modules.
Restoring Natural Forests as the Most Efficient Way to Water Quality and Abundance: Case Study from Želivka River Basin
Authors: Seják Josef , Machar Ivo , Pokorný Jan , Seeley Karl , Elznicová Jitka
Published: January 2022

This article shows how to restore Central European natural capital effectively. Water in the landscape is primarily sustained by vegetation and soil, most effectively by natural forests and only secondarily by artificial reservoirs. The authors document these facts using a case study from the Želivka River basin (Švihov reservoir), which collects surface water for the metropolitan region of Prague and Central Bohemia. With the Energy-Water-Vegetation Method, the authors demonstrate that the cultural human-changed landscape of the Želivka river basin is able to utilize only about 60% of its solar energy potential. In 1.5% of the territory of the Czech Republic, society annually loses supporting ecosystem services at a level higher than 25% of the annual GDP of the CR 2015. Water retention in the landscape needs to be re-evaluated and addressed in accordance with the thermodynamic principles of life and ecosystem functioning in the biosphere. It is necessary to begin restoring the most efficient natural capital in the landscapes and to return the broad-leaved deciduous forests by intelligent forestation methods to the cultural landscape to the extent justified; this is especially true of the Želivka River basin, which is Czechia’s biggest surface drinking-water collecting area.
The Integration of the Technology Acceptance Model and Value-Based Adoption Model to Study the Adoption of E-Learning: The Moderating Role of e-WOM
Authors: Liao Ying-Kai , Wu Wann-Yih , Le Trang Quang , Phung Thuy Thi Thu
Published: January 2022

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has lately been utilized in a number of studies to investigate why people reject or adopt new technologies like mobile commerce or e-learning. However, several studies have found weaknesses in TAM’s ability to predict consumers’ purchase intention behavior. To compensate for TAM’s weaknesses, this study presents a model that integrates all of TAM’s components with the Value-Based Adoption Model (VAM). The perceived benefits and sacrifices were considered to provide a list of the implications for both researchers and e-learning service providers. Furthermore, the moderating role of e-word of mouth was utilized to examine the relationship between attitude, intention, perceived value, and intention toward e-learning, in order to match the current circumstances with the growing popularity of social networks. This study was conducted with a quantitative analysis by using data collected from survey 417 e-learning consumers. Except for perceived fee, which has a negative effect on perceived value, the results demonstrate that all hypotheses of latent correlations in TAM and VAM were strongly significant. Furthermore, attitude and perceived value have a significant role in determining consumer adoption of e-learning. Consumers’ perceived value will be driven by the high and low levels of the moderating influence of e-word of mouth, influencing their intention toward e-learning. Since e-learning is an effective sustainable education system, the result of this study can provide a good solution to facilitate e-learning in current and future conditions.
Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Norm Activation Model to Investigate Organic Food Purchase Intention: Evidence from Vietnam
Authors: Le Manh Hung , Nguyen Phuong Mai
Published: January 2022

Ample research has been conducted in the organic food market and researchers have investigated factors affecting the purchase behavior of consumers in many countries. However, the studies on organic food that integrate the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Norm Activation Model (NAM) in a transition country like Vietnam are limited. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate factors affecting the organic food purchase intention in the Vietnamese context. We combined the TPB and the NAM to propose an integrated research framework with attitude and personal norms as two mediators. Through a self-administered questionnaire survey, we collected 611 valid responses from the three biggest cities in Vietnam. Data were put into SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.0 for analysis. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed to test both direct and indirect relationships among factors of TPB and NAM in the research model. Our findings indicated that attitude plays the most critical role in explaining the organic food purchase intention of Vietnamese consumers, followed by social norms and personal norms. Notably, attitude also remarkably mediated the impact of environmental awareness and knowledge of organic food on purchase intention. Meanwhile, personal norms played the mediating role in the NAM that intervene the connection between social norms and purchase intention. Based on our analysis, we suggested policymakers, manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of organic food change their actions for the growth of the organic food market in Vietnam.
The Effect of Sustainable Supply Chain Management on Company Performance Mediated by Competitive Advantage
Authors: Mukhsin Moh. , Suryanto Tulus
Published: January 2022

This study aims to examine the effect of sustainable supply chain management on company performance mediated by competitive advantage, the subjects of this study were the actors of the pottery Joint Business Group (JBG) in Banten Province, Indonesia. This type of research is quantitative research with descriptive research and causal research using questionnaires distributed directly to the JBG Pottery actors as many as 100 respondents. Moreover, Structural Equation Model (SEM) in the SmartPLS Software version 3.0.m3 (SmartPLS GmbH: Bönningstedt, Germany) was used for data analysis. The results of the study found that sustainable supply chain management affects competitive advantage, company performance was also observed to be influenced by sustainable supply chain management and competitive advantage while company performance was also found to be affected by sustainable supply chain management through the mediating effect of competitive advantage. The significant implication of this study is for managers to ensure competitiveness in the process of implementing sustainability supply chain to improve company performance, while providing recommendations to the government through Disperindagkop and SMEs in conducting the assistance process to MSMEs.
Implementation of a LoRaWAN Based Smart Agriculture Decision Support System for Optimum Crop Yield
Authors: Arshad Jehangir , Aziz Musharraf , Al-Huqail Asma A. , Zaman Muhammad Hussnain uz , Husnain Muhammad , Rehman Ateeq Ur , Shafiq Muhammad
Published: January 2022

A majority of the population of developing countries is associated with agriculture directly or indirectly. The liaison of engineering technology and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can build a bridge for farmers to enhance their skills regarding advancements through future generation agriculture trends. The next-generation trends include better soil preparation, intelligent irrigation systems, advanced methods of crop nutrient inspection, smart fertilizers applications, and multi-cropping practices. This work proposes a smart Decision Support System (DSS) that acquires the input parameters based on real-time monitoring to optimize the yield that realizes sustainability by improving per hectare production and lessening water seepage wastage in agribusiness. The proposed model comprises three basic units including an intelligent sensor module, smart irrigation system and controlled fertilizer module. The system has integrated sensors, cloud employing decision support layers, and networking based DSS to recommend cautions for optimum sustainable yield. The intelligent sensors module contains a temperature and humidity sensor, NPK sensor, soil moisture sensor, soil conductivity sensor, and pH sensor to transmit the statistics to the cloud over the internet via Long Range (LoRa) using Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) communication protocol. Moreover, an android application has been developed for real-time data monitoring according to GPS location and node information (accessed remotely). Furthermore, the DSS contemplates the accessible information from sensors, past patterns, monitoring climate trends and creating cautions required for sustainable fertilizer consumption. The presented results and comparison validate the novelty of the design as it embraces smart irrigation with smart control and smart decision-making based on accurate real-time field data. It is better than existing systems as it transmits the data over the LoRa that is an open-source communication with long-range transmission ability up to several kilometres. The sensor nodes helped in advancing the yield of crops, which resulted in achieving inclusive and sustainable economic goals.
Investigating the Human Impacts and the Environmental Consequences of Microplastics Disposal into Water Resources
Authors: Kyriakopoulos Grigorios L. , Zamparas Miltiadis G. , Kapsalis Vasileios C.
Published: January 2022

During the last decades, one of the most contentious environmental issues has been the investigation of the fate of microplastics (MPs) and detrimental consequences in natural and water resources worldwide. In this respect, it is critical research firstly to track the ways in which MPs are determined as key anthropogenic pollutants in terms of ecological risk and secondly to plan feasible policies under which the role of science and society in tackling this global issue in the future should be prioritized. In this study, a systematic theoretical, technical, and planning analysis was developed in alignment with a Scopus search deployed in the second half of the year 2021 and covering a wide chronological range (from 1970s onwards) and thematic contexts of analysis by using keywords and key phrases organized into two groups. The document results were graphically represented, revealing the main scientific focus of studies. Subsequently, our study investigated the quantitative assessment methods of MPs in marine environments, denoting the range of standard procedures applied for collecting and analyzing samples of water, bottom sediments, and coastal deposits. The technological part of the study includes the presentation of the relevant analytical techniques applied for MPs tracking and monitoring in water resources, determining the wide spectrum of plastic compounds traced. Of particular interest was the determination of environmental depletion and human implications caused, even by extremely low concentrations of MPs, for marine biota, posing potential risks to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and food availability. Finally, the research proposed the challenges of actions needed to support scientific, industry, policy, and civil society communities to curb the ongoing flow of MPs and the toxic chemicals they contain into water resources, while rethinking the ways of plastics consumption by humanity.
Club Convergence in R&D Expenditure across European Regions
Authors: Kijek Tomasz , Kijek Arkadiusz , Matras-Bolibok Anna
Published: January 2022

The increasing disparities between European regions constitute a great challenge for sustainable development and require identification of the factors responsible for this process. Given the substantive role of R&D in shaping innovativeness and economic development, understanding its dynamics and spatial patterns can provide new insights into regional growth prospects. Although prior studies have investigated the patterns of innovation convergence, apparently none has attempted to test the convergence club hypothesis in R&D expenditure in the European regional scope. Therefore, the present study aims to fill this gap. The paper aims at examining the convergence path of R&D expenditure across European regions and at identifying the factors conditioning club membership. Data were retrieved from Eurostat’s regional database and Regional Innovation Scoreboard datasets over 2008–2018. Employing a nonlinear time-varying factor model, we reveal that R&D expenditure in the examined regions follows the pattern of club convergence. The results of our research allow to identify five convergence clubs characterised by distinct disparities in the R&D expenditures. We also demonstrate that the emergence of the identified convergence clubs might be attributable to the initial differences in human capital, external knowledge embedded in patents and technological structures across regions as measured by employment in medium-high and high-tech manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services. These results provide policy implications in terms of the formulation and implementation of more tailored innovation policies, based on smart development and specialisation strategies. The presence of business R&D convergence clubs requires shifting EU policy actions towards a more sustainable model promoting both the advantages of the strongest regions and the development opportunities in less-developed ones.
The Importance of Digital Transformation in International Business
Authors: Pereira Carla Santos , Durão Natercia , Moreira Fernando , Veloso Bruno
Published: January 2022

This study was developed under the scope of a Portuguese project focused on the entrepreneur’s perspective and perception on the internationalization process of his company: more specifically, about the factors that enhanced the company entry into foreign markets as well as the constraints found in this process. This work focuses on the importance of using digital transformation to integrate technological tools in international business practice and strategy and the obstacles encountered with introducing these new technologies. This study aims to determine the relationships between technology categories and obstacles. The final goal is to assess the impact of these characteristics of the companies by the sector of economic activity, size, and percentage of profits resulting from international expansion. A questionnaire was designed and sent by email to 8183 companies from the AICEP database, distributed by three main activity sectors. A total of 310 valid answers were gathered from the Portuguese internationalized companies. The research limitations are related to the reduced number of interviews. These interviews showed that managers were not aware of the concept of digital transformation and misunderstood the use of digital technologies in the internationalization process of the business. This limitation can add some bias to the qualitative results. In addition to these limitations, the number of responses per sector was also not homogeneous. The practical implications of this study are that managers and top-level executives can use that to better understand how companies could use digital tools and what obstacles they should avoid when they want to internationalize their business. This paper is one of the first research contributions to analyze the impact of digital transformation in the internalization of Portuguese companies.
Investigation of Condensate Retention on Horizontal Pin-Fin Tubes Using Water-Propanol Mixture
Authors: Habib Hafiz Muhammad , Ali Hafiz Muhammad , Usman Muhammad
Published: January 2022

Condensers are an integral part of air conditioning systems. The thermal efficiency of condensers solely depends on the rate of heat transfer from the cooling medium. Fin tubes are extensively used for heat transfer applications due to their enhanced heat transfer capabilities. Fins provide appreciable drainage because surface tension produces pressure gradients. Much research, contributed by several scientists, has focused on adjusting parameters, such as fin design, flow rates and retention angles. In this study, a setup with an observing hole was used to inspect the influence on retention angle of adjusting the flow rates of the fluid. The increase in retention angle was examined using several velocities and concentration mixtures. Pin-fin tubes were used to obtain coherent results using a photographic method. The experimental setup was designed to monitor the movement of fluid through the apparatus. The velocity was varied using dampers and visibility was enhanced using dyes. Photographs were taken at 20 m/s velocities after every 20 s. and 0.1% concentration and the flooding point observed. The experimental results were verified by standard observation which showed little variation at lower velocity. For water/water-propanol mixtures, a vapor velocity of 12 m/s and concentration ratio of 0.04% was the optimal combination to achieve useful improvement in retention angle. With increase of propanol from 0% to 0.04%, the increase in retention angle was greater compared to 0.04% to 0.1%. For velocities ranging from 0 to 12 m/s, the increase in retention angle was significant. A sharp change was observed for concentration ratios ranging from 0.01% to 0.05% compared to 0.05% to 0.1%.