bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Study on the Application of the Safety Practice Index to Reduce Safety Accidents in the Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Kim Heonseok , Kim Jongin , Rie Dongho
Published: October 2021

Human casualties caused by industrial accidents pose a serious threat to corporate management due to the continual strengthening of safety laws as well as changes in the public’s awareness of corporate social responsibility. Accordingly, companies are raising safety awareness among employees by regularly conducting on-site safety activities and training to prevent industrial accidents. However, the safety activities, education, and training of many companies are not carried out voluntarily or in practice by their employees, but mostly through formal implementation. To break away from these customary and passive behaviors and establish a mature safety culture, it is crucial to strengthen the execution capacity of safety management in the field; to this end, we plan to utilize the safety practice index (SPI). The safety practice index (SPI), which quantitatively represents the degree of safety practice, is necessary to increase the effectiveness of safety management for the purpose of preventing accidents. In this study, the correlation was verified by comparing the SPI calculated based on the 2018 and 2019 risk management and the safety activity results of manufacturer A with the reported safety accidents. It was also effective in improving the SPI and reducing safety accidents in 2020 by supplementing the weaknesses of the SPI in 2018 and 2019. According to the results of this study, SPI can be used as an effective indicator for safety accident prevention activities by supplementing weaknesses with strengths through strengthening leadership and safety policies, such as classifying and managing the safety management level of a specific period or department.
Application of Learning Management System (LMS) during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Sustainable Acceptance Model of the Expansion Technology Approach
Authors: Alturki Uthman , Aldraiweesh Ahmed
Published: October 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of universities and colleges throughout the world, with the hope that public health officials’ suggestion of social distancing would help flatten the sickness curve and reduce overall mortality from the outbreak. However, the Learning Management System (LMS) is the perfect approach for fostering the dedication of students to content in education like sustainability. Previous studies have seldom investigated an integrated approach in the context of LMS in industrialized nations. In addition, this paper aims to include a literature analysis of recent research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in the area of LMS usage, as well as to investigate variables predicting the usage of LMS by higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic for students’ engagement. On the basis of LMS usage data obtained from an online survey, structural equation modeling (SEM) and route analysis were utilized to verify the research model, a survey consisting of student LMS users King Saud University. The findings showed that the desire of students to use LMS had beneficial effects during the COVID-19 pandemic on learning as sustainability engagement. Also, student-perceived closeness, peer references and subjective well-being are favorably associated with the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, this, in turn, influences students’ intentions to utilize, which, in turn, effects the usage of LMS for student engagement during COVID-19.
A Life Cycle Environmental Impact Comparison between Traditional, Hybrid, and Electric Vehicles in the European Context
Authors: Pipitone Emiliano , Caltabellotta Salvatore , Occhipinti Leonardo
Published: October 2021

Global warming (GW) and urban pollution focused a great interest on hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as cleaner alternatives to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). The environmental impact related to the use of both ICEV and HEV mainly depends on the fossil fuel used by the thermal engines, while, in the case of the BEV, depends on the energy sources employed to produce electricity. Moreover, the production phase of each vehicle may also have a relevant environmental impact, due to the manufacturing processes and the materials employed. Starting from these considerations, the authors carried out a fair comparison of the environmental impact generated by three different vehicles characterized by different propulsion technology, i.e., an ICEV, an HEV, and a BEV, following the life cycle analysis methodology, i.e., taking into account five different environmental impact categories generated during all phases of the entire life of the vehicles, from raw material collection and parts production, to vehicle assembly and on-road use, finishing hence with the disposal phase. An extensive scenario analysis was also performed considering different electricity mixes and vehicle lifetime mileages. The results of this study confirmed the importance of the life cycle approach for the correct determination of the real impact related to the use of passenger cars and showed that the GW impact of a BEV during its entire life amounts to roughly 60% of an equivalent ICEV, while acidifying emissions and particulate matter were doubled. The HEV confirmed an excellent alternative to ICEV, showing good compromise between GW impact (85% with respect to the ICEV), terrestrial acidification, and particulate formation (similar to the ICEV). In regard to the mineral source deployment, a serious concern derives from the lithium-ion battery production for BEV. The results of the scenario analysis highlight how the environmental impact of a BEV may be altered by the lifetime mileage of the vehicle, and how the carbon footprint of the electricity used may nullify the ecological advantage of the BEV.
Efficiency Enhancement of Gas Turbine Systems with Air Injection Driven by Natural Gas Turboexpanders
Authors: Sefiddashti Ali Rafiei , Shirmohammadi Reza , Petrakopoulou Fontina
Published: October 2021

The fuel source of many simple and combined-cycle power plants usually comes from a nearby natural gas transmission pipeline at a pressure from 50 to over 70 bar. The use of a turboexpander instead of throttling equipment offers a promising alternative to regulate the pressure of natural gas introduced to the power plant. Specifically, it helps recover part of the available energy of the compressed gas in the transmission pipeline, increase the power output and efficiency of the gas turbine system, and decrease the fuel use and harmful emissions. In this paper, the addition of such a turboexpander in a gas pressure-reduction station is studied. The recovered power is then used to drive the compression of extra air added to the combustion chamber of a heavy-duty gas turbine. The performance of this configuration is analyzed for a wide range of ambient temperatures using energy and exergy analyses. Fuel energy recovered in this way increases the output power and the efficiency of the gas turbine system by a minimum of 2.5 MW and 0.25%, respectively. The exergy efficiency of the gas turbine system increases by approximately 0.36% and the annual CO2 emissions decrease by 1.3% per MW.
It’s All about Distinction: The Lifestyle Embeddedness of Fair Trade Consumption
Authors: Schenk Patrick , Rössel Jörg , Weingartner Sebastian
Published: October 2021

Social scientists have argued that ethical consumption is embedded into broader lifestyles running across various domains of social life. For instance, fair trade consumption might be part of a distinctive lifestyle, including behaviors such as going to fancy restaurants or the opera. We, therefore, investigate the relationships of the main dimensions of broader lifestyles to various aspects of fair trade consumption—from purchase frequency, to visiting specialized stores, to the identification with fair trade. The analysis relies on data collected in the Summer of 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland. Since per capita consumption of fair trade products in this country was on a comparatively high level, the results are also important for other societies experiencing only currently the mainstreaming of fair trade. The first dimension, distinctiveness of lifestyles, denoting orientations and behaviors with high social prestige in society, emerges as a substantial and important determinant of all included aspects of fair trade consumption. The second dimension, modernity, is only correlated with a subset of these aspects. These effects are robust, even when taking ethical and political orientations and resource endowment into account. Hence, differences between lifestyle groups do not simply reflect the social position of high-status consumers or their ethical and political views. They reflect orientations, mental representations and routines specific to these social groups. Broader lifestyles are, therefore, a relevant addition to explanations of fair trade consumption.
Valuation of Trust in Government: The Wellbeing Valuation Approach
Authors: Suriyanrattakorn Savinee , Chang Chia-Lin
Published: October 2021

Subjective wellbeing maximization is a possible goal of government or public policies, and it is often considered the goal of individual life. This paper proposes an estimation using the Wellbeing Valuation Approach (WVA) to estimate the monetized effect of trust in government. Using a cross-country panel data set for 97 countries in the period from 2011 to 2019, we arrive at three main findings. First, there is a positive relationship between trust in national government and average life satisfaction. Second, trust in the national government has a global median value of Intl$ 5649 per person a year in foregone income. Third, trust affects life satisfaction directly as well as indirectly through per capita GDP. This indirect effect is considered relatively small compared to the direct effect, being approximately six times smaller. This study contributes to the policy evaluation literature by providing an evaluation of trust in government to be used as a proxy to plan future investment or policy assessment.
The Contribution of Individual Characteristics of Managers to the Success of Equivalency Education Programs of the Community Learning Center in Indonesia
Authors: Sucipto  , Wiyono Bambang Budi , Rasyad Ach. , Dayati Umi , Purwito Lasi
Published: October 2021

The community learning center provides a means of completing compulsory education and increasing the level of educational participation in Indonesia. Through this program, regardless of age, people can continue their education to a level equivalent to junior or senior high school. However, factors that contribute to the success of the program are still in question. This study aimed to determine the contribution of individual characteristics, including work experience, work perception, work motivation, and work discipline, to the success of the equivalency education program at the community learning center. This research was conducted in East Java using a quantitative approach and an explanatory research design. The research sample was taken from 101 program managers through random sampling techniques and the Slovin formula. The data were collected using a questionnaire and then analyzed using multiple regression techniques. The results showed that the education program had high success, with the participants achieving examination pass rates of 96.4% in package B, which is equivalent to junior high school, and 98.2% in package C, which is equivalent to senior high school. The average involvement of community members in the program implementation was 68.6%, and the financial support reached 75.5%. The work experience, work perception, work motivation, and work discipline of the program managers had a significant effect, both simultaneously and partially, on the success of the equivalency education program. In addition, the four independent variables also had a significant predictive effect on the dependent variable, with a simultaneous contribution of 53.8%. Based on these findings, it was recommended that these factors be considered to improve the success, sustainability, and development of education programs at the community learning center.
The Efficiency Score of Small Accommodation Businesses in Non-Coastal Rural Areas in Greece
Authors: Dimitriadou Eleni , Bournaris Thomas , Stavrinoudis Theodoros , Iakovidou Olga
Published: October 2021

Small accommodation businesses dominate the rural hospitality industry, producing simple or complex tourist products and services in order to be sustainable and competitive. In this paper, a two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was applied in a representative sample of 151 small accommodation businesses in non-coastal areas in the region of Central Macedonia in Greece. In the first stage, DEA-bootstrapping is applied to estimate point and interval efficiency ratios of accommodation businesses and identify the benchmark accommodations. The double bootstrapping truncated procedure of Simar and Wilson is implemented in the second stage to investigate the role of five business factors in terms of efficiency. The findings suggest that small accommodation businesses, although they are based in areas where tourist resources abound, are inefficient. Moreover, the results of the truncated regression method showed that the business’s size, the operating days, and the variety of activities (simple/complex) affect business’s inefficiency. On the contrary, the business’s age and their engagement in agriculture or not do not affect business’s efficiency. The results are important for rural entrepreneurs and policy makers, and they will also be useful for the adaptation of businesses to increase their efficiency.
Application of Zinc Fertilizer and Mycorrhizal Inoculation on Physio-Biochemical Parameters of Wheat Grown under Water-Stressed Environment
Authors: Amjad Syeda Fasiha , Mansoora Nida , Din Israr Ud , Khalid Iqbal Rana , Jatoi Ghulam Hussain , Murtaza Ghulam , Yaseen Samia , Naz Maliha , Danish Subhan , Fahad Shah , Datta Rahul
Published: October 2021

Drought stress and poor zinc (Zn) are major constraints for commercial agriculture. Their detrimental effects significantly decrease crop’s growth and yield. Less water uptake disturbs the metabolic processes in plants. However, the deficiency of Zn leads to the inactivation of many enzymes. It is well documented that cereal crops, especially wheat, are susceptible to drought and Zn deficiency. Scientists suggest the supplementation of Zn along bio-fertilizers for the sustainable management of these issues. That is why the current experiment was conducted to explore the best combination of Zn and bio-fertilizer for wheat. There were two different recommended concentrations of Zn sulfate (Zinc level 1 (Zn1) = 20 and Zinc level 2 (Zn2) = 40 kg ha−1) applied under normal irrigation (75% field capacity = FC) and severe drought stress (40% FC). Sole and combined inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) with Zn1 and Zn2 was also performed. Osmotic stress (40% FC) significantly decreased the examined growth parameters. It also significantly enhanced antioxidant and oxidative indicators in wheat. A significant increase in root fresh weight, root dry weight, and shoot length while a significant decrease in EL, SOD, POD over the control validated the efficacious role of Zn2 + AM. It is concluded that Zn2 + AM can improve wheat root fresh weight and root length wheat under 40% FC. Under different climatic zones, wheat varieties, and soil types, more investigations are recommended to declare Zn2 + AM as the best amendment for improving wheat growth attributes under osmotic stress.
Noise and Spatial Configuration in Biskra, Algeria—A Space Syntax Approach to Understand the Built Environment for Visually Impaired People
Authors: Djenaihi Walid-Mahfoud , Zemmouri Noureddine , Djenane Moussadek , van Nes Akkelies
Published: October 2021

This contribution investigates the correlation between street noise levels and the spatial configuration of the street network in four different types of neighbourhoods in the Algerian city of Biskra. Space syntax methods are used to analyse spatial relationships, where accessibility, intelligibility, and legibility of urban spaces can be evaluated. The degree of spatial integration is used as an accessibility indicator and is correlated with recorded noise level data at 154 points from the selected neighbourhoods. As the results show, there are strong correlations between spatial integration and recorded sound pressures on streets and roads in colonial and unplanned neighbourhoods. The reason is that these types of neighbourhoods have a street network with high correlations between street connectivity and global spatial integration. There are weak correlations between connectivity and global spatial integration throughout the modern planned neighbourhood, which again affects the correlation between noise and space. The experiment shows that space syntax methods have the potential to predict degrees of accessibility and orientability for people with visual impairments in urban planning.
Research on the Effects of Environmental Regulations on Industrial-Technological Innovation Based on Pressure Transmission
Authors: Quan Mengqi , Guo Quan , Xia Qing , Zhou Min
Published: October 2021

This paper investigates the transmission of pressure between the public, relevant government departments, and industrial firms through the use of formal environmental regulations. The data include formal environmental regulations issued from 2005 to 2019 in 179 cities in 27 provinces in China. The intermediary effect model and the threshold effect model are used to carry out research studies on the relationships between public-participated environmental regulations, formal environmental regulations, and industrial-technological innovations. Results indicate that: (1) Pressure is transmitted between the public, and relevant government sectors and industries. For instance, public-participated environmental regulations pressure relevant government departments to apply strong formal environmental regulations on industrial sectors. (2) Labor and capital have a positive moderating effect on the effect of formal environmental regulations on industrial-technological innovations. (3) Both public-participated and formal environmental regulations promote industrial-technological innovations. (4) There is a threshold effect in formal environmental regulations. For instance, when the intensity of public-participated environmental regulations is higher than 93, the role of formal environmental regulations in promoting industrial-technological innovation can be completely maximized.
Dissatisfaction Responses of Tourists in the Havana World Heritage Site
Authors: Lam-González Yen E. , Clouet Richard , Cruz Sosa Niurka , de León Javier
Published: October 2021

This paper aims to assess the relationships between tourists’ negative evaluation of key management areas in the cultural city, their overall satisfaction and future intentions. More specifically, this paper proposes a covariance-based structural equations model (CB-SEM) to assess the influence of tourists’ dissatisfaction caused by failures in tourist and cultural services, hygiene and infrastructure on their overall satisfaction with the cultural trip and their intentions to repeat it. Using data collected from 1500 tourists visiting Old Havana on a cultural trip, this paper confirms that a negative opinion on the management of hygiene, cleanliness and crowding is dominant in explaining cultural tourists’ lower levels of satisfaction. In addition, this was found to be the only factor with a negative impact on tourists’ intentions to revisit the city in the future. The results are useful for helping managers of cultural destinations to distinguish the areas that are most relevant in their attempt to promote satisfaction and loyalty in the context of cultural tourism.
Use of an Ethanol Bio-Refinery Product as a Soy Bean Alternative in Diets for Fast-Growing Meat Production Species: A Circular Economy Approach
Authors: Burton Emily , Scholey Dawn , Alkhtib Ashraf , Williams Peter
Published: October 2021

The recent conceptual pivot from bioethanol production to ethanol biorefining has led to development of protein derived by fractionating the non-ethanol streams post fermentation within the plant. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of replacing dietary soy with corn-fermented protein (CFP) on performance of fast-growing meat species and the impact on the carbon footprint associated with the feed for each species. The study contains trials on 3 species, broiler, turkey and salmon. In trial one, 324 broiler chicks were allocated randomly to 36 pens distributed into 3 dietary treatments; control (0% CFP), 5% CFP and 10% CFP; for 35 days. In trial 2, 150 turkey poults were allocated to 3 treatments: control (0 CFP), 4% CFP and 8% CFP for 35 days. In trial 3, 525 Atlantic Salmon (starting weight 304 g ± 10.7 g) were raised in 15 saltwater tanks for 84 days with 5 treatments, control (0% CFP), 5% CFP, 10% CFP, 15% CFP and 20% CFP. Growth response, nutrient utilisation and carbon footprint were assessed in each trial. Replacement of soy with CFP showed limited differences in growth response and nutrient utilization but replacing soy bean meal with CFP at rate of 5%, 8% and 10% in broiler, turkey and salmon diets, respectively resulted in a 14% decrease in carbon footprint of diet manufacturing. This investigation shows coupling bioethanol production with poultry and salmon production represents a highly effective circular economy contributing to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals.
A Quantitative Modeling and Prediction Method for Sustained Rainfall-PM2.5 Removal Modes on a Micro-Temporal Scale
Authors: Wu Tingchen , Xie Xiao , Xue Bing , Liu Tao
Published: October 2021

PM2.5 is unanimously considered to be an important indicator of air quality. Sustained rainfall is a kind of typical but complex rainfall process in southern China with an uncertain duration and intervals. During sustained rainfall, the variation of PM2.5 concentrations in hour-level time series is diverse and complex. However, existing analytical methods mainly examine overall removals at the annual/monthly time scale, missing a quantitative analysis mode that applies micro-scale time data to describe the removal phenomenon. In order to further achieve air quality prediction and prevention in the short term, it is necessary to analyze its micro-temporal removal effect for atmospheric environment quality forecasting. This paper proposed a quantitative modeling and prediction method for sustained rainfall-PM2.5 removal modes on a micro-temporal scale. Firstly, a set of quantitative modes for sustained rainfall-PM2.5 removal mode in a micro-temporal scale were constructed. Then, a mode-constrained prediction of the sustained rainfall-PM2.5 removal effect using the factorization machines (FM) was proposed to predict the future sustained rainfall removal effect. Moreover, the historical observation data of Nanjing city at an hourly scale from 2016 to January 2020 were used for mode modeling. Meanwhile, the whole 2020 year observation data were used for the sustained rainfall-PM2.5 removal phenomenon prediction. The experiment shows the reasonableness and effectiveness of the proposed method.
The Effects of Knowledge Types on Consumer Decision Making for Non-Toxic Housing Materials and Products
Authors: Kwon Hyun Joo , Ahn Mira , Kang Jiyun
Published: October 2021

This study explored how different types of consumer knowledge (exposure, subjective knowledge, and objective knowledge) predict perceptions (benefits, severity, and barriers) and behavioral intention to choose non-toxic housing materials and products based on the extended health belief model (HBM). The target population was people 18 years or older living in the U.S. A total of 1050 valid responses were collected through an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model via AMOS version 24. Results show that the prediction of exposure, subjective knowledge, and objective knowledge for behavioral intention is mediated by health belief perceptions in different ways. Exposure had a significant impact on perceived benefits and perceived severity but not on perceived barriers. Subjective knowledge was not significantly associated with perceptions, but all of the effects of objective knowledge on the HBM elements were significant. Significant indirect effects of exposure and subjective knowledge on behavioral intention were found; the indirect effects of objective knowledge on behavioral intention were insignificant. By adopting the extended HBM, this study contributes to a better understanding of the link among knowledge types and perceptions of non-toxic housing materials and products, and behavioral intention to choose them.
Significance of Urban Vegetation on Lawns Regarding the Risk of Fire
Authors: Winkler Jan , Malovcová Monika , Adamcová Dana , Ogrodnik Paweł , Pasternak Grzegorz , Zumr David , Kosmala Marek , Koda Eugeniusz , Vaverková Magdalena Daria
Published: October 2021

Urban green infrastructure significantly influences the functioning of a city and the comfort of its residents. Lawns are an essential element of public greenery. They represent a live component, and if they are lacking, of low quality, or neglected, this will cause major problems in the urban environment. The vegetation structure of urban grassy areas changes under the influence of different management methods used for their maintenance. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the species diversity of urban lawns and to determine the influence of this vegetation on factors based on the representation of the species found. Three sites with urban lawns were chosen in a built-up city area where different types of vegetation management were applied: Typical management, in which grassy areas are mowed twice a year; intensive management, in which lawns are mowed several times a year and the biomass is removed; and extensive management, in which lawns are mowed irregularly, once a year at most, and the biomass is left unevenly on the site. Extensive management and unkempt urban grassy areas represent a high risk of fire due to the presence of plant species that produce great amounts of biomass. Combined with dry and warm weather, the dead biomass can lead to outbreaks of fire. Extensive management of urban grassy areas brings some benefits, such as lower maintenance costs and increased biodiversity and bioretention. On the other hand, intensive management reduces the risk of fire and the biodiversity of the plant community. Attention should be paid to the composition of vegetative species and their functions that could threaten the safety of residents, with the risk of fire being one of them. However, the vegetation biomass of grassy areas affected by management practices is only a precondition for the risk of fire because weather and drought occurrence play important roles as well.
Measuring Soil Colour to Estimate Soil Organic Carbon Using a Large-Scale Citizen Science-Based Approach
Authors: Ferrando Jorge Nerea , Clark Joanna , Cárdenas Macarena , Geoghegan Hilary , Shannon Vicky
Published: October 2021

Rapid, low-cost methods for large-scale assessments of soil organic carbon (SOC) are essential for climate change mitigation. Our work explores the potential for citizen scientists to gather soil colour data as a cost-effective proxy of SOC instead of conventional lab analyses. The research took place during a 2-year period using topsoil data gathered by citizen scientists and scientists from urban parks in the UK and France. We evaluated the accuracy and consistency of colour identification by comparing “observed” Munsell soil colour estimates to “measured” colour derived from reflectance spectroscopy, and calibrated colour observations to ensure data robustness. Statistical relationships between carbon content obtained by loss on ignition (LOI) and (i) observed and (ii) measured soil colour were derived for SOC prediction using three colour components: hue, lightness, and chroma. Results demonstrate that although the spectrophotometer offers higher precision, there was a correlation between observed and measured colour for both scientists (R2 = 0.42; R2 = 0.26) and citizen scientists (R2 = 0.39; R2 = 0.19) for lightness and chroma, respectively. Foremost, a slightly stronger relationship was found for predicted SOC using the spectrophotometer (R2 = 0.69), and citizen scientists produced comparable results (R2 = 0.58), highlighting the potential of a large-scale citizen-based approach for SOC monitoring.
Dark Fermentation Process Response to the Use of Undiluted Tequila Vinasse without Nutrient Supplementation
Authors: Rodríguez-Reyes Juan José , García-Depraect Octavio , Castro-Muñoz Roberto , León-Becerril Elizabeth
Published: October 2021

The technical feasibility of valorizing tequila vinasse (TV), a wastewater with high pollution potential, through the production of biogenic hydrogen via dark fermentation, has long been proven in diverse lab-scale reactors that were operated either in batch or continuous mode. However, such systems have mainly been tested with diluted streams and nutrient supplementation, hindering the techno-economic attractiveness of the TV-to-hydrogen concept at large scale. In this study, the feasibility of producing hydrogen from high-strength undiluted TV with no added extra nutrients was evaluated under batch mesophilic conditions. Additionally, the use of two different acidogenic inocula obtained either by heat or heat-aeration pretreatment was investigated to get a greater understanding of the effect of inoculum type on the process. The results obtained showed that the TV utilized herein contained macro- and micro-nutrients high enough to support the hydrogenogenic activity of both cultures, entailing average hydrogen yields of 2.4–2.6 NL H2/L vinasse and maximum hydrogen production rates of 1.4–1.9 NL H2/L-d. Interestingly, the consumption of lactate and acetate with the concomitant production of butyrate was observed as the main hydrogen-producing route regardless of the inoculum, pointing out the relevance of the lactate-driven dark fermentative process. Clostridium beijerinckii was ascertained as key bacteria, but only in association with microorganisms belonging to the genera Enterobacter and Klebsiella, as revealed by phylogenetic analyses.
Never Too Late to Learn: How Education Helps Female Entrepreneurs at Overcoming Barriers in the Digital Economy
Authors: Molina-López Manuel M. , Koller Manuel R. Tejeiro , Rubio-Andrés Mercedes , González-Pérez Susana
Published: October 2021

The study of Entrepreneurship Framework Conditions (EFC) has found that training and education have, among other things, a positive effect on overcoming barriers when starting your own firm. Our research can be placed in this line, but with an added specificity, since it is focused firstly on women and secondly on the digital economy. Thus, we have studied the situation of women entrepreneurs in the digital economy in Spain, asking them about their personal traits, the characteristics of their ventures and the barriers they encountered. We have studied the effect of EFCs on overcoming barriers to entrepreneurship, with a special focus on training and entrepreneurship education. In addition, the effect of self-efficacy perception (the conviction of having the necessary skills to start a business) on overcoming barriers to entrepreneurship has been factored in. After the implementation of a Structural Equation Model (SEM), we show that training helps female entrepreneurs in the digital economy to overcome barriers to entrepreneurship, especially after the mediation of their self-efficacy perception, which is increased by specific entrepreneurial training. We can conclude that policy recommendations to counteract the gender gap in entrepreneurship with specific training should be promoted, specifically in such a strategic sector as the digital economy.
Assessing the Potential for Digital Transformation
Authors: Corejova Tatiana , Chinoracky Roman
Published: October 2021

Historically, new technologies have always increased the efficiency of production processes. Production process efficiency increases productivity. With the growth of productivity, there is usually an increase in sales and profit. Today’s world is mainly influenced by digital technologies. The digitization of production processes leads to the digital transformation of the business and natural economy sectors. If, like other technologies in the past, the effects of digital technologies are associated with a growth in efficiency, productivity and thus also revenues and profits, the aim of this article is to propose a model to assess the potential of a digital transformation from a macroeconomic perspective. The proposed model, which was based on a composite indicator expressing the potential for digital transformation, was quantified for a certain period and for a selected sample of countries. The potential for digital transformation can occur in any country, regardless of the purchasing power of its population and GDP per capita. We can assume that the economic benefits of digital technologies are obvious. Businesses operating in any country innovate and are driven by digital technologies. This is also reflected in employment. New workers who know how to work with digital technologies are needed. Therefore, the results of the assessments and the proposal itself serve as a basis for national policy makers to create national strategies for digital transformation.
Narratives of Crisis: How Framing Urban Shrinkage and Depopulation Shapes Policy and Planning Responses in Spain, Germany and The Netherlands
Authors: Ivanov Bozhidar
Published: October 2021

Academic research on urban shrinkage and depopulation has advanced significantly in recent years, mostly by attributing causality between the reasons and consequences of shrinkage in the positivist tradition of planning research. This paper critically analyzes shrinkage and depopulation as an issue of planning and policymaking in a broader institutional context. By applying a qualitative interpretive policy analysis methodology to planning and policy narratives from Spain, Germany and The Netherlands, this article highlights and scrutinizes how policymakers and planners have framed shrinkage, and how this framing has justified some of the selected planning and policy approaches. It is concluded that framing shrinkage in practice may only partially encompass the scientific definitions. It is also concluded that framing shrinkage and depopulation as a crisis may be determined by locally and temporally important issues as well as differences in planning cultures, which in practice may distance the understanding of the phenomenon from the scientific definitions. Debates on shrinkage conceptualization and the development of new planning concepts can become more applicable in practice by incorporating insights from qualitative investigations. This can bring them closer to planning practice and embed them in a wider planning system context, so as to produce more applicable and contextually sensitive proposals for addressing shrinkage.
Examining the Ability of Communities to Cope with Food Insecurity due to Climate Change
Authors: Nsabagwa Mary , Mwije Anthony , Nimusiima Alex , Odongo Ronald Inguula , Ogwang Bob Alex , Wasswa Peter , Mugume Isaac , Basalirwa Charles , Nalwanga Faridah , Kakuru Robert , Nahayo Sylvia , Sansa-Otim Julianne , Musiime Irene
Published: October 2021

The changing climate has negatively impacted food systems by affecting rainfall patterns and leading to drought, flooding, and higher temperatures which reduce food production. This study examined the ability of communities to cope with food insecurity due to the changing climate in the Serere and Buyende districts, which are two different agro-ecological zones of Uganda. We administered 806 questionnaires to households, a sample size which was determined using Yamane’s formula, with the snowball sampling method used to select the households. The questionnaire sought information, including that regarding the respondents’ resources, the effects of climate change on households, and the coping mechanisms employed to reduce the impact of climate change on food security. The data collected was coded and analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Agriculture was found to be the main source of income for 42.4% of male adults and 41.2% of female adults in Serere. In Buyende, 39.9% of males and 33.7% of females rely on selling animal, poultry, and food crops. Aggregate results further showed that 58.3% of females and 42.2% of the males from both districts had suffered from the impacts of climate change, and that the effects were more evident between March and May, when communities experienced crop failure. The study further found that the percentage of households who had three meals a day was reduced from 59.7% to 43.6%, while the number of households with no major meals a day increased from 1.3% to 1.6%. We also found that 34.3% of households reported buying food during periods of crop failure or food scarcity. Moreover, despite reporting an understanding of several coping mechanisms, many households were limited in their ability to implement the coping mechanisms by their low incomes. This reinforced their reliance on affordable mechanisms, such as growing drought-resistant crops (32.7%), rearing drought-resistant livestock breeds (26.1%), and reducing the number of meals a day (14.5%), which are mechanisms that are insufficient for solving all the climate-related food insecurity challenges. We recommend that the government intervenes by revising policies which help farmers cope with the negative effects of climate change, promoting the sensitization of farmers to employing the coping mechanisms, and subsidizing agricultural inputs, such as resistant varieties of crops, for all to afford.
Identification of Differences in Hunting Management in Poland and Selected European Countries in the Context of Sustainable Development
Authors: Mesinger Dominika , Ocieczek Aneta
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this article was to identify significant differences in the hunting management process in Poland and selected European countries in the context of their impact on the preservation of biodiversity and the implementation of the idea of sustainable development. The goal was achieved through the analysis of hunting management in selected European countries through the prism of the assumptions made by Aldo Leopold in 1933. Based on the analysis carried out, it was found that hunting management in relation to Leopold’s postulates has best been undertaken by France. Moreover, the wild game management process should be actively implemented and based on the still up-to-date, universal postulates of Leopold, which can be treated as a model approach.
Exploring Social Sustainability Handprint—Part 2: Sustainable Development and Sustainability
Authors: Husgafvel Roope
Published: October 2021

Social sustainability is a major part of both sustainable development and sustainability including societal sustainability and overall promotion of more sustainable societies taking into account multiple social/society–environment relationships and interfaces. These contexts have a strong focus on both present and future generations, encompassing sustainable development of both people and the planet. Social sustainability handprints provide many opportunities to promote social sustainability management and assessment by organizations and people and to create changes and encourage actions that contribute to overall social and societal sustainability. This study applied qualitative approaches to explore social sustainability handprints from the perspectives of sustainable development, sustainability, social and societal sustainability and sustainability assessment and indicators. This study addressed a clear research gap and aimed at identifying key definitions, elements, approaches and development focus areas within these frameworks as well as at suggesting associated implications for social sustainability handprint development. The findings suggest that social sustainability handprints can be created through multiple actions, changes, innovations and impacts to promote social sustainability based on sustainable development, sustainability and social and societal sustainability. Various actors such as all types of organizations, individuals, groups and companies can implement these ways to create social sustainability handprints. In addition, there are multiple assessment approaches that can be applied to the assessment of social sustainability handprints such as sustainability management, assessment and indicators, encompassing multiple specific elements and approaches.
The Non-Linear Effects of Energy Efficiency Gains on the Incidence of Energy Poverty
Authors: Al-Tal Raad , Murshed Muntasir , Ahmad Paiman , Alfar Abdelrahman J. K. , Bassim Mohga , Elheddad Mohamed , Nurmakhanova Mira , Mahmood Haider
Published: October 2021

Energy poverty is defined as insufficient access to modern energy resources which are relatively cleaner than the traditionally utilized ones. In this regard, the incidence of energy poverty is particularly higher in the cases of the developing countries across the globe. Accordingly, the chronic energy poverty issues in the developing countries within Sub-Saharan Africa have become a major socioeconomic and environmental concern for the associated governments. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the effects of energy efficiency gains and shocks to other key macroeconomic factors on energy poverty in the context of selected Sub-Saharan African nations. In this study, we measure energy poverty in terms of the lack of access to clean cooking fuels and technologies for the population of the selected Sub-Saharan African countries. The overall findings from the common correlated effects panel regression analysis reveal that energy efficiency gains initially aggravate the energy poverty situation but improve it later on; consequently, a U-shaped relationship between energy efficiency and access to clean cooking fuels and technologies is evidenced. Besides, the predicted threshold levels of energy efficiency are observed to be higher than the average energy efficiency level of the Sub-Saharan African nations. Moreover, the results also portray that economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, foreign direct investment inflows, and international trade are effective in reducing energy poverty. Conversely, financial development is witnessed to be ineffective in influencing the incidence of energy poverty in this region.
Sharing Economy: For or against Sustainable Development
Authors: Lyaskovskaya Elena , Khudyakova Tatyana
Published: October 2021

The development of sharing economy business models is one of the features of the digital economy. The issue of sustainable development has been of particular importance in the intensively developed theory of the sharing economy. However, methodological approaches for examining the relationship between the sharing economy and sustainable development need further investigation. Economic and mathematical models that allow for a quantitative estimate of the impact of the development of the sharing economy on the sustainable development goals achievement have to be enhanced. This contribution attempts to fill the indicated gap. We have examined the relationship between the sharing economy and the sustainable development goals achievement in three directions, namely by analyzing the prerequisites for the sharing economy emergence, by tracing the sharing economy theory evolution, and by investigating the quantitative impact of the sharing economy development on the sustainable development goals achievement. To determine the sharing economy’s impact on sustainable development, a three-dimensional indicator based on the triple-p concept was developed. The correlation between the sharing economy and the unemployment rate has been used as an indicator of the influence the sharing economy has on the social domain. The correlation between the sharing economy and waste generation has been used as an indicator of the influence the sharing economy has on the environmental domain. The correlation between the sharing economy and GDP has been used as an indicator of the influence the sharing economy has on the economic domain. As a result of the study, the insignificant influence of the development of the sharing economy on the achievement of the quantitative goals of sustainable development was established. The main reason for this is the lack of acceptable macroeconomic indicators. The rise of the digital economy has been made into standard macroeconomic indicators that are insufficient to assess the social, environmental, and economic areas of sustainable development. The existing problems of regulating the digital economy threaten its inherent positive features. The developed model can be used to diagnose the influence of the sharing economy on sustainable development goals achievement, and can also be finalized regarding the available statistical base.
Blockchain-Based Traceability for Anti-Counterfeit in Cross-Border E-Commerce Transactions
Authors: Lee Heongu , Yeon Changhak
Published: October 2021

Cross-border e-commerce, involving international product transactions via online and mobile platforms, is growing at a dramatic rate around the globe. One of the main concerns of brand firms is preventing counterfeit products from being sold under their names on e-commerce platforms. Counterfeit goods not only create economic losses to both the supply and demand sides, but also undermine efforts to improve sustainability. Proliferating counterfeits harm the brands of supply firms and trust in selling e-commerce platforms. In addition, they discourage participants in the supply chain from investing in social and environmental sustainability. If end-customers have access to detailed and comprehensive product information with a traceability system that can help overcome information uncertainty and asymmetry, losses can be prevented. The result of the pilot test has shown that securely shared in-depth product information among supply chain stakeholders from the supply side to end-customers can help prevent counterfeit goods from proliferating further by enabling consumers to determine the authenticity of products and report forgeries before paying.
A High Step-up DC-DC Converter Based on the Voltage Lift Technique for Renewable Energy Applications
Authors: Khan Shahrukh , Mahmood Arshad , Zaid Mohammad , Tariq Mohd , Lin Chang-Hua , Ahmad Javed , Alamri Basem , Alahmadi Ahmad
Published: October 2021

High gain DC-DC converters are getting popular due to the increased use of renewable energy sources (RESs). Common ground between the input and output, low voltage stress across power switches and high voltage gain at lower duty ratios are desirable features required in any high gain DC-DC converter. DC-DC converters are widely used in DC microgrids to supply power to meet local demands. In this work, a high step-up DC-DC converter is proposed based on the voltage lift (VL) technique using a single power switch. The proposed converter has a voltage gain greater than a traditional boost converter (TBC) and Traditional quadratic boost converter (TQBC). The effect of inductor parasitic resistances on the voltage gain of the converter is discussed. The losses occurring in various components are calculated using PLECS software. To confirm the performance of the converter, a hardware prototype of 200 W is developed in the laboratory. The simulation and hardware results are presented to determine the performance of the converter in both open-loop and closed-loop conditions. In closed-loop operation, a PI controller is used to maintain a constant output voltage when the load or input voltage is changed.