bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Land-Use/Cover Changes and Its Ecological Effect in Rapidly Urbanized Areas—Taking Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration as a Case
Authors: Hu Panpan , Li Feng , Sun Xiao , Liu Yali , Chen Xinchuang , Hu Dan
Published: May 2021

Based on the land-use data of 2000 and 2015, this study makes a quantitative analysis of the ecological environment effect in Pearl River Delta using the ecological environment quality index and the ecological contribution rate of land-use change types. The results showed the following: (1) During 2000–2015, the land-use changes in Pearl River Delta mainly manifested in the reduction of cultivated land, forest land, water area, and unused land, while the area of construction land and grassland showed an increasing trend. The quality of ecological environment in the Pearl River Delta was largely stable but slightly declined overall; (2) Over the past 15 years, the comprehensive ecological environment index of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration has decreased by 0.02. With an average annual decrease of 0.11%. The spatial expansion caused by urbanization had the most profound impact on the decline of the ecological environment quality in the Pearl River Delta; (3) The eco-environmental quality indices of various cities in the Pearl River Delta declined to varying degrees. The city with the largest decline was Dongguan, followed by Shenzhen and Zhongshan. The spatial differentiation characteristics of the eco-environmental quality index indicate that the ecological quality preferences of cities distributed around the study area and close to the inland areas, while the ecological quality of the central coastal cities are biased. The quality of the ecological environment is related to the basis of the regional ecological environment. The research results have important practical significance for maintaining regional ecological balance and promoting the sustainable use of land resources, and they provide a reference for the study of the ecological and environmental effects of land-use changes in key cities in economically developed areas.
Virtual Airport Hub—A New Business Model to Reduce GHG Emissions in Continental Air Transport
Authors: Paprocki Wojciech
Published: May 2021

The virtual airport hub business model is an innovative solution supported by digital technologies; the implementation of which in continental air transport may lead to a reduction in energy consumption and to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The prerequisites for the implementation of the described solution are as follows: striving to implement the GHG emission reduction strategy laid out in the Paris Agreement (2015) and the European Green Deal (2019) as well as the EU digitalization strategy (2020). The use of predictive analytics to identify the mobility needs of population and operational capabilities of the sector gives an opportunity to plan travel flows and to create an appropriate set of direct connections among regional airports every day. The results of the analysis of data from 2019 on the amount of energy consumption and GHG emissions indicate that in Europe, it would be possible to achieve reduce GHG emissions by 5% without reducing the number of passengers using air transport. The study was prepared after conducting literature studies, data analysis, and using the method of formulating scenarios. The proposed solution has the features of an innovative business model, the implementation of which allows for obtaining more favorable effects using already available resources.
Impacts of Digital Technostress and Digital Technology Self-Efficacy on Fintech Usage Intention of Chinese Gen Z Consumers
Authors: Lee You-Kyung
Published: May 2021

The role of digital technostress and self-efficacy in digital marketing research is seldom discussed and even more rarely examined among Gen Z consumers. This study investigates the relationships between four sub-dimensions of technostress (complexity, overload, invasion, and uncertainty), digital technology self-efficacy, and fintech usage intention. Data from a total of 266 Chinese Gen Z consumers were used in multiple regression analysis. The results of the study generally support that all sub-dimensions of technostress were negatively related to fintech usage intention. Related to the moderating effects of digital technology self-efficacy on the relationship between the four sub-dimensions of technostress and fintech usage intention, significant interaction effects with complexity and overload were found. Finally, the study discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of the research findings.
Intrinsic Value and Perceived Essentialism of Culture Heritage Sites as Tools for Planning Interventions
Authors: Roszczynska-Kurasinska Magdalena , Domaradzka Anna , Wnuk Anna , Oleksy Tomasz
Published: May 2021

In order to remain alive and relevant, cultural heritage sites have to react and adapt to changing context in a coherent manner, i.e., in a way that is in line with the memory and identity of the place. The incoherent changes, i.e., the transformations that according to the local community do not agree with a character of a place, can be destructive for the long-term vitality of urban cultural heritage. In this study, we test which factors influence social acceptance of different alternations within the context of urban historical gardens that might, in turn, ensure the resilience of the place. Our study focuses on the intangible qualities of the place measured by intrinsic value, perceived essentialism and anti-essentialism as important predictors shaping the response to change. The correlational study was conducted using an online questionnaire designed to empirically grasp intangible qualities of cultural heritage sites. Five hundred twenty-nine responses were included in the analysis. The study shows that perceived historic value, inherent value (uniqueness and importance of the place) and (anti-)essentialist character of a place capture the differences between parks well and enables the finding of interventions that are coherent with a site’s genius loci. Measuring intangible qualities of urban gardens can help to design changes that find higher approval among local community members and users of the site. We discuss how the analysis of an intrinsic value and essentialism allows for planning better spatial interventions that align with the human-centered approach to urban development.
Commitment Ladder in the Relationship between Service Providers and Customers as Added Value in Sustainable Services Development
Authors: Ostrowski Sławomir
Published: May 2021

The socioeconomic sphere and the relationships in which commitment occurs are important elements in the development of sustainable services. The study reported in this article identifies the elements that influence the development of the relationship between service providers and their customers and proposes a model that describes the state of the relationship between service providers and customers in terms of symmetrical commitment of both parties. Qualitative research including interviews with experts and case studies was completed, resulting in a ‘ladder of commitment’ model that identifies distinct commitment levels and specific commitment factors functioning at each of those levels. In practice, the proposed model makes it possible to assess the state of customer and provider commitment, identifying commitment deficits on the part of the customer or service provider. This article can provide practical added value for managers who are looking for ways to analyze customer commitment in order to develop sustainable services.
Impact of Externalities on the Design and Management of Multimodal Logistic Networks
Authors: Ambrosino Daniela , Sciomachen Anna
Published: May 2021

It is now widely accepted that the locations of intermediate facilities, such as logistics platforms or inland ports, are key elements of multimodal freight distribution networks and heavily influence their effectiveness. This crucial role of localization decisions is even more significant if we consider their impact on the external costs of the entire logistic corridor, with reference to the cost components associated with environmental sustainability. This paper faces a facility location problem concerning a port system network serving inbound container flows arriving by sea and travelling via road and/or rail towards the hinterland. The aim is to evaluate the impact of externalities on the overall management of the distribution network, including location decisions, flow routing and transport mode choice. We present a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model having the goal of minimizing both the location and shipping costs, while accounting for external cost components. In particular, as a novel environmental issue, we propose three different objective functions including congestion, air pollution, and, incidentally, noise and infrastructure deterioration. We allow the containerized flows to be split among several capacitated facilities and road and rail transport modalities. The reported computational experimentation refers to different intermodal freight logistic networks through real data derived from the logistic network departing from the maritime terminals associated with the port of the Ligurian region towards their main destinations in the north-west side of Italy. Finally, we evaluate the impact on both flows and total costs due to a closure or a capacity reduction on some links of the network. The evidence of the impact of sustainability external costs on the design and management of the multimodal logistic network under analysis is emphasized.
Livelihood Impacts of Forest Carbon Protection in the Context of Redd+ in Cross River State, Southeast Nigeria
Authors: Amuyou Ushuki A. , Wang Yi , Bisong Francis , Antonarakis Alexander S.
Published: May 2021

The rate of landcover change linked to deforestation and forest degradation in tropical environments has continued to surge despite a series of forest governance policy instruments over the years. These informed the launch of one of the most important international policies called Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) to combat forest destruction. REDD+ assumes that communities will have increased assets to natural capital which will enhance their livelihood portfolio and mitigate the effects of climate variability and change across biomes. The aim of this study is to ascertain the livelihoods impacts of forest carbon protection within the context of REDD+ in Cross River State, Nigeria. Six forest communities were chosen across three agroecological zones of the State. Anchored on the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, a set of questionnaires were administered to randomly picked households. The results indicate that more than half of the respondents aligned with financial payment and more natural resources as the perceived benefits of carbon protection. More so, a multinomial logistic regression showed that income was the main factor that influenced respondent’s support for forest carbon protection. Analysis of income trends from the ‘big seven’ non-timber forest resources in the region showed increase in Gnetum africanum, Bushmeat, Irvingia gabonensis, Garcinia kola, while carpolobia spp., Randia and rattan cane revealed declining income since inception of REDD+. The recorded increase in household income was attributed to a ban in logging. It is recommended that the forest communities should be more heavily involved in the subsequent phases of the project implementation to avoid carbon leakages.
Differences in the Aroma Profile of Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) after Different Drying Conditions
Authors: Abbas Ahmed Mahmoud , Seddik Mohamed Abdelmoneim , Gahory Abd-Allah , Salaheldin Sabri , Soliman Wagdi Saber
Published: May 2021

This experiment was conducted to examine the influence of drying methods on the essential oil of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) and its chemical composition. Chamomile flower heads were dried using five different methods: sunlight for 72 h; shade for 1 week; oven at 40 °C for 72 h; solar dryer for 72 h; and microwave for 5 min. Drying methods had slight and nonsignificant impacts on dry biomass of flower heads. The highest percentages of oil in flowers (0.35–0.50%) were observed after solar-drying methods, and the lowest percentage of oil was found after microwave drying (0.24–0.33%). Drying methods significantly influenced the number of identified compounds. The maximum was identified after solar drying (21 compounds), while the lowest was identified after microwave drying (13 compounds), which revealed the solar ability to preserve compounds in contrast to microwave, which crushed the compounds. Major compounds were α-bisabolol oxide A (33.0–50.5%), (Z)-tonghaosu (10.0–18.7%), α-bisabolol oxide B (8.2–15.4%), α-bisabolone oxide A (5.4–14.6%), and chamazulene (1.9–5.2%) of essential oil. Drying methods clearly affected major compounds’ content as the lowest α-bisabolol oxide A was after sun drying, and the lowest α-bisabolol oxide B was after solar drying. (Z)-tonghaosu increased during drying compared to fresh flowers. Solar drying maintained higher chamazulene content (3.0%) compared to other drying methods. The results of this study suggest that drying under the shady conditions preserved chemical composition of essential oil with higher α-bisabolol content compared to other drying methods.
Sustainable Green Product Adoption Test Using Logistic Regression: Comparison of Glass and Electronic Products
Authors: Wan Lan-Lan , Ha Hong-Youl
Published: May 2021

Marketing literature emphasizes the importance of green product adoption for environmental sustainability. However, consumers’ evaluations of the key factors (for adopting green products) differ in critical ways. Drawing on a consumer–marketing interface, this study uses a binary logit model to investigate how consumers adopt two different types of products (e.g., glass and electronic). The results show that the impacts of the twelve factors behind consumer adoption of green products vary widely between glass and electronic products. Specifically, the analysis identifies four factors (eco-labeling, peer groups, cultural values, and environmental awareness) that have no influence on consumer adoption intentions. It also shows that males are more likely to have positive adoption intentions than females for both glass and electronic products. The authors conclude this paper by discussing the implications of these important findings for research and practice.
A Privacy-Oriented Local Web Learning Analytics JavaScript Library with a Configurable Schema to Analyze Any Edtech Log: Moodle’s Case Study
Authors: Amo Daniel , Cea Sandra , Jimenez Nicole Marie , Gómez Pablo , Fonseca David
Published: May 2021

Educational institutions are transferring analytics computing to the cloud to reduce costs. Any data transfer and storage outside institutions involve serious privacy concerns, such as student identity exposure, rising untrusted and unnecessary third-party actors, data misuse, and data leakage. Institutions that adopt a “local first” approach instead of a “cloud computing first” approach can minimize these problems. The work aims to foster the use of local analytics computing by offering adequate nonexistent tools. Results are useful for any educational role, even investigators, to conduct data analysis locally. The novelty results are twofold: an open-source JavaScript library to analyze locally any educational log schema from any LMS; a front-end to analyze Moodle logs as proof of work of the library with different educational metrics and indicator visualizations. Nielsen heuristics user experience is executed to reduce possible users’ data literacy barrier. Visualizations are validated by surveying teachers with Likert and open-ended questions, which consider them to be of interest, but more different data sources can be added to improve indicators. The work reinforces that local educational data analysis is feasible, opens up new ways of analyzing data without data transfer to third parties while generating debate around the “local technologies first” approach adoption.
Jet Impingement Heat Transfer of Confined Single and Double Jets with Non-Newtonian Power Law Nanofluid under the Inclined Magnetic Field Effects for a Partly Curved Heated Wall
Authors: Selimefendigil Fatih , Oztop Hakan F. , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: May 2021

Single and double impinging jets heat transfer of non-Newtonian power law nanofluid on a partly curved surface under the inclined magnetic field effects is analyzed with finite element method. The numerical work is performed for various values of Reynolds number (Re, between 100 and 300), Hartmann number (Ha, between 0 and 10), magnetic field inclination (γ, between 0 and 90), curved wall aspect ratio (AR, between 01. and 1.2), power law index (n, between 0.8 and 1.2), nanoparticle volume fraction (ϕ, between 0 and 0.04) and particle size in nm (dp, between 20 and 80). The amount of rise in average Nusselt (Nu) number with Re number depends upon the power law index while the discrepancy between the Newtonian fluid case becomes higher with higher values of power law indices. As compared to case with n = 1, discrepancy in the average Nu number are obtained as −38% and 71.5% for cases with n = 0.8 and n = 1.2. The magnetic field strength and inclination can be used to control the size and number or vortices. As magnetic field is imposed at the higher strength, the average Nu reduces by about 26.6% and 7.5% for single and double jets with n greater than 1 while it increases by about 4.78% and 12.58% with n less than 1. The inclination of magnetic field also plays an important role on the amount of enhancement in the average Nu number for different n values. The aspect ratio of the curved wall affects the flow field slightly while the average Nu variation becomes 5%. Average Nu number increases with higher solid particle volume fraction and with smaller particle size. At the highest particle size, it is increased by about 14%. There is 7% variation in the average Nu number when cases with lowest and highest particle size are compared. Finally, convective heat transfer performance modeling with four inputs and one output is successfully obtained by using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Interface System (ANFIS) which provides fast and accurate prediction results.
Evaluation of the Shear Strength Behavior of TDA Mixed with Fine and Coarse Aggregates for Backfilling around Buried Structures
Authors: El Naggar Hany , Iranikhah Ali
Published: May 2021

Although some discarded tires are reused in various applications, a considerable number end up in landfills, where they pose diverse environmental problems. Waste tires that are shredded to produce tire-derived aggregates (TDA) can be reused in geotechnical engineering applications. Many studies have already been conducted to examine the behavior of pure TDA and soil-TDA mixtures. However, few studies have investigated the behavior of larger TDA particles, 20 to 75 mm in size, mixed with various types of soil at percentages ranging from 0% to 100%. In this study, TDA was mixed with gravelly, sandy, and clayey soils to determine the optimum soil-TDA mixtures for each soil type. A large-scale direct shear box (305 mm × 305 mm × 220 mm) was used, and the mixtures were examined with a series of direct shear tests at confining pressures of 50.1, 98.8, and 196.4 kPa. The test results indicated that the addition of TDA to the considered soils significantly reduces the dry unit weight, making the mixtures attractive for applications requiring lightweight fill materials. It was found that adding TDA to gravel decreases the shear resistance for all considered TDA contents. On the contrary, adding up to 10% TDA by weight to the sandy or clayey soils was found to increase the shear resistance of the mixtures. Adding up to 10% TDA by weight to the clayey soil also sharply increased the angle of internal friction from 18.8° to 32.3°. Moreover, it was also found that the addition of 25% TDA by weight to the gravelly or sandy soils can reduce the lateral earth pressure on buried structures by up to 20%. In comparison, adding 10% TDA to clay resulted in a 36% reduction in the lateral earth pressure.
The Spatial and Temporal Decomposition of the Effect of Floods on Single-Family House Prices: A Laval, Canada Case Study
Authors: AbdelHalim Maha , Dubé Jean , Devaux Nicolas
Published: May 2021

This paper aims to estimate and decompose the spatial and temporal effect of a flood event occurring in the city of Laval in 1998 using a hedonic pricing model (HPM) based on a difference-in-differences (DID) estimator. The empirical investigation of the impact of flood as a natural disaster must take into account the fact that the negotiation process between buyers and sellers may well occur before the event. It is argued that the evaluation procedure needs to be adjusted to account for this reality because the estimation of the effects may otherwise be biased and isolate other effects. To test this hypothesis, the study focuses on transactions occurring between (1995 and 2001) and within designated floodplains to adequately isolate and decompose the impact of flood. The original database contains information on 252 single-family houses transactions. The results suggest that the estimation of the impact is time dependent, with a measured negative effect appearing several months after the flood, suggesting that the impact is hard to establish right after the event since transactions, and the final sale price, could have been fixed by negotiations well before the event. The statistical methodological framework of flood research should be adapted to account for the negotiation process occurring prior to the flood event to be able to correctly isolate the impact for the after event. The flooded area also needs to be precisely identified to be able to correctly estimate the flood impact on houses that have faced flood.
Sustaining User Experience in a Smart System in the Retail Industry
Authors: Chen Sheng-Chi , Shang Shari S. C.
Published: May 2021

Retail enterprises are embracing new technologies to provide innovative services to customers and engage them. Unmanned retail stores offer a completely new seamless shopping experience for customers. Moreover, artificial intelligence (AI) technology and sophisticated customer behavior should be explored in depth to develop a smart system to serve customers. This study focused on achieving a sustainable user experience with a smart system installed in an autonomous store. The development of core functions and a rule-based knowledge set are regarded as the most important tasks in designing autonomous services. In the case study, the core functions were developed on the basis of the design science concept and the rule-based knowledge set was constructed using the action research approach. The developed smart system was optimized to understand in-store customer behavior by continuously observing and refining the user experience. The practical experience of this study provides insights into AI technology use in retailing and can guide enterprises in developing smart systems.
Preliminary Reports on Comparative Weed Competitiveness of Bangladeshi Monsoon and Winter Rice Varieties under Puddled Transplanted Conditions
Authors: Islam A. K. M. Mominul , Nasir Mohammad , Akter Mou Mahmuda , Yeasmin Sabina , Islam Md. Shafiqul , Ahmed Sharif , Anwar Md. Parvez , Hadifa Adel , Baazeem Alaa , Iqbal Muhammad Aamir , Juraimi Abdul Shukor , EL Sabagh Ayman
Published: May 2021

Weed-competitive rice cultivars, a viable tool for integrated weed management of rice-field weeds, may greatly reduce the weed pressure and excessive dependence on herbicide in controlling weeds. Based on this premise, field experiments were conducted in 2018 and 2019 during the monsoon and winter rice-growing seasons at the Agronomy Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh, to evaluate the weed competitiveness of the selected rice varieties. A total of 42 monsoon and 28 winter rice varieties from Bangladesh were evaluated under “weedy” and “weed-free” conditions in the puddled transplanted system of cultivation. The field experiments were designed with three replications in a randomized complete block design. The results revealed that weed competition greatly reduces the yield of rice, and relative yield loss was 15–68% and 20–50% in monsoon and winter season rice, respectively. The lowest relative yield losses were recorded in monsoon rice from the variety BU dhan 1 (18%) and from the winter rice BRRI hybrid dhan5 (23.7%), which exhibited high weed tolerance. The weed competitive index (WCI) greatly varied among the varieties in both seasons and the monsoon season, ranging from 0.4 to 2.8, and the highest value was recorded from the hybrid variety Dhani Gold followed by BU dhan 1. In winter season rice, the WCI varied 0.25 to 2.4 and the highest value was recorded from the variety BRRI hybrid dhan3, followed by hybrid variety Heera 6. In monsoon rice, hybrid Dhani Gold was the most productive, but BU dhan 1 was the most weed competitive variety. Among the winter-grown varieties, the hybrid Heera 6 was the most productive, and the most weed competitive. Our research confirmed a high degree of variability in weed competitiveness among the 70 Bangladeshi rice varieties tested.
A New Equation to Estimate Energy Expenditure Using Heart Rate in Children
Authors: Lee Mihyun , Park Jeong-Hui , Seo Myong-Won , Kang Seoung-Ki , Lee Jung-Min
Published: May 2021

The first aim of this study was to develop equations to predict physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) for children utilizing heart rate monitors (HRM) and vector magnitudes (VM) from accelerometers. The second aim was to cross-validate the developed PAEE prediction equations and compare the equations to the pre-existing accelerometer-based PAEE equation (i.e., Trost). Seventy-five students in elementary school (from 10 to 13 years old) were classified into an equation calibration group (N = 50, 33 boys and 17 girls) and a cross-validation group (N = 25, 20 boys and 5 girls). Participants simultaneously wore a portable indirect calorimeter (Cosmed’s K4b2), a heart rate monitor on the chest, and an accelerometer on the right side of the waist. Then, the participants performed a series of various intensity activities. The energy expenditure (EE) measured by K4b2 was set as the dependent variable. Multiple regression analysis was performed to derive the heart rate and accelerometer-based equations. The heart-rate-based EE equation had an explanatory power of adj. R2 = 0.814 and the accelerometer-based EE equation had an explanatory power of adj. R2 = 0.802. The VM-based EE indicated high mean absolute percent errors (MAPE) at light, moderate, and vigorous intensity. The heart-rate-based EE was included in the range of equivalence limit in all activities, but the VM and pre-existing equation showed some overestimation beyond the equivalence range. The agreement errors between the criterion EE and the estimated EE were lower in the heart-rate-based equation than the accelerometer-based equations (i.e., VM and Trost). The approach with the heart-rate-based EE equation demonstrated higher accuracy than the accelerometer-based EE equations. The results of the current study indicate that the heart-rate-based PAEE equation can be a potential method for estimating children’s PAEE.
Employable through Social Media: An Intervention Study
Authors: Habets Omar , Van der Heijden Beatrice , Ramzy Omar , Stoffers Jol , Peters Pascale
Published: May 2021

This longitudinal, quantitative study contributes to the debate on technology-based professional development by examining the extent to which a learning (LinkedIn) intervention in a university setting affects an individual’s social media use for professional development, and the extent to which this relates to self-reported employability. In addition, we investigated how this relationship is moderated by an individual’s motivation to communicate through social media (LinkedIn). Based on social capital theory and the conservation of resources theory, we developed a set of hypotheses that were tested based on longitudinal data collected from university employees (N = 101) in middle- and high-level jobs. First, in line with our expectations, social media use for professional development was significantly higher after the learning intervention than before. Second, partially in line with our expectations, social media use for professional development was positively related with the employability dimension anticipation and optimization. Third, contrary to our expectations, motivation to communicate through social media (LinkedIn) did not have a moderating role in this relationship. We concluded that the learning intervention has the potential to foster social media use for professional development, and in turn, can contribute to individuals’ human capital in terms of their employability. Hence, the intervention that forms the core of this empirical research can be a sustainable and promising human resource management (HRM) practice that fits the human capital agenda.
Distractive Tasks and the Influence of Driver Attributes
Authors: Soares Sónia , Campos Carlos , Leitão João Miguel , Lobo António , Couto António , Ferreira Sara
Published: May 2021

Driver distraction is a major problem nowadays, contributing to many deaths, injuries, and economic losses. Despite the effort that has been made to minimize these impacts, considering the technological evolution, distraction at the wheel has tended to increase. Not only tech-related tasks but every task that captures a driver’s attention has impacts on road safety. Moreover, driver behavior and characteristics are known to be heterogeneous, leading to a distinct driving performance, which is a challenge in the road safety perspective. This study aimed to capture the effects of drivers’ personal aspects and habits on their distraction behavior. Following a within-subjects approach, a convenience sample of 50 drivers was exposed to three unexpected events reproduced in a driving simulator. Drivers’ reactions were evaluated through three distinct models: a Lognormal Model to make analyze the visual distraction, a Binary Logit Model to explore the adopted type of reaction, and a Parametric Survival Model to study the reaction times. The research outcomes revealed that drivers’ behavior and perceived workload were distinct when they were engaged in specific secondary tasks and for distinct drivers’ personal attributes and habits. Age and type of distraction showed statistical significance regarding the visual behavior. Moreover, reaction times were consistently related to gender, BMI, sleep patterns, speed, habits while driving, and type of distraction. The habit of engaging in secondary tasks while driving resulted in a cumulative better performance.
Uncovering the Providers’ Continuance Intention of Participation in the Sharing Economy: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Jiang Jiang , Feng Rui , Li Eldon Y.
Published: May 2021

The sharing economy has evolved into a promising business concept that enables individuals to share their idle resources, improving resource utilization efficiency commercially. Recently, it has gained enormous academic attention. However, little concern has been given to the behavior of individual providers on the supply side. This paper aims to uncover the motivational and trust-based providers’ continuance intention of participation in the context of peer-to-peer ride-sharing services. Based on the survey data from 202 providers and the partial least-square analysis, we confirm the mediating effect of attitude in the relationships between participation continuance intention; trust; and three motivational dimensions: economic benefits, social–hedonic value, and sustainability. We further confirm the moderating effects of innovativeness using PROCESS. The results show that economic benefits, social–hedonic value, and sustainability significantly affect providers’ participation continuance intention. Moreover, attitudes toward the sharing economy play a complementary partial-mediating role in the relationships from economic benefits and social–hedonic value to participation continuance intention, which is negatively moderated by innovativeness. Trust does not significantly affect providers’ attitude toward the sharing economy and participation continuance intention in the peer-to-peer ride-sharing context.
Personal Watercraft Incident Court Decisions: The Plaintiff’s Odds?
Authors: Choi Eui-Yul , Cho Woo Jeong
Published: May 2021

A personal watercraft (PWC) is a vessel that uses an inboard motor powering a water jet pump as a source of power and is operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling. Maneuvering a PWC is different from operating a motor vehicle or boat. An obstacle cannot be avoided by slowing down and turning the watercraft; throttle power is required to turn or maneuver the PWC. The watercraft stops only by drifting or turning sharply. The study examined sixty court decisions published in LexisNexis databases of the United States over the last decade. Cases included individuals injured while operating a PWC as a driver, passenger, or as a result of contact with a watercraft. A content analysis identified items to be used in the study. Crosstab and logistic regression analyses were used to identify demographic information and the characteristics of those who succeeded in a court of law. One-third of the cases were successful; adults, males, and the party who sustained a severe injury were more successful in a court of law with the exception of the statistically significant factors (high risk maneuvers and sharp turns). Among the additional results, we should be aware that insurance companies may not pay; additionally, it is unwise to loan a PWC to a female who has no experience.
Teachers’ Knowledge Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Review
Authors: Gómez-Marí Irene , Sanz-Cervera Pilar , Tárraga-Mínguez Raúl
Published: May 2021

The increasing number of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream education environments require teachers to know how to identify their needs, being capable to adapt their education processes and make their inclusion easier. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review about teachers’ knowledge of ASD, including teachers from any stage and specialization. The research has been conducted from four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo and Google Scholar) during the period of 2015–2020. In total, 25 articles were analyzed. The results show that, in general, teachers’ knowledge of ASD is poor. It depends on the education stage (being higher in early childhood teachers and in university professors), prior training and possible prior contact with students with ASD.
Application of Shrimp Waste for the Synthesis of Polyurethane–Chitosan Materials with Potential Use in Sorption of Oil Micro-Spills in Water Treatment
Authors: Piotrowska-Kirschling Agnieszka , Szelągowska-Rudzka Katarzyna , Karczewski Jakub , Brzeska Joanna
Published: May 2021

Shrimp waste is a common waste in seafood processing. It is used as part of the fish meal which is added to feed. Bearing in mind the Green Deal and sustainability development, it was proposed to use northern prawn shells to obtain chitosan (Ch), which could then be used for polyurethane (PUR) modification. In ports, oil micro-spills often flow into the waters of gulfs and, consequently, into the sea. Systematic chemical and petroleum water pollution may pose a threat to flora and fauna. In this study, chitosan, which was obtained from shrimp shells, was used to synthesize polyurethane–chitosan foams (PUR+Ch) with different chitosan concentrations. Selected physico-chemical and sorption properties in relation to oil and water of these materials were determined. It was found that the amount of Ch added to the foam affected its morphology, hardness, density, and thermal and sorption properties. PUR foam with a 1.5% weight of Ch was characterized as having the highest water and oil sorption. The advantages of the tested material as an innovative product with potentially significant proecological values were estimated using strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats (SWOT) analysis. The conducted preliminary research made it possible to demonstrate the use of these materials in the processes of water treatment with the mentioned micropollutants.
Understanding the Impact of Social Capital on the Innovation Performance of Construction Enterprises: Based on the Mediating Effect of Knowledge Transfer
Authors: Wang Qing’e , Zhao Luwei , Chang-Richards Alice , Zhang Yuanyuan , Li Hujun
Published: May 2021

In knowledge economy era, enterprise needs to innovate to maintain its advantages and competitiveness. Construction enterprises, being pillars of China’s economy and confronting the challenge brought by the strategy of “going out”, the call for their technology or management innovation was broadly pronounced across practical and academic fields. Social capital (SC), as a resource in a social network, is the basis for creating sustainable competitiveness and advantage for enterprises. The innovative achievements and innovation performance (IP) of enterprises are largely determined by their SC. To achieve competitiveness in the market, enterprises must carry out knowledge transfer (KT) with the other members of their networks. However, few scholars have examined weather SC has any effect on IP in construction enterprises. Using a KT perspective, this paper explored how SC affects the IP of construction enterprises. Based on the literature review and analysis, a conceptual model was constructed and validated using structural equation modeling (SEM). Through empirical analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) SC has a positive impact on the IP of construction enterprises. Among them, the structural dimension (SD) and cognitive dimension (CD) have a significant positive impact on the IP of construction enterprises, while the relational dimension (RD) does not. (2) The SD, CD, and RD of construction enterprises’ SC have a positive influence on KT. (3) There are mediating effects of KT between SC and IP of construction firms, and they are partial. KT plays a partial mediating effect between SD, CD, and IP of construction firms. The research results can not only improve an understanding of effects of SC on IP of construction enterprises, but also validate the importance of KT in stimulating IP.
What Makes Environmental and Sustainability Education Transformative: A Re-Appraisal of the Conceptual Parameters
Authors: Casinader Niranjan
Published: May 2021

As with all educational policy and practice, Environmental and Sustainability Education, if it is to be effective and meaningful, has to be designed and implemented in ways that reflect twenty-first-century circumstances, which are characterized by a globalized society in which cultural diversities amongst individuals and populations have become increasingly more complex and prominent. Using a conceptual and philosophical analysis of the research and policy literature, this paper contends that current ESE tends to be trapped within a restrictive monocultural definition of sustainability that does not reflect the different cultural perspectives towards sustainability that exist across global populations as a whole. It further argues that if ESE is to become truly transformative for students, ESE teachers need to develop a transcultural capacity as part of their professional expertise, one that is more aligned with the reality of a more culturally diverse population and student body. Only then can transformative and effective ESE pedagogies be developed that relate more closely to the socio-political context in which students of today will live.
On the Road of Discovery with Systemic Exploratory Constellations: Potentials of Online Constellation Exercises about Sustainability Transitions
Authors: Disterheft Antje , Pijetlovic Denis , Müller-Christ Georg
Published: May 2021

Sustainability transitions are shaped by specific dynamics, dependencies, and influences among the actors and elements that are part of the system. Systemic constellations as a social science research method can offer tangible visualizations of such system dynamics and thereby extract valuable, often hidden knowledge for research. This article builds on two online exploratory system constellation exercises about sustainability transitions, with two major objectives: (i) to introduce and disseminate (exploratory) systemic constellations as a method for (sustainability) research, and (ii) to extract their potential for (online) collaborative and transdisciplinary research, with a focus on sustainability transitions. Our exploratory research design includes participatory action research that took place during the virtual International Sustainability Transitions Conference 2020, Vienna, Austria. Data were analyzed following an interpretative-hermeneutic approach. The main findings consist of visualizations about sustainability transition dynamics between selected actors in Germany and Portugal that are discussed in light of the literature on constellation work and sustainability transitions, triggering new assumptions: (i) a strong sustainability narrative does not (necessarily) lead to action and transformation and (ii) transformation requires integrating narratives beyond weak and strong sustainability. We conclude with a list of potentials of exploratory constellations for sustainability research and online formats that offer novelties such as a constant bird-eye perspective on the system while simultaneously engaging with the system.
Sustainable Logistics Management Maturity—The Theoretical Assessment Framework and Empirical Results from Poland
Authors: Werner-Lewandowska Karolina , Golinska-Dawson Paulina
Published: May 2021

Poland is Europe’s leader in international freight transport. The majority of companies in the Polish logistics sector are small-sized enterprises with limited human and material resources, which reduces their ability to implement corporate social responsibility practices. In this paper, we explore the logistics solutions (tools and practices) implemented by companies in the logistics sector to manage their business operations through the prism of the triple bottom line (TBL). We assume that a company might achieve sustainable performance even if it focuses mainly on the implementation of logistics solutions for economic performance, as some of those tools and practices also have an impact on the environmental and social performance without being dedicated to them per se. We define sustainable logistics management maturity (SLMM), as the extent to which a company implements modern logistics solutions (tools and management practices) to improve performance with regard to the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. Results from focus group research are presented, where experts have assessed the impact of tools and management practices in logistics management on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. Then, we define the overall sustainable logistics management maturity indicator (OSLMI) to allow comparison and benchmarking between companies in the logistics sector. The maturity theory is applied, as it is a suitable tool for the positioning and benchmarking of companies. Through the conceptual model, we link the capabilities of a company (expressed by the application of the logistics solutions) with factors related to the company’s characteristics (size, business profile, source of capital), and the ability of a company to achieve a certain maturity level. The maturity concept is used here to measure the effectiveness of the performance of companies. We use a database of 190 Polish companies from the logistics industry to verify three research hypotheses. Bayesian statistics is applied to verify the existence of a relation between the level of SLMM and a company’s characteristics (size, scope of economic activities, and structure of capital). Statistical analysis proves that the size of a company and the type of economic activities it engages in affect its ability to achieve a higher degree of maturity.
Operational and Safety Management at Intersections: Can the Turbo-Roundabout Be an Effective Alternative to Conventional Solutions?
Authors: Gallelli Vincenzo , Perri Giusi , Vaiana Rosolino
Published: May 2021

The European Union policy strategies on the sustainability of the transport system pursue the goals of maximizing safety and environmental benefits and reducing the severity and frequency of crashes, congestion, and pollutant emission rates. A common issue is the planning of the most effective solution for operational and safety management at intersections. In this study, an egg turbo roundabout is proposed as the alternative solution to a conventional roundabout in Southern Italy which suffers from traffic congestion. A comparative analysis is carried out using microsimulation techniques to investigate the safety effects and operational improvements of converting a traditional priority intersection into standard roundabout or turbo roundabout layout. In particular, the VISSIM software is used to explore the most relevant operational performance measures: queue length, travel times and delays. The lowest values of these measurements are recorded for the simulated turbo roundabout, thus making this scheme more appropriate in terms of operational performances. With regard to safety analysis, the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) is used to collect information on the predicted number of conflicts, the probability, and severity of the potential collisions. The results suggest that, for the specific case study, the safety levels of the standard roundabout and the turbo roundabout are approximately comparable.
Implementing Gehl’s Theory to Study Urban Space. The Case of Monotowns
Authors: Cerrone Damiano , López Baeza Jesús , Lehtovuori Panu , Quercia Daniele , Schifanella Rossano , Aiello Luca
Published: May 2021

The paper presents a method to operationalize Jan Gehl’s questions for public space into metrics to map Russian monotowns’ urban life in 2017. With the use of social media data, it becomes possible to scale Gehl’s approach from the survey of small urban areas to the analysis of entire cities while maintaining the human scale’s resolution. When underperforming public spaces are detected, we propose a matrix for urban design interventions using Jane Jacobs’ typologies for good city life. Furthermore, this method could be deployed to improve the conditions of public spaces in Russian monotowns through a series of architectural briefs for design competitions and urban design guidelines for local administrations.