bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Approximation to the Environmental Impact of Economic Growth Using the Material Flow Analysis: Differences between Production and Consumption Methods, Applied to China, United Kingdom and USA (1990–2017)
Authors: Alonso-Fernández Pablo , Regueiro-Ferreira Rosa María
Published: May 2021

The relationship between economic growth and environmental impact has become a recurrent subject of research in recent years. Currently, results that indicate that the accumulation of economic growth leads to a reduction in environmental impact coexist with others that do not show any evidence in this respect. This paper aims to analyse this relationship using Material Flow Analysis through the two most frequent methods: territorial or production and consumption. For this purpose, data from China, the United Kingdom and the USA from 1990–2017 are used. The results show that the method used influences the conclusions, mainly due to differences in the accounting of physical trade flows. The production method, in which physical trade flows coincide with monetary trade flows, tends to underestimate the material consumption of rich, importing countries, while overestimating that of exporting countries. Policies based on this method have limited capacity to reduce global environmental impacts. The consumption method allows the environmental impact to be allocated to each country in a way that is more in line with its true material requirements.
Handrails through the Swamp? A Pilot to Test the Integration and Implementation Science Framework in Complex Real-World Research
Authors: Robson-Williams Melissa , Small Bruce , Robson-Williams Roger , Kirk Nick
Published: May 2021

The socio-environmental challenges the world faces are ‘swamps’: situations that are messy, complex, and uncertain. The aim of this paper is to help disciplinary scientists navigate these swamps. To achieve this, the paper evaluates an integrative framework designed for researching complex real-world problems, the Integration and Implementation Science (i2S) framework. As a pilot study, we examine seven inter and transdisciplinary agri-environmental case studies against the concepts presented in the i2S framework, and we hypothesise that considering concepts in the i2S framework during the planning and delivery of agri-environmental research will increase the usefulness of the research for next users. We found that for the types of complex, real-world research done in the case studies, increasing attention to the i2S dimensions correlated with increased usefulness for the end users. We conclude that using the i2S framework could provide handrails for researchers, to help them navigate the swamps when engaging with the complexity of socio-environmental problems.
Mechanical Properties of Spruce Wood Extracted from GLT Beams Loaded by Fire
Authors: Kucíková Lucie , Šejnoha Michal , Janda Tomáš , Sýkora Jan , Padevět Pavel , Marseglia Guido
Published: May 2021

Heating wood to high temperature changes either temporarily or permanently its physical properties. This issue is addressed in the present contribution by examining the effect of high temperature on residual mechanical properties of spruce wood, grounding on the results of full-scale fire tests performed on GLT beams. Given these tests, a computational model was developed to provide through-thickness temperature profiles allowing for the estimation of a charring depth on the one hand and on the other hand assigning a particular temperature to each specimen used subsequently in small-scale tensile tests. The measured Young’s moduli and tensile strengths were accompanied by the results from three-point bending test carried out on two groups of beams exposed to fire of a variable duration and differing in the width of the cross-section, b=100 mm (Group 1) and b=160 mm (Group 2). As expected, increasing the fire duration and reducing the initial beam cross-section reduces the residual bending strength. A negative impact of high temperature on residual strength has also been observed from simple tensile tests, although limited to a very narrow layer adjacent to the charring front not even exceeding a typically adopted value of the zero-strength layer d0=7 mm. On the contrary, the impact on stiffness is relatively mild supporting the thermal recovery property of wood.
Designation of Origin Distillates in Mexico: Value Chains and Territorial Development
Authors: Pérez-Akaki Pablo , Vega-Vera Nadia Viridiana , Enríquez-Caballero Yuritzi Paola , Velázquez-Salazar Marisol
Published: May 2021

Geographical Indications (GI) have been used in several countries, mainly in Europe, as tools to promote territorial development. These tools have been adopted in Latin American countries without serious reflection on their scope, limits, and advantages. One of the most relevant elements therein corresponds to the way in which these assets participate in value chains, whether short or long, which has important implications for governance, benefit distribution, geographic organization of value accumulation processes, among others. With that in mind, we identify the two most relevant Mexican GIs—namely Designation of Origin Tequila (DOT) and Designation of Origin Mezcal (DOM)—to analyze how their value chains have been constructed and their impact on territorial development. We conclude that GIs tend to adopt large value chains to satisfy long-distance demand, but they can have negative territorial effects if institutions are not strong enough to appropriately incorporate territorial stakeholders’ demands.
Analysis of the Technological Evolution of Materials Requirements Included in Reactor Pressure Vessel Manufacturing Codes
Authors: Rodríguez-Prieto Alvaro , Frigione Mariaenrica , Kickhofel John , Camacho Ana M.
Published: May 2021

The growth of green energy technologies within the frame of the 7th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) along with the concern about climatic changes make nuclear energy an attractive choice for many countries to ensure energy security and sustainable development as well as to actively address environmental issues. Unlike nuclear equipment (immovable goods), which are often well-catalogued and analyzed, the design and manufacturing codes and their standardized materials specifications can be considered movable and intangible goods that have not been thoroughly studied based on a detailed evaluation of the scientific and technical literature on the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) materials behavior. The aim of this work is the analysis of historical advances in materials properties research and associated standardized design codes requirements. The analysis, based on the consolidated U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.99 Rev.2 model, enables determination of the best materials options, corresponding to some of the most widely used material specifications such as WWER 15Kh2MFAA (used from the 1970s and 1980s; already in operation), ASME SA-533 Grade B Cl.1 (used in pressurized water reactor-PWR 2nd–4th; already in operation), DIN 20MnMoNi55 and DIN 22NiMoCr37 (used in PWR 2nd–4th) as well as ASTM A-336 Grade F22V (current designs). Consequently, in view of the results obtained, it can be concluded that the best options correspond to recently developed or well-established specifications used in the design of pressurized water reactors. These assessments endorse the fact that nuclear technology is continually improving, with safety being its fundamental pillar. In the future, further research related to the technical heritage from the evolution of materials requirements for other clean and sustainable power generation technologies will be performed.
Non-Energetic Chemical Products by Fermentation of Hydrolyzed Sewage Sludge
Authors: García Manuel , Oulego Paula , Díaz Mario , Collado Sergio
Published: May 2021

Hydrolysis and the solubilization of sewage sludge processes are important tools to obtain small and medium molecules with different application perspectives. Although the production of biomethane and other products such as biohydrogen from sludge as biofuel alternatives has been profusely studied, the current perspectives are mainly focused on the use of the sludge hydrolysate to produce non-energy bioproducts and biomaterials. In this review, the most recent bibliography dealing with the use of sludge hydrolysates as fermentation media for the bioproduction of new non-energetic products with industrial interest is here revised and discussed. In this regard, the main research effort has been focused on the bioproduction of short-chain fatty acids due to their direct use in industrial applications or as a carbon source for polyhydroxyalkanoates-producing microorganisms. The use of sludge hydrolysates as fermentation media using pure cultures to produce more complex biomolecules, such as enzymes or lipids, is gaining interest, but it remains an undervalued topic. The literature has been divided into processes where hydrolysis and fermentation stages took place simultaneously or separately, centering them on the effect of the main operational conditions on the yields and properties of the corresponding metabolites produced. In general, the main limiting step of these kinds of processes is the proper solubilization and hydrolysis of the sludge, which can improve the bioassimilation of nutrients and, subsequently, the productivities and compositions of the metabolites obtained. Biological and/or thermal pretreaments are the options more profusely employed, which are frequently assisted by different promoters such as oxidants, surfactants, or cation exchange resins.
The Change over Time in Finnish Residents’ Attitudes towards Multi-Story Timber Apartment Buildings
Authors: Karjalainen Markku , Ilgın Hüseyin Emre
Published: May 2021

Due to increasing urbanization, the need for sustainable housing, e.g., sustainable timber housing, is increasing in Finland, as in other countries. Understanding residents’ perceptions plays a critical role in the transition to sustainable housing as an important part of the forest-based bioeconomy. This study examined the change over time in Finnish residents’ attitudes towards multi-story timber apartment buildings. To do this, findings from surveys among residents in 1998–1999 and 2017 were compared with each other. Results mainly highlighted that: (1) residents’ attitudes towards timber apartment buildings remained positive over time; (2) participants of both surveys were satisfied with functionality of the apartment unit, immediate surroundings of the building, and number of furnishings and appliances; (3) positive perception regarding sound insulation, indoor climate, and coziness did not change over time; (4) dominant preferences to move to detached and one-or-two story terraced houses gradually gave way to two-story housing and apartment buildings; (5) demand for more timber inside the building and more timber apartments continued over time; and (6) while fire and environmental properties were evaluated positively, impact sound insulation was still seen as a problem. These findings will assist in understanding contemporary housing needs and provide a direction to relevant stakeholders for Finnish housing development.
Evidence-Based Management of the Anzali Wetland System (Northern Iran) Based on Innovative Monitoring and Modeling Methods
Authors: Sadeghi Pasvisheh Roghayeh , Eurie Forio Marie Anne , Ho Long Tuan , Goethals Peter L. M.
Published: May 2021

As an “international aquatic ecosystem” in Northern Iran, the Anzali wetland is a nursery for fish and a breeding and wintering area for a wide variety of waterfowl. The wetland is threatened by human activities (deforestation, hunting, tourism, and urbanization), leading to habitat destruction, eutrophication, and sediment accumulation. To stop the degradation and to set up effective protection and restoration in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, scientific insights must be integrated into a practical framework for evidence-based support for policymakers and managers of the Anzali wetland. In this study, the Drivers–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework is used as a suitable tool to link human pressures and state changes to derive an overview of the potential impacts. Population growth, intensive agriculture, increased urbanization, and industrialization are the major driving forces that have led to a complex cascade of state changes. For instance, during recent years, water quality deterioration, habitat degradation, and the overgrowth of invasive species in the Anzali wetland watershed have caused negative socio-economic and human health impacts. Integrated and innovative monitoring programs combined with socio-environmental modeling techniques are needed for a more evidence-based management approach as part of a multiresponse strategy for the sustainable development of the wetland system. In this respect, there is a critical gap in useful information concerning biological composition and innovative monitoring methods. Moreover, the relation of biota with human activity and environmental conditions needs to be better quantified. Therefore, ecological modeling techniques based on machine learning and statistics were reviewed for their advantages and disadvantages. The overview of approaches presented here can serve as the basis for scientists, practitioners, and decision-makers to develop and implement evidence-based management programs for the Anzali wetland.
Relationship between Indoor High Frequency Size Distribution of Ultrafine Particles and Their Metrics in a University Site
Authors: Boccuni Fabio , Ferrante Riccardo , Tombolini Francesca , Iavicoli Sergio , Pelliccioni Armando
Published: May 2021

Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs size < 100 nm) in life and work environments can contribute to adverse health effects also in terms of health burden of related diseases over time. The choice of parameters which better characterize UFPs is challenging, due to their physical-chemical properties and their variable size. It is also strictly related to the availability of different instrumental techniques. In the present study we focus on real time high frequency (1 Hz) UFPs particle size distribution (PSD) and their relationship with total particle number concentration (TPNC) and mean particle diameter (Davg) as a contribution characterizing by size the human exposure to UFPs in an indoor site of the University of Rome “Sapienza” (Italy). Further considerations about UFPs contribution to nucleation mode (NM) and accumulation mode (AM) have been highlighted, also in order to investigate the contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) surface-adsorbed on indoor air particles (pPAHs). High indoor TPNC values were registered during the rush hours (early morning and mid/late afternoon) according to the outdoor influences originated from anthropogenic activities. AM mainly contribute to the indoor TPNC during working days showing high correlation with pPAHs. These findings may provide useful indications in terms of occupational exposure to UFPs since there are many evidences that indoor exposures to such pollutants may be associated with adverse health effects also in working environments.
Maize Straw Return and Nitrogen Rate Effects on Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Performance and Soil Physicochemical Characteristics in Northwest China
Authors: Anning Dominic Kwadwo , Qiu Huizhen , Zhang Chunhong , Ghanney Philip , Zhang Yujiao , Guo Yajun
Published: May 2021

The average yield of fresh potato tubers per hectare is relatively low in China, partly due to poor nutrient management. Chronic inorganic N enrichment leads to soil acidification, which deteriorates soil fertility. Straw residues are removed from the field or burnt during land preparation, resulting in nutrient depletion and air pollution. However, these residues can be returned to the soil to improve its fertility. Therefore, a two–year experiment was conducted in an existing field with five years of different inorganic nitrogen (N) rate to determine the effects of straw return and N rate on potato growth, tuber yield, and quality, profit margin, and soil physicochemical properties. The experiment consisted of four N rates: 0 (control, CK), 75 (low N rate, LN), 150 (medium N rate, MN), and 300 (high N rate, HN) kg N ha−1 with and without straw (9 t ha−1) return. The results showed that straw with N enrichment improved soil fertility, which increased tuber yield and quality. Compared to the control, MN + straw treatment stimulated economic tuber yield (34.73% and 38.34%), profit margin (55.51% and 63.03%), and protein content (20.04% and 25.46%) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Nitrogen enrichment after straw return is a sustainable practice for stimulating potato tuber yield, profit margin, and improving soil fertility to promote sustainable agriculture development.
Cognitive Gap and Correlation of Safety-I and Safety-II: A Case of Maritime Shipping Safety Management
Authors: Qiao Weiliang , Liu Yang , Ma Xiaoxue , Lan He
Published: May 2021

In contrast to the conventional safety management principle, namely, safety-I, which focuses on “what goes wrong”, a new-born safety philosophy (safety-II) inspires people to investigate “how and why things go right”. In the present study, the cognitive difference and correlation between safety-I and safety-II in the maritime shipping industry are explored and investigated. For this purpose, a questionnaire is administered to survey seafarers and maritime experts, and semi-structured interviews are conducted to collect original data associated with safety-I and safety-II. Then, the data from seafarers and maritime experts are further processed by empirical statistical methods and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology. The results show that impacting factors associated with individual aspects are usually accepted as dominant with respect to views of safety-I, while organizational factors are more influential for safety-II, which is essential to developing an organizational resilience capacity. Based on the findings and discussions, potential safety countermeasures that integrate safety-I and safety-II are proposed in this article. The present study discusses the new-born safety-II perspective to elucidate the safety issues associated with maritime shipping operations, which can be seen as the main innovation of this work.
HoReCa Food Waste and Sustainable Development Goals—A Systemic View
Authors: Buczacki Aleksander , Gładysz Bartłomiej , Palmer Erika
Published: May 2021

A significant share of food waste originates in the food services domain and HoReCa sector. Organizational improvements leading to the decrease of food waste and related costs in HoReCa are needed to make progress in this issue. A systems engineering approach was applied to examine the links between food waste generated in the HoReCa industry and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A literature review discovered two dimensions of actions leading to decreasing food waste in HoReCa; i.e., actions triggered by companies and by authorities (e.g., governmental policies). Additionally, customers and society were also considered. A framework is proposed to explicitly illustrate the dependencies of different micro actions devoted to food waste reduction in HoReCa in support of the SDGs. The other dimension of this framework is macro policies and their impact on SDGs. To increase food waste reduction awareness and collaboration, stakeholders on both the macro (launched by authorities for the whole sector) and micro (initiated by single organizations on their own) levels must work together. The results of this research will be useful in coordinating the efforts of all (consumers, HoReCa companies and suppliers, policymakers and administrations on different levels) involved in the supply chain of food production and consumption.
Challenging the Status Quo through Social Influence: Changes in Sustainable Consumption through the Influence of Social Networks
Authors: Schubert Iljana , de Groot Judith I. M. , Newton Adrian C.
Published: May 2021

This study examines the influence of social network members (versus strangers) on sustainable food consumption choices to investigate how social influence can challenge the status quo in unsustainable consumption practices. We hypothesized that changes to individual consumption practices could be achieved by revealing ‘invisible’ descriptive and injunctive social norms. We further hypothesized that it matters who reveals these norms, meaning that social network members expressing their norms will have a stronger influence on other’s consumption choices than if these norms are expressed by strangers. We tested these hypotheses in a field experiment (N = 134), where participants discussed previous sustainable food consumption (revealing descriptive norms) and its importance (revealing injunctive norms) with either a stranger or social network member. We measured actual sustainable food consumption through the extent to which participants chose organic over non-organic consumables during the debrief. Findings showed that revealed injunctive norms significantly influenced food consumption, more so than revealed descriptive norms. We also found that this influence was stronger for social network members compared to strangers. Implications and further research directions in relation to how social networks can be used to evoke sustainable social change are discussed.
Analyzing AgriFood-Tech e-Business Models
Authors: Vlachopoulou Maro , Ziakis Christos , Vergidis Kostas , Madas Michael
Published: May 2021

The agribusiness sector shows tremendous growth and sustainability prospects by exploiting the challenges of “AgriFood-Tech” business models in the digital environment, by encouraging innovation, accelerating institutional and structural change, enhancing productivity, and introducing new products and services to the market. The purpose of this study is to investigate different types of “AgriFood-Tech” digital models and analyze their role in the agribusiness and AgriFood sector. Based on relevant literature research, the authors present and discuss five indicative examples of “AgriFood-Tech” models, using the Business Model Canvas (BMC) framework. The methodology included the analysis of the components of innovative AgriFood innovative business models paradigms, such as distribution channels, key partnerships, customer selection and relationships, financial viability, and value proposition. The goal was to explore their building blocks and the required decisions that create, deliver, and capture value. Our findings highlight the importance of specific features of the models, including online sharing of information between the stakeholders, online searches of agri-products, and logistics services in the agribusiness sector.
The Relationship between Neighborhood Characteristics and Homicide in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Hamza Salma , Khan Imran , Lu Linlin , Liu Hua , Burke Farkhunda , Nawaz-ul-Huda Syed , Baqa Muhammad Fahad , Tariq Aqil
Published: May 2021

The geographical concentration of criminal violence is closely associated with the social, demographic, and economic structural characteristics of neighborhoods. However, few studies have investigated homicide patterns and their relationships with neighborhoods in South Asian cities. In this study, the spatial and temporal patterns of homicide incidences in Karachi from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed using the local indicators of spatial association (LISA) method. Generalized linear modeling (GLM) and geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) methods were implemented to examine the relationship between influential factors and the number of homicides during the 2009–2018 period. The results demonstrate that the homicide hotspot or clustered areas with high homicide counts expanded from 2009 to 2013 and decreased from 2013 to 2018. The number of homicides in the 2017–2018 period had a positive relationship with the percentage of the population speaking Balochi. The unplanned areas with low-density residential land use were associated with low homicide counts, and the areas patrolled by police forces had a significant negative relationship with the occurrence of homicide. The GWPR models effectively characterized the varying relationships between homicide and explanatory variables across the study area. The spatio-temporal analysis methods can be adapted to explore violent crime in other cities with a similar social context.
Understanding the Sustainable Development of L2 Chinese Teachers in New Zealand: A Case Study of Teaching Assistants’ Motivational Engagement in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language
Authors: Sun Peijian Paul
Published: May 2021

Informed by the expectancy–value theory and the motivational factors influencing teaching model choices, this case study explored three Chinese-as-a-foreign-language teaching assistants’ (L2 Chinese TAs’) motivational engagement in teaching L2 Chinese as a sustainable and lifelong career in New Zealand. Each TA participated in three rounds of semi-structured interviews in the process of data collection. The findings revealed that (1) the TAs’ expectancy was all student oriented, regardless of their different backgrounds; (2) the different values of L2 Chinese teaching contributed to the TAs’ teaching performance and career choices; and (3) the impact of teaching self-efficacy on the TAs’ profession retention was pivotal, but controversial, when taking their previous majors into account. Implications for the sustainable development of L2 Chinese teachers were discussed.
A Study on Fiscal Risk of China’s Employees Basic Pension System under Longevity Risk
Authors: Le Min , Xiao Xinrong , Pamučar Dragan , Liang Qianling
Published: May 2021

It is generally accepted that China’s Employees Basic Pension System (CEBPS) cannot cover its expenses. The government needs to fill the gap in income and expenditure with fiscal revenue to ensure sustainability of the system, which may cause it to take fiscal risk caused by the volatility of the fund gap. In this article, through the establishment of a prediction model for the income and expenditure of CEBPS with dynamic mortality, we aimed to measure the fiscal risk caused by longevity risk and provide policy basis for the government. We found that longevity risk leads to serious fiscal risk. The income and expenditure gap of CEBPS fluctuates greatly, and the 2.5% and 97.5% quantiles of fund balance in 2067 are 1.52 and 0.44 times the expected value, respectively. The knock-on effect of fiscal risk, measured by value-at-risk (VaR), is 1.15 times gross domestic product and 4.75 times state fiscal expenditure in 2020. In this article, we not only calculate the expected value like the other literatures but also discuss the volatility of the CEBPS fund gap.
The Evaluation Framework in the New CAP 2023–2027: A Reflection in the Light of Lessons Learned from Rural Development
Authors: Cagliero Roberto , Licciardo Francesco , Legnini Marzia
Published: May 2021

The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposal includes few improvements compared to previous programming periods which may reinforce future evaluation, but we can also observe elements that may weaken the assessment, with the risk of repeating past failures. The objective of this essay is to analyse the new framework proposed for evaluation in the future CAP and to promote a collective discussion on how to make evaluations more usable, useful and reliable for users and practitioners. The first part of the paper analyses the main elements of evaluation during the different rural development programming cycles. A second part is dedicated to an examination of the current programming period (2014–2020) and the implications of the introduction of the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) and the evaluation plan. In a third part, we critically discuss the proposals for the next programming period and we offer some concluding reflections and two main open questions. From the analyses carried out, many elements emerge to encourage discussion on the role that evaluation has played and can play and the critical points to face. The experiences in rural development policies have introduced important changes in theoretical and implementation terms. In particular, they helped to build evaluation capacity and enabled the involvement of the civil society. However, it is also clear that the European Commission (EC) designed path has often led to an increase in rigidity and orthodoxy towards common frameworks compliance.
Effects of Learning Attitudes and COVID-19 Risk Perception on Poor Academic Performance among Middle School Students
Authors: Lee Jaewon , Lim Hyejung , Allen Jennifer , Choi Gyuhyun
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of middle school students’ learning attitudes and risk perception toward COVID-19 on their poor academic performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This study limited the sample to middle school students who responded that their academic performance was an A or B grade during the last academic year in 2019. For this study, 268 respondents were selected and logistic regression was employed. Self-motivated studying time and positive attitudes toward online learning predicted consistent academic performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Middle school students’ preference toward an in-person classroom format was related to poor academic performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. A risk perception toward COVID-19 was related to poor academic performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It is imperative to provide educational programs which help students develop self-motivated studying habits to maintain their academic performance during COVID-19. Policymakers in schools should consider providing in-person options for students who are more academically successful in such an environment.
An Experimental Study on the Performance of Corrugated Cardboard as a Sustainable Sound-Absorbing and Insulating Material
Authors: Kang Chun-Won , Kim Mina K. , Jang Eun-Suk
Published: May 2021

The continuing development of industrialization and increasing population density has led to the emergence of noise as an increasingly common problem, requiring various types of sound absorption and insulation methods to address it. Meanwhile, the recycling of resources to ensure a sustainable future for the planet and mankind is also required. Therefore, this study investigates the potential of corrugated cardboard as a resource for noise reduction. The sound absorption and insulation performance of non-perforated corrugated cardboard (NPCC) were measured, and modified corrugated boards were fabricated by drilling holes either through the surface of the corrugated board alone or through the corrugated board in its entirety. The sound-absorption/insulation performance both of perforated corrugated cardboard (PCC) and perforated corrugated cardboard with multi-frequency resonators (PCCM) were measured using the transfer function method and the transmission matrix method. To determine the effectiveness of NPCC, PCC, and PCCM in noise reduction, the sound pressure level was analyzed by applying it to a home blender. The results showed PCCM’s sound absorption and insulation performance to be excellent. On the basis of these findings, we propose the use of PMMC as an eco-friendly noise-reduction material.
Understanding the Sustainable Growth of EFL Students’ Writing Skills: Differences between Novice and Expert Writers in Their Use of Lexical Bundles in Academic Writing
Authors: Zhang Shaojie , Yu Hui , Zhang Lawrence Jun
Published: May 2021

Lexical bundles, as building blocks of discourse, play vital roles in helping members from the same academic community achieve successful communication and disseminate sustainable disciplinary knowledge. However, little attention has been paid to lexical bundles in postgraduate writing. Drawing on Biber et al.’s (1999) structural taxonomy and Hyland’s (2008a) functional taxonomy, we identified and compared lexical bundles in two self-built corpora, an EFL student writing corpus and an expert writing corpus. The results indicate considerable structural differences between the two groups: the student writers used verb phrase-based bundles more frequently and prepositional phrase-based and noun phrase-based bundles less frequently. In terms of function, although the two academic groups showed similar distributions of the three main functional categories, as student writers they exhibited insufficient reader-awareness and incomplete knowledge of stance expressions. It is hoped that the findings will shed light on future pedagogical practices to help novice writers improve their academic writing competence as a sustainable goal in enhancing their academic scholarship.
Insider Perspectives on the Sustainability of the Malaysian and Singaporean Paralympic Movements
Authors: Brooke Mark , Khoo Selina
Published: May 2021

The paper reports on in-depth qualitative interviews with six participants involved in the Paralympic movement: One past and three present Para-athletes as well as high-ranking administrative representatives from both National Paralympic Committees of Malaysia and Singapore. These insiders share experiences and opinions on the local movements, media, and measures for future developments in the South East Asian region. Findings suggest that the Para-movements in Malaysia and Singapore are promoting the sustainability of the movement through funding opportunities and educational campaigns. Moreover, links between the persons with disabilities (PWD) community and the business landscape are increasing the inclusive culture in these societies. However, improvements can be made to promote further sustainability: more interaction between the Para-athletes and Paralympic Committees; higher remuneration for Paralympic gold medal winners in Singapore; greater media representation of Para-sports; and more visibility of PWD in public spaces.
Supervisory Career Support and Workplace Wellbeing in Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Role of Career Commitment and the Moderating Role of Future Work Self-Salience
Authors: Xu Guangyi , Li Zhen , Wang Hongli
Published: May 2021

In the context of the sustainability goals of organizations, there is a dilemma regarding enhancing healthcare workers’ career commitment and wellbeing, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. This study focuses on the underlying mechanism in the relationship between supervisory career support and employee wellbeing. Drawing upon the career motivation perspective, we investigate the mediating role of career commitment and moderating effect of future work self-salience (FWSS) in this relationship. Two-wave data were collected from a sample of 213 full-time healthcare workers from three public hospitals located in Southern China. Results in this study revealed that supervisory career support influences career commitment in health workers, which in turn enhances their wellbeing at the workplace. Moreover, the effect of supervisory career support on career commitment was found to be stronger for individuals with low FWSS compared to those with high FWSS. These findings also enlighten us on how to enhance employees’ career commitment and workplace wellbeing.
The Relevance of Financial Inclusion on Sustainable Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan African Nations
Authors: Chima Menyelim M. , Babajide Abiola Ayopo , Adegboye Alex , Kehinde Segun , Fasheyitan Oluwatobi
Published: May 2021

The primary concern of this examination is to systematically survey the importance of inclusive access to finance on the growth in terms of the economy in 48 sub-Saharan African (SSA) sovereign states with periodicity from 1995 to 2017. This study reports the results using both static and dynamic estimation techniques. For consistency, the baseline finding of the study estimation is based on the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) system GMM. This article finds that there is a complimentary association between the present degree of inclusiveness of finance and economic advancement in SSA. The suggestion deduced in this examination is that programs with the plan of comprehensive financing ought to be custom fitted to the agricultural segment of the economy to encourage more economic opportunities for development in a sustainable manner.
Dynamic Portfolio Selection in Gas Transmission Projects Considering Sustainable Strategic Alignment and Project Interdependencies through Value Analysis
Authors: Lotfian Delouyi Fahime , Ghodsypour Seyed Hassan , Ashrafi Maryam
Published: May 2021

Selecting a sustainable cross-country natural gas pipeline project portfolio plays a vital role in enhancing energy security and national self-reliance. The interdependencies between projects augment the complexity of project portfolio selection. Hence, the selection must be done with sustainable strategic alignment and adjustment of ongoing projects to determine the most suitable project portfolio. This is while they have barely been addressed simultaneously in the literature. The aim of the present study is to fill in the mentioned gap by establishing an integrated framework incorporating the organization strategies, project interdependencies, and ongoing projects in the project portfolio selection problem. This presented framework uses network mapping to visualize project interdependencies and improve the quality of the resulting decision. The decision-aid approach of Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH) was employed to tackle multi-criteria value measurement in project portfolio selection. Applicability and validity of the proposed framework were tested using the case study of the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company (IGEDC). The pipeline project portfolios were analyzed on the basis of experts’ opinions with regard to technical and sustainability strategic criteria (economic, environmental, and social pillars).
Becoming Child and Sustainability—The Kindergarten Teacher as Agency Mobiliser for Sustainability Through Keeping the Concept of the Child in Play
Authors: Crisostomo Anita Tvedt , Reinertsen Anne B.
Published: May 2021

In this article, we seek to theorize the role of the kindergarten teacher as an agency mobiliser for sustainability through keeping the concept of the child in play, ultimately envisioning the child as a knowledgeable and connectable collective. This implies a non-dialectical politics of multiplicity ready to support and join a creative pluralism of educational organization and teacher roles for sustainability. Comprising friction zones between actual and virtual multiplicities that replace discursive productions of educational policies with enfoldedness, relations between bodies and becomings. This changes the power, position and function of language in and for agency and change. Not through making the child a constructivist change-agent through language but through opening up the possibilities for teachers to explore relations between language and matter, nature and culture and what might be produced collectively and individually. We go via the concepts of agencement expanding on the concept of agency, and conceptual personae directing the becoming of the kindergarten teacher. Both concepts informed by the transformational pragmatics of Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995) and Félix Guattari (1930–1992). The overarching contribution of this article is therefore political and pragmatic and concerns the constitution of subjectivity and transformative citizenships for sustainability in inter- and intra-generational perspectives.
The Selection of Intermodal Transport System Scenarios in the Function of Southeastern Europe Regional Development
Authors: Tadić Snežana , Kovač Milovan , Krstić Mladen , Roso Violeta , Brnjac Nikolina
Published: May 2021

The development of intermodal transportation (IT) systems is of vital importance for the sustainability of logistics activities. The existing research point at individual directions of action for system improvement and increase of IT participation in overall transportation, thus reducing negative impacts of logistics on sustainability. However, there is a lack of research defining complex scenarios that unite existing ideas and concepts of IT system development and improvement. Accordingly, this article deals with the definition and selection of the most appropriate IT development scenario for the region of Southeastern Europe. Six different potential scenarios that differ in the network configuration, the required level of logistics infrastructure development, the role of different IT terminal categories, the involvement of different transportation modes, and goods flows’ transformation degree, are defined. The scenarios are analyzed according to four stakeholder groups and twelve defined criteria. A novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model, based on fuzzy Delphi, fuzzy Factor Relationship (FARE), and fuzzy Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (MARCOS) methods, is developed for solving the problem. The definition and analysis of the problem, the way of establishing the scenarios, as well as the development of a novel hybrid model are the main contributions of this article. A significant contribution is also the consideration of the Dry Port (DP) concept for the first time in the context of river ports. The results indicate that the scenario referring to the development of the IT core network with the Danube DP terminals is potentially the most appropriate scenario for the Southeastern Europe IT system.
Modeling and Estimating Host Country Values in International Projects to Facilitate In-Country Value Creation
Authors: Vidal Ludovic-Alexandre , Marle Franck , Dernis Mathieu
Published: May 2021

International companies are more and more seeking to act proactively by proposing In-Country Value (ICV) strategies to create sustainable local values in the host countries in which they carry out projects. Still, such sustainable local values are complex to identify because they are often indirectly related to their own value chains, project activities, and outcomes. There are, therefore, both theoretical and industrial needs to model and estimate sustainable values brought by complex projects in host countries, considering direct and indirect effects. In this paper, a systems thinking-based approach combined with a frequency analysis first permitted to build up a model of the sustainable values created by the project in a host country. Then, after underlining the complexity of such a model, a Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) approach was proposed to help build a process to estimate project impacts in terms of ICV creation. An application to a case study built up with an industrial practitioner (an oil and gas company) permitted to test and validate the overall model and approach. It notably showed how such a model permitted to facilitate discussions among stakeholders and laid the foundations of ICV creation-oriented decision-making processes.
Do Environmental Transformational Leadership Predicts Organizational Citizenship Behavior towards Environment in Hospitality Industry: Using Structural Equation Modelling Approach
Authors: Gurmani Jehanzeb Khan , Khan Noor Ullah , Khalique Muhammad , Yasir Muhammad , Obaid Asfia , Sabri Nur Ain Ayunni
Published: May 2021

Voluntary pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace such as organizational citizenship behavior towards environment (OCBE) are pertinent for the organizations striving to become environmentally responsible entities. The significance of OCBE for green organizational initiatives has led scholars to strive for expanding its nomological network. Approaching from the theoretical angle of the social information processing approach, this quantitative, survey-based study theoretically links and empirically tests the impact of environmental transformational leadership on organizational citizenship behavior towards environment (OCBE) via mediating mechanism of perceived meaningful work. Data from a sample of 311 employees working in Pakistan’s hospitality sector were collected and analyzed to test the hypothesized relationships using structural equation modelling. Results indicated the indirect effect of perceived meaningful work on the relationship between environmental transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior towards environment. Implications of both theoretical and practical nature are laid out in the relevant sections of the paper.
Cross-Societal Analysis of Climate Change Awareness and Its Relation to SDG 13: A Knowledge Synthesis from Text Mining
Authors: Hwang Hansu , An SeJin , Lee Eunchang , Han Suhyeon , Lee Cheon-hwan
Published: May 2021

The awareness and the engagement of various stakeholders play a crucial role in the successful implementation of climate policy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 13, which refers to climate action, has three targets for combating climate change and its impact. Among the three targets, SDG 13.3 aims to “improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning”. This target should be implemented based on the understanding of climate change awareness among various groups of societies. Furthermore, the indicator related to awareness-raising is absent in SDG 13.3. Hence, this study aims to explore the differences in climate change awareness among various social groups within a country from a text mining technique. By collecting and analyzing a large volume of text data from various sources, climate change awareness was investigated from a multilateral perspective. Two text analyses were utilized for this purpose: Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling and term co-occurrence network analysis. In order to integrate and comparatively analyze the awareness differences among diverse groups, extracted topics were compared by classifying them into four indicators derived from the detailed targets in SDG 13.3: mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning. The results show that the Korean public exhibited a relatively high awareness of early warning compared to the other four groups, and the media dealt with climate change issues with the widest perspective. The Korean government and academia notably had a high awareness of both climate change mitigation and adaptation. In addition, corporations based in Korea were observed to have substantially focused awareness on climate change mitigation for greenhouse gas reduction. This research successfully explored the disproportion and lack of climate change awareness formed in different societies of public, social, government, industry, and academic groups. Consequently, these results could be utilized as a decision criterion for society-tailored policy formulation and promoting climate action. Our results suggest that this methodology could be utilized as a new SDG indicator and to measure the differences in awareness.
Analysis of Factors Influencing Technology Transfer: A Structural Equation Modeling Based Approach
Authors: Singhai Sandeep , Singh Ritika , Sardana Harish Kumar , Madhukar Anuradha
Published: May 2021

Technology transfer is one of the facets of academic entrepreneurship and acts as a vital element of the innovation system. It forms a sustainable link between research and business communities. A holistic model for successfully transferring technology in developing countries is an unmet need in the context of technology transfer from public-funded academic research institutions to small and medium enterprises. In this work, we developed a conceptual model and undertook an empirical study for the determinants of successful transfer. A questionnaire was prepared and administered to key stakeholders involved in technology transfer. Overall, 321 respondents participated in the survey with congener demography. The conceptualized input factors, viz. micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level factors, are significantly interrelated. The contribution of input factors towards the successful transfer of technology was extensively analyzed and tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling. The results show that the model is a good fit. The study revealed that communication, innovativeness, knowledge, quality of the product, and motivation were the five most important factors for successfully transferring technology.