bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Hybrid Stacked CNN and Residual Feedback GMDH-LSTM Deep Learning Model for Stroke Prediction Applied on Mobile AI Smart Hospital Platform
Authors: Elbagoury Bassant M. , Vladareanu Luige , Vlădăreanu Victor , Salem Abdel Badeeh , Travediu Ana-Maria , Roushdy Mohamed Ismail
Published: March 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for intelligent mobile computing in healthcare has opened up new opportunities in healthcare systems. Combining AI techniques with the existing Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) will enhance the quality of care that patients receive at home remotely and the successful establishment of smart living environments. Building a real AI for mobile AI in an integrated smart hospital environment is a challenging problem due to the complexities of receiving IoT medical sensors data, data analysis, and deep learning algorithm complexity programming for mobile AI engine implementation AI-based cloud computing complexities, especially when we tackle real-time environments of AI technologies. In this paper, we propose a new mobile AI smart hospital platform architecture for stroke prediction and emergencies. In addition, this research is focused on developing and testing different modules of integrated AI software based on XAI architecture, this is for the mobile health app as an independent expert system or as connected with a simulated environment of an AI-cloud-based solution. The novelty is in the integrated architecture and results obtained in our previous works and this extended research on hybrid GMDH and LSTM deep learning models for the proposed artificial intelligence and IoMT engine for mobile health edge computing technology. Its main goal is to predict heart–stroke disease. Current research is still missing a mobile AI system for heart/brain stroke prediction during patient emergency cases. This research work implements AI algorithms for stroke prediction and diagnosis. The hybrid AI in connected health is based on a stacked CNN and group handling method (GMDH) predictive analytics model, enhanced with an LSTM deep learning module for biomedical signals prediction. The techniques developed depend on the dataset of electromyography (EMG) signals, which provides a significant source of information for the identification of normal and abnormal motions in a stroke scenario. The resulting artificial intelligence mHealth app is an innovation beyond the state of the art and the proposed techniques achieve high accuracy as stacked CNN reaches almost 98% for stroke diagnosis. The GMDH neural network proves to be a good technique for monitoring the EMG signal of the same patient case with an average accuracy of 98.60% to an average of 96.68% of the signal prediction. Moreover, extending the GMDH model and a hybrid LSTM with dense layers deep learning model has improved significantly the prediction results that reach an average of 99%.
An Innovative Surgical Technique to Obtain an Adipose-Derived Stromal Cell-Rich Graft for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis: Technical Note
Authors: Ambrosio Luca , Russo Fabrizio , Catapano Simone , Papalia Giuseppe , Vadalà Gianluca , Papalia Rocco , Denaro Vincenzo
Published: March 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the main causes of disability worldwide and is caused by the progressive degeneration of joint tissues, ultimately leading to chronic pain and loss of function. Intraarticular delivery of mesenchymal stromal cells, such as adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), is being actively investigated due to their trophic properties observed in both preclinical and clinical studies. However, cell expansion and handling involve costly and time-consuming processes that limit their application. Recently, several devices and kits have been developed to isolate and process the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a high biologically active compound of the adipose tissue, right at the patient’s bedside. In this study, we introduce a novel technique to obtain an SVF graft with a high content of ASCs for intraarticular injection directly from liposuction and with minimal equipment. In this technical note, we describe in detail the steps of the surgical technique as well as strategies to avoid common pitfalls and complications.
Extending Quality Function Deployment and Analytic Hierarchy Process under Interval-Valued Fuzzy Environment for Evaluating Port Sustainability
Authors: Wang Yu-Jie
Published: March 2023

To confront the related problems of environmental protection, energy saving, and carbon reduction, sustainability has been a prominent issue for enterprises seeking to meet the requirements of the Earth Summit’ sustainable development goals (SDGs). Basically, sustainability evaluation of enterprises must be considered from environmental, social, and economic perspectives, recognized as quality requirements. Numerous enterprises, especially for international ports, must pay attention to these requirements in expressing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) for decreasing marine pollution. Practically, the three requirements may be dependent under uncertain environments, and rationally evaluated by fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (FMCDM) with dependent evaluation criteria (DEC). In other words, evaluating port sustainability, containing location expanding, should belong to FMCDM with DEC. For DEC under uncertain environments, fuzzy extension of the analytic network process (ANP) is a feasible solution to solve the above problems. However, fuzzy computations of ANP are heavily complicated; thus, we desire to combine quality function deployment (QFD) with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) under the interval-valued fuzzy environment (IVFE) into a hybrid method for evaluating port sustainability. In numerous multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) efforts, AHP was often extended into FMCDM to encompass the imprecision and vagueness of data, but the extension was properly used for FMCDM with independent evaluation criteria (IDEC). Herein, QFD is utilized to express the dependent relationships between criteria, and thus transforms IDEC into DEC for the evaluation of port sustainability. Through the hybrid method, QFD is combined with AHP to replace ANP under IVFE, the complicated ties of ANP-corresponding interval-valued fuzzy numbers (IVFNs) are overcome, and the problem of evaluating port sustainability is rationally solved.
Sustainable Farming in Practice: Building Resilient and Profitable Smallholder Agricultural Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Amede Tilahun , Konde Aggie Asiimwe , Muhinda Jean Jacques , Bigirwa George
Published: March 2023

Sub-Saharan Africa is at crossroads. With a rapidly growing population of 1.2 billion and changing climates, the continent faces major development challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, resource degradation, poverty, gender inequality, and social exclusion. While there are multiple competing narratives promoted in the high-input, industrialised world to address climate change and the resilience of agricultural systems (e.g., regenerative agriculture, agroecology), there is an ongoing debate and genuine questions about the appropriateness of these approaches to small-scale farmers in SSA. African agricultural systems are unique, characterised by low productivity, nutrient mining, land degradation, hoe culture, and fragmented and diversified small farms. Though environmental pollution and over-dependence on fossil fuel-powered mechanisation are rarely topping the priority list, climate change is becoming a major concern. The top-down narratives from environment-concerned communities lack the tools to address the most pressing and immediate challenge of local communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, namely (i) intensification by increased crop productivity per unit of inputs, (ii) increased access to rural energy forcing farmers to use available biomass for cooking instead of soil regeneration; (iii) the intent of no use or reduced mineral fertilisers, in a system marred by nutrient mining over centuries; and (iv) failure to address recurrent drought through integrated soil water management interventions. To address these specific challenges, we present context-specific, outcome-oriented farming solutions as a viable and appropriate strategy called ‘sustainable farming’. We argue that the nature-based narratives will remain to be important but will be better adopted if they respond to local demands and context-specific challenges of small-scale farmers. By means of three successful land restoration programmes in East Africa, we present eight outcomes that should be addressed to ensure sustainable farming of small holdings and reduce the risk of climate change. For these innovations to be adopted at scale, we proposed to put in place incentive mechanisms and functional last-mile delivery systems.
Provably Secure Dynamic Anonymous Authentication Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks in Internet of Things
Authors: Ding Zixuan , Xie Qi
Published: March 2023

Wireless sensor networks are a promising application of the Internet of Things in the sustainable development of smart cities, and have been afforded significant attention since first being proposed. Authentication protocols aim to protect the security and confidentiality of legitimate users when accessing and transmitting data. However, existing protocols may suffer from one or more security flaws. Recently, Butt et al. proposed an energy-efficient three-factor authentication protocol for wireless sensor networks. However, their protocol is vulnerable to several attacks, and lacks certain security properties. In this paper, the causes of these design flaws are analyzed. Furthermore, we propose a novel three-factor authentication protocol (password, smart card, and biometric information) for wireless sensor networks in Internet of Things contexts. A dynamic anonymous strategy is designed to prevent privacy disclosure and to resist sensor node capture attacks, tracking attacks, and desynchronization attacks. The Find–Guess model and random oracle model are combined to prove the security of the proposed protocol. A comparative analysis with related schemes shows that the proposed protocol has higher security and is able to maintain a low computational overhead.
A Scenario Simulation of Material Substitution in the Cement Industry under the Carbon Neutral Strategy: A Case Study of Guangdong
Authors: Gao Xiaoquan , Liao Cuiping , Qi Xiaoling , Zhang Yulong
Published: March 2023

The Chinese government promises to reach peak carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2030 and strives to achieve carbon neutralization by 2060. Against this background, achieving emission reduction in the cement industry is in the spotlight. Material substitution is unmistakably an effective means of CO2 emission reduction in cement production. In this paper, the three-scenario analysis approach is employed to forecast the production demand, technology development of raw meal replacement, and clinker substitution in the cement industry to try to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. This study established a model by which to simulate the carbon emissions in the cement industry during 2020–2060 to analyze the contribution of emission reduction. Through developing new cement admixtures and improving the pretreatment of alternative calcareous materials, by 2060, under the three carbon neutrality scenarios, the clinker-to-cement ratio (CCR) falls to 0.60, 0.575, and 0.56, respectively, and the percentage of clinker produced from low-carbon raw materials reaches 13%, 17%, and 20%. In addition, the CO2 emission level is down by 57%, 61%, and 63 % in comparison to that of 2020. This study can render practical suggestions for the cement industry to achieve carbon neutrality.
Business Model Innovation of Exponential Organizations: The Case of Xiaomi
Authors: Zhang Xuming , Chun Dongphil
Published: March 2023

The latest trend in today’s organizational development is to become exponential organizations. As a new organizational paradigm for the Internet society and sharing economy era, it is a more flexible, streamlined, and entrepreneurial organization that efficiently integrates global resources and achieves rapid growth. While existing literature has explored how exponential organization success is inextricably linked to its business model, little attention has been paid to and summarized regarding each stage of the exponential organizations’ innovation in the context of the business operation cycle. Meanwhile, the limitations of previous studies were not providing sufficient explanation or strategies for Chinese manufacturing organizations’ exponential transformation to make them sustainable, and not upgrading to relate to organizations in general rather than focusing on a representative Chinese organization. This work aims to deeply analyze a single case of Xiaomi, the representative of exponential organizations, through a case study, summarizing the business model innovation strategies of exponential organizations from four perspectives—value proposition, value creation, value delivery, and value capture—and 11 elements of exponential organizations. The findings are as follows: (1) Making full use of Internet digital technology and effectively integrating and utilizing social resources can help exponential organizations to build an innovation ecology and (2) The 11 attributes of exponential organizations and the corresponding requirements provide more options and space for business model innovation. As a result, these findings add to the current discourse regarding exponential transformation and upgrading, with the expectation of providing theoretical references for the Chinese manufacturing organizations’ exponential transformation and upgrading.
Optimal Sizing and Power System Control of Hybrid Solar PV-Biogas Generator with Energy Storage System Power Plant
Authors: Agajie Takele Ferede , Fopah-Lele Armand , Ali Ahmed , Amoussou Isaac , Khan Baseem , Elsisi Mahmoud , Mahela Om Prakash , Álvarez Roberto Marcelo , Tanyi Emmanuel
Published: March 2023

In this paper, the electrical parameters of a hybrid power system made of hybrid renewable energy sources (HRES) generation are primarily discussed. The main components of HRES with energy storage (ES) systems are the resources coordinated with multiple photovoltaic (PV) cell units, a biogas generator, and multiple ES systems, including superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) and pumped hydro energy storage (PHES). The performance characteristics of the HRES are determined by the constant power generation from various sources, as well as the shifting load perturbations. Constant power generation from a variety of sources, as well as shifting load perturbations, dictate the HRES’s performance characteristics. As a result of the fluctuating load demand, there will be steady generation but also fluctuating frequency and power. A suitable control strategy is therefore needed to overcome the frequency and power deviations under the aforementioned load demand and generation conditions. An integration in the environment of fractional order (FO) calculus for proportion-al-integral-derivative (PID) controllers and fuzzy controllers, referred to as FO-Fuzzy-PID controllers, tuned with the opposition-based whale optimization algorithm (OWOA), and compared with QOHSA, TBLOA, and PSO has been proposed to control the frequency deviation and power deviations in each power generation unites. The results of the frequency deviation obtained by using FO-fuzzy-PID controllers with OWOA tuned are 1.05%, 2.01%, and 2.73% lower than when QOHSA, TBLOA, and PSO have been used to tune, respectively. Through this analysis, the algorithm’s efficiency is determined. Sensitivity studies are also carried out to demonstrate the robustness of the technique under consideration in relation to changes in the sizes of the HRES and ES system parameters.
Urban Flooding Risk Assessment in the Rural-Urban Fringe Based on a Bayesian Classifier
Authors: Wang Mo , Fu Xiaoping , Zhang Dongqing , Chen Furong , Su Jin , Zhou Shiqi , Li Jianjun , Zhong Yongming , Tan Soon Keat
Published: March 2023

Urban flooding disasters have become increasingly frequent in rural-urban fringes due to rapid urbanization, posing a serious threat to the aquatic environment, life security, and social economy. To address this issue, this study proposes a flood disaster risk assessment framework that integrates a Weighted Naive Bayesian (WNB) classifier and a Complex Network Model (CNM). The WNB is employed to predict risk distribution according to the risk factors and flooding events data, while the CNM is used to analyze the composition and correlation of the risk attributes according to its network topology. The rural-urban fringe in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is used as a case study. The results indicate that approximately half of the rural-urban fringe is at medium flooding risk, while 25.7% of the investigated areas are at high flooding risk. Through driving-factor analysis, the rural-urban fringe of GBA is divided into 12 clusters driven by multiple factors and 3 clusters driven by a single factor. Two types of cluster influenced by multiple factors were identified: one caused by artificial factors such as road density, fractional vegetation cover, and impervious surface percentage, and the other driven by topographic factors, such as elevation, slope, and distance to waterways. Single factor clusters were mainly based on slope and road density. The proposed flood disaster risk assessment framework integrating WNB and CNM provides a valuable tool to identify high-risk areas and driving factors, facilitating better decision-making and planning for disaster prevention and mitigation in rural-urban fringes.
Managing Competences of Generation Y and Z in the Opinion of the Management Staff in the Modern Business Services Sector
Authors: Kuzior Aleksandra , Postrzednik-Lotko Katarzyna Anna , Smołka-Franke Brygida , Sobotka Bartosz
Published: March 2023

The article focuses on issues related to competence management in the work environment of people from the youngest generational groups, referred to as Y and Z. The area of interest of the research presented in this article is a specific area of the labor market called the Modern Business Services (MBS) sector. The peculiarity of this service sector lies primarily in the fact that it is largely an industry of the future, and therefore it employs mostly young people from the so-called Generation Y and Z. It is also one of the sectors that is growing very rapidly and, as a result, employment in this sector is growing rapidly, which indicates, on the one hand, a growing market demand for this type of service and, on the other hand, a great interest in working in this sector among young people entering the labor market. The issue of competency management in such a specific work environment raises questions about the compatibility of current education systems with the needs of rapidly growing modern industries, which includes the MBS sector. Hence, the research presented in this article, aimed at showing possible educational and competence gaps resulting from the mismatch between education systems and the needs of the developing new industries, and, at the same time, showing the needs of MBS in terms of shaping specific competencies of the future, including soft competencies increasingly valued by employers.
The Impact of the Digital Economy on High-Quality Development of Agriculture: A China Case Study
Authors: Yao Wen , Sun Zhuo
Published: March 2023

With the progress of information technology, digital technology has rapidly penetrated into all sectors of the national economy and is accelerating the reconstruction of the economic development model, which has become a new engine to drive economic growth and lead industrial development. Based on the panel data of China’s provinces from 2013 to 2020, this paper empirically tested the effect and mechanism of digital economic development on high-quality agricultural development by constructing an evaluation index system for high-quality agricultural development with economic, social, and ecological benefits. The results show that the development of the digital economy has promoted the high-quality development of agriculture, and the promotion effect in the eastern region is stronger than that in the central and western regions. In addition to direct promotion, digital economy also promotes high-quality agricultural development by promoting the development of green agriculture. We should actively promote the construction of digital economy and promote the deep integration of digital economy and agriculture. Secondly, government should improve the digital economy governance to create a good legal environment for the green development of agriculture and, at the same time, help farmers establish digital economic awareness and train farmers in digital economy vocational skills. Finally, digital agriculture development policies should be formulated according to local conditions.
Secure and Fast Emergency Road Healthcare Service Based on Blockchain Technology for Smart Cities
Authors: Ksibi Amel , Mhamdi Halima , Ayadi Manel , Almuqren Latifah , Alqahtani Mohammed S. , Ansari Mohd Dilshad , Sharma Ashutosh , Hedi Sakli
Published: March 2023

Road accidents occur everywhere in the world and the numbers of people dead or injured increase from time to time. People hope that emergency vehicles and medical staff will arrive as soon as possible at the scene of the accident. The development of recent technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) allows us to find solutions to ensure rapid movement by road in emergencies. Integrating the healthcare sector and smart vehicles, IoT ensures this objective. This integration gives rise to two paradigms: the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), where smart devices collect medical data from patients and transmit them to medical staff in real time. These data are extremely sensitive and must be managed securely. This paper proposes a system design that brings together the three concepts of Blockchain technology (BC), IoMT and IoV to address the problem mentioned above. The designed system is composed of three main parts: a list of hospitals, patient electronic medical record (EMR) and a network of connected ambulances. It allows the road user in the case of an accident to report their position to the nearby health services and ambulances.
Research on the Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Central China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
Authors: Kuang Ruiying , Zuo Yingying , Gao Shen , Yin Penghua , Wang Yiting , Zhang Zixi , Cai Shiman , Li Na
Published: March 2023

In the context of China’s rural revitalization strategy, it is of profound significance to explore the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Central China, not only for the inheritance of Chinese traditional culture and the development of ICH, but also for the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy itself. From the perspective of cultural ecology, this study analyzed the spatial distribution and clustering characteristics of 407 national intangible cultural heritages in Henan, Hubei, and Hunan provinces in Central China by using the ArcGIS geographic concentration index, kernel density, and other methods. This study also explored natural and social environmental influencing factors and their interaction on ICH spatial distribution using geographic detectors. The findings revealed that the ICH distribution in Central China has an obvious agglomeration trend, showing a “five cores” distribution structure (dense in the upper and the middle areas but sparse in the lower area). The regions with high kernel density are mostly river-flowing regions and are comparatively developed. In terms of influencing factors, the influence of economic and environmental factors together is stronger than that of natural environmental factors alone, and the interaction force between rivers and economic development is the most influential. Based on the above research findings, we put forward suggestions on the protection and development, as well as “era value” exploration of ICH in Central China, in the hope of promoting regional coordinated advancement.
Factors Determining the Acceptance of E-Wallet among Gen Z from the Lens of the Extended Technology Acceptance Model
Authors: Rosli Mohd Shafie , Saleh Nor Shela , Md. Ali Azlah , Abu Bakar Suaibah
Published: March 2023

E-wallets are one of the breakthroughs brought forth by the evolution of FinTech, which has been accentuated by the global outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, it is critical to comprehend the factor of e-wallet acceptance. As this technology advances, substantial knowledge and research gaps become apparent. Previous studies on e-wallet acceptance have overlooked the importance of motivation and self-efficacy. There is a dearth of focus on certain age groups, such as Gen Z, which is currently the trendsetter of new technologies. This study aims to close the gaps regarding the lack of focus toward Gen Z, motivation, and self-efficacy in understanding e-wallet acceptance by combining the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Self-Efficacy (SE), and Digital Media Self-Efficacy (DMSE) to fully understand the factors influencing e-wallet acceptance among Gen Z, using 233 samples to test 16 hypotheses derived from the identified research and knowledge gaps. External Regulation (ER), SE, and DMSE are the determinants of acceptance, according to Structural Equation Model analysis conducted. Mediation analysis reveals that Attitude toward Use (AT) is the full mediator of Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU). The quintessential outcome of this research is the Model of E-Wallet Acceptance among Gen Z, which is significant for FinTech industries looking to strategically roll out e-wallet initiatives as well as a point of exploration for numerous future academic research and development.
FDI or International-Trade-Driven Green Growth of 24 Korean Manufacturing Industries? Evidence from Heterogeneous Panel Based on Non-Causality Test
Authors: Wang Mengzhen , Ding Xingong , Choi Baekryul
Published: March 2023

Manufacturing, as an energy-intensive industry, plays a major role in economic growth. Its green growth is the focus of national planning for sustainable development, especially for a country such as Korea, which has a scarcity of fossil energy of its own. While internationalization has brought Korea scarce energy, serious carbon emissions have become a pressing issue. It is still necessary to explore the relationship between globalization and green growth in manufacturing. Thus, our paper aims to observe their relationship by using 24 manufacturing industries from 2011 to 2019. Through the panel Granger non-causality test and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin test, we find that imports and inward foreign direct investment (FDI) causes green growth at the overall manufacturing level, but their causality relationships exist in different industries. The green-growth causality relationship of inward FDI mainly exists in capital-intensive and internationally competitive manufacturing industries (manufacture industries of basic metals; furniture; food products; coke, briquettes, and refined petroleum products; and chemicals and chemical products, except pharmaceuticals and medicinal chemicals). Furthermore, the green-growth causality relationship of imports primarily exists in the fossil-energy-consumption-intensive manufacturing industry (manufacture industries of motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers and coke, briquettes, and refined petroleum products). Furthermore, in our regression analysis, we find that only inward FDI robustly promotes the Korean manufacturing sector’s green growth; the positive effect is in the range from 0.005 to 0.009. Though the parameter estimates are positive and significant for FDI, they are close to zero, suggesting very limited positive effects that are close to almost zero. Conversely, imports have no significant impact, which we speculate is related to the import structure of Korea. Hence, the Korean manufacturing development model suggests that developing countries with similar country characteristics need to develop and guide the formation of capital-intensive and competitive industries. Additionally, it is imperative to decarbonize energy-intensive industries and to work on renewable energy development and diffusion. Finally, it is essential to introduce various green monitoring mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions. The government needs to strengthen its support for research and development of innovative technologies to reduce carbon emissions as well as promote the development of environmental and energy-saving related professional service enterprises.
Transformational Leadership, Organizational Innovation, and ESG Performance: Evidence from SMEs in China
Authors: Zhu Jin , Huang Fei
Published: March 2023

ESG is a sustainable development concept that integrates environmental, social, and corporate governance. Most studies on ESG have been conducted based on secondary data from listed companies and have not used questionnaires as a method for analysis. Given this research gap, this paper examines whether transformational leadership influences ESG performance in SMEs, whether organizational innovation mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and ESG performance, and the moderating effect of external social capital on transformational leadership and organizational innovation. Based on higher-order theory, resource-based theory, stakeholder theory, etc., we tested this hypothesis by conducting a regression analysis with a questionnaire collected from SMEs in China. After controlling for firm ownership, firm size, firm industry, and years in business, the results of the study indicate that transformational leadership has a positive effect on ESG performance and that organizational innovation partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and corporate ESG performance. Furthermore, external social capital moderates the direct relationship between transformational leadership and organizational innovation and moderates the role of organizational innovation as a mediator between transformational leadership and ESG performance. This study adds to our further understanding of the relationship between transformational leadership and ESG performance in SMEs, expanding the antecedent research on ESG performance and providing a basis for sustainable SME development.
The Influence of Characteristics of Mobile Live Commerce on Purchase Intention
Authors: Lee Chae Hyun , Lee Han Na , Choi Jeong Il
Published: March 2023

Mobile live commerce is emerging as a new distribution channel as connectivity and information sharing become easier due to the increase in the use of SNS and mobile phones. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research in this field, and it is meaningful to look at how this new technology-based commerce leads to purchase intention in terms of the value of shopping perceived by consumers. This study aims to (1) analyze the characteristic factors of mobile live commerce, which is rapidly emerging due to brisk changes in the distribution industry in the non-contact era; and (2) verify the relationship between shopping value and purchase intention. We analyzed 283 surveys using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SM) with statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) and R-programming. We inferred that convenience, ubiquity, social presence, attractiveness, and vividness were the characteristics of mobile live commerce that had a positive effect on the pleasure value, and that social presence, attractiveness, vividness, professionalism, information quality, and compatibility had positive effects on the perceived value. The hedonic value also had a positive effect on the perceived value, and both pleasure and perceived values had strong positive effects on the purchase intention. However, the professionalism of the sources did not affect the hedonic value, and the convenience and ubiquity did not affect the perceived value.
A Comparison and Ranking Study of Monthly Average Rainfall Datasets with IMD Gridded Data in India
Authors: Saicharan Vasala , Rangaswamy Shwetha Hassan
Published: March 2023

Precise rainfall measurement is essential for achieving reliable results in hydrologic applications. The technological advancement has brought numerous rainfall datasets that can be available to assess rainfall patterns. However, the suitability of a given dataset for a specific location remains an open question. The objective of this study is to find which rainfall datasets perform well in India at various spatial resolutions: pixel level, meteorological sub-divisions (MSDs) level, and India as a whole and temporal resolutions: monthly and yearly. This study performs skill metrics analysis on seven widely used rainfall datasets—GPM, CRU, CHIRPS, GLDAS, PERSIANN-CDR, SM2RAIN, and TerraClimate—using the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) gridded data as a reference. The rule-based decision tree techniques are employed on the obtained skill metrics analysis values to find the good-performing rainfall dataset at each pixel value among all the datasets used. The MSD and pixel-wise analyses reveal that GPM performs well, while TerraClimate performed the most poorly in almost all MSDs. The analysis suggests that of the satellite-derived, gauged, and merged datasets, merged-type are the good-performing datasets at the MSD level, with approximately 17 MSDs demonstrating the same. The temporal analysis (in both month- and year-wise scales) also suggests that GPM is a good-performing dataset. This study obtained the optimal dataset for each pixel among the seven selected datasets. The GPM dataset typically ranks as a good-performing fit, followed by CHIRPS and then PERSIANN-CDR. Despite its finer resolution, the TerraClimate dataset ranks lowest at the pixel level. This research will aid in selecting the optimal dataset for MSDs and pixels to obtain reliable results for hydrologic and agricultural applications, which will contribute to sustainable development.
A Review of Household Food Waste Generation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Everitt Haley , van der Werf Paul , Gilliland Jason A.
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the quantity and composition of household food waste generation in parallel with recent changes to food behaviors. A literature review was undertaken to determine the state of household food wasting during pandemic circumstances. Forty-one articles that reported on household food waste generation during COVID-19 were identified. Most of these studies relied on self-reported recall of food wasting behavior (n = 35), primarily collected through surveys. The average total amount of household food waste generated during COVID-19 was 0.91 kg per capita per week. Average avoidable food waste generation was 0.40 kg per capita per week and average unavoidable food waste generation was 0.51 kg per capita per week. Fruit and vegetables were the most wasted types of food. Only five studies reported statistically significant changes (actual or perceived) to household food waste generation during COVID-19. These results indicate a possible decrease in total, perceived food waste generation during pandemic circumstances, with a possible increase in the actual generation of unavoidable food waste. Further research is needed to adequately determine the impact of the pandemic on household food waste generation, as the findings summarized in this review vary substantially and statistically significant results are limited.
Influence of Green Roofs on the Design of a Public Stormwater Drainage System: A Case Study
Authors: Silva Flora , Calheiros Cristina Sousa Coutinho , Valle Guilherme , Pinto Pedro , Albuquerque António , Antão-Geraldes Ana Maria
Published: March 2023

In the face of excessive soil sealing and the occurrence of heavy rainfall in short time periods leading to flooding, it is becoming increasingly urgent to implement public resilient stormwater drainage systems. Green roofs have several advantages at different levels, of which this paper highlights the ability to retain rainwater, to reduce problems with flooding in peaks of rainfall, and to increase in urban green infrastructure with all the benefits associated. In this sense, green roofs’ impact on the design of a public stormwater drainage system and their implications for urban stormwater management was analyzed when compared with conventional roofs. If green roofs are used on the buildings in the study urban area, which has about 2.1 ha and is located in rainfall region B of Portugal, then the weighted average runoff coefficient (Cm) for the study area is 0.59. This scenario leads to a reduction in the maximum flow rate of 15.89% compared to the use of conventional roofs, with a Cm of 0.70 for the same area. Thus, the use of green roofs instead of conventional roofs can have positive impacts on the surface runoff in urban areas and contribute to more sustainable urban drainage.
Key Corporate Sustainability Assessment Methods for Coal Companies
Authors: Blinova Ekaterina , Ponomarenko Tatyana , Tesovskaya Sofiya
Published: March 2023

Many businesses view sustainability issues as important and design corporate sustainability strategies. However, creating such a strategy does not mean the company will progress in sustainable development because the factors influencing businesses remain largely unexplored. Based on a review of studies on corporate sustainability, we identified the major factors affecting any company’s sustainability. They include government regulation, imperfect management, interaction with stakeholders, corporate self-regulation and self-reflection, and the regulatory framework, and can be consolidated into two groups. We also analyzed the groups of methods that can be used to assess a company’s sustainability: traditional corporate sustainability assessment methods, circular economy assessment methods, ESG assessment methods, and non-financial performance indicators. For each group of methods, limitations were identified, and it was concluded that corporate sustainability assessments should factor in the environment in which the company operates. As part of this study, a lack of methods for assessing the corporate sustainability of coal companies was revealed, along with insufficient consideration of industrial factors in the prior literature. These factors are responsible for incorrect corporate sustainability assessments in the coal industry. Taking into account the division of Russian coal companies into three types (energy companies, metal manufacturers, and coal producers) and the aspects of their functioning against the backdrop of economic restrictions (including sanctions and embargoes), the authors prove that each group of companies requires an individual corporate sustainability assessment methodology.
The Influence of Academic Self-Efficacy on University Students’ Academic Performance: The Mediating Effect of Academic Engagement
Authors: Meng Qian , Zhang Qi
Published: March 2023

Challenges and competition are being faced in higher education. Students’ unsatisfactory academic performance and dropouts are obvious problems worldwide. The “student-centered” pedagogy requires universities to pay attention to the needs of students. Research has demonstrated that academic self-efficacy is a positive psychological variable in the prevention of students becoming academically burnt out and withdrawing from their studies. By increasing academic engagement and improving academic performance, academic self-efficacy can reduce the dropout rates. This study attempted to achieve an in-depth comprehension of the nexus between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement among university students and the mediating role of academic engagement in the association between the two. A total of 258 participants were included in the cross-sectional study. The relationships among academic self-efficacy, academic engagement, and academic performance were examined using Pearson correlation coefficients. In order to examine the intermediating role of academic engagement in the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic performance, a mediation analysis was applied. A favorable and strong correlation among academic self-efficacy, academic engagement, and academic performance was found in this study. Academic self-efficacy can be a direct predictor of academic achievement and can also be an indirect predictor of academic achievement via the intermediating effect of academic engagement. The findings of this study provide theoretical and practical recommendations for university researchers and administrators. The findings confirm the mediating role of academic engagement between academic self-efficacy and academic performance. The results provide universities with evidence for use in the design of projects and programs for the improvement of students’ academic performance. Increasing the level of academic self-efficacy and enhancing academic engagement are of utmost importance for university students to maintain and improve their academic performance.
Development and Application of Adaptive Evaluation System for TBM Tunneling Based on Case-Based Reasoning
Authors: Zhan Jinwu , Wang Jiacheng , Chen Song , Luo Caisong , Zhou Yalai
Published: March 2023

The excavation adaptability evaluation decision process for the TBM (tunnel boring machine) in long and large tunnels under complex geological conditions is an uncertain and fuzzy problem affected by multiple factors. Aiming to shift the status quo of TBMs tunneling adaptability evaluation and the ineffective use of related accident cases, the TBM tunneling adaptability evaluation method based on case-based reasoning is proposed and researched. The case-based reasoning method can use existing engineering experience and knowledge to answer newly encountered problems, and can accurately and efficiently evaluate the adaptability of TBM tunneling. Based on the nearest neighbor method, this paper establishes the calculation formula of TBM tunneling adaptability similarity. Based on the statistical analysis method, the evaluation indicators that play a relatively important role in the system are selected, and the TBM tunneling adaptability evaluation index system is constructed. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine the weight of the evaluation indicators at each level. According to the characteristics of TBM tunneling adaptability evaluation, the overall design of the case-based reasoning-based TBM tunneling adaptability evaluation decision system CBR-TBMEAEDS (case-based reasoning-TBM excavation adaptive evaluation decision system) is proposed, and the TBM tunneling adaptability evaluation case is expressed The case-based reasoning method and modification method were designed, and CBR-TBMEAEDS was developed. The system can be used to evaluate the adaptability of TBM to the constructed case library, and the evaluation results are consistent with the actual situation.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Where Does It Come from, and Where Does It Go? Evolution of the Conceptual Structure from 1975 to 2021
Authors: Morales-Parragué Mario A. , Varela-Laso Rodrigo A. , Araya-Castillo Luis , Molina-Luque Fidel
Published: March 2023

From the first discussions on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the 1950s to today, there is evidence of a ramification of concepts associated with CSR that produce a web of relationships that evolves in different directions. This paper analyses the conceptual structure of the CSR field, contributing to understanding its development and evolution between 1975 and 2021, opening a discussion of what these concept relationships might show in the understanding, development, and future application of CSR in business and society. For this purpose, networks of concepts were identified by using the SciMAT software on 6861 papers obtained from the WOS database in the Business and Management categories in the field of study. The results show that the field still appears to be far from understood and is very focused on the interests of companies. We offer and opportunity to rethink its purpose from a perspective that integrates other dimensions that concentrate on the society–business relationship. Based on these results, this study presents new research directions to explore both the drivers and results of the application of CSR.
Pricing and Sales Effort Decisions in a Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering the Network Externality of Remanufactured Product
Authors: Hu Yuqing , Meng Lijun , Huang Zuqing
Published: March 2023

Considering the network externality of remanufactured product, this paper develops the Stackelberg game models in a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) consisting of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and a retailer with dual sales channel under three scenarios, i.e., no sales effort (Model N), the retailer exerting sales effort (Model R) and the OEM exerting sales effort (Model M). The study investigates the pricing and sales effort decisions for CLSC members. The results show that: (1) Compared with no sales effort, the sales effort behavior can always improve the profits of the OEM and entire CLSC. The retailer’s profit can be improved in Model R, so OEM exerting sales effort could cause a loss for the retailer and the sales effort behavior can promote the sales of remanufactured products and further cannibalize the new product market. (2) Model M is more favorable to improve the profits of the OEM and entire CLSC, while the retailer prefers Model R. Model M is more beneficial for boosting the sales of remanufactured products. (3) As the network externality/consumer’s sensitivity of sales effort becomes more obvious, CLSC members exert more sales effort, and the OEM exerts more sales effort compared to the retailer. (4) Only when the retailer’s sales effort cost is much lower than the OEM sales effort cost is it that OEM could obtain more profit when the retailer exerts sales effort; then, the win-win situation between OEM and the retailer is achieved.
Causal Model Analysis of the Effects of Civil Servants’ Perceived Formalism, Green Conscientiousness, and Moral Reflectiveness on Green Behavior
Authors: Wu Tsung-Lin , Liu Hsiang-Te
Published: March 2023

The green behavior of civil servants in the workplace is influenced by personal moral reflectiveness and green conscientiousness. Group discussions and initiatives within organizations can also influence individual green behavior. Civil servants with greener lifestyles are more likely to demonstrate green behaviors. This study specifically explores the impact of civil servants’ ritualized performance appraisals and formalism perception on moral reflectiveness and green advocacy. In this study, a sample of 250 civil servants was obtained by means of convenience sampling. This article applies confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test research hypotheses. The results of the study found that ritualized performance appraisals positively affect perceived formalism. Perceived formalism negatively affects moral reflectiveness and green advocacy. Green lifestyles and green advocacy positively affect green behavior. Moral reflectiveness mediates the relationship between green conscientiousness and green behavior. This study confirms the influence of moral reflectiveness, green conscientiousness, green lifestyles, and green advocacy on green behavior. This study also found that ritualized performance appraisals and perceived formalism have negative effects on green behavior.