bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive Research on the Near-Zero Energy Consumption of an Office Building in Hefei Based on a Photovoltaic Curtain Wall
Authors: Wang Haitao , Wu Fanghao , Lu Ning , Zhai Jianfeng
Published: July 2023

The near-zero energy design of a building is linked to the regional climate in which the building is located. On the basis of studying the cavity size and ground height of a photovoltaic curtain wall, the power generation efficiency of the photovoltaic curtain wall under different ground heights is compared in this paper. According to the “Technical Standard for Near-Zero Energy Buildings”, the personnel and lighting of a 12-metre office building in Hefei were parametrically arranged and three design schemes for near-zero energy buildings were proposed. The energy consumption of the benchmark building and the design energy consumption of each scheme were calculated by using the energy consumption simulation software Design Builder V 7.0.0.096; the feasibility of realizing the near-zero energy consumption building by using each scheme was checked. The results show that when the cavity width of the photovoltaic curtain wall of the office building is 70 mm, the cavity heat transfer coefficient is the lowest and the heat insulation of the building is the best. When the height from the ground is 0.7 m, the power generation efficiency of the photovoltaic curtain wall reaches a maximum of 18.39% and the south façade of the building is more suitable for the layout and installation of the photovoltaic curtain wall. The single-façade photovoltaic curtain wall should be combined with a high-efficiency air conditioning system and lighting system; the installation of a photovoltaic rooftop at the same time can meet the design requirements of near-zero energy buildings in hot-summer and cold-winter areas. This paper provides some guidance for exploring the design of near-zero energy office buildings, which is of practical significance.
Sustainable Change in Primary Science Education: From Transmissive to Guided Inquiry-Based Teaching
Authors: Nicolás-Castellano Carolina , Limiñana Rubén , Menargues Asunción , Rosa-Cintas Sergio , Martínez-Torregrosa Joaquín
Published: July 2023

Here, we present a professional development plan to achieve lasting and coherent change in science education, from conventional teaching to guided inquiry-based teaching, covering the entire primary stage. This plan is based on a review of the literature on professional development programs and on the theory of critical mass for the achievement of complex social changes. We justify the different phases of the plan with empirical indicators to assess its success. We show the results obtained in a primary school from teachers, the principal, and families. These results, together with those obtained by the students, show the success of the plan and make it possible to identify crucial aspects to achieve sustainable changes in science teaching at the primary stage.
Optimal Allocation and Sizing of Decentralized Solar Photovoltaic Generators Using Unit Financial Impact Indicator
Authors: Cangul Ozcel , Rocchetta Roberto , Fahrioglu Murat , Patelli Edoardo
Published: July 2023

A novel financial metric denominated unit financial impact indicator (UFII) is proposed to minimize the payback period for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems investments and quantify the financial efficiency of allocation and sizing strategies. However, uncontrollable environmental conditions and operational uncertainties, such as variable power demands, component failures, and weather conditions, can threaten the robustness of the investment, and their effect needs to be accounted for. Therefore, a new probabilistic framework is proposed for the robust and optimal positioning and sizing of utility-scale PV systems in a transmission network. The probabilistic framework includes a new cloud intensity simulator to model solar photovoltaic power production based on historical data and quantified using an efficient Monte Carlo method. The optimized solution obtained using weighted sums of expected UFII and its variance is compared against those obtained by using well-established economic metrics from literature. The efficiency and usefulness of the proposed approach are tested on the 14-bus IEEE power grid case study. The results prove the applicability and efficacy of the new probabilistic metric to quantify the financial effectiveness of solar photovoltaic investments on different nodes and geographical regions in a power grid, considering the unavoidable conditional and operational uncertainty.
Behavioral Intentions of Bank Employees to Implement Green Finance
Authors: Chen Hung-Yu , Guo Raofeng , Hung Chin-Chao , Lin Zong-Han , Wu Mengshan
Published: July 2023

To understand the behavioral intentions of bank employees to implement green finance, this study explores the impact of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intention based on the theory of planned behavior. In addition, this study also examines whether internal measures have moderating effects on the relationship between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. By collecting 123 questionnaires from 18 September 2022 to 18 October 2022, this study uses hierarchical regression to discuss the aforementioned issues. In order to avoid the possible bias of the regression model, the variance inflation factor (VIF) is applied to detect multicollinearity problems. The empirical results of this study find that bank employees’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and internal measures to implement green finance have a significant and positive impact on behavioral intention. In addition, the coefficients of VIF in all regression models are smaller than 10, indicating that the multicollinearity problems are not serious in this study. Therefore, our inferences are not affected by correlations between independent variables in the regression model. The research finding also shows that the interaction effects of internal measures and attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control do not have a positive moderating effect on behavioral intention. The implications of this study are that it can be provided as a reference for the banking industry to help them to improve the comprehensive thinking of employees in the implementation of green financial behavioral intentions.
Do Consumers Perceive Cultivated Meat as a Sustainable Substitute to Conventional Meat? Assessing the Facilitators and Inhibitors of Cultivated Meat Acceptance
Authors: Fu Wei , Zhang Hongping , Whaley Jeremy E. , Kim Youn-Kyung
Published: July 2023

Conventional meat production has become a force of environmental damage, but global meat consumption is predicted to continue increasing. Therefore, the technology of cultivated meat is undergoing rapid development. The current study explores what factors explain U.S. consumers’ intention to purchase cultivated meat as a sustainable substitute for conventional meat by applying a dual-factor model. A total of 410 completed responses were received from a nationwide survey. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the model and hypotheses. The results showed that physical health, animal welfare, and food quality significantly encouraged consumer acceptance of cultivated meat as a sustainable substitute for conventional meat. Food technology neophobia significantly inhibits the acceptance of cultivated meat, whereas unnaturalness did not show an impact on cultivated meat acceptance. Furthermore, the acceptance of cultivated meat as a sustainable substitute significantly enhanced consumers’ purchase intention. The findings inform practitioners about promoting cultivated meat in that marketers should emphasize the benefits of cultivated meat with health, animal welfare, food quality, and the environment. While technological language should be used carefully to avoid food technology neophobia, it is also essential to educate consumers on the science of cultivated meat in order for them to understand its benefits to sustainability.
Effect of Blending Behavior on the Performance of Hot Recycled Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Wang Teng , Ling Xianwu , Lin Jun , Xiang Bing , Yuan Dongdong , Wang Wentong , Wang Di , Guo Dedong
Published: July 2023

Blending behavior is the main factor influencing hot recycled asphalt mixtures’ actual and design performance. The following steps were taken to investigate the above issues. Firstly, the component changes of asphalt mixtures were studied by thin-layer chromatography, with flame ionization detection to obtain the mechanism of asphalt aging and recycling. Secondly, according to the difference in the recycled asphalt components, the hot recycled asphalt mixtures were optimized based on the Marshall design method. Lastly, the hot recycled asphalt mixtures for the three mixing processes were prepared using the optimized design method described above. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the correlation between the degree of blending (DoB) and the high-temperature stability, low-temperature crack resistance, water stability, and fatigue performance. The test results indicate that reducing light components (saturates and aromatics) and increasing heavy components (asphaltenes and resins) are the main reasons for asphalt aging, and asphalt recycling is an inverse process. Additionally, the performance of hot recycled asphalt mixtures is improved with an increase in DoB. Specifically, the DoB is only 50% to 60% under a normal mixing process, but by adjusting parameters the DoB will increase to 80% to 90%.
Assessing the Life Cycle Sustainability of Solar Energy Production Systems: A Toolkit Review in the Context of Ensuring Environmental Performance Improvements
Authors: Tan Dongli , Wu Yao , Zhang Zhiqing , Jiao Yue , Zeng Lingchao , Meng Yujun
Published: July 2023

In order to pursue clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy utilization and accelerate the development of new energy, sustainability is the necessary research. In recent decades, solar power generation has rapidly formed and been widely applied. Sustainability analysis is a key aspect that directly affects the construction of solar power projects when conducting solar power generation construction. This paper attempts to start with life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) and study the status quo of its three pillars (These three pillars include life cycle assessment, life cycle cost assessment, and social life cycle assessment) in the field of solar power generation. At the same time, the externality indicators are considered between pillars. In addition, the application of uncertainty analysis was studied during the analysis process to address the impact of various random factors. The conclusion shows that further research is needed to support this transition by integrating life cycle assessment, life cycle cost, and social life cycle assessment into LCSA for the evaluation. To improve the effectiveness of future research, studies should focus on fulfilling major data gaps in the literature such as the lack of detailed documentation for specific materials and background process choices in life cycle assessment databases. The development of solar power generation can be an important alternative in efforts to decrease climate change impacts and pursue cleaner energy sources in countries where solar energy is more easily available by integrating life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle cost (LCC), and social life cycle assessment (SLCA) into LCSA. The sustainable development of the solar power generation industry in terms of multiple aspects is supported.
A Hybrid Framework of Deep Learning Techniques to Predict Online Performance of Learners during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Altaf Saud , Asad Rimsha , Ahmad Shafiq , Ahmed Iftikhar , Abdollahian Mali , Zaindin Mazen
Published: July 2023

COVID-19’s rapid spread has disrupted educational initiatives. Schools worldwide have been implementing more possibilities for distance learning because of the worldwide epidemic of the COVID-19 virus, and Pakistan is no exception. However, this has resulted in several problems for students, including reduced access to technology, apathy, and unstable internet connections. It has become more challenging due to the rapid change to evaluate students’ academic development in a remote setting. A hybrid deep learning approach has been presented to evaluate the effectiveness of online education in Pakistan’s fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. Through the use of multiple data sources, including the demographics of students, online activity, learning patterns, and assessment results, this study seeks to realize the goal of precision education. The proposed research makes use of a dataset of Pakistani learners that was compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic. To properly assess the complex and heterogeneous data associated with online learning, the proposed framework employs several deep learning techniques, including 1D Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks. With the 98.8% accuracy rate for the trained model, it was clear that the deep learning framework could beat the performance of any other models currently in use. It has improved student performance assessment, which can inform tailored learning interventions and improve Pakistan’s online education. Finally, we compare the findings of this study to those of other, more established studies on evaluating student progress toward educational precision.
Spatial Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Green Development Progress Level of Private Enterprises in China: Based on Large Collection Surveys
Authors: Rong Bing , Zhang Chentao , Yang Shuhao , Liu Tongyi , Chu Chengjun
Published: July 2023

As the market subject of China’s economic development, private enterprises play an important role in fighting against pollution and solving ecological and environmental problems. It is especially important to evaluate the green development progress of Chinese private enterprises in the epidemic era. This paper conducts a questionnaire survey on 10,623 private enterprises in 31 provinces of China, and based on 6223 industrial survey results, it focuses on the production and operation status of private enterprises in terms of pollution reduction performance, energy saving, and carbon reduction intensity in order to construct a green development progress index. The spatial Moran index test and the spatial Durbin model are used to analyze the regional correlations and influencing factors of green development progress in China. The results show that the green development of enterprises with a main business income of more than 100 million CNY and key areas such as Fenwei Plain have improved significantly in 2021, especially with the increase in a private enterprise scale, the carbon reduction regime, the pollution abatement regime, and the pollution control manner, and because the investment, profitability, and pollution discharge of private enterprises is more significant. The indexes of the provinces in the southeast coastal area and the northeastern region of China are the highest and lowest, respectively, in terms of pollution, which is demonstrated by the spatial aggregation effect on the surrounding areas by Moran local index analysis. The urbanization level and government financial support for environmental protection are just two of the negative factors regarding this issue, while the economic development level and industrial structure are positive factors that have a spatial spillover effect.
Techno-Economic Analysis and Optimization of Hybrid Renewable Energy System with Energy Storage under Two Operational Modes
Authors: Agajie Takele Ferede , Fopah-Lele Armand , Amoussou Isaac , Ali Ahmed , Khan Baseem , Mahela Om Prakash , Nuvvula Ramakrishna S. S. , Ngwashi Divine Khan , Soriano Flores Emmanuel , Tanyi Emmanuel
Published: July 2023

Access to cheap, clean energy has a significant impact on a country’s ability to develop sustainably. Fossil fuels have a major impact on global warming and are currently becoming less and less profitable when used to generate power. In order to replace the diesel generators that are connected to the university of Debre Markos’ electrical distribution network with hybrid renewable energy sources, this study presents optimization and techno-economic feasibility analyses of proposed hybrid renewable systems and their overall cost impact in stand-alone and grid-connected modes of operation. Metaheuristic optimization techniques such as enhanced whale optimization algorithm (EWOA), whale optimization algorithm (WOA), and African vultures’ optimization algorithm (AVOA) are used for the optimal sizing of the hybrid renewable energy sources according to financial and reliability evaluation parameters. After developing a MATLAB program to size hybrid systems, the total current cost (TCC) was calculated using the aforementioned metaheuristic optimization techniques (i.e., EWOA, WOA, and AVOA). In the grid-connected mode of operation, the TCC was 4.507 × 106 EUR, 4.515 × 106 EUR, and 4.538 × 106 EUR, respectively, whereas in stand-alone mode, the TCC was 4.817 × 106 EUR, 4.868 × 106 EUR, and 4.885 × 106 EUR, respectively. In the grid-connected mode of operation, EWOA outcomes lowered the TCC by 0.18% using WOA and 0.69% using AVOA, and by 1.05% using WOA and 1.39% using AVOA in stand-alone operational mode. In addition, when compared with different financial evaluation parameters such as net present cost (NPC) (EUR), cost of energy (COE) (EUR/kWh), and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) (EUR/kWh), and reliability parameters such as expected energy not supplied (EENS), loss of power supply probability (LPSP), reliability index (IR), loss of load probability (LOLP), and loss of load expectation (LOLE), EWOA efficiently reduced the overall current cost while fulfilling the constraints imposed by the objective function. According to the result comparison, EWOA outperformed the competition in terms of total current costs with reliability improvements.
The Impact of Trade Openness on Economic Stability in Asian Countries
Authors: Nguyen Vu Manh Hoai , Ho Tin Huu , Nguyen Luan Huynh , Pham An Thi Ha
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nexus between trade openness and three aspects of macroeconomic stability, including growth stability, inflation stability, and exchange rate stability, in 20 Asian countries from 2011 to 2019. The empirical analysis was carried out with the help of the autoregressive distributed lag (ADRL) model to examine the impact of trade openness on economic stability. Our results revealed that trade openness was negatively associated with the growth stability of the countries located in the Asian region, while the opposite was true for exchange rate stability in the short run. There was, however, no relation between trade openness and inflation stability, which requires further investigation. In addition to contributing new empirical evidence to academic literature, our study expects to have important implications for policymakers. In particular, Asian countries are recommended to speed up the process of trade liberalisation to accelerate long-run economic growth and exchange rate stability.
Monitoring and Analysis of Land Subsidence in Jiaozuo City (China) Based on SBAS-InSAR Technology
Authors: Han Yong , Liu Guangchun , Liu Jie , Yang Jun , Xie Xiangcheng , Yan Weitao , Zhang Wenzhi
Published: July 2023

Jiaozuo, located in the northwest of Henan Province, is one of the six major anthracite production bases in China. It is susceptible to land subsidence due to over a hundred years of mining history, continuous urbanization, frequent human activities, etc., which poses a great threat to urban infrastructure construction and people’s production and lives. However, traditional leveling techniques are not sufficient for monitoring large areas of land subsidence due to the time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive nature of the process. Furthermore, the results of conventional methods may not be timely, rendering them ineffective for monitoring purposes. With the continuous advancement of urbanization, land subsidence caused by groundwater extraction, ground load, and other factors in daily life poses a great threat to urban infrastructure construction and people’s production and lives. In order to monitor the land subsidence in the area of Jiaozuo city, this article uses the Sentienl-1A satellite data covering the city from March 2017 to March 2021 to obtain the accumulated land subsidence and the average land subsidence rate based on the Small Baselines Subset InSAR (SBAS-InSAR) technology. The results indicate that the surface of Jiaozuo area is generally stable, and there has been no large-scale settlement. The settlement rate is roughly between −1 mm/a and 2.2 mm/a, and the areas with obvious land subsidence are mainly located in the southeast and east of Jiaozuo city center. After field investigation, it was found that the land subsidence is mainly caused by two reasons: groundwater excessive mining and excessive surface load. In the northeast of Jiaozuo city, there is a certain uplift area. After on-site investigation, it was found that the area is connected to a tailings pond of an aluminum mine, constantly accumulating abandoned rock masses and sediment, causing an annual uplift rate of +6~+ 24 mm/a. The large-scale extraction of groundwater from farmland in the urban–rural integration area for irrigation of wheat has led to the settlement of buildings in the area with a rate of −11–−74 mm/a.
Study on Fluid–Solid Coupling Numerical Simulation and Early Warning of Weathered Granite Landslides Induced by Extreme Rainfall
Authors: Yu Peng , Liu Honghua , Yu Hongbo , Xie Yongjian , Yu Yang , Zhu Chenghao , Dong Jie , Guan Yong
Published: July 2023

Rainfall is the main factor inducing landslides. Clarifying rainfall-induced landslides’ mechanisms and establishing adequate warning and prevention measures are crucial for regional disaster prevention and sustainable development. The weathering degree of fully weathered granite slopes is high, and the engineering mechanics property is poor, so it is easy to lose stability under extreme rainfall conditions. In this paper, the Fanling fully weathered granite landslide in Laoshan Scenic Spot in eastern China is taken as the research object, and the fluid–solid coupling landslide numerical model is established using ABAQUS 2022. The numerical simulation is carried out under five different rainfall intensity and time conditions, and the seepage field response, deformation response, and stability of the slope are analyzed. The research results indicate that (1) the fully weathered granite landslide in Fanling is a thrust-type landslide, and the response of horizontal deformation is greater than that of vertical deformation. (2) Compared with a long-term small rainstorm, a short-term heavy rainstorm is more harmful, and the slope is more prone to instability and damage. (3) The established unstable and under-stable rainfall warning curves for fully weathered granite landslides can provide a reference for the warning and prevention of similar regional landslides.
Relationship between Visual and Thermal Comfort and Electrodermal Activity in Campus Blue–Green Spaces: A Case Study of Guangzhou, China
Authors: Wang Xuefei , Chen Zhiqi , Ma Dawei , Zhou Tingting , Chen Jintang , Jiang Xing
Published: July 2023

The rapid speed of urbanization in modern cities has led to various environmental challenges impacting human activities, livelihoods, and comfort. One of these effects is the urban heat island, which describes the increase in temperature in an urban area resulting from the replacement of natural surfaces with concrete, buildings, and other structures that absorb and retain heat. Variations in individual perception and adaptative ability present additional challenges when trying to ensure outdoor comfort and require advanced measuring instruments and simulation tools to accurately predict a broad range of related variables. In this study, we investigated three different types of blue–green spaces (six in total) on the campus of Guangzhou University, focusing on their distinct layouts. The aim was to evaluate these spaces’ microclimate and sunlight intensity conditions by quantifying several environmental factors. Subjective comfort assessments and objective physiological parameter measurements were conducted using questionnaires and biosensors, respectively. The results revealed the following: (1) Different types of blue–green spaces exhibit distinct microclimate and visual environment characteristics, and while similar patterns emerged, certain environmental parameters revealed important differences. (2) There is a significant association between individuals’ thermal and visual comfort in blue–green spaces and multiple environmental factors. (3) Linear regression analysis demonstrated the strong predictive capabilities of skin conductance indicators (Rsc, SCR, and nSCR) in assessing individuals’ outdoor visual–thermal comfort levels, with R2 exceeding 0.5, indicating high accuracy. These findings provide valuable insights and references for urban planners and designers seeking to enhance the visual and thermal aspects of sustainable landscapes on campuses as well as in other outdoor environments.
The Impact of Climate Change on Financial Stability
Authors: Wu Lingke , Liu Dehong , Lin Tiantian
Published: July 2023

Climate risks and response policies have important impacts on a country’s macroeconomic development and financial stability. Based on the data from 2005 to 2020, this paper takes temperature deviation as the main representative variable of climate risk to study the impact of climate change on financial stability. The two-way fixed-effect results show that there is a negative relationship between temperature deviation and financial stability, and the influence of temperature deviation has a lag. However, the effects of temperature deviation on financial stability varied across the samples. The central provinces, non-coastal provinces, non-Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta provinces, and risk zone I had stronger temperature responses and financial stability was affected to a greater extent. The other regions experienced less of an impact.
Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chain Internal and External Finance Model
Authors: Chen Quanpeng , Chen Xiaogang
Published: July 2023

This study applies Stackelberg game theory to analyze and compare optimal operational strategies in four supply chain finance scenarios: traditional trade financing (TI), trade financing through the blockchain platform (BI), traditional external financing (TE), and external financing through the blockchain platform (BE). The main findings are as follows: First, the adoption of the blockchain platform reduces the interest rate threshold, making external financing more advantageous for retailers with higher capital constraint. Further, financing through the blockchain platform leads to higher wholesale prices, retail prices, and order quantities compared to traditional financing scenarios. Second, internal trade financing and the use of blockchain technology are preferred over external bank financing. However, conducting external bank financing through the blockchain platform yields greater profit growth for manufacturers and retailers. Accessing the blockchain platform is the optimal strategy for retailers and banks, leading to a favorable “multi-win” situation when the manufacturer’s platform fees are reasonable. Third, the manufacturer’s risk guarantee ratio plays a crucial role in determining the choice of financing mode, particularly when the retailer faces the risk of debt default. This study contributes to the literature by quantifying the impacts of blockchain technology deployment for three aspects that have been overlooked in previous studies: the set-up cost and access fee of the blockchain platform, the service level provided by the platform, and the demand increase resulting from blockchain technology adoption.
The Spatial and Temporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of the Coupling and Coordinated Development of Basic Public Services, Urbanization, and Tourism in China
Authors: Zhang Zhongwu , Gong Jian , Ma Huiqiang , Zhang Jinyuan
Published: July 2023

Promoting the coordinated development of basic public services, urbanization, and tourism is crucial to the high-quality development of regional economies. Taking China’s provinces as the research unit, an evaluation system was constructed, and the spatial and temporal evolution and influencing factors of the coordinated development of the three systems from 2010 to 2020 were measured using the coupling coordination model and geographical detector. The results demonstrate that: (1) From 2010 to 2020, there was a rising trend in basic public services, a declining trend and fluctuating stability in urbanization, and an inverted ‘U’ change in tourism; (2) the degree of coupling coordination was in a mild coordination state and showed an upward trend, with spatial distribution being high in the east and low in the west; (3) the degree of coupling coordination was spatially concentrated. The core hot-spot area was mainly in the southeast coastal area, and the core cold-spot area was mainly in the northwest inland area, showing a spatial distribution pattern of hot in the east and cold in the west; (4) the main influencing factors in the spatial difference in coupled coordinated development were per capita GDP, road network density, per capita disposable income of residents, urban unit employees, total import and export of goods, per capita fiscal expenditure, and number of tourists; (5) endogenous power (economic pulling power, infrastructure support power, industrial driving force, population agglomeration power) and exogenous power (government regulation power, market promotion power, social security power) together promote coupling coordinated development.
Students’ Career Intention to Teach in Rural Areas by Region and Household Registration: A Study of Students at an Eastern Chinese Local Normal University
Authors: Wang Yajing , Yang Linlin , Zhang Xinping , Shao Zebin
Published: July 2023

The exodus of potential teachers from rural schools has resulted in a current imbalance in the source of teachers for primary education in China, exacerbating the inequality in the allocation of teacher resources between urban and rural areas and limiting the sustainable development of education. To address this issue, the Chinese government has recently implemented a localized rural teacher training policy to provide sufficient quality teachers for rural schools in remote areas. However, the effectiveness of this policy still needs improvement, as some students in teacher education lack enthusiasm for rural education and are reluctant to teach in rural areas, and do not truly view the rural teaching profession as one that provides individuals with economic stability and a sense of personal fulfillment. Using a spatial sociological framework, this research explores the disparities in students’ intention to teach in rural areas by region of origin, such as eastern and central-western China, and urban/rural household registration. Gender is included as a predisposing factor in further examining if students are interested in teaching in rural schools in their hometown. This study analyzed 990 teacher education students at a local normal university in an eastern region of China using a questionnaire survey and logistic regression analysis. The findings indicate that college students’ willingness to teach in rural areas relates negatively to urban household registration, and their willingness to teach in their hometowns does not relate to their household registration; college students’ willingness to teach in rural areas relates negatively to eastern region, and their willingness to teach in the local village relates positively to eastern region. Based on the findings, this paper reflects on China’s existing rural teacher support policies and suggests paying attention to the influence of spatial culture on college students’ career intentions. It also emphasizes the need for individual cultural reconstruction in rural teacher training and policy restructuring in rural teacher development in the current era. In this approach, the sense of wholeness of individual life and love for rural education can be fostered, and the integration of individual life areas in the rural teaching profession can be improved, thereby increasing rural teacher retention and decreasing turnover.
The Nexus between Foreign Competition and Buying Innovation: Evidence from China’s High-Technology Industry
Authors: Yi Su , Rabnawaz Muhammad , Jalal Waqar , Zeb Ali
Published: July 2023

This study aims to investigate how international competition impacts innovation activities in the high-technology industry in China. A panel data analysis was conducted using a representative sample of high-tech industries in China from 2010 to 2017. Econometric methods were used to identify patterns and trends in the data, and quantile regression was utilized to explore the delicate connection between international competition and innovation efforts. The statistical analysis indicates that the effect of international competition on innovation activities differs through dependent quantiles of the innovation range; this effect was neglected by a standard linear regression model. The study found a U-shaped connection between foreign competition and innovation, except for at the quantile (Q = 0.01), which was negative. Foreign competition was found to be a critical factor influencing the strength of innovation activities in the high-tech industry in China. This research suggests that the extent of foreign competition has a bearing on the industry’s capacity to lead in innovation. This study is unique in that it addresses the influence of international competition on industry-level innovation accomplishments in a big rising country, such as China. The study also highlights the importance of evaluating the quantile effect of the variable on innovative activities, which was more informative than estimating the mean effect. The study’s limitation lies in the reliance on secondary data sources, which may not be as comprehensive as primary data. The research’s implications suggest that policymakers should pay attention to the impact of foreign competition on innovation activities and implement policies that foster innovation in the high-tech industry in China.
Preliminary Experimental Laboratory Methods to Analyse the Insulation Capacity of Vertical Greening on Temperature and Relative Humidity
Authors: De Groeve Marie , Kale Eda , Orr Scott Allan , De Kock Tim
Published: July 2023

Ground-based vertical greening is one of the well-known nature-based solutions that is widely used in city centres due to its small footprint and the large surface area of vegetation. Although the impact of vertical greening on the local microclimate has already been extensively researched, there is a poor understanding of the impact of vertical greening on historic building fabrics. The impact of vertical greening on microclimate environments has primarily been researched through in situ case-study monitoring; as such, there are currently no standard protocols for investigating this impact in laboratory studies. By performing simulations in controlled laboratory conditions, the influence of vertical greening on specific environmental conditions can be assessed as well as the significance for key mechanisms, such as the insulation capacity of a vegetation layer. Experimental results on the insulation capacity of vertical greening illustrate that the presence of vertical greening reduces the rate of heat exchange between the wall and the surrounding environment compared to the bare wall, resulting in a delayed temperature response of the wall. This delay varies across the seasons or its intensity, which is represented, for instance, by a more pronounced delay in the wall’s surface temperature response in summer than in winter. However, the magnitude of the insulation capacity is more pronounced in winter (up to +2.1 °C) compared to summertime. The insulation capacity of vertical greening is more likely to have a significant impact on façades with a lack of solar irradiation, such as façades facing north or shaded by built surroundings. This experimental investigation can help build an understanding of these processes more fundamentally and support the interpretation of in situ case-study monitoring as well as provide a standardized approach to investigate the environmental performance of vertical greening across climatic regions and seasons.
Retrieval of Soil Heavy Metal Content for Environment Monitoring in Mining Area via Transfer Learning
Authors: Yang Yun , Cui Qinfang , Cheng Rongjie , Huo Aidi , Wang Yanting
Published: July 2023

Monitoring environmental pollution sources is an ongoing issue that must be addressed to reduce risks to public health, food safety, and the environment. However, retrieving topsoil heavy metal content at a low cost for environmental monitoring in mining areas is challenging. Therefore, this study proposes a network model based on transfer learning theory and a back propagation (BP) network optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA), taking the Daxigou mining area in Shaanxi Province, China, as a case study. Firstly, visible and near-infrared spectrum data from Landsat8 satellite images, digital elevation models, and geochemical data from field-collected soil samples were used to extract environmental factor candidates indicating the content and spatial distribution of certain heavy metals, including copper (Cu) and lead (Pb). Secondly, each element was correlated with environmental factors and a multicollinearity test was performed to determine the optimal factor set. Then, the BP network optimized by GA was pre-trained with sample data collected in 2017 and retrained with minimal sample data from 2019 using the parameter transfer learning method, allowing spatial distribution mapping of the Cu and Pb content in topsoil of the Daxigou mining area in 2019. From the validation results using field-collected data, the root mean square error (RMSE) and mean relative error (MRE) values using the proposed model, respectively, reduced by 4.688 mg/kg and 1.533 mg/kg for Cu and reduced by 1.586 mg/kg and 1.232 mg/kg for Pb compared to the traditional GA-BP model. Thus, conclusions can be drawn that our proposed Tr-GA-BP network performs well, requiring 16 training samples collected in 2019. In addition, the content of Cu is the highest; Pb is the second highest in the study area. Both of them were spatially distributed mainly in the exploitation, slag stacking, roadside, etc., consistent with field investigation results.
System Dynamics and Sustainable Solution: The Case in a Large-Scale Pallet Manufacturing Company
Authors: Lagarda-Leyva Ernesto A. , Acosta-Quintana María Paz Guadalupe , Portugal-Vásquez Javier , Naranjo-Flores Arnulfo A. , Bueno-Solano Alfredo
Published: July 2023

The proposal in the present research study is the result of a more than two-year process developed in a pallet manufacturing company for anchor enterprises in Southern Sonora, Mexico dedicated to beer production and export to the United States of America. Considering the high pallet demand for this supplier, a strategic plan was created in 2021, establishing an important project for developing technological solutions to improve decision making supported by graphical user interface and focused on sustainability. This study shows the application of system dynamics in all the wood and pallet manufacturing processes with a strategic sourcing supply chain. The method used for its development had the following stages: (1) developing the mapping process; (2) creating the causal loop diagram; (3) developing a flow and stock model with the representing mathematical equations; (4) simulating and validating current scenarios; (5) evaluating normal, optimistic, and pessimistic scenarios with multicriteria decision making using Technique to Order Preferences by Similarity and the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Faire Un Choix Adéquat (FUCA); (6) building the graphical interface. The most relevant results for the company were having quantitative information regarding the pallet demand required by the main client for wood availability, which was the main restriction in the supply chain. The solution was based on four validation tests that allowed decision makers to support the production proposals considering the assistance of the dynamic models. The main conclusion demonstrated that using well-defined operation rules and policies—considering the installed capacity and pallet demand through the model solution—allows anticipating decisions on pallet quantity and reducing the risk of out-of-time deliveries.
Implications of Changing Urban Land Use on the Livelihoods of Local People in Northwestern Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Md. Mizanur , Huq Hamidul , Mukul Sharif A.
Published: July 2023

Bangladesh is one of the emerging economies in the Global South, and rapid urbanization is the driving force behind its economic development. Urban growth and development are closely associated with land use/land cover changes in any area, which sometimes negatively affect the livelihood and wellbeing of local people. We investigated the impacts of urban land use changes on the local people of northwestern Bangladesh using Nilphamari Sadar as a case study site. In order to identify land use patterns and variations in land cover, a 10-year period of land use/land cover changes from 2000 to 2020 was monitored using satellite imagery and the supervised classification method. Primary data were collected through household surveys and focus group discussions. Our analysis suggests that land use has changed over the past 20 years in the study area. As a result, the land area under settlements has substantially increased from 19 square kilometers in 2000 to 48 square kilometers in 2020. Waterbodies were 24 square kilometers in 2010, dropping to 4 square kilometers in 2020, whereas croplands decreased to 218 square kilometers in 2020 from 259 square kilometers in 2000. These changes have proportionately and adversely affected the lives and livelihoods of the local people by altering their longstanding traditional livelihood options, limiting their access to common resources, failing to adapt to new environmental arrangements and economic structures, and creating new forms of vulnerability. We suggest that urban planning processes should consider local people’s interests with the entitlement of local and marginalized people to the benefits generated by urbanization.
Quantifying the Widths of Fault Damage Zones Based on the Fault Likelihood: A Case Study of Faults in the Fuji Syncline of the Luzhou Block, Sichuan Basin, China
Authors: Zeng Lu , Li Jinxi , Wu Shihu , Tong Kailin , Li Zhiwu
Published: July 2023

Faults are critical to the preservation or destruction of shale gas concentration. The Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the southern Sichuan Basin hosts relatively developed faults, which pose a huge challenge to the exploration and exploitation of shale gas. An urgent need to quickly determine the widths of fault damage zones (FDZs) arises in locating horizontal shale gas wells. In this study, FDZs were estimated using the fault likelihood. The results are as follows: (1) It is rational to constrain the FDZ width using a fault likelihood greater than 0.2. The six major NEE-trending faults in the Fuji syncline of the Luzhou block have complex structures and varying FDZ widths from about 240–1220 m. (2) The degree of influence of FDZs is negatively correlated with their distance from the faults. In other words, a greater distance from a fault is associated with a weaker influence and a smaller fault likelihood. (3) Based on the ratio of the fault throw to the FDZ width, we propose that the width of seismic-scale fault damages can be directly constrained using a ratio value of 3.5. This method is fast and accurate and can provide support for the evaluation of the shale gas preservation conditions and well placement in the Longmaxi Formation of the southern Sichuan Basin.
Evolution of Geocells as Sustainable Support to Transportation Infrastructure
Authors: Krishna Aarya , Latha Gali Madhavi
Published: July 2023

Geocells, which are polymeric interconnected cells filled with soil, provide excellent support to loads through all-round confinement and a beam effect; hence, they are extensively used in various geotechnical applications such as embankments, foundations, pavements, slopes, railways, and reinforced earth (RE) walls. Although the applications of geocells are studied extensively, their geometric and parametric evolution as a stable support to heavy loads receive less attention. The current versatile configuration of geocells has geometrically evolved after accounting for all the factors that give them optimum reinforcement efficiency. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of the geometric evolution of geocells in the context of transportation geotechnical engineering. Effects of shape, size, stiffness, and surface roughness of geocells, and properties of infill and native soils on the performance of geocells are compiled from the literature to get important design insights. The application of geocells in pavements is discussed, concluding that geocells improve the cyclic load carrying capacity and resilient characteristics of pavement, reduce rut depths, and increase traffic benefit ratio (TBR). Hence, geocells can be a sustainable alternative to natural materials in transportation infrastructure, with the added advantages of reduced carbon footprint and maintenance costs.