bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When Digital Capabilities of MNC Subsidiaries Matters: The Moderating Effect of Subsidiary Autonomy in Korea
Authors: Jeong Jaehwi , Choi Donseung , Kim Jangsoon
Published: November 2022

This study investigates the relationship between digital capabilities and the performance of MNC Korean subsidiaries and the moderating effect of subsidiaries’ autonomy. We examined the effect of digital capabilities of MNC subsidiaries on financial and non-financial performance represented by corporates’ sustainability and the effect of the subsidiary autonomy that controls them. According to the result of the analysis, digital capabilities drive innovation enhancing both financial and non-financial performance of subsidiaries. In addition, it was found that the autonomy of the subsidiary significantly strengthens the positive relationship between the subsidiary’s digital capabilities and financial performance. Instead, the autonomy of the subsidiary does not appear to moderate the effect of the relationship between digital capabilities and non-financial performance significantly. These results suggest that subsidiaries’ digital capabilities improve financial and non-financial performance. In addition, the autonomy of subsidiaries suggests that the digital capabilities of subsidiaries can be a positive factor in the process leading to financial performance.
Recreational Evaluation of Forests in Urban Environments: Methodological and Practical Aspects
Authors: Wajchman-Świtalska Sandra , Zajadacz Alina , Woźniak Marcin , Jaszczak Roman , Beker Cezary
Published: November 2022

This literature review shows that there is no up-to-date common approach to assess the recreational potential of forests. The aim of the study is to present methodological and practical aspects of the evaluation of forests in urban environments for recreational purposes based on the example of urban forests in Poznań (Poland). In this research, the following evaluation criteria were selected: types of forest habitats, ages of dominant species, stand composition, stocking index, the share of undergrowth, soil cover, canopy closure, and surface water. All these criteria are presented in the forest management plan (FMP). We prove that the majority of stands within the study area (81.86%) have medium potential for recreational purposes. Moreover, regarding recreation services, documents existing within the study area are not specified enough. The undoubted advantages of the proposed method are a forestry perspective on the problem, a uniform dataset included in FMPs, data availability, and the possibility of comparing data from different areas.
Development of STEM-Based AI Education Program for Sustainable Improvement of Elementary Learners
Authors: Jang Junhyeok , Jeon Jaecheon , Jung Soon Ki
Published: November 2022

Recent years have seen tremendous technology and research development in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Initiatives are being made to build or employ AI in various domains of society. The field of education is experiencing the same trend. Being able to solve various issues by utilizing AI and varied learning materials is a crucial fundamental skill for students of all ages. The purpose of this study is to (1) develop STEM-based artificial intelligence education for K–6 grade students and (2) measure the effectiveness of the developed program in terms of creative problem-solving ability, AI literacy, and attitude toward AI. Experimental studies show an improvement in the average score and that all three elements are statistically significant. Additionally, it is established that the view of the study’s program and AI is good as a result of the emotional analysis of the comments freely expressed by the students. This study reflects on the need for establishing effective and various AI educational programs.
Correction: Zhao et al. Evaluating the Impact of Crop Layout Changes on N and P Nutrient Balance: A Case Study in the West Liaohe River Basin, China. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7982
Authors: Zhao Zijuan , Fan Beilei , Liu Dong
Published: November 2022

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...]
Intellectual Capital: A New Predictive Indicator for Project Management Improvement
Authors: Kański Łukasz , Chadam Jan , Kłosowski Grzegorz
Published: November 2022

Effective project management has contributed to successful operations and process management. The goal of this article is to look at the link between a project’s success (PS) and the amount of intellectual capital (IC) an organization has. Instead of being reactive to measuring the cost, timeliness, and quality (customer requirements), a more predictive indicator of a project’s success is needed. Nearly 300 people who work in the field of digital (information and communication) technology took part in the survey research. The survey contains 88 questions. Several statistical techniques are utilized for the data analysis. Based on the comprehensive surveys, the findings show the strong possibility for IC to be adapted as a predictor of the success of investment projects, especially for digital upgrade and improvement. IC plays a key role in assuring the effective (and successful) project management. The study highlights the impacts of effective project management on industrial and organizational operations. This highlight is based on the attempt to determine whether IC contributes to a PS. In this study, in addition to the three traditional factors of cost, timeliness, and quality (or requirements), IC should be considered as a prediction for the project management’s success. The survey was addressed to selected companies from the ICT industry (IT projects). The sample selection is based on non-probability sampling. The author’s method of converting the respondents’ answers into binary form was adopted.
Modeling and Simulation of Unmanned Driving System for Load Haul Dump Vehicles in Underground Mines
Authors: Jiang Yuanjian , Peng Pingan , Wang Liguan , Wang Jiaheng , Liu Yongchun , Wu Jiaxi
Published: November 2022

This paper proposes the modeling and simulation of the unmanned driving system for underground load haul dump vehicles based on Gazebo/Ros. Firstly, the kinematics model of the load haul dump vehicle is derived. Then, the model of each part of the load haul dump vehicle is established based on SolidWorks and the model of the load haul dump vehicle is established by connecting the parts through a unified robot description format (URDF) file. Finally, the laneway model is established by using alpha shape to realize the modeling of the operating environment of the load haul dump vehicle. The speed, angular speed, bucket lifting, and bucket flipping of the load haul dump vehicle are controlled using PID. The experimental results show that: The control errors of the speed and angular speed of the load haul dump vehicle are 0.283 m/s and 0.010 rad/s, respectively. The control error of the lifting bucket is 0.025 m and that of the flipping bucket is 0.015 m. The angular velocity control error of the simulation system relative to the actual system is 0.330 and 0.106 m/s, respectively. The error between the SLAM of the simulation system and the actual system and the measured value is 0.917 and 3.44 m, respectively. The control performance of the load haul dump vehicle in the simulation system is good. Therefore, automatic driving algorithms can be studied and tested in this simulation platform.
Is Contract Farming with Modern Distributors Partnership for Higher Returns? Analysis of Rice Farm Households in Taiwan
Authors: Hsieh Ming-Feng , Luh Yir-Hueih
Published: November 2022

This study provides empirical evidence of the economic effect of contract farming for the agriculture sector dominated by smallholder farms. In light of the association between contract farming and modern food distribution channels, we categorize the adoption decisions of contract farming and modern marketing channels into four mutually exclusive choices and investigate their economic effects through the simulated maximum likelihood estimation of the multinomial treatment effects model. The results provide empirical evidence supporting higher returns from the dual partnerships as choosing modern distributors generates more revenues for the those participating in contract farming than for those with no contract farming, and contract farming is more likely to help generate more revenues for those who have taken modern distributors as their major marketing channel compared with those relying on traditional channels. Moreover, we examine whether any distributional pattern of marginal economic effects, of either contract farming or modern marketing channel, is present among farmers at various scales by using the conditional and unconditional quantile regression models. Our findings suggest that the marginal treatment effects are generally in an increasing trend as the quantile increases, implying that the economic effects of contract farming or partnership with modern distributors are more pronounced for higher returns among rice farmers in Taiwan. This finding has great policy implications for developing sustainable agriculture and food supply when facing greater uncertainties due to global warming in the future, especially in an agriculture sector with most smallholder farmers.
Development of the Indian Future Weather File Generator Based on Representative Concentration Pathways
Authors: Manapragada Naga Venkata Sai Kumar , Shukla Anoop Kumar , Pignatta Gloria , Yenneti Komali , Shetty Deepika , Nayak Bibhu Kalyan , Boorla Venkataramana
Published: November 2022

India’s fossil-fuel-based energy dependency is up to 68%, with the commercial and residential sectors contributing to the rise of building energy demand, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Several studies have shown that the increasing building energy demand is associated with increased space-cooling ownership and building footprint. The energy demand is predicted to grow further with the conditions of global warming and the phenomenon of urban heat islands. Building designers have been using state-of-the-art transient simulation tools to evaluate energy-efficient envelopes with present-day weather files that are generated with historical weather datasets for any specific location. Designing buildings with historical climatic conditions makes the buildings vulnerable to the predicted climate change impacts. In this paper, a weather file generator was developed to generate Indian future weather files using a geo-filtering-based spatial technique, as well as the temporal downscaling and machine learning (ML)-based bias correction approach proposed by Belcher et al. The future weather files of the three representative concentration pathways of 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 could be generated for the years 2030, 2050, 2070, 2090, and 2100. Currently, the outputs of the second-generation Canadian Earth System Model are being used to create future weather files that will aid architects, urban designers, and planners in developing a built environment that is resilient to climate change. The novelty lies in using observed historical data from present-day weather files on the typical meteorological year for testing and training ML models. The typical meteorological weather files are composed of the concatenation of the monthly weather datasets from different years, which are referred to for testing and training ML models for bias correction.
Impact of Market Participation of Indigenous Crops on Household Food Security of Smallholder Farmers of South Africa
Authors: Zondi Nonkululeko Thandeka Brightness , Ngidi Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas , Ojo Temitope Oluwaseun , Hlatshwayo Simphiwe Innocentia
Published: November 2022

Market participation by smallholder indigenous crop farmers holds significant potential for the alleviation of food insecurity and poverty amongst rural households. Smallholder farmers generally play a vital role in the production and marketing of indigenous crops in South Africa. However, smallholder farmers continue to remain among the food-insecure populations. This is more worrisome for indigenous crop farming households whose produce is far more limited in the market yet may contribute towards improving their food security status and livelihoods. This study analysed the impact of market participation of indigenous crops on the household food security of smallholder farmers in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. A sample size of 209 indigenous crop producers were selected from a population of 1520 smallholder farmers. The study adopted a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. The data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative research and were analysed using descriptive analysis, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), and the Poisson regression model with the endogenous treatment model. The household size, marital status, household members living with HIV, and access to extension services were found to be positive and significant in determining household food security, whereas the disability of a household member was significant but negative. While the number of smallholder farmers involved in the production of indigenous crops is still limited, enhanced marketing of indigenous crops may improve the food security status of smallholder farmers. There is still a need for the government to channel its interventions towards the indigenous crop production sector, and this may include the provision of trained extension officers to assist smallholder farmers. Policymakers need to develop policies that support the production and marketing of indigenous crops. More awareness and promotion of indigenous crops are needed to encourage more smallholder farmers to adopt this farming practice. Further study of smallholder indigenous farmers across nine provinces of South Africa should be conducted to obtain deeper and broader insights into the role of these farmers on household food security.
Crack Propagation and AE/EMR Response Characteristics of Pre-Holed Coal Specimens under Uniaxial Compression
Authors: Feng Xiaojun , Hu Qinjing , Ding Zeng , Wang Dongming , Zhao Xue , Wei Qilei
Published: November 2022

Drainage boreholes in soft coal seams are prone to deformation and failure under the action of in situ stress and mining stress, which has a significant impact on gas drainage in coal mines. To simulate the development and propagation of cracks around the shaft wall caused by in situ stress, the crack propagation of coals with different diameters and strengths during the failure process, and the acoustic emission (AE) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) law and response characteristics are explored. The results show that: The failure process of coal with pores is divided into four stages: initial compaction stage (OA), elastic deformation stage (AB), yield deformation stage (BC), and macroscopic crack development stage (CD). The crack propagation develops significantly in the post-load peak stage, the coal body damage is aggravated, and the coal body is unstable and fractured. For the pre-holed coal specimens with the same diameter, as the coal becomes softer, the peak stress decreases significantly (from 15.73 to 10.05 MPa). The cumulative value of AE counts of hard coal samples increased from 2.3 × 105 to 3.6 × 105 with increasing diameters. The Digital Image Correlation system (DIC) strain cloud diagram found that there are ‘I’-type cracks around the axial direction of the prefabricated holes. Coal samples with smaller hole have shorter cracks, indicating that the diameter of the holes significantly changes the axial loading limit. The research results have a certain reference significance for understanding the crack propagation of coal under static loads and evaluating the deformation characteristic and spatiotemporal stability of gas drainage in soft coal seams.
The Paradox in the Ecological Side of Corporate Entrepreneurship Sustainability: A Research Agenda and Policy Direction
Authors: Lu Yangfan , Chebo Abdella Kosa , Dhliwayo Shepherd , Negasa Semu Bacha
Published: November 2022

The ecological devastation observed in the 21st century requires everyone’s participation, including corporates. Many companies have, therefore, incorporated these ecological concerns into their sustainability decisions. We reviewed studies on the nexus of ecological and entrepreneurial sustainability in the context of corporates (large enterprises). The review focuses on clarifying concepts and building a conceptual framework to enhance a better and comprehensive understanding of the ecological side of corporate entrepreneurship sustainability. Through a systematic review of 53 selected papers, we provide inputs for integrating the ecological aspects into company policies and philosophy, in order to build a green business that balances business opportunities with environmental commitments. The study initiates new research agendas by creating a new construct—sustainable corporate ecological entrepreneurship (SCEE).
Learning from Failure: Building Resilience in Small- and Medium-Sized Tourism Enterprises, the Role of Servant Leadership and Transparent Communication
Authors: Elshaer Ibrahim A. , Saad Samar K.
Published: November 2022

Understanding how small- and medium-sized enterprises develop and foster resilience in their employees is critical to better adapt to and recover from challenges. Yet, how such a process is conducted is not well-understood in literature. Integrating the literature from the social exchange theory and the disaster resilience framework, this research examines the effects of servant leadership (SL) and transparent communication (TC) on employees’ capacity for resilience (learning from failure, hardiness, and optimism) and their adaptive performance during/post the COVID-19 crisis. A total of 880 employees in restaurants and travel agencies were surveyed. The results reveal that the effects of SL and TC on employees’ adaptive performance was fully mediated by employees’ capacity for resilience, specifically learning from failure.
A Decision-Making Model for Remanufacturing Facility Location in Underdeveloped Countries: A Capacitated Facility Location Problem Approach
Authors: Fofou Raoul Fonkoua , Jiang Zhigang , Gong Qingshan , Yang Yihua
Published: November 2022

Underdeveloped countries are gradually opening remanufacturing facilities to recover end-of-life products (EOL). Locating these facilities in underdeveloped countries is quite challenging because many factors related to the environment, economics, and ethics have to be considered. This paper proposes a decision-making model for locating remanufacturing facilities, a critical factor in implementing remanufacturing in underdeveloped countries. Our principal objective is to obtain the capacity, number, and geographical locations for newly established remanufacturing facilities using a Capacitated Facility Location Problem (CFLP) approach. The mathematical model helps us find the number of facilities that will need to be opened to fully recover the EOL products and the total cost during the entire process. A case study on the establishment of SEVALO Remanufacturing Machinery Co., Ltd. in Cameroon is used to demonstrate the CFLP approach. The results and analyses show that the successful establishment of SEVALO in Cameroon will significantly help to reduce the quantity of construction machinery parts dumped into the environment.
Web-Based Experiential Nutrition Education Intervention “The Green Hub” to Promote Sustainable and Healthy Diets among Young Adults in Australia
Authors: Ghammachi Nadine , Mihrshahi Seema , Ronto Rimante
Published: November 2022

Background: Sustainable and healthy dietary patterns can help achieve both optimal health and reduce environmental impacts. They involve the increased intake of plant-based foods which are local and seasonal, and reduced intake of animal-derived foods and food wastage. There is emerging evidence regarding the use and effectiveness of web-based health promotion programs to improve diet related behaviours especially in young adults. This study investigated the effectiveness of the “Green Hub” pilot study, a four-week web-based experiential nutrition education intervention to promote sustainable and healthy diets among young adults in Australia. Methods: This study used a pre-/post-study design with process evaluation. The four-week intervention integrated modules on different aspects of a sustainable and healthy diets and was delivered through a private Facebook group. Eligible participants were young adults between the age of 18–25 years old residing in Australia. Results: Out of 19 participants who consented, 17 participants completed the program. Two thirds of participants (67%) stated that they were familiar with the sustainable and healthy diet concept but only 33% were able to define this concept comprehensively. The post-intervention survey resulted in improved knowledge, attitudes, and motivation to adopt more sustainable eating patterns. Conclusion: The “Green Hub” experiential nutrition education program showed positive impact on participants’ willingness to adopt sustainable and healthy diets. The findings of this pilot study will inform future larger scale studies and policy development on improving sustainable and healthy diets among young adults.
A Literature Review of Blockchain-Based Applications in Supply Chain
Authors: Liu Boyu , Si Xiameng , Kang Haiyan
Published: November 2022

Blockchain technology is an emerging technology, and cryptocurrency is the most well-known and successful blockchain application. With the development of the concept of blockchain technology, scientists and practitioners have found the potential of blockchain technology in the supply chain, which has led to much research on blockchain applications. There have been many reviews on the subject, but most of them are specific to particular supply chains and lack specific research on published papers. This paper addresses this research gap by examining, through qualitative analysis, the study finds that blockchain applications are moving in the direction of efficient automation. Appropriate consensus algorithms in different supply chain contexts will improve efficiency while reducing costs, while smart contracts play a huge role in security. Therefore, this paper explored articles related to the topic and explored articles in recent years by keyword combination.
Multi-Response Design Optimisation of a Combined Fluidised Bed-Infrared Dryer for Terebinth (Pistacia atlantica L.) Fruit Drying Process Based on Energy and Exergy Assessments by Applying RSM-CCD Modelling
Authors: Golpour Iman , Kaveh Mohammad , Blanco-Marigorta Ana M. , Marcos José Daniel , Guiné Raquel P. F. , Chayjan Reza Amiri , Khalife Esmail , Karami Hamed
Published: November 2022

The present investigation aimed to perform an optimisation process of the thermodynamic characteristics for terebinth fruit drying under different drying conditions in a fluidised bed-infrared (FBI) dryer using response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design (CCD) approach. The experiments were conducted at three levels of drying air temperature (40, 55, and 70 °C), three levels of drying air velocity (0.93, 1.765, and 2.60 m/s), and three levels of infrared power (500, 1000, and 1500 W). Energy and exergy assessments of the thermodynamic parameters were performed based on the afirst and second laws of thermodynamics. Minimum energy utilisation, energy utilisation ratio, and exergy loss rate, and maximum exergy efficiency, improvement potential rate, and sustainability index were selected as the criteria in the optimisation process. The considered surfaces were evaluated at 20 experimental points. The experimental results were evaluated using a second-order polynomial model where an ANOVA test was applied to identify model ability and optimal operating drying conditions. The results of the ANOVA test showed that all of the operating variables had a highly significant effect on the corresponding responses. At the optimal drying conditions of 40 °C drying air temperature, 2.60 m/s air velocity, 633.54 W infrared power, and desirability of 0.670, the optimised values of energy utilisation, energy utilisation ratio, exergy efficiency, exergy loss rate, improvement potential rate, and sustainability index were 0.036 kJ/s, 0.029, 86.63%, 0.029 kJ/s, 1.79 kJ/s, and 7.36, respectively. The models predicted for all of the responses had R2-values ranging between 0.9254 and 0.9928, which showed that they had good ability to predict these responses. Therefore, the results of this research showed that RSM modelling had acceptable success in optimising thermodynamic performance in addition to achieving the best experimental conditions.
Understanding Conditioning Factors for Hydroelectric Development in Chile: Bases for Community Acceptance
Authors: Escobar-Avaria Cristian , Fuster Rodrigo , Silva-Urrutia Katherinne , Bauer Carl , de la Fuente Andrés
Published: November 2022

Chile has defined an energy development policy in which hydropower is an important part of the energy grid. This energy source has not yet been accepted by many people in local communities. For future hydroelectric development to be more widely accepted, the Chilean Ministry of Energy developed a methodological framework called Objects of Valuation. This framework is aimed at identifying the main community interests that may condition hydroelectric development. The objective of this paper is to analyze the scope of the framework based on a review of the scientific literature and information generated through participatory activities in three basins that have high hydropower potential. Analyzing the results obtained from the application of the framework, four complementary intangible factors not represented by the framework are identified: the lack of validation of a formal participatory process, under-recognition of different worldviews, distrust regarding the development of hydroelectricity, and a sense of self-determination in the community. These factors could potentially condition community acceptance of hydroelectricity, thereby limiting the framework as a decision-making tool. We recommend that this methodological framework should be complemented by the incorporation of intangible elements in the decision-making process, using a systematic tool applicable to spatial planning and strategic environmental-assessment processes.
An Appropriate Model for the Prediction of Rock Mass Deformation Modulus among Various Artificial Intelligence Models
Authors: Hussain Sajjad , Muhammad Khan Naseer , Emad Muhammad Zaka , Naji Abdul Muntaqim , Cao Kewang , Gao Qiangqiang , Ur Rehman Zahid , Raza Salim , Cui Ruoyu , Salman Muhammad , Alarifi Saad S.
Published: November 2022

The rock mass deformation modulus (Em) is an essential input parameter in numerical modeling for assessing the rock mass behavior required for the sustainable design of engineering structures. The in situ methods for determining this parameter are costly and time consuming. Their results may not be reliable due to the presence of various natures of joints and following difficult field testing procedures. Therefore, it is imperative to predict the rock mass deformation modulus using alternate methods. In this research, four different predictive models were developed, i.e., one statistical model (Muti Linear Regression (MLR)) and three Artificial Intelligence models (Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest Regression (RFR), and K-Neighbor Network (KNN)) by employing Rock Mass Rating (RMR89) and Point load index (I50) as appropriate input variables selected through correlation matrix analysis among eight different variables to propose an appropriate model for the prediction of Em. The efficacy of each predictive model was evaluated by using four different performance indicators: performance coefficient R2, Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Median Absolute Error (MEAE). The results show that the R2, MAE, MSE, and MEAE for the ANN model are 0.999, 0.2343, 0.2873, and 0.0814, respectively, which are better than MLR, KNN, and RFR. Therefore, the ANN model is proposed as the most appropriate model for the prediction of Em. The findings of this research will provide a better understanding and foundation for the professionals working in fields during the prediction of various engineering parameters, especially Em for sustainable engineering design in the rock engineering field.
Teaching Reform in C Programming Course from the Perspective of Sustainable Development: Construction and 9-Year Practice of “Three Classrooms–Four Integrations–Five Combinations” Teaching Model
Authors: Yao Dunhong , Zhang Xian , Liu Yiwen
Published: November 2022

In the past, the teaching of C programming courses was teacher-centered, and students’ practical ability, innovation ability, independent learning ability, and moral character were not effectively improved. In order to meet the requirements of teaching informatization, OBE philosophy, “Golden Course” construction, and ideological politics in the curriculum for course teaching, we have been reforming how C programming courses are taught since 2013 from the perspective of sustainable development in order to realize the synergistic promotion of knowledge imparting, ability training, and moral character shaping. First, we systematically reformed the teaching support system in eight dimensions: changing the teaching philosophy, enriching teaching resources, reconstructing the teaching environment, reshaping the course content, transforming the teaching process, innovating teaching methods, reforming course evaluations, and building ideological politics surrounding the ecology of the curriculum. On this basis, we divided the teaching classroom into three classrooms: theory, practical training, and innovative practice. We ensured that teaching resources, information technology, diversified evaluation, and moral character shaping were always integrated into the classroom. Then, we used a combination of “online and offline, in-class knowledge learning and extra-curricular autonomous practice, teachers’ careful lectures and seniors’ guidance, ability training and moral character shaping, and impart knowledge and innovative practice” to build a student-centered teaching model of “three classrooms–four integrations–five combinations”. Since the application of this model in course teaching, students have not only enhanced their sense of access to learning and improved their course performance, independent learning ability, and practical ability, but have also improved their innovation ability, with students achieving excellent results in thesis publication, patent applications, software copyright applications, discipline competitions, and innovation project applications. Students have cultivated a strong sense of social responsibility and high moral character, and employers are highly satisfied. This teaching model has been adopted and reused in 12 engineering courses and has achieved good application results. The teaching model can provide a reference for college engineering courses to build a student-centered information-based education ecology, create high-quality classrooms, and collaboratively improve students’ abilities and moral character.
Farmland Transfer, Scale Management and Economies of Scale Assessment: Evidence from the Main Grain-Producing Shandong Province in China
Authors: Geng Ning , Wang Mengyao , Liu Zengjin
Published: November 2022

Promoting farmland transfer through the farmland rental market is an essential instrument to achieve the centralized scale operation of farmland in China. However, few studies have explored or verified the economies of scale after land concentration. This study uses face-to-face interviews to randomly select 395 farmers engaged in land scale management in 68 villages of 11 cities in Shandong Province. Based on these data, a production cost function model is used to measure the cost elasticity of farmland scale management and further empirically test whether farmland scale management can achieve economies of scale in actual agricultural production. The empirical results show that the development of farmland scale operation can reduce production costs and realize the economy of scale. In other words, the scale of farmland management still has the possibility of further expansion. More importantly, we find the operation cost of farmland is significantly influenced by the price of farmland transfer, fixed capital input and labor input, especially the scale operator with rich planting experience and good cultural quality is an important human capital stock, which can make significant contribution to reducing production cost and developing the positive effect of scale operation. To promote farmland scale management in China, we should pay attention to reducing the transferring cost and transaction cost of farmland by building the land transfer market trading platform, increasing the subsidies for farmland transfer and developing agricultural mechanization, which is helpful to improve agricultural productivity and realize the scale economy. This research can provide a reference for rational land scale management and land use policymaking.
Corporate Governance and Financial Performance: The Interplay of Board Gender Diversity and Intellectual Capital
Authors: Ouni Zeineb , Ben Mansour Jamal , Arfaoui Sana
Published: November 2022

Prior research has found mixed evidence regarding the relationships between board gender diversity (BGD) and firm value. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence on the channels through which BGD affects firm performance; hence, this paper tackles this issue. We aim to investigate the relationship between BGD and firm performance and to explore the mediating role of intellectual capital efficiency (ICE) in this relationship. Using a multivariate regression analysis and a sample of 4008 North American firms from 2002 to 2020 (14,382 firm-year observations), we find that gender diversity is positively related to financial performance, confirming that a diversified board improves board effectiveness and brings new resources to the firm, which allows it to improve its performance. More interestingly, the results of the Structural Equation Model (SEM) indicate that the relationship between gender diversity and performance is more pronounced with the mediating role of ICE. Our results are robust, controlling for the endogeneity and heteroscedasticity issues, with several controls for firm- and country-level characteristics, using alternative sample compositions and alternative econometric techniques, and including year, industry, country and firm-fixed effects. Interestingly, this paper shows strong evidence that the effect of BGD on firm value is more effective by incorporating the role of intellectual capital efficiency.
International Tourism in the Arctic under COVID-19: A Telecoupling Analysis of Iceland
Authors: Remer Michele , Liu Jianguo
Published: November 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism slowed down as the world went into lockdown. This pause in tourism provides a unique opportunity to analyze the environmental and socioeconomic effects of tourism by comparing tourism participation levels before, during, and after the pandemic restrictions. We examined tourism in Iceland, an island nation in the Arctic where international tourists vastly outnumber residents. Specifically, we systematically analyzed the materials, energy, tourist, and information flows, as well as the causes, effects, and agents of tourism in Iceland using the framework of telecoupling (human-nature interactions over distances). Results show that the U.S., U.K., and Nordic countries sent the highest numbers of tourists to Iceland. Flows of tourists to Iceland were tracked based on international flights and cruise ships, with Iceland’s tourism industry returning close to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 for air arrivals, while cruise ship tourism was slower in returning to pre-pandemic levels. Agents in the Icelandic tourism industry include government entities, local businesses, tour operators, and many others. There are diverse causes for tourism in Iceland, such as the demand for nature-based tourism and a cooler climate. International tourism in Iceland had both substantial environmental effects (CO2 emissions, damage to sensitive areas, etc.) and socioeconomic effects (e.g., increases in GDP and jobs). Many effects also spillover to the rest of the world as increases in CO2 emissions contribute to global climate change. Tourism is also expected to continue increasing after Iceland’s 2022 marketing launch of “Iceland Together in Progress.” Since Iceland has had such a strong tourism rebound, other countries around the world (especially other Arctic countries) that are looking to increase their tourism can gain insights from Iceland. However, it is important to make tourism more sustainable (e.g., reduction in CO2 emissions).
Geothermal Plus Sunlight-Based Incubator for Sustainable Pig Production
Authors: Mahfuz Shad , Mun Hong-Seok , Dilawar Muhammad Ammar , Ampode Keiven Mark B. , Chem Veasna , Kim Young-Hwa , Moon Jong-Pil , Yang Chul-Ju
Published: November 2022

This experiment was conducted to assess the effects of a geothermal plus sunlight-based incubator on the growth performance, electricity uses and housing environment of piglets. A total of 20 piglets, average 7.7 ± 0.015 kg (mean ± std.) initial body weight, were randomly divided into two separated incubators: control (conventional incubator) and the geothermal plus sunlight-based heat pump (GS) incubator with 10 replicated piglets. The experimental duration was 8 weeks. Average daily weight gain, feed intake, electricity consumption, and house temperature, humidity, ammonia, and carbon dioxide concentration were measured on a weekly basis. There were no significant differences in the final body weight, average daily body weight gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) between the incubators. The electricity consumption of the GS incubator was reduced by 120.95 kWh/head and the saving efficacy was about 64.76% that of the conventional incubator. The electricity cost was reduced by 3.26 USD and the ratio of feed cost to weigh gain was lower in the GS-based incubator. No significant differences were noted for the internal temperature and humidity between the incubators. The ammonia concentration and carbon dioxide concentration were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the GS-based incubator than the control incubator. The geothermal plus sunlight-based incubator might be healthy and economic for the sustainable pig production.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and Mirror Therapy Methods Are Comparable Methods of Rehabilitation after a First-Ever Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Study
Authors: Borowicz Wojciech , Ptaszkowski Kuba , Murawska-Ciałowicz Eugenia , Rosińczuk Joanna
Published: November 2022

Stroke is a serious cause of premature death among adults and the reason for much long-term disability. Understanding the mechanisms of disability and the potential for recovery of stroke patients should be one of the highest priorities of the health care system. Neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients focuses on functional recovery by activating mechanisms of natural reorganization. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and mirror therapy (MT) are neurorehabilitation methods activating brain plasticity, and their clinical utility for stroke survivors is still under studied. This study compared two neurorehabilitation methods using PNF or MT on functional recovery in patients after a first-ever ischemic stroke. This prospective and interventional randomized clinical study involved a group of 50 patients (34 males and 16 females) with first-ever ischemic stroke, aged 48–82 years being in the recovery-compensation stage and admitted to the unit for early post-stroke rehabilitation. Patients were randomly enrolled into two groups in terms of rehabilitation method used: PNF (n = 26) or MT (n = 24). Barthel Index (BI) was used for assessing functional status at baseline (M0), and 3 (M1) and 6 weeks (M2) after intervention), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used for assessing a disability level at baseline (M0), and 6 weeks (M2) after the intervention. Statistically significant differences were noted in the two study groups in BI (main effect: <0.05). There was an improvement in the MT group between M1 and M2 by 3.6 points, M1 and M3 by 6.9 points, and M2 and M3 by 6.9 points. For the PNF group, there were differences between M1 and M2 by 4.1 points, M1 and M3 by 7.2 points, and M2 and M3 by 3.1 points. Moreover, statistically significant differences were noted in both groups in mRS (main effect: p < 0.05). There was a decrease of 2.2 points in the MT group between M1 and M2 measurements. For the PNF group, there were differences between M1 and M2 by 2.3 points. There were no statistically significant differences between the MT and PNF groups in both BI and mRS scores (p < 0.05). In conclusion, both PNF and MT neurorehabilitation methods could be useful for improving functional status and reducing disability level in patients after first-ever stroke during the regenerative-compensatory stage.
Activation of Peroxymonosulfate by Fe0 for the Degradation of BTEX: Effects of Aging Time and Interfering Ions
Authors: Amiri Mohammad Javad , Afshari Mohaddeseh , Dinari Mohammad , Arshadi Mohammad
Published: November 2022

Resolving three environmental challenges simultaneously—recycling bone waste, aggregation, oxidation of bare nZVI and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and p-xylene (BTEX) contamination—was conducted by fabricating a highly stable and efficient activator of peroxymonosulfate. In this work, a novel heterogeneous catalyst, ostrich bone ash-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (Fe0-OBA) prepared by pyrolysis of animal bones and reduced Fe2+ on the surface of it, was used for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Advantageous properties such as extensive availability, low production cost, and high thermal stability make OBA an appealing carbonaceous material for heterogeneous catalysis. The TEM and SEM results revealed that the black ball-shaped nZVI particles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of OBA. The Fe0-OBA composite had a porous structure with a specific surface area of 109 m2 g−1 according to BET analysis. With BTEX as the refractory pollutant, the PMS-based Fe0-OBA system shows great degradation performance as compared to the homogeneous Fe2+/PMS system. The effects of various parameters, such as initial pH (2–9), temperature (25–45 °C), initial BTEX concentration (50–200 mg L−1), PMS dosage (0.5–1.25 mM), time of reaction (0–60 min), and Fe0-OBA dosage (0.5–5 g L−1) on the BTEX degradation, have been discussed in detail. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model can describe the BTEX degradation by the PMS-based Fe0-OBA system. The excellent stability of Fe0-OBA even after 10 years, while maintaining the degradation efficiency, shows the high potential of it in a wide range of practical applications. This study illustrated that Fe0-OBA could be an effective activator of PMS for the degradation of stubborn organic contaminants in water and wastewater.
Analysis of Rheological Factors of Soft Rock Tunnel Based on Constitutive Model of Rock Parameters Attenuation with Equivalent Effect
Authors: Zhou Zelin , Zhao Yiqi , Zhang Heng , Chen Shougen , Chen Liang , Wang Lu
Published: November 2022

Rock mass deformation is a time related process, especially for soft rock. Its deformation usually has a certain timeliness. Moreover, the deformation of surrounding rock is typically asymmetric. Therefore, it is of great significance to reasonably describe the time-dependent mechanical properties and behaviors of rock mass for practical engineering, especially when the actual engineering is a symmetric structure. Taking the chlorite schist section at the west end of the diversion tunnel of Jinping II Hydropower Station as the research object and introducing the characteristic that creep parameters attenuate with equal effect change into Burgers constitutive model used for numerical calculation, an improved Burgers model is proposed. Then, according to the actual situation of the project, the improved three-parameter H-K model, which is suitable for this study, is proposed by using the fractional calculus method. The effects of different factors on the rheological properties of soft rock tunnels are discussed. The results show that When K is equal to 1, creep is positively correlated with burial depth; When the burial depth H is 1500 m, the creep deformation is positively correlated with the horizontal geostress; The farther away from the working face, the greater the instantaneous elastic deformation release and the later creep displacement; After the tunnel excavation is stopped, the earlier the support is, the smaller the later creep deformation is; After excavation and support of the upper bench, the longer the stagnation time is, the more unfavorable the rheological deformation of the tunnel is.
An Innovative Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach under Picture Fuzzy Information
Authors: Ali Ghous , Abidin Muhammad Zain Ul , Xin Qin , Tawfiq Ferdous M. O.
Published: November 2022

These days, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches play a vital role in making decisions considering multiple criteria. Among these approaches, the picture fuzzy soft set model is emerging as a powerful mathematical tool for handling various kinds of uncertainties in complex real-life MCDM situations because it is a combination of two efficient mathematical tools, namely, picture fuzzy sets and soft sets. However, the picture fuzzy soft set model is deficient; that is, it fails to tackle information symmetrically in a bipolar soft environment. To overcome this difficulty, in this paper, a model named picture fuzzy bipolar soft sets (PRFBSSs, for short) is proposed, which is a natural hybridization of two models, namely, picture fuzzy sets and bipolar soft sets. An example discussing the selection of students for a scholarship is added to illustrate the initiated model. Some novel properties of PRFBSSs such as sub-set, super-set, equality, complement, relative null and absolute PRFBSSs, extended intersection and union, and restricted intersection and union are investigated. Moreover, two fundamental operations of PRFBSSs, namely, the AND and OR operations, are studied. Thereafter, some new results (De Morgan’s law, commutativity, associativity, and distributivity) related to these proposed notions are investigated and explained through corresponding numerical examples. An algorithm is developed to deal with uncertain information in the PRFBSS environment. To show the efficacy and applicability of the initiated technique, a descriptive numerical example regarding the selection of the best graphic designer is explored under PRFBSSs. In the end, concerning both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, a detailed comparative analysis of the initiated model with certain existing models is provided.