bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Replacing Sustainable Development: Potential Frameworks for International Cooperation in an Era of Increasing Crises and Disasters
Authors: Bendell Jem
Published: July 2022

This transdisciplinary review of research about international cooperation on social and environmental change builds the case for replacing Sustainable Development as the dominant framework for an era of increasing crises and disasters. The review is the output of an intentional exploration of recent studies in multiple subject areas, based on the authors’ decades of work in related fields since the Rio Earth Summit 30 years ago. It documents the failure to progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Consequently, scholarship critiquing the conceptual framework behind those ‘Global Goals’, and the economic ideology they arose from, is used to explain that failure. Although the pandemic set back the SDGs, it further revealed the inappropriate strategy behind those goals. This suggests the Global Goals constitute an ‘own-goal’ scored against people and nature. Alternative frameworks for organising action on social and environmental issues are briefly reviewed. It is argued that a future framework must relate to a new eco-social contract between citizen and state and engage existing capabilities that are relevant to an increasingly disrupted world. The case is made for an upgraded form of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) as an overarching framework. The proposed upgrades include detaching from economic ideologies and recognising that a wider metadisaster from climate chaos may reduce the future availability of external support. Therefore, self-reliant resilience and locally led adaptation are important to the future of DRM. Options for professionals continuing to use the term sustainability, such as this journal, are discussed.
Electricity Demand Forecasting of Hospital Buildings in Istanbul
Authors: Soyler Ibrahim , Izgi Ercan
Published: July 2022

Electricity demand forecasting is essential for utilities. For the consumer, predictability of demand is vital for efficient operation, installation, sizing and maintenance planning. Hospitals, which are among the institutions with high-energy consumption, provide uninterrupted service 24 h a day, 7 days a week. Every hospital building is unique, and many do not conform to a typical shape or floor plan. Depending on the services provided, each hospital can differ significantly in terms of energy demand. Therefore, demand forecasting is one of the most complex elements of hospital construction. Although there are many studies on energy optimization related to hospital buildings in the literature, there is a knowledge gap regarding the maximum power estimation of hospitals. In this study, the annual electrical energy use of 23 public hospitals with over 100 beds in Istanbul is measured, and after determining the monthly peak loads, two new forecasting models are generated using regression techniques for maximum demand forecasting. It is determined that the design criteria used in power calculations in hospitals was very high. A positive result was obtained from the linear regression technique, which is one of the basic regression techniques, and it was shown that the maximum power needs of the hospital can be estimated with great confidence by determining a new design factor in the light of the determined values. This study allows designers to set maximum demands and select transformer and generator sizes with a single formula.
Adaptive Individual Differences in Math Courses
Authors: Pilotti Maura A. E. , Abdelsalam Hanadi , Anjum Farheen , Muhi Imad , Nasir Sumiya , Daqqa Ibtisam , Gunderson Gunner D. , Latif Raja M.
Published: July 2022

A higher education that can be defined as sustainable ensures the acquisition of competencies that are necessary to address the current and future needs of the society in which it exists. Because math competencies are an essential component of college students’ academic and professional success, poor performance outcomes are particularly problematic in the context of an education that aims to be sustainable. This research sought to identify dispositions that are predictive of math performance in the post-pandemic world to develop an early detection system for at-risk students of an understudied population (college students of Middle Eastern descent from Saudi Arabia). It specifically targeted female and male students in STEM or non-STEM majors who were enrolled in a math course of the general education curriculum. During the second semester of a return to entirely face-to-face instruction, their self-efficacy, math learning anxiety, math evaluation anxiety, and preference for morning or evening study activities were surveyed. In the post-pandemic world of this understudied population, the math performance of STEM male and female students was hurt by concerns about learning math. The math performance of non-STEM male students benefited from self-efficacy, whereas that of non-STEM female students was unaffected by any of the dispositions surveyed in the present investigation. These findings suggest that individual difference measures can inform early interventions intended to address performance deficiencies in selected groups of students with the overreaching goal of ensuring a sustainable education for all.
Sustainable Recognition Methods of Modeling Design Features of Light and Micro Vehicle-Mounted UAV: Based on Support Vector Regression and Kano Model
Authors: Yang Hao , Huo Yunxiang , Jia Ruoyu , Sha Feng , Hu Naiqi , Yu Linglan , Wang Yueran
Published: July 2022

In the era of Industry 4.0, intelligent algorithms provide an effective way to make design methods more sustainable through mining people’s demands continuously, especially in the field of evaluating and predicting the user preferences of phasic or interim design schemes. Vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are of significance in mobility experience and traffic surveys. However, as a new type of product, UAVs lack general rules in modeling design and the process of development decision making presents some fuzzy characteristics, which make the evolution and iteration of modeling design more complex. Based on the theories of Kansei Engineering, this study utilized support vector regression (SVR) to establish a correlation model between design factors and preference degree. Because the perceptual evaluation knowledge is fuzzy and uncertain, the paper applied cross-validation and grid search methods to find the optimal parameters. The parameters of the SVR model were adjusted to meet the need for stable learning and for endurance of the noise from subjective experience data to improve the prediction effect and generalization ability. In addition, by means of the Kano model, the customers’ cognition of demand types was quantified to obtain the prioritization of UAV modeling design elements, as well as to compare with the preference scores to validate the feasibility of this research. It was found that the SVR model proposed in the study could effectively predict user preference (R2 = 0.763, RMSE = 0.057). For the UAVs with a higher preference score, the modeling characteristics were consistent with the attractive, one-dimensional or must-be quality elements in the results of the Kano model, which verified the reliability of the study. The conclusion is expected to provide a sustainable design method for vehicle-mounted UAVs commonly used in citizen travel and outdoor activities.
Effectiveness of Social Participation Courses Applied in the Disaster Prevention for Taiwanese K-12 Education
Authors: Shyr Wen-Jye , Ho Wei-Sho , Chen Jie-Ru , Chang Li-Ya , Chen I-Min
Published: July 2022

The development of disaster prevention literacy is not listed as a compulsory course in the K-12 education system in Taiwan, and there are very few academic departments that focus mainly on disaster prevention education in the domestic higher education system. For Taiwan, where disasters are relatively frequent, it is indispensable for every citizen to have the proper disaster prevention knowledge and response skills. In recent years, education courses related to disaster prevention have been gradually set up in general education courses in universities and colleges in response to the trend. This study took students of the elective courses on disaster prevention education in the general education courses of universities as the experimental subjects. Supplemented by the social participation course operation model, the cooperation of team members during the course can bring students a different experiential value to further achieve the teaching goal of improving learning achievement and feedback. It was found from the research results that: (1) the appropriate disaster prevention course arrangement can bring positive and significant effects on the dimensions of perceived experience and team interaction; (2) the learning mode of the university disaster prevention education course, combined with the social participation course operation model, was helpful to the improvement of experiential value and learning achievement; (3) the mediation regression analysis showed the cooperation mode of group team members’ interaction did have a partial mediation effect in terms of experiential value, as well as learning achievement and feedback compared with the traditional pure classroom teaching model. The research results indicated that the teaching effectiveness of the disaster prevention education course for college students with the social participation course operation model was good.
The Influence of Consumption Context on Indulgent Versus Healthy Yoghurts: Exploring the Relationship between the Associated Emotions and the Actual Choices
Authors: Ballco Petjon , Piqueras-Fiszman Betina , van Trijp Hans C. M.
Published: July 2022

This work examines the associated emotions of consumers transmitted from extrinsic attributes (fat-related nutrition claims (full-fat, low-fat, and fat-free) and ingredient features (plain, berries, and double chocolate chunk)) labelled on yoghurt packages. It differentiates by consumption context (health versus indulgent) at the time of the survey and studies the relationship between the associated emotions (e.g., positive versus negative) attached to extrinsic attributes and the actual choices. The research was conducted in the Netherlands in 2019, with 209 regular consumers of yoghurt. Participants were divided into two treatments according to each consumption context and a control group (no context); they were instructed to imagine purchasing yoghurt to consume it as a healthy snack or as a dessert or received no instructions. After choosing their preferred option from a discrete choice experiment, participants indicated how the choice made them feel from a list of emotions. The results revealed significant differences between positive emotional profiles for choosing healthy (low-fat) yoghurts with berries and negative profiles for choosing less healthy alternatives (full-fat) with double chocolate chunk sensory features. The findings from a random parameter logit model showed that participants who continuously chose the same type of yoghurt in all choice tasks selected mostly positive rather than negative emotions. The overall findings suggest that the associated emotions affect yoghurt choices. However, the emotions were mainly affected by the consumption context.
Mechanical Performance of Amorphous Metallic Fiber-Reinforced and Rubberized Thin Bonded Cement-Based Overlays
Authors: Javed Ayesha , Gillani Syed Asad Ali , Abbass Wasim , Riaz Muhammad Rizwan , Hameed Rashid , Abbas Safeer , Salmi Abdelatif , Deifalla Ahmed Farouk
Published: July 2022

To improve the flexural behavior of thin bonded cement-based overlays, this study was carried out on the use of repair material incorporating amorphous metallic fibers (AMFs) in combination with the rubber aggregates obtained from grinding of worn-out tires. For this study, sixteen mortar mix compositions were prepared to contain AMFs and/or rubber aggregates to be used as overlay material while the substrate used was plain cement mortar. Rubber aggregates were incorporated at three different replacement ratios (i.e., 10%, 20% and 30%) by an equivalent volume of sand, and AMFs were added in three different dosages (i.e., 10 kg/m3, 20 kg/m3 and 30 kg/m3). In this study, composite beams (500 × 100 × 140 mm) comprising substrate (500 × 100 × 100 mm) and repair layer (500 × 100 × 40 mm) were prepared and investigated under flexural loading. Experimental results showed that the increase in rubber content resulted in a decrease compressive strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity. Rubberized fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (30R30F) exhibited higher flexural toughness and the flexural toughness improved up to 400%. Toughness and maximum deflection of composite beams enhanced significantly due to synergetic effect of AMF and rubber aggregates. It was observed that before peak load, rubber plays its role by delaying the micro-crack propagation. Results also revealed that the steel fibers reinforcement plays an important role in restraining the crack openings under flexure loading. In the post-peak region, steel fibers control the cracks from propagating further by bridging action and provide higher post-peak residual strength.
Study on the Relationship between Low-Carbon Circular Farming and Animal Husbandry Models and Human Well-Being: A Case Study of Yongchang County, Gansu Province
Authors: Zhang Ying , Dong Xiaobin , Wang Xue-Chao , Liu Mengxue , Zhang Peng , Liu Ranran , Huang Jiuming , Dong Shuheng
Published: July 2022

The detrimental effects of climate change require countries and regions to use green and low-carbon strategies as the basis for economic development. Agriculture and livestock industry have become among the main industries that emit greenhouse gases. Yongchang County is suitable for the development of large-scale livestock operations due to its unique geographical advantages. However, the potential effects of the carbon dioxide emissions and the environmental impact potential of various farming and animal husbandry farming models on human well-being need to be considered. The purpose of this paper is to use life cycle assessment (LCA) to comprehensively assess the carbon emissions and environmental impact of circular agriculture and livestock industry and to provide important decision support for the establishment of a low-carbon circular agriculture and animal husbandry model. It uses a 75 kg dairy sheep as a functional unit to combine a noncircular farming model (S1) and a circular farming model (S2). The degree of carbon emissions, environmental impact potential and human well-being environmental effects are compared. The results show that the carbon dioxide emission of S1 is 891.3 kg, while the emission of S2 is 647.3 kg, and the difference between the two is 244 kg. S2 has a lower global warming potential than the S1 model; hence, the S2 model, which uses biogas for power, has lower carbon emission than the S1 model. From the perspective of human well-being and environmental benefits, the S2 model of biogas power generation is a low carbon emission and high-benefit model. The biogas power generation model lays the foundation for the realization of the “peak carbon dioxide emissions” and “carbon neutralization” goal, strengthens ecological protection on the north side of the Qilian Mountains and improves human well-being in the region.
Correction: Nakagawa, Y.; Saijo, T. Future Design as a Metacognitive Intervention for Presentism. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7552
Authors: Nakagawa Yoshinori , Saijo Tatsuyoshi
Published: July 2022

The authors would like to make the following correction to the published paper [...]
The Structural Dimensions of “Double-Qualified” Teachers’ Work Role Transition Competence and Its Generation Mechanism
Authors: Li Zhenghai , Li Yanping
Published: July 2022

The competence to change work roles is a key factor for individuals in achieving a successful work role transition. In this study, we analyzed in-depth interview data of 31 “double-qualified” teachers and related teaching managers in higher education institutions using the grounded theory method and constructed a model of the structural dimensions of teachers’ work role transition competence and its generation mechanism. The model was also interpreted using work role transition theory, the Job Demand–Control–Support (JDCS) model, and employee learning theory. The research results show that the work role transition competence of teachers in higher education institutions is mainly composed of four dimensions: old role detachment, psychological adaptation, new role cognition, and resource reserve capacity; the four factors of work role demand (initiation factor), role breadth self-efficacy (internal contextual factor), social support (external contextual factor), and individual learning (direct factor) follow the theoretical logic of “demand–context–learning–competence” to influence the formation of work role transition competence. This study enriches and expands the theory of work role transition, which can help teachers in higher education institutions to effectively apply it in their work role transitions and can help higher education institutions to further improve the corresponding norms of human resource management practice.
Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles Considering Their Integration into the Smart Grid
Authors: Tamay Pablo , Inga Esteban
Published: July 2022

Concern about environmental problems, including the greenhouse effect, directly related to the gases produced by vehicles, has led governments and various organizations to promote standards on fuel use and gas emissions. Therefore, promoting the development of electric vehicles is fundamental to facing the challenges of climate change and achieving sustainable transportation. For this reason, this article presents a bibliometric analysis based on databases to elaborate on the state of the art that integrates successful cases in the design and implementation of charging stations for electric vehicles. Once the results are presented, a methodological model is proposed for the design of charging stations considering restrictions and recommendations issued by international standardization organizations. The Digsilent PowerFactory software analyzes the behavior of active and reactive power, voltage, and current. Finally, a system for different charging modes and powers is proposed. The charging system is tested through the insertion of phase–ground, phase–phase, and three-phase short circuits located at the connection points of the charging stations, and the faults are inserted and released in different periods for the analysis of system stability. As a result, it has a stable system for all proposed scenarios, as long as the fault is released; otherwise, the system remains unstable. The three-phase fault is the most severe for the load system, making the performance of the protections assigned to each circuit essential.
Big Data Capability and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: The Mediating Role of Ambidextrous Innovation Strategy
Authors: Zhang Zhengang , Shang Yu , Cheng Linyuan , Hu Antao
Published: July 2022

After the rapid expansion of data variety, velocity and volume, human civilization experienced rapid changes in the period between the “IT” and “Data” ages. Researchers view big data and data capability as new sustainable competitive advantages that enhance the sustainability of organizational development. This paper aims to develop and empirically test a framework that will investigate how big data capability is achieved through exploitative, explorative and ambidextrous modes of innovation strategies, and will also explore how they can, in turn, build firms’ sustainable competitive advantage. Using data from surveys of 229 respondents working in Chinese manufacturing firms, we test the framework using regression and bootstrapped mediation analyses. It also shows how big data capability will make firms more inclined to implement exploitative innovation strategy and construct sustainable competitive advantage, as opposed to explorative innovation strategy; when viewed from an ambidextrous perspective, combined dimension of ambidextrous innovation strategy is found to partially mediate between big data capability and sustainable competitive advantage while balanced dimension of ambidextrous innovation strategy does not. The conclusions are of great significance because they will help firms to deal with challenges that arise in big data applications and digital transformation. The findings offer new insight into the strategic choices of organizational innovations.
A Routine-Based Theory of Routine Replication
Authors: Grandinetti Roberto
Published: July 2022

Organizational routines have been investigated by scholars from two opposite perspectives: the first is rooted in the evolutionary economics of Nelson and Winter; the second relies on the reconceptualization of routines proposed by Feldman and Pentland. The main reason that has kept the perspectives separated concerns the issue of routine replication, which found space in the former while it remained in the shadows in the latter. Studies that have dealt with this issue offer many clues on the one or other form that replication can take. What is lacking is a routine-based theory of routine replication capable of comparing their different forms. The paper pursues this goal in two stages. First, routines are reconceptualized as repetitive, recognizable patterns of interdependent actions, connected with the external environment, guided by specific knowledge and involving multiple, interacting actors and artifacts. Then, this reconceptualization leads to a discussion of the issue of routine replication and its forms. This way of conceiving routines leads to developing an original and unitary theoretical framework covering the different forms of routine replication. What lends intra-organizational replication a greater replicability than inter-organizational replication is the presence of a template and of actors specialized in planning the replication process. In its serial and routinized form, intra-organizational replication can potentially reach the highest level of replicability. The same results can be achieved by the routine replication that underlies franchise systems. In the two forms of inter-organizational replication—spin-offs and employee mobility—the template is replaced by a weaker knowledge repository consisting of the memory of individuals who leave one organization and try to replicate its routines at another. The disadvantage deriving from the lack of a template can be contained when specific factors are present that facilitate the work of replication actors.
Rebound Effect of China’s Electric Power Demand in the Context of Technological Innovation
Authors: Lu Yan , Yang Xu , Ma Yixiang , Yu Lean
Published: July 2022

Technological innovations in the power industry can help reduce electricity consumption but may also have a negative result due to rebound effects. Estimation and refinement of electricity demand rebound effects are important for assessing the impact of technological innovations. For this purpose, this paper first constructs a Log Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) to measure the structural and technical effects. Secondly, a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)–Malmquist Productivity Index is used to calculate the change in the generalized rate of technological progress, narrow rate of technological progress, and technical use efficiency. Thirdly, the electric power demand rebound effect during the New Normal period is calculated to compare with the rebound effect of the overall energy. Finally, a vector auto-regressive (VAR) model and an impulse response function (IRF) are used to investigate the impact degree of electric power demand changes on other energy demand under the “electrical energy substitution” strategy. The empirical results indicate that the general technological progress rate of China’s electric power industry is increasing gradually in the New Normal period, and the variations in electric demand exhibit the characteristics of the backfire effect and partial rebound effect, respectively, in the context of generalized technological innovation and narrow technological innovation. Meanwhile, contrary to the changing trend of the overall energy demand intensity, electric power demand intensity increased continuously with the advancement of the “electrical energy substitution” strategy, which led to a continuous decline in other energy demands.
Exploring EFL Teachers’ Emotions and the Impact on Their Sustainable Professional Development in Livestream Teaching: A Chinese Case Study
Authors: Gu Haibo , Mao Yuting , Wang Qian
Published: July 2022

Due to the impact of COVID-19, most Chinese universities have launched livestream teaching. Faced with this significant change of teaching mode, teachers experienced different emotions, including predominant negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, and anger, alongside a few positive emotions like satisfaction, love, and happiness. With the rising attention on teacher emotion research, this study explores the emotional experiences of five Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in livestream teaching. Drawing from data collected via interviews and case documents, it examines the causes of these teachers’ emotions and the impact thereof on their sustainable professional development. The findings suggest that teacher emotions were produced through the interaction between teachers’ goals and the environment, which included students’ performance, features of livestream teaching, and the institutional livestream teaching requirements. The impacts of teacher emotions on their sustainable professional development were identified: deepening teachers’ understanding of online teaching, shaping teacher identities, and motivating teachers to take action. Implications regarding developing teachers’ coping strategies for various emotions and sustaining their professional development in online teaching are also included.
Vulnerability of Maize Farming Systems to Climate Change: Farmers’ Opinions Differ about the Relevance of Adaptation Strategies
Authors: Albert Marine , Bergez Jacques-Eric , Willaume Magali , Couture Stéphane
Published: July 2022

Climate change has negative impacts on maize cultivation in southwestern France, such as soil erosion and water stress. The vulnerability of maize farming systems to climate change must be assessed before considering potential adaptation strategies. This study focused on eliciting and understanding criteria that maize growers use to assess the vulnerability of their farming systems to climate change. To this end, we surveyed maize growers in two consecutive stages: a qualitative stage, to elicit vulnerability criteria, and a quantitative stage, to test the genericity of criteria related to the adaptation strategies. The qualitative stage identified 144 criteria that farmers used to assess vulnerability to climate change, while the quantitative stage showed that farmers’ opinions about the adaptation strategies differed. Many factors explained these differences, including structural (e.g., soil type) and psychological factors (e.g., interest in agroecology). Our typology of farmers revealed that their interest in agroecology and technology, as well as their perceptions of the risks of climate change and their attachment to their production systems, influence the type of adaptations they identify as relevant (i.e., intensification strategies, slight adjustments or agroecological innovations). Farmers’ perceptions should be considered when providing individual advice and assessing vulnerability, by including criteria related to their psychological characteristics.
How to Measure Inclusion in Higher Education: An Inclusive Rating
Authors: Jaegler Anicia
Published: July 2022

Nowadays, inclusion is a main concern whoever and wherever. Higher education and business schools have been criticized for their non-inclusion for many years. In this context, higher education has a model role to play concerning inclusion. However, there is a lack of tools to measure the inclusivity levels of institutions. Thus, it is difficult to really know if higher education is inclusive or not and in case it is needed, where they must be more inclusive. This paper proposes a new tool. This paper created an inclusivity index that provides an operational answer to assess inclusivity. This tool does not rank institutions as ranking was highly criticized. It rates the levels of inclusivity of all the stakeholders of higher education for different dimensions.
Optimising Changeover through Lean-Manufacturing Principles: A Case Study in a Food Factory
Authors: Garcia-Garcia Guillermo , Singh Yadvinder , Jagtap Sandeep
Published: July 2022

Operations management is a key aspect in any manufacturing business. Optimising the management of manufacturing operations allows improvement of the productivity and efficiency of industrial activities. To achieve this, reducing waste from manufacturing processes and, therefore, implementing lean-manufacturing principles, is key. This article presents a case study to reduce waste in changeover processes at a ready-meal manufacturer based in South Yorkshire, UK. We identified a large number of activities as part of the changeover process. We applied the Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) methodology to reduce and, whenever possible, eliminate changeover, and line hopping to further optimise changeover. After implementing improvement measures, changeover time was reduced by nearly 30%, OEE was increased to over 70%, and labour costs were reduced by 10%. This shows how lean principles can aid in implementing more effective and economically sustainable manufacturing operations.
The Global Value Chain and Welfare Effects of Tariffs—Counterfactual Analysis of Sino–US Economic and Trade Frictions
Authors: Qin Mengzhou , Fan Zijie , Zhong Yuan
Published: July 2022

This paper aims to study the impact of Sino–US (China–United States) trade frictions on global value chains and welfare changes. We introduce the general equilibrium model for multi-country and multi-sector heterogeneous enterprises and combine it with an input–output structure. The results show that the additional tariffs on China and the US reduce bilateral trade and affect the overall imports and exports of both countries to varying degrees. The results show that the additional tariffs on China and the US affect both countries’ overall imports and exports to varying degrees. The impact of the trade of manufactured goods is greater than that of the trade of intermediate goods. The welfare effect in China has dropped by 0.163%, while the corresponding effect in the US has improved by 0.016%. The main reason for the decline in China’s welfare is the deterioration of the terms of trade. Increased tariffs between China and the US can reduce bilateral trade between the two countries, particularly in intermediate goods, and can cause a reorganization of global value chains in both regions.
Study on the Characteristics of Soil Erosion in the Black Soil Area of Northeast China under Natural Rainfall Conditions: The Case of Sunjiagou Small Watershed
Authors: Dai Taoyan , Wang Liquan , Li Tienan , Qiu Pengpeng , Wang Jun
Published: July 2022

In the black soil area, where soil erosion is severe and the soil is in urgent need of ecological restoration, providing reasonable and practical measures to prevent soil erosion and restore the soil is an urgent issue at present. In this study, nine runoff plots were deployed in Bin County, the core area of soil erosion control, to monitor runoff and soil loss long-term, simulated by the erosion potential method (EPM) for comparison. Studies have shown that soil erosion is strongly influenced by soil conservation measures, land use, and vegetation cover. In contrast, slope, pre-soil moisture content, and soil crusting due to rainfall can affect erosion in a single rainfall event. The most severe soil erosion was in bare land, up to 1093.58 t km−2 a−1, followed by longitudinal ridge tillage land (751.88 t km−2 a−1) and cross ridge tillage land (31.58 t km−2 a−1). The shrublands and mixed forests planted for ecological restoration experienced almost no erosion. The soil loss rate of the cross ridge tillage and ecological restoration plots was much lower than the allowable soil loss rate (200 t km−2 a−1). Under erosive storms, longitudinal ridge tillage can produce soil loss rates that far exceed those of bare ground. The change from longitudinal ridge tillage to cross ridge tillage on gentle slopes can effectively prevent soil erosion in the study area. The vegetation restoration measures of planting shrubs such as Amorpha fruticosa Linn. are incredibly effective in the ecological restoration of wastelands in black soil areas. For the black soil area after the retreat, the vertical structure of vegetation can be improved by planting shrubs at the bottom, thus achieving a good restoration effect.
Hydrogen Fuel for Future Mobility: Challenges and Future Aspects
Authors: Dash Santanu Kumar , Chakraborty Suprava , Roccotelli Michele , Sahu Umesh Kumar
Published: July 2022

Nowadays, the combustion of fossil fuels for transportation has a major negative impact on the environment. All nations are concerned with environmental safety and the regulation of pollution, motivating researchers across the world to find an alternate transportation fuel. The transition of the transportation sector towards sustainability for environmental safety can be achieved by the manifestation and commercialization of clean hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen fuel for sustainable mobility has its own effectiveness in terms of its generation and refueling processes. As the fuel requirement of vehicles cannot be anticipated because it depends on its utilization, choosing hydrogen refueling and onboard generation can be a point of major concern. This review article describes the present status of hydrogen fuel utilization with a particular focus on the transportation industry. The advantages of onboard hydrogen generation and refueling hydrogen for internal combustion are discussed. In terms of performance, affordability, and lifetime, onboard hydrogen-generating subsystems must compete with what automobile manufacturers and consumers have seen in modern vehicles to date. In internal combustion engines, hydrogen has various benefits in terms of combustive properties, but it needs a careful engine design to avoid anomalous combustion, which is a major difficulty with hydrogen engines. Automobile makers and buyers will not invest in fuel cell technology until the technologies that make up the various components of a fuel cell automobile have advanced to acceptable levels of cost, performance, reliability, durability, and safety. Above all, a substantial advancement in the fuel cell stack is required.
Knowledge Atlas on the Relationship between Water Management and Constructed Wetlands—A Bibliometric Analysis Based on CiteSpace
Authors: Zhang Yanqin , You Xianli , Huang Shanjun , Wang Minhua , Dong Jianwen
Published: July 2022

Water management is a crucial resource conservation challenge that mankind faces, and encouraging the creation of manmade wetlands with the goal of achieving long-term water management is the key to long-term urban development. To summarise and analyse the status of the research on the relationship between water management and constructed wetlands, this paper makes use of the advantages of the bibliometric visualization of CiteSpace to generate country/region maps and author-collaboration maps, and to analyse research hotspots and research dynamics by using keywords and literature co-citations based on 1248 pieces of related literature in the core collection in the Web of Science (WoS) database. The existing research shows that the research content and methods in the field of constructed-wetland and water-management research are constantly being enriched and deepened, including the research methods frequently used in constructed wetlands in water management and in the research content under concern, the functions and roles of constructed wetlands, the relevant measurement indicators of the purification impact of constructed wetlands on water bodies, and the types of water bodies treated by constructed wetlands in water management. We summarise the impact pathways of constructed wetlands on water management, as well as the impact factors of constructed wetlands under water-management objectives, by analysing the future concerns in the research field to provide references for research.
New Habits of Travellers Deriving from COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey in Ports and Airports of the Adriatic Region
Authors: Mancinelli Enrico , Rizza Umberto , Canestrari Francesco , Graziani Andrea , Virgili Simone , Passerini Giorgio
Published: July 2022

The aim of this paper is to analyse the variations in the habits and the modes of transport of travellers departing from airports and ports during the COVID-19 outbreak. In the second year of the pandemic (i.e., from August to October 2021), travellers were invited to take part in an anonymous online survey at the terminal buildings of nine Italian and Croatian airports and ports located in the Adriatic region. Around 73% of respondents used public transport when travelling in the pre-COVID-19 period, whereas the corresponding share of respondents in the COVID-19 period was less than 50% and approximately 56% in the post-COVID-19 future. The main reason for not travelling by public transport was related to personal or sanitary reasons in the time of COVID-19. During the pandemic, around 39% of travellers preferred their own vehicle to public transport for moving to/from the airports and ports because of safety and sanitary reasons. With the pandemic, health was the main reason behind daily choices for up to 49% of the respondents. Moreover, a similar share of travellers considered health when choosing the transportation mode during and after the pandemic.
Effects of Soil Application of Chitosan and Foliar Melatonin on Growth, Photosynthesis, and Heavy Metals Accumulation in Wheat Growing on Wastewater Polluted Soil
Authors: Dradrach Agnieszka , Iqbal Muhammad , Lewińska Karolina , Jędroszka Natalia , Gull-e-Faran  , Rana Muhammad Arbaz Khalid , Tanzeem-ul-Haq Hafiz Syed
Published: July 2022

Due to freshwater scarcity in developing countries, irrigating the arable land with wastewater poses potential ecological risks to the environment and food quality. Using cheap soil amendments and foliar application of a newly discovered molecule “melatonin” (ML) can alleviate these effects. The objectives of this pot study were to evaluate the effectiveness of the sole addition of chitosan (CH) and sugar beet factory lime (SBL) in wastewater impacted soil, foliar application of ML, and combining each soil amendment with ML on the heavy metals (HMs) accumulation, growth, nutritional quality and photosynthesis in wheat. Results showed that CH was more effective than SBL for reducing HMs bioavailability in soil, HMs distribution in plants, improving photosynthesis, nutritional quality, and growth. ML application also influenced plant parameters but less than CH and SBL. The CH+ML treatment was the most effective for influencing plant parameters and reducing HMs bioavailability in the soil. Compared to control, CH+ML significantly reduced the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Co in roots, shoots, and grain up to 89%. We conclude that adding CH+ML in wastewater impacted soils can remediate the soil; reduce HMs concentrations in plants; and improve their photosynthesis, plant growth, grain yield, and nutrition.
Revisiting Education for Sustainable Development: Methods to Inspire Secondary School Students toward Renewable Energy
Authors: Hoque Fahimul , Yasin Ruhizan M. , Sopian Kamaruzzaman
Published: July 2022

Education is key to advancing a society that can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One SDG is shifting energy consumption from fossil fuels to renewable energy (RE) sources to reduce environmental damage and prevent global warming. Awareness must be instilled among citizens at an early age (as early as secondary school) to motivate students to pursue higher education and careers in RE concepts and technologies. To analyze the current trends of existing education in RE concepts and education for sustainable development (ESD) in secondary schools, this study employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses method to systematically review 25 articles that were selected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The articles highlighted the availability of RE-targeted ESD in secondary schools and their impacts on students and society. However, they revealed a significant lack of curricula on RE concepts and ESD in secondary schools, reflecting the low knowledge, interest in, and awareness of RE and its concepts among students. The articles revealed positive impacts of introducing certain RE-targeted ESD courses/activities on students. Thus, we propose adopting new methods that include collaborative multidisciplinary and informal and non-formal and other factors as a means toward arousing secondary students’ interest in RE education to achieve the SDGs.
An Analysis of the Measurement of Symbiosis Intensity in Scenic Spots and the Influence Mechanism
Authors: Xu Chunxiao , Tang Hui
Published: July 2022

Scenic symbiosis, which is of great research significance, is an important way to achieve high-quality coordinated development of regional tourism. Based on the symbiosis theory, this paper defines the symbiosis intensity of scenic spots and establishes a calculation scheme. On the one hand, it measures the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of symbiosis intensity of 281 scenic spots in Hunan Province from September 2018 to December 2021. On the other hand, it uses a multiple linear regression model to quantitatively explore its influence mechanism. The results indicate that: (1) From September 2018 to December 2021, the tourism demand in Hunan Province presented fluctuations due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be divided into three stages: “slight increase before the COVID-19 pandemic”, “rapid decline during the COVID-19 pandemic”, and “slow recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic”; (2) The symbiosis intensity of scenic spots is mainly at a low, low-middle level; with Changsha City and the Western Hunan Area as dual cores, it reflects obvious “core-edge” characteristics; (3) Quality index, market attention level, connection breadth, and distance index jointly affect the symbiosis intensity of scenic spots. Among them, the quality index, market attention level, and connection breadth all have positive impacts on the symbiosis intensity, whereas the distance index has a negative impact on it. Finally, this paper discusses how to improve the symbiosis intensity of scenic spots and promote the mutual benefit and symbiosis development to provide a theoretical basis and practical reference for the promotion of the sustainable development of regional tourism.
Green Synthesis of Sodium Cyanide Using Hydrogen Cyanide Extracted under Vacuum from Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Leaves
Authors: Monga Ilunga , Paul Vimla , Muniyasamy Sudhakar , Zinyemba Orpah
Published: July 2022

This study was carried out to develop a green approach to synthesising sodium cyanide (NaCN) using hydrogen cyanide (HCN) extracted from cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) leaves after 120 min of maceration at 30 °C and 45 min of recovery under vacuum at 35–40 °C. The CN- ion released via autolysis was reacted with the Na+ ion following vacuum extraction of the former to produce NaCN by saturating the absorbing sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. This specific extraction method avoided direct contact between the cassava leaves homogenate and the absorbing solution. NaCN was crystallised by drying the NaCN slurry at 100 °C in an air oven. A total of 15.70 kg of fresh cassava leaves was needed to produce 32.356 g of NaCN (green-NaCN) (% NaCN yield = 0.21%). The results of X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, show that NaCN was successfully prepared using the proposed method. These spectral techniques showed that the control and green-NaCN contained sodium carbonate impurities. The latter was quantified by the titration experiments and was found to be 0.61% and 2.29% in the control and green-NaCN, respectively. Furthermore, the titration experiments revealed that the residual NaOH content was 1.63% in control NaCN and 4.68% in green-NaCN. The aim of modifying the green synthesis route for producing NaCN from cassava, developed by the Attahdaniel research group in 2013 and 2020, was achieved.
Effective Majorana Neutrino Mass for ΔL = 2 Neutrino Oscillations
Authors: Khatun Amina , Šimkovic Fedor
Published: July 2022

It is well known that the observations of neutrinoless double-beta decay prove the Majorana nature of the neutrino. However, with specific values of Majorana phases, the effective Majorana neutrino mass to be estimated from the observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments is strongly suppressed if the neutrino mass pattern adheres to a normal ordering. In this case, double-beta decay might not be observed even though the neutrino is Majorana in nature. We show if neutrinos oscillate to antineutrinos in their propagation; then, the observation of this oscillation proves that neutrinos are Majorana and will provide a measurement of neutrino masses and Majorana phases.
Fuzzy Rough Programming Models: An Expected Value Perspective
Authors: Jiang Guanshuang , Wang Guang , Zhang Haomin , Zheng Haoran
Published: July 2022

Usually, the quasi-normal fluctuations in practical applications are described via symmetric uncertainty variables, which is a common phenomenon in the manufacturing industry. However, it is relatively scarce in the literature to discuss two-fold uncertainty due to the its complexity. To deal with roughness and ambiguity to accommodate inherent uncertainties, fuzzy rough programming approaches are put forward. In this paper, we pay attention to exploring two kinds of programming problems, namely fuzzy rough single-objective programming and fuzzy rough multi-objective programming, in which objective functions and/or constraints involve fuzzy rough variables (FRV). In accordance with the related existing research of FRVs, such as the chance measure and the expected value (EV) operator, this paper further discusses the EV model, convexity theory, and the crisp equivalent model of fuzzy rough programming. After that, combined with the latest published NIA-S fuzzy simulation technique, a new fuzzy rough simulation algorithm is developed to calculate the EVs of complicated functions for handling the presented fuzzy rough programming problems. In the end, the two types of numerical examples are provided for demonstration.