bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-Altitude Remote Sensing Inversion of River Flow in Ungauged Basins
Authors: Zhou Mingtong , Guo Yuchuan , Wang Ning , Wei Xuan , Bai Yunbao , Wang Huijing
Published: October 2022

Runoff is closely related to human production, the regional environment, and hydrological characteristics. It is also an important basis for water cycle research and regional water resource development and management. However, obtaining hydrological information for uninformed river sections is complicated by harsh environments, limited transportation, sparse populations, and a low density of hydrological observation stations in the inland arid zone. Here, low-altitude remote sensing technology was introduced to combine riverbed characteristics through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inversion with classical hydraulic equations for ungauged basins in the middle and lower reaches of the Keriya River, northwest China, and investigate the applicability of this method on wide and shallow riverbeds of inland rivers. The results indicated that the estimated average error of the low-altitude remote sensing flow was 8.49% (ranging 3.26–17.00%), with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.59 m3·s−1 across the six selected river sections, suggesting that this method has some applicability in the study area. Simultaneously, a method for estimating river flow based on the water surface width– and water depth–flow relationship curves for each section was proposed whereas the precise relationships were selected based on actual section attributes to provide a new method for obtaining runoff data in small- and medium-scale river areas where information is lacking.
Data Management Risks: A Bane of Construction Project Performance
Authors: Tanga Ornella , Akinradewo Opeoluwa , Aigbavboa Clinton , Oke Ayodeji , Adekunle Samuel
Published: October 2022

The construction industry is a sector that creates employment opportunities for everybody from all backgrounds. A good performance achieved through managing data is one factor that enables the construction industry’s success and development. Unfortunately, data management encounters challenges regarding data safety, due to the implementation of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) (digitalisation). This study sets out to evaluate the effects of risks to data management on the performance of construction projects. This research work used a quantitative methodology and gathered information from different construction professionals in the South African construction industry via a well-structured questionnaire through online platforms. These professionals were quantity surveyors, architects, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers practising for a firm, company, organization, or institution within Gauteng province, South Africa. A random sampling technique was used in this research to ensure that each part and set of individuals had an equivalent possibility of being incorporated into the sample. Of 215 questionnaires sent out, 181 (84.19%) responses were received and used for data analysis. Mean item score (MIS), standard deviation (SD), a non-parametric test, and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyse the retrieved data. Findings revealed that loss of construction project data, loss of confidential information, company image and reputational harm are among the top three effects that risks to data have on people working in the construction sector. This study concluded that these data management risk effects could be prevented if construction project stakeholders were aware of the different data management risks.
Analysis of the Mediating Role of Place Attachment in the Link between Tourists’ Authentic Experiences of, Involvement in, and Loyalty to Rural Tourism
Authors: Wang Ge , Huang Liman , Xu Changliang , He Kai , Shen Kang , Liang Peiyu
Published: October 2022

The sustainable development of rural tourism is conducive to awakening “sleeping” resources, upgrading the industrial structure in rural areas, enhancing the revitalization ability of rural areas, accelerating the construction of cultural tourism, and promoting the strategy of rural revitalization. The loyalty of tourists has been considered as an important construct to describe the relationship between rural tourism growth and travelers’ future behavioral intentions. This study aims to integrate the relationship between authentic experience, involvement, place attachment, and loyalty into rural tourism research. The results of the study showed that tourists’ authentic experience and tourism participation have a significantly positive effect on place identity and place dependence (two different dimensions of place attachment), and authentic experience significantly positively affects involvement. Place identity and place dependence greatly and positively affect tourist loyalty. Furthermore, place dependence and place identity play a comprehensive mediating role in the relationship between authentic experience, involvement, and loyalty. The research findings provide a theoretical foundation and a point of reference for rural destinations in developing additional strategies and initiatives.
Cyclic Behaviour of Uniform Sand in Drained and Undrained Conditions at Low Confining Stress in Small-Scale Landslide Model
Authors: Jagodnik Vedran , Arbanas Željko
Published: October 2022

Earthquakes are one of the main landslide-triggering factors. Earthquakes induce cyclic shear stresses and strains in soil and raise pore water pressure, degrading soil strength towards slope failure. Slopes on which shallow landslides can form due to geological conditions are most susceptible to such failures, mainly because of low confining stress. Effective confining stress has a significant role on soil response during static and cyclic loading. Under low confining stress, soil exhibits dilatant behaviour and can degrade rapidly under cyclic loading. This paper presents the results of undrained and drained cyclic triaxial tests on uniform sandy soil material used for modelling small-scale shallow landslides under 1g conditions. Based on the scaling laws for a model in 1g conditions, the frequencies of straining amplitudes for strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests were defined. Undrained and drained cyclic triaxial tests on the type of sand used in small-scale landslide models were performed. The sandy samples had been previously consolidated at low confining stress corresponding to the values present in the shallow landslides used as the prototype. The influences of loading frequency and low confining stress on sand behaviour were investigated, and simple models for pore pressure build-up and volumetric strain on sand behaviour were proposed. These simple models can be used to estimate increasing pore water pressure and volumetric strain due to cyclic loading at low confining stress for frequencies lower than 1 Hz. The proposed models show good correlation with the data obtained in the laboratory test.
Blockchain and IoT-Driven Optimized Consensus Mechanism for Electric Vehicle Scheduling at Charging Stations
Authors: Kakkar Riya , Gupta Rajesh , Agrawal Smita , Tanwar Sudeep , Altameem Ahmed , Altameem Torki , Sharma Ravi , Turcanu Florin-Emilian , Raboaca Maria Simona
Published: October 2022

The emerging demand for electric vehicles in urban cities leads to the need to install a huge number of charging stations. With this requirement, electric vehicle coordination and scheduling at charging stations in real-time becomes highly tedious. Thus, there is a need for an efficient scheduling mechanism for electric vehicle charging at charging stations. This paper proposes a novel blockchain and Internet of Things-based consensus mechanism called COME for secure and trustable electric vehicle scheduling at charging stations. The proposed mechanism is intending to resolve conflicts at charging stations. The integrated InterPlanetary File System protocol facilitates a cost-efficient mechanism with minimized bandwidth for electric vehicle scheduling. The proposed mechanism ensures that there is no loss for either the electric vehicle or the charging station. We formulate different scenarios for electric vehicle charging and apply different scheduling algorithms, including first-come first-served, longest remaining time first, and coalition game theory. The performance of the proposed COME consensus mechanism is estimated by comparing it with the practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus protocol and traditional systems based on the charging demand, wait time, conflict resolution, scalability, and InterPlanetary File System bandwidth parameters. The performance results show that the proposed COME consensus mechanism ensures that electric vehicles can have their vehicle charged without any conflict and that the charging station can be satisfied in terms of profit. Moreover, the proposed COME consensus mechanism outperforms the both practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus protocol and the traditional system in terms of scalability and conflict resolution along with additional parameters such as wait time, charging demand, and bandwidth analysis.
Research on the Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Community Residents’ Night Evacuation Behavior Based on Structural Equation Model
Authors: Zhang Yudi , He Lei
Published: October 2022

Nighttime natural disasters are common, and earthquakes are the most common of these disasters. This study explores the behavior of residents during night evacuations after an earthquake and the factors that influence such behavior. The aim of this study is to improve nighttime disaster relief in residential areas and provide new ideas for renovating and upgrading existing communities. Shanghai is one of the most population-dense cities in China, and it has a fragile built environment. As part of this study, questionnaires were randomly distributed to residents living in Shanghai, and SPSS and AMOS were used to establish a structural equation model to uncover the relationship between factors and the residents’ nighttime evacuation behavior. Some of the results and conclusions were the following: (a) residents had the highest tendency to choose autonomous evacuation and pro-social behavior during night evacuation than at any other time; (b) spatial perception was significantly negatively correlated with residents’ exclusive behavior; (c) herd behavior, autonomous evacuation, and prosocial behavior were significantly positively correlated with social networks. Finally, this study proposes policy and spatial coping strategies for different behaviors during evacuation to enhance the community’s natural disaster prevention capability.
Paternalistic Leadership Styles and Employee Voice: The Roles of Trust in Supervisors and Self-Efficacy
Authors: Dedahanov Alisher Tohirovich , Fayzullaev Abdulkhamid Komil ugli , Abdurazzakov Odiljon Sobirovich , Rakhmonov Dilshodjon Alidjonovich , Zakirova Oyniso
Published: October 2022

The purpose of this paper is to test the role of trust in supervisors in mediating the link between paternalistic leadership styles and employee voice and to investigate the contingency role of self-efficacy on the relationship between trust in supervisors and employee voices. We designed the items using survey questionnaires that were assessed by prior studies and collected data from 485 highly skilled employees of manufacturing organizations. To assess the validity of the suggested hypotheses, we used a Baron and Kenny (1986) approach and conducted hierarchical regression analysis. The findings reveal that authoritarian leadership and moral leadership styles are significantly related to trust in supervisors, which explains the association between authoritarian leadership style, and moral leadership style and employee voice. However, the results suggest that trust in supervisors does not explain the association between benevolent leadership style and employee voice. Moreover, the findings reveal that self-efficacy moderates the link between trust in supervisors and employee voice. The originality of this work lies in the fact that this research is the first to test the mediating role of trust in supervisors in the relationship between paternalistic leadership styles and employee voice and the moderating role of self-efficacy on the association between trust in supervisors and employee voice.
Zoonoses Transfer, Factory Farms and Unsustainable Human–Animal Relations
Authors: Marchese Alyssa , Hovorka Alice
Published: October 2022

Infectious diseases are rooted in unsustainable and unjust human–animal relationships. Zoonoses are facilitated by human proximity to animals, epidemiological risk embedded within factory farms, and exploitation of animals and humans in these intensive livestock production systems. The five major categories of epidemiological risk that factory farms propel include: intensification of production for which homogenous populations are congregated, creation of multi-species farms for which different animals are held within the same farm, long and intensive animal transport increases the likelihood of interaction with other wildlife, ecological characteristics of the pathogen lead to altered pathogen dynamics and antibiotic resistance within a human population through the overuse of antibiotics. Layer and broiler operations in the North American context illustrate these linkages. One Health is offered as a concluding conceptual and aspirational frame for pursuing a more sustainable and just world. This article offers two main messages. First, our relationships with animals directly impact the health of human populations through the transmission and creation of Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs). Second, adopting One Health offers a means forward for more just and sustainable human–animal relations and reduction of zoonoses transmission.
Sustaining the Path for Innovation Capability from a Developing Country Perspective: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: Novillo-Villegas Sylvia , Acosta-Vargas Patricia , Cruz-Boada Christian , Garzon Mateo , Marin-Dett Andre , Anzules-Falcones Wendy
Published: October 2022

Innovation capability contributes to the competitiveness of a country. However, due to the multi-faceted nature of this dynamic capability, its development is considered a risky task. Thus, it is critical to concentrate the efforts on the determinants that might provide a higher impact on sustaining the development of this capability, particularly for a developing country with limited resources. This work presents a systematic literature review examining 14 innovation determinants to advance the understanding of their impact on countries’ innovation capability. This research studied the literature by qualitative strategies to categorize and contextualize the findings. It also includes the contribution made by experts from a developing country through interviews. The selected publications and the interviews provided fundamental elements to identify the impact and linkages of the innovation determinants on the development of innovation capability. From here, a conceptual framework is outlined proposing an incremental loop that encompasses five stages: (1) government support, (2) implementation of innovation agencies, (3) R&D projects between U-I, (4) innovation clusters development, and (5) innovation output achievement. These stages systematize practical strategies regarding the 14 determinants posing a path to sustain the growth of this capability in the context of developing countries, contributing from theoretical and practical standpoints.
How to Treat Gossip in Internet Public Carbon Emission Reduction Projects?
Authors: Wu Zhenghong , Sun Yang
Published: October 2022

Ant Forest is an internet public carbon emission reduction project jointly initiated by the government and enterprises and has successfully made a huge contribution to carbon reduction. As an online project, Ant Forest is more likely to receive public attention and discussion, which will undoubtedly incur a vast amount of gossip. In addition, unlike the offline acquaintance society, people need to frequently deal with heterogeneous interpersonal relationships online, which complicates the role of gossip. In this background, the impact of gossip on internet public carbon emission reduction projects and how to deal with gossip to increase public participation are important research questions. We study the above questions through public goods game. We propose three alternative coping mechanisms of gossip namely: punishment only (PO), punishment with reputation compensation (PR) and punishment with monetary compensation (PM). The research results are shown as follows: Firstly, although the effect of gossip on advancing public participation in public carbon emission reduction projects under heterogeneous interpersonal relationships is inferior to that under homogeneous interpersonal relationship, it is undeniable that gossip also could effectively promote public to take part in internet public carbon emission reduction projects. Secondly, compared with the other two mechanisms, the mechanism PM is the most effective way to advance public participation in the internet public carbon emission reduction projects. Finally, there is optimal tolerance degree, penalty time and rebirth coefficient to maximize the promotion effect in the PM. Our research demonstrates that gossip has a positive significance for internet public emission reduction projects, and we also provide policy makers with corresponding suggestions to advance public participation.
Design and Optimization for a New Locomotive Power Battery Box
Authors: Dong Sihui , Lv Jinxiao , Wang Kang , Li Wanjing , Tian Yining
Published: October 2022

To solve the disadvantages of the low protection grade, high weight, and high cost of the existing locomotive power battery system, this study optimizes the existing scheme and introduces the design concept of two-stage protection. The purpose of the research is to improve the protection level of the battery pack to IP68, to optimize the sheet metal power battery box structure into a more lightweight frame structure, to simplify the cooling mode of the battery pack for natural air cooling, and to improve the battery protection level and maintain the heat exchange capability. In the course of the study, a design scheme with a two-stage protection function is proposed. The numerical model analyzes the self-load, transverse load, longitudinal load, mode, and fatigue, and optimizes the layout of the power tank cell. The optimized box model was physically tested and economically compared. The results show that: (1) The maximum load stress is 128.4 MPa, which is lower than 235 MPa, the ultimate stress of the box material, and the fatigue factor of the frame box structure is 3.75, which is higher than 1.0, and it is not prone to fatigue damage. (2) Under the low-temperature heating condition, the overall temperature rise of the battery pack is 4.3 °C, which is greater than 2.3 °C under the air conditioning heat dissipation scheme. Under the high-temperature charging condition, the overall temperature rise of the battery pack is 2.0 °C, and the temperature value is the same as the temperature rise under the air conditioning cooling scheme. Under the high-temperature discharge condition, the overall temperature rise of the battery pack is 3.0 °C, and the temperature value is greater than 2.1 °C under the air conditioning heat dissipation scheme. At the same time, the temperature rise under the three working conditions is less than the 15 °C stipulated in the JS175-201805 standard. The simulation results show that the natural airflow and two-stage protection structure can provide a good temperature environment for the power battery to work. (3) The optimized box prototype can effectively maintain the structural integrity of the battery cell in the box in extreme test cases, reducing the probability of battery fire caused by battery cell deformation. (4) The power battery adopts a two-stage protection design under the battery power level, which can simultaneously achieve battery protection and prevent thermal runaway, while reducing costs. The research results provide a new concept for the design of a locomotive power battery system. (5) The weight of the optimized scheme is 2020 kg, and the original scheme is 2470 kg; thus, the reduction in weight is 450 kg. Meanwhile, the volume of the optimized scheme is 1.49 m3, and the original scheme is 1.93 m3; thus, the reduction in volume is 0.44 m3.
Transition from Online to Face-to-Face Education after COVID-19: The Benefits of Online Education from Students’ Perspective
Authors: Stoian Claudia E. , Fărcașiu Marcela A. , Dragomir Gabriel-Mugurel , Gherheș Vasile
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a mark on education as it had been known before. Beyond his, attention needs to be paid to the transition back to face-to-face learning and its implications. Within this context of change, the present research focuses on identifying the students’ preferred aspects of online education during the pandemic, namely learning, teaching, assessment, and interaction with peers and teachers, in order to improve face-to-face education by contextually adapting it to their needs. A survey was used on a representative sample of students from Politehnica University of Timisoara, Romania, who were required to indicate their preferred form of education and the most beneficial one for their professional development. The results indicate the targeted students’ several preferences, such as teachers’ support with electronic educational resources, the use of online educational platforms to access resources and take tests, the easier and individualized communication with teachers, as well as peer connectivity in common projects. These findings identify practical suggestions that lead to a balance between face-to-face and digital education, probably under the form of blended learning, which could be considered by the main stakeholders in order to have a future sustainable education.
Investigation of the Industry 4.0 Technologies Adoption Effect on Circular Economy
Authors: Akkad Mohammad Zaher , Šebo Juraj , Bányai Tamás
Published: October 2022

Industry 4.0 technologies’ adoption became a reality in manufacturing and other industrial companies. The effects of this adoption on several areas including the Circular Economy are interesting in the research field. Deep research and investigation of various Industry 4.0 technologies’ relationships with the Circular Economy are presented in this article. The investigation is based on collected data from 798 companies in five countries, Lithuania, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia as part of the European Manufacturing Survey project in 2018. After filtering the data, groups’ comparison is used to form potential prospective relationships in connection with the presented literature. A logistics regression test is used by SPSS software to validate the hypotheses and potential relations. Based on the achieved results, it seems that both Industry 4.0 and non-Industry 4.0 technologies can have significant relations with Circular Economy technologies, so they can be potentially influenced or enhanced by both. Similarly, an investigation of the relations between the development of products with improved environmental impact and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies showed no clear dominance of Industry 4.0 technologies over non-Industry 4.0. Finally, there are two of the twelve investigated technologies that have a significant relationship (potential impact) on both the Circular Economy technologies and product development with improved environmental impact.
A Charge/Discharge Plan for Electric Vehicles in an Intelligent Parking Lot Considering Destructive Random Decisions, and V2G and V2V Energy Transfer Modes
Authors: Alinejad Mahyar , Rezaei Omid , Habibifar Reza , Azimian Mahdi
Published: October 2022

The random decisions of electric vehicle (EV) drivers, together with the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) energy transfer modes, make scheduling for an intelligent parking lot (IPL) more complex; thus, they have not been considered simultaneously during IPL planning in other studies. To fill this gap, this paper presents a complete optimal schedule for an IPL in which all the above-mentioned items are considered simultaneously. Additionally, using a complete objective function—including charging/discharging rates and prices, together with penalties, discounts, and reward sets—increases the profits of IPL and EV owners. In addition, during peak times, the demand for energy from the distribution system is decreased. The performance of the proposed schedule is validated by comparing three different scenarios during numerical simulations. The results confirm that the proposed algorithm can improve the IPL’s benefits up to USD 1000 and USD 2500 compared to the cases that do not consider the V2V and V2G energy transfer modes, respectively.
Potential Methods for Limiting the Consumption of Machine Components Exposed to Abrasive Wear
Authors: Florea Vlad Alexandru , Itu Razvan-Bogdan
Published: October 2022

The analysis of the behavior in exploitation of the extraction, transportation and utilization of hard rock type mineral substances proved that one of the most extended and aggressive forms of wear is abrasive wear. The effects of abrasive wear on the machine components and their economic implications are significant, especially due to the operational pauses coming up in the technological flows that serve specific activities. This study presents two ways of limiting the consumption of tamping tools for the railway machines that are submitted to abrasive wear, namely, by reconditioning with the help of electrodes for overlaying welding with alloys of preestablished characteristics; by executing cast cleats from composite material in which metal carbides were infiltrated by diffusion. The great number of cast cleats tested in exploitation allowed a reliability and maintainability analysis to be made using the Weibull++ program, including the determination of the necessary number of cleats for 5000 h of functioning. The results of the experiments performed to this end demonstrated that both the reconditioning and execution of spare parts, with the help of reusable materials, could be solutions for sustainability in several economic fields, especially in those where the production costs are high.
Effective Economic Combination of Waste Seashell and River Sand as Fine Aggregate in Green Concrete
Authors: Bamigboye Gideon O. , Okechukwu Uchechi E. , Olukanni David O. , Bassey Daniel E. , Okorie Uchechukwu E. , Adebesin Joshua , Jolayemi Kayode J.
Published: October 2022

This research elucidates the idea of eco-friendly concrete and highlights the benefits attainable from its effective practice towards sustainable construction materials. The design mix employed a water/cement ratio of 0.5, a concrete mix ratio of 1:2:4, varying percentages of 2.5 mm seashells, 4.75 mm river sand as fine aggregates, and granite 20 mm as coarse aggregates. Laboratory tests showed that the true slump was achieved for all mixes as a decrease in workability was observed with seashell additions. Compressive strength declined with increasing percentages of seashells at all curing ages (7, 14, and 28 days). No seashell-modified mix achieved the target strength for concrete grade 25. Nevertheless, the 10 and 20% seashell blends obtained strength requirements for concrete grade 20. The splitting tensile strength results indicated that 10–50% seashell-concrete blends yield acceptable splitting tensile strength after 28 days of curing. Correlation and regression analysis showed that compressive strength has a high negative correlation with seashell percentage and a significant correlation with splitting tensile strength. However, no significant correlation was seen between seashell percentage and splitting tensile strength. Models were further developed for predicting workability, splitting tensile strength, and compressive strength, with seashell percentage data. Green concrete production, which reutilizes waste seashells should be promoted, bearing in mind its environmental sustainability and economic prospects.
Hydrochemical Characteristics and Genetic Mechanism of Geothermal Springs in the Aba Area, Western Sichuan Province, China
Authors: Sun Minglu , Zhang Xu , Yuan Xingcheng , Yu Zhongyou , Xiao Yao , Wang Ying , Zhang Yunhui
Published: October 2022

Geothermal resources have been a source of significant clean energy in the world. The Sichuan Province is famous for its abundant geothermal resources in China, especially in western Sichuan. The Aba area is a significant minority region in northwestern Sichuan with abundant geothermal resources. In this study, hydrochemical and D-O analyses were conducted on the eight collected geothermal springs to investigate the genetic mechanism of the geothermal resource in the Aba area. The exposed temperatures and pH values of the geothermal springs ranged from 23 °C to 48 °C and from 6.6 to 9.5, respectively. Based on the hydrochemical characteristics, the eight geothermal springs were classified into two types: class A and class B. The class A geothermal springs belonged to the hydrochemical type of Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4 and Ca-Mg-HCO3 and were affected by the weathering and dissolution of carbonate and silicate. The class B hydrochemical type of geothermal spring was Na-HCO3, which was determined by the weathering and dissolution of evaporite and silicate. A Na-K-Mg triangle diagram revealed that the geothermal springs belonged to immature water. A chalcedony geothermometer indicated that the temperature of the class A shallow geothermal reservoir in the Aba area was 59.70–73.00 °C and 70.65–120.91 °C for class B. Silicon enthalpy approaches showed that the initial reservoir temperature for class A was 181.36–203.07 °C (mixed by 85.76–89.44% cold water) and 271.74–295.58 °C (mixed by 87.39–87.54% cold water) for class B. The recharge elevation of the geothermal spring was 3415–3495 m as calculated by the D-O isotopes. We have proposed these genetic models of the two typical geothermal springs. The achievements provide a vital reference for the further development of geothermal water and the sustainable utilization of geothermal resources in the Aba area.
Cost–Benefit Analysis of Introducing Custom-Made Small Thermal-Frictional Sterilization System to the Existing Hospital Waste Disposal System: A Case Study of Chinese Hospital
Authors: Jia Jing , Wang Wenhao , Yin Lvjiang , Liu Jin , Nzioka Antony Mutua , Yan Caozheng
Published: October 2022

This manuscript proposes an integrated system for treating hospital solid waste (H.S.W.) consisting of an incineration and frictional sterilization system capable of operating during normal and emergency situations. We analyzed the benefits of integrating different hospital solid waste (H.S.W.) treatment systems with the existing stand-alone incineration system, with a particular emphasis on the thermal friction sterilization integration system. The objective was to define the economic advantages and benefits in terms of resources recovery of using the thermal frictional sterilization–incineration integrated system during the hospital’s normal and emergency/pandemic operating conditions. We modeled three modeling scenarios based on normal and emergency operating conditions. The results show that the H.S.W. was composed of 74% general H.S.W. Existing incineration systems would be the most expensive process because the sanitary transportation cost represented approximately 96% of the H.S.W. costs. The hospital would realize 40–61% savings relative to the existing method if the integrated incineration–frictional systems were implemented to treat 50–70% of H.S.W.; the savings were better than in other scenarios. Proposed scenario 3 had a much better resources recovery factor than scenarios 1 and 2. This modeling study showed that a thermal frictional sterilization–incineration system could work well even under emergency conditions if the H.S.W. in-house sorting/transportation/storage process is modified to cater to other H.S.W. treatment/sterilization systems.
Disruptive Innovation Path of Start-Ups in the Digital Context: The Perspective of Dynamic Capabilities
Authors: Feng Lijie , Qin Guo , Wang Jinfeng , Zhang Ke
Published: October 2022

In the context of digitalization, start-ups cultivate the dynamic capabilities enabled by digital technology and promote disruptive innovation, which has become the key for enterprises to achieve catch-up in the digital age. However, the path to achieving disruptive innovation with dynamic capabilities has not been revealed to date. This paper summarizes the dynamic capability dimension in the digital context by applying the grounded theory method and divides the evolution of disruptive innovation into the sprout stage, growth stage, and expansion stage. Based on the logic of “motivation–action–result”, this paper reveals the path of realization path for the disruptive innovation of start-ups under the influence of dynamic capabilities in the digital context. The results show that the disruptive innovation of start-ups can be attributed to the different dimensions of dynamic capabilities. Digital technology allows for enterprises to achieve disruptive innovation by enabling dynamic capabilities. This paper broadens the research on dynamic capability theory and disruptive innovation theory in the digital context. Furthermore, it provides a reference and inspiration for start-ups in the same situation, aiming to realize disruptive innovation by cultivating dynamic capabilities with digital technology.
Reduction in the Allelopathic Potential of Conocarpus erectus L. through Vermicomposting
Authors: Rehman Sami ur , Aslam Zubair , Aljuaid Bandar S. , Abbas Rana Nadeem , Bashir Saqib , Almas Munawar Hussain , Awan Tahir Hussain , Belliturk Korkmaz , Al-Taisan Wafa’a A. , Mahmoud Samy F. , Bashir Safdar
Published: October 2022

The utilization of vermi-technology to reduce allelopathic effects is a cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally appropriate alternative to traditional chemical and mechanical methods. The current investigation was an effort to obtain vermicompost from C. erectus and its binary combination with soil and farmyard manure (FYM) using E. foetida. The pH, EC, organic carbon, macro and micro-nutrients, CO2 emission, the average growth rate of the worms, number of worms, number of cocoons, and weight gained by earthworms were analyzed by standard methods. The present study also investigated the effect of produced vermicompost on the growth and yield of mung beans (Vigna radiata L). The maximum reduction in soil pH was observed (6.47) in vermicompost of C. erectus leaves, among other treatments. The highest N (1.86%), P (0.15%), and K (0.41%) contents were found in the vermicompost of C. erectus leaves + FYM. Similarly, the maximum plant height (36.00 cm) was achieved in vermicompost of C. erectus leaves + FYM compared to other treatments. The highest SPAD value was observed (56.37) when the soil was treated with vermicompost (C. erectus leaves + FYM) @ 5 t ha−1, followed by the treatment where vermicompost (C. erectus leaves + soil) @ 8 t ha−1 was applied. The soil amendment of vermicompost (C. erectus leaves + FYM) @ 5 t ha−1 showed competitive results (in terms of the growth and yield parameters of mung beans) compared to other types of vermicompost and C. erectus biomass. This study has the potential to reduce the phytotoxicity of C. erectus biomass and transform it into a potent organic fertilizer through vermicomposting.
The Optimal Choice of Delayed Retirement Policy in China
Authors: Wu Yan , Xu Changsheng , Yi Ming
Published: October 2022

We use the overlapping generations model (OLG) to analyze and simulate the optimal retirement decision based on the two criteria of increasing the sustainability of the Social Security Fund (SSF) and improving the welfare of delayed retirees. Our key findings are as follows: (1) Relative to normal retirement, delayed retirement policies are preferable, and voluntary delayed retirement is preferable to passive delayed retirement. (2) Increases in longevity and labor productivity enhance the policy effects of voluntary delayed retirement, while increases in the birth rate promote fund sustainability but weaken its welfare effects. (3) Therefore, when any of these factors increase simultaneously, the sustainability effect is enhanced by superposition, while the birth rate causes the welfare effect to be weakened by superposition. (4) In addition, the result that pensions would crowd out savings and longevity would lead to greater pressure on pension payments does not necessarily hold.
Exploring the Influence of Environmental Values on Green Consumption Behavior of Apparel: A Chain Multiple Mediation Model among Chinese Generation Z
Authors: Liang Jianfang , Li Jingjun , Lei Qinyuan
Published: October 2022

There is a problem among Generation Z regarding the insufficient perception of green apparel consumption and the “perception–action paradox”, which presents a great challenge to China’s future sustainable development. To address this problem, we constructed a chain multiple mediation research framework that explored the transmission paths between the environmental value and green consumption behavior of apparel, as well as the associated influence mechanisms; this was performed by integrating environmental responsibility and green consumption intention. Data for this study were collected through a multistage sampling survey of 657 Chinese Gen Z members born between 1995 and 2002. Our results reveal that all three types (egoism, altruism, and biospheric values) of environmental values had different direct and indirect effects on the green apparel consumption behavior for Gen Z members, but the indirect effects of each aspect significantly outweighed their direct effects. In terms of the direct effects, egoistic values had no significant direct negative effect on green apparelconsumption behavior, whereas the significant positive direct effect of the biospheric values was greater than that of altruistic values. The greatest mediating effect between the environmental values and green apparelconsumption behaviorwas green consumption intention, followed by environmental responsibility, and ending with the chain mediation effect of environmental responsibilityand green consumption intention. These findings suggest that it is imperative to stress the cultivation of green consumption intentions, environmental responsibility, and environmental values and bridge the seamless link among these variables for the promotion of green apparel consumption practices in Generation Z. This is the first study that explicitly identifies the significant chain mediating effect of environmental responsibility and green consumption intention between the environmental values and green apparel consumption behavior. Our findings broaden the theoretical research perspective of green apparel consumption behavior and provide a reference for the guiding of green consumption practices and policy formulation for the global population of Generation Z.
Deep Learning Analysis for Reviews in Arabic E-Commerce Sites to Detect Consumer Behavior towards Sustainability
Authors: Ali Hakami Nada , Hosni Mahmoud Hanan A.
Published: October 2022

Recently, online e-commerce has developed a major method for customers to buy various merchandise. Deep learning analysis of online customer reviews can detect consumer behavior towards sustainability. Artificial intelligence can obtain insights from product reviews to design sustainable products. A key challenge is that many sustainable products do not seem to fulfill consumers’ expectations due to the gap between consumers’ expectations and their knowledge of sustainable products. This article proposes a new deep learning model using dataset analysis and a neural computing dual attention model (DL-DA). The DL-DA model employs lexical analysis and deep learning methodology. The lexical analysis can detect lexical features in the customer reviews that emphasize sustainability. Then, the deep learning model extracts the main lexical and context features from the customer reviews. The deep learning model can predict customers’ repurchase habits concerning products that favor sustainability. This research collected data by crawling Arabic e-commerce websites for training and testing. The size of the collected dataset is about 323,150 customer reviews. The experimental results depict that the proposed model can efficiently enhance the accuracy of text lexical analysis. The proposed model achieves accuracy of 96.5% with an F1-score of 96.1%. We also compared the proposed model with state of the art models, where our model enhances both accuracy and sensitivity metrics by more than 5%.
Does Public Environmental Attention Improve Green Investment Efficiency?—Based on the Perspective of Environmental Regulation and Environmental Responsibility
Authors: Pan Kang , He Feng
Published: October 2022

Will public attention to the environment affect the green behavior of enterprises? This paper collected the panel data of steel enterprises in China from 2009 to 2017, evaluated the green investment efficiency by the measurement of the slack model (SBM) and the “super efficiency” (DEA) model, and studied the impact of public environmental attention on green investment efficiency. Firstly, public environmental attention has significantly promoted enterprise green investment efficiency; Secondly, the business environment has significantly promoted enterprise green investment efficiency, and the influence of public environmental attention on enterprise green investment efficiency is positively regulated by the business environment; Thirdly, the influence mechanism of public environmental attention on the promotion of green investment efficiency comprises environmental regulation and environmental responsibility; Fourthly, public environmental attention has a heterogeneous effect on the promotion of enterprise green investment efficiency. The promotion of public environmental attention on green investment efficiency is more significant for large enterprises than medium-sized enterprises. The effect of the promotion of public environmental attention on green investment efficiency is more significant for state-owned enterprises than private enterprises. The promotion of public environmental attention on green investment efficiency is more significant in eastern China than in central and western China.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Forestry in China: A Spatial Panel Data Approach
Authors: Aziz Ghazala , Mighri Zouheir
Published: October 2022

This study examines the role of forest activities in carbon emissions for Chinese provinces. We use forest area and forest investment with two sub-proxies. The findings of spatial analysis have reported significant and positive coefficients for forest area. On the contrary, forest investment has a significant and negative relationship with carbon emission. These results negate the traditional belief and propose that an increase in forests through proper and continuous management activities is conducive to mitigating the carbon emissions. Additionally, the decomposition of spatial analysis in direct and indirect effects has confirmed the local indirect effect, and spillover effect, in neighboring regions. This concludes that the emission in one province has a significant spillover effect in the neighboring provinces. The findings provide several policy implications that are fruitful for environmental policy makers while drafting the rules and policies, such as introducing the forest management activities rather than increasing in forest areas without proper research and continuous management.
Virtual Immersive Platforms as a Strategic Innovative Destination Marketing Tool in the COVID-19 Era
Authors: Varelas Sotirios
Published: October 2022

The aim of this research was to address the issues in virtual-reality technologies and gamification within the context of immersive technologies. The author drew together, in a hybrid methodology, the principles of virtual touring and online training, as these need to be understood by destination and tourism professionals. The emphasis was on the utility of innovative multimedia and multimodal technological tools for modern content creation, which led to an online training process for travel agents, the role of gamification and how a virtual platform could be developed to promote a tourism destination during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author based the research on a case study of an immersive platform of a Greek destination and on the degree of the user response to the virtual technology and content. The study also included a comparison between two platforms: one using conventional content and one using multimedia content. The author methodologically used VAR models to describe the cogeneration process of multiple variables over time to investigate the relationships between these variables. The results led to a preference for immersive platforms, which can be a guide for corresponding platforms that are concerned with the promotion of destinations.
A Generalized Approach on Outage Performance Analysis of Dual-Hop Decode and Forward Relaying for 5G and beyond Scenarios
Authors: Singh Daljeet , Ouamri Mohamed Amine , Muthanna Mohammed Saleh Ali , Adam Abuzar B. M. , Muthanna Ammar , Koucheryavy Andrey , El-Latif Ahmed A. Abd
Published: October 2022

This paper presents a generalized approach to the performance analysis of relay-aided communication systems for 5G-and-beyond scenarios. A dual-hop decoding and forwarding scheme is considered in the analysis. The relationship between the outage performance and cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is exploited to derive a universal expression of the outage probability that is valid for all fading scenarios, irrespective of their nature or complexity. Furthermore, an effort is made to parameterize the channel PDF in such a manner that reflects a practical fading scenario that is commonly encountered in current and future wireless communication systems. The analytical results obtained for various cases are validated through Monte-Carlo simulations.
Social-Ecological Factors Predict College Students’ Physical Activities and Sedentary Behavior
Authors: Zhang Tao , Lee Joonyoung , Zhang Xiaoxia , Gu Xiangli
Published: October 2022

Guided by the socio-ecological model, the aim of this study was to investigate the predictive strengths of individual, social, and physical environmental factors toward different intensities of physical activity (PA; vigorous PA, moderate PA, walking) and sedentary behavior (SB) among college students. A cross-sectional research design was used. There were 287 college students (Mage = 20.75 ± 2.91; 54% female) recruited from a public research university in the Southwestern United States. Participants completed previously validated questionnaires assessing their PA, SB, and perceptions of self-efficacy, social support, and physical environment variables. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were performed to examine the associations and the relative contributions of those individual, social, and physical environmental factors to PA and SB, respectively. The findings indicated that self-efficacy, social support from friends, and convenience of using exercise facilities were positively correlated with vigorous PA. Self-efficacy and physical environmental factor such as convenience of using exercise facilities were significantly associated with students’ moderate PA. Physical environmental factors, including convenience of using exercise facilities, satisfaction with neighborhood services, ease of walking to public transportation stop, and detached single-family residence were significantly related to walking, while only detached single-family residence was associated to SB. The results highlight PA interventions may do well to focus on the promotion of individual and environmental variables to increase PA in college students. More evidence is needed to determine the relationships between social ecological factors and SB.