Carbon-based conductive additives have been studied for their positive effects on anaerobic digestion (AD) using synthetic substrates, but their importance in wastewater sludge digestion has not been sufficiently explored. This research investigated and compared the effects of two conductive materials (graphene and petroleum coke) with and without trace metal supplementation. The results indicated that supplementing reactors with graphene and petroleum coke could significantly improve biogas production. The supplementation of 1 g/L petroleum coke and 2 g/L graphene, without trace metal addition, led to an increase in the biogas production by 19.10 ± 1.04% and 16.97 ± 5.00%, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that petroleum coke, which is an oil refinery by-product, can be used to enhance biogas production in a similar way to other carbon-based conductive materials that are currently available on the market. Moreover, using petroleum coke and graphene, the average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was 42.84 ± 1.23% and 42.80 ± 0.45%, respectively, without the addition of trace metals. On the other hand, supplementation of the reactors with trace elements resulted in a COD removal of 34.65 ± 0.43% and 34.05 ± 0.45% using petroleum coke and graphene, respectively. Full article

Green credit is an important financial tool to coordinate the relationship between economic development and environmental protection. The Green Credit Guidelines (GCGs) issued in 2012 comprise the first formal, dedicated green credit policy. To test the effectiveness of the GCGs in green governance, in this study, we use the differences-in-differences (DID) method to test the impact of the implementation of the GCGs on enterprise green mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and further examine the performance of green M&As. The results show that the implementation of the GCGs have significantly promoted the green M&A activities of heavily polluting enterprises, and the promotion effect is more significant in enterprises with poor green innovation ability and enterprises with low financial marketization levels. Further research reveals that green M&As can improve the green innovation performance of enterprises. From the perspective of green M&As, in this paper, we expand the research on the effect of green credit policy, providing a decision-making reference for the promotion and improvement of subsequent green credit policy. Full article

A learning environment’s quality has crucial influence on a student’s engagement. In this study, we utilized a structural equation modeling approach to explore the structural relationships between students’ perceptions of an online learning environment and their online learning engagement during China’s COVID-19 school closure period by focusing on an online learning environment and the specific features that facilitate student engagement. The online learning environment was conceptualized as a multidimensional structure consisting of four elements: pedagogy, social interaction, technology, and the consideration of home learning conditions. Student engagement was conceptualized as a multifaceted construct comprising behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. The results showed that teaching presence significantly predicted deep behavioral engagement (β = 0.246), emotional engagement (β = 0.110), and cognitive engagement (β = 0.180). Social presence significantly positively predicted cognitive engagement (β = 0.298) and emotional engagement (β = 0.480), whereas its effect on behavioral engagement was not significant. The perceived ease of technology use significantly predicted only emotional engagement (β = 0.324), and the family learning presence significantly predicted only behavioral engagement (β = 0.108). The results also indicated that emotional and cognitive engagement had indirect effects on the predictive power of the online learning environment for behavioral engagement. These findings provide valuable guidelines and effective strategies for teachers and parents to design suitable online learning environments to enhance K–12 student engagement. Full article

Fire is one of the most serious disasters in the wild environment such as mountains and jungles, which not only causes huge property damage, but also may lead to the destruction of natural ecosystems and a series of other environmental problems. Considering the superiority and rapid development of computer vision, we present a novel intelligent wildfire detection method through video cameras for preventing wildfire hazards from becoming out of control. The model is improved based on YOLOV5S architectures. At first, we realize its lightweight design by incorporating the MobilenetV3 structure. Moreover, the improvement of detection accuracy is achieved by further improving its backbone, neck, and head layers. The experiments on a dataset containing a large number of wild flame and wild smoke images have demonstrated that the novel model is suitable for wildfire detection with excellent detection accuracy while meeting the requirements of real-time detection. Its wild deployment will help detect fire at the very early stage, effectively prevent the spread of wildfires, and therefore significantly contribute to loss prevention. Full article

Traditional hard-grade asphalts for high-modulus asphalt concrete (HMAC) are produced by using natural hard-grade asphalt to modify matrix asphalts. However, natural hard-grade asphalts are scarce and expensive. To find a sustainable alternative, this study presented a method to synthesize hard-grade asphalts using phenol formaldehyde resin (PFR), hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and matrix asphalts. Infrared radiation (IR) spectra analysis and fraction analysis for the modifiers and synthesize asphalts show that asphalt molecules can be cross-linked into larger polymeric groups by the thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin (TPFR) which is the reaction product of PFR and HMTA. This process increased the asphaltene and resin fraction in asphalt, thus transforming a matrix asphalt into hard grade. With the dosing combinations of 4% PFR/15~20% HMTA, 6% PFR/8~10% HMTA and 8% PFR/5~5.7% HMTA, dynamic modules of HMAC were 14,000~16,000 MPa, which satisfied the basic application requirements for HMAC. The rutting resistance of the new hard-grade asphalts with the above dosage combinations completely exceeds the traditional product using the Trinidad Lake asphalt as the raw material. Increasing the amount of PFR/HMTA can further improve the rutting resistance. However, to ensure the fatigue and cracking resistance of the HMAC can get a level like the traditional product, the dosages of HMTA should be controlled below 15%. Full article

The sports industry features low energy intensity and low emissions through which it has played an important role in realizing sustainable development. This study aims to examine the driving factors that help sports firms improve their innovation development and sustain growth. Using a panel of 95 sports firms listed on the New Third Board in China from 2015 to 2021 with 582 observations, this study evaluated the effect of innovation-driven policies on sports firms’ long-term growth, measured by market value, and the mediating effect of R&D investment on this relationship. The results showed that innovation subsidies and the deduction of R&D expenses can effectively encourage sports firms’ engagement in innovation development and finally help improve the firms’ market value. Furthermore, we found that the effect of R&D subsidies on sports firms’ market values increases with firm size. This study provides new insights into the literature on the long-term growth of sports firms by showing that policy support for sports firms’ innovation activities enables them to invest more resources into research and development activities, which finally reinforce their potential of long-term growth. Furthermore, the findings provide practical suggestions for policymakers on enhancing the development of the sports industry and helping sports firms sustain growth. Full article

The first aim of the article is to diagnose the barriers of agency (including resentment ones) that occur during the implementation of innovations in the selected Silesian small and medium-sized enterprises. The second goal is to explain how the structural and cultural resentment contexts and the type of reflexivity undertaken by the employees determine an innovative activity in the state of morphostasis (contextual continuity) and morphogenesis (contextual discontinuity) at selected companies. The theoretical basis of the research is Margaret Archer’s morphogenetic theory of structure and agency and her scheme of causal analysis. Based on this and using the qualitative analysis of data obtained during focus group interviews (FGI), a diagnosis is made regarding the presence of agency barriers in the innovation processes. A morphogenetic causal analysis of the emergence of agency barriers limiting the course of innovation processes in a business reality burdened with resentment contexts has been presented. On the theoretical and empirical level, the usefulness of the morphogenetic schema in the study of organizational behavior in small and medium enterprises was verified. Conducting diachronic causal analyzes among employees of selected SMEs made it possible to show the conditions between the scope of the existing resentment barriers (structural and cultural), the type of dominant reflexivity among their members, and the possibilities of innovation in these organizations. It has been shown that in organizational contexts burdened with group resentments, the agency of staff is mainly morphostatic. The dominant type of reflexivity (communicative, not autonomous) is focused on maintaining the existing contextual continuity and not on changing it. The results obtained from the research will allow the implementation of educational and implementation projects (research in action) in the future, adequate to the needs of the small and medium enterprise sector in terms of eliminating resentments in the structure and organizational culture. These aims will be implemented through the participation of external expert groups in the following areas of innovation of a given company: pro-innovative attitudes, competencies, processes, and strategies, perception of the environment, customer orientation, or branding. Full article

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of health emergency and disaster risk management (EDRM) to reduce the risks and impacts of infectious disease outbreaks. We investigated Japan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on changes made to the current health EDRM. Findings from document analysis and semi-structured interviews with six experts were integrated to provide insights into Japan’s health EDRM to improve outcomes in future health emergencies. Relevant information was extracted from COVID-19 policy documents published by the Japanese government, and the interviews validated and expanded on the data already collected. Challenges faced in the country’s response to COVID-19 and the changes made to the health EDRM framework are summarised. Findings were grouped into human resource topics (including essential health EDRM positions and safety of personnel), health service delivery topics (including public health and hospital primary care services), and logistical topics (including vaccination, personal protective equipment, patient transport, and telecommunications). These responses to the pandemic could serve as an example of good practice for other countries developing strategies for future health emergencies and disasters. Full article

Polyurethane (PU) has become one of the most widely used materials in the industrial field due to its excellent performance and wide range of applications. The increasing consumption of polyurethane materials has resulted in significant polyurethane waste. We can recycle waste polyurethane to obtain recycled polyurethane, but to make the recycled polyurethane meet different performance requirements in terms of utility and cost and enable the recycled polyether polyol to be further applied to high-end applications, it is necessary to improve the use value of recycled polyether polyol. In this paper, self-made Fluorodiol was added to the degradation process of waste polyurethane to obtain fluorinated regenerated polyether polyol. Recycled fluorinated polyurethane with excellent performance was prepared using fluorine-containing recycled polyether polyol. The regenerated fluorinated polyether polyols were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, viscosity, hydroxyl value, and GPC molecular weight distribution. The density, apparent morphology, water absorption, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability of RFPU rigid foams with different fluorine contents were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that when the addition of Fluorodiol was 8% of the mass of waste polyurethane, the density was 41.2 kg/m³, the immersion loss rate was 2.125%, the compressive strength was 0.315 Mpa, and the thermal conductivity was 0.0227 W/m·K. The RFPU prepared by Fluorodiol has low surface energy, good compressive strength, hydrolysis resistance, and is expected to be widely used in special insulation materials. Thus, the sustainable recycling of polyurethane is achieved. Full article

Trust in government is a significant factor influencing the public acceptability of environmental tax. Without trust, implementing and sustaining a new tax policy is challenging due to public resistance. However, gaining trust from the public is even more challenging in developing countries where corruption is a common issue. Despite the risk of policy rejection, many developing countries, including Malaysia, are adopting the carbon tax as a policy to reduce carbon emissions. This has raised the question of the impact of trust in the government on public acceptability for carbon tax implementation in Malaysia. Another critical concern is identifying the predictors of trust in government, to which researchers have given less attention. Three main features of good governance—accountability, integrity, and competence—were examined as the predictors of trust in government. A nationwide survey in Malaysia was conducted using an online questionnaire, and 566 respondents completed the survey. The data were analysed using the Structural Equation Model (SEM) via Amos. The results show that trust in the government is influenced by the government’s accountability, integrity, and competence. In contrast with many past studies, trust in the government does not influence Malaysian acceptance behaviour. Instead, only the government’s accountability influences the acceptance of carbon tax implementation among the public. The public is concerned about the government’s spending; hence, the government must be transparent in its spending and redistributing the tax revenue to the public must be the top priority to gain public trust in implementing a carbon tax policy. Full article

Along with a series of reforms of the household registration, or the hukou system, there has been a sustained call for its reforms to further integrate rural migrants into cities and sustain the national strategy of urbanization. Nevertheless, does hukou still matter? Is it still a major obstacle to the inclusive development of post-reform urban China? Recently, the effect of the hukou system and its reforms has become a debatable topic. To address the question, in this article, we examine the “luohu” of rural migrants, i.e., rural people who work and/or live in the city obtaining urban hukou, to evaluate the effects of hukou reforms. We argue, along with the improvement of China’s social security system in both urban and rural areas, as well as the increased rights of rural migrants in cities, that the gap between the “value” of urban and rural hukou is decreasing: the boundaries set between urban and rural territories have been diminished; meanwhile, the intentions of rural migrants to luohu in the city have declined. This dilemma indicates that the impact of hukou system per se is fading, which is closely linked to the reforms of other social policies such as welfare and pension systems. As such, to promote the integration of rural migrants in Chinese cities, the focus of China’s hukou reforms should shift from the registration system to more inclusive social policies. Full article

Concrete 3D printing has the potential to reduce material and process waste in construction. Thus, it contributes to making the construction industry more sustainable through the use of digital-fabrication technologies. While concrete 3D printing is attractive due to its potential to realize complex designs, practical challenges include an increased chance of defects and deformities. Quality assessment of 3D-printed elements is essential for large-scale implementation. Workability of concrete is known to decrease with printing time and it impacts extrudability. It is usually visible in 3D-printed elements, with the lower layers having a smooth finish, while the top layers have cracks and discontinuities. A computer-vision-based quality assessment method is proposed in this paper using a two-bin Linear Binary Pattern textural analysis. Information entropy is used as the metric for measuring the texture variation within each layer and its changes over the layers are studied. A higher entropy value is found for layers having deformities. Finally, through the error-minimization technique, a threshold entropy value is calculated and, using this, the printed layers can be assessed and corrective actions taken. This paper contributes to developing a non-intrusive quality assessment technique for concrete 3D-printed elements. Full article

With the emergence of the metaverse, the popularity of augmented reality (AR) is increasing; accessing concise, accurate, and precise information in this field is becoming challenging on the world wide web. In regard to accessing the right information through search engines, semantic information retrieval via a semantic analysis delivers more relevant information pertaining to the user’s query. However, there is insufficient research on developing semantic information retrieval methods in the AR domain that ranks and clusters AR-based search results in a fair fashion. This paper develops an AR search engine that automatically organizes, understands, searches, and summarizes web documents to enhance the relevancy scores in AR domains. The engine enables users to organize and manage relevant AR documents in various AR concepts and efficiently discover more accurate results in terms of relevancy in the AR field. First, we propose an AR ontology for clustering AR documents into AR topics and concepts. Second, we developed an ontology-based clustering method using the k-means clustering algorithm, vector space model, and term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) weighting model with ontology to explore and cluster the AR documents. Third, an experiment was designed to evaluate the proposed AR search engine and compare it with the custom search engine in the AR domains. The results showed that the AR search engine accessed the right information about 42.33% faster and with a 34% better ranking. Full article

E-scooter sharing services been grown exponentially within the last five years. They are based on the flexibility of accessing dense urban areas without specialized infrastructure. In modern cities, there are diverse road environments that impact the comfort, and therefore the attractiveness, of micro-mobility services. This study aims to investigate the willingness to use e-scooter sharing services, while considering the road environment. To formulate area-specific pricing policies, a stated preferences experiment with 243 respondents, who can be considered as potential users, is conducted in Athens, Greece and a binary logistic regression model with random beta parameters is developed. The analysis of the model marginal effects indicates that the integration of bonus points into micro-mobility services, combined with the option of transferring these points to parking services, can compensate a non-friendly road environment, thus increasing the service demand. The existence of roads with good pavement conditions and wide sidewalks significantly increased the willingness of respondents to use e-scooter sharing services. Unexpectedly, pedestrianized zones in a buffer area of 2 km radius from the trip origin reinforce the attractiveness of shared e-scooters, while the contribution of bike lanes and traffic calming streets (or shared space) were proven to be insignificant. Full article

Social enterprises today are a worldwide phenomenon that has had a major impact on local communities and societies. Apart from pursuing their mission within the market, social enterprises are closely linked through scientific theories with the concept of sustainable development. In practice, they are linked with pursuing so-called sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. It is a universal call to action to end poverty. One of the ways of fighting against poverty is providing people excluded from the labor market with decent jobs. It is one of the main aims of many social enterprises. The aim of this paper is to identify internal and external conditions influencing the functioning and development of social enterprises operating in the Warmia and Mazury region, which is underdeveloped according to the EU taxonomy. This paper used survey research conducted among social enterprises in the region of Warmia and Mazury. In the context of sustainable development as a concept, this paper identifies the scale of influence of the analyzed social enterprises on restoring people who are professionally excluded into the labor market. This paper indicates that not only financial and legal issues limit the development of social enterprises, but also elements such as the insufficient number of people willing to do social work or the level of creativity of the employed staff. It has been established that among analyzed enterprises, the level of received support is associated with the number of created workplaces, but it is not connected with gained income, nor is the volume of employment within the analyzed social enterprises correlated with gained income. Full article