Search Results (44,887)

In this article I interrogate how the film The Reluctant Fundamentalist aligns with as well as problematizes racial capitalism. The optic of racial capitalism enables me to trace the film’s articulation of race relations within the US and the power of white supremacy internationally, particularly as they manifest in the geopolitics of the US empire. The optic of racial capitalism foregrounds the inextricability of what Cedric Robinson termed racialism and the historical development of capitalism(s). The film demonstrates how racial capitalism is naturalized through the creation of aspirations for the symbolic markers of upward mobility and the acquisition of wealth, which is to say, cultural as much as financial capital. The film also illustrates that racial capitalism is a work in progress; it is neither singular nor homogeneous in its effect as it mutates across the world; it derives its power from the construction of racial infrastructures, political–economic institutions, states and, as I will argue in this essay, through regimes of racial affect. Full article

The formulation of construction material unit price policies in areas with limited accessibility is a critical issue in ensuring effective and accountable government infrastructure planning. In such regions, construction costs are often highly volatile and difficult to predict, primarily due to transportation constraints, logistical inefficiencies, and geographical challenges. These conditions frequently result in budget overruns and inconsistencies between planned and actual project expenditures. Therefore, a rational and context-sensitive policy framework is required to support accurate cost estimation and sustainable infrastructure development. This study aims to develop a policy-oriented model for determining construction material unit prices in areas with limited accessibility based on influencing factors. A quantitative research approach was employed through a questionnaire survey involving 235 respondents, consisting of contractors, government representatives, consultants, and academics with experience in infrastructure development in remote or access-constrained regions. The collected data were analysed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to identify and validate the dominant factors affecting construction material unit prices. The results of the PLS-SEM analysis identified 33 influential factors that significantly contribute to the unpredictability of construction material unit prices in limited-accessibility areas. These factors encompass logistical costs, material price dynamics, government policies, geographical conditions, and local cultural aspects. The proposed model demonstrates that government policy plays a central role, both directly and indirectly through local cultural mediation, in influencing project performance and cost reliability. The findings of this study provide a structured and empirically grounded framework that can be utilized by local governments as a policy reference in establishing construction material unit prices for remote and access-constrained areas. By incorporating the identified influencing factors into unit price formulation, cost prediction accuracy can be improved, thereby supporting more effective budget allocation and ensuring that infrastructure quality is maintained without compromise due to unanticipated cost escalation. These improvements contribute to more sustainable infrastructure development by enhancing resource efficiency, minimizing cost overruns, and supporting equitable infrastructure provision in remote areas. Full article

Mediterranean forests are increasingly exposed to climate-related risks, including large wildfires, prolonged droughts and rural abandonment, making sustainable forest management (SFM) a key element for climate adaptation and territorial resilience. However, despite its recognised importance, the social acceptance of SFM remains insufficiently understood, particularly in relation to how public perceptions are shaped by media narratives and information ecosystems. This study addresses this gap by analysing the relationship between media framing and social acceptance of SFM in a Mediterranean context. A mixed-methods approach was applied in the Valencian region (Spain), combining (i) a systematic analysis of conventional and digital media, (ii) a system mapping exercise to identify dominant narratives and communication dynamics, and (iii) a population survey (n = 1070) focused on perceptions of forests, climate change and forest management. The results reveal a high level of environmental concern and climate awareness, coexisting with limited knowledge of SFM and simplified or distorted perceptions of forest dynamics. Media coverage is predominantly reactive and event-driven, strongly focused on wildfire events, while preventive and adaptive forest management practices remain largely invisible. In this context, support for SFM increases significantly when management practices are clearly explained and contextualised, indicating that resistance is more closely related to communication gaps than to ideological opposition. These findings highlight the critical role of media framing and communication processes in shaping the social acceptance of SFM. The study contributes to the literature by integrating media analysis and social perception within a forest governance perspective, and provides empirical insights to support more effective communication strategies and policy design in Mediterranean regions facing increasing climate pressures. Full article

Crumb rubber-modified asphalt concrete (CMAC) has gained increasing attention as a sustainable pavement material capable of improving mechanical performance while utilizing waste tire resources. This study investigates the rutting resistance and fatigue behavior of CMAC using a combined experimental and mechanistic–empirical modeling approach. Asphalt mixtures containing 0–25% crumb rubber by binder weight were prepared and evaluated through Marshall stability and indirect tensile fatigue tests, whereas Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine binder–rubber interactions. The results indicate that crumb rubber significantly influences both the volumetric and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. Mixtures containing 10–15% crumb rubber exhibited optimal performances, achieving up to 36% higher Marshall stability and improved fatigue life compared with conventional asphalt mixtures. FTIR analysis revealed that rubber particle swelling and limited chemical interactions enhanced binder elasticity and improved binder–aggregate compatibility. However, excessive rubber content (≥20%) resulted in reduced stability owing to increased binder absorption and decreased effective binder film thickness. A mechanistic–empirical model incorporating viscoelastic, viscoplastic, and fatigue damage parameters successfully reproduced the experimental trends and identified the same optimal rubber content range. The findings demonstrate that CMAC with a moderate rubber content can enhance pavement durability and structural performance while promoting environmentally sustainable road construction through the reuse of waste tires. Full article

We propose a partially linear regression linear model to explain coffee prices before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This new regression model incorporates the fundamental assumption of linearity and nonlinearity between these variables. We consider the penalized quasi-likelihood method for parameter estimation and present residual analysis for the new regression model. A simulation study examines penalized quasi-likelihood estimators and the empirical distribution of the quantile residuals. Furthermore, the article aims to identify variables that influence changes in coffee prices, such as the price of Arabica and Robusta varieties, supply (expressed in millions of bags of production), global consumption, exchange rates, inflation, and the pandemic. Full article

Integrating sustainability into higher education is a strategic priority of the 2030 Agenda, although its effective implementation remains uneven and understudied from internal institution comparative perspectives. This study analyzes the perceptions of faculty and students regarding the integration of sustainability at a higher education institution in Ecuador, using a convergent–complementary mixed-methods design that triangulates descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative thematic content analysis. The quantitative component included 597 students and 88 faculty members, who responded to structured questionnaires of 15 items organized into five dimensions: curriculum and teaching, participation and engagement, resources and institutional support, impact and expectations, and vision for the future. The qualitative component was based on semi-structured interviews analyzed using thematic coding. The results show a generally favorable perception in both groups (Student Perception Index = 2.35; Faculty Perception Index = 2.23), with greater consensus in the impact and expectations dimension and significant gaps in resources and institutional support. Qualitative analysis revealed distinct relational models: faculty members articulate sustainability through professional responsibility and curriculum management, while students construct it from fragmented experiences and extra-university references. Triangulation of both components reveals a duality between solid normative legitimation and incipient structural institutionalization. These findings contribute to the debate on sustainable transition processes in Latin American universities and provide comparative empirical evidence for the design of institutional policies in emerging contexts. Full article

This article presents a proposed a new method for estimating the degree of dilution of lubricating oil with diesel oil, which can be applied to systems for ongoing monitoring of lubricating oil quality in an internal combustion engine. The test is performed for reference blends based on two commonly used single-season lubricating oils for marine and industrial engines. SAE 30 and SAE 40 viscosity grade base oils and ISO-F-DMX category diesel oil are used. For each base oil, reference blends are prepared with diesel oil content in the lubricating oil mixture equal to 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, and 100% m/m. Concentration estimates are made for each mixture based on measured kinematic viscosity at different temperatures. Measurements are made for 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 °C. The results are evaluated by determining the model’s fit to the empirical data and the maximum percentage absolute error in estimating the degree of dilution of the lubricating oil with diesel fuel. The results are contrasted with a previously used model based on the inverse Arrhenius equation for determining the viscosity of binary mixtures. The proposed new model for both base oils, for all tested reference concentrations and for all tested temperatures shows a much better fit to empirical data (R² > 0.999). Moreover, the maximum absolute error of the SATUFER estimation did not exceed the value of 1.5% m/m and, relative to the model based on the inverse Arrhenius equation, it is ~8.9 times higher for mixtures of SAE 30 grade base oil and ~10.3 for mixtures of SAE 40 grade base oil. Full article

China’s rapidly aging population poses a significant challenge to the equitable allocation of primary healthcare resources. Conventional accessibility assessments often rely solely on economic indicators, overlooking the ecological constraints that shape human settlement and service provision. To address this problem, this study proposes a socio-ecological framework integrating remote sensing data with spatial accessibility modeling. This study employs the Vegetation Nighttime Condition Index (VNCI)—a fusion of VIIRS nighttime lights and MODIS NDVI—as a proxy for human activity intensity under ecological constraints. The spatial accessibility of primary healthcare for the elderly (aged 65+) is evaluated across 31 provinces in mainland China using the Enhanced Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) method. Furthermore, a coupling coordination model and the Relative Development Index (RDI) are applied to examine the relative alignment between healthcare accessibility and the socio-ecological development context represented by VNCI. Empirical results reveal a distinct East–West gradient. Eastern coastal regions exhibit high accessibility; however, the coupling analysis identifies that healthcare accessibility lags behind high socio-ecological development intensity (low RDI). Conversely, western and rural regions generally suffer from a “low-level trap,” characterized by both low accessibility and weak socio-ecological coordination. The findings demonstrate that satellite-derived indices like VNCI effectively capture fine-scale human-environment interactions, offering a basis for spatially differentiated healthcare planning. Full article

This study examines how transnational online continuing professional development (CPD) supports language instructors’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in transnational higher education (TNHE). To assess this development, an existing TPACK self-report instrument was adapted to reflect cross-border online delivery, platform-mediated assessment and feedback, and collaborative course preparation. Survey data were collected from instructors at University of Southampton partner institutions in China (n = 431). Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and paired-samples t-tests, the study examined the instrument’s measurement properties, the structural relations among knowledge domains, and changes over time. Results supported a stable four-factor structure—technological knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and TPACK—with good model fit and acceptable reliability and validity. SEM showed that pedagogical knowledge and technological knowledge significantly predicted TPACK, whereas content knowledge did not directly predict it. Longitudinal analyses of matched pre–post responses (n = 172) indicated significant increases in technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and TPACK after CPD participation, while content knowledge remained statistically stable. These findings suggest that routine online CPD is most responsive in strengthening instructors’ technology-related and pedagogical capacities, which in turn support integrative teaching competence in TNHE language teaching. Full article

Emergency maneuvers can drive vehicles into severe instability regimes within sub-second time scales, motivating last-moment warning interfaces with auditable false-alarm budgets. We study a proxy-triggered imminent-recognition setting: given a 0.1 s past-only slice of onboard signals, decide whether a conservative physics-defined instability proxy will trigger within the next $\tau =0.2$ s. The contribution is, therefore, a calibrated warning for a safety-relevant surrogate event, not a claim of predicting crashes or true instability outcomes directly. Because the corpus is terminal-phase aligned, the default causal monitor ($w=d=0.1$ s, $k=2$) is warnable on only $18.3\%$ of event runs; we, therefore, report run-level effectiveness both overall and conditional on warnability. We learn a lightweight hazard scorer and convert its scores into an operator-facing alarm rule via split-conformal calibration on held-out negative slices, exposing a slice-level false-alarm budget $\alpha$ with finite-sample, one-sided control of the marginal slice-level false positive rate (FPR) on exchangeable negatives. To address fleet heterogeneity, we additionally calibrate vehicle-conditioned (Mondrian) thresholds, enabling per-vehicle risk budgeting without retraining separate models. On the held-out test split at $\tau =0.2$ s, the scorer achieves AUPRC $\approx 0.251$ against a base rate of $0.638\%$, AUROC $\approx 0.986$, and ECE $\approx 0.034$. After calibration at $\alpha =5\%$, realized slice-level FPR concentrates near the prescribed budget while slice-level TPR on imminent positives remains high (≈0.982). We explicitly separate this slice-level guarantee from empirical run-level metrics such as FAR${}_{\mathrm{run}}$, EWR on warnable runs, and lead time, and we report dependence and shift diagnostics to delineate where the guarantee may degrade. The reported $\mu$-sensitivity analyses concern run-level descriptor perturbation and omission rather than validation of a within-run friction estimator with temporal lag. The result is a transparent, risk-budgeted monitoring primitive for last-moment vehicle-stability warning under clearly stated exchangeability assumptions. Full article

Background: As Taiwan transitions into a super-aging society, the government has launched “Long-term Care (LTC) 3.0,” a policy initiative that marks a strategic shift from service expansion to integrated quality verification, digital oversight, and social resilience. This transition demands a robust quality verification mechanism. Ensuring perceptual consistency between service providers and external evaluators is critical for systemic fairness and sustainable service quality. Objective: This study utilized a two-dimensional gap analysis to examine the discrepancy in service quality benchmarks between home-based LTC center managers and assessment committee members, identifying critical divergence zones for institutional improvement. Methods: A cross-sectional evaluative study was conducted, involving center managers (evaluatees, n = 50) and external experts (evaluators, n = 28). The data were collected via a structured instrument covering 20 consensus benchmarks. Results: Significant perceptual gaps were identified across all dimensions (p < 0.001), with “Professional Care Quality” exhibiting the largest effect size (Cohen’s d > 1.5). Benchmarks with low external scores but high internal ratings were categorized into the “Overestimation (Management Blind Spot)” quadrant, signaling a systemic overestimation bias in administrative and clinical risk management. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence for the refinement of LTC 3.0 assessment systems. The results offer a strategic roadmap for policymakers to enhance organizational resilience by transitioning from subjective self-perception to objective, data-driven quality management through the two-dimensional gap model. Full article

Examining the effect of digital village construction (DVC) on agriculture–culture–tourism integration (ACTI) is important for understanding sustainable rural development. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2022, this study employs a two-way fixed-effects model to examine the impact of DVC on ACTI, along with its mediating mechanisms and heterogeneous effects. Results show a significant inverted-U-shaped relationship between DVC and ACTI. This finding remains robust across a series of tests. Mechanism analysis reveals that industrial structure upgrading and urbanization play partially mediating roles with the same inverted-U-shaped characteristics. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that DVC presents a linear positive effect in central and western regions and in areas with low DVC levels, while an inverted-U-shaped pattern is observed in eastern regions and in areas with high DVC levels. These findings suggest that DVC strategies should account for both regional differences and development stages. Full article

A major connectivity gap arises from the misalignment between the forward-looking climate disclosures required by IFRS S2 and the historically rooted asset valuations mandated by IAS 36. This misalignment can cause the overvaluation of carbon-intensive assets and disrupt capital allocation decisions. This research specifically examines transition risks, such as carbon pricing, regulatory shocks, and technological disruption, and quantifies the financial externality using a combination of deterministic impairment testing and stochastic climate scenarios. We create a constructive framework and develop a model of a Synthetic Representative Firm, calibrated to major integrated steel producers in Europe. To generate nonlinear Green Swan shocks for Value-in-Use, the process combines Monte Carlo simulation with the Merton Jump-Diffusion model. This comparison shows the difference between the steady Management View and the volatile Market View. Empirical results reveal a material Sustainability Discount, representing a substantial erosion in the recoverable amount under IFRS S2 transition risk scenarios compared to the IAS 36 Deterministic Baseline. Simulations show a strong probability of asset stranding due to restricted cost pass-through, indicating that older assets may face elevated impairment risks under disorderly transition scenarios. Traditional deterministic models may not fully capture aspects of Double Materiality, potentially leaving balance sheets less responsive to transition risks. Integrating digitalization and the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) framework presents a strategic method for averting value destruction. Therefore, this research supports the integration of stochastic transition risk modeling into impairment testing to achieve faithful financial representation. Full article

Smart-meter theft detection requires learning from fine-grained electricity consumption data, whose centralized processing poses significant privacy risks. Federated learning (FL) mitigates these risks by decentralizing training, but providing rigorous user-level differential privacy (DP) under non-IID data and heterogeneous client behavior remains challenging. Existing DP-FL approaches rely on fixed global clipping bounds for client updates, which substantially overestimate sensitivity when privacy loss is composed using Rényi Differential Privacy (RDP), zero-Concentrated DP (zCDP), or Moments Accountant (MA) frameworks, leading to excessive noise and degraded utility. This work proposes an adaptive clipping-based RDP accountant that incorporates empirical, round-wise update magnitudes into privacy accounting by rescaling each round’s RDP contribution according to the observed clipping ratio. The method is optimizer-agnostic and is evaluated with FedAvg, FedProx, and SCAFFOLD on the SGCC smart-meter theft dataset under IID and Dirichlet non-IID partitions. Experimental results show consistently tighter privacy bounds and improved model utility compared to classical DP accountants, demonstrating the effectiveness of sensitivity-aware privacy accounting for practical differentially private FL. Full article

While cultural authenticity is recognized as central to heritage tourism experiences, the mechanisms through which perceived authenticity influences sustainable tourism behavior remain underexplored. This study develops and empirically tests a serial mediation model examining how perceived cultural authenticity (PCA) affects intergenerational transmission willingness (ITW) and long-term participation intention (LPI) through visitor experience quality (VEQ) and sense of place (SOP). Using survey data from 400 visitors to revolutionary heritage sites in Hainan, China, we employed hierarchical regression and PROCESS Model 6 bootstrap analysis to test seven hypotheses. Results reveal that: (1) PCA significantly influences both VEQ and SOP; (2) VEQ and SOP significantly predict ITW and LPI; and (3) VEQ and SOP serially mediate the PCA–behavioral intention relationship. These findings advance understanding of how authenticity perceptions translate into sustainable heritage tourism outcomes through experiential and affective pathways. Practical implications for heritage site management, focusing on authenticity preservation and experience design, are discussed. Full article