Search Results (705)

Digital technologies have become increasingly crucial during and, after the COVID-19 pandemic, have sparked significant scientific interest around their impact on sustainable well-being. Despite extensive research, conclusive evidence on whether digital technologies enhance or undermine sustainable well-being remains elusive. Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in its technological infrastructure, but comprehending the implications of this progress still poses a challenge. Drawing on the prior literature and grounded in the theoretical perspective of the Capability Approach, this study proposes five dimensions of digital inclusion (accessibility, usability, digital skills, affordability, and connectivity) and examines their collective influence on students’ sustainable well-being, specifically happiness and life satisfaction. This study employs a cross-sectional design, with data collected from 238 university students in Saudi Arabia using convenience sampling. Ten hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS-4. This study supports the conceptualization of digital inclusion as a multidimensional construct comprising five key dimensions. The results indicate that affordability, usability, connectivity, and digital skills have a substantial impact on happiness, whereas accessibility, usability, connectivity, and digital skills have a considerable effect on life satisfaction. Nonetheless, the correlations between accessibility and happiness, as well as between affordability and life satisfaction, were not found to be supported. This implies that these dimensions might have different effects on the affective and cognitive aspects of sustainable well-being. These results suggest that digital inclusion may play a role in shaping individuals’ interactions with technology and their perceived sustainable well-being. This study proposes and evaluates a strategic framework that may guide efforts to promote digital inclusion and support sustainable well-being among university students. It provides valuable insights for policymakers, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders seeking to enhance digital access and capabilities. The findings highlight the potential value of developing strategies that address students’ digital needs as part of a holistic approach to sustainable well-being. The findings also highlight the importance of viewing digital inclusion as an interconnected framework, rather than as a set of discrete, unrelated factors. By demonstrating how digital inclusion promotes sustainable well-being, this study contributes to the broader sustainability agenda by highlighting digital equity as an essential component of socially sustainable development in the Saudi context. Full article

Within the global sustainable development agenda, Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) highlights improving the accessibility, quality, and learning experience of technical and vocational education and training (TVET). In China, students in vocational colleges often face greater disparities in academic preparation and access to educational resources than their peers in general higher education. Although artificial intelligence (AI) can provide additional learning support and help mitigate such inequalities, there is little empirical evidence on whether and how Gen-AI usage is associated with vocational students’ learning experiences and emotional outcomes, particularly academic anxiety. This study examines how Gen-AI usage is related to academic anxiety among Chinese vocational college students and explores the roles of class engagement and teacher support in this relationship. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we analyse survey data from 511 students using structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The SEM results indicate that Gen-AI usage is associated with lower academic anxiety, with class engagement mediating this relationship. Teacher support for Gen-AI usage positively moderates the association between Gen-AI usage and class engagement. The fsQCA results further identify several configurations of conditions leading to low academic anxiety. These findings underscore AI’s potential to enhance learning quality and experiences in TVET and provide empirical support for advancing SDG 4 in vocational education contexts. Full article

Blockchain technology has attracted considerable attention in the supply chain literature for its potential to enhance operational traceability, transparency, and trust, as well as to advance greening initiatives. Given current supply chain configurations, exploring barriers to implementation is a consequential agenda, and current studies have devoted substantial effort to identifying and offering guidance to address them. Despite recent findings, insights into how blockchain technology adoption can support green supply chain management are missing, particularly in the maritime sector, which receives limited attention. Thus, this work outlines a methodological approach to examine the suitability of maritime routes for addressing barriers to implementing blockchain technology in green supply chain management. Viewing the evaluation as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, the proposed approach performs the following actions on a case study evaluating four maritime lines. Firstly, from the 13 identified barriers in the literature review and expert interviews, nine relevant barriers were determined after one round of a Delphi process. These barriers eventually comprise the set of evaluation criteria. Secondly, to satisfy the assumption of criterion independence in most MCDM methods, this work proposes a novel extended grey relational analysis (GRA) that allows for the measurement of criterion independence based on the concept of grey relational space. Proposed here for the first time, the extended GRA offers a distribution-free overall independence index for each criterion based on pattern similarity. Finally, an integration of SWARA (Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) and ARAS (Additive Ratio Assessment) methods under Z-information is developed to address the evaluation problem involving expert judgments in a highly uncertain decision-making context. Results show that transaction-level uncertainty is the most critical barrier to blockchain adoption, followed by technology risks and higher sustainability costs. Among the four maritime lines, Line 3 is best prepared for a blockchain-enabled green supply chain. The agreement between these results and those of other MCDM methods is shown in the comparative analysis. Also, ranking remains unchanged even when the criteria weights are adjusted. The proposed approach provides a computationally efficient and tractable framework for maritime managers to make informed decisions about blockchain adoption to promote green supply chains. Full article

Background: Depression and diabetic neuropathy (DN) commonly complicate diabetes and impair glycemic control and quality of life. Ketamine and its S-enantiomer, esketamine, provide rapid antidepressant and analgesic effects, yet diabetes-related pathophysiology and co-therapies may modify exposure, response, and safety. Methods: We conducted a scoping review following PRISMA-ScR. MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, and APA PsycInfo were searched (January 2020–31 May 2025). Eligible human and animal studies evaluated ketamine, esketamine, or norketamine in the context of diabetes (type 1 [T1DM], type 2 [T2DM], gestational [GDM]), or DN, and reported psychiatric, analgesic, metabolic, or mechanistic outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened and charted data; no formal risk-of-bias assessment was performed. Results: Eleven studies met inclusion criteria: four human case reports/series (three T1DM, one T2DM), one randomized trial in GDM, two narrative reviews of topical ketamine for DN, and four preclinical rodent studies using streptozotocin- or diet-induced diabetes models. Short-term improvements were reported for treatment-resistant depression and neuropathic pain, including opioid-sparing postoperative analgesia in GDM. Glycemic effects varied across settings, with both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia reported. Mechanistic and clinical drug–drug and drug-disease interactions (particularly involving metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, and CYP3A4/CYP2B6 modulators) remain insufficiently studied. We outline a forward-looking population pharmacokinetic (popPK) and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) research agenda, including priority covariates (eGFR, hepatic function, inflammatory status, HbA1c, genotype, co-medications) and sparse-sampling windows for future model-informed precision dosing. Conclusions: Current evidence supports cautious, selective use of ketamine for refractory depression and DN within multidisciplinary diabetes care. Purpose-built popPK/PK-PD studies in both human and preclinical diabetic models cohorts are needed to quantify variability, define drug–disease–drug interactions and glycemic risk, and inform individualized dosing strategies. Full article

Enhancing blue infrastructure is a critical pathway to strengthening urban water resilience and improving living environments. However, divergent perceptions and demands among multiple stakeholders may lead to misalignment between governance priorities and implementation pathways, thereby limiting governance effectiveness. Recognizing and addressing these differences has become essential for enhancing the performance of blue infrastructure governance and public satisfaction. Taking Shaanxi Province as a case study, this research systematically identifies core issues and disparities in public demands regarding water governance of blue infrastructure by analyzing governmental documents and public demands. The study aims to support a shift in governance strategy from a “provision-driven” to a “demand-driven” approach. A “topic identification–demand extraction–problem diagnosis” framework is adopted: first, the LDA model is used to analyze government platform texts and derive a macro-level thematic framework; subsequently, the BERTopic model is applied to mine public comments and identify micro-level demands; finally, the Jaccard similarity algorithm is employed to compare the two sets of topics, revealing the gap between policy provisions and public demands. The findings indicate the following: first, government agendas are highly concentrated on macro-level strategies (the topic “Integrated Water Ecosystem Management and Strategic Planning” accounts for 72.91% of weighting), whereas public appeals focus on specific, micro-level daily concerns such as infrastructure quality, drinking water safety, and drainage blockages; second, the Jaccard semantic correlation between the two is generally low (ranging from 6.05% to 14.62%), confirming a significant “topic-term overlap”; third, spatial analysis further reveals a geographical mismatch, particularly in core urban areas, which exhibit a “system-lag” type of misalignment characterized by high public demand but insufficient governmental attention. The research aims to clarify governance discrepancies, providing a basis for optimizing policy priorities and enabling targeted governance, while also offering insights for establishing a sustainable water resource management system. Full article

Conservative media have been shown to exert disproportionate levels of influence over other mainstream media agendas. This study explores the outsized influence of Australia’s conservative media during the 2023 Australian Voice to Parliament referendum on other news agendas and, in turn, the impact on public and political agendas. Combining conservative advocacy, agenda-setting, and frame-building theories, this study uses content analysis of news frames included in Australian news reports about the Marcia Langton “racism” controversy. The influence of conservative media frames on other news media reporting and political and public responses to the controversy is conceptualised as a self-propelling agenda feedback wheel, fuelled by deliberate media advocacy. By having an outsized influence on the rest of the Australian media’s reporting of the racism controversy, News Corp also influenced the public and political referendum debate. These findings add new insights into how conservative media power is used to influence other media and, in turn, democracy. Full article

This study examines how organizational models are evolving beyond post-Fordism in the context of digitalization, platformization, and new forms of labor governance. Using a bibliometric analysis of 1573 Web of Science publications, the article maps the intellectual genealogy, disciplinary foundations, and global collaborative patterns of research on the platform economy. The field has consolidated around three core concepts—platform economy, gig economy, and sharing economy—anchored in clusters focused on business models, labor precarity, and regulatory and governance debates. The analysis reveals a temporal shift from early narratives centered on sharing and collaborative consumption to contemporary concerns with algorithmic management, precarious work, and worker resistance. Parallel discussions of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 expose tensions between human-centered aspirations and the continued expansion of platform capitalism. The global landscape shows both vitality and asymmetry: China leads in empirical output, while the USA and England dominate theoretical agenda-setting and international collaboration. Overall, the findings demonstrate that platform research constitutes a mature, interdisciplinary field bridging labor sociology and management studies. The study calls for stronger integration of Global South perspectives and further examination of whether human-centered organizational visions can meaningfully counteract the structural inequalities embedded in platform-mediated work. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with recent upheavals in global trade and development assistance funding has disrupted routine immunization programmes and diverted health systems from the targets set in the Immunization Agenda 2030. Regulatory systems are often underappreciated or misunderstood but in fact play a critical role in enabling innovation and facilitating timely access to vaccines for sustained immunization, thereby building vaccine confidence and health system resilience. Regulation is the constant denominator throughout the vaccine life cycle, shaping the pathway from early research and development to approval and market entry and ultimately to equitable distribution and sustained safe use. This paper examines the role of regulation and proposes that regulation be reframed as a function of health system resilience and a structural determinant of immunization sustainability. We synthesize evidence across the vaccine regulatory life cycle, examining innovation facilitation, regional cooperation, public health strengthening and describe the roles of regulation in building health system resilience, namely driving sustainable vaccine access, enabling innovation, supporting regional collaboration and strengthening social acceptance. Without this shift in perspective, regulatory systems strengthening risks being underfunded, reactive, and fragmented; this will perpetuate inequities in vaccine access and undermine the sustainability of immunization programmes. Full article

Amid rising immigration levels in Europe, public perceptions of immigration appear closely linked to the ways in which news media portray these issues. While media effects on attitudes toward immigrants, and to a lesser degree on beliefs, have been widely studied, existing evidence remains fragmented across national and temporal contexts. Drawing on the issue attribute agenda-setting approach, this study examines how macro-level patterns of media content relate to immigration beliefs across six European countries between 2002 and 2018. A mixed-method design integrates content analysis of newspaper articles with public opinion data from the European Social Survey and macro-level contextual indicators. Two media dimensions—valence (threat vs. benefit attribution) and attribute salience—are analyzed in relation to belief measures. Threat attributes dominated and increased slightly in media coverage, whereas immigration beliefs stayed largely stable. Multilevel and country-specific analyses identify significant but substantially weak and highly context-dependent associations, underscoring the importance of national context in shaping beliefs about immigration. Full article

Scholarly research offers a robust theoretical understanding of design-to-construction processes, but there is a shortage of empirically grounded accounts that trace how procurement decisions, industrial conditions, and production dynamics interact within specific projects. This shortage is largely due to the scarcity of accessible data—constrained by confidentiality obligations and reluctance to disclose contentious procedures—and to the practical difficulty of reconstructing construction processes in a way that follows multiple actors’ perspectives (client, designers, contractor, consultants) within concrete technical, contractual, and market conditions. This paper argues that historical archival material offers a way to address this evidentiary and methodological gap. It reconstructs the construction of the Cameron Offices (1967–1976) in Canberra as an evidence-rich design-to-construction case-story, based on systematic analysis of contracts, specifications, correspondence, site minutes, and technical reports. The resulting case-story preserves multiple perspectives as well as sequence and contingency, rendering project decision-making, production dynamics, and external constraints both highly interconnected and analytically legible. In doing so, the study demonstrates the potential of historical archives as a source of construction data and advances case-stories as a methodological avenue that complements existing analytical models, supports case-based learning, and sets a future agenda for integrating historical, archive-based evidence into design-to-construction research and practice. Full article

In this epoch of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), digital advancement, technological initiatives, and advancements, as well as their imperative role, have improved universities’ performance and transformed business models, practices, and processes. This study aimed to systematically review the existing digital transformation discourses as the main axis for the higher education (HE) sector. It elucidates the required skill sets, benefits, barriers, and challenges brought about by digital transformation. The article commences by identifying the relevant literature on digital transformation in general, which is not confined to one methodology. It also includes the case studies that were conducted across the globe, the skills needed to drive the transformation agenda, the benefits, the barriers, and the challenges that impede digital transformation in the HE sector. This article found that the sector has been exploiting digital tools to improve performance, business processes, restructuring systems, structures, and practices. The myriad of digital transformation impacts, benefits, and skills to drive the digital transformation have been overshadowed by diverse barriers and challenges in the HE sector. Constraints such as inadequate funding, employee resistance, limited digital literacy, and insufficient infrastructure stand in opposition to the principles of the connectivity theory, which emphasises access, interaction, and the knowledge flow as prerequisites for effective digital integration. Full article

Romania faces a double challenge in the swine production sector. On one hand, the European Union’s environmental agenda demands that member states drastically reduce both the carbon footprint and the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry by 2030. On the other hand, the Romanian swine industry still grapples with long-standing internal issues such as excessive fragmentation, a strong dependence on imported piglets and feed materials, and a clear shortage of modern management experience. This study set out to explore how the ADKAR model can serve as a structured approach to help commercial swine farms in Romania transition toward sustainability. To gather relevant data, researchers distributed a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire to 83 farm managers, out of the 361 officially registered commercial swine farms. The instrument was designed to assess how each farm positioned itself across the five ADKAR dimensions. The results revealed that most Romanian farm managers are highly aware of the need for change and show a generally positive attitude toward adopting sustainable practices. However, there remain considerable knowledge gaps and practical limitations, which continue to act as major barriers to effective implementation. The composite ADKAR-S Index, which measures the “sustainability maturity” of each farm, displayed a strong positive correlation with economic performance, particularly the profit margin (r ≈ 0.45, p < 0.001), and a significant negative correlation with antimicrobial use (r ≈ −0.50, p < 0.001). Simply put, farms that are better prepared for organizational transformation tend to perform better financially while also reducing their environmental footprint. The findings suggest that policy efforts should prioritize human capital development, especially through training programs and reinforcement systems such as continuous monitoring and staff incentives, to ensure that sustainable practices are not only adopted but also maintained in the long run. Full article

Rare vascular diseases such as hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) represent a big challenge in biomedicine: complex pathomechanisms, limited patient material, and fragmented research communities slow down therapeutic progress. We argue that two elements are pivotal to bypass this problem. First, genuine partnership with patients—ranging from biospecimen donation to agenda setting—can unlock critical resources and align research with real-world needs. Second, molecular intersections between HHT and related pathologies call for coordinated, cross-disease programmes rather than isolated efforts. Recent multi-stakeholder gatherings hosted by patient organisations in Germany and elsewhere, such as the Second Scientific Symposium by the German HHT self-help group (Morbus Osler Selbsthilfe e.V.) in May 2025, have shown that when clinicians, basic scientists from different disciplines, and affected families co-design research questions, novel in vitro models can be generated more accurately, and pragmatic clinical trials emerge. Here, we outline actual opportunities for patient-integrated cellular model systems, shared biobanking, and comparative approaches across vascular malformation syndromes. In our opinion, letting informed and well-organised patient communities assemble such meetings opens unique opportunities twofold: on the one hand, the field can finally break out of its disease-specific silos; on the other hand, the development of novel HHT therapies could be accelerated by learning from progress in related pathologies. Full article

Indonesia has articulated ambitious green economy objectives through frameworks such as the Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI). Despite this ambition, a critical research gap exists. The weak ‘green political capabilities’ of policymakers—defined as their ability to navigate political processes, build coalitions, and translate technical knowledge into viable policy—hinder effective agenda-setting and implementation. This study addresses this deficit by identifying strategic points of entry for enhancing these capabilities to strengthen a more sustainable economic transition. Employing a mixed-methods approach guided by the UNDP Capacity Assessment Framework, this research gathered data from 170 stakeholders via workshops, focus group discussions, and surveys. The analysis identifies four principal entry points: (1) internal institutional development, (2) accreditation processes, (3) bureaucratic reform, and (4) external partnerships. Critically, ordinal regression reveals which actors most significantly influence capacity development priorities. Governmental/legislative institutions (Estimate = 1.855, p < 0.010) and the private sector (Estimate = 3.173, p < 0.020) exert a significant positive influence on advancing the green economy agenda. Conversely, competencies such as policy strengthening exhibit a significant negative correlation (Estimate = −3.467, p < 0.000), which indicates a concentration of need among institutions with substantial capacity gaps. The study’s key contribution is a framework for systematically integrating green competencies into national accreditation standards and bureaucratic reforms, providing a clear pathway to transform entry points into effective levers for enhancing the state’s green political capabilities. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the main Arabica and Conilon coffee-producing regions in Brazil in the 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 harvest years, through the triangulation of the principal component analysis (PCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques. To this end, the study followed a qualitative–quantitative approach, with descriptive character and inductive logic. The timeframe for this was 12 months to complete all methodological stages. Regarding efficiencies, six inefficient producers were identified for 2018–2019 and nine for 2020–2021. The results showed, in the 2018–2019 biennium, that production effectiveness is related to reductions in labor hiring and the creation of mechanisms to increase income on inefficient properties. On the other hand, in the 2020–2021 biennium, the intensive use of organic fertilizer and government credit were the most impactful aspects on the efficiency of properties. The contributions of this study were related to the identification of inefficient producers and, above all, the variables that most impact the performance of these sampling units so that they can reestablish their efficiencies. This study allowed for the generation of sustainable indicators to measure producers’ performance. For the agenda of future studies, it is suggested to replicate this study for other cultures and to expand the sample set. Full article