Search Results (643)

Virginia’s coastal location and abundant marine resources make its seafood industry a vital contributor to the state’s economy, supporting both local communities and tourism. This study applied input–output models and updates the economic contributions of the Virginia seafood industry using 2023 data, building on models developed for 2019 that capture both direct effects and broader economic ripple effects. In 2023, the industry generated USD 1.27 billion in total economic output and supported over 6500 jobs—including watermen, aquaculture farmers, processors, and distributors—resulting in USD 238.3 million in labor income. Contributions to state GDP totaled USD 976.7 million, and tax revenues exceeded USD 390.4 million. The study also evaluates the economic role of Virginia seafood products sold in retail stores and restaurants, based on secondary data sources. In 2023, these sectors generated USD 458 million in economic output, supported more than 3600 jobs, produced USD 136.7 million in labor income, and USD 280.8 million in value-added. Combined tax contributions surpassed USD 74 million. Importantly, the analysis results for the Virginia seafood products from retail and restaurant should not be summed to the seafood industry totals to avoid double-counting, as seafood products move as output from one sector as an input to another. These results provide evidence-based insights to guide decision-making, inform stakeholders, and support continued investment in Virginia’s seafood supply chain and related economic activities. Full article

The logistics industry faces challenges from evolving consumer expectations, technological advances, sustainability demands, and market disruptions. Logistics collaboration is in theory perceived as one of the most promising solutions to solve these issues, but here are still a lot of challenges that needs to be better understood and addressed. While vertical collaboration among supply chain actors is well advanced, horizontal collaboration among competing service providers remains under-explored. This study developed a novel methodology based on the COM-B behaviour-change framework to better understand the main challenges, opportunities, capabilities and drivers that would motivate competing companies to exploit the potential of horizontal logistics collaboration. A survey was designed and conducted among 71 logistics service providers in Slovenia, chosen for its fragmented market and low willingness to collaborate. Statistical analysis reveals cost reduction (M = 4.21/5) and improved vehicle utilization (M = 4.29/5) as the primary motivators. On the other hand, maintaining company reputation (M = 4.64/5), fair resource sharing (M = 4.20/5), and transparency of logistics processes (M = 4.17/5) all persist as key enabling conditions. These findings underscore the pivotal role of behavioural drivers and suggest strategies that combine economic incentives with targeted trust-building measures. Future research should employ experimental designs in diverse national contexts and integrate vertical–horizontal approaches to validate causal pathways and advance theory. Full article

We introduce I-fp convergence (ideal convergence in fuzzy paranormed spaces) and develop its core theory, including stability results and an equivalence to $I^{*}$-fp convergence under the AP Property. Building on this foundation, we design an adaptive base-stock policy for a single-echelon inventory system in which weekly demand is expressed as triangular fuzzy numbers while holiday or promotion weeks are treated as ideal-small anomalies. The policy is updated by a simple learning rule that can be implemented in any spreadsheet, requires no optimisation software, and remains insensitive to tuning choices. Extensive simulation confirms that the method simultaneously lowers cost, reduces average inventory and raises service level relative to a crisp benchmark, all while filtering sparse demand spikes in a principled way. These findings position I-fp convergence as a lightweight yet rigorous tool for blending linguistic uncertainty with anomaly-aware decision making in supply-chain analytics. Full article

This study synthesizes the rapidly expanding evidence on how digital technologies reshape international trade, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Guided by two research questions—(RQ1) How do digital tools influence the volume and composition of cross-border trade? and (RQ2) How do these effects vary by countries’ development level and firm size?—we conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic literature review covering 2010–2024. Searches across eight major databases yielded 1857 records; after duplicate removal, title/abstract screening, full-text assessment, and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT 2018) quality checks, 86 peer-reviewed English-language studies were retained. Findings reveal three dominant technology clusters: (1) e-commerce platforms and cloud services, (2) IoT-enabled supply chain solutions, and (3) emerging AI analytics. E-commerce and cloud adoption consistently raise export intensity—doubling it for digitally mature SMEs—while AI applications are the fastest-growing research strand, particularly in East Asia and Northern Europe. However, benefits are uneven: firms in low-infrastructure settings face higher fixed digital costs, and cybersecurity and regulatory fragmentation remain pervasive obstacles. By integrating trade economics with development and SME internationalization studies, this review offers the first holistic framework that links national digital infrastructure and policy support to firm-level export performance. It shows that the trade-enhancing effects of digitalization are contingent on robust broadband penetration, affordable cloud access, and harmonized data-governance regimes. Policymakers should, therefore, prioritize inclusive digital-readiness programs, while business leaders should invest in complementary capabilities—data analytics, cyber-risk management, and cross-border e-logistics—to fully capture digital trade gains. This balanced perspective advances theory and practice on building resilient, equitable digital trade ecosystems. Full article

Managing finances in a supply chain today is not as straightforward as it once was. The world is constantly shifting—markets fluctuate, risks emerge unexpectedly—and companies are continually trying to stay one step ahead. In all this, financial resilience has become more than just a strategy. It is a survival skill. In our research, we examined how newer technologies (such as blockchain and the Internet of Things) can make a difference. The idea was not to reinvent the wheel but to see if these tools could actually make financing more transparent, reduce some of the friction, and maybe even help companies breathe a little easier when it comes to liquidity. We employed two optimization methods (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO)) to achieve a balanced outcome. The goal was lower financing costs, better liquidity, and stronger resilience. Blockchain did not just record transactions—it seemed to build trust. Meanwhile, the Internet of Things (IoT) provided companies with a clearer picture of what is happening in real-time, making financial outcomes a bit less of a guessing game. However, it gives financial managers a better chance at planning and not getting caught off guard when the economy takes a turn. Full article

Background: Since the election of Hamas in 2006, Gaza has endured eight major military conflicts, culminating in the ongoing 2023–2025 war, now surpassing 520 days. This protracted violence, compounded by a 17-year blockade, has resulted in the near-total collapse of Gaza’s health system. Over 49,000 deaths, widespread displacement, and the destruction of more than 60% of health infrastructure have overwhelmed both local capacity and international humanitarian response. Objectives: This narrative review aims to examine and synthesize the current literature (October 2023–April 2025) on the health crisis in Gaza, with a specific focus on identifying key themes and knowledge gaps relevant to rebuilding a sustainable health system. The review also seeks to outline strategic pathways for recovery in the context of ongoing conflict and systemic deprivation. Methods: Given the urgency and limitations of empirical data from conflict zones, a narrative review approach was adopted. Fifty-two sources—including peer-reviewed articles, editorials, reports, and correspondence—were selected through targeted searches using Medline and Google Scholar. The analysis was framed within a public health and political economy perspective, also taking health system building blocks into consideration. Results: The reviewed literature emphasizes emergency needs: trauma care, infectious disease control, and supply chain restoration. Innovations such as mobile clinics and telemedicine offer interim solutions. Gaps include limited attention to mental health (including that of health workers), local governance, and sustainable planning frameworks. Conclusions: Sustainable reconstruction requires a durable ceasefire; international stewardship aligned with local ownership; and a phased, equity-driven strategy emphasizing primary care, mental health, trauma management, and community engagement. Full article

The construction sector significantly contributes to global environmental degradation through intensive resource extraction, high energy consumption, and substantial waste generation. Addressing this unsustainable trajectory requires integrated approaches that simultaneously improve operational efficiency and material circularity. Lean Construction (LC) and Circular Economy (CE) offer complementary frameworks for enhancing process performance and reducing environmental impacts. However, their combined implementation remains underdeveloped and fragmented. This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) of 18 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2025, selected using PRISMA 2020 guidelines and sourced from Scopus and Web of Science databases. A mixed-method approach combines bibliometric mapping and qualitative content analysis to investigate how LC and CE are jointly operationalized in construction contexts. The findings reveal that LC improves cost, time, and workflow reliability, while CE enables reuse, modularity, and lifecycle extension. Integration is further supported by digital tools—such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), and digital twins—which enhance traceability and flow optimization. Nonetheless, persistent barriers—including supply chain fragmentation, lack of standards, and regulatory gaps—continue to constrain widespread adoption. This review identifies six strategic enablers for LC-CE integration: crossdisciplinary competencies, collaborative governance, interoperable digital systems, standardized indicators, incentive-based regulation, and pilot demonstrator projects. By consolidating fragmented evidence, the study provides a structured research agenda and practical insights to guide the transition toward more circular, efficient, and sustainable construction practices. Full article

Hydrogen is being increasingly integrated into the international trade system as a clean and flexible energy carrier, motivated by the global energy transition and carbon neutrality objectives. The rapid expansion of the global hydrogen trade network has simultaneously exposed several sustainability challenges, including a centralized structure, overdependence on key countries, and limited resilience to external disruptions. Based on this, we develop a risk propagation model that incorporates the absorption capacity of nodes to simulate the propagation of supply shortage risks within the global hydrogen trade network. Furthermore, we propose a composite sustainability index constructed from structural, economic, and environmental resilience indicators, enabling a systematic assessment of the network’s sustainable development capacity under external shock scenarios. Findings indicate the following: (1) The global hydrogen trade network is undergoing a structural shift from a Western Europe-dominated unipolar configuration to a more polycentric pattern. Countries such as China and Singapore are emerging as key hubs linking Eurasian regions, with trade relationships among nations becoming increasingly dense and diversified. (2) Although supply shortage shocks trigger structural disturbances, economic losses, and risks of carbon rebound, their impacts are largely concentrated in a limited number of hub countries, with relatively limited disruption to the overall sustainability of the system. (3) Countries exhibit significant heterogeneity in structural, economic, and environmental resilience. Risk propagation demonstrates an uneven pattern characterized by hub-induced disruptions, chain-like transmission, and localized clustering. Accordingly, policy recommendations are proposed, including the establishment of a polycentric coordination mechanism, the enhancement of regional emergency coordination mechanisms, and the advancement of differentiated capacity-building efforts. Full article

As global climate change intensifies and the transition to clean energy accelerates, lithium-ion batteries—critical components of electric vehicles—are becoming increasingly vital in international trade networks. This study investigates the structural evolution and determinants of the electric vehicle lithium-ion battery trade network among European Union (EU) member states from 2012 to 2023, employing social network analysis and the multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure method. The findings demonstrate the transformation of the network from a centralized and loosely connected structure, with Germany as the dominant hub, to a more interconnected and decentralized system in which Poland and Hungary emerge as the leading players. Key network metrics, such as the density, clustering coefficients, and average path lengths, reveal increased regional trade connectivity and enhanced supply chain efficiency. The analysis identifies geographic and economic proximity, logistics performance, labor cost differentials, energy resource availability, and venture capital investment as significant drivers of trade flows, highlighting the interaction among spatial, economic, and infrastructural factors in shaping the network. Based on these findings, this study underscores the need for targeted policy measures to support Central and Eastern European countries, including investment in logistics infrastructure, technological innovation, and regional cooperation initiatives, to strengthen their integration into the supply chain and bolster their export capacity. Furthermore, fostering balanced inter-regional collaborations is essential in building a resilient trade network. Continued investment in transportation infrastructure and innovation is recommended to sustain the EU’s competitive advantage in the global electric vehicle lithium-ion battery supply chain. Full article

Through the energy conversion of building skins, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology, the core carrier of the smart city energy system, encourages the conversion of buildings into energy-generating units. However, the decommissioning of the module faces the challenge of physical dismantling and financial environmental damage because of the close coupling with the building itself. As the first tranche of BIPV projects will enter the end of their life cycle, it is urgent to establish a multi-dimensional collaborative recycling mechanism that meets the characteristics of building pv systems. Based on the theory of reverse logistics network, the research focuses on optimizing the reverse logistics network during the decommissioning stage of BIPV modules, and proposes a dual-objective optimization model that considers both cost and carbon emissions for BIPV. Meanwhile, the multi-level recycling network which covers “building points-regional transfer stations-specialized distribution centers” is designed in the research, the Pareto solution set is solved by the improved NSGA-II algorithm, a “1 + 1” du-al-core construction model of distribution center and transfer station is developed, so as to minimize the total cost and life cycle carbon footprint of the logistics network. At the same time, the research also reveals the driving effect of government reward and punishment policies on the collaborative behavior of enterprise recycling, and provides methodological support for the construction of a closed-loop supply chain of “PV-building-environment” symbiosis. The study concludes that in the process of constructing smart city energy system, the systematic control of resource circulation and environmental risks through the optimization of reverse logistics network can provide technical support for the sustainable development of smart city. Full article

With rising environmental awareness, numerous firms are transitioning to green investment, such as low-carbon production. However, the consumer adoption of low-carbon products remains low due to transparency concerns. Many firms are leveraging blockchain to address information asymmetry in the supply chain, thereby building consumer confidence in low-carbon products. The purpose of this work is to provide decision support for business firms by analyzing the strategic choices regarding the manufacturer’s green investment and the e-retailer’s adoption of blockchain technology. Three strategy combinations are considered, including the baseline strategy combination without green investment and blockchain technology (NN), the strategy combination with only green investment (LN), and the strategy combination with both green investment and blockchain technology (LB). The optimal pricing and green level decisions are derived, and the conditions under which green investment and blockchain technology are beneficial to the supply chain members are examined. The findings suggest that the e-retailer can obtain the highest profit without adopting blockchain technology if it holds a substantial or extremely low market share, if the consumers’ low-carbon preference is at a low to medium level, or if the consumer green trust coefficient is high when the manufacturer implements the green investment strategy. When consumers exhibit a weak preference for low-carbon products, the strategy combination NN is optimal for the supply chain members. The strategy combination LB becomes optimal if the consumer green trust coefficient is near or below the moderate threshold, if the market share of a channel is neither extremely high nor low, or if consumers exhibit a strong preference for low-carbon products. Full article

This paper presents platforms as a solution to rethink how we build, addressing the pressing paradox between meeting growing housing demands. The construction sector has not fully grasped the advantages of platforms beyond standardisation and efficiency. In contrast, other sectors have begun acknowledging that platforms can capture increased value through interactions among firms within a networked ecosystem. Learning from other sectors, this paper investigates platforms in the construction context, aiming to define, classify, and assess their impact on the construction value chain. The research approach was abductive, involving a cross-sectoral review of 190 platforms across 16 Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) industries and semi-structured interviews with stakeholder groups of the construction value chain in Australia. The findings categorise platforms as physical, digital, or hybrid, highlighting their potential to move value-added activities upstream, facilitate collaboration, and foster innovation through data-driven insights. The paper’s novelty lies in the exhaustive cross-sectoral review, the classification of platforms in the construction context, and the proposition of a platform approach as a versatile framework tailored to diverse needs and circumstances that offers a fresh perspective on sustainable building practices. The practical contribution of this study lies in offering guidelines for industry practitioners aiming to develop or refine a platform-based approach tailored to the construction context. Full article

The increasing scale of honey adulteration poses a significant challenge for modern food quality and safety management systems. Honey authenticity, defined as the conformity of products with their declared botanical and geographical origin, is challenging to verify solely through documentation and conventional physicochemical analyses. This study presents an integrated, process-oriented approach for digital honey authentication, building on initial findings from an interdisciplinary research and development project. The approach includes the creation of a comprehensive digital pollen database and the application of AI-driven image segmentation and classification methods. The developed system is designed to support decision-making processes in quality assessment and VACCP (Vulnerability Assessment and Critical Control Points) risk evaluation, enhancing the operational resilience of honey supply chains against fraudulent practices. This study aligns with current trends in the digitization of food quality management and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in the agri-food sector, demonstrating the practical feasibility of integrating AI-supported palynological analysis into industrial workflows. The results indicate that the proposed approach can significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of honey authenticity assessments, supporting the integrity and transparency of global honey markets. Full article

Construction costs have increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic due to supply chain disruption, labour shortages, and construction material price hikes. The market is increasingly demanding innovative construction methods that can save construction costs, reduce construction time, and minimise waste and carbon emission. The prefabrication system has been used for years in industrial construction, resulting in better performance in regard to structure stability, the control of wastage, and the optimisation of construction time and cost. In addition, prefabrication has had a positive contribution on resource utilisation in the construction industry. There are various types of prefabricated wall systems. However, the majority of comparative studies have focused on comparing each prefabrication wall system against the conventional construction system, while limited research has been conducted to compare different prefabrication structures. This study examined four prominent prefabricated wall systems, i.e., precast walls, tilt-up walls, prefabricated steel-frame walls, and on-site-cut steel-frame walls, to determine which one is more suitable for the construction of industrial buildings to minimise cost, time delay, and labourer utilisation on construction sites, as well as to enhance structure durability, construction efficiency, and sustainability. One primary case project and five additional projects were included in this study. For the primary case project, data were collected and analysed; for example, a subcontractor cost comparison for supply and installation was conducted, and shop drawings, construction procedures, timelines, and site photos were collected. For the additional five projects, the overall cost data were compared. The main research finding of this study is that factory-made precast walls and tilt-up wall panels require similar construction time. However, on average, tilt-up prefabrication construction can reduce the cost by around 23.55%. It was also found that prefabricated frame walls provide cost and time savings of around 39% and 10.5%, respectively. These findings can provide architects, developers, builders, suppliers, regulators, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive insight into selecting a method of wall construction that can achieve greater efficiency, cost savings, and environmental sustainability in the construction of industrial and commercial buildings. Full article

Despite growing interest in integrating Lean Construction (LC) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to advance sustainability in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, research remains fragmented and lacks a unified implementation framework. This study bridges this gap by conducting a systematic literature review (2010–2024) of 96 journal articles to (1) analyze research trends in BIM-LC integration; (2) evaluate its benefits for sustainable built environments; and (3) identify barriers to adoption. A key contribution is the development of a novel four-dimensional BIM-LC integration framework, encompassing information integration, supply chain management, waste management, and life cycle management, which synergizes LC principles with BIM’s technical capabilities to reduce waste, enhance resource efficiency, and support carbon neutrality goals. The findings reveal that while BIM-LC integration significantly improves construction productivity and reduces environmental impacts, technical challenges in data interoperability and fragmented lifecycle management persist. Actionable solutions are further proposed, including semantic model standardization, AI-driven supply chain resilience, and circular economy integration. This framework provides both scholars and practitioners with a roadmap to advance BIM-LC adoption for sustainable construction. Full article