Search Results (284)

Armed conflict management increasingly demands new normative and strategic frameworks that preserve human life while maintaining effective deterrence capabilities. This study develops a multidisciplinary framework for rethinking armed conflict through the concept of just peace, integrating theology, ethics, law, technology, and empirical communication analysis. The research analyzes 7957 YouTube videos from NATO, the United Nations, and the Vatican, published over two years, employing semantic network analysis, modularity-based community detection, and sentiment analysis to identify emerging discourse patterns around peace, technology, and regulatory complexity. The findings suggest that contemporary socio-technological conditions are increasingly framed in ways that open a discursive space for rethinking conflict management beyond exclusive reliance on large-scale lethal force. Positive messaging correlates with higher audience engagement, while concepts such as law, ethics, religion, and technical standards emerge as interconnected regulatory domains. The study concludes that just peace is not naïve pacifism but a strategic, normatively grounded reorientation in contemporary deterrence thinking. Effective implementation requires integrated regulatory frameworks combining legal norms, ethical principles, religious values, and technical standards. The evolving technological landscape may allow deterrence systems to move beyond exclusive reliance on lethal force toward more humane and efficient conflict-management mechanisms. Full article

This study quantifies spatial patterns and socio-economic drivers of wildlife-related losses at the agricultural–conservation interface in north-eastern South Africa. Using structured interviews with 249 farmers across five localities (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal), 173 respondents reported wildlife incursions. Crop damage was dominated by primates vervet monkeys and chacma baboons while leopards were the principal game/livestock predator. Subsistence households bore the heaviest burden: they accounted for most crop-raiding reports. They faced heightened food-security risks, whereas commercial operations suffered larger monetary losses but had greater capacity to deploy deterrents. Irrigation was associated with increased conflict incidence, and electrified fencing reduced losses for some subsistence farms but was not uniformly effective in high-risk localities. Larger household size correlated with greater exposure to incursions than small households. We recommend targeted, locality-specific, multi-species mitigation: prioritise support and maintenance for effective deterrents in vulnerable communal areas, integrate community engagement and monitoring, and align conservation policy with livelihood resilience to reduce inequitable impacts. Full article

The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is an intertidal crustacean that has extended its invasive range globally and is regarded as a major pest species for bivalves, impacting coastal food chains and aquacultures. Crabs primarily use chemosensory cues to sense their environment for feeding to avoid predation and to locate mates and induce mating. Consequently, known attractants including food baits are frequently employed in trapping and control efforts. Here, we investigate the effects of introducing a predatory fish odour to the environment and show that it elicits anti-predator behaviour in C. maenas. A 45% reduction in crab foraging and feeding behaviour was observed when predator odour was introduced compared with food control experiments. A further 23% reduction (68% reduction overall) in feeding behaviour was observed after crabs were exposed to (though housed separately from) the same seawater as the live predator for several days. This highlights the increased awareness or continuous stress of these habituated crabs towards predator odour. This study also presents potential for application as a deterrent in integrated pest management strategies for this global invader. Full article

Insects use oviposition secretions containing deterrent signals to regulate intra- and interspecific competition and structure resource partitioning; certain Tephritidae display a striking reversal of this strategy. Herein, we induced female aggregation and oviposition using eggs from the three fruit fly species (B. dorsalis, Z. cucurbitae, Z. tau) and characterized the eggs’ volatile profiles by GC–MS. Within 6 h, female attraction rates to egg stimuli varied significantly by species combination. B. dorsalis females were attracted to conspecific eggs at 39.33%, to Z. cucurbitae eggs at 28.67%, and to Z. tau eggs at 0%. Z. cucurbitae females showed attraction rates of 22.67% to B. dorsalis eggs, 13.00% to conspecific eggs, and 1.33% to Z. tau eggs. Z. tau females exhibited 27.67% attraction to B. dorsalis eggs, 13.67% to Z. cucurbitae eggs, and 18.33% to conspecific eggs. Oviposition assays confirmed strong interspecific effects, with B. dorsalis eggs stimulating the greatest egg-laying. GC–MS analysis revealed distinct volatile profiles, with B. dorsalis eggs producing the highest number of unique compounds (57), potentially explaining their strong behavioral effects. In total, 79 volatiles differed significantly between Z. cucurbitae and B. dorsalis eggs, 73 between Z. tau and B. dorsalis eggs, and 91 between Z. cucurbitae and Z. tau eggs. These findings reveal a behavioral hierarchy where B. dorsalis is the most responsive to egg volatiles, Z. cucurbitae is intermediate, and Z. tau is the least responsive, a ranking that correlates with significant differences in the eggs’ volatile compositions. This study directly links a behavioral status in interspecific oviposition to species-specific egg volatile profiles. Full article

The longest-standing international treaty for wetland and waterbird protection, the Ramsar Convention has resulted in the establishment of more than 2500 protected areas covering over 2.5 million square kilometers around the world. However, its measures are not legally binding, and its effectiveness as a tool for wildlife conservation has rarely been quantitatively assessed. In Benin, West Africa, breeding waterbirds are subjected to intense hunting and egg harvesting for both commercial and subsistence purposes. We quantified count data of waterbirds and eggs taken by local hunters and trappers to assess the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention as a wildlife conservation tool in southeastern Benin. During the six-month period between May and October 2022, 64 people reported harvesting a total of 12,053 breeding waterbirds and 63,987 eggs, comprising eight species in three families in Ramsar site 1018. Birds most heavily targeted included Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni), with 4187 breeding birds taken (~35% of all birds captured), and the White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata), with 24,491 eggs taken (~38% of all eggs taken) over the course of a single breeding season. The Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Lesser Moorhen (Paragallinula angulata) were the third and fourth most targeted bird species, respectively, followed by the African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis), Black Crake (Zapornia flavirostra), African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus), and African Crake (Cecropsis egregia). Captured waterbirds were sold live at local markets, while eggs were eaten by hunters, except eggs containing chicks, which were discarded. Our findings show heavy persecution of waterbirds during their breeding season, when nesting birds are especially vulnerable to human predation, on a scale that is likely unprecedented and threatens to drive declines of targeted species in Benin. As local residents do not currently appear to recognize any deterrents to the uncontrolled hunting of breeding waterbirds or the collection of eggs in Ramsar site 1018, there is an urgent need to better leverage the Ramsar Convention to enforce conservation practices in this region. Full article

Conventional production methods of aragonite production utilize chemical inducers to promote the evolution of the calcite crystalline phase to the aragonite phase of calcium carbonate. The chemical inducers used require a considerable amount of magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) to induce crystallization, which is a major operational cost. Application of such materials in large amounts can be a deterrent to achieving a sustainable and economically feasible end-product derived from carbon dioxide (CO₂) molecules. A number of previous research works focused mainly on optimizing the usage of MgCl₂ or introducing alternative chemical inducers for aragonite production. In this work, we are proposing the usage of natural seawater as it is a naturally available and abundant resource to induce the synthesis and continuous production of aragonite compounds. Due to inconsistent quality and salinity of the natural seawater sampled, harvested, and dried, Red Sea Salt is utilized, blended at 33 g/L throughout the laboratory experiments for better statistical control, and is referred to as blended or artificial seawater. A methodology of utilizing seawater, which has a considerable concentration of MgCl₂ compound, can be utilized as a sustainable, natural, and economically feasible natural inducer to synthesize aragonite has been developed by utilizing artificial seawater for laboratory proof of concept. The main effects identified for the optimization of aragonite synthesis are lime (CaO) feedstock concentration in seawater, reaction temperature, and reaction duration. The experiment results indicated that only by increasing temperature and reaction duration, or both, can the aragonite yield be increased. It is suggested that the range of operation to obtain > 80% aragonite purity has been identified with the reaction temperature at 90 °C, reaction duration of 10 min, and CaO concentration in seawater at 1 g/L. The quality of the aragonite synthesized via seawater is characterized using XRD, ICP, FESEM, and TGA, and compared with aragonite particles synthesized using MgCl₂ inducers. In comparison, seawater aragonite has lower residual alkalinity compared to both calcite and aragonite via MgCl₂ and has a mixture of predominantly needle-shaped crystalline structure and remnants of cubic-shaped particles, presumably calcite, suitable for application in food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals (calcium antacids, nutritional supplements, chewable, lozenges). Full article

Externalizing problems are influenced by family dynamics, yet the specific mechanisms linking parental control to distinct externalizing problem behaviors remain unclear. This study examined the effects of parental behavioral control on proactive aggression, reactive aggression, and delinquent behavior, focusing on the mediating role of child disclosure. Data were collected from 3818 adolescents (aged 10–18) and their parents in Hong Kong. Results revealed that child disclosure served as a robust mediator. For mothers, full mediation was observed across all three outcomes. For fathers, full mediation was found for both subtypes of aggression, whereas partial mediation was observed for delinquent behavior. The indirect pathways were invariant across gender, suggesting the mechanism is universal. Notably, the model significantly predicted reactive aggression through a full mediation model from both mother and father. The study highlights the unique dual-pathway role of fathers—combining structural deterrence for delinquent behavior with relational communication for aggression and supports the efficacy of trust-based interventions for diverse externalizing problems. These findings suggest that effective parenting operates primarily by fostering a disclosure-promoting context rather than mere surveillance. Full article

We examine whether gender influences formal tax compliance among self-employed taxpayers in Southern Albania—focusing on two observable behaviors: paying taxes on time and the amount of unpaid tax debt (arrears). The study does not examine tax evasion or tax avoidance, as these behaviors cannot be directly observed in the available data. Using administrative data on 500 taxpayers in Fier, Vlorë, Berat, Gjirokastër, and Sarandë (January 2022–March 2025), we estimate the likelihood of timely payment with logistic and probit models and study unpaid liabilities using linear regression. Female-led businesses are more likely to meet deadlines and hold lower unpaid debts than male-led firms. These differences persist across sectors after controlling for firm size, region, income, and time. A negative and significant Gender × Sector term indicates that sectoral composition does not offset women’s compliance advantage in these formal outcomes. The effect size is relatively large for an environment with imperfect monitoring, suggesting that moral norms, reputational concerns, and perceived control weigh more heavily where deterrence is limited. From a policy perspective, adding gender to compliance-risk models and tailoring taxpayer services may indirectly improve voluntary payments and reduce arrears by refining compliance-risk assessment and targeting. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Albania using official administrative microdata to analyze gendered formal tax behavior, addressing a clear empirical gap in Southeastern Europe and providing evidence relevant for discussions of fair and inclusive fiscal policy in an EU-harmonization context. While the findings are derived from Southern Albania, they offer indicative insights for comparable transition economies in Southeastern Europe, rather than direct generalization. Full article

The unbridled pursuit of statistical rationality has precipitated a crisis of value rationality in e-commerce ecosystems, leading to algorithmic involution—a dilemma characterized by destructive hyper-competition. To reconcile this theoretical paradox and explore effective governance pathways, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model involving e-commerce platforms, government regulators, and consumers. Simulation results indicate that high-intensity government deterrence constitutes the necessary stability foundation of hard constraints, while consumer activism acts as the decisive accelerator of the soft environment contingent on high synergistic gains and low information screening costs. Furthermore, a platform’s pivot toward “algorithm for good” is not driven by altruism, but by the rational calibration between short-term extractive gains and long-term benevolent returns. Sensitivity analysis confirms that reducing the ratio of these two factors is the effective lever to speed up system convergence. Finally, effective governance requires restructuring this payoff matrix by establishing dynamic penalty mechanisms and transparent low-cost feedback channels to render ethical algorithmic behavior a dominant strategy in terms of economic rationality. This research aims to guide the e-commerce ecosystem from a zero-sum game of involution toward a sustainable equilibrium of multi-party value co-creation. Full article

Urban air mobility solutions such as drone taxi services are increasingly viewed as a promising response to congestion, sustainability, and smart-city mobility challenges. However, the large-scale adoption of such services depends on users’ perceptions of service experience, trust, and readiness to engage with emerging technologies. This study investigates the determinants of sustainable adoption of drone taxi services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by examining technology readiness and service experience factors, interpreted through conceptual alignment with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A structured questionnaire was administered to potential users, capturing perceptions related to optimism, innovation readiness, efficiency, control, privacy, insecurity, discomfort, inefficiency, and perceived operational risk, along with behavioral intention to adopt drone taxi services. Measurement reliability and validity were rigorously assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted (AVE), and the heterotrait–monotrait (HTMT) criterion. The validated latent construct scores were subsequently used to estimate a structural regression model examining the relative influence of each factor on adoption intention. The results indicate that privacy assurance and perceived control exert the strongest influence on behavioral intention, followed by optimism and innovation readiness, while negative readiness factors such as discomfort, insecurity, inefficiency, and perceived chaos demonstrate negligible effects. These findings suggest that in technologically progressive contexts such as the UAE, adoption intentions are primarily shaped by trust-building and empowerment-oriented perceptions rather than deterrence-based concerns. By positioning technology readiness and service experience constructs within established TAM and UTAUT theoretical perspectives, this study contributes a context-sensitive understanding of adoption drivers for emerging urban air mobility services. The findings offer practical insights for policy makers and service providers seeking to design user-centric, trustworthy, and sustainable drone taxi systems. Full article

Protecting aquatic biodiversity while ensuring reliable hydropower production and water supply remains a core challenge for both water security and biosecurity. In this PRISMA-based systematic review, we synthesize evidence from 96 studies on fish guidance and deterrence at hazardous water intakes. We examine non-physical barriers, including acoustic and light cues, electric fields, bubble curtains, and chemical stimuli, as well as physical barriers such as racks, guidance structures, and nets or screens that aim to divert fish away from intakes and toward selective passage routes. Overall, guidance and deterrence performance is strongly species- and site-specific. Multimodal systems that combine multiple cues show the highest mean guidance efficiency (~80%), followed by light-based deterrents (~77%). Acoustic, electric, and bubble barriers generally achieve intermediate efficiencies (~55–58%), whereas structural devices alone exhibit lower mean performance (~46%), with substantial variability among sites and designs. Physical screens remain effective for larger size classes but can increase head loss and debris accumulation. By contrast, non-physical systems offer more flexible, low-footprint options whose success depends critically on local hydraulics, the sensory ecology of target species, and ambient environmental conditions. We identify major knowledge gaps relating to underlying sensory and behavioral mechanisms, hydraulics-based design rules, and standardized performance metrics. We also highlight opportunities to integrate advanced monitoring and AI-based analytics into adaptive, site-specific guidance systems. Taken together, our findings show that carefully selected and tuned barrier technologies can provide practical pathways to enhance water security and biosecurity, while supporting sustainable fish passage, improving invasive-species control, and reducing ecological impacts at water infrastructure. Full article

In recent times, field crop damage caused by birds, such as corvids and pigeons, has become crucial for many farmers. Damage can be as serious as the loss of a large part of the harvest. Several solutions have been proposed, but none are effective. An example is the use of scarecrows, but birds eventually adapt to them over time, and so they become ineffective. To study bird behavior and to propose a bird deterrent that would adapt to the presence of birds, we set up an experimental image-taking system on several plots of land over a period of 4–5 years. Around fifteen terabytes of images taken in the field were acquired. Our aim was to automatically detect these birds using deep learning methods and then to activate a real-time scarer. This work meets two challenges: the first is agroecological, as bird damage has become a major issue, and the second is IT, as it is difficult to detect birds in the field: the individuals are small because they are far from the camera lens, and field conditions are often less than optimal: darkness, confusion between the pigeons’ colors and the ground, etc. The Mask-RCNN in its original configuration is not suited to detecting small individuals. We mainly focused on the model’s hyperparameters to better adapt it to our study context. As a result, we improved the detection of small individuals using, among other things, appropriate anchor scales design and image processing techniques. At the same time, we built an original dataset focused on small individuals called BirdyDataset. The model can detect corvids and pigeons with an accuracy of 78% under real field conditions. Full article

Greenwashing in environmental, social, and governance reporting poses a significant threat to corporate accountability and stakeholder trust. This article provides a comprehensive synthesis of existing research to evaluate the role and effectiveness of sustainability assurance as a primary mechanism to combat greenwashing and proposes a framework for it. Based on a systematic literature review, this paper consolidates empirical findings indicating that sustainability assurance has a significant inhibitory effect on corporate greenwashing and is positively valued by capital markets, as evidenced by lower equity capital costs. However, the analysis also reveals that the effectiveness of assurance is not uniform; it is moderated by contextual factors such as the strength of the national legal environment and, in particular, regulatory environments, which can be exploited to legitimize overstated disclosures. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for anti-greenwashing assurance that integrates five interconnected pillars (regulatory, stakeholder engagement, third-party verification, corporate culture and internal controls, and technologies), forming a synergistic ecosystem of deterrents which collectively shape the integrity and credibility of sustainability reporting practices. To enhance the effectiveness of greenwashing mitigation, the proposed framework must be further strengthened by integrating the core principles of transparency, materiality, and verifiability across all its pillars. Full article

Human–wildlife conflicts arise from increasing human populations and the growing demand for land for agriculture and urban development. In Saudi Arabia, these dynamics have increased the impact of baboons on human communities, as expanding settlements encroach upon the natural habitats of baboons, while rising baboon populations increasingly invade urban areas in search of food, shelter, and water. We aimed to assess the effects of human–baboon coexistence on residents in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia. From October 2021 to April 2022, we administered a 43-item semi-structured online questionnaire addressing emotional, social, environmental and financial impacts of nearby baboons. A total of 318 residents of the Al-Baha region completed the survey and shared their experiences regarding interactions with hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) near human properties. In addition, three semi-structured life interviews with residents aged over 70 explored historical perceptions. Respondents attributed increased baboon presence to urban expansion, accessible waste, and intentional feeding and strongly supported government-led mitigation plans. Human–baboon interactions in Al Baha produce emotional stress, social disruption, and economic burdens for residents. Findings support integrated management combining public education, improved waste management, non-lethal deterrents, and carefully planned population control measures, developed with community consultation. Limitations of the study include convenience online sampling and reliance on self-reported impacts; future work should quantify baboon abundance and objectively measure economic losses. Full article

This study examines the public’s adoption preferences for China’s central bank digital currency (e-CNY) through an improved Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology framework. Analyzing 3509 consumer and 1630 retailer questionnaires, we investigate five psychological dimensions: perceived risk, cost, benefit, social influence, and marketing promotion. The findings reveal distinct adoption mechanisms: while perceived benefit drives both groups’ adoption intention, marketing promotion significantly influences consumers but shows a limited effect on retailers. Conversely, social influence substantially affects retailers while demonstrating minimal impact on consumers. Perceived cost negatively affects both groups, whereas perceived risk shows no significant deterrent effect. This research provides novel insights into CBDC adoption psychology and offers evidence-based guidance for differentiated promotion strategies targeting consumers and retailers, contributing to both technology adoption theory and CBDC implementation practice. Full article