Search Results (37,059)

Achieving sustainable development requires moving beyond pollution metrics to holistic measures, such as the load capacity factor (LCF), which balances ecological demand and supply. While recent studies have provided important insights into the determinants of LCF in OECD countries, further research is needed to incorporate additional determinants and updated estimation approaches. This study addresses this gap by examining the impacts of financial innovation, forestry, urbanization, population, and economic growth on the LCF in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies from 1990 to 2023. Using second-generation panel econometric methods, including tests for cross-sectional dependence, slope heterogeneity, second-generation unit roots, and cointegration techniques, this paper confirms a stable long-run relationship among the variables. The core analysis applies the method of moments quantile regression to uncover the heterogeneous effects across the LCF distribution. The results indicate that financial innovation consistently enhances the ratio of biocapacity to ecological footprint. In contrast, economic growth and urbanization exert significant negative pressure on the LCF, whereas population size shows a uniformly detrimental effect. Forestry has a positive but less pronounced influence. Robustness checks using fully modified ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, and panel-corrected standard errors confirm these results. The present study concludes that targeted financial innovation and stringent urban demographic policies support OECD nations in improving ecological balance and reducing ecological deficits. Full article

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) introduces significant variability and instability in modern power systems, creating a growing need for advanced and coordinated energy storage solutions. However, a key unresolved challenge remains the integrated modeling and optimal sizing of hybrid energy storage systems (ESS) that combine technologies with different temporal characteristics under high RES penetration. This study addresses this challenge by developing a unified techno-economic and physical–mathematical framework for hybrid ESS integrating lithium-ion (Li-ion), vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), and hydrogen (H₂) technologies. Unlike conventional approaches that treat storage technologies independently or use simplified hybrid representations, the proposed framework jointly considers dynamic energy balance, degradation-aware lifecycle behavior, and multi-criteria cost optimization. The model was implemented using Python 3.10-based simulation tools and evaluated under renewable penetration scenarios of 30%, 50%, and 70%. The results indicate that increasing RES penetration leads to higher power fluctuations, reaching ±15–20% at 50% RES and ±20–25% at 70% RES. The optimized hybrid system achieves an overall efficiency of up to 92%, reduces total system cost to approximately 450 USD/kWh, and extends operational lifetime to 25 years, demonstrating a balanced techno-economic performance compared to standalone storage technologies. The proposed framework addresses this gap by coupling dynamic energy balance analysis with degradation-aware techno-economic optimization, enabling coordinated allocation of storage functions across short-, medium-, and long-duration timescales. In this way, the study not only evaluates hybrid storage performance, but also provides a practical decision-support framework for renewable-dominated power systems, particularly in the context of Kazakhstan’s energy transition. Full article

A previously unexplored magnetic biocomposite (CMC-HSDs/Fe₃O₄) was developed through the valorization of hydrophobic scleroprotein discards (HSDs). The synthesized material was evaluated for its efficacy in the adsorption of Cr(VI) and Hg(II) ions from contaminated aqueous systems. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized CMC-HSDs/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite were characterized using XRD, FTIR, BET, TG/DTG, FESEM, EDX, and elemental mapping. Subsequently, a Box–Behnken experimental design was employed to model and optimize the adsorption process for Cr(VI) and Hg(II), focusing on the critical parameters of solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and interaction time. Kinetic data were best fitted to the pseudo-first-order (PFO) model. Equilibrium isotherm analysis revealed that Cr(VI) adsorption followed the Langmuir model, while Hg(II) adsorption was better fitted by the Freundlich model. Advanced ionic calculations elucidated a consistent multimolecular adsorption mechanism for both ions, characterized by temperature invariance and a preferential vertical geometry of the adsorbed species. Through a production cost of 25.56 USD/kg, the biosorbent demonstrates excellent reusability, retaining 88.60% efficiency for Cr(VI) and 85.69% for Hg(II) after five adsorption–desorption cycles. Based on a 50 mg/L influent concentration, projected treatment costs are ~$3.50/100 L for Cr(VI) and ~$1.22/100 L for Hg(II), underscoring the nanocomposite’s economic feasibility for industrial deployment in advanced tertiary wastewater remediation. Full article

This paper evaluates the efficiency of modernization of the regional railway line Prievidza–Jelšovce in Slovakia using cost–benefit analysis (CBA), reflecting increased investment costs and the potential electrification of the line. The assessment is based on a detailed analysis of transport demand and infrastructure conditions, where daily railway passenger volumes range between 2300 and 3700 passengers, while individual car transport exceeds 10,000 passengers per day in most sections. Two alternative modernization variants were evaluated. The results show that the project generates socio-economic benefits, particularly through travel time savings amounting to approximately €42.3 million and reductions in operating costs and externalities. Significant environmental benefits were identified, especially in the case of the more advanced variant, with reductions in air pollution reaching €56.3 million and greenhouse gas emissions reaching €42.2 million. Despite these benefits, the economic evaluation indicates negative net economic outcomes for both variants. The total economic investment costs (excluding VAT and adjusted for economic appraisal) reach €543.4 million for the EIA variant and €511.9 million for the proposed variant, resulting in net economic values of −€186.2 million and −€70.8 million, respectively. The results therefore suggest that neither variant achieves full economic efficiency under the given assumptions, although the proposed variant performs significantly better. The findings highlight the strong sensitivity of project efficiency to investment costs and the scope of modernization. The study confirms the necessity of regularly updating CBA analyses in transport projects, as changes in input parameters can substantially influence investment decision-making. Full article

Exchange rate volatility has intensified in recent decades, yet its systematic implications for banking-sector stability remain contested. This study investigates whether exchange rate volatility constitutes a meaningful source of financial fragility using a global panel of 103 countries over the period 2000–2021. Financial stability is proxied by the banking-sector Z-score, while exchange rate volatility is estimated using a EGARCH-based framework to capture time-varying uncertainty. To address cross-sectional dependence, heterogeneity, and endogeneity, the analysis employs Driscoll–Kraay fixed effects, two-step system GMM, and quantile regressions. The results reveal that exchange rate volatility exerts a statistically and economically significant negative effect on banking stability, reducing Z-scores across countries and income groups. The findings remain robust across alternative specifications and estimators. Bank-level fundamentals—capitalisation, liquidity, and credit—enhance stability, whereas higher non-performing loans and risk exposure amplify fragility. Macroeconomic conditions also matter, with stronger growth, institutional quality and external balances supporting resilience, while inflation, economic policy uncertainty and expansionary government spending weaken stability. By integrating time-varying volatility modelling with dynamic panel techniques in a large cross-country setting, this study provides new global evidence that exchange rate volatility is not merely a macroeconomic fluctuation but a structural source of banking-sector risk. The findings carry important implications for macroprudential policy, foreign-exchange management, and coordinated monetary–fiscal responses aimed at safeguarding financial stability in open economies. Full article

Rural communities face significant healthcare access barriers that contribute to persistent health disparities. Mobile health clinics (MHCs) have emerged as a promising strategy for expanding healthcare access, yet their effectiveness in rural settings remains understudied. The aim of this review was to examine the literature to determine what is known about access, health outcomes, and the cost-effectiveness of rural MHCs, specifically with regard to their impact on patient access and outcomes, return on investment (ROI)/financial, and program sustainability. We conducted a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature sources. Systematic screening yielded 34 documents for full analysis. Thematic analysis was conducted across three domains: patient access, patient outcomes, and ROI/sustainability. All 34 documents provided data on patient access, with common themes including expanded service utilization, multi-service integration, overcoming geographic and transportation barriers, and improved healthcare affordability. Thirty-two documents addressed patient outcomes, reporting improvements in preventive care delivery, chronic disease management, and high patient satisfaction. Twenty-eight documents included ROI/sustainability information, with evidence suggesting cost-effectiveness particularly through emergency department visit avoidance and multi-service integration. Across the literature reviewed, the quality of evidence varied considerably, yet we concluded mobile health clinics demonstrate promise for expanding healthcare access and improving outcomes in rural populations. Key success factors include multi-service integration, diverse funding partnerships, technological integration, and strong community engagement. More rigorous research with longitudinal clinical outcome measures and robust economic analyses is needed. Full article

This study investigates the determinants of GDP per capita across 26 European Union member states over the period of 2006–2024, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship, institutional quality, and macroeconomic factors. Given the presence of long-run income differences across EU countries, the analysis explicitly accounts for structural heterogeneity in economic development and institutional capacity. To ensure robust estimation in the presence of cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity, the study employs advanced panel econometric techniques, including tests for cross-sectional dependence, unit roots, and cointegration. Long-run relationships and short-run dynamics are estimated using the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, complemented by robustness checks based on the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) estimators. In addition, the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is applied to capture heterogeneity across different points of the income distribution, thereby reflecting long-run income disparities among EU member states. The empirical results confirm the existence of a stable long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables. The baseline CS-ARDL estimates indicate that institutional quality, entrepreneurial activity, trade openness, and government expenditure exert positive and statistically significant effects on GDP per capita, while financial development exhibits a negative effect and foreign direct investment remains insignificant. In the short run, entrepreneurship and trade openness contribute positively to GDP per capita, whereas government expenditure and credit expansion generate contractionary effects. The robustness analysis using AMG and CCEMG estimators largely supports these findings, as the direction of the coefficients remains consistent across alternative specifications, although some variation in statistical significance is observed due to differences in the treatment of cross-sectional dependence and unobserved common factors. The MMQR results further reveal substantial heterogeneity across the income distribution, indicating that the effects of key determinants vary depending on countries’ long-run income levels. In particular, trade openness and institutional quality exert stronger positive effects in lower-income quantiles, while the adverse effects of excessive financial development are more pronounced in higher-income quantiles. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of promoting productive entrepreneurship, strengthening institutional frameworks, facilitating trade integration, and ensuring efficient financial intermediation to enhance GDP per capita within the European Union. The results also highlight the need for differentiated policy approaches that explicitly account for long-run income heterogeneity, structural differences, and varying institutional capacities across EU member states. Full article

TEA domain transcription factors are critical regulators of tissue development and regeneration in mammals, yet their roles in aquatic invertebrate regeneration remain poorly understood. Here, a full-length cDNA encoding a putative transcriptional enhanced associate domain protein 1 (TEAD1) ortholog in Apostichopus japonicus (AjTEAD1) was cloned and characterized. The open reading frame (ORF) of AjTEAD1 is 1344 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 447 amino acids with a conserved TEA domain (Asp⁴⁰–Leu¹¹¹) and a protein-binding domain (Gly²³¹–Asp⁴⁴⁶). Function analysis demonstrates that AjTEAD1 is essential for intestinal regeneration. AjTEAD1 expression was significantly upregulated during the regeneration process. Functional impairment of AjTEAD1 suppressed intestinal regeneration and attenuated cell proliferation. At the molecular level, we identified the cell cycle gene in A. japonicus (AjCyclin E), whose expression pattern coincided with that of AjTEAD1 and was downregulated following AjTEAD1 knockdown. Dual-luciferase reporter assays further confirmed that AjTEAD1 binds to specific sites in the AjCyclin E promoter and transcriptionally activates its expression. In summary, our study reveals that AjTEAD1 promotes cell proliferation and drives intestinal regeneration in A. japonicus by directly upregulating AjCyclin E transcription. These findings identify the TEAD–Cyclin E axis as a key regulator of echinoderm regeneration, shedding new light on the regenerative processes and cytological mechanisms in economically important species. Full article

The construction industry is one of the major sources of carbon emissions, and green retrofitting of buildings is an effective pathway to promoting sustainable development in the sector. However, existing research and implementation strategies often struggle to reconcile the needs of governments, businesses, and residents. Therefore, this study proposes a comprehensive research framework that employs bibliometric and text analysis methods to examine implementation barriers in retrofitting projects across four dimensions: policy, cost, technology, and resident satisfaction. The results indicate that retrofitting costs are the primary factor, while technology is a secondary factor. Furthermore, existing policies feature vague technical standards, insufficient incentives, and a lack of differentiation. Conflicts of interest and challenges regarding cost allocation persist throughout the renovation life cycle. Decision-support tools and renovation technologies face limitations and issues regarding applicability. Residents face constraints from multiple factors, including their knowledge base and economic capacity. Based on these findings, the government urgently needs to improve a differentiated policy system and encourage technological R&D and knowledge dissemination. Enterprises must actively respond to policies and optimize their technologies and management practices. Residents need to enhance their energy-saving awareness, participate in retrofitting efforts, and improve their energy consumption behaviors. Full article

Urban agglomerations have become the dominant spatial platform of urbanization, regional coordination, and economic transformation in China. Yet whether the expansion of agglomeration scale at the urban-agglomeration level alleviates or intensifies energy use remains insufficiently understood. Extending the scale of analysis from individual cities to integrated urban agglomerations, this study investigates 64 cities in four major Chinese urban agglomerations, including Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu–Chongqing, over the period 2006–2023. Using panel data models, this study examines the impact of the scale agglomeration within urban agglomeration on urban energy intensity. The results show that the overall agglomeration scale generated by urban agglomeration formation significantly suppresses energy intensity while indicating a robust energy-saving effect: every 10% increase in agglomeration scale is associated with a decline of approximately 0.0893 million tons of standard coal per CNY 100 million of GDP. This finding remains stable after addressing endogeneity concerns and performing a series of robustness checks. Mechanism analyses further suggest that this effect operates primarily through talent agglomeration, technological progress, and public transportation expansion. In addition, the energy-saving effect is more pronounced in smaller cities, cities with lower administrative rank, cities with weaker factor mobility, and cities characterized by poorer air quality but stronger public environmental attention. These findings contribute to the literature on urban agglomeration and green development by showing that the agglomeration scale within urban agglomerations can generate inclusive energy-efficiency gains, especially for relatively disadvantaged cities, thereby offering important implications for spatial governance and low-carbon transition in rapidly urbanizing economies. Full article

The escalating prominence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria within contemporary corporate practice has generated a proliferation of measurement and reporting frameworks, creating substantial challenges regarding comparability and standardisation. This study aimed to critically analyse and synthesise the scholarly literature on ESG measurement and reporting frameworks from an accounting perspective. A systematic review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines was conducted, searching Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases for the period 2020–2025, yielding a final corpus of 50 peer-reviewed articles. Findings reveal that Stakeholder Theory and Institutional Theory constitute the predominant conceptual underpinnings, with three framework categories identified: measurement, reporting, and integrated approaches. The analysis evidenced persistent methodological heterogeneity among ESG metrics and considerable variation in achieved comparability levels. Notably, the governance dimension remains underdeveloped relative to environmental and social dimensions, and small and medium-sized enterprises continue to be underrepresented despite their economic significance. This review contributes by providing a classification of ESG frameworks and their theoretical foundations, whilst identifying gaps that delineate avenues for future inquiry. Full article

In recent years, sustainability reporting has taken on an increasingly important role in corporate strategy discussions. Initially a voluntary tool, it has become a benchmark for measuring and communicating the environmental, social, and economic impacts of organizations in a structured way. In light of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the research assumes that reporting is a lever for change and organizational innovation. To test the hypothesis, the authors chose to use what is known as a ‘natural experiment’: they observed the experience of a particular type of company, benefit corporations, which are required to publish an annual impact report. The empirical investigation was conducted using content analysis methodology to read the impact reports, websites, and social media channels of the companies, as well as case studies through semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study suggest that sustainability reporting can play a role that goes beyond transparency and compliance. In the cases analyzed, the preparation of the sustainability or impact report appears to function as an organizational coordination mechanism that mobilizes internal and external stakeholders. Through this process, companies progressively develop shared interpretations of sustainability objectives, experiment with measurement practices and introduce organizational changes affecting work organization, production processes and value-chain relationships. Full article

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems, while energy-efficient, often face persistent soil thermal imbalance in heating-dominated severe cold regions, which undermines their long-term performance and sustainability. This study proposes a TRNSYS-GenOpt framework for the life-cycle cost optimization of hybrid GSHP systems integrating electric boilers and geothermal regulation towers. A transient model for a 5650 m² fire station in Changchun was developed, employing the Hooke–Jeeves algorithm to co-optimize boiler capacity, borehole depth, and geothermal regulation tower airflow under constraints on heating supply temperature and soil thermal balance. Time-of-use electricity pricing was incorporated for realistic operational economics. The optimized configuration (148 m, 864.8 kW, 290,400 m³/h) achieved a minimum 20-year life-cycle cost of CNY 1.13 million. Sensitivity analysis revealed “rigid design, flexible cost” characteristics: optimal parameters remained invariant across discount rate variations (3.5–7.5%) and equipment costs (±20%), while life-cycle cost showed the highest sensitivity to electricity pricing and discount rates. The long-term simulation confirmed compliance with all physical constraints. This methodology demonstrates that thermodynamic constraints supersede economic trade-offs in severe cold climates, providing engineers with a reliable tool for sustainable hybrid geothermal system design. Full article

Entrepreneurship is recognised globally as the vehicle for economic development and poverty eradication, yet in developing economies, it is not receiving the support it deserves. Based on the institutional framework, this study explores its role in fostering the development of an entrepreneurial mindset in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe. Being grounded in the interpretivist research philosophy and following an inductive qualitative research design, the study adopted a case study strategy. Data were collected through in- depth interviews with 12 participants, purposively selected from industry leaders and entrepreneurs. Thematic analysis was used to inductively generate contextual insights from the interaction between the regulatory, socio-economic, and cultural pillars of the institutional framework and individual capabilities. The findings show that entrepreneurship development in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe, is influenced to a greater extent by the institutional framework, which is characterised by economic volatility, infrastructure gaps, and evolving regulatory demands. The formal institutional framework was noted to confer legitimacy while, at the same time, imposing obligations on institutions; informal institutional frameworks rooted in communal values, social capital, and professional bodies helped fill gaps in the formal framework. The study also demonstrates that entrepreneurial mindset development is an integrated output of continuous learning, strategic networking, and individual capability. In reinforcing the normative dimensions of institutional theory, it was noted that entrepreneurs do not only have profit-maximisation goals but also long-term sustainability and survival targets. The study contributes to scarce empirical research on the nexus between institutional framework and entrepreneurship development in emerging economies. The findings reinforce the need for an integrated approach that streamlines the regulatory process, strengthens infrastructure, supports capacity building, and recognises the role of the informal institutional network in enhancing entrepreneurship development. Even though the qualitative, cross-sectional design limits the generalizability of the study’s findings, the study offers insights into fostering entrepreneurship development in emerging markets. Full article

Uncertainties in generation and dynamic load behavior provide new problems for radial distribution systems (RDS) caused by the growing integration of renewable distributed generators (RDGs), including solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and wind turbines (WTs), as well as electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS). This article offers a thorough techno-economic evaluation of how to best distribute RDG resources (solar PV, wind, and EVCS) inside a 28-bus distribution test system in India, taking into account generation volatility due to the seasons. Optimization of installation and operating costs, enhancing voltage stability, and decreasing active power loss are done all at once using a new Catch Fish Optimization Algorithm (CFOA). Integrating beta and Weibull distributions, respectively, into the probabilistic modeling of solar irradiance and wind speed allows for economic analysis to adhere to recognized approaches from contemporary multi-objective optimization frameworks. The simulation findings confirm that the proposed CFOA-based placement method improves economic efficiency, decreases energy loss, and increases system performance. Full article