Search Results (2,196)

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRSs) fundamentally transform non-financial reporting in the European Union, yet empirical evidence on first-year compliance—particularly in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in construction—remains scarce. This study provides a first, exploratory assessment of ESRS E1–E5 environmental disclosure compliance among Polish construction companies in the inaugural year of mandatory CSRD reporting. A structured content analysis of three purposively selected groups’ FY 2024 sustainability reports (Budimex, ERBUD, WPIP) applied a three-point scale (0–2) to a 39-item disclosure checklist, yielding 117 assessments. The compliance rate across the three groups studied was 73%, ranging from 86% (ERBUD) to 54% (WPIP). ESRS E5 (Resource Use and Circular Economy) proved most challenging (57%); recurrent deficiencies included missing CAPEX/OPEX allocations and unjustified omissions of anticipated financial effects. Distinguishing substantive disclosure from procedural responses (documented non-materiality, transitional relief, and exemptions) lowers this to 41% and reverses the ranking of the two mandatory reporters. This pattern is consistent with organisational decoupling, in that headline compliance figures systematically overstate the environmental information actually reported. Prior reporting experience was positively associated with compliance, although the small purposive sample precludes causal inference. The findings establish a baseline for monitoring ESRS implementation in the CEE construction sector. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of water washing on the properties of biochars produced from tomato greens (TB) and vineyard pruning (VB), and examined how these changes influence plant performance in biochar–peat substrates. A 31-day pot experiment was conducted using tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown on biochar/peat mixtures at a 60:40 (v/v) ratio. Fresh biochars (TB 0, VB 0) and biochars subjected to one (TB 1, VB 1) or two (TB 2, VB 2) washings were assessed. Washing substantially reduced pH from 10 to 9 in both materials. The electrical conductivity (EC) and salt content of TB 0 (9147 ± 96 μS cm⁻¹) were markedly higher than those of VB 0 (1539 ± 33 μS cm⁻¹). Successive washing effectively lowered EC to 1019 ± 18 µS cm⁻¹ and 75.4 ± 4 μS cm⁻¹, respectively. Plant performance improved significantly as salinity decreased. Statistical analyses indicated a stronger influence of EC than pH on plant growth. Reduced germination was primarily associated with osmotic stress caused by elevated concentrations of soluble salts, particularly Na, K, Ca, Cl, and S. Biomass production was negatively correlated with these ions. Only Ca and K exhibited significant negative relationships, suggesting that nutrient antagonism may also have contributed to growth inhibition. These findings demonstrate that water washing is an effective strategy for enhancing the horticultural suitability of salt-rich biochars. Salinity, rather than alkalinity alone, appears to be the principal constraint limiting their use as peat substitutes. Washing therefore broadens the potential application of salt-rich green waste-derived biochars in horticultural substrates, supporting peat conservation and circular-economy approaches to organic waste valorization. Full article

Romantic relationships are central to adult life, yet contemporary social, cultural, and technological transformations have reshaped how individuals navigate intimacy. This study examines how Greek millennials conceptualize short- and long-term romantic relationships, situating partner preferences and relational strategies at the intersection of evolutionary predispositions, cultural scripts, and digital mediation. Using a qualitative design grounded in social constructionism, ten heterosexual Greek millennials aged 27–42 were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews explored traits prioritized in partners, self-presentation strategies, and the influence of social and digital contexts. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three main themes: (1) Gendered Moral Economies of Long-Term Partnership, (2) Negotiating Social Scripts in a Digitally Mediated and Disillusioned Context, and (3) Conditional Commitment and the Stratification of Intimacy. The findings indicate that while some partner preferences align with Sexual Strategies Theory, they are heavily mediated by patriarchal norms, digital performativity, personal experiences of trauma, and age-related reflexivity. Short-term relationships were valued for pleasure and autonomy yet morally differentiated from long-term commitments. Overall, the study highlights the dynamic, contextually embedded, and reflexively constructed nature of contemporary romantic strategies among Greek millennials, offering insights for evolutionary, sociocultural, and digital perspectives on intimacy. Full article

Accurate thrust control is vital for efficient gas turbine engine operation, yet direct in-flight thrust measurement is unavailable. Most engines rely on speed control schedules, which suffer from unplanned dead zones and poor throttle-to-thrust linearity—compromising pilot handling and fuel economy. We propose a robust thrust control schedule to improve the thrust-to-throttle relationship. It integrates two intermediate/idle thrust estimators, a degradation estimator, and a reference thrust estimator. The first intermediate/idle thrust estimator provides baseline estimates of intermediate and idle thrust. The degradation estimator compensates thrust deviations caused by engine degradation. The second intermediate/idle thrust estimator updates its estimates online using compensated estimates to track degradation. The reference thrust estimator then uses outputs from the second estimator and linearly interpolates the current power lever angle to determine reference thrust. The proposed schedule is evaluated under the considered degradation conditions. CLM-based simulations evaluate its effectiveness during the early-stage degradation period, while the micro-turbojet ground experiment demonstrates the proof-of-concept implementation of the outer thrust-loop structure. Full article

This study examines public perceptions of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Kuwait, a high-income petroleum-dependent country characterized by highly subsidized electricity, low fuel prices, limited charging infrastructure, and extreme climatic conditions. Using a structured survey of 1753 licensed drivers, the study evaluates how economic incentives, practical constraints, environmental perceptions, technological confidence, and safety concerns shape expectations of future EV diffusion. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and ordinal logistic regression were used to examine the factors associated with respondents’ expectation of widespread EV adoption in Kuwait over the next ten years. The regression results show that low-tariff/delayed-bill perception was the strongest positive predictor of expected EV adoption, indicating that Kuwait’s low-cost electricity environment may strengthen expectations of EV diffusion. However, the findings also demonstrate that electricity tariffs alone do not explain public expectations. EV performance perception, environmental benefit perception, workplace charging, battery warranty, prior passenger experience in an EV, and higher weekly fuel expenditure were also positively associated with stronger expectations of EV adoption. In contrast, perceived complexity was negatively associated with expected adoption, highlighting the importance of consumer familiarity and ease of use. Safety-related perceptions, particularly concerns regarding EV fire-extinguishing difficulty and lower perceived safety compared with conventional vehicles, were also significant, suggesting that fire safety remains a salient issue in the Kuwaiti context. The findings contribute to the literature on sustainable transportation adoption in petroleum-based economies and extreme climates by showing that EV diffusion depends on a combination of economic, infrastructural, technological, environmental, and safety-related factors. Policy efforts in Kuwait should therefore combine charging-infrastructure development, workplace charging expansion, consumer education, battery-warranty assurance, and EV-specific safety and emergency-response measures. Full article

This article examines the later life experiences of women who participated in the revolutionary period in Cork city and county who did not go on to marry. Many within this cohort of Cork female activists experienced poverty, ill health, economic dependency and loneliness in the aftermath of the revolutionary period. Their unmarried status left these women particularly vulnerable in a patriarchal state structured—legally, economically and culturally—on an essentialist view of the married, childbearing woman. The invisibility of adult dependency in Ireland was summed up in the 1926 Census of Population report: ‘no account is taken in this inquiry of adults who may be supported out of the household income’. Mary Daly notes the ‘high proportion of the population working within a family economy which had little reliance on money incomes and waged employment’. This may, as she states, ‘have reduced the numbers exposed to the blunt instrument of unemployment’ in the context of the 1930s depression. However, the emotional and psychological effects of economic dependency have not been considered in any depth. The lack of statutory benefits for lower-class single women who were unable to access paid employment and who did not have the requisite social insurance stamps meant that they faced a vista of poverty and dependency on charity and family members. The latter were often begrudging and indisposed to assume the financial burdens of those who they often deemed economically ‘unproductive’. This article argues that, in so many cases, financial dependency resulted in the loss of agency and autonomy for unmarried women. Full article

This study aims to identify and prioritize digital economy factors affecting inflation and to determine effective policy strategies for managing digitally driven inflationary pressures in the context of financial systems and risk dynamics. The analysis considers twelve key digital economy indicators, including e-commerce penetration, digital payment systems, internet infrastructure, price transparency, digital advertising, Industry 4.0 technologies, data-driven inventory and demand systems, fintech adoption, cryptocurrency usage, and digital financial access. In parallel, eight policy strategies are evaluated, covering digital price transparency, expansion of digital payments, digital logistics optimization, digital public services, smart manufacturing, intelligent-based demand forecasting, fintech integration, and digital workforce development. The study employs a novel intelligent-supported decision-making framework integrating an attention-based expert weighting approach, generalized fractal fuzzy sets, the MEREC method, and the ARLON technique. The empirical design is based on expert evaluations obtained from ten specialists with at least 12 years of experience in digital economy, finance, and policymaking. Rather than relying on country-specific or time-series inflation datasets, the study examines the structural relationship between digitalization and inflation through a multi-criteria expert-based approach, with data collected in 2025. The findings indicate that e-commerce penetration and the prevalence of digital payment systems are the most influential factors affecting inflation. In addition, digital price transparency and the expansion of digital payment systems emerge as the most effective strategies for mitigating inflationary pressures. These results provide important insights into how digital transformation reshapes inflation dynamics, monetary transmission mechanisms, and inflation-related financial risks. The proposed model offers a robust and systematic framework for analyzing inflation in digitalized economies and supports policymakers and financial decision-makers in managing emerging risks in intelligent-driven economic environments. Full article

Achieving the coordinated development of the digital economy (DE), the tourism industry (TI) and the ecological environment (EE) is of great significance for regional sustainable development. This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system for the digital economy–tourism industry–ecological environment (DTE) complex system. Indicator weights are determined via the entropy method, and the comprehensive development levels of the three subsystems in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region from 2010 to 2023 are systematically assessed. Based on this, the coupling coordination degree model is applied to measure the coordination of the DTE system, and the obstacle degree model is employed to identify the key factors restricting its coupling coordinated development. The results show the following: (1) From 2010 to 2023, the overall level of comprehensive development of the DE and EE in the YRD showed an upward trend, while the TI declined significantly during 2020–2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) In terms of temporal evolution, the coupling coordination degree rose from 0.434 to 0.676 between 2010 and 2019, steadily improving from near disorder to primary coordination; although there were fluctuations between 2020 and 2023, it remained stable at a primary coordination level. Spatially, the region exhibited a “higher in the east, lower in the west” pattern. (3) From 2010 to 2019, the primary bottleneck in coordinated development stemmed from the DE subsystem; after 2020, the degree of constraints in the TI rose rapidly, creating a dual-system constraint pattern where the DE and the TI coexist. This study provides theoretical insights and practical recommendations for fostering positive DTE interactions in the YRD and offers valuable experience for other regions. This study has limitations regarding its research scale and indicator system, and it does not account for external influencing factors. Future research could adopt municipal or county-level analyses, apply causal inference methods such as panel Granger causality and system GMM, refine the evaluation index system, integrate internal and external factors, and thoroughly analyze the underlying mechanisms governing interactions within the DTE system. Full article

Background: Seasonal influenza remains a major public health challenge worldwide, causing significant morbidity each year and imposing substantial burdens on individuals, healthcare systems, and national economies. Vaccination is considered the most effective available strategy for prevention; however, uptake rates vary considerably across countries, with many failing to achieve the recommended coverage levels. The aim of this umbrella review is to systematically synthesize and critically appraise the existing evidence on healthcare professionals’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors regarding seasonal influenza vaccination. Methods: This umbrella review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 statement. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. The following search terms were used: beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, influenza vaccination, flu vaccine, healthcare professionals and primary healthcare. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) Reviews, (2) Published after 1 January 2000, (3) English language, (4) Healthcare professionals as the target-population. Results: Twenty-five studies met the selection criteria and were included in this review. Twelve out of 25 studies were systematic reviews. Globally, vaccination uptake remains below recommended levels, with reported coverage ranging from approximately 2% to 44% in several settings, while rates can exceed 90% in countries with mandatory vaccination policies. North America demonstrates the highest vaccination coverage, while the lowest coverage is reported in Africa and South America. Overall, low- and middle-income countries show significantly lower vaccination behavior compared with high-income countries. Attitudes and beliefs appear to shape vaccination behavior in high-income countries. The main driver of acceptance is perceived protection of oneself and family, whereas hesitancy is mainly driven by concerns about side effects and vaccine safety. Across studies, non-physician healthcare professionals consistently demonstrated lower influenza vaccine acceptance compared with physicians, while pediatricians and general practitioners were found to receive the influenza vaccine more frequently. In addition, younger physicians and those with fewer years of professional experience showed higher vaccination coverage and a greater likelihood of recommending influenza vaccination to patients. Conclusions: Vaccination coverage, worldwide, is lower than what is recommended by the World Health Organization. Healthcare professionals working in hospital settings tend to be vaccinated at a higher rate compared with those working in primary care or community-based healthcare settings. The recommendations that healthcare professionals give are influenced by whether they accept influenza vaccines themselves. Beliefs and attitudes seem to influence behavior in countries where structural barriers, such as limited access to primary healthcare and socio-economic status are absent. Full article

The increasing availability of large language models (LLMs) is transforming how users create and share content on social media platforms. Beyond enabling text generation, LLMs introduce a new paradigm in which content is deliberately optimized for engagement through algorithmically suggested phrasing, structure, and tone. This paper investigates the emerging shift from authentic self-expression toward engagement-driven optimization in LLM-assisted social media use. It examines whether and how LLM-generated or LLM-assisted posts systematically outperform human-authored content in engagement metrics and at what cost to informational quality, diversity, and authenticity. Using a mixed-methods approach, controlled experiments with human participants are combined with large-scale analysis of social media posts to compare organic and LLM-optimized content. Differences in engagement outcomes (e.g., likes, shares, comments), linguistic features, and perceived credibility and informativeness are evaluated. The findings suggest that while LLM-assisted content consistently increases short-term engagement, it tends to reduce informational depth and perceived authenticity while exhibiting changes in stylistic characteristics associated with engagement-oriented optimization. This creates a potential feedback loop in which users increasingly rely on optimization strategies that privilege attention over substance. The findings suggest that widespread adoption of LLM-driven optimization could contribute to changes in the dynamics of the social media attention economy. Future research is needed to determine whether these effects emerge at scale and persist over longer periods of platform use. Implications are discussed for platform design, content moderation, and the future of human–AI co-creation in digital communication. Full article

This article examines how professionals who use generative AI in their daily work reshape their temporal experience. Drawing on 21 semi-structured interviews with experienced AI users and developers in Romania, and building on Flaherty’s concept of “time work”, it introduces the notion of delegated time work: a form of temporal agency in which individuals transfer part of the time-shaping effort to an AI tool while retaining judgment over the temporal structure of activity. The results show clear support for delegated time work in three dimensions of temporal experience: duration, sequence, and allocation. Evidence for frequency, timing, and taking time is limited: delegation succeeds in the dimensions professionals control individually and fails in those governed by shared institutional rhythms. Delegation also generates its own temporal costs through learning and verification overheads, unevenly distributed between developers and users. Drawing on the “time capital” framework of Matei and Preda, the analysis traces three outcomes of the freed time: accumulation as a personal resource, conversion into professional or economic capital, and absorption by rising expectations, leaving workers faster but not freer. In Romania’s dependent market economy, market exposure shapes who keeps the time that AI frees. Full article

Government data governance has become an important institutional mechanism for reducing information frictions, improving data-resource allocation, and supporting firm innovation in the digital economy. However, whether government data governance can promote firms’ technological catch-up remains insufficiently understood. Based on the quasi-natural experiment of the establishment of Big Data Administrations, this study constructs a multi-period difference-in-differences model to examine the impact of government data governance on firms’ technological catch-up. Using panel data from Chinese A-share listed firms from 2011 to 2021, the DID estimates indicate that the establishment of Big Data Administrations significantly improves firms’ technological catch-up. This estimated effect remains robust across placebo tests, specifications controlling for differential trends associated with pre-treatment city characteristics, and double/debiased machine learning estimation. Mechanism analyses provide evidence consistent with three channels: technology stimulation, digital-ecosystem optimization, and competition strengthening. Heterogeneity analyses further show that the effect is evident among non-state-owned enterprises, firms with higher information asymmetry, and larger firms. Additional spatial analyses suggest that neighboring cities’ data governance capacity does not generate stable positive spillovers; instead, it may be associated with negative spatial externalities, potentially reflecting siphoning or competitive crowding-out pressures. These findings highlight government data governance as an institutional driver of firm technological progress and provide policy implications for improving digital governance capacity, optimizing digital ecosystems, and promoting high-quality development. Full article

Sustainable crop production in nutrient-poor sandy soils requires fertilization strategies that improve nutrient uptake while reducing environmental impact. This study evaluated anaerobic cattle manure digestate and carbon dot biostimulants as alternatives to conventional mineral NPK (nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium) fertilizer for corn (Zea mays L., cv. AG 1051) during vegetative development. A randomized greenhouse experiment compared nine treatments over three successive 45-day cycles, assessing shoot-tissue macronutrient content (N, P, K) and morphological parameters (shoot dry weight, stem diameter, and plant height). Digestate delivered approximately 1.4× more phosphorus and 8.4× more potassium per pot than mineral NPK, although nitrogen inputs were matched (~77 mg pot⁻¹). Digestate-based treatments achieved shoot dry weight 132% above control and 63% above mineral fertilizer (p < 0.001), with biomass advantages sustained across all three cycles while mineral fertilizer effects dissipated entirely by Cycle 3. Phosphorus content was the strongest biomass predictor (r = 0.86, p < 0.001), and a significant nitrogen–phosphorus antagonism (r = −0.59, p < 0.001) revealed relevant nutrient interaction dynamics. The higher biomass observed under digestate-based treatments reflects both the higher total P and K inputs from digestate and the beneficial effects of organic matter on nutrient bioavailability in this phosphorus-limited system. Carbon dot biostimulants did not improve biomass when applied alone (values at or below control), but they contributed to intermediate biomass gains when combined with nutrient sources, functioning as nutrient uptake enhancers rather than standalone fertilizers. Principal component analysis (74.3% variance explained) classified the nine treatments into three distinct treatment clusters. These findings support digestate valorization as a circular-economy alternative to conventional mineral fertilization, offering higher biomass under N-equivalent application and sustained residual effects in nutrient-poor sandy soils. Full article

Small-scale vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are increasingly essential for the “blue economy,” providing autonomous power to remote coastal communities, offshore platforms, and marine industries. However, the design of efficient Darrieus-type rotors is complicated by complex unsteady aerodynamics, particularly the phenomenon of dynamic stall. This study aims to establish and validate a cost-effective yet accurate mathematical modeling approach for simulating unsteady turbulent flow around a Darrieus H-rotor to support practical engineering applications. The research methodology integrates computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with physical experiments in a hydrodynamic channel. The numerical model utilizes the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations closed with the Strain-Adaptive Linear Spalart–Allmaras (SALSA) turbulence model, chosen for its efficiency in capturing flow separation. The system of initial equations was being devised relatively to an arbitrary curvilinear coordinate system. The pressure and velocity fields have been coordinated using the artificial compressibility method adapted to calculate non-stationary problems. Experimental verification was conducted in the GT-400 hydrodynamic tube using a three-bladed H-rotor model, where flow structures were visualized via the colored jet method at tip speed ratios λ ranging from 2 to 5 and Reynolds number 1470. The findings reveal that dynamic stall occurs over a significant portion of the blade trajectory, characterized by vortex generation at the leading edge and subsequent advection along the chord. Qualitative comparison demonstrates a high degree of correlation between the calculated vortex dynamics and physical flow spectra. These results confirm that the URANS-SALSA approach provides a rational compromise between computational cost and physical accuracy. Full article

The valorization of agro-industrial residues is essential for advancing circular bioeconomy systems. This study integrated the natural colorant and edible mushroom industries by evaluating annatto (Bixa orellana) residues as substrates for Pleurotus ostreatus cultivation. Two experiments were conducted, testing field and industrial residues at three incorporation levels (32.5%, 42.5%, and 52.5%, w/w on a dry weight basis) combined with different supplementation strategies (corn bran, wheat bran, and their mixture) in a completely randomized design. Field residues showed greater yield and biological efficiency, while industrial residues exhibited higher variability. Total yield reached 38.92%, while the lowest value was 24.28%, representing an increase of up to 65% depending on residue origin and supplementation strategy. Biological efficiency exceeded 140% under optimal conditions, with gains above 70% compared to the lowest-performing treatments. Field residues also promoted a higher number of bunches and greater average bunch mass. Overall, substrate origin, supplementation, and residue proportion were decisive for fungal performance, demonstrating that annatto residues are promising low-cost substrates for scalable mushroom production within circular economy systems. Full article