Search Results (1,975)

Introduction: The informal food sector in Kisumu City, largely run by women informal food vendors, plays a crucial role in the urban food system. However, these female-led businesses faced disproportionate risks stemming from COVID-19-related policies, exacerbating gendered vulnerabilities. This paper explores the gender gaps of post-pandemic recovery strategies and their implications for resilience, recovery, and sustainability of women-led informal food businesses. Methods: This cross-sectional study was guided by the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework. In collaboration with the Pamoja Community-Based Organization, we employed qualitative methods grounded in community-based participatory approaches. Data were collected through key informant interviews (n = 20), depth interviews (n = 20), focus group discussions (n = 40), and a review of policy documents (n = 2). Data was analyzed guided by the eight principles of the IBPA framework alongside Braun and Clarke’s six-phased thematic analysis approach. Results: Findings indicated that power dynamics in the formulation of post-pandemic policies and top-down implementation approaches excluded women informal food vendors from meaningfully participating in policy processes. For example, female vendors were excluded from the recovery priorities as the strategies adopted had limited to no targeted gender-responsive interventions. As such, women informal food vendors faced several challenges during recovery, including limited government support, barriers to accessing credit facilities, heightened household and unpaid care work, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and insecurity. The female vendors employed both individual agency and collective action to facilitate recovery. Discussion: Gender-responsive COVID-19 policies were critical to addressing the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women-led informal food businesses. Moving forward, a comprehensive understanding of existing sociocultural inequalities is crucial for designing post-pandemic strategies that are gender-inclusive and promote equitable recovery. Such an approach would enhance women informal food vendors’ resilience to emergencies and their contribution to urban household food security and livelihood. Full article

Wire arc directed energy deposition (WA-DED) is a cost-effective technique for fabricating large metallic components. However, the inherent layer-by-layer deposition process leads to substantial heat accumulation, which significantly influences the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties. In this study, the effects of thermal cycling histories, at different interlayer temperatures, on the microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of WA-DED fabricated H13 steel thin walls were systematically investigated, using an experimentally calibrated transient thermal model combined with experimental validation. Microstructural analysis revealed that at an interlayer temperature of 200 °C, the deposited material primarily consisted of coarse martensite with a low dislocation density and relatively large precipitates at a moderate volume fraction, resulting in an ultimate tensile strength of 1103 ± 28 MPa and an elongation of 14.6%. Increasing the interlayer temperature to 400 °C facilitated the formation of finer martensite with a higher dislocation density and smaller precipitates of slightly increased volume fraction. These microstructural refinements enhanced the tensile strength to 1549 ± 43 MPa, albeit at the expense of ductility, reducing elongation to 8.3%. When the interlayer temperature was further raised to 600 °C, fine martensite and a moderate dislocation density were retained; however, precipitate coarsening and a reduced volume fraction led to a decline in tensile strength to 1434 ± 33 MPa, accompanied by a slight recovery in elongation to 8.6%. Quantitative analysis based on classical strengthening models confirmed that dislocation strengthening is the dominant mechanism governing the variation in mechanical properties with changing interlayer temperature. Full article

In recent years, China has made strong national commitments to waste reduction and circular economy, including the implementation of mandatory municipal solid waste separation policies and the rollout of zero-waste city initiatives. These efforts represent a strategic shift toward systemic environmental governance. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020—and the subsequent implementation of the country’s stringent zero-COVID policy—led to an abrupt disruption of these programs. Under this policy, strict lockdowns, quarantine of both confirmed and suspected cases, and city-wide containment became top priorities, sidelining environmental initiatives such as waste separation and sustainable waste infrastructure development. This study investigates how Chinese residents’ motivations for waste separation evolved across three key phases: pre-pandemic, during the zero-COVID enforcement period, and post-pandemic recovery. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and pro-environmental behavior theory, we developed an extended model incorporating pandemic-related social, psychological, and policy variables. Based on 526 valid questionnaire responses collected in late 2023 in Shanghai, we conducted structural equation modeling and repeated-measures analysis. Findings reveal a significant shift from externally driven compliance—reliant on governmental enforcement and service provision—to internally motivated behavior based on environmental values and personal efficacy. This transition was most evident after the pandemic, suggesting the potential for sustained pro-environmental habits despite weakened policy enforcement. Our findings underscore the importance of strengthening internal drivers in environmental governance, especially under conditions where policy continuity is vulnerable to systemic shocks such as public health emergencies. Full article

Background: Climate change is increasingly altering the distribution and burden of infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa, where ecological diversity, fragile health systems, and widespread poverty heighten vulnerability. The One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, provides a useful framework for addressing these climate-sensitive health challenges; its application in the region remains limited. Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines and synthesized evidence from 30 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2025, identified through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Results: Studies consistently showed that rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events shifted malaria transmission into highland zones, modified schistosomiasis risk through changes in snail habitats, and drove diarrheal outbreaks following flooding. While One Health initiatives such as Ghana’s Climate-Smart One Health framework and university-led programmes in East Africa demonstrated promise, their impact remained constrained by donor dependence, institutional silos, and limited policy integration. Conclusions: To enhance climate resilience, national strategies need to integrate climate-informed surveillance, predictive modelling, and One Health governance. Future research should extend beyond malaria and schistosomiasis, incorporate longitudinal data, and establish standardized metrics for assessing One Health interventions. Full article

Thermal bursting and pulverization during calcination adversely affect the production of quicklime from low-grade limestones. This study investigates the mechanisms of these phenomena across different temperature stages by integrating thermogravimetric, microstructural, and phase composition analyses. During low-temperature calcination, bound water decomposition induces self-propagating cracks in both the matrix and boundary regions. During mid-temperature calcination, carbonate decarbonation causes pore formation and shrinkage, promoting crack propagation from the boundary into the matrix. When calcined at high-temperature, complete phase transformation and the anisotropic structure of boundary dolomite collectively led to through-crack development. The differing thermal properties and microstructures of calcite and dolomite are thus identified as the primary factors governing crack evolution and thermal bursting behavior. Full article

In recent years, the increasing frequency of intense rainfall events has led to a surge in landslide occurrences, posing severe threats to human safety and ecological integrity. This study utilizes the Universal Distinct Element Code (UDEC) for discrete element numerical simulations, combined with field observation-based mechanism analysis, to examine the primary drivers of landslide formation: rainfall and underground mining. Focusing on the Zengziyan landslide in Chongqing as a case study, the research investigates the underlying instability mechanisms. The findings indicate that mining activities primarily compromise slope stability by modifying rock structures, diminishing supporting forces, and creating goaf areas. Notably, these goaf zones generate an overhanging effect on the overlying rock mass, promoting crack initiation and the propagation of structural planes. Under rainfall conditions, groundwater infiltration and elevated pore water pressure exert a more substantial destabilizing influence, markedly accelerating rock mass sliding and collapse. The analysis reveals that rainfall predominantly governs landslide initiation and evolution, particularly during the triggering and rapid acceleration phases of slope instability. The outcomes of this research offer valuable insights for post-mining slope management and monitoring, as well as for developing landslide early warning systems in rainy conditions. Full article

This study examines the influence of physical biomass pretreatment on the pyrolysis behavior of woody pruning residues of Carya illinoinensis (pecan tree) processed in a stainless-steel batch reactor heated by concentrated radiative energy. Experiments were conducted with 25.5 g of biomass using a solar simulator equipped with a mirror concentrator, operating at three constant thermal power levels (234, 482, and 725 W). As a pretreatment strategy, the woody residues were deliberately processed without drying, while mechanical size reduction and sieving were applied to obtain a controlled particle size range of 1–4 mm. This approach enabled the isolated assessment of the effects of physical pretreatment, particularly particle size and bulk density, on heat transfer, thermal response, and pyrolysis behavior. The pyrolysis performance of the pretreated woody biomass was systematically compared with that of walnut shell biomass and inert volcanic stones subjected to the same particle size control. Two consecutive experimental cases were implemented: Case A (CA), comprising heating, pyrolysis of fresh biomass, and cooling; and Case B (CB), involving reheating of the resulting biochar under identical operating conditions. An improved analytical methodology integrating temperature–time profiles, their derivatives, and gas composition analysis was employed. The results demonstrated the apparently inert thermal behavior of biochar during reheating and enabled clear temporal identification of the main biomass conversion stages, including drying, active pyrolysis of hemicellulose and cellulose, and passive lignin degradation. However, relative to walnut shell biomass of equivalent volume, the woody pruning residues exhibited attenuated thermal and reaction signals, primarily attributed to their lower bulk density resulting from the selected pretreatment conditions. This reduced bulk density led to less distinct pyrolysis stages and a 4.66% underestimation of the maximum reaction temperature compared with thermogravimetric analysis, highlighting the critical role of physical pretreatment in governing heat transfer efficiency and temperature measurement accuracy during biomass pyrolysis. 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

Public procurement in many European Union member states remains strongly price-oriented, often at the expense of delivery performance, innovation, and effective risk management. This study examines how the Best Value Approach (BVA) operates within a post-transition, legality-focused administrative environment through a document-based embedded case study of a major public construction contract in the Czech Republic. By analysing artefacts from the Selection, Clarification, and Execution phases, the study traces how BVA’s core governance mechanisms—expert signalling, vendor-led risk ownership, and information-centric oversight—functioned under locally constraining conditions. The findings show that BVA improved capability sorting, surfaced risks earlier, and enhanced transparency through structured reporting instruments such as Weekly Risk Reports (WRRs), Directors’ Reports (DRs), and Key Performance Indicators (KPI)s. However, the performance effects were partial. Three boundary conditions attenuated BVA’s mechanisms: a 40% price weighting that constrained qualitative differentiation, the omission of a formal Value-Added (VA) pathway for supplier-initiated optimisation, and the absence of continuous expert facilitation to support methodological fidelity. A documented execution-phase cost variance of approximately five percent further indicates residual volatility where key BVA complements are incomplete. The study integrates Principal–Agent theory, New Public Governance, and institutional isomorphism to explain why BVA’s governance architecture activated only in attenuated form and identifies the institutional conditions that moderate its effectiveness. While limited to a single revelatory case, the findings support analytical generalisation to similarly price-dominant, audit-driven procurement regimes in post-transition EU member states and offer practical guidance for evaluation design, innovation pathways, and facilitation models. Full article

Grassroots and community-led initiatives are increasingly recognized as important actors of local development, yet their role of “local networkers” capable of co-designing and co-creating solutions remains insufficiently explored, particularly in post-socialist contexts. The aim of this empirical study is to evaluate the depth of participation and the patterns of co-design in the process of strategic planning in grassroots initiatives. The research draws on primary data from 106 grassroots initiatives. To examine stakeholder involvement, we construct six bipartite networks representing actor participation across distinct phases of strategic planning. These networks are analyzed using social network analysis to identify structural patterns, followed by exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to test hypotheses concerning actor-level characteristics such as income, commercial activities, community size, and experience with social innovation. The findings show that the core co-designers in all planning phases are the initiatives’ own communities and volunteers, who consistently dominate the planning, decision-making, and implementation processes. External actors—local governments, NGOs, activists, firms, and universities—participate selectively, mainly during initial information gathering, consultations, and project preparation. Overall, the study demonstrates that grassroots initiatives operate primarily as community-anchored civic networks, with external actors engaged pragmatically around specific collaborative tasks rather than across the full planning cycle. Full article

This study investigates the deterioration of the thermal and mechanical properties of geopolymer foam concrete (GFC) subjected to accelerated weathering through carbonation, salt fog, and UV radiation. GFC blocks were synthesized using metakaolin as the aluminosilicate precursor, activated with an alkaline solution consisting of 8 M NaOH and sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) at a NaOH/Na₂SiO₃ ratio of 0.51 wt.%. A 30% (v/v) H₂O₂ solution served as the foaming agent, and olive oil was used as the surfactant. Accelerated carbonation tests were conducted at 25 ± 3 °C and 40 ± 3 °C, under 60 ± 5% relative humidity and 5% CO₂, with carbonation depth, carbonation percentage, density, porosity, and thermal conductivity evaluated over a 7-day period. In parallel, specimens were exposed to salt fog and UV radiation for 12 weeks in accordance with ASTM B117-19 and ASTM G154-23, respectively. Compressive strength was monitored every week throughout the exposure period. Results show that carbonation temperature governs the type and kinetics of carbonate formation. The carbonation process, at 40 °C for 7 days, increased the density and reduced the porosity of GFC, resulting in a ~48% increase in thermal conductivity. Salt fog exposure led to severe mechanical degradation, with NaCl penetration reducing compressive strength by 69%. In contrast, UV radiation caused only minor deterioration, decreasing compressive strength by up to 7%, likely due to surface-level carbonation. Full article

This study addresses the limited empirical evidence on women’s contributions to sustainable development leadership within higher education institutions. Focusing on Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia, we employed a mixed-methods approach that combines surveys, semi-structured interviews, and bibliometric analysis of women-led scientific publications and academic courses. Our findings demonstrate that women leaders at UPB significantly influence and enhance sustainable practices and policies, fostering a culture of sustainability through their formal roles and collaborative, empathetic leadership. Key characteristics include inclusivity, shared vision-building, and community responsibility. Their systematic thinking and holistic problem-solving contribute to more effective sustainability outcomes, integrating environmental values into curricula, campus operations, and community engagement. The positive impact of women’s presence in sustainability governance on the university’s performance and commitment to Sustainable Development Goals highlights the importance of the institutional context. The research highlights the importance of policies that strengthen women’s leadership in sustainability as well as for continuous measurement of their contributions within specific educational and research ecosystems. Full article

This study investigates the evolution of China’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1969 to 2022 by combining Bai–Perron structural break analysis with Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) estimation. Prior research often assumes that economic growth naturally leads to emissions stabilization; however, our results show that China’s emissions trajectory did not decline automatically with rising income. Instead, major turning points coincide with targeted policy interventions, particularly after 2012 under the Ecological Civilization framework. While some EKC models suggest an inverted-U shape, the predicted turning points exceed observed income levels, indicating that growth alone cannot account for the recent deceleration in emissions. Evidence points to strengthened regulatory enforcement, centralized environmental governance, and large-scale renewable energy deployment as factors associated with these changes. These findings challenge the notion of a self-driven environmental transition and underscore the pivotal role of state-led institutional reforms in China’s decarbonization process. Full article

While artisanal gold mining (AGM) has been credited as a sector that sustains many households in Zimbabwe, it has at the same time been criticized as the chief driver of ecological degradation and social vulnerability. This study qualitatively examines the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of AGM by conducting in-depth interviews with miners, residents, and policymakers across six central mining districts. The study findings indicate that the use of mercury has resulted in severe contamination of water bodies, while clearing land to pave the way for mining has led to severe deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and declining agricultural productivity due to the loss of fertile soils. It was also found that most AGMs were unregulated, and their unregulated operations have intensified health risks, social inequality, and land-use conflicts with the local community. This study provides an insight into how dependence on AGM has perpetuated a cycle of ecological degradation and poverty among many Zimbabweans. The study, therefore, attempts to combine community narratives with policy analysis, thereby proposing a framework for sustainable AGM in Zimbabwe. This involves advocating for the use of environmentally friendly technologies and promoting participatory environmental governance among all key stakeholders. The study contributes to achieving a balance between economic benefits and environmental management by advancing the discourse on sustainable development and community resilience in resource-dependent economies. Full article

Community-managed forests within agroforestry landscapes are vital for both carbon sequestration and agricultural sustainability. This study assesses the Hariyali Community Forest (HCF) in western Nepal, emphasizing its role in carbon storage within a Sal (Shorea robusta)-dominated lowland forest containing diverse native and medicinal species. Stratified field inventories combined with satellite-derived biomass and land-use/land-cover data were used to quantify carbon stocks and spatial trends. In 2022, the mean aboveground carbon density was 165 tC ha⁻¹, totaling approximately 101,640 tC (~373,017 tCO₂e), which closely matches satellite-based trends and indicates consistent carbon accumulation. Remote sensing from 2015–2022 showed a net tree cover gain of 427 ha compared to a 2000 baseline of 188 ha, evidencing effective community-led regeneration. The 615 ha Sal-dominated landscape also sustains agroforestry, small-scale horticulture, and subsistence crops, integrating livelihoods with conservation. Temporary carbon declines between 2020 and 2022, linked to localized harvesting and management shifts, highlight the need for stronger governance and local capacity. This study, among the first integrated carbon assessments in Nepal’s lowland Sal forests, demonstrates how community forestry advances REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) objectives while enhancing rural resilience. Linking field inventories with satellite-derived biomass and land-cover data situates community forestry within regional environmental change and SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) targets (13, 15, and 1) through measurable ecosystem restoration and livelihood gains. Full article