Search Results (5,614)

The adoption of green pest control technologies (GPCTs) has emerged as a critical factor in the pursuit of sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in improving farm efficiency and mitigating environmental impacts. This study investigates the effect of GPCT adoption on the technical efficiency of apple farmers in Shandong Province, China, using survey data collected in 2022. Applying advanced econometric techniques, including stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to measure technical efficiency and endogenous switching regression model (ESR) to address endogeneity and selection bias, the findings indicate that GPCT adoption significantly enhances farmers’ technical efficiency. Specifically, under the counterfactual scenario of adoption, non-adopters’ technical efficiency would increase by 18.2% (from 0.669 to 0.851), whereas adopters would experience a 3.9% efficiency gain attributable to adoption (from the counterfactual 0.700 to the observed 0.739). The analysis further reveals that lower-income farmers benefit disproportionately from GPCT adoption, suggesting that the technology offers greater potential to enhance the productivity of resource-constrained farmers. These results underscore the importance of targeted policy interventions, such as subsidies and agricultural extension programs, to foster the widespread adoption of GPCTs, particularly among lower-income groups. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence of the dual benefits of GPCT adoption: improving farm efficiency while promoting environmental sustainability, with important implications for policy formulation in developing economies. Full article

This paper presents a scalable and low-cost Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture designed to enhance learning in university-level courses, with a particular focus on supporting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated considerable potential in educational contexts; however, their adoption is often limited by computational costs and the need for stable broadband access, issues that disproportionately affect low-income learners. To address this challenge, we propose a lightweight, mobile, and friendly RAG system that integrates the LLaMA language model with the Milvus vector database, enabling efficient on device retrieval and context-grounded generation using only modest hardware resources. The system was implemented in a university-level Data Mining course and evaluated over four semesters using a quasi-experimental design with randomized assignment to experimental and control groups. Students in the experimental group had voluntary access to the RAG assistant, while the control group followed the same instructional schedule without exposure to the tool. The results show statistically significant improvements in academic performance for the experimental group, with p < 0.01 in the first semester and p < 0.001 in the subsequent three semesters. Effect sizes, measured using Hedges g to account for small cohort sizes, increased from 0.56 (moderate) to 1.52 (extremely large), demonstrating a clear and growing pedagogical impact over time. Qualitative feedback further indicates increased learner autonomy, confidence, and engagement. These findings highlight the potential of mobile RAG architectures to deliver equitable, high-quality AI support to students regardless of socioeconomic status. The proposed solution offers a practical engineering pathway for institutions seeking inclusive, scalable, and resource-efficient approaches to AI-enhanced education. Full article

Pear cultivation in Greece, with an annual production of approximately 81,000 tonnes, constitutes a significant segment of the national fruit industry, particularly in Northern regions such as Macedonia and Thessaly. Despite ranking 8th in the EU in terms of pear production, Greece’s cultivated area is slightly declining, and adoption of smart agriculture technologies (SAT) remains limited. In this context, the present study investigates the preferences, patterns, and barriers of SAT adoption within the Greek pear sector, aiming to lay the groundwork for more effective digital transformation in the agri-food domain. Using a structured interview-based survey, data were collected from 30 pear growers, revealing critical insights into the technological landscape of the sector. A central challenge that emerged was the insufficient internet connectivity in rural farming areas, highlighting the urgent need for improved digital infrastructure to support SAT deployment. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of targeted education and awareness programs to bridge the digital knowledge gap among pear farmers. An especially notable finding concerns the role of the chosen tree training system in influencing SAT uptake: more than 50% of adopters utilize the palmette training system, suggesting a strong correlation between orchard design and technological readiness. Among the SAT categories, Data Analytics and Farm Management Software were the most widely adopted, a trend partly driven by attractive governmental subsidies of €30 per hectare. Importantly, all respondents who had implemented SAT (100%) reported a measurable increase in farm income, reinforcing the technologies’ impact on productivity and profitability. Foremost among the challenges encountered is the deficit in technical knowledge and training. In conclusion, this study offers a comprehensive overview of Greek pear producers’ perceptions, challenges, and emerging opportunities related to smart agriculture. Full article

Household food waste remains a significant barrier to sustainable consumption goals. This study investigates the impact of sociodemographic characteristics influence self-reported food waste levels in Poland. A cross-sectional CAWI survey (N = 1000), based on the HFSSM, was conducted among adults responsible for purchasing household food. Associations between food waste and structural factors were analysed using χ² tests, Spearman rank correlations, and Mann–Whitney U tests. Age appears as the strongest determinant: younger respondents consistently report higher food waste, while older adults indicate markedly lower levels. Household composition is equally important—the presence and number of children significantly increase waste. Economic status is also relevant: pensioners and disability-benefit recipients report substantially less waste than employed and self-employed individuals. Net household income shows no significant effect. Education does not necessarily reduce food waste; in some comparisons, higher-educated respondents report slightly higher levels, suggesting that formal education does not automatically translate into effective food management routines. The findings highlight that food waste is primarily influenced by life stage, household structure, and daily habits rather than income or education. Interventions should focus on younger adults and families with children, emphasising practical skills such as meal planning, inventory management, appropriate storage, and the use of leftovers. Full article

The promotion of clean cooking energy use (CCEU) in rural areas is a key part of energy transformation. At present, the understanding of the relationship between environmental regulation and household CCEU remains limited. We primarily focus on the “Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan” (APPCAP), which is regarded as China’s strictest command-and-control environmental regulation. This provides us with a quasi-natural experimental setting in evaluating the impact of environmental regulation on rural households’ CCEU. Empirical results indicate that APPCAP has significantly promoted CCEU among rural households in China. The transmission of this effect occurs primarily through three channels, including non-farm employment, health awareness, and peer effects. A heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact of APPCAP is more pronounced among vulnerable rural groups with lower education levels and lower income. Furthermore, households with smaller family sizes, heavier dependency burdens, and a male eldest child are more responsive to the APPCAP. Further analysis confirms the sustainability of the policy effects. These findings provide evidence for accelerating the energy transition in developing regions. Full article

Maple syrup production has the potential to promote sustainable rural economic development in regions with suitable forest and climate conditions. Kentucky emerges as a promising candidate due to its extensive maple tree inventory and favorable seasonal patterns. However, the broader economy-wide implications of developing a maple syrup industry in the state remain underexplored. To fill this knowledge gap, this study employs a customized static single-region computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling approach for Kentucky under nine scenarios based on production capacities and potential levels. The results consistently show positive impacts on net household income, social welfare (measured by equivalent variation), government revenues, and state GDP across all scenarios. Medium production capacities generate the most balanced and efficient outcomes, while high-potential scenarios, especially under small and large scales produce the largest absolute gains. These results underscore the viability of maple syrup production as an economic development strategy and highlight the role of production scale in maximizing benefits. Furthermore, expanding maple syrup production can enhance rural livelihoods by diversifying forest-based income and promoting long-term stewardship. As a non-timber forest product, maple syrup tapping provides economic incentives to maintain healthy forests, strengthening rural sustainability and resilience. Our findings indicate that developing this industry beyond traditional regions can generate meaningful economic benefits while encouraging sustainable resource use when appropriately scaled and managed. Full article

Taiwan has set an ambitious target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, relying heavily on offshore wind capacity of 13.1 GW by 2030 and 40–55 GW by 2050. Floating offshore wind (FOW) is expected to play a central role in meeting these targets, particularly in deep-water areas where fixed-bottom technology is technically constrained. This study combined S-curve modeling for capacity projections, learning curves for cost estimation, and input–output analysis to quantify economic and environmental impacts under three deployment scenarios. Our findings indicate that FOW development provides substantial economic benefits, particularly under the high-growth scenario. During the construction phase through 2040, total output is projected to exceed NTD 1.97 trillion, generating more than NTD 1 trillion in gross value added (GVA) and over 470,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. By 2050, operations and maintenance (O&M) output is expected to reach approximately NTD 50 billion, supporting roughly 14,200 jobs and about NTD 13.8 billion in income. Annual CO₂ reduction could reach up to 10.4 Mt by 2050 under the high-growth scenario, or about 6.86 Mt under the low-growth case, demonstrating the potential of FOW to drive industrial development while advancing national decarbonization. Full article

In a worldwide context marked by increasing attention to financial literacy as a factor of financial inclusion, Morocco take part of this dynamic, seeking to improve the financial skills of its population. This article does not measure financial literacy directly but aims to explore the structural conditions that enable its diffusion in Morocco, using macroeconomic indicators such as income, employability, and education, along with financial infrastructure. Adopting a mixed methodology, this study combines both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the national context, including an overview of public policies, socioeconomic characteristics, and financial literacy initiatives, with a quantitative analysis based on an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) econometric model. Bank branch density is employed as an indirect proxy for financial infrastructure, reflecting access to formal financial services in the absence of time-series literacy data. The results show that gross national income (GNI) per capita, the labor forces, and elementary school enrolment rates influence banking density, though without producing statistically significant effects in the long term. In the short term, only GNI has a temporary but not very robust impact. These results highlight the limitations of macroeconomic indicators alone in explaining financial literacy diffusion and underscore the potential role of structural factors such as digital innovation, governance, or inclusion of youth and female indicators. Full article

This study examines the relationship between national open educational resource (OER) policies and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) outcomes across 187 countries between 2015 and 2024, with particular attention to the moderating role of artificial intelligence (AI) readiness. Despite widespread optimism about digital technologies as catalysts for universal education, systematic evidence linking formal OER policy frameworks to measurable improvements in educational access and completion remains limited. The analysis employs fixed effects and difference-in-differences estimation strategies using an unbalanced panel dataset comprising 435 country-year observations. The research investigates how OER policies associate with primary completion rates and out-of-school rates while testing whether these relationships depend on countries’ technological and institutional capacity for advanced technology deployment. The findings reveal that AI readiness demonstrates consistent positive associations with educational outcomes, with a ten-point increase in the readiness index corresponding to approximately 0.46 percentage point improvements in primary completion rates and 0.31 percentage point reductions in out-of-school rates across fixed effects specifications. The difference-in-differences analysis indicates that OER-adopting countries experienced completion rate increases averaging 0.52 percentage points relative to non-adopting countries in the post-2020 period, though this estimate remains statistically imprecise (p equals 0.440), preventing definitive causal conclusions. Interaction effects between policies and readiness yield consistently positive coefficients across specifications, but these associations similarly fail to achieve conventional significance thresholds given sample size constraints and limited within-country variation. While the directional patterns align with theoretical expectations that policy effectiveness depends on digital capacity, the evidence should be characterized as suggestive rather than conclusive. These findings represent preliminary assessment of policies in early implementation stages. Most frameworks were adopted between 2019 and 2022, providing observation windows of two to five years before data collection ended in 2024. This timeline proves insufficient for educational system transformations to fully materialize in aggregate indicators, as primary education cycles span six to eight years and implementation processes operate gradually through sequential stages of content development, teacher training, and institutional adaptation. The analysis captures policy impacts during formation rather than at equilibrium, establishing baseline patterns that require extended longitudinal observation for definitive evaluation. High-income countries demonstrate interaction coefficients between policies and readiness that approach marginal statistical significance (p less than 0.10), while low-income subsamples show coefficients near zero with wide confidence intervals. These patterns suggest that OER frameworks function as complementary interventions whose effectiveness depends critically on enabling infrastructure including digital connectivity, governance quality, technical workforce capacity, and innovation ecosystems. The results carry important implications for how countries sequence educational technology reforms and how international development organizations design technical assistance programs. The evidence cautions against uniform policy recommendations across diverse contexts, indicating that countries at different stages of digital development require fundamentally different strategies that coordinate policy adoption with foundational capacity building. However, the modest short-term effects and statistical imprecision observed here should not be interpreted as evidence of policy ineffectiveness, but rather as confirmation that immediate transformation is unlikely given implementation complexities and temporal constraints. The study contributes systematic cross-national evidence on aggregate policy associations while highlighting the conditional nature of educational technology effectiveness and establishing the need for continued longitudinal research as policies mature beyond the early implementation phase captured in this analysis. Full article

Urban heat islands pose intensifying threats to public health, equity, and urban livability as climate change amplifies temperature extremes. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 33 primary studies (2021–2025) examining health impacts, mitigation strategies, and policy integration. The analysis focuses on interaction mechanisms, specifically how mitigation strategies differentially reduce health burdens across vulnerable populations, to advance systems-level understanding of urban heat dynamics. Following PRISMA guidelines, the review examined these mechanisms across three interconnected domains: health burdens, physical mitigation effectiveness, and post-pandemic policy synergies. Findings reveal profound inequities in heat exposure and associated health outcomes, with disadvantaged populations experiencing 26–45% higher heat-related mortality risk and 3–4 °C greater exposure than affluent communities, even after controlling for income. Physical mitigation strategies show measurable effectiveness, providing 1–6 °C cooling from green infrastructure and 2–22 °C from cool surfaces. Optimal interventions vary by socioeconomic context, with urban trees being more effective in disadvantaged areas, while cool roofs are better suited to affluent zones. COVID-19 natural experiments demonstrated 30–50% anthropogenic heat reductions, revealing strategic opportunities for integrating heat mitigation with 15-Minute City planning and work-from-home normalization. Effective implementation requires moving beyond isolated interventions toward spatially differentiated, equity-centered strategies aligned across planning, transportation, and governance domains. The post-pandemic period presents a critical window for embedding heat mitigation into broader urban transformation agendas. Full article

In the context of China’s dual-carbon agenda and the Digital China initiative, elucidating the role of digital literacy in shaping consumption-based household carbon emissions (HCE) is essential for advancing low-carbon urban living and supporting a broader green transition. Existing research has rarely examined, at the individual level, how digital capability shapes household consumption decisions and the structure of carbon emissions. Accordingly, this study draws on matched household-individual microdata from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). We employ a two-way fixed effects model, kernel density analysis, and qualitative comparative analysis. We test the nonlinear effect of digital literacy on household consumption-related carbon emissions and examine its heterogeneity. We also examined the mediating role of perceived environmental pressure, social trust and income level. The research results show that: (1) The net impact of digital literacy on carbon emissions related to household consumption shows an inverted U-shaped curve, rising first and then falling. When digital literacy is low, it mainly increases emissions by expanding consumption channels, reducing transaction costs and improving convenience. Once digital literacy exceeds a certain threshold, the mechanism will gradually turn to optimize the consumption structure, so as to support the low-carbon transformation of individuals. (2) The impact of digital literacy on HCE is structurally different in different types of consumption. In terms of transportation and communication expenditure, the emission reduction effect is the most significant, and with the improvement in digital literacy, this effect will become more and more obvious. For housing-related consumption, the turning point appeared the earliest. With the improvement in digital literacy, its effect will enter the emission reduction stage faster. (3) Digital literacy can reduce carbon emissions related to household consumption by enhancing residents’ perception of environmental pressure and strengthening social trust. However, it may also increase emissions by increasing residents’ incomes, because it will expand the scale of consumption, which will lead to an increase in carbon emissions related to household consumption. (4) The heterogeneity analysis shows that as digital literacy improves, carbon emissions increase more strongly among rural residents, people with low human capital, low-income households, and women. However, the turning-point threshold for emission reduction is relatively lower for women and rural residents. (5) Low-carbon transitions in household consumption are shaped by dynamic interactions among multiple factors, and multiple pathways can coexist. Digital literacy can work with environmental responsibility to endogenously promote low-carbon consumption behavior. It can also, under well-developed infrastructure, empower households and amplify the emission-reduction effects of technology. Full article

Reducing urban–rural income inequality is a central objective of sustainable development and a critical challenge for inclusive growth in emerging economies. This study examines the impact of the digital economy on urban–rural income inequality in China. Using panel data across 279 cities in China and Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) data, we find that the digital economy significantly widens urban–rural income inequality. Specifically, digital industries and innovations are the main drivers, contrasting with inclusive infrastructure. Although we observe a positive association between the digital economy and educational attainment among rural residents, such improvements do not appear to be fully translated into higher income. One possible explanation is that the digital economy is more effective in alleviating skill mismatch among urban residents than among their rural counterparts. Finally, our results suggest that Public Employment Services may help mitigate this negative effect through channels such as fiscal subsidies and improving skills training accessibility. Our findings highlight the need for caution regarding the inequality implications of digital economy development in emerging economies and underscore the crucial role of institutional arrangements in promoting socially sustainable and inclusive development. Full article

Background/Objectives: The extent to which patients with cancer discontinue dental treatment for financial reasons remains unclear. This study compared the prevalence of financially driven dental treatment discontinuation between patients with cancer and without cancer (controls) and identified factors associated with discontinuation among patients with cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey conducted in November 2024 comprised 500 patients who had one of five common cancers in Japan and 500 non-cancer participants allocated to reflect the cancer group age distributions, sex, and household income. Only patients who received cancer treatment within the past 5 years and had a family dental clinic were included. Discontinuation was assessed from self-reported dental treatment cessation for economic reasons. Univariate analyses were employed for group comparisons (p < 0.05). Results: Dental treatment discontinuation for financial reasons occurred in 3.4% (95% CI 2.1–5.4%) of patients with cancer and 5.8% (95% CI 4.1–8.2%) of controls (p = 0.096). Among the patients with cancer, those who discontinued were younger (58.8 vs. 66.1 years, p = 0.010) and frequently reported physical or psychological barriers to dental care and discontinuation being financially driven (all p < 0.001). They also had poor oral health-related quality of life (Oral Health Impact Profile-14: 17.4 vs. 7.8, p < 0.001) and greater financial toxicity (Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity: 24.6 vs. 29.3, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Oral health-related quality of life was lower among participants reporting dental treatment discontinuation. Early identification of financial barriers and support may warrant further study. Full article

Background: Frailty is a geriatric syndrome of increased physiological vulnerability, decreasing an older adult’s ability to successfully cope with health stressors. Social determinants of health (SDOH), including rural residence, can amplify healthcare disparities for older adults due to less accessibility to resources and lead to worse health outcomes. While the impact of rurality on older adult health is well-established, little is known about how the interaction of SDOH and geographical residence impact frailty status in older adults. Methods: Older adults (65+ years) in the National Health and Aging Trend Study (2011–2021) were categorized using Fried’s frailty phenotype (robust, pre-frail, frail). Rurality was defined using the 2013 Rural–Urban Continuum Codes. Generalized estimation equations with generalized logit link function determined the relationship between SDOHs (healthcare access, community support, income, education) and frailty status. Results: Of n = 6082 participants (56.4% female), the mean age was 75.12 years (SE 0.10), 1133 (18.6%) lived in rural residence, and 2652 (53.0%) had pre-frailty. Although there was no relationship between geographical residence and frailty status (p = 0.73), we did observe lower associated odds of worse frailty status for those with Medigap insurance coverage (0.81, SE 0.08; p = 0.04) and inconsistent frailty status trends for those of divorced (1.12, SE 0.05; p = 0.007) and never married (0.20, SE 0.03; p < 0.001) status in urban areas. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that geographic residence may modify the relationship between SDOH and frailty status in older adults, providing novel insight into the complexity of these interactions. This work is important for identifying modifiable areas where additional support interventions may be important for mitigating frailty development and progression for older adults with efforts at both the individual and system levels. Full article

Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. Problems caused by the urban rural dual structure, such as resource misallocation, ecological-economic imbalance, and insufficient farmer income growth, not only hinder common prosperity but also conflict with the sustainable development strategy. As the core path to break the dual structure and narrow gaps, the multi-dimensional impact and mechanism of urban rural integrated development on common prosperity need systematic verification. Based on panel data of 31 Chinese provinces from 2014 to 2023, this paper uses fixed-effects and mechanism test models to examine its direct, indirect, and spatial spillover effects, focusing on transmission mechanisms of wage, property, and operating incomes. Findings show: First, it exerts significant positive direct and cross-regional spillover effects on common prosperity; Second, wage and property incomes are key transmission paths, while operating income’s mediating effect is unclear; Third, effects vary geographically, stronger in eastern/central China, weaker in northeast China and insignificant in west China; Fourth, economic and spatial integration play prominent roles, social service integration has inhibitory effect, and ecological integration’s effect is under-released. Accordingly, this paper puts forward countermeasures to optimize resource allocation, tackle the rural operating income dilemma, advance regional coordination, and enhance equal social services, providing references for improving common prosperity policies and rural sustainable development. Full article