Search Results (72)

How do regulatory policies, funding structures, and cross-sector coordination shape knowledge flows and institutional transformation? Focusing on the smart medical device sector in Taiwan, this study explores how governance dynamics accelerate system transformation and foster demand for adaptive and integrative innovation systems. Building on the National Biotechnology Innovation System framework and qualitative system dynamics modeling, the study analyzes institutional interactions through 28 semi-structured interviews and 18 policy documents. Findings identify systemic bottlenecks, including translational gaps, coordination challenges, and barriers for traditional manufacturers. These gaps have enabled tech firms to emerge as system leaders by bridging these institutional gaps. This study extends innovation systems theory by conceptualizing an emergent governance function that addresses institutional gaps. At the policy level, the study highlights the importance of enabling institutional change in governance to address structural fragmentation and support system-wide transformation. Full article

This study explores digital inequality as a socio-spatial phenomenon within the context of smart inclusion, focusing on the Regional Unit of Xanthi, Greece—a region marked by ethno-cultural diversity and pronounced urban–rural contrasts. Using a mixed-methods design, this research integrates secondary quantitative data with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews, aiming to uncover how spatial, demographic, and cultural variables shape digital engagement. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are employed to map disparities in internet access and ICT infrastructure, revealing significant gaps linked to geography, education, and economic status. The findings demonstrate that digital inequality is particularly acute in rural, minority, and economically marginalized communities, where limited infrastructure intersects with low digital literacy and socio-economic disadvantage. Interview data further illuminate how residents navigate exclusion, emphasizing generational divides, perceptions of technology, and place-based constraints. By bridging spatial analysis with lived experience, this study advances the conceptualization of digitally inclusive smart regions. It offers policy-relevant insights into how territorial inequality undermines the goals of smart development and proposes context-sensitive interventions to promote equitable digital participation. The case of Xanthi underscores the importance of integrating spatial justice into smart city and regional planning agendas. Full article

Offsite construction (OSC) offers a promising alternative for accelerating refurbishment projects across Italy and Europe. However, its adoption remains limited due to technical, regulatory, and cultural barriers. This study, conducted as part of the OFFICIO project, maps the current European OSC landscape, with a focus on wood and light-steel technologies for sustainable building refurbishment. Combining a literature review, analysis of funded projects, and market data for 541 OSC products, the study develops tailored KPIs to assess these products’ technical maturity, prefabrication level, and environmental integration. The results reveal that wood-based OSC, although less widespread, is more mature and centered on the use of multi-layer panels, while steel-based systems, though more prevalent, remain largely tied to semi-offsite construction, indicating untapped development potential. Research efforts, especially concentrated in Mediterranean regions, focus on technological integration of renewable energy systems. A significant literature gap was identified in information concerning panel-to-wall connection, critical for renovation, limiting OSC’s adaptability to regeneration of existing buildings. The findings highlight the need for cross-sector collaboration, legislative clarity, and better alignment of public procurement standards with OSC characteristics. Addressing these issues is essential to bridge the gap between research prototypes and industrial adoption and accelerate the sustainable transformation of Europe’s construction sector to help meet climate neutrality targets. Full article

ICT tools are fundamental for promoting educational inclusion, as they allow for flexible teaching practices adapted to the diversity of students. Their appropriate integration into teaching makes it easier to respond to different paces, styles, and needs, promoting the active and meaningful participation of all learners. However, this inclusive potential is only fulfilled if equitable access to and use of ICT is guaranteed, both at school and at home. This qualitative study explores the digital divide in its three main dimensions: access to technology, digital skills, and the meaningful use of ICT in educational settings. Through focus groups and semi-structured interviews, the study gathers the perceptions of different members of the educational community. The sample consists of 89 participants, including teachers, students, families, and school administrators from the Communities of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha. The results reveal a common concern about inequalities in ICT access and use, related to economic, geographical, and educational factors. These findings emphasise the need for targeted public policies to bridge digital gaps and highlight the importance of promoting digital competence across the entire educational community to achieve true educational inclusion. Full article

This study explores teachers’ understanding and implementation of inclusive education in a rural mainstream secondary school in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Grounded in the inclusive pedagogy framework, the research employed a qualitative approach, combining classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with three purposively selected teachers. Findings revealed a significant disconnect between teachers’ conceptual support for inclusion and their classroom practices, which remained largely traditional and undifferentiated. Teachers expressed narrow or fragmented understandings of inclusion, often equating it solely with disability integration, and cited systemic barriers such as overcrowding, rigid curricula, and inadequate training as key challenges. Despite emotional discomfort and pedagogical insecurity, participants demonstrated a willingness to adopt inclusive strategies if provided with contextualised professional development and systemic support. The study underscores the need for strengthened pre-service and in-service teacher training, curriculum flexibility, and resource provision to bridge the policy-practice gap in rural inclusive education. Recommendations include collaborative learning communities, stakeholder engagement, and further research to advance equitable implementation. Full article

This study presents a flood risk assessment of five rural bridges along the monsoon-prone Khar–Mohmand Gat corridor in Northwestern Pakistan using an integrated hydrologic and hydraulic modeling framework. Hydrologic simulations for 50- and 100-year design storms were performed using the Hydrologic Engineering Center’s Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), with watershed delineation conducted via Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Calibration was based on regional rainfall data from the Peshawar station using a Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) of 86 and time of concentration calculated using Kirpich’s method. The resulting hydrographs were used in two-dimensional hydraulic simulations using the Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) to evaluate water surface elevations, flow velocities, and Froude numbers at each bridge site. The findings reveal that all bridges can convey peak flows without overtopping under current climatic conditions. However, Bridges 3 to 5 experience near-critical to supercritical flow conditions, with velocities ranging from 3.43 to 4.75 m/s and Froude numbers between 0.92 and 1.04, indicating high vulnerability to local scour. Bridge 2 shows moderate risk, while Bridge 1 faces the least hydraulic stress. The applied modeling framework effectively identifies structures requiring priority intervention and demonstrates a practical methodology for assessing flood risk in ungauged, data-scarce, and semi-arid regions. Full article

Titanium alloy thin-walled components are extensively used in aerospace engineering, yet their milling stability remains a persistent challenge due to vibration-induced surface anomalies. This study develops an advanced dynamic model for the face milling of titanium alloy thin-walled structures, systematically integrating axial cutting dynamics with regenerative chatter mechanisms and nonlinear process damping phenomena. The proposed framework crucially accounts for time-varying tool–workpiece interactions and damping characteristics, enabling precise characterization of stability transitions under dynamically varying axial immersion conditions. A novel extension of the semi-discretization method is implemented to resolve multi-parameter stability solutions, establishing a computational paradigm for generating three-dimensional stability lobe diagrams (3D SLDs) that concurrently evaluate spindle speed, cutting position, and the axial depth of a cut. Comprehensive experimental validation through time-domain chatter tests demonstrates remarkable consistency between theoretical predictions and empirical chatter thresholds. The results reveal that process damping significantly suppresses chatter at low spindle speeds, while regenerative effects dominate instability at higher speeds. This work provides a systematic framework for optimizing machining parameters in thin-walled component manufacturing, offering improved accuracy in stability prediction compared to traditional two-dimensional SLD methods. The proposed methodology bridges the gap between theoretical dynamics and industrial applications, facilitating efficient high-precision machining of titanium alloys. Full article

Background: Economic logistics in fire and rescue services is a critical determinant of operational readiness, fiscal sustainability, and resilience to large-scale emergencies. Despite its strategic importance, logistics remains under-researched in Central and Eastern European contexts, where legacy governance structures and EU-funded modernization coexist with systemic inefficiencies. This study focuses on the Slovak Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) as a case to explore how economic logistics systems can be restructured for greater performance and value. Objective: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the structure, performance, and reform potential of the logistics system supporting HaZZ, with a focus on procurement efficiency, lifecycle costing, digital integration, and alignment with EU civil protection standards. Methods: A mixed-methods design was applied, comprising the following: (1) Institutional analysis of governance, budgeting, and legal mandates based on semi-structured expert interviews with HaZZ and the Ministry of Interior officers (n = 12); (2) comparative benchmarking with Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands; (3) financial analysis of national logistics expenditures (2019–2023) using Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) principles, completed with the visualization of cost trends and procurement price variance through original heat maps and time-series graphs. Results: The key findings are as follows: (1) HaZZ operates a formally centralized but practically fragmented logistics model across 51 district units, lacking national coordination mechanisms and digital infrastructure; (2) Maintenance costs have risen by 42% between 2019 and 2023 despite increasing capital investment due to insufficient lifecycle planning and asset heterogeneity; (3) Price variance for identical equipment categories across regions exceeds 30%, highlighting the inefficiencies in decentralized procurement; (4) Slovakia lacks a national Logistics Information System (LIS), unlike peer countries which have deployed integrated digital platforms (e.g., CELIS in the Czech Republic); (5) Benchmarking reveals high-impact practices in centralized procurement, lifecycle-based contracting, regional logistics hubs, and performance accountability—particularly in Austria and the Netherlands. Impacts: Four high-impact, feasible reforms were proposed: (1) Establishment of a centralized procurement framework; (2) national LIS deployment to unify inventory and asset tracking; (3) adoption of lifecycle-based and performance-based contracting models; (4) development of regional logistics hubs using underutilized infrastructure. This study is among the first to provide an integrated economic and institutional analysis of the Fire and Rescue Service logistics in a post-socialist EU member state. It offers a structured, transferable reform roadmap grounded in comparative evidence and adapted to Slovakia’s hybrid governance model. The research bridges gaps between modernization policy, procurement law, and digital public administration in the context of emergency services. Full article

Business Continuity Management (BCM) is critical for organizations to mitigate disruptions and maintain operations, yet many struggle with fragmented and non-standardized self-assessment tools. Existing frameworks often lack holistic integration, focusing narrowly on isolated components like cyber resilience or risk management, which limits their ability to evaluate BCM maturity comprehensively. This research addresses this gap by proposing a structured Self-Assessment System designed to unify BCM components into an adaptable, standards-aligned methodology. Grounded in Design Science Research, the system integrates a BCM Model comprising eight components and 118 activities, each evaluated through weighted questions to quantify organizational preparedness. The methodology enables organizations to conduct rapid as-is assessments using a 0–100 scoring mechanism with visual indicators (red/yellow/green), benchmark progress over time and against peers, and align with international standards (e.g., ISO 22301, ITIL) while accommodating unique organizational constraints. Demonstrated via focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 10 organizations, the system proved effective in enhancing top management commitment, prioritizing resource allocation, and streamlining BCM implementation—particularly for SMEs with limited resources. Key contributions include a reusable self-assessment tool adaptable to any BCM framework, empirical validation of its utility in identifying weaknesses and guiding continuous improvement, and a pathway from initial assessment to advanced measurement via the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. By bridging the gap between theoretical standards and practical application, this research offers a scalable solution for organizations to systematically evaluate and improve BCM resilience. Full article

The real estate sector is increasingly recognizing facility management (FM) as a key driver of asset value. Among emerging technologies, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Building Management Systems (BMSs) stand out for their potential to enhance FM efficiency by integrating design data with building operations across the entire lifecycle, from construction to maintenance, performance monitoring, and renovation. While their technical applications have been widely studied, the financial impact of these tools on FM remains underexplored. This paper addresses that gap by estimating the economic value generated by implementing BIM and BMS in real estate facility management. Based on thirteen semi-structured interviews with professionals from the Italian real estate sector, we identified and quantified cost-saving factors and challenges related to digital adoption. These cost efficiencies, when recurring and quantifiable, can improve net operating income (NOI), thereby supporting higher asset valuations under income-based real estate appraisal methods. The results show that integrating BIM and BMS in facility management may generate average annual cost savings of 5.81% relative to asset value, with coordination improvements alone accounting for up to 3.28% per year. Based on a 30-year simulation, these savings correspond to a positive Net Present Value (NPV), supporting the financial viability of digital FM adoption in real estate. This study offers empirical evidence to support investment decisions in digital FM technologies and contributes to bridging the gap between innovation and financial evaluation in the real estate sector. Full article

This study employs a critical perspective: aiming to provide a subjective and socially constructed view on the impact of corporate governance and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) choices on the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in terms of CO₂ emissions in Brazil. This research paper bridges the gap in the literature on the EKC by toeing a qualitative approach to what has been presented using quantitative methods, and offers insights on how the trends shape organisational policies. Furthermore, it enumerates the relationship between CSR, CO₂ choices, and EKC in the Brazilian aviation industry using one particular airline as a case study. It aims to provoke further conversation on decarbonisation. It seeks to show how EKC has been treated and to contextualise the impact of the airline sector’s CSR and corporate governance on EKC. A combination of a content analysis of the narratives of sustainability reports and a semi-structured interview with a sustainability expert from the aviation sector was used in data gathering, while critical discourse analysis (CDA) was employed in demonstrating the ideological and social contexts that shape organisational narratives and decisions in practices and governance structures that are driving CO₂ reduction strategies. The findings not only confirmed the crucial role that corporate governance plays in the implementation and monitoring of CSR practices within the sector but also shows the impact of integrating sustainability goals into corporate strategies. The policies nurtured by CSR are supported by the company’s ESG and Social Responsibility Committees. In the context of the case study, the corporate decision to transit to biofuels is contributing not only to the reduction in CO₂ emissions but is also seen as an economically viable strategy with public policies and regulatory frameworks. This paper further explains the impact of geopolitical factors and the need for international cooperation because the traditional U-shaped EKC is not supported in the context of the Brazilian aviation sector. Finally, this spurs the need for collaboration among various stakeholder companies, policymakers, and nations in the global context for sustainable development to have a lasting impact. Full article

The global financial sector’s accelerating digitalization, propelled by the growing demand for rapid and tailored services, is increasingly vulnerable to complex cyber threats. This vulnerability underscores the critical need for comprehensive and coordinated cybersecurity efforts across all organizational levels. In this context, this study examines the role of internal audit as the third line of defense, investigating its potential to improve the effectiveness of cybersecurity controls within Brazilian financial institutions. The research aims to bridge existing gaps in cyber risk management by employing a qualitative methodology centered on semi-structured interviews with internal auditing, risk management, and information security experts across ten financial institutions. The data collected were analyzed using content analysis, enabling the categorization and interpretation of current practices and challenges in cyber risk management. The results indicated two perspectives on the depth of assessments conducted by internal audit and reinforced the fundamental role of internal audit in strengthening cybersecurity defenses: whether through high-level assessments of governance and management or penetration testing in specific scenarios, it can validate and increase the effectiveness of implemented controls. In addition, the study highlights the usefulness of data analytics for continuous auditing, identifying it as a proactive approach for the early detection of emerging cyber risks. These insights contribute significantly to the scholarly discourse on internal auditing’s role in the improvement of a secure and resilient organizational environment. They also offer actionable strategies for financial institutions seeking to integrate effective cyber risk management practices, thus reinforcing the sector’s preparedness against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Full article

Non-EU international students encounter considerable challenges in social integration, cultural adaptation, and emotional well-being within UK higher education. Despite this, the role of internet memes as a form of participatory digital media in mediating these experiences has not been extensively studied. This paper examines how non-EU students at a British university utilise memes to manage cross-cultural identity and daily stressors. Employing an Experience-Centred Design (ECD) approach, our qualitative research involved 20 participants through digital cultural probes, semi-structured interviews, and co-design workshop. We discovered that memes serve a dual role: they provide emotional bridges that foster a sense of belonging through shared humour, yet they also risk exclusion due to cultural opacity. We introduce the concept of “negotiated humour”, which requires cross-cultural explanation and reduces comedic spontaneity but enhances intercultural understanding. Furthermore, we identify a continuum of meme usage that reflects different phases of acculturation, ranging from expressing frustrations to creating hybrid cultural expressions. This study contributes to cross-cultural adaptation theory by highlighting memes as boundary objects in identity negotiation. We suggest design implications for culturally sensitive platforms, such as contextual footnotes, and institutional interventions like meme-based orientation activities to exploit humour’s potential for fostering inclusive dialogue. Our research highlights how transient digital humour can provide deep insights into identity, community, and the complex dynamics of cross-cultural adaptation. Full article

Satellite networks face escalating cybersecurity threats from evolving attack vectors and systemic complexities. This paper proposes SatGuard, a novel framework integrating a three-dimensional penetration testing methodology and a nonlinear risk assessment mechanism tailored for satellite security. To address limitations of conventional tools in handling satellite-specific vulnerabilities, SatGuard employs large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 and DeepSeek-R1. By leveraging their contextual reasoning and code-generation abilities, SatGuard enables semi-automated vulnerability analysis and exploitation. Validated in a simulated ground station environment, the framework achieved a 73.3% success rate (22/30 attempts) across critical ports, with an average of 5.5 human interactions per test. By bridging AI-driven automation with satellite-specific risk modeling, SatGuard advances cybersecurity for next-generation space infrastructure through scalable, ethically aligned solutions. Full article

Despite traditional knowledge’s (TK’s) potential to mitigate climate-induced vulnerabilities across diverse climates, cold-region communities remain critically understudied. To bridge that gap, this study adopts the pressure–state–response (PSR) framework to analyze how Indigenous knowledge in China’s Jinjiang Chalet Village—a 300-year-old cold-region settlement—embodies dynamic resilience across ecological, climatic, social, and economic dimensions. Combining semi-structured interviews with Indigenous Elders, UAV-based multispectral analysis, and environmental simulations, we identify strategies rooted in sustainable wisdom: ecosystem stewardship, climate-responsive architecture, community governance, and adaptive economic practices. A key innovation lies in the Eco-Wisdom Laboratory—a pilot project operationalizing TK through modern passive design and participatory education, demonstrating how traditional woodcraft and microclimate management can be integrated with contemporary technologies to achieve scalable, low-carbon solutions. Crucially, we advance the concept of living inheritance by showcasing how such hybrid practices decolonize static preservation paradigms, enabling communities to codify TK into tangible, future-oriented applications. This study provides a replicable framework for embedding TK into global sustainability agendas, particularly for severe cold regions facing similar stressors. Our findings advocate for policy reforms centering Indigenous agency in climate adaptation planning, offering actionable insights for architects, policymakers, and educators working at the nexus of cultural heritage and ecological resilience. Full article