Search Results (199)

E-waste, a form of solid waste, contains many recyclable metals, but improper disposal can make it very harmful. Therefore, the recycling of e-waste is very important, and the willingness of residents to participate is crucial in e-waste recycling. Taking Jiangsu Province, China as an example, we used the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to construct a research model to investigate the factors influencing residents’ willingness to participate in e-waste recycling. The paper introduces impression management motivation and further reveals the application of the Hawthorne effect in e-waste recycling. The paper also introduces the awareness of benefits, which encompasses personal economic benefits, physical health benefits, and environmental benefits, with physical health benefits being ignored by most of the previous literature. In addition, knowledge and convenience are also introduced in this paper. A total of 400 valid responses were used to test the hypotheses of the structural equation model. It was found that all factors positively influenced residents’ willingness to engage in e-waste recycling. Attitude has a mediating role in the effects of convenience, knowledge, and awareness of benefits on willingness, and subjective norms have a mediating role in the effects of impression management motivation on willingness. The model explains 82.9% of the variance in residents’ willingness to recycle e-waste, surpassing the original TRA model’s explanatory power and confirming the strength of the extended framework. The study provides valuable policy implications for the government to promote e-waste recycling. Full article

This paper examines the epistemological transformation prompted by the integration of generative artificial intelligence technologies into social science research, proposing the “adaptive epistemology” paradigm. In today’s post-digital era—characterized by pervasive infrastructures and non-human agents endowed with generative capabilities—traditional research approaches have become inadequate. Through a critical review of historical and discursive paradigms (positivism, interpretivism, critical realism, pragmatism, transformative paradigms, mixed and digital methods), here I show how the advent of digital platforms and large language models reconfigures the boundaries between data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Employing a theoretical–conceptual framework that draws on sociotechnical systems theory, platform studies, and the philosophy of action, the core features of adaptive epistemology are identified: dynamism, co-construction of meaning between researcher and system, and the capacity to generate methodological solutions in response to rapidly evolving contexts. The findings demonstrate the need for reasoning in terms of an adaptive epistemology that could offer a robust theoretical and methodological framework for guiding social science research in the post-digital society, emphasizing flexibility, reflexivity, and ethical sensitivity in the deployment of generative tools. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered consumer habits, particularly in relation to food choices. In this context, plant-based diets have gained prominence, driven by health, environmental, and ethical considerations. This study investigates the primary motivational and inhibitory factors influencing the consumption of plant-based foods among residents of the Galicia–Northern Portugal Euroregion. Utilizing the Theory of Reasoned Action, an extended model was proposed and tested through a quantitative survey. A total of 214 valid responses were collected via an online questionnaire distributed in Portuguese and Spanish. Linear regression analysis revealed that health awareness, animal welfare, and environmental concern significantly shape positive attitudes, which subsequently affect the intention to consume plant-based foods. Additionally, perceived barriers—such as lack of taste and insufficient information—were found to negatively influence intention. These findings contribute to the consumer behavior literature and provide strategic insights for stakeholders aiming to promote more sustainable dietary patterns in culturally connected cross-border regions. Full article

In this work, we undertake a comprehensive study of the functional measure of gravitational path integrals within a general framework involving non-trivial configuration spaces. As in Riemannian geometry, the integration over non-trival configuration spaces requires a metric. We examine the interplay between the functional measure and the dynamics of spacetime for general configuration-space metrics. The functional measure gives an exact contribution to the effective action at the one-loop level. We discuss the implications and phenomenological consequences of this correction, shedding light on the role of the functional measure in quantum gravity theories. In particular, we describe a mechanism in which the graviton acquires a mass from the functional measure without violating the diffeomorphism symmetry nor including Stückelberg fields. Since gauge invariance is not violated, the number of degrees of freedom goes as in general relativity. For the same reason, Boulware–Deser ghosts and the vDVZ discontinuity do not show up. The graviton thus becomes massive at the quantum level while avoiding the usual issues of massive gravity. Full article

This study explores the factors driving employees’ sustainability-switching behaviors (SSBs) by integrating the Push, Pull, and Mooring (PPM) model with the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 132 professionals actively involved in organizational sustainability initiatives across diverse industries and global regions. The findings reveal that leadership commitment significantly fosters both affective and normative employee commitments, with normative commitment positively influencing SSB. Surprisingly, organizational trust showed a negative impact on SSB, suggesting that employees may delegate responsibility for sustainability to the organization when trust is high. Inertia emerged as a strong barrier to behavioral change, independently inhibiting sustainability efforts. The study highlights the complex dynamics among leadership, trust, and inertia, offering practical insights for organizations aiming to foster sustainability. Addressing inertia directly and promoting shared responsibility for sustainability are critical for successful organizational transitions. Future research should explore the psychological mechanisms behind inertia and further investigate the paradoxical role of trust in sustainability initiatives. Full article

Ritual has long served as a central axis of religious life, not only structuring practice but also transmitting meaning across generations. This article offers a new perspective on how Hasidic thought reconfigures the medieval Jewish genre of ta‘amei ha-mitzvot—meanings for the commandments—by transforming halakhah into a sustained mnemonic system for theological transmission and communal continuity. Focusing on Rabbi Nathan Sternhartz’s Likkutei Halakhot, a 19th-century Hasidic commentary on the Shulḥan Arukh, the study explores how Bratslav Hasidism embeds the kabbalistic teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav within the legal framework of Jewish ritual practice. It argues that Rabbi Nathan developed a distinctive mnemonic strategy that integrates symbolic and theological meaning into halakhic detail, enabling the internalization of Bratslav theology through repeated ritual action. Through close textual analysis, historical contextualization, cognitive theory, and a case study of Kiddushin rituals, this article demonstrates how halakhah becomes not only a vehicle for theological cognition but also a mechanism for sustaining religious identity and memory within a post-charismatic Hasidic community. More broadly, the study contributes to discussions of ritual, memory, and symbolic reasoning in religious life. Full article

Why do environmental regulators allow some facilities to discharge more water pollution than similar facilities in other locations? Drawing on general theories of regulatory decisionmaking, this study assesses four possible reasons: (1) variation in governments’ ability to export pollution to other political jurisdictions, (2) variation in the demographic composition of the neighborhood surrounding the facility, (3) variation in local communities’ ability to mobilize for effective collective action, and (4) variation in subnational political context. Analyses of effluent discharge limits imposed by the U.S. states on two common classes of water pollution indicate that state regulators allow greater discharges when the receiving river crosses state lines, and that they are responsive to a variety of other demographic and political factors. The specific factors, however, often vary across the two pollutants assessed. These results suggest that subnational political considerations may shape the conditions imposed in water pollution permits, and, ultimately, water quality outcomes. Full article

A unified theory of emotion and motivation is updated in which motivational states are states in which instrumental goal-directed actions are performed to obtain anticipated rewards or avoid punishers, and emotional states are states that are elicited when the (conditioned or unconditioned) instrumental reward or punisher is or is not received. This advances our understanding of emotion and motivation, for the same set of genes and associated brain systems can define the primary or unlearned rewards and punishers such as a sweet taste or pain, and the brain systems that learn to expect rewards or punishers and that therefore produce motivational and emotional states. It is argued that instrumental actions under the control of the goal are important for emotion, because they require an intervening emotional state in which an action is learned or performed to obtain the goal, that is, the reward, or to avoid the punisher. The primate including human orbitofrontal cortex computes the reward value, and the anterior cingulate cortex is involved in learning the action to obtain the goal. In contrast, when the instrumental response is overlearned and becomes a habit with stimulus–response associations, emotional states may be less involved. In another route to output, the human orbitofrontal cortex has effective connectivity to the inferior frontal gyrus regions involved in language and provides a route for declarative reports about subjective emotional states to be produced. Reasoning brain systems provide alternative strategies to obtain rewards or avoid punishers and can provide different goals for action compared to emotional systems. Full article

Slope instability often brings serious threats to human production and life, which causes huge economic losses. The slope displacement calculation under seismic action is very important to ensure the safety and stability of a slope. At present, there are few studies on the displacement calculation of multi-stage loess slopes under seismic action. Based on the basic theory of soil dynamics and the introduction of the comprehensive slope ratio, this paper proposes a new displacement calculating method of multi-stage homogeneous loess slopes under seismic action and provides the calculation formula. The rationality of the theoretical calculation is verified using the numerical simulation software Geo Studio (V2022). The study shows that it is feasible to simplify the geometric characteristics of multi-stage loess slopes by adopting the comprehensive slope ratio, which can also reasonably reflect the displacement characteristics of multi-stage loess slopes under seismic action. The example verification shows that the deviation of the peak horizontal displacement between the calculating method of this paper and the numerical simulation result is 5.5%, which shows that the calculation method of this paper is reasonable and has a certain application value. Full article

Background/Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, influenza vaccination compliance among nurses in Israel was significantly lower than in previous years. This study sought to evaluate factors associated with vaccination compliance. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey conducted in March-April 2022 among 386 Israeli nurses examined perceived disease threat, vaccination barriers, perceived vaccine benefits, attitudes, and subjective norms/social influences. Results: During the 2021/2022 winter season, the vaccination rate for COVID-19 was higher than for influenza (68.4% vs. 61.9%). For both, vaccination compliance was positively associated with perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived benefits, and supporting attitude and negatively associated with barriers. The odds for COVID-19 vaccination were higher among older (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.07, p < 0.001) and more experienced nurses (age and years of experience, r = 0.89, p < 0.001). For both, perceived susceptibility and severity were higher among female nurses (influenza M = 3.29 SD = 0.88; COVID-19 M = 3.65 SD = 0.83) than male nurses (influenza M = 3.03 SD = 0.90; COVID-19 M = 3.32 SD = 0.83). A model assessing the associations between COVID-19-related variables and influenza vaccination compliance found that higher perceived susceptibility and severity regarding COVID-19, lower perceived barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, and more supportive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination were related to a greater likelihood of influenza vaccination compliance. Conclusions: Perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and attitudes made a significantly greater contribution to influenza vaccination than to COVID-19 vaccination, whereas perceived benefits made a significantly greater contribution to COVID-19 vaccination than to influenza vaccination. Full article

This study investigates factors influencing Chinese travelers’ behavior in sharing travel experiences on social media, using the frameworks of Perceived Value Theory, the Theory of Reasoned Action, and Social Influence Theory. This study aims to explore the intrinsic motivations and social factors that drive individuals to engage in sharing travel experiences and examine how these factors, along with personal characteristics, influence this behavior. Data from 489 participants were collected using a structured survey method and indicate that convenience value, emotional value, attitude, subjective norm, social identity, and group norm significantly affect sharing behavior, while monetary and social values do not. Additionally, personality traits such as openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness moderate the relationship between these values and the sharing behavior. This study contributes to the literature by providing a deeper understanding of the motivations underlying travel experience-sharing on social media in China and by examining how both intrinsic motivations and social influences affect this behavior. The findings offer practical implications for tourism marketers to prioritize seamless digital platforms, emotionally engaging experiences, and personalized campaigns. Governments can support these efforts by promoting policies that enhance platform convenience and foster social engagement. Focusing on Chinese travelers, this research also provides a cross-cultural perspective, deepening the theoretical understanding of travel experience-sharing. Full article

To reduce the burden on individuals with disabilities when operating a Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA), many researchers have focused on inferring users’ subsequent task intentions based on their “gazing” or “selecting” of scene objects. In this paper, we propose an innovative intention reasoning method for users’ action sequences by fusing object task and object action affordances based on Dempster–Shafer Theory (D-S theory). This method combines the advantages of probabilistic reasoning and visual affordance detection to establish an affordance model for objects and potential tasks or actions based on users’ habits and object attributes. This facilitates encoding object task (OT) affordance and object action (OA) affordance using D-S theory to perform action sequence reasoning. Specifically, the method includes three main aspects: (1) inferring task intentions from the object of user focus based on object task affordances encoded with Causal Probabilistic Logic (CP-Logic); (2) inferring action intentions based on object action affordances; and (3) integrating OT and OA affordances through D-S theory. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method reduces the number of interactions by an average of 14.085% compared to independent task intention inference and by an average of 52.713% compared to independent action intention inference. This demonstrates that the proposed method can capture the user’s real intention more accurately and significantly reduce unnecessary human–computer interaction. Full article

Spanish teachers, in general, are committed, sensitised and in favour of integrating gender equality into their professional development. Despite this, the gender perspective has not been systematically integrated into the training of future teachers. One of the reasons for this is education professionals’ lack of knowledge about the most elementary constructs of gender mainstreaming. The present study explores primary school teachers’ perceptions and knowledge. To this end, it considers some critical elements of gender equality (gender, gender equality, the glass ceiling, and feminism). A qualitative and quantitative approach was adopted, and the methodological design was based on Grounded Theory. An intervention programme was designed to make students aware of and able to distinguish between these terms. Ninety-two prospective primary school teachers took part in the study. Of these, 69% were female, and 61% were between 17 and 18. To assess students’ perceptions of gender equality, students completed an initial and final questionnaire before and after the educational innovation. The findings show that future primary school teachers had superficial and limited knowledge about gender, gender equality, the glass ceiling, and feminism. In this regard, the design and implementation of transversal and innovative educational actions can help overcome these deficiencies. Full article

Cartographic design is fundamental to effective mapmaking, requiring adherence to principles such as visual hierarchy, symbolization, and color theory to convey spatial information accurately and intuitively, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) have transformed various fields, their application in cartographic design remains underexplored. This study assesses the capabilities of a multimodal advanced LLM, GPT-4o, in understanding and suggesting cartographic design elements, focusing on adherence to established cartographic principles. Two assessments were conducted: a text-to-text evaluation and an image-to-text evaluation. In the text-to-text assessment, GPT-4o was presented with 15 queries derived from key concepts in cartography, covering classification, symbolization, visual hierarchy, color theory, and typography. Each query was posed multiple times under different temperature settings to evaluate consistency and variability. In the image-to-text evaluation, GPT-4o analyzed maps containing deliberate cartographic errors to assess its ability to identify issues and suggest improvements. The results indicate that GPT-4o demonstrates general reliability in text-based tasks, with variability influenced by temperature settings. The model showed proficiency in classification and symbolization tasks but occasionally deviated from theoretical expectations. In visual hierarchy and layout, the model performed consistently, suggesting appropriate design choices. In the image-to-text assessment, GPT-4o effectively identified critical design flaws such as inappropriate color schemes, poor contrast and misuse of shape and size variables, offering actionable suggestions for improvement. However, limitations include dependency on input quality and challenges in interpreting nuanced spatial relationships. The study concludes that LLMs like GPT-4o have significant potential in cartographic design, particularly for tasks involving creative exploration and routine design support. Their ability to critique and generate cartographic elements positions them as valuable tools for enhancing human expertise. Further research is recommended to enhance their spatial reasoning capabilities and expand their use of visual variables beyond color, thereby improving their applicability in professional cartographic workflows. Full article

The one-time completion blasting technology for blind shafts is widely used in underground mining, for safety reasons. Efficient blind shaft excavation relies on reasonable cutting blasting technology. To optimize blasting parameters, the impact of explosion stress waves and gases on rock fragmentation is quantitatively analyzed using explosion stress wave theory. A calculation model for the radius R₁ of the crushed zone and the radius R₂ of the fractured zone in rock under the combined action of borehole cutting stress waves and blasting gases is derived and established. Combined with practical engineering examples and the determination method of compensation coefficient C_f, three types of linear cutting patterns, namely six-hole bucket cutting, seven-hole bucket cutting, and nine-hole bucket cutting, are designed. The post-blasting cavity volume and crack length of these three different cutting methods are calculated and analyzed using numerical simulation. Quantitative description of the distribution pattern of blasting-induced cracks in the simulation results of three cutting methods using the box-counting fractal dimension method are presented. Based on this analysis, the nine-hole bucket cutting is selected as the optimal scheme and validated through field application of cutting blasting. The results indicate that the nine-hole bucket cutting blasting scheme for one-time completion of blind shafts, with a designed hole depth of 8 m and a blasthole utilization rate of 93.7%, is an efficient and reasonable technical solution. Full article