Search Results (8,282)

Understanding the emotional states of animals is a long-standing research endeavour that has clear applications in animal welfare. Vocalisations are emerging as a promising way to assess both positive and negative emotional states. However, the vocal expression of emotions in birds is a relatively unexplored research area. The goal of this study was to develop an interactive feeding system that would elicit positive and negative emotional states, and collect recordings of the vocal expression of these emotions without human interference. In this paper, the mechatronic design and development of the feeder is described. Design choices were motivated by the desire for the hens to voluntarily interact with the feeder and experience the different stimuli that were designed to induce (1) positive low-arousal, (2) positive high-arousal, (3) negative low-arousal, and (4) negative high-arousal states. The results showed that hens were motivated to engage with the feeder despite the risk of receiving negative stimuli and that this motivation was sustained for at least 1 week. The potential of using the interactive feeder to analyse chicken vocalisations related to emotional valence and arousal is being explored, offering a novel proof of concept in animal welfare research. Preliminary findings suggest that hens vocalised in response to all four stimulus types, with the number of vocalisations, but not the probability of vocalising, distinguishing between low- and high-arousal states. Thus, the proposed animal–computer interaction design has potential to be used as an enrichment device and for future experiments on vocal emotions in birds. Full article

(1) Background: The sustainable development of rural areas has become a critical factor in global economic and social transformation. As an essential part of China’s rural ecological and cultural system, traditional villages are now facing a crisis of yearly decline, and sustainable development has become a meaningful way to solve the problem. This study utilized morphological indicator analysis and the SDGs as an evaluation framework to reveal the correlation and driving factors between traditional villages’ spatial form and sustainability indicators. From the perspective of the spatial form, this approach has specific reference significance for improving the sustainability of traditional villages. (2) Methods: A framework for detecting the driving factors of rural sustainability based on four dimensions (morphology, environment, economy, and society) was constructed. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the geographic patterns and morphological indicator characteristics of traditional villages in Jiangsu Province, and GeoDetector was used to analyze the driving mechanisms of the spatial patterns of sustainability in traditional villages, providing the basis for spatial zoning and differentiated policy design for the construction, planning, and management of sustainable villages. (3) Results: ➀ The spatial patterns and morphological characteristics of traditional villages exhibit prominent geographical imbalances and significant cluster cores. ➁ The high-density and low-aspect-ratio rural form in the southern region (where rural industries are developed) promotes good economic sustainability in rural areas but also leads to poor environmental performance. The rural areas in the southwest and north (high-density forest areas) have medium density and a high aspect ratio, and the lack of agricultural space and external connections affects their social performance. The main focus is on poverty reduction and urban cooperation. The central and northern lakeside areas and the eastern coastal areas (important ecological protection areas) have low density and high aspect ratios, which have helped them to achieve excellent environmental performance but also led to contradictions in environmental, economic, and social performance. Maintaining low-density patterns, using clean energy, and protecting terrestrial and underwater biodiversity are essential to the sustainability of the rural environment. The agglomeration of spatial patterns promotes cooperation between rural and urban areas and improves industrial development, contributing to the sustainability of the rural economy. Improving social welfare and agricultural development contributes to the sustainability of rural societies. ➂ The impacts of various factors vary significantly; for example, Life below Water (SDG14), Climate Action (SDG13), and No Poverty (SDG1) are the most prominent, followed by Partnerships for the Goals (SDG17), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7), and Recent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8). (4) Conclusions: It is recommended that the government, with the driving mechanisms, divide the spatial management zoning of traditional villages in Jiangsu into three types of policy areas: environmental-oriented, economic-oriented, and social-oriented. Differentiated and targeted suggestions should be proposed to provide a critical decision-making basis for protecting and utilizing traditional villages in Jiangsu and similar provinces, as well as to help promote rural revitalization and sustainable rural construction in China. Full article

Artificial intelligence emerges as a powerful catalyst poised to reshape the global sustainability landscape by facilitating the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This comprehensive Delphi study meticulously probes the insights of domain experts, shedding light on the strategic utilization of AI to advance these critical sustainability objectives. Employing rigorous statistical techniques, encompassing measures of central tendency and interquartile deviation, this research scrutinizes consensus dynamics among experts and elucidates potential variations in their viewpoints. The findings resoundingly convey experts’ collective positive perspective regarding AI’s pivotal role in propelling the SDGs forward. Through two iterative rounds of extensive discussions, a compelling consensus crystallizes—AI indeed exerts an overall positive impact, exemplified by a robust mean score of 78.8%. Intriguingly, distinct SDGs manifest varied propensities toward AI intervention, with Goals 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 15 basking in the radiance of highly positive impacts. Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 12 exhibit positive impact scores, indicating a juncture ripe for positive advancements. Meanwhile, Goal 16 and Goal 17 languish with neutral scores, signifying a juncture demanding nuanced deliberations about AI’s impact on peace, justice, and strong institutions as well as on partnerships for the goals, respectively. This paper underscores AI as a formidable instrument poised to address humanity’s most pressing challenges while harmonizing seamlessly with the overarching SDG objectives. It gracefully dovetails into established practices across pivotal domains such as health, education, and resilient infrastructures, amplifying the collective global endeavor to navigate the path toward a more sustainable future. Full article

Occupational health and safety (OSH) is crucial for sustainable development, recognized by corporations, the European Union, and Sustainable Development Goals. This study introduces a characterization model for OSH in the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) to support the quantification of OHS along product supply chains and sustainable decision making. The characterization model aims to provide a practical approach for assessing OHS at the product level with actual working hours or recommends a secondary approach with monetary data, when working hours are unavailable, to calculate the Occupational Health and Safety Potential (OHSP). The developed model was tested in a theoretical case study on shirt production in Europe and globally. The case study shows that the European shirt value chain resulted in higher OHSP values than the global shirt values chain. In addition, the model shows which life cycle stages and organizations highly contributed to the OHSP results. In both approaches, the shirt production stage contributed highly. Differences in results emerged based on the calculation approach, underscoring the model’s versatility, because increasing the complexity of calculating the CFs with monetary values will affect the results based on sectorial monetary output. Additionally, the study mentions benefits to the operationalization of social impact assessment and limitations when the developed characterized model is employed. Last, this study aids in offering a tool for organizations to meet the demands of the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive by quantifying and publicizing OHS data. Full article

This study explores the impact of the perceived well-being of students; the degree to which they perceive that their university enhances, facilitates, and supports six sustainable development goals (SDGs); and entrepreneurship education on nascent entrepreneurship. Moving beyond main effects, our research uses entrepreneurship education as a moderator, offering nuanced insights into nascent entrepreneurship, particularly among art students—an under-researched group. Utilizing data from a large sample within the established research project GUESSS, our findings show a very small statistically significant positive relationship between subjective well-being and nascent entrepreneurship among art students. However, the anticipated impact of university enhancement, facilitation, and support of SDGs on nascent entrepreneurship is not evident for these students. Notably, entrepreneurship education is important for the cultivation of the future generation of art entrepreneurs. These results have important theoretical and practical implications. Full article

Food-security issues remain essential for decision-makers at all levels in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and youth-oriented food-security policies in Ghana are no exception. While there are no “one-size-fits-all” policy pathways to eradicate poverty and hunger, various governments, civil society, youth groups, and citizens can afford to ignore the present food policies’ status quo. This paper examines the perspective of sustainability when collaborative and open governance approaches are adopted by central governments and their sub-national departments, institutions, and agencies in youth-oriented food-security policymaking, implementation, and evaluation. The extent to which active stakeholder participation and collaboration, or the lack thereof, has either negatively or positively impacted food-security policies is another tangent this paper explores, including the sustainability of the youth-centered food-security policies in Ghana. Using qualitative documentary analysis technique through collaborative and open governance frameworks and drawing on the literature on multisectoral governance and youth-focused food-security policies, this paper identifies several disjointed youth-focused food-security intervention policies in Ghana with hazy institutional arrangements that have failed to ensure adequate implementation and assessment to promote cooperation, accountability, and transparency. The paper suggests the need for collaborative governance, effective policy monitoring, and evaluation strategies that involve government institutions, departments, agencies, civic societies, youth organizations, and citizens’ commitments to food security. This research finds that collaborative strategies and active youth participation in all food-security-related policies are essential for Ghana to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2. Full article

Increasing clean energy access for the rural population of developing countries is a priority to meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals-Zero hunger and affordable modern/clean energy for all. Similarly, to meet this goal, Ethiopia moved towards the development of renewable energy. However, there is a limited knowledge on the biomass energy potential for biogas technology adoption at the local/district level. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the biomass energy potential for biogas technology adoption and its determinant factors among rural households in Limmu Kossa district, Ethiopia. Data was collected from 411 households from 13–24 June 2021. The quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical software Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23 and Microsoft Word-Excel. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The study showed that over 96% of households rely on the traditional use of biomass energy for cooking. Nevertheless, on average, about 1 m³ of biogas energy can be potentially available from livestock dung and human excreta per household per day. However, the huge potential of biomass energy did not contribute to improved energy technologies such as biogas. The adoption of biogas is hampered by the non-functionality of the installed biogas, a lack of awareness, the availability of firewood, and the socio-economic characteristics of the households. Thus, improving the awareness of the community, arranging financial access, and training biogas technicians, especially from the local community, would increase the adoption of the technology. However, meeting the digester water demand with the water collected from the walking distances of 15–20 min can be challenging. Community-based biogas digesters or biogas involving income generation with a water supply around the digester would be a better and more sustainable option for biogas energy adoption and use. Full article

The consumption of fisheries and aquaculture products has been increasing in recent decades, and it is necessary to strike a balance between production and sustainability in aquaculture; this is essential homework to support the demand for human food. This study aimed to investigate the sensory and nutritional characteristics of a sausage made from the fillet of the native fish Old Blue (Andinoacara rivulatus) to stimulate the local economy. A multifactorial A*B*C design was used, with Factor A being rearing systems (wild and farmed), Factor B being types of protein (quinoa meal and soybean meal), and Factor C being lipids of animal (pork fat) and vegetable (sunflower oil) origin. Highly significant differences were observed in all formulas, according to Tukey (p < 0.05). The highest protein percentage was with soybean flour at 11.24%, while quinoa flour had 10.80% of the product. In sensory characteristics, the best attributes were for texture in the mouth with a hedonic scale from 0 to 5, with 4.2 firmness being mostly acceptable, odor at 4.5, the aromatic attribute with the highest and best value, and color was the clearest at 4.3 acceptability. The flavor was 4.3, mostly more pleasant according to the tasters. The yield of farmed fillets was 23.16% compared to wild 13.89%, and the balance of sausage yield was 393 g with a yield of 76.33% of the total weight. Microbiological analysis of the sausage with the native species showed the absence of pathogenic microorganisms. A commercial shelf life of 30 days was also established for the sausage, demonstrating an added value through this processing, allowing its exploitation in areas further away from the fishing sites and, thus, a greater possibility of social development in the area. Full article

The authors present a practical framework for assessing seasonal events that may influence maritime operations, seeking to tie in discussions about climate change adoption to maritime operational assessments. Most maritime-related research tends to focus on a single event, such as a storm, but maritime systems operate within complex systems that have some predictable patterns. These predictable patterns due to natural events, such as weather and water levels, can influence operations. By contrast, other factors, such as cargo peaks or cultural activities, could also shape maritime systems. The growing focus on adopting human activities to the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals means that system operations should consider their relationship to these broader goals. By integrating data from emergency management databases and weather information sources with other inputs, the authors, in collaboration with various stakeholder groups, created a matrix of regionally specific predictable events that may occur within a region by time of year that can be linked to the Sustainability Development Goals. The matrix was vetted to verify the information, ensuring that all perspectives were considered. The main findings were that a seasonal event matrix was not just a theoretical tool but a practical reference for examining operational patterns in a river for various uses, such as training, operational planning, and emergency response coordination. Full article

The emergence of e-commerce reshaped the traditional trade models, also playing a significant role in meeting the UN sustainable development goals. According to the UN, sustained growth and social development must include resilient infrastructure, foster innovation, allow for better access to information and communications technology, and universal and affordable internet infrastructure. This study explores a multidimensional analysis of e-commerce development in the EU generated by the following factors: education, internet infrastructure, income, and economic freedom. We use an ARDL econometric model and Eurostat data. Additionally, we analyze the time responsiveness of e-commerce growth to changes in these factors. In the long run, our findings identify a stable and positive relationship between e-commerce and all these factors. However, in the short run, our results illustrate significant dynamics between two variables and e-commerce. Specifically, the level of internet access and the percentage of individuals who use the internet daily exhibit a positive short-run impact on e-commerce sales, with the system absorbing shocks within a short period. This research advocates for targeted policies that support innovation, fair competition, and consumer protection in the digital economy. This research provides valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders in improving the institutional framework to promote a sustainable development of e-commerce in the EU. Full article

Background: Understanding the concept and dynamic process of the evolution of professional identity and roles of market access (MA) in the pharmaceutical industry (pharma) is critical to personal, interpersonal, and professional levels of development and impact. Objective: The aim was to carry out a scoping review of the conceptualisation of MA within pharma. Data Sources: BioMed Central, WorldCat.org, and Directory of Open Access Journals were searched from 2003 to 2023. Study Selection: All articles on concepts or definitions and other surrogate terms on MA in pharma were selected. Data Extraction: Keywords generated from an initial cursory literature search on MA in pharma were used in conjunction with AND/OR as search terms. Using the data charting method, key findings were mapped and summarised descriptively. inductive analysis was performed, allowing codes/themes that are relevant to the concept to emerge. Data Synthesis: Arskey and O’Malley’s six-stage framework and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews extension checklist were used as the review and reporting templates. The databases search yielded 222 results. Following title and abstract screening, a total of 146 papers were screened, and 127 of them were excluded. Full-text review was conducted for 19 papers that were deemed by two reviewers to meet the eligibility criteria. One of the authors arbitrated on disputed papers for inclusion. Only 14 of the included papers were found to meet the criteria for the final analysis. Five conceptual dimensions of MA in pharma were identified as “right products”, “right patient”, “right price”, “right point” (time), and “right place” (setting). Conclusions: Market access in pharma is a process that commences with the development and availability of the right products that are proven to be efficacious and disease/condition-specific (including medications, medical devices, and vaccines); specifically produced for the right patients or end users who will maximise best clinical outcomes and economic value; delivered at the right point in a timely, sustained, and efficient manner, given at the right price (commercially viable or reimbursed price that represents good value); and conducted within the economic, policy, societal, and technological contexts, with the overarching goal of achieving the best patient outcomes and ensuring product profitability. Full article

This article explores the intertwining connections among artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital transformation, and computational sustainability, detailing how these elements jointly empower citizens within a smart city framework. As technological advancement accelerates, smart cities harness these innovations to improve residents’ quality of life. Artificial intelligence and machine learning act as data analysis powerhouses, making urban living more personalized, efficient, and automated, and are pivotal in managing complex urban infrastructures, anticipating societal requirements, and averting potential crises. Digital transformation transforms city operations by weaving digital technology into every facet of urban life, enhancing value delivery to citizens. Computational sustainability, a fundamental goal for smart cities, harnesses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital resources to forge more environmentally responsible cities, minimize ecological impact, and nurture sustainable development. The synergy of these technologies empowers residents to make well-informed choices, actively engage in their communities, and adopt sustainable lifestyles. This discussion illuminates the mechanisms and implications of these interconnections for future urban existence, ultimately focusing on empowering citizens in smart cities. Full article

The global demand for sustainable and nutritious food sources has catalyzed interest in legumes, known for their rich repertoire of health-promoting compounds. This review delves into the diverse array of bioactive peptides, protein subunits, isoflavones, antinutritional factors, and saponins found in the primary legume protein sources—soybeans, peas, chickpeas, and mung beans. The current state of research on these compounds is critically evaluated, with an emphasis on the potential health benefits, ranging from antioxidant and anticancer properties to the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The extensively studied soybean is highlighted and the relatively unexplored potential of other legumes is also included, pointing to a significant, underutilized resource for developing health-enhancing foods. The review advocates for future interdisciplinary research to further unravel the mechanisms of action of these bioactive compounds and to explore their synergistic effects. The ultimate goal is to leverage the full spectrum of benefits offered by legumes, not only to advance human health but also to contribute to the sustainability of food systems. By providing a comprehensive overview of the nutraceutical potential of legumes, this manuscript sets a foundation for future investigations aimed at optimizing the use of legumes in the global pursuit of health and nutritional security. Full article

Significant price spikes occurred as early as 2021, initially driven by low gas storage levels, a post-pandemic economic rebound and then exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation had a range of wide-ranging consequences, from rising inflation, increasing energy poverty, food insecurity, business bankruptcies and recession. A well-known tool to protect energy consumers from energy price spikes, while at the same time contributing to the development of sustainable technologies, is Power Purchase Agreements. PPAs are long-term bilateral contracts for the purchase and sale of a certain amount of electricity, usually generated from renewable sources. The primary goal of this paper is to assess how the risk associated with PPAs has evolved between 2020 and 2023. It aims to examine whether, after the events in 2022, PPAs remain a robust solution that protects the off-taker from energy price spikes, ensures greater energy budget stability and enables savings. To achieve this, the probability of PPA prices being higher than market prices is evaluated, considering the changing market landscape. Furthermore, this paper intends to gain a thorough understanding of each risk related to PPAs and the best strategies for mitigating it, to maximize the protection of the off-taker. Full article

Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) and national waste reduction goals require frequent waste analyses for monitoring and governance decisions. We developed and tested a citizen science (CS)-based household waste diary for ten consecutive days with 89 volunteer households in Switzerland as a complementary monitoring option to official composition analyses. Discrepancies between the CS-based household diary data and the official composition analyses ranged between 55–65% less reported waste quantities for minerals, compound products, and plastics and 80–90% less for paper, avoidable food waste, and glass. Household waste diaries should be digitalized and prolonged to 21–28 days, and volunteers from different demographic groups are needed to produce stratified, representative results. We conclude that a hybrid CS study design involving waste composition analyses and waste diaries could reduce self-reporting biases while increasing the monitoring frequencies of household waste compositions. CS-based hybrid household waste projects can be a powerful means to complement the measures identified in the 2022 Swiss action plan against food waste and for data reporting for the SDG 12.3 Food Waste Index. Full article