As global textile waste continues to rise, digital secondhand trading platforms have increasingly become key arenas for promoting clothing circularity. However, existing research across countries often treats these platforms as external conduits, with limited exploration of how their technological and social designs reshape users' psychological constructs and decision-making mechanisms. To address this gap, this study employs Affordance Theory as its foundation. It first reconstructs core constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) through scenario-based semi-structured interviews, then quantitatively validates these constructs using 1520 questionnaires combined with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling and Artificial Neural Networks. Findings reveal: Digital eco-identity amplifies effects across multiple psychological pathways; Perceived economic risk not only directly suppresses disposal intentions but also generates systemic negative effects by eroding trust in various platform affordances; Additionally, platform literacy exhibits a “high literacy—high concern” paradox, where higher literacy enhances identity transformation while amplifying risk sensitivity. This study makes three distinct contributions: Theoretically, this study advances beyond prior technology-augmented TPB research by embedding psychological structures within a socio-technical enlightenment framework, explaining how technology actively generates novel behavioral mechanisms. Methodologically, the integration of qualitative exploration with SEM-ANN enhances construct validity and predictive power. Practically, these findings provide actionable insights for platform design (e.g., strengthening disposal support features, establishing identity mechanisms) and policy (e.g., improving algorithm transparency and differentiated user support).
Melda Emilya, Misnaniarti Misnaniarti, Rizma Adlia Syakurah
et al.
Fraud poses a major threat to the integrity of Indonesia’s National Health Insurance–Healthy Indonesia Card (JKN-KIS) program, affecting health financing, hospital quality, and institutional reputation. Despite continuous efforts to combat fraud, allegations persist, particularly in hospitals in Palembang. This study aimed to identify potential fraud in hospitals in Palembang and analyze management countermeasures. Using a descriptive qualitative design with a phenomenological approach, the study was conducted from March to July 2022 and involved three hospitals in Palembang, the City Health Office, and the local branch of the Social Security Administrative Body for Health (BPJS Kesehatan). Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 16 informants representing hospitals, BPJS Kesehatan, and anti-fraud teams, supported by observations and document reviews. Thematic analysis revealed several fraud risks, including diagnosis manipulation, unnecessary treatment, and overcharging. Weak internal and external monitoring mechanisms fostered opportunities for fraud, often driven by financial pressure, revenue targets, and personal motives, and influenced by tenure and position within the organization. Fraud countermeasures remain suboptimal, although BPJS Kesehatan’s management shows potential that requires further improvement. Applying the Hexagon Vousina theory, this study emphasizes the need for a more comprehensive and integrated approach to fraud risk management. Strengthening oversight, professional ethics, inter-agency coordination, and policy enforcement is crucial to maintain the sustainability and effectiveness of the JKN-KIS program.
IntroductionThe implementation of energy-consuming right trading (ECRT) policy in 2017 is a major measure to promote the construction of ecological civilization and green development, which also aligns with the global trend towards sustainable energy management and carbon emission reduction.MethodsBased on energy consumption data in China from 2010 to 2021, this paper utilizes the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method to assess the extent and process of the impact of energy consuming right trading policy on the low-carbon transition of the energy structure. The transmission mechanism of industrial structure upgrading and the new-quality productive forces in the impact process was discussed, and the regulatory role of environmental regulations was tested.ResultsThe findings indicate: 1) ECRT has a strong driving effect on the low-carbon transition of the energy structure. 2) ECRT can promote low-carbon transition of the energy structure through the dual channel of promoting industrial structure upgrading and new quality productive forces. 3) The influence of ECRT on the low-carbon transition of the energy structure is different in different regions, and the higher degree of industrial agglomeration and renewable energy-rich regions are more significantly promoted by new quality productivity. 4) Environmental regulation has a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between ECRT and low-carbon transition of the energy structure. 5) Furthermore, the exploratory analysis reveals that the positive impacts of ECRT policies on the low-carbon Transition of the energy structure translates into higher green total factor productivity and lower environmental pollution, which promotes the sustainable development of the low-carbon Transition of the energy structure.DiscussionThis paper responds to the basic question of whether energy use rights policies can promote the low-carbon Transition of the energy structure, and provides empirical evidence and policy reference not only for the development of China’s environmental policy and the direction of energy consumption but also for the international community’s efforts in sustainable energy and environmental governance.
<b>Background:</b> Pneumoconiosis is associated with chronic pulmonary and systemic complications, yet its relationship with pleural empyema remains insufficiently defined. This study evaluated the risk of pleural empyema among individuals with pneumoconiosis using a nationwide population-based cohort. <b>Methods:</b> Using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance database, we identified 14,441 patients with newly diagnosed pneumoconiosis and 57,764 matched controls by age, sex, and index year. Pleural empyema was ascertained using ICD-based definitions. Cox proportional hazards models, stratified and cluster-adjusted to account for matched design, were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Competing-risk models, propensity score matching, E-value estimation, and mediation analysis were performed to evaluate robustness and residual confounding. <b>Results:</b> During follow-up, the incidence of pleural empyema was significantly higher in the pneumoconiosis cohort than in controls (2.33 vs. 1.02 per 1000 person-years). Pneumoconiosis was associated with an increased risk of pleural empyema (adjusted HR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.47–2.18), consistent across subgroup analyses and competing-risk models. The strongest associations were observed among younger individuals and those without comorbidities. Sensitivity analyses, including 1:1 propensity score matching, yielded similar effect estimates. The E-value suggested that only a strong unmeasured confounder could fully explain the observed association. <b>Conclusions:</b> Patients with pneumoconiosis face a substantially elevated risk of developing pleural empyema, independent of demographic factors, comorbidities, corticosteroid use, and healthcare utilization. Intensified monitoring for pleural complications in pneumoconiosis patients who develop respiratory infections may lead to earlier diagnosis and a reduction in the negative outcomes associated with pleural empyema.
A Review of:
McCord, D., Cassady, S., Roman, P., Cato, J., & Mantz, E. (2025). Sustainability in Library Collection Development: Introducing a Green Audit Template. Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship, 11, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v11.43852
Objective – To assess the sustainability practices of academic publishers and their alignment with library collection management, and to determine the nature of sustainable partnership opportunities at the intersection of library and publisher practices.
Design – A cross-sectional, unobtrusive analysis of existing content.
Setting – The academic publishing industry.
Subjects – Sustainability practices from 16 international academic publishers selected based on their prominence in Western Libraries' print book acquisitions.
Methods – The Green Audit Template, a rubric based on the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and industry standards and inspired by lifecycle assessment (LCA) approach, was employed to assess various aspects of sustainability practices of the 16 publishers. The assessment relied exclusively on the publishers’ websites and analyzed publicly available reports, corporate policies, and sustainability statements from the websites. The analysis focused on the trends found among all publishers rather than identifying major differences between publishers.
Main Results – Notable variability was found in the sustainability practices of academic publishers, with transparency and commitment largely influenced by regional regulations, funding levels, and institutional capacity. Publishers based in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the European Union (E.U.), where environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is mandatory, demonstrated the highest levels of disclosure, with all of them publicly sharing sustainability initiatives. In contrast, only 66% of North American publishers voluntarily disclosed such efforts, while 31% of all publishers lacked any publicly available sustainability information. Although 44% of publishers provided annual reports detailing environmental commitments, only half of them showed clear progress toward achieving their goals. In terms of sustainability commitments, 38% of publishers pledged to reach net-zero emissions, with target years ranging from 2040 to 2050. However, only two publishers had achieved ISO 14001 certification, an internationally recognized environmental management standard. Additionally, while 63% of publishers had signed the UN SDG Publishers Compact, the extent of their sustainability efforts varied, with some publishers focusing more on advocacy rather than implementing environmentally friendly practices. Material sourcing and production practices also revealed gaps in sustainability efforts. More than half of the publishers, 54%, reported using sustainably sourced paper, and 25% discussed their recycling processes, how they dispose of e-waste, or how they manage edition changes. Very few provided details on Open Educational Resources, servers, sustainable ink and glue. Transportation and infrastructure were also key areas of concern. While 43.75% of publishers reported implementing sustainable travel policies such as reducing business travel and promoting public transit, only 12.5% of publishers disclosed warehouse locations, and just 31.25% addressed eco-friendly shipping practices, primarily through strategies like reducing print production and minimizing plastic packaging. Among the 43.75% of the publishers that acknowledged sustainability efforts in their offices, a variety of practices were reported, such as using renewable energy, reducing in-office printing, using carbon credits, and funding reforestation projects to achieve carbon neutrality.
Conclusion – While some academic publishers are making progress toward sustainability, some of their practices vary widely. Government-mandated ESG reporting plays a crucial role in driving disclosure, with U.K. and E.U. publishers showing more comprehensive sustainability commitments compared to their North American counterparts. Larger publishers generally lead in green initiatives, while smaller publishers face challenges due to limited resources and capacity. The need for increased transparency and accountability in publishing is highlighted, and libraries and publishers are encouraged to adopt and adapt the Green Audit Template as a common reporting framework. Further research may delve into digital infrastructure sustainability, recycling practices, the role of smaller publishers in green initiatives, and collaborative efforts between libraries and publishers.
Bibliography. Library science. Information resources
Silvia Cazacu, Stien Poncelet, Emma Feijtraij
et al.
The environmental comfort in offices is traditionally captured by surveying an entire workforce simultaneously, which yet fails to capture the situatedness of the different personal experiences. To address this limitation, we developed the EnviroMapper Toolkit, a data physicalisation toolkit that allows individual office workers to record their personal experiences of environmental comfort by mapping the actual moments and locations these occurred. By analysing two in-the-wild studies in existing open-plan office environments (N=14), we demonstrate how this toolkit acts like a situated input visualisation that can be interpreted by domain experts who were not present during its construction. This study therefore offers four key contributions: (1) the iterative design process of the physicalisation toolkit; (2) its preliminary deployment in two real-world office contexts; (3) the decoding of the resulting artefacts by domain experts; and (4) design considerations to support future input physicalisation and visualisation constructions that capture and synthesise data from multiple individuals.
The decline of single authorship in peer-reviewed journals within the current collaboration-oriented knowledge production framework has prompted deeper reflection on the shifting power structures in academic systems. This paper aims to explore the underlying institutional logic and evaluation mechanisms contributing to the marginalization of single-author research in the management field. It further investigates how the discourse of collaborative advantage conceals structural power redistribution and ideological disembedding. Through an analysis of authorship data from top-tier journals, a critical reading of institutional incentive texts, and an empirical review of authorial configurations, the study building on the work of Harzing, Wuchty, and Lariviere constructs a three-dimensional causal chain: collaboration incentives, responsibility dilution, and originality weakening. Findings suggest that single authorship is not explicitly excluded but is gradually sidelined from central publication channels by funding policies, review practices, and performance metrics. Independent thought is thus structurally marginalized within institutionalized collaboration. The paper advocates for a paradigm shift from instrumental rationality to value-based rationality and calls for the restoration of legitimacy and public value for independent research through reforms in evaluation frameworks, journal governance, and research ethics, aiming to safeguard academic diversity and intellectual autonomy.
Project portfolio management is an essential process for organizations aiming to optimize the value of their R&D investments. In this article, we introduce a new tool designed to support the prioritization of projects within project portfolio management. We label this tool the PIT-plot, an acronym for Project Impact Tornado plot, with reference to the similarity to the Tornado plot often used for sensitivity analyses. Many traditional practices in portfolio management focus on the properties of the projects available to the portfolio. We are with the PIT-plot changing the perspective and focus not on the properties of the projects themselves, but on the impact that the projects may have on the portfolio. This enables the strategic portfolio management to identify and focus on the projects of largest impact to the portfolio, either for the purpose of risk mitigation or for the purpose of value-adding efforts.
Recent advancements in low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites represented by large constellations and advanced payloads provide great promises for enabling beyond 5G and 6G telecommunications and high-quality and ubiquitous Internet connectivity to everyone anywhere on Earth. LEO satellite networks are envisioned to bridge the urban-rural connectivity gap for the digital divide. However, the digital divide can hardly be closed by only providing connectivity to rural and remote areas. Various unprecedented challenges brought by the emerging satellite Internet still need to be resolved, such as inconsistent end-to-end performance guarantees and a lack of efficient management and operations in these areas, which are referred to as "performance gap" and "management gap", respectively. This position paper will briefly discuss these gaps, approaches to addressing the gaps, and some research directions based on our recent works.
Hypertension control still remains a largely unmet challenge for public health systems. Despite the progress in blood pressure (BP) measurement techniques, and the availability of effective and safe antihypertensive drugs, a large number of hypertensive patients are not properly identified, and a significant proportion of those who receive antihypertensive treatment fail to achieve satisfactory control of their BP levels. It is thus not surprising that hypertension is still a major contributor to disease burden and disability worlwide, even in developed countries. This paper will address current challenges in hypertension management and potential strategies for an improvement in this field. In its first part relevant issues related to hypertension diagnosis will be addressed, in particular how to improve identification of sustained BP elevation and specific BP phenotypes such as white coat and masked hypertension trough the combined use of office and out-of-office BP monitoring techniques. In its second part focus will be on how to improve achievement of hypertension control in treated patients by optimization and simplification of medication regimens, including more efficient selection and titration of antihypertensive drugs and their combinations, aimed at achieving a more consistent 24 h-BP control; and by favoring a more active patients' and physicians' involvement in hypertension management also through BP telemonitoring and mobile health technologies.
Arnon Archankul, Giorgio Ferrari, Tobias Hellmann
et al.
We consider a singular control model of cash reserve management, driven by a diffusion under ambiguity. The manager is assumed to have maxmin preferences over a set of priors characterized by $κ$-ignorance. A verification theorem is established to determine the firm's cost function and the optimal cash policy; the latter taking the form of a control barrier policy. In a model driven by arithmetic Brownian motion, we use Dynkin games to show that an increase in ambiguity leads to higher expected costs under the worst-case prior and a narrower inaction region. The latter effect can be used to provide an ambiguity-driven explanation for observed cash management behavior. Our findings can be applied to broader applications of singular control in managing inventories under ambiguity.
Background: Adequate management of diabetes in patients with liver cirrhosis can be challenging. We conducted this study to investigate the liver-related long term outcomes of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) in patients with diabetes and cirrhosis.Methods: From National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan, we recruited propensity-score matched alpha-glucosidase inhibitor users and non-users from a cohort of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with compensated liver cirrhosis between 1 January 2000, and 31 December 2017, and followed them until 31 December 2018. Cox proportional hazards models with robust sandwich standard error estimates were used to assess the risk of main outcomes for alpha-glucosidase inhibitor users versus non-users.Results: The incidence rates of mortality during follow-up were 65.56 vs. 96.06 per 1,000 patient-years for alpha-glucosidase inhibitor users and non-users, respectively. The multivariable-adjusted model shows that alpha-glucosidase inhibitor users had significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality (aHR 0.63, 95% CI 0.56–0.71), hepatocellular carcinoma (aHR 0.55, 95% CI 0.46–0.67), decompensated cirrhosis (aHR 0.74 95% CI 0.63–0.87), hepatic encephalopathy (aHR 0.72, 95% CI 0.60–0.87), and hepatic failure (aHR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62–0.88) than alpha-glucosidase inhibitor non-users. Patients who received alpha-glucosidase inhibitors for a cumulative duration of more than 364 days had significantly lower risks of these outcomes than non-users.Conclusion: Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor use was associated with a lower risk of mortality, hepatocellular carcinoma, decompensated cirrhosis, and hepatic failure in patients with diabetes and compensated cirrhosis. alpha-glucosidase inhibitors may be useful for the management of diabetes in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. Large-scale prospective studies are required to verify our results.
Luis Delgado, Gérald Gurtner, Piero Mazzarisi
et al.
This paper presents results from the SESAR ER3 Domino project. Three mechanisms are assessed at the ECAC-wide level: 4D trajectory adjustments (a combination of actively waiting for connecting passengers and dynamic cost indexing), flight prioritisation (enabling ATFM slot swapping at arrival regulations), and flight arrival coordination (where flights are sequenced in extended arrival managers based on an advanced cost-driven optimisation). Classical and new metrics, designed to capture network effects, are used to analyse the results of a micro-level agent-based model. A scenario with congestion at three hubs is used to assess the 4D trajectory adjustment and the flight prioritisation mechanisms. Two different scopes for the extended arrival manager are modelled to analyse the impact of the flight arrival coordination mechanism. Results show that the 4D trajectory adjustments mechanism succeeds in reducing costs and delays for connecting passengers. A trade-off between the interests of the airlines in reducing costs and those of non-connecting passengers emerges, although passengers benefit overall from the mechanism. Flight prioritisation is found to have no significant effects at the network level, as it is applied to a small number of flights. Advanced flight arrival coordination, as implemented, increases delays and costs in the system. The arrival manager optimises the arrival sequence of all flights within its scope but does not consider flight uncertainties, thus leading to sub-optimal actions.
SofÍa Molfese, Diego Rossit, Mariano Frutos
et al.
Municipal solid waste management is a paramount activity in modern cities due to the environmental, social and economic problems that can arise when mishandled. In this work, the sequencing of micro-routes in the Argentine city of Bahía Blanca is addressed, which is modeled as a vehicle routing problem with travel time limit and the vehicle's capacity. Particularly, we propose two mathematical formulations based on mixed-integer programming and we solve a set of instances of the city of Bahía Blanca based on real data. Moreover, with this model we estimate the total distance and travel time of the waste collection and use this data to analyze the possibility of installing a transfer station. The results demonstrate the competitiveness of the approach to resolve realistic instances of the target problem and suggest the convenience of installing a transfer station in the city considering the reduction of the traveled distance.
Denis S. Gusev, Elena G. Demidova, Olga A. Novikova
The purpose of the research presented in this article is to develop a dynamic system for forecasting and minimizing the risks of an industrial company based on their quantitative assessment. The article considers the conceptual apparatus of the essential content of risk management of an industrial enterprise, reviews the theoretical aspects of risk management systems and the most significant risk management methods from a practical point of view. The methodological apparatus of qualitative and quantitative analysis and risk assessment has been expanded on the basis of some conditionality of risk classification features identified and a systematic approach to the classification of risks of an industrial enterprise has been proposed, taking into account the dynamics of their impact on the object, the stages of building a dynamic risk management system are given. The article substantiates the need to supplement the dynamic risk management system of industrial enterprises with methods of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment in order to form effective risk management strategies
<div><p class="1eAbstract-text"><em>The industrial revolution 4.0 changes the direction of human activity from conventional to digital, almost all aspects of life. as happened in the world of transportation, where the digital era presents transportation that can be ordered through our gedget. The purpose of this study was to determine, analyze and examine the relationship between the influence of service quality, security, price perception, payment methods and efficiency on customer satisfaction. This type of research is conclusive, namely finding evidence of a causal relationship (causal relationship) between variables. The number of indicators in this study were 24 indicators, so the number of samples to be taken for this study were 264 respondents. The results of the analysis state that the Efficiency variable has a significant positive effect on the Customer Satisfaction variables. While the variables of security, service quality, and perceived price have a positive effect on customer satisfaction but not significant, while the payment method variable has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction. Service quality does not have a significant effect on customer satisfaction, the security variable does not significantly influence customer satisfaction.</em></p></div>
Molly K. Reif, Brandon S. Krumwiede, Steven E. Brown
et al.
The Laurentian Great Lakes comprise the largest assemblage of inland waterbodies in North America, with vast geographic, environmentally complex nearshore benthic substrate and associated habitat. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, originally signed in 1972, aims to help restore and protect the basin, and ecosystem monitoring is a primary objective to support adaptive management, environmental policy, and decision making. Yet, monitoring ecosystem trends remains challenging, potentially hindering progress in lake management and restoration. Consistent, high-resolution maps of nearshore substrate and associated habitat are fundamental to support management needs, and the nexus of high-quality remotely sensed data with improvements to analytical methods are increasing opportunities for large-scale nearshore benthic mapping at project-relevant spatial resolutions. This study attempts to advance the integration of high-fidelity data (airborne imagery and lidar, satellite imagery, in situ observations, etc.) and machine learning to identify and classify nearshore benthic substrate and associated habitat using a case study in southwest Lake Michigan along Illinois Beach State Park, Illinois, USA. Data inputs and analytical methods were evaluated to better understand their implications with respect to the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) classification hierarchy, resulting in an approach that could be easily applied to other shallow coastal environments. Classification of substrate and biotic components were iteratively classified in two Tiers in which classes with increasing specificity were identified using different combinations of airborne and satellite data inputs. Classification accuracy assessments revealed that for the Tier 1 substrate component (3 classes), average overall accuracy was 90.10 ± 0.60% for 24 airborne data combinations and 89.77 ± 1.02% for 12 satellite data combinations, whereas the Tier 1 biotic component (2 classes) average overall accuracy was 93.58 ± 0.91% for 24 airborne data combinations and 92.67 ± 0.71% for 11 satellite data combinations. The Tier 2 result for the substrate component (2 classes) was 93.28% for 2 airborne data combinations and 95.25% for the biotic component (2 classes). The study builds on foundational efforts to move towards a more integrated data approach, whereby data strengths and limitations for mapping nearshore benthic substrate and associated habitat, expressed through classification accuracy, were evaluated within the context of the CMECS classification hierarchy, and has direct applicability to critical monitoring needs in the Great Lakes.