Ecological compensation has recently gained significant attention as an economic incentive promoting natural resource management. However, there remain several challenges to its application. A key issue is the lack of a method clearly define the standard of ecological compensation. This study established an accounting methodology for the ecological compensation standard for the water-receiving area in an inter-basin water diversion in China. Beijing, a major water-receiving area of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, was used as an example of the application of this approach. First, the evaluation index of ecosystem service value of the water-receiving area was selected, then, emergy theory was used to calculate the increment of ecological service value based on the characteristics of each indicator. The ecological service value due to the project was calculated to be 3.898 billion RMB, while the willingness-to-pay by the public was estimated at 915 million RMB. Therefore, the increment of ecological service value was the highest standard of compensation, and the public’s willingness-to-pay was the lower limit of ecological compensation. The final compensation standard can be determined through negotiation between suppliers and beneficiaries under the leadership of relevant governments and water-transfer authorities. Thus, this study aimed to provide a scientific basis for the construction of diversified ecological compensation mechanisms and promote sustainable development of the region. Full article

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between employees’ CSR perceptions and their career satisfaction. Moreover, the mediating roles of organizational pride, organizational embeddedness, and psychological capital in the relationship between CSR perceptions and career satisfaction are also examined. Finally, the moderating roles of internalized moral identity and symbolic moral identity in the relationship between CSR perceptions and career satisfaction are investigated. A cross-industry sample of employees from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was collected. The results show that CSR perceptions positively affect career satisfaction. Organizational pride, organizational embeddedness, and psychological capital mediate the link between CSR perceptions and career satisfaction. Both dimensions of moral identity (internalized moral identity and symbolic moral identity) positively moderate the effect of CSR perceptions on career satisfaction. Full article

Numerous decision support systems have been developed to address the decision-making process in organizations. However, there are no developed mechanisms to track commitment down the line to the decisions made by corporate leaders. This paper is a portion of a study that establishes a framework for a comprehensive metric system to assess commitment to Sustainable Development (SD) decisions down the line in capital projects, and sets the groundwork for further development of performance indicators for SD outcomes. This ultimately leads to investigating the relationship between commitment to corporate decisions and better project performance in SD parameters. Hence, this study explores the literature to extract relevant parameters that reflect the degree of the project participants’ commitment to SD decisions and to develop commitment indicators. The study created then validated an index to track this commitment along the project stages: the Sustainable Development Commitment Tracking Tool (SDCTT). The SDCTT was tested on an infrastructure project case study. In this paper, techniques relevant to the first stage of projects (planning and definition) are presented. The SDCTT is the groundwork for the future development of performance indicators for SD outcomes, and within the postulated model should ultimately contribute towards reducing project waste, energy use, and carbon emissions. Full article

The present study makes an exhaustive review of the conditions and challenges faced by society to transform the school into a truly inclusive, coeducational, and democratic space. It proposes a theoretical model, of a bottom-up nature, to achieve gender equality in the school environment, giving special importance to teacher training. This study evaluates the training in gender equality and coeducation that students with degrees related to teaching are receiving. An analysis is conducted of the presence of attitudes that support the gender/sex system and the identification of relevant female references in a sample of 452 students in the Degree in Primary Education or the University Master’s Degree in Teacher Training for Compulsory Secondary Education, Upper Secondary Education, Vocational Training, and Language Teaching (MUPES). For the collection of information, an ad hoc questionnaire was used that contemplates formative and cultural aspects, together with the Inventory of Ambivalent Sexism (ASI), the Attitudes of Heterosexuals toward Homosexuals (HATH), and the Women in History (WH) scales. Among the main results, the important lack of training in aspects related to gender equality and coeducation, as well as a general lack of knowledge of historical female references, stands out. It can be concluded that, at present, teacher training is still in the early stages of the proposed model. Full article

Sustainability 4.0 (S4.0) enables sustainable development through intelligent technologies to meet economic, environmental and social demands. The main objective of this article is to propose a framework for developing S4.0 in sectors of Triple Helix (TH) (Government, Organizations and Academy). The framework consists of benchmarking of policies and initiatives from the Science-Technology Scenario in S4.0 (STS-S4.0) and the author’s experience. The STS-4.0 is a snapshot of relevant initiatives from the countries that performed best in science and technology in S4.0. This work uses the methods of bibliometric studies and content analysis of scientific articles from the Scopus database and patents publications from the Orbit database. This research resulted in a total of 19 propositions for developing sustainability through I4.0. Of these, eight are for Government, six for Organizations and five for Academy. The main scientific contribution of this work is to expand and deepen the recent block of knowledge on S4.0. As for the applied contribution, this work contributes to the conscious and sustainable development of humanity through the technological elements of I4.0, contributing to the achievement of the following SDGs proposed by the UN: 9 (Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action). The main novelty of this article is the creation of paths for Government, Organizations and Academy to interactively lead the development of global sustainability through the smart technologies of I4.0. Full article

As the world population increases, there will be an increase in demand for poultry meat. To satisfy this requirement, sustainably will be a significant challenge as different countries in the world face different health problems. Additionally, for decades, poultry nutritionists have worked on sustainability in broiler manufacturing plants. The usage of short- and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which have positive effects as growth promoters and immunostimulants, is a pioneering way to decrease the cost of diets and improve environmentally friendly and sustainable production in this critical era. This study aimed at evaluating the influences of alpha-monoglyceride (alpha-monolaurin) on the growth performance, biochemical parameters, lipid profiles, liver oxidative stress, and immune response in broilers. Alpha-monolaurin was included at the levels of 0 (control), 0.25, 0.5, and 1 g/kg in broiler diets. After 33 days, dietary supplementation of alpha-monolaurin showed no impact on the feed intake; however, broilers fed 0.5 g/kg feed displayed a significantly reduced food conversion ratio, as compared to the control (p ≤ 0.05). However, body weight and body weight gain tended to increase after 0.25 g/kg alpha-monolaurin supplementation, as compared to other groups. The highest European production efficiency factor (EPEF) was obtained with 0.25 g/kg alpha-monolaurin supplementation. The ether extract utilization and spleen weight were improved substantially (p ≤ 0.05) by alpha-monolaurin supplementation, but muscle and other organ weights were not affected. Plasma alanine transaminase (ALT) was decreased significantly by alpha-monolaurin supplementation, while plasma total protein and albumin were enhanced (p ≤ 0.05). Interestingly, broilers fed alpha-monolaurin displayed an increased antibody titer of the Newcastle disease (ND) virus and muscle unsaturated fatty acid content, and a decreased liver content of malondialdehyde (MDA). It could be assumed that dietary supplementation of alpha-monolaurin positively impacts birds’ feed efficiency and immune response and can be applied as a natural immune enhancer in the broiler industry. Full article

The purpose of this study is to classify college freshmen based on the level of psychological states related to psychological well-being they experience, and to explore the factors influencing these psychological states. Group 1 had low levels of negative psychological states and high levels of positive psychological states (constituting 35% of the total sample); Group 2 had relatively high level of negative psychological states and very low level of life satisfaction (constituting 13% of the total sample), and Group 3 had moderate level of psychological states (constituting 52% of the total sample). First, it was identified that a group with high level of negative psychological states does not necessarily have a low level of positive psychological states in factors such as their self-esteem, resilience, or life goals. Second, female students were more likely to belong to the group with high manifestations of psychological problems. Students who get higher self-satisfaction from their income than their actual annual income, students with more allowance, students with lower burden relating to their tuition, and students who worked less part-time jobs (falls under the financial factor) were less likely to belong to the group with high manifestations of psychological problems. Students who had numerous communications with their peers and had a sense of trust in their school, and students who felt less alienated were also less likely to belong to the group with high manifestations of psychological problems (falls under the social relationship factor). In addition, students who selected their college major in accordance to their aptitudes and interests, or through the influence of their school teachers, were less likely to belong to the mild risk group or the risk group than the students who decided their college major based on employment prospects or recommendations (falls under the enrollment motivation factor). Meanwhile, students with a higher dependency to their mobile phones had higher probability of belonging to the risk group, and students who had higher computer use frequency, such as using a computer to chat or play games, had a lower probability of belonging to the mild risk group or the risk group (falls under the media utilization factor). The results of the study indicate the need for the following: (1) a three-dimensional diagnosis of the psychological state of college freshmen; (2) measures that can improve social relationships, such as support in the curriculum and linkage to counseling institutions; and (3) the selection of a major in accordance to one’s aptitude, calling for the need for a linkage with career guidance at the high school stage. Full article

The aim of the study was to gather information necessary for the examination of the river Ćehotina water quality as well as the air pollution in the urban area of Pljevlja (far north of Montenegro), from 2011 until 2018. The water quality of the Ćehotina River was observed by the Water Quality Index (WQI) method, based on ten physicochemical and microbiological parameters from five hydrological stations. In order to examine the air quality, we used data on the concentration of the PM₁₀ particles from the station located in the center of Pljevlja. The obtained results of river water quality indicate that the situation was disturbing (bad quality dominates). The results of the air quality analysis indicate that the situation has been alarming and Pljevlja itself as a “hot spot” of Montenegro. Annual, seasonal and daily mean concentrations of PM₁₀ particles were above the prescribed limit values, except during summer. Sources of pollution were mostly known, and in order to protect public health, it is necessary to take appropriate measures as soon as possible, primarily the introduction of modern exhaust gas treatment technology TPP ‘‘Pljevlja’’ and construction of a heating plant that would replace numerous individual (home) fireplaces in Pljevlja. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) create an interesting alternative for establishing more sustainable urban freight deliveries. The substitution of traditional trucks in the last-mile distribution by a UAV fleet can contribute to urban sustainability by reducing air pollution and increasing urban freight efficiency. This paper presents a novel approach to the joint proactive and reactive planning of deliveries by a UAV fleet. We develop a receding horizon-based approach to reactive, online planning for the UAV fleet’s mission. We considered the delivery of goods to spatially dispersed customers over an assumed time horizon. Forecasted weather changes affect the energy consumption of UAVs and limit their range. Therefore, consideration should be given to plans for follow-up tasks, previously unmet needs, and predictions of disturbances over a moving time horizon. We propose a set of reaction rules that can be encountered during delivery in a highly dynamic and unpredictable environment. We implement a constraint programming paradigm, which is well suited to cope with the nonlinearity of the system’s characteristics. The proposed approach to online reactive UAV routing is evaluated in several instances. The computational experiments have shown that the developed model is capable of providing feasible plans for a UAV fleet’s mission that are robust to changes in weather and customer’s orders. Full article

Although three pillars of sustainable design—social desirability, economic competitiveness, and environmental friendliness—are all important, they are not necessarily equally accessible or salient during the design process. This paper applies a collage priming method to activate designers’ mindsets regarding sustainability pillars prior to conceptual design exercises, and to facilitate early-stage sustainable design. The study tests if collage priming (1) improves ideation outcome in terms of the sustainability pillars, interpreted as user desirability, cost, and environmental impact, and (2) encourages designers to further explore others’ ideas during idea evaluation. For (1), collage priming related to environmental aspect is shown to assist designers with generating more relevant ideas regarding environmental impact and more feasible ideas as compared to the control. The priming is not effective in helping designers generate ideas related to user desirability or cost, potentially because designers lack readily accessible information to be activated by priming. For (2), the collage priming related to user desirability is shown to encourage further exploration when exposed to (simulated) others’ ideas. The study shows the effectiveness of collage priming in improving environmental impact in conceptual design; it also demonstrates the existing challenges of addressing user desirability and cost. Full article

This study provides an overview of practical approaches to sustainability and its communication to the public in the business sector. The research presented in this article is focused on perceived sustainability in micro and small enterprises in Slovakia through research of business models used by these enterprises using a qualitative approach. The aim is to provide a general view on this topic and to prepare the basis for a sustainable business model composed of the values of society in micro and small businesses in Slovakia. The research consists of two phases—research in the field of business environment through personal interviews with entrepreneurs (examination of parameters: locality, waste management, ecological components, minimization of waste) and research of consumers’ perceived values within the perception of environmental problems. Businesses perceive the seriousness and necessity of solving the problem. Entrepreneurs from the micro and small segments perceive the high importance of solving elements of sustainability. They mentioned the minimization of waste as the most important element, the highest value on the scale (5) was marked by up to 85% of respondents. From a customer survey, it is possible to assess that almost 86% of respondents in this case feel that global problems are affecting them personally and at the same time more than 62% of them believe that they can influence the offerings of companies through their purchases and support sustainability in the business environment. Full article

Ending poverty in all its forms by 2030 remains the first agenda of Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015. Motivated by this agenda, this study examined the direct and indirect effect of financial technology (fintech) and its sub-measures of third-party payment and credit on poverty measured by household per capita consumption. We used a panel of 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2017. The results indicated that fintech and these sub-measures reduce poverty in China. The results further showed that fintech complements economic growth and financial development to reduce poverty in China. Full article

The increase in the number of traffic accidents due to the increasing number of urban underpass tunnels necessitate a better investigation of drivers’ visual characteristics when entering the tunnels. A total of 20 drivers were gathered to perform a real vehicle experiment in an urban underpass tunnel. The saccade angle, saccade frequency, and fixation time were selected as the research indexes. The urban underpass tunnel entrance was divided into five sections, namely the external straight line section, the upper half of the ramp, the lower half of the ramp, the shading shed section, and the entrance inner section. The results showed that the saccade angle and frequency of the ramp were significantly smaller than that of the external straight line and the tunnel interior, and the saccade range in front of the entrance was more concentrated. The changes in fixation time and the difference range of 15th-85th fixation time threshold in each section were analyzed. The fixation time of all sections was distributed within the range of 149.476 to 475.414 ms. The driver’s fixation was more and more concentrated when the sidewalls were higher and closer to the portal. Full article

The recovery of waste heat is a fundamental means of achieving the ambitious medium- and long-term targets set by European and international directives. Despite the large availability of waste heat, especially at low temperatures (<250 °C), the implementation rate of heat recovery interventions is still low, mainly due to non-technical barriers. To overcome this limitation, this work aims to develop two distinct databases containing waste heat recovery case studies and technologies as a novel tool to enhance knowledge transfer in the industrial sector. Through an in-depth analysis of the scientific literature, the two databases’ structures were developed, defining fields and information to collect, and then a preliminary population was performed. Both databases were validated by interacting with companies which operate in the heat recovery technology market and which are possible users of the tools. Those proposed are the first example in the literature of databases completely focused on low-temperature waste heat recovery in the industrial sector and able to provide detailed information on heat exchange and the technologies used. The tools proposed are two key elements in supporting companies in all the phases of a heat recovery intervention: from identifying waste heat to choosing the best technology to be adopted. Full article

Many key aspects of social work education are not sufficiently researched, and our knowledge of how students build values in social work education, despite its importance for creating concepts about values and their application in practice, is underexplored. The research aims to evaluate the perspective of social work students in the process of values building in social work education in Visegrad countries (V4 countries: Czech Republic (CZ), Hungary (HU), Poland (PL), and Slovakia (SK)) and to determine the implementation for achieving and strengthening an integrated approach in this process. The research was carried out using a qualitative research strategy interviewing 86 students from 10 universities in V4 countries. The research results show that the V4 countries share some common threats to values building in social work education: contextual threats such as an increasing impact of neoliberalism and internal threats, such as a non-existent systemic concept of values building education. Full article