Search Results (9,954)

Environmental stressors during the crucial period of fetal development can have a substantial impact on long-term health outcomes. A major concern is dietary exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which can readily cross the placenta and disrupt fetal hormonal signaling and developmental programming. Examples of these chemicals include bisphenols, phthalates, pesticides, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Prenatal exposure to EDC has been associated with long-term effects in children, including immune disruption, metabolic dysregulation, impaired neurodevelopment, and reproductive alterations, as evidenced by human cohort studies and experimental models. Epigenetic reprogramming, direct interference with endocrine signaling, and oxidative stress (OS) are hypothesized pathways for these adverse consequences, which often combine to produce long-lasting physiological changes. This narrative review summarizes current research on maternal dietary exposure to EDCs during pregnancy, highlighting associations with adverse child health outcomes. It also discusses the growing evidence of transgenerational effects, the potential mechanisms linking prenatal exposure to long-term outcomes, and the importance of understanding the roles of timing, dosage, and chemical type. By highlighting the necessity of focused interventions to lower maternal EDC exposure and lessen threats to the health of offspring, the review concludes by discussing implications for future research, preventive measures, and public health policy. Full article

This study explores how contextual framings influence sustainable decision-making in everyday situations. Building on the literature about the intention–behaviour gap, we examine the combined effect of role activation and environmental risk on pro-environmental preferences. A scenario-based behavioural experiment, conducted via oTree, integrated within-subject role framing (citizen, consumer, neutral) with randomised environmental risk conditions. Participants completed repeated binary choice tasks, where Eco-Preference was defined as the frequency with which they chose the sustainable option. The results indicate that activating a citizen role significantly increased Eco-Preference compared to consumer or neutral framings, while high-risk contexts did not directly boost sustainable behaviour. Instead, risk cues had an indirect effect through motivational states, highlighting the mediating role of Eco-Preference. Theoretically, this study advances Eco-Preference as a latent behavioural construct linking identity-based theories of responsibility with decision-based models of sustainability. Practically, the findings underscore the potential of role-based communication strategies to enhance ecological responsibility, suggesting that both policy and organisational interventions can benefit from fostering civic identities. Ultimately, the framework is applicable across cultures by offering a behavioural measure less prone to survey bias, supporting future comparative research on environmental decision-making. Full article

Within the context of global climate change and China’s commitment to the “Dual Carbon” goals (carbon peak and carbon neutrality), this study proposes a novel taxonomy of market-based environmental regulations, dividing them into investment-driven and tax-based supervisory mechanisms. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2010 and 2023, we empirically investigate their differential effects on carbon emissions. Results indicate that both regulatory approaches significantly curb carbon emissions, each exhibiting distinct nonlinear patterns: an inverted-U curve for investment-oriented measures and a U-shaped trajectory for tax-oriented policies, implying that excessively stringent tax supervision may lead to a rebound in emissions due to effects such as the “resource curse” and “innovation crowding-out.” Industrial structure transformation functions as a common mediating channel, while green innovation efficiency exerts a distinct moderating influence. Both policy types demonstrate adverse spatial spillover effects, with no support found for the “pollution haven” or “race to the bottom” hypotheses. This study offers new empirical insights into how environmental regulations facilitate green and low-carbon transition through market mechanisms, providing valuable implications for designing ecological policy systems that harmonize emission reduction efficiency with sustainability in China and other emerging economies. Full article

This paper develops a Natural Language Processing (NLP) pipeline to quantify the hawkish–dovish stance in the Federal Reserve’s semiannual Monetary Policy Reports (MPRs). The goal is to transform long-form central-bank text into reproducible stance scores and interpretable policy signals for research and monitoring. The corpus comprises 26 MPRs (26 February 2013 to 20 June 2025). PDFs are parsed and segmented and chunks are embedded, indexed with FAISS, retrieved via LangChain, and scored by GPT-4o on a continuous scale from −2 (dovish) to +2 (hawkish). Reliability is assessed with a four-dimension validation suite: (i) semantic consistency using cosine-similarity separation, (ii) numerical consistency against theory-implied correlation ranges (e.g., Taylor-rule logic), (iii) bootstrap stability of reported metrics, and (iv) content-quality diagnostics. Results show a predominant Neutral distribution (50.0%), with Dovish (26.9%) and Hawkish (23.1%). The average stance is near zero (≈0.019) with volatility σ ≈ 0.866, and the latest window exhibits a hawkish drift of ~+0.8 points. The Numerical Consistency Score is 0.800, and the integrated validation score is 0.796, indicating publication-grade robustness. We conclude that an embedding-based, agentic RAG approach with GPT-4o yields a scalable, auditable measure of FED communication; limitations include biannual frequency and prompt/model sensitivity, but the framework is suitable for policy tracking and empirical applications. Full article

Swimming pools, symbols of luxury in tourism-driven Greece, raise concerns about water consumption in water-scarce regions. This study assesses their hydrological impact in two regions of Southern Greece, West Mani (Peloponnese) and Naxos Island (Cyclades), within the water–energy–food nexus framework, evaluating the resulting trade-offs. Using satellite imagery, we identified 354 pools in West Mani (11,738 m²) and 556 in Naxos (26,825 m²). Two operational scenarios were evaluated: complete seasonal emptying and refilling (Scenario 1) and one-third annual water renewal (Scenario 2). Annual water use ranged from 39,000 to 51,000 m³ in West Mani and 98,000 to 124,000 m³ in Naxos—equivalent to the needs of 625–2769 and 1549–6790 people in West Mani and Naxos, respectively. In Naxos, this volume could alternatively irrigate 27–40 hectares of potatoes, producing food for 700–1500 people. Energy requirements, particularly where desalination is used, further increase the burden, with Naxos pools requiring 384–846 MWh annually. Although swimming pools are highly visible water consumers, their overall contribution to water scarcity is modest compared to household and agricultural uses. Their visibility, however, amplifies public concern. Rainwater harvesting, requiring collection areas 10–24 times larger than pool surface areas, especially in residential and hotel settings, could make pools largely self-sufficient. Integrating such measures into water management and tourism policy can help balance luxury amenities with resource conservation in water-scarce Mediterranean regions. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study analyzes how Health and Fitness Awareness influences quality of life (QOL), mediated by Health Behavior Action and Safety Behavior Practice, within the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework. Methods: Accordingly, a multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted on the data obtained from 6601 respondents selected from the 2024 National Sports for All Survey, jointly administered by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. Nationally representative survey data was collected across metropolitan, mid-sized, and rural areas in South Korea. The analysis further examined whether the structural pathways differed by regional size. Outcome measures included path coefficients and latent mean differences among Health and Fitness Awareness, Health Behavior Action, Safety Behavior Practice, and Improvement in QOL. Results: The analysis revealed that Health and Fitness Awareness significantly influenced both Health Behavior Action and Safety Behavior Practice; these, in turn, had positive effects on Improvement in QOL. Moreover, the structural pathways differed by region: whereas Health Behavior Action played a more significant mediating role in large cities, Safety Behavior Practice was more prominent in mid-sized ones. Conclusions: These findings are expected to provide a theoretical and policy-based foundation for region-specific health promotion strategy development and health equity advancement. Full article

Strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can support sustainable business models by enabling firms to adapt their capabilities and competitive positions as conditions change. This study examines how target listing status (public vs. private) and acquirer size shape short-term shareholder wealth in Korean SMEs (Small- and medium-sized enterprise), and links announcement reactions to subsequent operating outcomes. Using an event study and multivariate regressions on 155 M&A announcements by KOSDAQ-listed SMEs (Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) (2016–2020), we find that smaller acquirers earn significantly higher announcement-period cumulative abnormal returns (CAR)—i.e., smaller firm size is positively associated with superior market-adjusted performance around M&A events. Although acquisitions of privately held targets and diversifying deals show higher unadjusted means, their effects become statistically insignificant once firm fundamentals and size are controlled for. To connect M&A strategy with business-model sustainability, we operationalize sustainability as the alignment between short-term market expectations (CAR) and realized operating performance over 1–2 years, measured by return on operating cash flow (ROCF); medium-term checks indicate that the short-run “size effect” attenuates, underscoring the role of execution and scale in longer-run outcomes. Overall, the evidence highlights the primacy of firm-specific fundamentals, strategic fit, and integration capacity in guiding M&A decisions that advance both near-term performance and longer-term resilience. The Korean SME setting—marked by concentrated ownership, resource constraints, and a chaebol-influenced market and policy environment—provides a stringent context for these tests. Full article

This study develops a geomorphological identification methodology for wall reefs in the microcontinental environment of Wangiwangi Island, Indonesia, using medium-resolution Landsat 8 satellite imagery and morphological analysis based on Maxwell’s geomorphological framework. The uniqueness of the wall reef landform lies in the fact that the lagoon elongates on limestone, resulting in a habitat and ecosystem that develops differently from those of other shelf reefs, namely, platform reefs and plug reefs. Using Optimum Index Factor (OIF) optimization and RGB image composites, four reef types were successfully identified: cuspate reefs, open ring reefs, closed ring reefs, and resorbed reefs. A field check was conducted at fifteen observation sites, which included measurements of depth, turbidity, and water quality parameters, as well as an in situ benthic habitat inventory. The analysis results showed a strong correlation between image composites, geomorphological reef classes, and ecological conditions, confirming the successful adaptation of Maxwell’s classification to the Indonesian reef system. This hybrid integrated approach successfully maps the distribution of reefs on a complex continental shelf, providing an essential database for shallow-water spatial planning, ecosystem-based conservation, and sustainable management in the Coral Triangle region. Policy recommendations include zoning schemes for protected areas based on reef landform morphology, strengthening integrative monitoring systems, and utilizing high-resolution imagery and machine learning algorithms in further research. Full article

Introduction: Radon is a radioactive noble gas formed from uranium decay in the Earth’s crust. The most significant isotope, 222Rn, emits alpha particles capable of damaging lung tissue and inducing cancer. Radon exposure is affected by geophysical and building characteristics and is recognized as a Group 1 carcinogen by the IARC. Despite regulatory thresholds (e.g., EURATOM standards), health risks remain. Various mitigation methods aim to reduce indoor radon exposure and its impact. Materials and Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched up to 28 February 2025, using a defined string. Studies with original data on radon exposure and lung cancer risk or mitigation efficacy were included. Independent screening and quality assessment (Newcastle–Ottawa Scale) were conducted by multiple reviewers. Results: Of the 457 studies identified, 14 met the inclusion criteria. Eleven of these investigated the link between indoor radon and lung cancer risk, and three evaluated mitigation strategies. Radon levels were commonly measured using passive alpha track detectors. Levels varied depending on geographical location, season, building design and ventilation, these were higher in rural homes and during the colder months. Case–control studies consistently found an increased lung cancer risk with elevated radon exposure, especially among smokers. Effective mitigation methods included sub-slab depressurisation and balanced ventilation systems, which significantly reduced indoor radon concentrations. Adenocarcinoma was the most common lung cancer subtype in non-smokers, whereas squamous and small cell carcinomas were more prevalent in smokers exposed to radon. Discussion and Conclusions: This review confirms the robust association between indoor radon exposure and lung cancer. Risks persist even below regulatory limits and are amplified by smoking. While mitigation techniques are effective, their application remains uneven across regions. Stronger public education, building codes, and targeted interventions are needed, particularly in high-risk areas. To inform future prevention and policy, further research should seek to clarify radon’s molecular role in lung carcinogenesis, especially among non-smokers. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s “dual carbon” goals of achieving carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Traditional qualitative evaluations struggle with subjectivity; therefore we apply the quantitative PMC Index to systematically assess smart energy policies. This research systematically analyzes 16 representative Chinese smart energy policies using the PMC model, combined with content analysis. An integrated analytical framework was constructed to examine PMC applications across different energy policy fields. Results demonstrate that China’s smart energy policies achieved excellent performance, with an average PMC score of 7.48 out of 10. Furthermore, 68.75% of policies (11 out of 16) reached the ‘excellent’ level (PMC ≥ 8.0), with Policy “P6” achieving the highest score of 8.88 points. Top-performing policies exhibited strong strategic coordination, clear objectives, and comprehensive supporting measures. The findings reveal a well-structured policy cluster with clear objectives and strong coordination. This mature policy package provides a solid institutional foundation for China’s energy system transformation toward smart and green development, offering valuable insights for energy policy optimization and quantitative assessment methodology improvement. Full article

The Global Trade Alert (GTA) website, managed by the United Nations, releases a large number of industrial policy (IP) announcements daily. Recently, leading nations including the United States and China have increasingly turned to IPs to protect and promote their domestic corporate interests. They use both offensive and defensive tools such as tariffs, trade barriers, investment restrictions, and financial support measures. To evaluate how these policy announcements may affect national interests, many countries have implemented logistic regression models to automatically classify them as either IP or non-IP. This study proposes ensemble models—widely recognized for their superior performance in binary classification—as a more effective alternative. The random forest model (a bagging technique) and boosting methods (gradient boosting, XGBoost, and LightGBM) are proposed, and their performance is compared with that of logistic regression. For evaluation, a dataset of 2000 randomly selected policy documents was compiled and labeled by domain experts. Following data preprocessing, hyperparameter optimization was performed using the Optuna library in Python. To enhance model robustness, cross-validation was applied, and performance was evaluated using key metrics such as accuracy, precision, and recall. The analytical results demonstrate that ensemble models consistently outperform logistic regression in both baseline (default hyperparameters) and optimized configurations. Compared to logistic regression, LightGBM and random forest showed baseline accuracy improvements of 3.5% and 3.8%, respectively, with hyperparameter optimization yielding additional performance gains of 2.4–3.3% across ensemble methods. In particular, the analysis based on alternative performance indicators confirmed that the LightGBM and random forest models yielded the most reliable predictions. Full article

The Australian built environment is pivotal to achieving national net-zero targets, yet progress remains slow due to fragmented policy frameworks, low retrofit adoption, and uneven integration of emerging technologies. Despite these challenges, little research has applied a foresight perspective that both defines reproducible scenario thresholds and provides semi-quantitative comparisons tailored to Australia. This study integrates strategic foresight with international benchmarking to develop four scenarios for 2050: Business as Usual, Accelerated Sustainability, Technological Transformation, and Climate Resilience. Each scenario is underpinned by measurable thresholds for renovation rates, electrification, digital penetration, and low-carbon material uptake, and is evaluated through a scorecard spanning five outcome domains, with sensitivity and stress testing of high-leverage parameters. Findings indicate that an Accelerated Sustainability pathway, driven by deep retrofits of ≥3% annually, whole-life carbon policies, and renewable penetration of at least 70%, delivers the strongest combined performance across emissions reduction, liveability, and resilience. Technological Transformation offers adaptability and service quality but raises concerns over equity and cyber-dependence, while Climate Resilience maximises adaptation capacity yet risks under-delivering on mitigation. The study contributes a reproducible framework and transparent assumptions table to inform policy and industry road mapping, suggesting that a policy-led pathway coupling retrofits, electrification, and digital enablement provides the most balanced route towards a net zero and climate-resilient built environment by 2050. Full article

Copper is a critically important metal for economic security, and its supply chain is influenced by various factors, particularly market prices. This paper aims to uncover the impact of high uncertainty in copper prices on the copper supply chain (CSC) configuration and propose strategies for CSC construction. To achieve this goal, this study presents a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network, simulates copper market volatility using the geometric Brownian motion (GBM) model, and establishes a two-stage stochastic programming (TSSP) model. An empirical study was conducted using geographical and economic data of the CSC in the Chinese province of Hunan. The research results indicate that there is a threshold in copper prices that can lead to the construction of a reverse supply chain (RSC). However, significant fluctuations in copper prices introduce uncertainty into the supply chain network configuration. Therefore, policy measures to encourage copper scrap recycling should be implemented to maintain the safety of the CLSC during market instability. The proposed modelling framework for addressing fluctuation factors in supply chain design has been validated and can be promoted to other similar industries affected by markets. Full article

Against the backdrop of global agricultural transformation, rural China faces the critical challenge of reconciling economic development with environmental conservation and social well-being. This study, grounded in the rural revitalization strategy, investigates the internal mechanisms, level measurement, and sustainable development paths of rural industrial integration based on the “Triple Integration of Production, Livelihood and Ecology” (PLE) philosophy. Firstly, we discussed the suitability and the mechanisms of this philosophy on China’s rural industrial integration. Secondly, based on a textual corpus extracted from academic journals and policy documents, we employed an LDA topic model to cluster the themes and construct an evaluation indicator system comprising 29 indicators. Then, utilizing data from the China Statistical Yearbook and the China Rural Statistical Yearbook (2013–2022), we measured the level of China’s rural industrial integration using the entropy method. The composite integration index displays a continuous upward trend over 2013–2022, accelerating markedly after the 2015 stimulus policy, yet a temporary erosion of “production–livelihood–ecology” synergy occurred in 2020 owing to an exogenous shock. Lastly, combining the system dynamics model, we simulated over the period 2023–2030 the three sustainable development scenarios: green ecological development priority, livelihood standard development priority and production level development priority. Research has shown that (1) the “Triple Synergy of Production, Livelihood and Ecology” philosophy and China’s rural industrial integration are endogenously unified, and they form a two-way mutual mechanism with the common goal of sustainable development. (2) China’s rural industrial integration under this philosophy is characterized by production-dominated development and driven mainly by processing innovation and service investment, but can be constrained by ecological fragility and external shocks. (3) System dynamics simulations reveal that the production-development priority scenario (Scenario 3) is the most effective pathway, suggesting that the production system is a vital engine driving the sustainable development of China’s rural industrial integration, with digitalization and technological innovation significantly improving integration efficiency. In the future, efforts should focus on transitioning towards a people-centered model by restructuring cooperative equity for farmer ownership, building community-based digital commons to bridge capability gaps, and creating market mechanisms to monetize and reward conservation practices. Full article

Higher education institutions play a critical role in the transition to a low-carbon future due to their research capacity and societal influence. Accordingly, the calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the prioritization of mitigation strategies are of particular importance. In this study, a comprehensive campus-level GHG inventory was prepared for a public university in Türkiye in alignment with the ISO 14064-1:2018 standard, and mitigation strategies were evaluated. To prioritize these strategies, both the classical Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC) index and, for the first time in the literature, a fuzzy extension of the PMC model was applied. The results reveal that the total GHG emissions for 2023 amounted to 4888.63 tCO₂e (1.19 tCO₂e per capita), with the largest shares originating from investments (31%) and purchased electricity (28.38%). While the classical PMC identified only two high-priority actions, the fuzzy PMC reduced score dispersion, resolved ranking ties, and expanded the number of high-priority actions to seven. The top strategies include awareness programs, energy-efficiency measures, virtual meeting practices, advanced electricity monitoring, and improved data management systems. By comparing the classical and fuzzy approaches, the study demonstrates that integrating fuzzy logic enhances the transparency, reproducibility, and robustness of strategy prioritization, thereby offering a practical roadmap for campus decarbonization and sustainability policy in higher education institutions. Full article