The coastal area of Bohai Bay of China has a wide distribution of salt-accumulated soils which could pose a problem to the sustainable development of the local ecology. As a result, the land remains largely degraded and unsuitable for biophysical and agricultural purposes. In this study, we characterized the soil and native plants in the area, to properly understand and identify species with satisfactory adaptation to saline soil and of high economic or ecological value that could be further developed or domesticated, using appropriate cultivation techniques. The goal was to determine the salinity parameters of the soil, identify the inhabiting plant species and contribute to the ecosystem data base for the Bay area. A field survey involving soil and plant sampling and analyses was conducted in Yanshan and Haixing Counties of Hebei Province, China, to estimate the level of salt ions as well as plant species population and type. The mean electrical conductivity (EC) of the soils ranged from 0.47 in more remote locations to 23.8 ds/m in locations closer to the coastline and the total salt ions from 0.05 to 8.8 g/kg, respectively. Each of the salinity parameters, except HCO₃⁻ showed wide variations as judged from the coefficient of variation (CV) values. The EC, as well as chloride, sulphate, Mg and Na ions increased significantly towards the coastline but the HCO₃⁻ ion showed a relatively even distribution across sampling points. Sodium was the most abundant cation and chloride and sulphate the most abundant anions. Therefore, the most dominant salinity-inducing salt that should be properly managed for sustainable ecosystem health was sodium chloride. Based on the EC readings, the most remote location from the coastline was non-saline but otherwise, the salinity ranged from slightly to strongly-very strongly saline towards the coast. There were considerably wide variations in the number and distribution of plant species across sampling locations, but most were dominated entirely Phragmites australis, Setaria viridis and Sueda salsa. Other species identified were Aeluropus littoralis, Chloris virgata, Heteropappus altaicus, Imperata cylindrica, Puccinellia distans, Puccinellia tenuiflora and Scorzonera austriaca. On average, the sampling points furthest from the coast produced the most biomass, and the point with the highest elevation had the most diverse species composition. Among species, Digitaria sanguinalis produced the highest dry mass, followed by Lolium perenne and H. altaicus, but there were considerable variations in biomass yield across sampling locations, with the location nearest the coastline having no vegetation. The observed variations in soil and vegetation should be strongly considered by planners to allow for the sustainable development of the Bahai bay area.

Communication is considered to be significant to universities: provide students updated information to make appropriate choices and decisions during their learning process; and promptly feedback to contribute to building a better educational and training environment; improve institutional governance efficiency. Communication tools used in universities are diverse in forms and contents. This study focuses on two popular forms, which are policy communication (communication of policies and laws on higher education) and internal communication (communication about professional activities and community activities of the university). The theoretical framework has been developed and a survey was conducted to collect opinions of 450 students from many universities representing 3 regions of Vietnam, including: Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) (Northern region); The University of Danang (UD) (Central region); Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) (Southern region). The results show that the policy communications of these universities are not effectively implemented. The findings suggest innovations for managers to improve communication effectiveness and governance efficiency in these higher education institutions.

Climate change is the most important environmental problem of the 21st century. Severe climate changes are caused by changes in the average temperature and rainfall can affect economic sectors. On the other hand, the impact of climate change on countries varies depending on their level of development. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between climate changes and economic sectors in developed and developing countries for the period 1990–2021. For this purpose, a novel approach based on wavelet analysis and SUR model has been used. In this case, first all variables are decomposed into different frequencies (short, medium and long terms) using wavelet decomposition and then a SUR model is applied for the examination of climate change effects on agriculture, industry and services sectors in developed and developing countries. The findings indicate that temperature and rainfall have a significant negative and positive relationship with the agriculture, industry and services sectors in developed and developing countries, respectively. But severity of the negative effects is greater in the agricultural and industrial sectors in all frequencies (short, medium and long terms) compared to service sector. Furthermore, the severity of the positive effects is greater in the agricultural sector in all frequencies of developing countries compared to the industrial and services sectors. Finally, developing countries are more vulnerable to climate change in all sectors compared to developed countries.

Regional cooperation stands as a key strategy to address intense economic competition and formidable local governance challenges. Successful regional collaborations are typically founded on the basis of institutional similarity, which also serves as the starting point for a multitude of related theoretical studies. Consequently, the regional cooperation within the context of institutional conflicts has been overlooked. This paper aims to explore the process of regional cooperation against the backdrop of conflicts, using the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as a case study and analyzing it from the perspective of the sociology of knowledge. The article posits that conflicts can stimulate interactions among various actors, foster the generation of local knowledge, and propel specific cooperative practices. Moreover, local and central governments, grounded in local knowledge and universal managerial insights, continuously authenticate and propagate local innovations, establishing guiding policies and, consequently, producing rational knowledge. The accumulation of such knowledge has not only strengthened civilian cooperation but also facilitated broader collaborative efforts. The study reveals that despite the GBA’s remarkable achievements in cooperation, challenges persist: on the one hand, there are issues with the government’s process of rational knowledge production and the quality of knowledge itself; on the other hand, excessive governmental dominance may suppress the production and application of local knowledge. Therefore, refining the knowledge production mechanism is especially critical. The findings of this paper uncover the mechanisms of regional cooperation amidst institutional conflicts and deepen our understanding of regional collaboration and cross-border governance.

This study aims to identify the risk factors causing the delay in the completion schedule and to determine an optimization strategy for more accurate completion schedule prediction. A validated questionnaire has been used to calculate a risk rating using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method, and a Monte Carlo simulation on @RISK 8.2 software was employed to obtain a more accurate prediction of project completion schedules. The study revealed that the dominant risk factors causing project delays are coordination with stakeholders and changes in the scope of work/design review. In addition, the project completion date was determined with a confidence level of 95%. All data used in this study were obtained directly from the case study of the Double-Double Track Development Project (Package A). The key result of this study is the optimization of a risk-based schedule forecast with a 95% confidence level, applicable directly to the scheduling of the Double-Double Track Development Project (Package A). This paper demonstrates the application of Monte Carlo Simulation using @RISK 8.2 software as a project management tool for predicting risk-based-project completion schedules.

The research aims to examine the determinants influencing the business commitment toward sustainable goals in Vietnam. To employ a quantitative research approach, we surveyed 208 business leaders in Vietnam to assess their perceptions and actions regarding sustainable goals. We explored the impact of internal enterprise characteristics and external facilitating factors on different dimensions of sustainable goals by using logistic regression models. This paper’s findings reveal that enterprise attributes, corporate leadership traits, and external factors significantly influence sustainable goal engagement. Notably, corporate leaders emerge as pivotal factors, particularly in their willingness to embrace risks and uncertainties. Moreover, this paper’s analysis identifies external factors with limited efficacy in fostering sustainable business operations. These insights hold significant implications for governmental institutions in Vietnam, offering valuable guidance for updating and refining policies.