The carbon footprint, which measures greenhouse gas emissions, is a good environmental indicator for choosing the best sustainable mode of transportation. The available emission factors depend heavily on the calculation methodology and are hardly comparable. The minimum and maximum scenarios are one way of making the results comparable. The best sustainable passenger transport modes between Rijeka and Split were investigated and compared by calculating the minimum and maximum available emission factors. The study aims to select the best sustainable mode of transport on the chosen route and to support the decision-making process regarding the electrification of the Lika railroad, which partially connects the two cities. In the minimum scenario, ferry transport without vehicles was the best choice when the transportation time factor was not relevant, and electric rail transport when it was. In the maximum scenario, the electric train and the ferry with vehicles were equally good choices. Road transportation between cities was not competitive at all. The comparison of the carbon footprint based on minimum and maximum scenarios gives a clear insight into the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in passenger transport. It supports the electrification of the Lika railroad as the best sustainable transport solution on the route studied.
Sustainability has become a generalized concern for society, specifically businesses, governments, and academia. In the specific case of universities, sustainability has been approached from different perspectives, some viewing it from environmental practices, management initiatives, operational criteria, green buildings, and even education for sustainable development. This research focuses on sustainability as a managerial practice and investigates how it affects the performance of five private universities in Medellin, Colombia. For this purpose, a literature review using a mixed sequential approach, including bibliometric and content analysis, was initially conducted. In the s second phase, more than 5000 responses from students, professors, and employees of the five mentioned private universities were collected. A previously validated instrument for both sustainability and performance was applied in the quantitative phase, and a novel dimensionality of the constructs was proposed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis using the SPSS software. Results were then processed through a structural equation analysis with the Smart PLS software. The impact of sustainability on university performance is verified, making some managerial recommendations.
Beach protection is vital to reduce the damage to shorelines and coastal areas; one of the artificial protections that can be utilized is the tetrapod. However, much damage occurred when using a traditional tetrapod due to the lack of stability coefficient (KD). Therefore, this research aims to increase the stability coefficient by providing minor modifications to the cape of the tetrapod, such as round-caped or cube-caped. The modification seeks to hold the drag force from the wave and offer a good interlocking in between the tetrapod. This research applied physical model test research using a breakwater model made from the proposed innovative tetrapod with numerous variations in dimensions and layers simulated with several scenarios. The analysis was carried out by graphing the relationship between the parameters of the measurement results and the relationship between dimensionless parameters, such as wave steepness H/gT2, and other essential parameters, such as the KD stability number and the level of damage in %. The result shows that the modified and innovative tetrapod has a more excellent KD value than the conventional tetrapod. In addition, the innovative tetrapod with the cube-shaped has a recommended KD value greater than the round shape. This means that for the modified tetrapod structure and the same level of security, the required weight of the tetrapod with the cube cap will be lighter than the tetrapod with the round cap. These findings have significant practical implications for coastal protection and engineering, potentially leading to more efficient and cost-effective solutions.
The effective allocation of resources within police patrol departments is crucial for maintaining public safety and operational efficiency. Traditional methods often fail to account for uncertainties and variabilities in police operations, such as fluctuating crime rates and dynamic response requirements. This study introduces a fuzzy multi-state network (FMSN) model to evaluate the reliability of resource allocation in police patrol departments. The model captures the complexities and uncertainties of patrol operations using fuzzy logic, providing a nuanced assessment of system reliability. Virtual data were generated to simulate various patrol scenarios. The model’s performance was analyzed under different configurations and parameter settings. Results show that resource sharing and redundancy significantly enhance system reliability. Sensitivity analysis highlights critical factors affecting reliability, offering valuable insights for optimizing resource management strategies in police organizations. This research provides a robust framework for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of police patrol operations under conditions of uncertainty.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces unique challenges and opportunities in integrating sustainability into sovereign credit assessments. This research study examines environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors embedded in the lending policies of jurisdictional institutions in MENA. By analyzing existing literature and case studies, we identify key drivers and barriers to ESG integration in sovereign lending. Our findings suggest a growing recognition of sustainability’s importance in financial stability and credit, driven by global climate guarantees and local socio-economic development. However, challenges such as data availability, regulatory frameworks, and market acceptance persist. This paper provides an overview of current practices, highlights best practices, and offers recommendations to enhance ESG integration in sovereign debt reviews in the MENA region. The study concludes that a robust ESG framework is necessary to accurately reflect the long-term risks and opportunities associated with sovereign debt, ultimately contributing to sustainable economic growth regionally.
Public open spaces, such as squares, parks, and sports fields, serve as crucial hubs during and after disasters, fostering a sense of normalcy and community, promoting social cohesion, and facilitating community recovery. Additionally, they offer opportunities for promoting physical and mental well-being during such crises. This study aims to enhance the responsiveness of public open spaces to disasters by prioritizing disaster resilience in their planning and design. This study consists of two main stages. Firstly, a literature review is conducted to explore the current trends in research on public open space planning and design and the incorporation of disaster resilience. Results indicate that the primary focus of the current research on planning and designing public open spaces centers around sociocultural, psychological, environmental, and economic benefits. There is limited emphasis on integrating disaster resilience into public open space planning and design, leading to a lack of clear guidance for planners and architects. The emphasis on disaster resilience in public open space planning and design mainly began after 2010, with a notable increase observed in the last six years (2017–2023). This emphasis notably centers on climate change impacts, followed by floods, and then earthquakes. Secondly, drawing on the pivotal role of public open spaces during disasters, the importance of urban planning and design, and the existing gap in incorporating disaster resilience in current research on public open space planning and design, this study develops a novel framework for enhancing public open spaces’ responsiveness to disasters through resilient urban planning and design, based on four main disaster resilience criteria: multifunctionality, efficiency, safety, and accessibility. The insights gleaned from this study offer invaluable guidance to planners, architects, and decision-makers, empowering them to develop public open spaces that can effectively respond to various circumstances, ultimately contributing to bolstering community resilience and sustainability.
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