The exploitation of timber has had a profound impact on tropical forest areas and their structures. This study assessed the effect of selective logging on natural regeneration and soil characteristics in post-loading bay sites at the Pra-Anum forest reserve in Ghana, West Africa. The results showed no difference in the number of species enumerated in the loading bays and the undisturbed area. More trees were observed in the RAT and RNT plots than in the undisturbed area. Relative to the RAT plot, species on the RNT and the undisturbed area were less diverse and less evenly distributed. Mean tree height, diameter, and basal area were higher in the RAT and RNT plots than in the undisturbed plots. Soil bulk density was lower in the RAT and undisturbed plot than in the RAT plot and increased with increased depth. Soil organic matter was 44% and 27% more in the undisturbed and RAT plots, respectively, than in the RNT plot and accounted for 84.75%, 83.97% and 45.33% of variations in soil bulk density, pH, and CEC. The study provides insight into the need to rehabilitate highly disturbed areas in forests, particularly the addition of topsoil on loading bays, skid trails, roads, and gaps after logging to improve the productivity of the forest soils.

This study rigorously investigates the Starlink Project’s impact on Thailand’s legal frameworks, regulatory policies, and national security concerns. Utilising a well-structured online questionnaire, we collected responses from 1378 Thai participants, meticulously selected to represent diverse demographics, technology usage patterns, and social media interactions. Our analytical approach integrated binary regression analysis to dissect the intricate relationships between various predictor variables and the project’s potential effects. Notably, the study unveils critical insights into how factors such as age, gender, education level, income, as well as specific technology and social media usage (including laptop, smartphone, tablet, home and mobile Internet, and TikTok), influence perceptions of Starlink’s impact. Intriguingly, certain variables like Twitter and YouTube usage emerged as non-significant. These nuanced findings offer a robust empirical basis for stakeholders to forge targeted strategies and policies, ensuring that the advent of the Starlink Project aligns with Thailand’s national security, legal, and regulatory harmony.

The integration of digitalization and servitization has become a significant trend in transforming the manufacturing industry due to digital intelligence technology. This paper examines the impact of the integration of digitalization and servitization on the performance of manufacturing companies and how small-scale enterprises can promote digital transformation leading to servitization. The study involved surveying 331 manufacturing companies in China using a seven-point Likert scale questionnaire. Measurement scales were validated using confirmatory factor analysis and discriminant validity tests. Mediation analysis assessed digitalization’s impact on servitization and firm performance. The study’s findings emphasize the significant impact of digitalization and servitization on enterprises’ performance. Digitalization plays a crucial role in mediating this relationship. The study highlights three critical dimensions of digital variables, including digital technology, digital labor, and digital relationship resources, essential in enabling effective servitization. Manufacturing enterprises generally prefer aligning their technology investments and organizational changes within the digitalization framework to implement servitization successfully. The study suggests two integration strategies, namely conservative and aggressive. The finding emphasizes that the convergence of digitalization and servitization leads to a new manufacturing production mode called digital servitization.

The ultimate objective of the study was to investigate the effects of being landlocked on the living standards in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1991 to 2019. Adopting the two-step estimation technique of System GMM (generalized method of moments), the study found that being landlocked has a negative and significant effect on the living standards in SSA countries when using GDP per capita as the living standard measure. Moreover, the historical living standard experiences of SSA countries have a positive and significant influence on the current living standard level. In addition, the population growth rate has a positive and significant effect on the living standards in SSA countries. On the other hand, the official exchange rate, broad money as a percentage of GDP, and inflation have a negative and significant effect on the living standards in SSA countries. Generally, the estimated result reveals the existence of a significant variation in the living standards in landlocked and coastal SSA countries. This study suggests that regional integration between landlocked and transit countries should be improved to minimize entry costs and increase access to global markets for landlocked countries. We argue that this study is of interest to landlocked and coastal countries to increase trade integration and promote the development of both groups, and it will contribute to the scarce empirical evidence.

Ignorance of laws and policies creates barriers to the social inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs), hindering their full participation in communal life and opportunities. The current study aims to analyze the social inclusion of PWDs in the context of ignorance of laws and policies and how it influences their overall social inclusion. To achieve the study objectives, data were collected from a sample of 488 PWDs, comprising 284 males and 204 females, in the selected six Union Councils (sub-administrative units) of District Malakand, Pakistan. Respondents were chosen through multistage stratified random sampling. In the univariate and multivariate level analyses, the chi-square test and Kendall’s Tau-b test statistics were used to test the relationship between ignorance of laws and policies and the social inclusion of PWDs. Gender and level of disability were used as control variables at the multivariate level. The results of Kendal Tb and chi-square significance values depicted a spurious relation among ignorance of laws and policies and social inclusion of PWDs while controlling respondent’s gender. The results highlighted that ignorance of laws and policies reduced social inclusion in male to a higher extent than female. Additionally, the social inclusion of PWDs with moderate disabilities is more significantly hampered by ignorance of laws and polices than those with severe disabilities.