LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification program for quantitatively assessing the qualifications of homes, non-residential buildings, or neighborhoods in terms of sustainability. LEED is supported by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit membership-based organization. Worldwide, thousands of projects received one of the four levels of LEED certification. One of the five rating systems (or specialties) covered by LEED is the Building Design and Construction (BD + C), representing non-residential buildings. This rating system is further divided into eight adaptations. The adaptation (New Construction and Major Renovation) or NC applies to newly constructed projects as well as those going through a major renovation. The NC adaptation has six major credit categories, in addition to three minor ones. The nine credit categories together have a total of 110 attainable points. The Energy and Atmosphere (EA) credit category is the dominant one in the NC adaptation, with 33 attainable points under it. This important credit category addresses the topics of commissioning, energy consumption records, energy efficiency, use of refrigerants, utilization of onsite or offsite renewable energy, and real-time electric load management. This study aims to highlight some differences in the EA credit category for LEED BD + C:NC rating system as it evolved from version 4 (LEED v4, 2013) to version 4.1 (LEED v4.1, 2019). For example, the updated version 4.1 includes a metric for greenhouse gas reduction. Also, the updated version 4.1 no longer permits hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants in new heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems (HVAC & R). In addition, the updated version 4.1 classifies renewable energy into three tiers, differentiating between onsite, new-asset offsite, and old-asset offsite types.

Assessment of water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) is of great significance for understanding the status of regional water resources, promoting the coordinated development of water resources with environmental, social and economic development, and promoting sustainable development. This study focuses on the Longdong Loess Plateau region and utilized panel data spanning from 2010 to 2020, established a three-dimensional evaluation index system encompassing water resources, economic, and ecological dimensions, uses the entropy-weighted TOPSIS model coupled with global spatial autocorrelation analysis (Global Moran’s I) and the hot spot analysis (Getis-Ord Gi* index) method to comprehensively evaluate the spatial distribution of the WRCC in the study region. It can provide scientific basis and theoretical support for decision-making on sustainable development strategies in the Longdong Loess Plateau region and other regions of the world.From 2010 to 2020, the overall WRCC of the Longdong Loess Plateau area show some fluctuations but maintained overall growth. The WRCC in each county and district predominantly fell within level III (normal) and level IV (good). The spatial distribution of the WRCC in each county and district is featured by clustering pattern, with neighboring counties displaying similar values, resulting in a spatial distribution pattern characterized by high carrying capacity in the south and low carrying capacity in the north. Based on these findings, our study puts forth several recommendations for enhancing the WRCC in the Longdong Loess Plateau area.

With the economic development and the carbon emissions cluster rise, this study uses CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R-based Bibliometrix software to visualize and analyze the relevant literature on carbon emissions retrieved from the Web of Science database from 2014 to 2023. Through the analysis of the trend of publication volume, author co-citation analysis, institutional co-citation analysis, country co-citation analysis, literature co-citation analysis, thematic analysis of research, research evolution, and other related contents, it reveals the main academic forces, hot research areas, thematic focus changes and cutting-edge trends of international carbon emission research. The results of the study found that the themes of international carbon emissions research focus on carbon emissions, the drivers of carbon neutrality, and the impacts of climate change. An in-depth study of these aspects can help formulate more effective climate policies and emission reduction strategies to achieve global carbon neutrality and combat climate change.

The rise of digital communication technologies has significantly changed how people participate in social protests. Digital platforms—such as social media—have enabled individuals to organize and mobilize protests on a global scale. As a result, there has been a growing interest in understanding the role of digital communication in social protests. This manuscript provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolution of research on digital communication and social protests from 2008 to 2022. The study employs bibliometric methodology to analyze a sample of 260 research articles extracted from the SCOPUS core collection. The findings indicate a significant increase in scholarly investigations about digital communication and its role in social protest movements during the past decade. The number of publications on this topic has increased significantly since 2012—peaking in 2022—indicating a heightened interest following COVID-19. The United States, United Kingdom, and Spain are the leading countries in publication output on this topic. The analysis underlines scholars employing a range of theoretical perspectives—including social movement theory, network theory, and media studies—to identify the relationship between digital communication and social protests. Social media platforms—X (Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube—are the most frequently studied and utilized digital communication tools engaged in social protests. The study concludes by identifying emerging topics relating to social movements, political communication, and protest, thereby suggesting gaps and opportunities for future research.

The study’s objective is to identify the challenges and limitations faced by the current vocational education system in preparing graduates in the era of the industrial revolution in the evolving job market in Tangerang, Indonesia. The study primarily examines vocational high schools and adopts a quantitative and quasi-experimental research approach, using control groups to conduct pre- and posttests. The experimental group experiences demonstrations, whereas the control group receives explanations. Instructors employ a blend of demonstration and explanation techniques to explain equipment operation before allowing students to engage in vocational training. The study, led by students in various engineering fields, evaluates technical competencies, work ethics, and foundational knowledge using tests and observations. Job preparation is assessed using the minimal completeness criteria (MCC), which focuses on the importance of proper knowledge, attitudes, and skills. The results indicate that vocational teachers have the potential to play a pivotal role in introducing cutting-edge, technology-based teaching methods, therefore enabling students to make well-informed decisions about their careers. This research enhances vocational education by incorporating practical skills and attitudes with academic knowledge, effectively addressing the changing requirements of the work market.