This study investigates the complex interrelationship between democracy, corruption, and economic growth in Greece over the period 2012–2022. Using data from Transparency International, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and Eurostat, appropriate methods such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, Generalized Method of Moments(GMM) estimation, and Granger causality tests were applied. The findings reveal that increased democracy correlates positively with reported corruption, likely reflecting heightened transparency and exposure. Conversely, economic growth shows a negative association with corruption, underlining the role of structural reforms and institutional improvements. These insights emphasize the need for strengthening democratic institutions, promoting digital governance, and implementing targeted economic reforms to reduce corruption and foster sustainable development.

Rising fuel prices can affect driver behavior and thus the number of accidents, which is a key road safety issue. The aim of this paper was to assess and quantify the relationship between fuel prices (FP) and the number of road accidents in Europe. Content analysis of statistics from the countries was used to collect data, which were examined using Ramsey resets and Poisson distributions and then processed using negative binomial regression (NB), cluster analysis and visualization using contour plots. The results show that in Germany and Poland there is a statistically significant low negative correlation between fuel price and the number of traffic accidents, while in the Czech Republic and Denmark the relationship is weaker and statistically insignificant. In Iceland, no significant correlation was found. The contribution of this paper is to provide important insights that can be used in the development of transport policies and regulations to improve road safety. The main limitations include the difficulty of data collection, as many countries do not publish detailed statistics, and the low number of accidents in Iceland, which makes it impossible to perform a robust analysis for this country and may cause generalization of the results.

Land use changes have been demonstrated to exert a significant influence on urban planning and sustainable development, particularly in regions undergoing rapid urbanization. Tehran Province, as the political and economic capital of Iran, has undergone substantial growth in recent decades. The present study employs sophisticated Geographic Information System (GIS) instruments and the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to comprehensively track and analyze land use change over the past two decades. A comprehensive analysis of Landsat images of the Tehran metropolitan area from 2003 to 2023 has yielded significant insights into the patterns of land use change. The methodology encompasses the utilization of GIS, GEE, and TerrSet techniques for image classification, accuracy assessment, and change detection. The Kappa coefficients for the maps obtained for 2016 and 2023 were 0.82 and 0.87 for four classes: built-up, vegetation cover, barren land, and water bodies. The findings suggest that, over the past two decades, Tehran Province has undergone a substantial decline in ecological and vegetative areas, amounting to 2.4% (458.3 km²). Concurrently, the urban area and the barren lands have expanded by 287.5 and 125.5 km², respectively. The increase in water bodies during this period is likely attributable to the reduction of vegetation cover and dam construction in the region. The present study demonstrates that remote sensing and GIS are excellent tools for monitoring environmental and sustainable urban development in areas experiencing rapid urbanization and land use changes.

Industrial plastics have seen considerable progress recently, particularly in manufacturing non-lethal projectile holders for shock absorption. In this work, a variety of percentages of alumina (Al₂O₃) and carbon black (CB) were incorporated into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to investigate the additive material effect on the consistency of HDPE projectile holders. The final product with the desired properties was controlled via physical, thermal, and mechanical analysis. Our research focuses on nanocomposites with a semicrystalline HDPE matrix strengthened among various nanocomposites. In the presence of compatibility, mixtures of variable compositions from 0 to 3% by weight were prepared. The reinforcement used was verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used for thermal property investigation. Alumina particles increased the composites’ thermal system and glass transition temperature. Mechanical experiments indicate that incorporating alumina into the matrix diminishes impact resistance while augmenting static rupture stress. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a consistent load distribution. Ultimately, we will conduct a statistical analysis to compare the experimental outcomes and translate them into mathematical answers that elucidate the impact of filler materials on the HDPE matrix.

Soil erosion is characterized by the wearing away or loss of the uppermost layer of soil, driven by water, wind, and human activities. This process constitutes a significant environmental issue, with adverse effects on water quality, soil health, and the overall stability of ecosystems across the globe. This study focuses on the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, India, employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to estimate and spatially analyze soil erosion and fertility risk. The various factors of the model, like rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), conservation practices (P), and cover management factor (C), have been computed to measure annual soil loss in the district. Each factor was derived using geospatial datasets, including rainfall records, soil characteristics, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), land use/land cover (LULC) data, and information on conservation practices. GIS methods are used to map the geographical variation of soil erosion, providing important information on the area’s most susceptible to erosion. The outcome of the study reveals that 3371.23 km², which constitutes 91% of the district’s total area, is identified as having mild soil erosion; in contrast, 154 km², or 4%, is classified as moderate soil erosion, while 92 km², representing 2.5%, falls under the high soil erosion category. Ad

The rise of internet-based pharmacies has transformed the healthcare sector, giving patients access to medications, information, and direct interaction with pharmacists. While online pharmacies have become popular around the world, there are challenges hindering their widespread use in developing countries due to a limited understanding of the factors affecting their acceptance and usage. To bridge this knowledge gap, a study utilized a model combining the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT 2) with the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explore the drivers behind online pharmacy usage in Oman. Through this framework, twelve hypotheses were. A survey involving 378 individuals familiar with online pharmacies was conducted. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the data and test these hypotheses. The results indicate that factors such as perceived expectancy effort expectancy and facilitating conditions hedonic motivation, habit perceived risk, technology trust, and technology awareness play roles in influencing the adoption of online pharmacies in Oman. The findings suggest that personal innovation plays a moderating role in the connection between perceived risk and behavioral intention, while it has a negative moderating influence on the relationship between technology trust and behavioral intention. Word of mouth was identified as a moderator in enhancing the correlation between behavioral intention and online pharmacy adoption. This research emphasizes the moderating relationship of personal innovation and word of mouth on shaping consumer attitudes towards online pharmacies and their acceptance. In summary, these results add to the existing knowledge on pharmacy adoption and in developed areas such as provide practical insights for online pharmacy providers to improve their offerings and attract a larger customer base.