The need for forest products, agricultural expansion, and dependency on biomass for the household energy source has largely influenced Ethiopia’s forest resources. Consequently, the country lost its forest resources to less than 6% until the millennium. In this study, quantitative and qualitative historical data analysis was employed to understand the socioeconomic benefits of large dam construction to Ethiopia and downstream countries. Moreover, remotely sensed data was also used to analyze the trends of vegetation cover change in the Nile catchment since the commencement of the dam; focusing on areas where there are high settlement and urban areas. It was identified that Ethiopia has one of the lowest electricity consumption per capita in Africa; about 91% of the source of household energy supply depends on fuelwood today and more than 55.7% of the population does not have access to electricity. The normalized difference vegetation index result shows an increment of vegetation area in the Nile catchment and a reduction of no vegetation area from 2011–2021 by 37.1%; which is directly related to the protection of the dam catchment for its sustainability in the last decade. The hydroelectric dam construction has prospects of multi-benefit to Ethiopia and downstream countries either through the direct benefit of hydropower energy production, related socioeconomic values, and reducing risks of destructive flood from Ethiopian highlands. Generally, it explains the reason why to not say ‘No’ to the reservoir as it is an ever more vital tool for fulfilling growing energy demand and supporting ecological stability.
Students from different cultures possess varying levels of skills in learning, remembering, and understanding concepts. Some terms and their explanations may seem easy for one group of students but difficult for another. Therefore, delivering educational content that aligns with student’s learning capabilities is a challenging task based on cultural orientations. This study addresses the learning challenges by developing a Thesaurus Glossary E-learning (TGE) framework method. This study introduces the TGE method which is a multi-language tool with visual associations that adapts to students’ capabilities. It also examines cultural differences and native languages, particularly aiding Arab Native to visualize appropriate terms (thesaurus) and their explanations (glossary) based on students’ learning capabilities. TGE learns from students’ term selection behavior and displays terms at a simple or advanced level that matches their learning ability. Additionally, TGE demonstrated its effectiveness as an e-learning tool, accessible to all students anytime and anywhere. The study analyzed 314 records related to student performance, out of which 114 students were surveyed to evaluate the effectiveness of the TGE method. This work presents TGE as a novel e-learning tool designed to enhance conceptual thinking within the context of modern educational practices during the digital transformation. TGE is based on artificial intelligence algorithms and associative rules that simulate the human brain, establishing logical connections between related key terms and sketching associations among diverse facets of a situation. An experiment was conducted at a private university in the Sultanate of Oman to assess the effectiveness of the proposed TGE tool. TGE was integrated with selected subjects in information systems and used by the students as a resource for e-learning methods and materials. The results show that 85% of students who used TGE improved their performance by 19%. We believe this work could establish a new smart e-learning teaching method and attract modern and digital universities to enhance student learning outcomes linked with conceptual thinking.
Women's financial literacy and financial inclusion have gained prominence in recent years. Despite progress, knowledge and access to finance remain common barriers for women, especially in emerging economies. Globally, domestic and economic violence has been recognized as a relevant social concern from a gender perspective. In this context, financial literacy and financial inclusion are considered to play a key role in reducing violence against women by empowering them with the necessary knowledge to manage their financial resources and make informed decisions. This study aims to evaluate the determinants that influence Peruvian female university students' financial literacy and financial inclusion. To this end, a theoretical behavioral model is proposed, and a survey is applied to 427 female university students. The results are analyzed using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The results validate all the proposed hypotheses and highlight significant relationships between financial literacy and women's financial inclusion. A relevant relationship between financial attitude and financial behavior is also observed, as well as the influence of financial behavior and financial self-efficacy on financial literacy. The results also reveal that women feel capable of making important financial decisions for themselves and consider that financial literacy could help reduce gender-based violence. Based on these findings, theoretical and practical implications are raised. It highlights the proposal of a theoretical model based on antecedents, statistically validated in a sample of women in Peru, which lays the foundation for understanding financial literacy and financial inclusion in the Latin American region.
While the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, rural-based hospitals face unique challenges in providing quality patient care amidst resource constraints and geographical isolation. This study evaluates the impact of big data analytics in rural-based hospitals in relation to service delivery and shaping future policies. Evaluating the impact of big data analytics in rural-based hospitals will assist in discovering the benefits and challenges pertinent to this hospital. The study employs a positivist paradigm to quantitatively analyze collected data from rural-based hospital professionals from the Information Technology (IT) departments. Through a comprehensive evaluation of big data analytics, this study seeks to provide valuable insights into the feasibility, infrastructure, policies, development, benefits and challenges associated with incorporating big data analytics into rural-based hospitals for day-to-day operations. The findings are expected to contribute to the ongoing discourse on healthcare innovation, particularly in rural-based hospitals and inform strategies for optimizing the implementation and use of big data analytics to improve patient care, decision-making, operations and healthcare sustainability in rural-based hospitals.
The existing studies on the association between the built environment and health mainly concentrates on urban areas, while rural communities in China have a huge demand for a healthy built environment, and research in this area remains insufficient. There is a lack of research on the health impact of the built environment in rural communities in China, where there is a significant demand for advancements in the healthy built environment. Exploring the Influence of built environment satisfaction on self-rated health outcomes in New-type village communities has positive significance for advancing research on healthy village community. This paper selects four new-type village communities as typical cases, which are located in the far suburbs of Shanghai, China. A questionnaire survey was conducted on individual villagers, and 223 valid questionnaire samples were obtained. A PLS-SEM model was developed using survey data to examine how built environment satisfaction influences dwellers’ self-rated health while taking into account the mediating function of the perceived social environment. Moreover, multi-group analysis was performed based on age. The results show that built environment satisfaction indirectly influences residents self-rated health through its impact on perceived social environment. The research also discovered that the relationship between built environment satisfaction, social environment satisfaction and self-rated health is not influenced by age as a moderating factor. The research offers new insights for the planning and design of new-type village community from a health perspective.
This study investigates the dynamic landscape of agritourism in Thailand, emphasizing innovations, challenges, and policy implications in the post-COVID-19 era. Employing a qualitative approach, including a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, the research identifies key agritourism models, such as immersive learning experiences, technology-driven agritourism, and unconventional practices like salt and coconut plantations. Findings reveal that agritourism has adapted to shifting market demands through diversification, technological integration, and a heightened focus on sustainability. Notably, technology adoption in precision farming and hydroponics enhances resource efficiency and visitor engagement, while initiatives like rice paddy field tourism and highland agritourism showcase the cultural and ecological richness of rural landscapes. The study underscores the critical role of policy frameworks, infrastructure development, and community empowerment in fostering sustainable agritourism practices. Key policy recommendations include targeted subsidies, capacity-building programs, and harmonized regulatory frameworks to address challenges such as financial constraints, regulatory ambiguities, and inadequate infrastructure. This research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable tourism and rural development, aligning agritourism with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By synthesizing insights on innovation, resilience, and sustainability, this study offers a comprehensive roadmap for policymakers, practitioners, and academics to leverage agritourism as a vehicle for rural revitalization and global sustainability. Future research directions are proposed to explore the long-term impacts of technological integration, community empowerment, and resilience strategies in agritourism.
Copyright © by EnPress Publisher. All rights reserved.