Search Results (1,368)

(1) Background: Worldwide, refugees may have some difficulties in accessing healthcare services. However, little is known about the factors that may predict the level of accessibility to the public healthcare system in the host countries. (2) Aim: To examine the level of accessibility of Syrian refugees to the public healthcare system in Jordan and further to identify the prediction of socioeconomic factors and barriers to healthcare access. (3) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenient sample of 356 Syrian refugees residing outside camps (Irbid, Ajloun, and Jarash). Data were collected using the Access to Healthcare Services Scale instrument (adopted from the Canadian Community Health Survey), which is composed of 2 sections: the general access scale (8 items) and the difficulties scale (20 items). One-way ANOVA test and independent t-test were used to examine epidemiological correlations among variables, whereas a hierarchical linear regression model was used to examine the predictability of socioeconomic factors and barriers to overall access to the public healthcare system by exploring the incremental impact of additional predictors. (4) Results: the mean age of the 356 participants was 35.22 years old, 56.5% were female, 67.4% were married, most of them 46.1% have secondary education, and non-employed 69.9%. Significant associations were observed among participants with different marital status (p < 0.001), educational level (mean 11.85 vs. 19.85, p < 0.001), working status (15.47 vs. 17.93, p < 0.001), family household number (16.42 vs. 17.0, p < 0.001), and health insurance (none: 15.50 vs. governmental 24.50, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the most important factors that may predict the overall access to healthcare services were: family monthly income (beta −0.19, p < 0.001), household family number (beta 0.17, <0.001), health insurance (beta −0.09, p = 0.047), and barriers (beta −0.43, <0.001), even after adjusting for potential confounding effects: sex, age, educational level, and place of residence. (5) Conclusions: Our findings indicate that socioeconomic factors and barriers may considerably predict overall access to public healthcare in Jordan. It is crucially important, therefore, for the Jordanian government and international organizations to create and develop strategic plans and programs that enhance refugees’ access to health services, positively impacting their health and wellness. Full article

Halifax Harbour, a crucial Atlantic Canadian port, has extensive commercial, environmental, and strategic value to Canadians. Despite thorough hydrographic research, knowledge about the influence of the bottom current on the resuspension of sediments within the Harbour is lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we utilized a high-resolution, three-dimensional, barotropic finite volume community ocean model (FVCOM) to simulate the tidal-driven maximum bottom current in the Harbour. We used the critical Shields parameter, a threshold for sediment movement, to quantify the areas susceptible to sediment resuspension. Our results indicate that regions in the Narrows and west of McNabs Island are susceptible to sediment resuspension due to the interaction of maximum bottom current and sediment grain sizes. These findings are important for detecting sediment changes in the Harbour and potentially improving existing monitoring and management practices. Full article

This article delves into the landscape of the plant-based food industry, exploring innovative market entry strategies and their interplay with the evolving food market and shifting consumer preferences and lifestyles. Adopting a multidimensional approach, the study reflects diverse perspectives at play. Through a comparative analysis of strategic promotion and growth strategies employed by both innovative startups and established industry giants in the plant-based alternatives sector in Germany, the study aims to capture the challenges faced by the ‘newer’ wave of plant-based alternatives. This examination is particularly relevant for navigating the complexities of entering a competitive market. Striving to penetrate evolving consumer lifestyles, the study draws insightful comparisons with their “older” counterparts. In addition, through in-depth interviews with selected companies, the study investigates the entry methods of startups venturing into the German market, aiming to identify parallels and contrasts in market strategies with established brands. This provides valuable insights into innovation within the alternative food market. Furthermore, the study explores the process of brand “platformization” by scrutinizing the websites of the selected companies and analyzing customers’ online reviews of their brand experience. This comprehensive analysis unveils distinctive patterns in communication strategies, brand positioning, and consumer engagement, offering insights into the ways plant-based innovation shapes new, caring lifestyles. The main findings include a strong correlation among dimensions related to food quality, use, and taste, indicating a holistic approach to food consumption facilitated by online platforms. Full article

In Puerto Rico, less than 5% of glass waste is recycled annually compared to a US national average of 25%. In regions like Puerto Rico, where government glass recycling programs are absent, glass presents a challenging waste stream to profitably recycle due to high transportation costs and low market prices, with few scalable models identified in the literature. This study emerged from a multi-year shared action learning partnership between Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Puerto Rico Project Center and the Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE, a community development NGO serving the Caño Martín Peña communities in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Based on online research and interviews with 16 key stakeholders, we describe an economically sustainable glass recycling business model designed for the Caño Martín Peña communities that offers broader applicability for similar contexts. The business model achieves three goals: (1) it offers a free and convenient glass-collection service for the Caño Martín Peña communities; (2) it generates local employment opportunities in a low-income region; and (3) it operates in an economically sustainable manner. The viability of the glass-recycling business model is premised on strategic partnerships with government agencies, recycling companies, glass-sand markets, and local businesses. Full article

Immigrants in the United States, including Korean immigrants, are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV), yet they are less likely to seek help than non-immigrants. This qualitative study sought to understand barriers to seeking help for IPV among Korean immigrants and to explore age and gender differences in Korean immigrants’ understanding of these barriers. We conducted four focus groups with 38 adults grouped by age and gender. Thematic analysis was employed to understand Korean immigrants’ perceptions of IPV and barriers to help-seeking. As a result, four prominent themes emerged: (1) differential understanding of IPV, (2) Confucian cultural influences on IPV, (3) cultural barriers to help-seeking, and (4) practical barriers to help-seeking. Women participants showed an in-depth understanding of IPV, recognizing various forms beyond physical violence within the immigrant social context. Younger participants highlighted the intergenerational transmission of IPV. Cultural factors, rooted in Confucianism such as strict gender roles and women’s self-sacrifice, exacerbate IPV. Cultural barriers include shame culture, treating IPV as a private matter, and the emphasis on family unity. Practical barriers are linked to the challenges immigrants face. These insights illustrate the need for targeted IPV interventions tailored to distinct gender and age demographics within the community. Full article

In the digital era, social media has become a cornerstone for educational institutions, driving public engagement and enhancing institutional communication. This study utilizes AI-driven image processing and Web-enhanced Deep Learning (DL) techniques to investigate the effectiveness of King Faisal University’s (KFU’s) social media strategy as a case study, particularly on Twitter. By categorizing images into five primary event management categories and subcategories, this research provides a robust framework for assessing the social media content generated by KFU’s administrative units. Seven advanced models were developed, including an innovative integration of Vision Transformers (ViTs) with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, VGG16, and ResNet. The AI-driven ViT-CNN hybrid model achieved perfect classification accuracy (100%), while the “Development and Partnerships” category demonstrated notable accuracy (98.8%), underscoring the model’s unparalleled efficacy in strategic content classification. This study offers actionable insights for the optimization of AI-driven digital communication strategies and Web-enhanced data collection processes, aligning them with national development goals and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, thereby showcasing the transformative power of DL in event-centric management and the broader higher education landscape. Full article

The objective of this study was to explore the rumen fermentation characteristics, bacterial diversity, community composition, and metabolite profiles of rice straw from three distinct varieties. Straws from two hybrid rice varieties, Lingliangyou 268 (L268) and Yueyou 9113 (Y9113), and one inbred rice variety, Zhongzao 39 (Z39), were selected for a 72 h in vitro rumen fermentation test. The fermentation products were analyzed for rumen fermentation characteristics, bacterial community, and rumen metabolomics. The results showed that Y9113 had higher total gas and methane production, greater dry matter digestibility, and higher concentrations of ammonium nitrogen and volatile fatty acids compared to Z39 (p < 0.05). The variety of rice straw did not affect the richness or diversity of the rumen bacterial community (p > 0.05). However, the relative abundances of Verrucomicrobiota, Euryarchaeota, Elusimicrobiota, Probable genus 10, Lachnospiraceae AC2044 group, WCHB1-41, and VadinBE97 were higher in Z39 than in Y9113, while the opposite was observed for Saccharofermentans, UCG-010, and NK4A214 group (p < 0.05). Both principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) revealed clear distinctions in the rumen bacterial communities between Y9113 and Z39. Metabolomic analysis identified eighteen differential metabolites among L268, Z39, and Y9113, with six showing strong correlations with the rumen microbiota. These findings suggest that the feed value of rice straw is influenced by the variety under the same cultivation conditions, due to nutritional disparities that subsequently affect the rumen microbial community and metabolite profiles. This study offers valuable data and insights for the strategic resource utilization of rice straw from different varieties in the livestock industry. Full article

The critical importance of effective industrial symbiosis is emphasized in the rapidly evolving landscape of manufacturing, energy, and environmental sustainability. This study employs the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology to examine and outline the complex interrelationships among critical success factors (CSFs) pivotal for the successful implementation of industrial symbiosis. Key findings indicate that leadership and technology are the most significant causal CSFs, driving positive outcomes in waste reduction, environmental impact, and economic growth, identified as primary effect factors. Leadership emerges as the predominant influence, guiding strategic alignment, fostering a collaborative and sustainable organizational culture, and affecting all other CSFs. Technological integration acts both as a direct driver of operational efficiency and as a mediator of leadership’s influence, enabling optimized resource flows and data-driven decision-making. Additional CSFs such as clear communication, enhanced training and education, and policy and regulatory support also serve as essential mediators connecting leadership to key outcomes. This research outlines an actionable pathway for stakeholders, including policymakers, engineers, and corporate executives, to strategically prioritize and utilize these CSFs to promote more resilient and sustainable industrial ecosystems. Full article

Background: Amid growing global uncertainty and increasingly complex disruptions, the ability of supply chains to rapidly adapt and recover is critical. The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into supply chain management represents a transformative strategy for enhancing resilience. By harnessing advanced AI technologies, such as machine learning, predictive analytics, and real-time data processing, organizations can more effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from disruptions.AI improves demand forecasting accuracy, optimizes inventory management, and increases real-time visibility across the supply chain, reducing the risks of stockouts and surplus inventory. Furthermore, I-driven automation and robotics enhance operational efficiency by minimizing human error and streamlining processes. Methodology/Approach: This paper proposes a conceptual framework for strengthening supply chain resilience through AI integration. The framework leverages AI technologies to improve key aspects of supply chain resilience, including risk management, operational efficiency, and real-time visibility. Result/Conclusions: Additionally, it underscores the importance of collaborative relationships with supply chain partners, enabled by AI-powered data-sharing and communication tools that foster trust and coordination within the network. Originality/Value: This comprehensive framework offers a strategic approach to integrating AI into supply chain management, highlighting its potential to significantly enhance resilience, operational efficiency, and sustainability, thereby empowering organizations to navigate the complexities of modern supply chains more effectively. Full article

Social media platforms play a significant role in facilitating business decision making, especially in the context of emerging technologies. Such platforms offer a rich source of data from a global audience, which can provide organisations with insights into market trends, consumer behaviour, and attitudes towards specific technologies, as well as monitoring competitor activity. In the context of social media, such insights are conceptualised as immediate and real-time behavioural responses measured by likes, comments, and shares. To monitor such metrics, social media platforms have introduced tools that allow users to analyse and track the performance of their posts and understand their audience. However, the existing tools often overlook the impact of contextual features such as sentiment, URL inclusion, and specific word use. This paper presents a data-driven framework to identify and quantify the influence of such features on the visibility and impact of technology-related tweets. The quantitative analysis from statistical modelling reveals that certain content-based features, like the number of words and pronouns used, positively correlate with the impressions of tweets, with increases of up to 2.8%. Conversely, features such as the excessive use of hashtags, verbs, and complex sentences were found to decrease impressions significantly, with a notable reduction of 8.6% associated with tweets containing numerous trailing characters. Moreover, the study shows that tweets expressing negative sentiments tend to be more impressionable, likely due to a negativity bias that elicits stronger emotional responses and drives higher engagement and virality. Additionally, the sentiment associated with specific technologies also played a crucial role; positive sentiments linked to beneficial technologies like data science or machine learning significantly boosted impressions, while similar sentiments towards negatively viewed technologies like cyber threats reduced them. The inclusion of URLs in tweets also had a mixed impact on impressions—enhancing engagement for general technology topics, but reducing it for sensitive subjects due to potential concerns over link safety. These findings underscore the importance of a strategic approach to social media content creation, emphasising the need for businesses to align their communication strategies, such as responding to shifts in user behaviours, new demands, and emerging uncertainties, with dynamic user engagement patterns. Full article

Landslides threaten human life, property, and vital infrastructure in most mountainous regions. As climate change intensifies extreme weather patterns, the landslide risk is likely to increase, resulting in challenges for disaster management, sustainability development, and community resilience. This study presents a comprehensive framework for assessing landslide risk, integrating advanced machine learning models with the Iyengar–Sudarshan method. Our case study is Son La province, the Northwest region of Vietnam, with data collected from 1771 historical landslide occurrences and fifteen influencing factors for developing landslide susceptibility maps using advanced ensemble machine learning models. The Iyengar–Sudarshan method was applied to determine the weights for landslide exposure, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity indicators. The resulting landslide risk map shows that the highest-risk districts in Son La province are located in the central and northeastern regions, including Mai Son, Phu Yen, Thuan Chau, Yen Chau, Song Ma, and Bac Yen. These districts experience high landslide hazards, exposure, and vulnerability, often affecting densely populated urban and village areas with vulnerable populations, such as young children, the elderly, and working-age women. In contrast, due to minimal exposure, Quynh Nhai and Muong La districts have lower landslide risks. Despite having high exposure and vulnerability, Son La City is situated in a low-susceptibility zone with high adaptive capacity, resulting in a low landslide risk for this region. The proposed framework provides a reference tool for mitigating risk and enhancing strategic decision making in areas susceptible to landslides while advancing our understanding of landslide dynamics and fostering community resilience and long-term disaster prevention. Full article

The enhancement of cultural heritage for tourism can greatly benefit from the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), promoting greater interaction and integration between all stakeholders and service providers. In recent years, ICT applications and platforms have tended to provide a platform to translate the strategic goals and performance metrics of cultural heritage tourism into comprehensive services tailored to stakeholders’ needs by participating stakeholders. A successful co-designed platform integrates explicit services—requiring specialized software tools—and implicit services, facilitating evaluation processes. This adaptability ensures continuous improvement and alignment with evolving strategies and business objectives. As part of the European project, the development of the TExTOUR open ICT platform marks a significant advancement in leveraging technology within cultural tourism. It exemplifies the creation of a sustainable and adaptable framework, co-designed specifically to support and amplify the strategic objectives of cultural heritage tourism. This approach not only fosters better engagement and management within the sector but also sets a new standard for innovation in cultural tourism practices. Full article

Extracting the economic value by the integrated utilization of space in old communities is crucial for encouraging independent participation from enterprises and residents, reducing reliance on government leadership and fiscal investment. This study starts from the active perspective of spatial assets and constructs a value activation framework for old communities by balancing “endogenous demand” and “exogenous opportunities”. By enhancing the “economic value” through the “use value”, five methods for value extraction and overall project utilization paths are proposed, guided by a dynamic “cost-revenue” balance. Using multi-source data, we identify the spatial assets of 1096 old communities in central Guangzhou and apply a market comparison method for an economic value assessment. Additionally, this study offers recommendations on the timing and project portfolios for regeneration efforts, along with strategies for establishing a coordinating implementation entity and fund account. This research provides strategic insights for advancing the regeneration of old communities by tapping into their macro-level economic potential. Full article

The relationship between the Reformation movement and print media has long fascinated scholars, yet much of the focus has centered on renowned figures, often overlooking local lay protagonists. This article shifts the spotlight onto one such unsung figure: Pamphilus Gengenbach, a Basel writer, printer, and publisher. Gengenbach, a fervent supporter of political and religious reform, emerged as a leading advocate of Protestant thought in Basel. His aggressive promotion of the vernacular and his adept use of intertextual references to contemporary debates and events reveal a sophisticated grasp of print media’s potential beyond mere dissemination. Leveraging his experience as an author, printer, and publisher, Gengenbach engaged his audience effectively, translating and transmitting Protestant teachings with remarkable impact. This article asserts that Gengenbach’s strategic communication and local influence were instrumental in paving the way for the Basel Reformation, underscoring the vital role of grassroots actors in the Reformation’s success. Full article

Digitalisation has redefined both media events and monarchical communication by enabling the diverse and critical participation of journalists and citizens. Media events that were once dominated by official narratives are now subject to multiple real-time transformations, with competing storylines emerging. This study examines the treatment of two monarchical figures (Queen Elizabeth II and King Juan Carlos I) during “the first major state funeral in the digital age” when the official invitation to Juan Carlos I generated a debate about his status and sparked curiosity about a potential photo. From an initial collection of 100,000 tweets and 1520 news articles, 187 pieces simultaneously mentioning both monarchs were selected and analysed to compare their treatment. In contrast to the British portrayal linked to professionalism and tradition, the Spanish media—and especially the social networks—immerse Juan Carlos I in controversy. A planned event in which strategic institutional messages were launched serves as an excuse for criticism and polarisation around the monarchy. This confirms that digitalisation has not only altered the way people access and participate but has also redefined the narratives of even the most traditional events. These transformations pose significant challenges to the image management of institutions such as the monarchy. Full article