Strategic entrepreneurship behaviors enhance business performance and sustainability in Turkish SMEs by fostering innovation and leveraging competitive intensity for sustained growth. Employing strategic leadership theory, this study examines the effect of strategic entrepreneurial behaviors on business performance through the mediation role of business model innovation (BMI) and the moderation effect of competitive intensity. A quantitative approach was used, and data from 313 managers and business owners in Turkish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were collected using a structured questionnaire. The results have shown that strategic entrepreneurial behavior significantly and positively impacts business performance and business model innovation. Business model innovation, in turn, positively affects business performance. Competitive intensity moderates the relationship between strategic entrepreneurial behavior and business model innovation, strengthening it under higher competitive pressure levels. However, competitive intensity does not moderate the direct link between strategic entrepreneurial behavior and business performance. At higher levels of competitive intensity, the conditional indirect effect of strategic entrepreneurial behavior on business performance through business model innovation becomes more prominent. The findings of this study offer actionable insights for enhancing SME performance through strategic entrepreneurship, innovative business models, and competitive strategy adaptation.
{"title":"The Impact of Strategic Entrepreneurship Behaviors on Business Performance in Turkish SMES: The Role of Business Model Innovation and Competitive Intensity","authors":"Jabril Ramadan, Ahmad Alzubi, Amir Khadem","doi":"10.3390/su16188035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188035","url":null,"abstract":"Strategic entrepreneurship behaviors enhance business performance and sustainability in Turkish SMEs by fostering innovation and leveraging competitive intensity for sustained growth. Employing strategic leadership theory, this study examines the effect of strategic entrepreneurial behaviors on business performance through the mediation role of business model innovation (BMI) and the moderation effect of competitive intensity. A quantitative approach was used, and data from 313 managers and business owners in Turkish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were collected using a structured questionnaire. The results have shown that strategic entrepreneurial behavior significantly and positively impacts business performance and business model innovation. Business model innovation, in turn, positively affects business performance. Competitive intensity moderates the relationship between strategic entrepreneurial behavior and business model innovation, strengthening it under higher competitive pressure levels. However, competitive intensity does not moderate the direct link between strategic entrepreneurial behavior and business performance. At higher levels of competitive intensity, the conditional indirect effect of strategic entrepreneurial behavior on business performance through business model innovation becomes more prominent. The findings of this study offer actionable insights for enhancing SME performance through strategic entrepreneurship, innovative business models, and competitive strategy adaptation.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Md. Alamgir Mollah, Mohammad Bin Amin, Gouranga Chandra Debnath, Md. Sajjad Hosain, Md. Atikur Rahaman, Masuk Abdullah
In the era of digitalization, the role of IT firms and the capabilities of digital leadership for driving digital transformation and managing environmental dynamism for the proliferation of digital innovation and organizational performance for sustainability are still scant, producing a knowledge gap. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate the role of digital leadership in enhancing organizational performance, with the mediating impact of digital transformation and digital innovation, and the moderating role of environmental dynamism in the relationship between digital transformation and innovation. To investigate the conceptual model, we used survey data of 416 responses from small, medium, and large IT organizations in Bangladesh and deployed the AMOS 24 package software for the analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that digital leadership has a significant impact on digital transformation, digital innovation, and organizational performance. Digital innovation partially mediates the relationship between digital leadership and organizational performance. Although environmental dynamism has no significant effect in relation to digital leadership and innovation, it has an indirect influence on the structural model. The results from before and after moderation proved that environmental dynamism might not have a significant moderating effect on relationships, but it has significant power to change other interrelationships and hamper organizational sustainability.
在数字化时代，IT 企业和数字化领导力在推动数字化转型、管理环境动态以促进数字化创新的扩散和组织绩效的可持续发展方面所发挥的作用仍然很少，这造成了知识空白。为填补这一空白，本研究旨在探讨数字化领导力在提升组织绩效中的作用，数字化转型和数字化创新的中介影响，以及环境动态在数字化转型和创新关系中的调节作用。为了研究概念模型，我们使用了来自孟加拉国大、中、小型 IT 组织的 416 份调查数据，并使用 AMOS 24 软件包进行了结构方程建模（SEM）分析。结果表明，数字化领导力对数字化转型、数字化创新和组织绩效有显著影响。数字化创新部分地调解了数字化领导力与组织绩效之间的关系。虽然环境动态对数字化领导力和创新没有显著影响，但对结构模型有间接影响。调节前后的结果证明，环境动态可能不会对各种关系产生显著的调节作用，但它对改变其他相互关系和阻碍组织的可持续发展具有重要作用。
{"title":"Nexus among Digital Leadership, Digital Transformation, and Digital Innovation for Sustainable Financial Performance: Revealing the Influence of Environmental Dynamism","authors":"Md. Alamgir Mollah, Mohammad Bin Amin, Gouranga Chandra Debnath, Md. Sajjad Hosain, Md. Atikur Rahaman, Masuk Abdullah","doi":"10.3390/su16188023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188023","url":null,"abstract":"In the era of digitalization, the role of IT firms and the capabilities of digital leadership for driving digital transformation and managing environmental dynamism for the proliferation of digital innovation and organizational performance for sustainability are still scant, producing a knowledge gap. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate the role of digital leadership in enhancing organizational performance, with the mediating impact of digital transformation and digital innovation, and the moderating role of environmental dynamism in the relationship between digital transformation and innovation. To investigate the conceptual model, we used survey data of 416 responses from small, medium, and large IT organizations in Bangladesh and deployed the AMOS 24 package software for the analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that digital leadership has a significant impact on digital transformation, digital innovation, and organizational performance. Digital innovation partially mediates the relationship between digital leadership and organizational performance. Although environmental dynamism has no significant effect in relation to digital leadership and innovation, it has an indirect influence on the structural model. The results from before and after moderation proved that environmental dynamism might not have a significant moderating effect on relationships, but it has significant power to change other interrelationships and hamper organizational sustainability.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bruno Galvão de Campos, Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa, Roberto Martins
DCOIT (4,5-Dichloro-2-octylisothiazol-3(2H)-one) is a widely used antifouling biocide that emerged after the ban on tributyltin. It has been immobilized in nanostructured silica (SiNC–DCOIT) to reduce its hazard in maritime coatings. This study aimed to compare the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and biomagnification of DCOIT in its soluble and nanostructured forms on mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis, using three different uptake routes: aqueous exposure (i.e., contaminated seawater), dietary exposure (i.e., microalgae Tetraselmis chuii as a contaminated food), and both contaminated food and seawater. DCOIT was determined on water and tissues after 1, 3, and 24 h of uptake and after 72 h of depuration. Briefly, mussels were able to rapidly uptake and metabolize DCOIT and SiNC–DCOIT. Both compounds were non-bioaccumulative, as their bioconcentration and bioaccumulation factor values were lower than 2000. However, the predator–prey biomagnification factors indicated that both forms could be transferred across the trophic web. Therefore, while our findings provide further insight into the environmental risk assessment of DCOIT and SiNC–DCOIT, they do not rule out the possibility of long-term DCOIT bioaccumulation, particularly in areas with constant DCOIT influx. Further studies are thus needed using larger experimental designs and under continuous exposure scenarios to increase the sustainability of the innovative nanomaterial.
{"title":"Preliminary Findings on the Bioaccumulation and Marine Trophic Transfer of the Antifouling Biocide DCOIT in Soluble and Nanostructured Forms","authors":"Bruno Galvão de Campos, Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa, Roberto Martins","doi":"10.3390/su16187996","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187996","url":null,"abstract":"DCOIT (4,5-Dichloro-2-octylisothiazol-3(2H)-one) is a widely used antifouling biocide that emerged after the ban on tributyltin. It has been immobilized in nanostructured silica (SiNC–DCOIT) to reduce its hazard in maritime coatings. This study aimed to compare the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and biomagnification of DCOIT in its soluble and nanostructured forms on mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis, using three different uptake routes: aqueous exposure (i.e., contaminated seawater), dietary exposure (i.e., microalgae Tetraselmis chuii as a contaminated food), and both contaminated food and seawater. DCOIT was determined on water and tissues after 1, 3, and 24 h of uptake and after 72 h of depuration. Briefly, mussels were able to rapidly uptake and metabolize DCOIT and SiNC–DCOIT. Both compounds were non-bioaccumulative, as their bioconcentration and bioaccumulation factor values were lower than 2000. However, the predator–prey biomagnification factors indicated that both forms could be transferred across the trophic web. Therefore, while our findings provide further insight into the environmental risk assessment of DCOIT and SiNC–DCOIT, they do not rule out the possibility of long-term DCOIT bioaccumulation, particularly in areas with constant DCOIT influx. Further studies are thus needed using larger experimental designs and under continuous exposure scenarios to increase the sustainability of the innovative nanomaterial.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wolfram Rozas-Rodriguez, Rafael Pastor-Vargas, Andrew D. Peacock, David Kane, José Carpio-Ibañez
This paper investigates optimising battery energy storage systems (BESSs) to enhance the business models of Local Energy Markets (LEMs). LEMs are decentralised energy ecosystems facilitating peer-to-peer energy trading among consumers, producers, and prosumers. By incentivising local energy exchange and balancing supply and demand, LEMs contribute to grid resilience and sustainability. This study proposes a novel approach to BESS optimisation, utilising advanced artificial intelligence techniques, such as multilayer perceptron neural networks and extreme gradient boosting regressors. These models accurately forecast energy consumption and optimise BESS reserve allocation within the LEM framework. The findings demonstrate the potential of these AI-driven strategies to improve the BESS reserve capacity setting. This optimal setting will target meeting Energy Community site owners’ needs and avoiding fines from the distribution system operator for not meeting contract conditions.
{"title":"BESS Reserve Optimisation in Energy Communities","authors":"Wolfram Rozas-Rodriguez, Rafael Pastor-Vargas, Andrew D. Peacock, David Kane, José Carpio-Ibañez","doi":"10.3390/su16188017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188017","url":null,"abstract":"This paper investigates optimising battery energy storage systems (BESSs) to enhance the business models of Local Energy Markets (LEMs). LEMs are decentralised energy ecosystems facilitating peer-to-peer energy trading among consumers, producers, and prosumers. By incentivising local energy exchange and balancing supply and demand, LEMs contribute to grid resilience and sustainability. This study proposes a novel approach to BESS optimisation, utilising advanced artificial intelligence techniques, such as multilayer perceptron neural networks and extreme gradient boosting regressors. These models accurately forecast energy consumption and optimise BESS reserve allocation within the LEM framework. The findings demonstrate the potential of these AI-driven strategies to improve the BESS reserve capacity setting. This optimal setting will target meeting Energy Community site owners’ needs and avoiding fines from the distribution system operator for not meeting contract conditions.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adithya Shenoy, Gopinatha Nayak, Adithya Tantri, Kiran K. Shetty, Jasmin Anna Maxwell, B. H. Venkataram Pai, Laxman P. Kudva
The development of special concrete focussed on sustainability and energy conservation has been approached through the use of recycled materials, novel techniques and processes, and materials that harness natural energy. This paper presents the results of one such study on the development of light-transmitting concrete using a novel polymeric transmitting media, poly-methyl-methacrylate, and a detailed analysis of the results obtained. Four variants based on the diameter and number of rods have been studied, with 5 and 10 mm diameter rods incorporated into 100 mm cube samples. A positive correlation between the area of rods and transmittance has been established; however, a loss in compressive and flexural strength was observed. Seasonal and monthly variation results indicate higher transmittance in summer, with the highest transmittance being observed in the month of May and the monsoon having the lowest transmittance, specifically in the month of July. The results of a case study of the application of the material have also been presented. The cost of construction has been studied, and the prediction of electricity consumption during operations has been carried out. The results have indicated the feasibility of use, even with the high initial cost. Variants have been shown to return the investments in a period of 7–31 years. Additionally, three of the four variants showed a sharp decrease in total CO2 emissions by eliminating the need for energy for daylighting and eliminating the consumption of electricity throughout the service life. Variants have been shown to return the investments in a period of 7–31 years. Additionally, three of the four variants show a sharp decrease in total CO2 emissions by eliminating the need for energy for daylighting and eliminating the consumption of electricity throughout the service life.
{"title":"Poly-Methyl-Methacrylate Rods in Light-Transmitting Concrete: A Critical Investigation into Sustainable Implementation","authors":"Adithya Shenoy, Gopinatha Nayak, Adithya Tantri, Kiran K. Shetty, Jasmin Anna Maxwell, B. H. Venkataram Pai, Laxman P. Kudva","doi":"10.3390/su16188033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188033","url":null,"abstract":"The development of special concrete focussed on sustainability and energy conservation has been approached through the use of recycled materials, novel techniques and processes, and materials that harness natural energy. This paper presents the results of one such study on the development of light-transmitting concrete using a novel polymeric transmitting media, poly-methyl-methacrylate, and a detailed analysis of the results obtained. Four variants based on the diameter and number of rods have been studied, with 5 and 10 mm diameter rods incorporated into 100 mm cube samples. A positive correlation between the area of rods and transmittance has been established; however, a loss in compressive and flexural strength was observed. Seasonal and monthly variation results indicate higher transmittance in summer, with the highest transmittance being observed in the month of May and the monsoon having the lowest transmittance, specifically in the month of July. The results of a case study of the application of the material have also been presented. The cost of construction has been studied, and the prediction of electricity consumption during operations has been carried out. The results have indicated the feasibility of use, even with the high initial cost. Variants have been shown to return the investments in a period of 7–31 years. Additionally, three of the four variants showed a sharp decrease in total CO2 emissions by eliminating the need for energy for daylighting and eliminating the consumption of electricity throughout the service life. Variants have been shown to return the investments in a period of 7–31 years. Additionally, three of the four variants show a sharp decrease in total CO2 emissions by eliminating the need for energy for daylighting and eliminating the consumption of electricity throughout the service life.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Fehrenbach, Carolina Herrando, María José Martín-De Hoyos
Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly disrupted B2B markets, impacting companies at the product, service, and organizational levels. A key focus is on how to leverage the power of AI to augment and automate activities to create value for customers. One specific form of value creation investigated in marketing is co-creation between parties. Introducing AI into the co-creation process is exciting due to its technological characteristics and the anticipated business value it can bring. This study explores the state of the art in co-creation with AI in B2B markets. It examines how buyers, suppliers, and technology providers interact, along with their motives and characteristics. Furthermore, it investigates the processes enabling these interactions, from the form of AI used and AI tool integration to the necessary capabilities of other actors involved. Finally, this study examines the content of co-creation described in the existing literature and the value created jointly. This review contributes to delineating the interaction between human and non-human actors in a B2B co-creation ecosystem. The implications of this research provide B2B companies with a discussion about the actors, motives, characteristics, processes, and content of co-creation with AI in B2B drivers and barriers of AI for co-creation, mapping the way for success.
{"title":"Co-Creation with AI in B2B Markets: A Systematic Literature Review","authors":"David Fehrenbach, Carolina Herrando, María José Martín-De Hoyos","doi":"10.3390/su16188009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188009","url":null,"abstract":"Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly disrupted B2B markets, impacting companies at the product, service, and organizational levels. A key focus is on how to leverage the power of AI to augment and automate activities to create value for customers. One specific form of value creation investigated in marketing is co-creation between parties. Introducing AI into the co-creation process is exciting due to its technological characteristics and the anticipated business value it can bring. This study explores the state of the art in co-creation with AI in B2B markets. It examines how buyers, suppliers, and technology providers interact, along with their motives and characteristics. Furthermore, it investigates the processes enabling these interactions, from the form of AI used and AI tool integration to the necessary capabilities of other actors involved. Finally, this study examines the content of co-creation described in the existing literature and the value created jointly. This review contributes to delineating the interaction between human and non-human actors in a B2B co-creation ecosystem. The implications of this research provide B2B companies with a discussion about the actors, motives, characteristics, processes, and content of co-creation with AI in B2B drivers and barriers of AI for co-creation, mapping the way for success.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Songtao Yu, Houdong Liu, Qian Kang, Juan Cheng, Yingli Gong, Yuxian Ke
Ancient architectural complexes are an important part of human cultural heritage, carrying a wealth of historical and cultural information. However, fire safety issues in these complexes are becoming increasingly prominent, and it is urgent to assess and enhance their fire resilience to support sustainable development. This paper takes ancient architectural complexes as the research object and establishes a fire resilience evaluation indicator system for ancient architectural complexes, which includes 25 third-level indicators categorized under architectural characteristics, facility factors, management factors, and social factors. Then, this paper combines the AHP method and the CRITIC method to determine the weight of each indicator. The results show that architectural features and facility factors are key level 2 indicators affecting the fire resilience of ancient architectural complexes. The fire resistance rate, building materials, automatic alarm system, etc., are key level 3 indicators influencing the fire resilience of ancient architectural complexes. It is suggested that efforts should be made to enhance the fire resilience of ancient architectural complexes by improving the fire resistance rate, strengthening smart early warning systems, and intensifying the ensuring of firefighting responses. This paper provides valuable insights and recommendations for effectively preventing fire disasters in ancient architectural complexes, thereby supporting their sustainable management and long-term conservation.
{"title":"Research on the Fire Resilience Assessment of Ancient Architectural Complexes Based on the AHP-CRITIC Method","authors":"Songtao Yu, Houdong Liu, Qian Kang, Juan Cheng, Yingli Gong, Yuxian Ke","doi":"10.3390/su16188022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188022","url":null,"abstract":"Ancient architectural complexes are an important part of human cultural heritage, carrying a wealth of historical and cultural information. However, fire safety issues in these complexes are becoming increasingly prominent, and it is urgent to assess and enhance their fire resilience to support sustainable development. This paper takes ancient architectural complexes as the research object and establishes a fire resilience evaluation indicator system for ancient architectural complexes, which includes 25 third-level indicators categorized under architectural characteristics, facility factors, management factors, and social factors. Then, this paper combines the AHP method and the CRITIC method to determine the weight of each indicator. The results show that architectural features and facility factors are key level 2 indicators affecting the fire resilience of ancient architectural complexes. The fire resistance rate, building materials, automatic alarm system, etc., are key level 3 indicators influencing the fire resilience of ancient architectural complexes. It is suggested that efforts should be made to enhance the fire resilience of ancient architectural complexes by improving the fire resistance rate, strengthening smart early warning systems, and intensifying the ensuring of firefighting responses. This paper provides valuable insights and recommendations for effectively preventing fire disasters in ancient architectural complexes, thereby supporting their sustainable management and long-term conservation.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Increasing water withdrawals and changes in land cover/use are critically altering surface water bodies, often causing a noticeable reduction in their area. Such anthropogenic modification of surface waters needs to be thoroughly examined to recognize the dynamics through which humans affect the loss of surface water. By leveraging remotely-sensed data and employing a distance–decay model, we investigate the loss of surface water resources that occurred in Italy between 1984 and 2021 and explore its association with land cover change and potential human pressure. In particular, we first estimate the land cover conversion across locations experiencing surface water loss. Next, we identify and analytically model the influence of irrigated and built-up areas, which heavily rely on surface waters, on the spatial distribution of surface water losses across river basin districts and river basins in Italy. Our results reveal that surface water losses are mainly located in northern Italy, where they have been primarily replaced by cropland and vegetation. As expected, we find that surface water losses tend to be more concentrated in the proximity of both irrigated and built-up areas yet showing differences in their spatial occurrence and extent. These observed spatial patterns are well captured by our analytical model, which outlines the predominant role of irrigated areas, mainly across northern Italy and Sicily, and more dominant effects of built-up areas across the Apennines and in Sardinia. By highlighting land cover patterns following the loss of surface water and evaluating the relative distribution of surface water losses with respect to areas of human pressure, our analysis provides key information that could support water management and prevent future conditions of water scarcity due to unsustainable water exploitation.
{"title":"Land Cover and Spatial Distribution of Surface Water Loss Hotspots in Italy","authors":"Irene Palazzoli, Gianluca Lelli, Serena Ceola","doi":"10.3390/su16188021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188021","url":null,"abstract":"Increasing water withdrawals and changes in land cover/use are critically altering surface water bodies, often causing a noticeable reduction in their area. Such anthropogenic modification of surface waters needs to be thoroughly examined to recognize the dynamics through which humans affect the loss of surface water. By leveraging remotely-sensed data and employing a distance–decay model, we investigate the loss of surface water resources that occurred in Italy between 1984 and 2021 and explore its association with land cover change and potential human pressure. In particular, we first estimate the land cover conversion across locations experiencing surface water loss. Next, we identify and analytically model the influence of irrigated and built-up areas, which heavily rely on surface waters, on the spatial distribution of surface water losses across river basin districts and river basins in Italy. Our results reveal that surface water losses are mainly located in northern Italy, where they have been primarily replaced by cropland and vegetation. As expected, we find that surface water losses tend to be more concentrated in the proximity of both irrigated and built-up areas yet showing differences in their spatial occurrence and extent. These observed spatial patterns are well captured by our analytical model, which outlines the predominant role of irrigated areas, mainly across northern Italy and Sicily, and more dominant effects of built-up areas across the Apennines and in Sardinia. By highlighting land cover patterns following the loss of surface water and evaluating the relative distribution of surface water losses with respect to areas of human pressure, our analysis provides key information that could support water management and prevent future conditions of water scarcity due to unsustainable water exploitation.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Following the European Commission’s approval of the CAP Strategic Plan and the 21 Italian region (CSR)-related strategic documents, the financial aspect that characterized the single national CAP plan was made available. Here, we present and analyze the final data on the distribution of public resources for interventions between 2023 and 2027. This marks a pivotal period of strategic information for those who follow the evolution of the rural development policy, providing vital indications of policymakers’ priorities. In Italy, where rural development policy is highly regionalized, it is difficult to acquire an overall view of the strategic choices adopted by the individual regions. The primary objective of this article is to offer a comprehensive and enlightening synopsis of the regional choices in the CSRs. It aims to identify shared strategic paths in rural development, with a specific focus on the financial allocation in each of the three historical macro-objectives of the CAP: the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, the protection of the environment, and the revitalization of rural areas. Cluster analysis classification allows for aggregating the strategies adopted, allowing for comparisons across the Italian regions. The results show three regional groups focused on environmental strategy, structural investment measures, and resource distribution that is more balanced between these two approaches. Identifying the strategic choices made by the regions allows policymakers to predict different development trajectories and the progress of the expenditure indicators over the years. At the moment, it is impossible to verify whether the policy mix defined in the budget allocation is consistent with the strategic statements.
在欧盟委员会批准了 CAP 战略计划和与 21 个意大利大区（CSR）相关的战略文件后，作为单一国家 CAP 计划特点的财务方面也随之公布。在此，我们介绍并分析了 2023 年至 2027 年期间公共资源干预分配的最终数据。对于那些关注农村发展政策演变的人来说，这标志着一个关键时期的战略信息，为政策制定者的优先事项提供了重要指示。在意大利，农村发展政策高度地区化，因此很难全面了解各个地区所采取的战略选择。本文的主要目的是对各地区在 CSR 中的选择提供一个全面的、具有启发性的概述。文章旨在确定农村发展的共同战略路径，并特别关注补充性追加计划三个历史性宏观目标中每个目标的资金分配情况：农业食品行业的竞争力、环境保护和农村地区的振兴。通过聚类分析分类，可以对所采取的战略进行汇总，从而对意大利各大区进行比较。结果显示，三个地区组分别侧重于环境战略、结构性投资措施和资源分配，这两种方法之间的平衡性较好。确定各大区的战略选择后，政策制定者就可以预测不同的发展轨迹和多年来支出指标的进展情况。目前还无法核实预算分配中确定的政策组合是否与战略声明相一致。
{"title":"The Different Strategies of the Italian Regions within the 2023 2027 Rural Development Programme","authors":"Francesco Piras, Antonio Pulina, Pierluigi Milone","doi":"10.3390/su16188028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188028","url":null,"abstract":"Following the European Commission’s approval of the CAP Strategic Plan and the 21 Italian region (CSR)-related strategic documents, the financial aspect that characterized the single national CAP plan was made available. Here, we present and analyze the final data on the distribution of public resources for interventions between 2023 and 2027. This marks a pivotal period of strategic information for those who follow the evolution of the rural development policy, providing vital indications of policymakers’ priorities. In Italy, where rural development policy is highly regionalized, it is difficult to acquire an overall view of the strategic choices adopted by the individual regions. The primary objective of this article is to offer a comprehensive and enlightening synopsis of the regional choices in the CSRs. It aims to identify shared strategic paths in rural development, with a specific focus on the financial allocation in each of the three historical macro-objectives of the CAP: the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, the protection of the environment, and the revitalization of rural areas. Cluster analysis classification allows for aggregating the strategies adopted, allowing for comparisons across the Italian regions. The results show three regional groups focused on environmental strategy, structural investment measures, and resource distribution that is more balanced between these two approaches. Identifying the strategic choices made by the regions allows policymakers to predict different development trajectories and the progress of the expenditure indicators over the years. At the moment, it is impossible to verify whether the policy mix defined in the budget allocation is consistent with the strategic statements.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rui Wang, Zhanqiang Zhang, Keqilao Meng, Pengbing Lei, Kuo Wang, Wenlu Yang, Yong Liu, Zhihua Lin
Due to the volatility and intermittency of renewable energy, the integration of a large amount of renewable energy into the grid can have a significant impact on its stability and security. In this paper, we propose a tiered dispatching strategy for compressed air energy storage (CAES) and utilize it to balance the power output of wind farms, achieving the intelligent dispatching of the source–storage–grid system. The Markov decision process framework is used to describe the energy dispatching problem of CAES through the Actor–Critic (AC) algorithm. To address the stability and low sampling efficiency issues of the AC algorithm in continuous action spaces, we employ the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, a model-free deep reinforcement learning algorithm based on deterministic policy. Furthermore, the use of Neuroevolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT) to improve DDPG can enhance the adaptability of the algorithm in complex environments and improve its performance. The results show that scheduling accuracy of the DDPG-NEAT algorithm reached 91.97%, which was 15.43% and 31.5% higher than the comparison with the SAC and DDPG algorithms, respectively. The algorithm exhibits excellent performance and stability in CAES energy dispatching.
{"title":"Research on Energy Scheduling Optimization Strategy with Compressed Air Energy Storage","authors":"Rui Wang, Zhanqiang Zhang, Keqilao Meng, Pengbing Lei, Kuo Wang, Wenlu Yang, Yong Liu, Zhihua Lin","doi":"10.3390/su16188008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188008","url":null,"abstract":"Due to the volatility and intermittency of renewable energy, the integration of a large amount of renewable energy into the grid can have a significant impact on its stability and security. In this paper, we propose a tiered dispatching strategy for compressed air energy storage (CAES) and utilize it to balance the power output of wind farms, achieving the intelligent dispatching of the source–storage–grid system. The Markov decision process framework is used to describe the energy dispatching problem of CAES through the Actor–Critic (AC) algorithm. To address the stability and low sampling efficiency issues of the AC algorithm in continuous action spaces, we employ the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, a model-free deep reinforcement learning algorithm based on deterministic policy. Furthermore, the use of Neuroevolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT) to improve DDPG can enhance the adaptability of the algorithm in complex environments and improve its performance. The results show that scheduling accuracy of the DDPG-NEAT algorithm reached 91.97%, which was 15.43% and 31.5% higher than the comparison with the SAC and DDPG algorithms, respectively. The algorithm exhibits excellent performance and stability in CAES energy dispatching.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142180895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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