Transformative Capacity Research Articles

3D Printing Technology and Future of Construction: A Review

Abstract Historically characterised by its labour-intensive nature and low productivity, the construction industry is witnessing a technological revolution. Among these advancements, 3D printing stands out as a frontrunner, offering the potential to automate construction processes, reduce material waste, shorten project timelines, and mitigate risks associated with manual labour. This study explores the transformative capacity of large-scale 3D printing in construction, examining current progress, potential trajectories, and inherent limitations. Furthermore, it assesses the impact of expanded 3D printing adoption on the construction labour market. Our findings highlight 3D printing’s potential to significantly diminish the need for manual labour, addressing labour shortages, particularly in countries reliant on immigrant labour forces. However, its effectiveness may vary in regions with competitive labour costs where manual labour remains prevalent. Integrating 3D printing in construction necessitates cultivating a specialised workforce with expertise in this innovative technology. In conclusion, this study underscores the transformative influence of 3D printing in construction, offering increased efficiency, reduced labour dependency, and solutions to industry challenges. Adapting 3D printing adoption to regional labour dynamics and workforce upskilling is essential for maximising its benefits. As the construction industry evolves, embracing 3D printing emerges as a pivotal factor in shaping its future landscape.

The Transformative Capacity of European Citizenship – A Comparative Perspective

The Transformative Capacity of European Citizenship – A Comparative Perspective

Forest Worker Households in the NFPP: Enhancing Sustainable Livelihoods through Capital and Transformation

The persistent conflict between strict conservation and community welfare highlights the growing need to address sustainable livelihoods in forest protection programs. The Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) is a comprehensive forest protection program spearheaded by the Chinese government. It is designed to facilitate the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems through a range of interventions, including logging ban, management, tending, and afforestation efforts. Drawing upon longitudinal micro-level household survey data spanning five consecutive years from 2017 to 2021, this research quantifies the sustainable livelihood levels of frontline participants in the NFPP by examining two dimensions: livelihood capital stock and livelihood transformation capacity. Additionally, it investigates the internal differentiation phenomenon within this cohort. The findings suggest that forest worker households engaged in tasks related to forest management, tending, and afforestation are the frontline participants in the NFPP, in contrast to management, technical, and service personnel. Moreover, these forest worker households exhibit a pattern characterized by a higher livelihood capital stock but a lower livelihood transformation capacity compared to non-forest worker households. Furthermore, within forest worker households, there is a significant group differentiation phenomenon, resulting in inter-group differentials in the sustainable livelihood levels based on geographical and seniority stratification criteria. The developers of the global forest protection program should prioritize addressing the sustainable livelihood issues of frontline participants in the program, especially the real problem of mismatches between livelihood capital stock and livelihood transformation capacity. This can be achieved through designing income incentives, stimulating consumption, and other means to enhance the relatively disadvantaged position of frontline participants while balancing the coordination and fairness of the protection program based on the aspects of both protection and development.

Precisely determining photon-number in real time

Superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) are extremely sensitive microcalorimeters used as photon detectors with unparalleled energy resolution. They have found application from measuring astronomical spectra through to determining the quantum property of photon-number, n^=a^†a^, for energies from 0.6-2.33eV. However, achieving optimal energy resolution requires considerable data acquisition – on the order of 1GB/min – followed by post-processing, which does not allow access to energy information in real time. Here we use a custom hardware processor to process TES pulses while new detections are still being registered, allowing photon-number to be measured in real time as well as reducing data requirements by orders-of-magnitude. We resolve photon number up to n=16 – achieving up to parts-per-billion discrimination for low photon numbers on the fly – providing transformational capacity for applications of TES detectors from astronomy through to quantum technology.

Factors affecting decision-making to strengthen climate resilience of smallholder farms in the Centre region of Cameroon

This study examined the resilience to climate change of smallholder family farms in the Centre Region of Cameroon. Data were collected using a mixed-methods strategy and analyzed using descriptive, multivariate, and inferential statistics. Family farms exhibited a mean climate resilience index of 0.46 (medium), with the Ntui, Mbangassina, Batchenga, and Obala regions scoring 0.42, 0.44, 0.47, and 0.51, respectively. Family farmers had a high transformation capacity (59.07 ​%), a low adaptation capacity (32.10 ​%), and a very low absorption capacity (8.82 ​%). Logistic regression revealed significant causal relationships (p ​< ​0.05) between the capacity of the farms to adapt to climate fluctuations and change and annual income, access to agricultural inputs, access to agricultural machinery, and membership in a farmers organization. These are the primary factors that could significantly increase climate resilience in Cameroonian family farms. Consequently, policymakers in these regions and beyond should consider these as indicators when developing policies to strengthen the climate resilience of local agricultural systems. In doing so, they should also consider community monitoring and indigenous knowledge, which can help bridge the gap between local adverse impacts and the necessary adaptations to climate change.

Experimental Demonstration of Reservoir Computing with Self-Assembled Percolating Networks of Nanoparticles.

The complex self-assembled network of neurons and synapses that comprises the biological brain enables natural information processing with remarkable efficiency. Percolating networks of nanoparticles (PNNs) are complex self-assembled nanoscale systems that have been shown to possess many promising brain-like attributes and which are therefore appealing systems for neuromorphic computation. Here experiments are performed that show that PNNs can be utilized as physical reservoirs within a nanoelectronic reservoir computing framework and demonstrate successful computation for several benchmark tasks (chaotic time series prediction, nonlinear transformation, and memory capacity). For each task, relevant literature results are compiled and it is shown that the performance of the PNNs compares favorably to that previously reported from nanoelectronic reservoirs. It is then demonstrated experimentally that PNNs can be used for spoken digit recognition with state-of-the-art accuracy. Finally, a parallel reservoir architecture is emulated, which increases the dimensionality and richness of the reservoir outputs and results in further improvements in performance across all tasks.

How resilience capacity and multiple shocks affect rural households’ subjective well-being: A comparative study of the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins in China

Enhancing resilience capacity and well-being of rural households are of great significance for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 1.5, which seeks to establish resilience by mitigating exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events, as well as other economic, social, and environmental shocks. Despite the growing literature on resilience capacity and subjective well-being, there is a lack of studies that examine how the resilience capacity and multiple shocks affect subjective well-being of rural households in river basins from a comparative perspective. This study developed a conceptual framework linking multiple shocks and resilience capacity to household subjective well-being and quantified their relationship empirically in two of the largest river basins in China and worldwide, i.e., the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins. Specifically, the adverse impact of external (natural disasters, and agroforestry pests and diseases) and internal (family illness) shocks and the positive role of three resilience pillars (absorption, adaptation, and transformation) and the overall resilience are examined. The results show that (1) There is a higher subjective well-being among rural households in the Yangtze River Basin than in the Yellow River Basin (69.46 vs. 67.93). (2) Rural households in the Yellow River Basin exhibit greater exposure to all three shock types, but the adverse effect of agroforestry pests and diseases on subjective well-being is more pronounced in the Yangtze River Basin (β=−1.592, P<0.05) than the Yellow River Basin (β=−1.196, P>0.10). (3) Households in the Yellow River Basin have a marginally higher resilience capacity than those in the Yangtze River Basin, with scores of 21.67 and 21.34, respectively. Both absorptive and transformative capacities positively influence subjective well-being. In the Yellow River Basin, absorptive capacity plays a more crucial role (β=0.504, P<0.05), while in the Yangtze River Basin, transformative capacity is more influential (β=0.742, P<0.01). (4) Participation in Payment for Ecosystem Services programs has a significant positive impact on subjective well-being of rural households in the Yangtze River Basin (β=1.478, P<0.10). The findings have crucial practical values for enhancing resilience and subjective well-being of rural households in river basins and other vulnerable areas worldwide.

Transformation of 6:6 PFPiA in the gut of Xenopus laevis: Synergistic effects of CYP450 enzymes and gut microflora

As a frequently detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance in the environment, 6:6 perfluoroalkylhypophosphinic acid (6:6 PFPiA) is vulnerable to transformation in the liver of organisms, but the transformation in gut is still unclear. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms of 6:6 PFPiA transformation in the gut of Xenopus laevis upon a 28-day exposure in water. Before Day 16, a notable correlation (p = 0.03) was observed between the transformation product (PFHxPA) and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme concentration in gut. This suggests that CYP450 enzymes played an important role in the transformation of 6:6 PFPiA in the gut, which was verified by an in vitro incubation with gut tissues, and supported by the molecular docking results of 6:6 PFPiA binding with CYP450 enzymes. From the day 16, the CYP450 concentration in gut decreased by 31.3 % due to the damage caused by 6:6 PFPiA, leading to a decrease in the transformation capacity in gut, but the transformation rate was stronger than in liver. This was in contrast with the in vitro experiment, where transformation was stronger in liver. In the mean time, the abundance of Bacteroidota in gut increased, which released hydrolytic enzyme and then could participate in the transformation as well. This study reveals the potential of the gut in metabolizing environmental pollutants, and provides profound insights into the potential health risks caused by 6:6 PFPiA in organisms.

Construction of an Adaptive Metric Model for Maximum Access Capacity of Distributed Photovoltaic in Active Distribution Networks

Distributed photovoltaic (PV) access to the active distribution network can easily cause power fluctuation and affect the reasonable setting. The maximum access capacity is constructed as an adaptive metric model. Taking the total installed capacity as the objective function, the maximum access capacity adaptive metering model is constructed. For the constructed model, the constraints of light abandonment constraint, energy storage system constraint, voltage deviation constraint at the common connection point, line limit capacity constraint and distribution transformer capacity constraint are set. The model is solved by using multiple swarm genetic algorithms, output maximum access capacity. The abandonment rate of PV nodes is less than 3%, and the voltage overrun rate and line capacity overrun rate are less than 1%.

“We Can Transform This, We Can Change This”: Adolescent Sociopolitical Development as a Catalyst for Healthy Life-Span Development

In the late 1970s, adolescents in East Harlem, New York, participated in a program called the Youth Action Program where they worked collectively to address systemic issues causing inequities in their communities (e.g., inequities in housing and education). In the current study, we integrate the sociopolitical development framework with life-course health development to explore how participation in the program shaped adolescents’ skills and capacities for social transformation in ways that were health-promotive and informative for life trajectories. Data included retrospective interviews and member-checking focus group data of 10 former Youth Action Program members (current Mage = 63; 45% female; 55% male) from predominantly Black and Latinx backgrounds. We used reflexive thematic analysis and adopted a case study approach to highlight how participants’ adolescent experiences of sociopolitical development and resistance against oppressive circumstances propelled healthy life-course development. Specifically, participants were able to establish healthy lives through four health-promotive sociopolitical developmental processes: questioning the system not the self; carving out alternative spaces and pathways; building agency in a dehumanizing society; and finding purpose through committing to social change. Our study suggests that contemporary youth organizing programs can incorporate sustaining practices including the careful vetting and training of adult staff, pursuing tangible opportunities to create change, and embedding youth voice and leadership into programmatic structures to encourage healthy development via sociopolitical development.

Evaluation of the thin film polyimide‐based holographic metasurface inspired leaky‐wave antenna

AbstractThe proposed paper presents the design of a leaky‐wave antenna inspired by holographic metasurfaces employing thin film. Leveraging the holographic principle, this metasurface showcases its transformative capacity by converting an omnidirectionally radiating monopole into a highly directional antenna emitting leaky waves. The holographic metasurface is constructed using a thin film of polyimide (PI) (Df = 0.008; Dk = 3.5), measuring 50 μm in thickness. The antenna structure comprises multiple layers, commencing with the top PI layer, succeeded by a 40 μm thick adhesive layer (Df = 0.004; Dk = 6). Subsequent layer includes the Rogers RT/duroid 5880 substrate (Df = 0.0009; Dk = 2.20), grounded at the bottom and has a thickness of 1.6 mm. The meticulously tailored design of the proposed antenna ensures optimal performance at 15 GHz, facilitating directional radiation and precise beam steering at 10 degrees (ϴ = 10°). This innovative design, incorporating the holographic metasurface on thin film, significantly enhances the antenna's performance, increasing gain from 1.5 dBi to 13.8 dBi.

REFLECTING ON ANALOGUE FACES AND DIGITAL MASKS THROUGH &lt;i&gt;MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE &lt;/i&gt;(1996-2023)

This article uses the idea and practice of the mask and masking technology in the popular Mission: Impossible film franchise to critically consider the tensions between digital and analogue. In the Mission: Impossible films, the masks are a core component of the films’ intrigue, and they serve the plot dynamics of each franchise entry while also revealing ever-sophisticated diegetic film technologies that make these silicone-based masks increasingly hyper-realistic in spy-craft and anti-surveillance deception. This article demonstrates how the mask is an identity technology that qualifies the persona as potentially deceptive and duplicitous as it relies on a convincing presentation of a character’s self that does not accurately reflect the interiority of this character, and on a betrayal of trust of the affective investment of a particular micro-publics. As such, the viewer reflects on facial representation not only in terms of verisimilitude, but also veracity. Within a context of techno est ubique, the mask has evident transformative capacities as a temporary interface with the world and as a remediation technology. However, the mask is also a precarious technology because it is highly visible and needs monitoring for proper presentation and error. It is a seamless technology, which evokes further reflections on photorealism and deepfakes. Additionally, digital comes to denote ‘dead’, and the digital mask of especially the later Mission: Impossible films – identifiable by its skeuomorphic qualities – challenges the continued existence of the analogue (organic face) as mask and related appearance replication technologies come to replace human faces and bodies entirely.

Agents for change: developing transformative and Adaptive Leadership capacities among early-career extension professionals

PurposeThe Agents of Change program is a two-year, project-based learning program to develop Extension Professionals’ capacity to engage in Adaptive and Transformative Leadership. Its primary goal is to develop the capacity of Extension Professionals to engage in leadership to create more diverse, equitable, inclusive and just Extension programs and community change initiatives. This manuscript describes the program and an initial evaluation and results.FindingsResults of an evaluation of the first year of the program indicate that regular training sessions and support are appropriate for leadership development and that Extension Professionals are using the learning, awareness and tools from this program to address challenges with Adaptive and Transformative Leadership elements. Also, Extension professionals demonstrated commitment to personal growth, community engagement and understanding of their multifaceted roles as change agents.Originality/valueParticipants are sharing resources from the program with colleagues, leading meetings differently, questioning the status quo and pushing others to try new ways forward.

Exploring sustainable aesthetics through repurposed studio waste materials for unorthodox finishes

This study recycles and repurposes discarded studio waste materials, such as broken ceramics, glass fragments, sawdust, and bits of shattered P.O.P molds, to create visually compelling creative works. The interest for this study is inspired by the prolific generation of waste that arises from the studio learning practices of sculpture and ceramic students. A studio-based research approach utilizing Aesthetico-Action Research design is employed in a systematic approach to explore the feasibility and promise of composite amalgamation. The researchers mix resin and fiberglass composite materials with the various types of studio waste. The primary objective is to achieve creative outcomes with unconventional and unique finishes. The technique, philosophical and symbolic application, and usage of these materials in creating distinct art pieces including an exclusive “African woman” offer intriguing insights. The study reveals that the studio can efficiently repurpose waste materials, creating new cast materials for sculptures and ceramic works with distinctive and non-traditional finishes. This highlights the intrinsic transforming capacity of disposable waste materials, presenting a compelling opportunity for new and sustainable artistic practice where material finishes are not concealed.

Configuration of factors influencing the performance of new retailers in the context of digital transformation—Based on the resource action perspective

AbstractFrom a resource action perspective, a configuration analysis was performed on 219 cases of new retailers using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The major study findings are as follows: (1) Digital transformation capacity and resource management behavior are essential conditions for high performance of new retailers. (2) Seven configurations drive high performance of new retailers. (3) Under a specific configuration, there are potential substitution relationships between digital culture and corporate reputation, “digital culture + human resources” and basic resources. Accordingly, new retailers should take measures such as establishing a three‐layer conditional combination chain to promote sustainable development.

Food City: Ahmedabad as a Globalised Vegetarian Space

Existing studies, highlighting that dining out forms an important part of public cultures in India, have focused on the growing influence of consumer cultures on India’s middle classes and their identity formation. However, insufficient scholarly attention has been paid to the distinctly different ways in which middle-class experiences with modernity and cosmopolitanism unfold across different cities in India and in the worldwide South Asian diaspora. This article argues that in the major Gujarati city of Ahmedabad, middle-class engagement with new and global culinary practices is couched within dominant, regionally coloured vegetarian cultures, redefining vegetarianism as integral to the project of modern middle-class identity among certain upwardly mobile social groups. This ethnographic study of popular pizzerias sheds light on the transformative capacity and significance of vegetarian food. From being a symbol of exclusionary bourgeois hegemonic cultures, it has turned into a consumer item regarded as accessible and desirable for supporting middle-class aspirations to experience ‘global’ forms of consumption. The concluding analysis suggests that, since there are many diverse, cosmopolitan urban spaces like Ahmedabad, more research is needed especially on how global Gujarati food culture has been developing.

Complementing or co-opting? Applying an integrative framework to assess the transformative capacity of approaches that make use of the term agroecology

The paper discusses the increasing use of the term agroecology in scientific literature and how its meanings vary in different contexts. However, the key issue is not the different understandings of agroecology per se, but whether various interpretations align with its intrinsic systemic and transformative meaning. To address this, the paper presents an integrative framework to assess approaches that use the term agroecology, and distinguish between its enabling and disabling interpretations. The framework is applied to yield- and non-yield-oriented approaches (sustainable intensification, conservation agriculture, organic farming and regenerative farming), revealing concerns of hijacking or co-opting through (1) simplification, (2) false equivalence and (3) confusion. To prevent and/or respond to the – not necessarily intentional - process of neutralization of the transformative potential of agroecology, we propose a combination of accountability and regulatory efforts, education and collaboration to protect the integrity of the term and the principles it represents as well as to ensure its just and transformative contribution for (re-)shaping agri-food systems.

Capacity building within urban climate resilience in the Global South – a literature review

Capacity building for urban climate resilience is essential for strengthening both cities’ own capacities and multilevel governance, which are instrumental for the successful operationalisation of the Paris Agreement. Strengthening the capacities for planning, managing, and developing cities is required to support an urban resilient transition in a context of high complexity and uncertainty, especially in the Global South. The main objective for this article is to investigate the differences in understanding of capacity building in urban climate resilience in the Global South through literature review. Specifically, this paper investigates the main approaches, aspects, components, and end users for capacity building in the frame of urban climate resilience. The article identifies a set of Capacity Building Parameters and Enabling Factors which are Purpose, Transformative Capacity, Multi-actor, Participation, Knowledge and Learning, Transdiciplinarity as well as Data and Finance. The Capacity Building Parameters and Enabling Factors can serve as a basis to develop an analytical framework to assess existing capacity building initiatives and to support the development of new capacities for planning, management and developing cities for an urban resilient transition.

The relationship between disaster resilience and household food security in a disaster-prone area in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan

This study explores the relationship between residents’ disaster resilience and potential household food security in the context of natural disasters. Disaster resilience capacity consists of absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity, and transformative capacity, while household food security is composed of food availability, accessibility, and utilization. Based on data from 539 questionnaires administered to residents in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, this study examines households’ disaster resilience capacity and food security conditions. The entropy method is adopted as a quantitative assessment approach to integrate the data, and a Tobit model is constructed to detect the correlation between households’ disaster resilience capacity and food security. We draw five main findings from the results. (1) Over half of the respondents do not have good food security; moreover, food accessibility is the poorest dimension, as reflected by low scores for water purification capacity and facility preparedness. (2) Most of the respondents do not have high disaster resilience capacity; their transformative capacity is the lowest, followed by absorptive and adaptive capacity. (3) There is a significant positive correlation between disaster resilience and household food security. (4) Disaster damage experience restrains residents’ food utilization. (5) The elderly and senior population may be exposed to food-borne diseases because of their low food utilization. This study provides insights into the influence of disaster resilience activities on household food security before a disaster hits. The study informs the debate on the association between disaster resilience and household food security so as to aid future disaster risk reduction management.

Robustness, redundancy, inclusivity, and integration of built environment systems: resilience quantification from stakeholders’ perspectives

The built environment faces a growing number of challenges due to changing climates. A resilient built environment system (BES) can withstand disruptions and shocks, and resilient design allows communities to bounce back quickly. Considering present and future needs, BESs can be oriented to adapt to new uses or modified to handle changing climates. This study examines the resilience qualities (RQs) of built environment systems (BESs) in responding to and recovering from climate change disruptions effectively. A survey was designed to capture the views of various stakeholders about the different indicators to assess the four RQs: robustness (Rb), redundancy (Rd), inclusivity (Ic), and integration (It). Regulatory and engineering stakeholders participated in the survey, and the results were analyzed using statistical methods. Stakeholders generally agree on the need to enhance transformative capacity for addressing uncertainties and climate challenges. While stakeholders trust the role of BESs’ robustness against climate impacts, some suggest improving standards for better resilience. There is consensus on the importance of regulatory measures mandating emergency resources in BESs. The study highlights the need to enhance adaptive capacities and tools within BESs. Incorporating reconfigurability and spare capacity in BESs is crucial to prevent disruptions. Participants tend to think promoting good practices at the community level is essential to address climate impacts effectively. The analysis highlights the importance of inclusive community consultation and involvement in fostering a shared responsibility for enhancing urban ecosystems against climate change impacts. This involves aligning processes across various city systems to support cohesive decision-making and strategic investments. The study suggests developing objective engineering techniques to establish a standardized approach for evaluating the RQs of BESs.