Limited Scope Research Articles

Innovators and transformers: envisioning a revolution in middle mile logistics with extended range cargo drones

PurposeThis paper investigates the integration of middle mile drones (MMD) into logistics operations, addressing two key questions: (1) What are the drivers, financial implications and upcoming innovations associated with integrating drones into MM logistics? and (2) What challenges need to be overcome for successful implementation of drones in MM logistics?Design/methodology/approachThe study combines expertise from an industry professional with over ten years of experience in drone operations and logistics applications, along with insights gained from discussions with 33 industry executives.FindingsThe research identifies several unique advantages of integrating drones into MM logistics, including their potential to improve operational efficiency in challenging environments. However, significant challenges related to scalability, evolving airframe designs and operational constraints remain. Early-stage use cases demonstrate the viability of MMD technologies in lower-risk logistics environments, but broader implementation requires overcoming the identified challenges.Research limitations/implicationsAs MMD logistics is a nascent field, the study is exploratory and based on early-stage use cases and expert discussions. The limited scope of practical implementations may restrict the generalizability of the findings. Future research should focus on larger-scale operations and empirical studies of MMD integration in diverse logistics contexts.Practical implicationsThe findings offer valuable insights for practitioners related to the costs, benefits and challenges of integrating drones into logistics operations and for policymakers related to societal implications, workforce development, privacy and safety concerns, and environmental impact.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the evolving understanding of drone applications in MM logistics by presenting early use cases and identifying both challenges and opportunities for MMD technology and offers a foundation for future research and practice in this emerging domain.

Using Industrial Mining Solid Waste through Conversion to Phase-Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage.

The mining industry produces a large amount of industrial solid waste every year.Among them, fly ash(FA), slag and tailings are the three main solid wastes, which can cause soil pollution, air pollution, water pollution and serious threat to human health if not handled properly. At present, the treatment methods of industrial solid waste mainly include direct landfill, recovery of high-value components, production of construction materials, etc. These methods not only waste land resources, but also have a limited scope of application. Mining and metallurgical industrial solid wastes are generally characterized by high porosity, certain mechanical strength, and high yield, which can be used as a porous matrix to support phase change materials (PCMs)after modification treatment, thus solving the problem of easy leakage of PCMs. At present, there is no overview of mining industry solid waste in PCM applications. This paper provides a detailed review of the research progress of FA, slag and tailings in the field of phase change thermal storage materials in recent years, which provides useful ideas for further research on the comprehensive utilization of solid wastes in the mining and metallurgical industry and the reduction of their pollution of the environment.

Control and Regulation of Human Trafficking in Nigeria: A Legal Framework Analysis

Human trafficking is a pervasive and complex issue affecting millions worldwide. Despite international efforts to combat trafficking, the scourge persists, necessitating a critical examination of the existing legal framework as it relates to Nigeria. This article undertakes a study of Nigeria's legal framework and the various measures adopted by the Nigerian government to curb the menace of human trafficking, with a view to identifying best practices and areas for improvement. This article employs the analytical approach to Nigeria's Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015. The article examines the definition of trafficking, the prosecution and punishment of offenders, the protection of victims, and prevention strategies employed by the Nigerian government. The findings reveal that while Nigeria has made significant strides in combating human trafficking, there are still gaps to be filled with respect to penalties for offenders. Nigeria's legislation, although well-intentioned, is often criticized for its limited scope and inadequate enforcement mechanisms. This article contributes to the existing literature on human trafficking by providing a nuanced understanding of the control measures employed in Nigeria. The article highlights the need for a more coordinated and effective approach to combating human trafficking, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation, capacity building, and community engagement. Ultimately, this article aims to inform policy and legislative reforms, promoting a more robust response to the scourge of human trafficking

The Digital Economy, R&D Investments, and CO2 Emissions: Unraveling Reduction Potentials in China

This study explores the relationships between the digital economy, R&D investment, and carbon emissions, as well as the mediating role of financial technology (fintech). Despite a growing body of research, the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions remains contested, partly due to the limited scope and inconsistent measures in existing studies. Additionally, while R&D is a pivotal driver of modern development, its potential quadratic effects on carbon emissions in China remain unexplored. By employing a comprehensive Digital Economy Index and analyzing panel data from 2011 to 2020 across Chinese regions, this study provides new insights into how digitalization and innovation influence carbon emissions. The findings reveal a positive linear correlation between the digital economy and CO2 emissions over the last decade. Moreover, R&D investments exhibit an inverse U-shaped relationship with emissions, acting as an effective factor in reducing CO2 emissions. Notably, the turning point of this relationship occurs in Quadrant I, where most regions are clustered, indicating substantial efficiency gains from early-stage R&D investments and their significant potential to enhance sustainable development. Furthermore, fintech emerges as a significant mediator in the R&D–emissions dynamic, underscoring its critical role in this context.

Evaluating the Predictive Validity of Employee Engagement: A Meta-Analytic Comparison with Job Attitudes in Forecasting Employee Performance

The present research employs “meta-analytic estimates” to investigate if the “employee engagement (EE) construct” exhibits additional reliability in forecasting “employee performance”, which encompasses a wide range of behaviour related to performance, beyond “other job attitudes” including “job satisfaction”, “job involvement”, and “organizational commitment”. The data were obtained from 53 empirical studies conducted focusing on the correlation of the above-mentioned variables, which included a sample size of 4,421 individuals. The approximations obtained were integrated with previously published meta-analytic approximations concerning the association between “employee performance” and indicators of “job attitudes”, resulting in a meta-matrix that encompasses 1,082 distinct correlations. By utilizing the meta-matrix, it was found: (1) The additional reliability of “employee engagement” is low to moderate in comparison to “individual job attitudes”, and (2) The additional reliability of “employee engagement” is low in comparison to a “higher-order job attitude construct” that represents the amalgamation of “other job attitudes” in forecasting a “higher-order employee performance construct”. The findings indicate that due to the limited scope of prevalent “employee engagement” assessments, it may be more appropriate to view “employee engagement” as a more comprehensive “job attitude” measure that can efficiently forecast “employee performance”.

Effectiveness of Demand Side of Accountability in Tanzania Local Government

Striking a balance between demand and supply sides of accountability is highly encouraged in public sector management. Studies stress the ways the supply side can be successful; however, meager focus has been on the effectiveness of the demand side, particularly in local government. Using two local government authorities (LGAs) from Tanzania, the study contributes to this debate. Data were collected through interviews from four CSOs and analyzed using thematic approach. It was found that CSOs are allowed to demand accountability. They use different mechanisms such as meetings, public gatherings, trainings, accountability clubs, public debate, invitation, and raising awareness to citizens. However, mechanisms were not effective due to govern (mentality) of leaders, limited scope, financial difficulties, and legal arrangements. The study recommends changing LGAs laws to recognize the role of CSOs in accountability, change govern (mentality) of leaders by raising awareness to them, and strengthen the cooperation between CSOs and LGAs.

The Evidence-Based Medicine Management of Endometriosis Should Be Updated for the Limitations of Trial Evidence, the Multivariability of Decisions, Collective Experience, Heuristics, and Bayesian Thinking.

Background/Objectives: The diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis should be based on the best available evidence. Emphasising the risk of bias, the pyramid of evidence has the double-blind, randomised controlled trial and its meta-analyses on top. After the grading of all evidence by a group of experts, clinical guidelines are formulated using well-defined rules. Unfortunately, the impact of evidence-based medicine (EBM) on the management of endometriosis has been limited and, possibly, occasionally harmful. Methods: For this research, the inherent problems of diagnosis and treatment were discussed by a working group of endometriosis and EBM specialists, and the relevant literature was reviewed. Results: Most clinical decisions are multivariable, but randomized controlled trials (RCTs) cannot handle multivariability because adopting a factorial design would require prohibitively large cohorts and create randomization problems. Single-factor RCTs represent a simplification of the clinical reality. Heuristics and intuition are both important for training and decision-making in surgery; experience, Bayesian thinking, and learning from the past are seldom considered. Black swan events or severe complications and accidents are marginally discussed in EBM since trial evidence is limited for rare medical events. Conclusions: The limitations of EBM for managing endometriosis and the complementarity of multivariability, heuristics, Bayesian thinking, and experience should be recognized. Especially in surgery, the value of training and heuristics, as well as the importance of documenting the collective experience and of the prevention of complications, are fundamental. These additions to EBM and guidelines will be useful in changing the Wild West mentality of surgery resulting from the limited scope of EBM data because of the inherent multivariability, combined with the low number of similar interventions.

Systematic literature review on the effects of blended learning in nursing education.

The study aimed to comprehensively analyze and evaluate the effects of blended learning in nursing education. Blended learning addresses significant challenges in nursing education by offering flexible and adaptive learning environments that support the development of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Its importance grew post-COVID-19. Although some reviews have synthesized its effects in nursing education, they often focused on a limited scope and studies, leaving gaps in understanding its broader impact. Systematic literature review. We employed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to search for literature published in PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, EMBASE, ERIC, Scopus and Cochrane Library from 2000 to June 26, 2024. Two researchers independently screened each article for eligibility and extracted the data. This review included 54 studies and found that blended learning positively influenced nursing students in five key areas: academic performance and skill development, learning engagement and motivation, self-management in learning, psychological and emotional well-being, learning experience and satisfaction. These were captured in a visual model showing the comprehensive impact of blended learning. Critical research gaps were identified, including a lack of randomized controlled trials and limited studies on mental health and clinical thinking abilities. The results of the study showed that the effects of blended learning in nursing education were positive and multi-dimensional. Despite some inconsistencies in findings, blended learning was shown to offer significant advantages over traditional learning, though further research is required to address areas of uncertainty.

Back to the Loop: A reading of opposing visions for the future of Lok Ma Chau

As Hong Kong and Shenzhen citizens are becoming more and more integrated in their daily lives and work, education has increasingly become an important issue in the cooperation between the two cities. A great opportunity is represented by the Lok Ma Chau Loop and Hong Kong’s boundary closed area. Here it is envisioned the project for the San Tin Technopole, with a dense development corridor realized along Lok Ma Chau BCP and its connecting roads, while the Loop itself would host high value-added/hi-tech production activities and R&D facilities. Why reduce education to such a limited scope (highly specialized research) and area, when such a unique opportunity opens the way for innovative scenarios? In this essay the vision for the San Tin Technopole is compared with the “Learning Cloud”, a project developed by the Italian office Salottobuono for the Lok Ma Chau Loop in 2009 and exhibited in the frame of the third edition of the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture in that same year. The “Learning Cloud” engaged with a scenario of counterurbanization in the Pearl River Delta context. Counterurbanization intended not simply in terms of transition from dense to more dispersed forms of settlement, from urban to rural, but also from a strictly normative social structure to a more casual one, open to chance and the unforeseen.

Hardware Trojan Detection Using Graph Neural Networks

The globalization of the Integrated Circuit (IC) supply chain has moved most of the design, fabrication, and testing process from a single trusted entity to various untrusted third party entities around the world. The risk of using untrusted third-Party Intellectual Property (3PIP) is the possibility for adversaries to insert malicious modifications known as Hardware Trojans (HTs). These HTs can compromise the integrity, deteriorate the performance, and deny the functionality of the intended design. Various HT detection methods have been proposed in the literature; however, many fall short due to their reliance on a golden reference circuit, a limited detection scope, the need for manual code review, or the inability to scale with large modern designs. We propose a novel golden reference-free HT detection method for both Register Transfer Level (RTL) and gate-level netlists by leveraging Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to learn the behavior of the circuit through a Data Flow Graph (DFG) representation of the hardware design. We evaluate our model on a custom dataset by expanding the Trusthub HT benchmarks trusthub1. The results demonstrate that our approach detects unknown HTs with 97% recall (true positive rate) very fast in 21.1ms for RTL and 84% recall in 13.42s for Gate-Level Netlist.

Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior toward silver diamine fluoride among postgraduate pediatric dentistry students

Background and Objectives: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a clear solution composed of ammonia, silver, and fluoride ions, used as an alternative treatment for early childhood caries. The study sought to assess the educational experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior of postgraduate pediatric dentists regarding SDF, as well as to explore the connections among these factors. Methods: Postgraduate pediatric dental students (n = 200) participated in the survey. The SDF evaluation covered education, clinical knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior, as well as parental acceptance. Results: Despite the limited scope of undergraduate education regarding SDF, the majority of the respondents knew about its uses and limitations. In spite of their high knowledge and positive attitude, the clinical use of SDF was found lacking. There was a positive correlation between the constructs, and the associations were statistically significant (P = 0.00). Interpretation and Conclusion: Even with the knowledge and positive attitude, clinical use seemed lacking. This can be overcome by increasing SDF education and encouraging postgraduates to incorporate the use of SDF into their routine practice. Moreover, clinicians must stress the advantages of SDF to parents and encourage them to look beyond the esthetic limitations.

Analysis of Research Trends and Characteristics of Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality Experts at Seoul National University

Research and practice aimed at achieving carbon neutrality cannot be approached by a single academic discipline. Instead, integrative and comprehensive research across various fields, such as natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences, is essential. Accordingly, achieving carbon neutrality requires multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research that encompasses a scientific understanding of climate change, solutions, and implementation systems across natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences. However, education, research, and policy activities related to carbon neutrality within the university are often conducted within the limited scope of departments or colleges, lacking a comprehensive and holistic approach at the university-wide level. As a world-class research-focused and comprehensive university, Seoul National University urgently needs to establish a network for integrated research on climate change and carbon neutrality. Therefore, this study was conducted to gather basic information for the establishment of a climate change and carbon neutrality convergence network at Seoul National University. 128 experts participated in the survey, and the results revealed that active research is being conducted across various fields, including technology development, policy research, climate science, and humanities and social sciences. Notably, significant research activity was observed in technology development and climate science, with policy research and humanities and social sciences also playing crucial roles. Based on the results of this study, three policy recommendations were proposed: enhancing information sharing and collaboration opportunities, establishing a multidisciplinary research network, and promoting a virtual university platform. These recommendations aim to further develop the research at Seoul National University in a more integrated and collaborative manner and serve as a valuable foundation for achieving carbon neutrality and addressing climate change goals domestically and internationally.

Revisiting Diabetes with a Focus on Complications, Innovations, and Care Strategies

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic endocrine health issue characterized by persistent hyperglycemia resulting from impaired insulin excretion, insulin impact, or both. This condition poses significant challenges due to its associated complications, including macrovascular conditions like heart disease and stroke, as well as microvascular complications such as diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiomyopathy. Specialist nurses are integral to comprehensive diabetes care, offering expertise that spans multiple domains. Their contributions include improving inpatient management by reducing hospital stays and enhancing clinical outcomes, providing outpatient support to foster self-management and monitor disease progression, and delivering specialized care in pediatric diabetes, diabetic foot ulcer prevention, and gestational diabetes management. Additionally, nurse-led interventions, including education programs, telehealth services, and telephone support, empower patients to better manage their condition (table 1). This paper also highlights the challenges specialist nurses face, such as limited scope of practice, inadequate remuneration, and the need for greater interprofessional collaboration. By addressing these barriers and leveraging the expertise of specialist nurses, healthcare systems can significantly enhance diabetes management, reduce complications, and improve the overall quality of life (QOL) for individuals with diabetes. The findings underscore the critical role of specialist nurses in addressing the global diabetes epidemic and the importance of supporting their continued involvement in patient-centered care.

Legal Frameworks and Issues in Digital Currency: Insights from Financial Technology

With the rapid advancement of network technology, new payment methods represented by Q coins and game currencies have entered a phase of significant growth. However, these payment methods have a limited scope of application and lack the legal status of fiat currency. The rise of digital currency has profoundly impacted the authority of traditional currency systems. Distinguished by robust payment capabilities, digital currency differs significantly from traditional currency. Yet, due to its relatively brief history, a globally unified definition has yet to be established. Consequently, there is an urgent need to enhance the regulation of digital currency through legislative measures to ensure its orderly and sustainable development.

Groundwater well fields in ice-margin valley aquifers - is it easy to protect them, or not? An overview of hydrogeological and legal aspects of determining wellhead protection zones

This paper discusses principles for delineating wellhead protection zones (WHPZ) of groundwater well fields in ice-margin valleys. A distinctive feature of such well fields is that, apart from the often geogenically contaminated water of ice-margin valleys, they are largely supplied with high-quality water from intertill aquifers of neighbouring uplands. However, much of this inflow can be intercepted by wells for agriculture that are increasingly being constructed in the capture zones of existing municipal well fields, thus posing a threat to the quality of water for the public. This problem has been investigated using the example of a municipal well in Wroniawy (Poland) by analysing changes in the recharge components of this well field with a groundwater flow model. The results indicate that the commissioning of agricultural abstractions in the capture zone of this well field reduces inflow from intertill aquifers (8.5 per cent) and precipitation recharge (3.3 per cent), following a change in the extent of the capture zone. The loss of these qualitative recharge components is substituted by an increase in poor-quality water, i.e., surface water (7.3 per cent) and geogenically contaminated water from the ice-margin valley centre (3.8 per cent). Protecting well fields in such locations from adverse water quality changes requires the implementation of quantitative shielding of best-quality water, calling for WHPZ to cover the entire capture zone regardless of water flow timing, which is not provided for in Polish legislation. Costs and constraints of implementing such a WHPZ can be reduced by dividing it into sectors that differ in the scope of limitations, with the only quantitative protection applied to the outermost, medium- and low-vulnerable parts of the capture zone.

Application of Communication Effectiveness Theory to Fitness Bloggers' Social Media Communication - A Study of Audience Changes in Health Perceptions and Behaviour

With the popularity of social media, fitness bloggers have become important figures in the dissemination of health information. Based on communication effect theory, this paper investigates the influence of fitness bloggers on audience health perception and behaviour on social media. By analyzing the origin and development of communication effects theory, its main schools and key concepts, and its evolution in the new media environment, the study explores the interactivity and fragmentation of social media communication, the role and influence of fitness bloggers, and the match between platforms and fitness content. It is found that fitness bloggers effectively enhance their audience's health perceptions, stimulate positive health attitudes, and motivate changes in health behaviours through personalized and interactive content design. In particular, the bloggers' long-term interactions and incentives had a significant impact on the sustained change of audience behaviour. In addition, the interactive model of communication effects and audience behaviour change reveals the dynamic relationship among perception, attitude and behaviour. Although this study provides valuable insights into the communication effects of fitness bloggers, it still suffers from a limited sample scope and insufficient data support. Future research should expand the sample scope and incorporate more interdisciplinary theories to further validate and optimize fitness bloggers' information dissemination strategies.

The legitimation of private net zero emission building standards in the context of global decarbonization goals

Since the Paris Agreement – where nations committed to decarbonizing their economies – private net zero standards have proliferated. Yet, their limited scope and ability to deliver tangible change threatens their legitimacy. For some scholars, this reflects societies’ limited capacity to envision pathways towards a fossil-free future. This raises questions about how private net zero standards are legitimised. Combining insights from the literature on legitimation, discourse analysis, and sociotechnical transitions, we analyse the legitimation of Net Zero Carbon Buildings by the World Green Building Council, the strongest global sustainable construction network. We find that net zero standard legitimation is a dynamic multilevel, multistakeholder process based on three strategies: vertical nesting, ambivalence, and conflict avoidance. This process perpetuates assumptions about growth, authority, and appropriate scales of action. This incremental, emission-focused approach to decarbonization is shielded from critique through claims that it contributes to broader sustainability objectives. By reproducing institutionalized narratives, global standard setters create a sense of consensus. However, this perception of consensus fails to address the complexities of implementation, contextualization, and integration of broader environmental and social concerns. These findings raise doubts in both theory and practice about the capacity of the construction sector to decarbonize through current strategies.

Barrow of the Wielbark culture at Leśnictwo Wilczy Jar Site 2 in the Białowieża Forest – new data on Roman Period settlement in the Upper Narew and Middle Bug interfluve

For many years, the Białowieża Forest has been one of the archaeologically least known areas of present-day Poland. Although the first excavations there were carried out as early as 1917-1918, until recently, knowledge of the prehistoric and Early Medieval settlement in the region has been negligible. Thanks to surface surveys and excavations undertaken at the beginning of the 21st century, it has so far been possible to record more than 600 archaeological sites in the Białowieża Forest. The great potential of this best-preserved lowland natural forest in Central Europe is evidenced, among other things, by the results of excavations carried out at Leśnictwo Wilczy Jar, Site 2. A barrow of the Wielbark culture, which is the first grave of its kind located so far to the east, was investigated there. Despite the limited scope of excavation of the mound, it is a significant contribution to the knowledge of the Roman Period in the Upper Narew and Middle Bug interfluve.

Success orientation among young people practicing martial arts in different countries

Background: The scientific frameworks for this study are the General Theory of Fighting Arts and the holistic Anthropology of Martial Arts. These theories provide definitions and conceptional framework for all combat sports and martial arts (CSMA). The problem and aim of this study were to explain the perception of success in international groups of children and teens practicing various fighting arts. Methods: The Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) was used for this study. 430 young martial artists from Poland, Ukraine, China, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea were surveyed. Statistical methods were used to examine, for example, the significance and strength of the relationship between the perception of success and the selected variables (i.e., type of practiced martial art, nationality, etc.). Results: The results obtained in this study indicate a moderate relationship between gender and age (R = 0.27-0.32, p < 0.05) and the perception of success (R = 0.21-0.54, p < 0.05), and the relationship between nationality (R = 0.13-0.38, p < 0.05) and the type of martial arts practiced and the perception of success is statistically significant (R = 0.26-0.32, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The relatively strong correlation between the perception of success and gender may suggest that in the era of globalization, significant cultural pattern unification is taking place. However, the limited scope of the research and the small size of the groups do not allow for unequivocal generalizations.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON DESIGN OFFICES

This study aims to elucidate the effects of Instagram usage on the design processes, client relations, project management, and corporate identity of Interior Design and Architecture offices. It seeks to provide a comprehensive perspective on how social media platforms induce transformations within design offices and the extent to which these changes are reflected in sectoral dynamics. In this context, the "cross-sectional research model," one of the general survey models, was chosen to test the hypotheses regarding the "operations" and "developments" of Interior Design and Architecture firms through Instagram usage. The study's population consists of Interior Architecture and Architecture offices operating in Istanbul, with the sample including 21 offices that actively use Instagram and have at least 30,000 followers. To efficiently gather data from the larger population, the "convenience sampling method," a type of random sampling, was employed. A 23-question survey form, developed by the researchers, was used in the study. The findings indicate that Instagram positively impacts the operations and development of design offices, supporting the study's hypotheses. However, the limited scope of the sample weakens the generalizability of the findings and negatively affects the external validity of the research. To address the issue of low external validity and ensure that the data obtained represents a broader audience, it is recommended that future research includes other popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.