Monetary Profit Research Articles

Kontinuitas Budaya Mengemis Pada Transformasi Kampung Barak ke Kampung Baru

The phenomenon of begging, which emphasizes the hope of other people's compassion by selling the image of 'poverty', has become a sustainable social ecosystem that is unbroken from generation to generation because it has become a separate 'lifestyle' which is then interpreted by the perpetrators as part of a "profession". The stigma then explores into a hereditary habit that is cultivated in a social environment that makes the phenomenon of begging the main livelihood and becomes part of the 'lifestyle'. Begging culture as mentioned above occurs in one of the social environments in Bondowoso Regency, East Java, which for generations has continued the ecosystem of begging culture and is commonly known as "Kampung Barak" which has now been transformed empirically and the area is now named "Kampung Baru", but unfortunately the continuity of begging culture is still maintained. The social ecosystem attracts the author's attention to explore the phenomenon of an uninterrupted begging culture (continuity) that occurs in the transformation of "Kampung Barak" to "Kampung Baru". This research was conducted using an ethnographic approach that studies the culture and daily life of a group or community with the aim of understanding the norms, values, and practices applied in the context of cultural things. Thus, it is hoped that this research can explore and understand in depth what causes the continuity of begging culture in the transformation of "Kampung Barak" into "Kampung Baru" and be able to provide solutions to break the begging culture ecosystem in the area. 
 

Exploring Service Design as a Commoning Approach: The Engaging Strategy of the Service Master Planning

This paper explores the concept of design for urban commons and its role in placemaking strategies that cater to community needs and aspirations. Placemaking is viewed as a collaborative process that involves early engagement with stakeholders to create shared visions. Design, particularly through co-design methodologies, scenario building and service design, can play a role in shaping public spaces for communal value and sustainability. This paper presents and discusses three case studies from Italy to introduce the concept of Service Master Planning, a methodology that combines co-design and service-centred scenarios to facilitate top-down actions that encourage bottom-up activation. It aims to co-create a vision for the future of a place involving the various actors of complex service ecosystems. Unlike traditional urban planning, which focuses mainly on the physical infrastructure, Service Master Planning emphasises services and social ecosystems. The methodology results in a strategic document, the Service Master Plan, outlining future scenarios based on contextual needs and aspirations. The successful adoption of Service Master Plan relies on inspiring spatial design and attracting community interest for co-producing the envisioned services. The challenge lies in transitioning scenarios into concrete actions, involving architectural and urban designers, and facilitating stakeholder consultations for service provision.

The Factors of Adolescent Depression in Jiangsu Province, China, from the Perspective of Social Ecosystem: A Case-Control Study

Background. The prevalence of adolescent depression is continuously increasing, impacting the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development of adolescents. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend depression from the perspective of the social ecosystem, necessitating further empirical evaluation. Methods. This study utilized a case-control study design. The cases consisted of adolescents with depression (aged 13–18 years) admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, from November 2021 to July 2022, meeting the diagnostic criteria for depression in the 11th Edition of the International Classification of Diseases. Control group students, with a matching gender ratio in the same region, were randomly recruited. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the factors associated with depression, with gender and age as covariates. Results. The study comprised 200 participants, with 44 (22.0%) males and 156 (78.0%) females. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that increased adolescent depression was associated with being an only child ( AOR = 2.680 , 95% CI: 1.106–6.492), living in urban areas ( AOR = 3.324 , 95% CI: 1.077–10.267), experiencing school bullying ( AOR = 9.087 , 95% CI: 2.044–40.408), having severe family dysfunction ( AOR = 6.491 , 95% CI: 1.109–37.995), and possessing low core self-evaluation ( AOR = 11.746 , 95% CI: 3.305–41.746). Odds ratios for each factor were statistically significant. Conclusions. Our results improve the evidence for associations between adolescent depression and core self-evaluation, school bullying, family function, living in urban areas, and being an only child. These findings should be taken into consideration in the assessment, intervention, and related policies for adolescent depression.

Weather information, farm-level climate adaptation and farmers' adaptive capacity: Examining the role of information and communication technologies

Previous studies on farmers’ capacity to adapt to weather and climate variability tend to follow the resource endowment perspective and ignore the role of information. The paper examines farmers’ access to weather information as a resource and its relationship to the uptake of farm-level adaptation strategies while controlling other related variables. It also looks at information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide information to farmers. Four dimensions of ICTs are considered – physical access to ICT devices, farmer’s ability to use ICTs, farmer’s intent to use ICTs for productive purposes, and farmer’s presence in the social ecosystem pertaining to use of ICTs. Structural equation modelling analysis of 463 farmers highlighted the potential of information in facilitating the uptake of farm-level adaptation strategies. The information-adaptation link becomes even stronger with the moderation effect of the farmer’s social ecosystem pertaining to use of ICTs. Farmers’ abilities to use ICTs are vital in improving their access to weather information. Farmers’ intent to use ICTs for productive purposes positively correlates with their stronger presence in the social ecosystem pertaining to use of ICTs. While wealth is an essential determinant of farmers’ access to other resources, it is not directly associated with the uptake of farm-level adaptation strategies. The paper highlights ways to enhance farmers’ adaptive capacity through non-economic means and facilitate farm-level adaptation.

The Pharmaceutical Industry May Move into a New Industry of Medicinal and Edible Plants Under the Impact of COVID-19

In the global impact of COVID-19, we need to broaden our health perspective and have an overall concept of the health of all organisams in a given ecosystem. There are many drawbacks in the traditional pharmaceutical industry, which can not well solve the current problems such as the large number of sequelae of the new coronavirus, the epidemic of infectious diseases, and the climate and earth ecology caused by carbon emissions of the one health social ecosystem. In the world, plants with a long history of use, such as dandelion, can improve the sequelae of the new coronavirus, the epidemic of nutrition disorders, carbon emission reduction in one health and food security, etc. The pharmaceutical industry is more likely to enter the new industry of plants with the medicinal and edible homologous plants. The individuals eat from medicine to medicinal and edible homologous plants. The pharmaceutical industry institutions spread traditional medicine and traditional culture, and everyone understands food and medicine. The individuals are the first person responsible for your own health, and realize everyone's medicine and lifelong medicine.

Walking, the body, and the pandemic: the public value of walking art in China

ABSTRACT In December 2022, the dynamic zero-COVID control policy came to an end, marking the conclusion of a three-year pandemic that affected 1.4 billion Chinese people. The pandemic and related policies created a unique, temporary, and historic social ecosystem where walking became more crucial than ever before. The pandemic not only severely restricted people’s movement in public spaces but also exposed the longstanding contradictions between human bodies, modern mobility, and urban space. Over the three years of the pandemic, walking became an aesthetic survival attempt by Chinese people to cope with their limited freedoms under the pandemic. As the pandemic stagnated and worsened over time, walking-dominant activities gradually became a widespread social phenomenon that encouraged urban residents to participate in rebuilding society across various fields such as politics, art, nature, etc. The development of walking as an artistic form during this period represents a new aesthetic strategy and political awakening while reflecting humans’ need to reconnect with land, social space, and their own bodies. This paper reviews how walking art has evolved historically through three periods – before, during, and after the pandemic – aiming to highlight both the public value of walking art and challenges within China’s social ecosystem.

Child dental neglect and legal protections: a compendium of briefs from policy reviews in 26 countries and a special administrative region of China.

Child neglect is a public health, human rights, and social problem, with potentially devastating and costly consequences. The aim of this study was to: (1) summarize the oral health profile of children across the globe; (2) provide a brief overview of legal instruments that can offer children protection from dental neglect; and (3) discuss the effectiveness of these legal instruments. We summarized and highlighted the caries profile and status of implementation of legislation on child dental neglect for 26 countries representing the World Health Organization regions: five countries in Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe), eight in the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Unites States of America, Uruguay), six in the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Iran, Libya, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia), four in Europe (Italy, Latvia, Serbia, United Kingdom), two in South-East Asia (India and Indonesia) and one country (China) with its special administrative region (Hong Kong) in the Western Pacific. Twenty-five of the 26 countries have legal instruments to address child neglect. Only two (8.0%) of these 25 countries had specific legal instruments on child dental neglect. Although child neglect laws can be interpreted to establish a case of child dental neglect, the latter may be difficult to establish in countries where governments have not addressed barriers that limit children's access to oral healthcare. Where there are specific legal instruments to address child dental neglect, a supportive social ecosystem has also been built to facilitate children's access to oral healthcare. A supportive legal environment, however, does not seem to confer extra protection against risks for untreated dental caries. The institution of specific country-level legislation on child dental neglect may not significantly reduce the national prevalence of untreated caries in children. It, however, increases the prospect for building a social ecosystem that may reduce the risk of untreated caries at the individual level. Social ecosystems to mitigate child dental neglect can be built when there is specific legislation against child dental neglect. It may be more effective to combine public health and human rights-based approaches, inclusive of an efficient criminal justice system to deal with child dental neglect.

Social Wormholes: Exploring Preferences and Opportunities for Distributed and Physically-Grounded Social Connections

Ubiquitous computing encapsulates the idea for technology to be interwoven into the fabric of everyday life. As computing blends into everyday physical artifacts, powerful opportunities open up for social connection. Prior connected media objects span a broad spectrum of design combinations. Such diversity suggests that people have varying needs and preferences for staying connected to one another. However, since these designs have largely been studied in isolation, we do not have a holistic understanding around how people would configure and behave within a ubiquitous social ecosystem of physically-grounded artifacts. In this paper, we create a technology probe called Social Wormholes, that lets people configure their own home ecosystem of connected artifacts. Through a field study with 24 participants, we report on patterns of behaviors that emerged naturally in the context of their daily lives and shine a light on how ubiquitous computing could be leveraged for social computing.

The mediating role of further and higher education in a Just Transition social ecosystem

ABSTRACT The Just Transition (JT) can be understood as a combinational strategic concept (transition to net zero combined with climate justice) to support the transitioning to a more sustainable, socially just and peaceful world. While the JT is becoming increasingly prevalent in terms of policy development, both nationally and internationally, a major challenge is practical implementation at different levels of societal life. This article is intended as a conceptual think piece to explore the potential role of further and higher education (FHE) in England as a mediating force between national policy and the local and regional economic and skills terrains in support of the JT. The roles of learning and skills actors are explored via a three-stage methodology involving the synthesis of several groups of literatures. The first concerns a brief discussion of the JT, its definitions and its differing versions used by a range of social partners. The second focuses on the building of a theoretical framework – a ‘Just Transition Social Ecosystem’ - with particular emphasis on its intermediary levels. The third step sees the multi-level JT social ecosystem framework applied to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and FHE to explore the different dimensions of sectoral and institutional mediation between individuals, communities and national systems in support of the JT. The final part of the article problematises the role of the vertically organised governmental state in the development of the JT Social Ecosystem Model.

Endogenous bifurcation into environmental CSR and non-environmental CSR firms by activist shareholders

This paper proposes a new and simple partial equilibrium model in which environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) firms arise endogenously through changes in the composition of their shareholders. Our model has two types of shareholders: profit seekers who aim to maximize dividends from their equities and environmental activists who demand not only monetary profits but also environmental investments from firms. The objective function of firms is a weighted average of both types of shareholders' utilities, and its weight is the proportion of their shareholdings. As a result of equity trades in a perfect competitive market, firms bifurcate into ECSR and non-ECSR firms even if they were homogeneous at establishment.

The historical shifts of in/formality of learning within craft skills ecosystems in the United Kingdom

AbstractIn this paper, we address the debate on local skills ecosystems and informal learning. We use the social ecosystem model as a tool to help us analyse the role played by various actors in learning and skills ecosystems and highlight the role of informal learning in vocational education and training. We draw on the case of craft pottery to discuss the historical shifts and transformations of ecosystems, including the centrality of informal learning occurring in different spaces and times, and subsequent transformation of the learning ecosystem. Our paper contributes in two ways. First, we add the lens of temporality to understanding of how learning and skills ecosystems are maintained and developed, in the absence of supportive government policy. Second, we show how multiple horizontal sectors contribute to reconstruct a learning and skills ecosystem, as an informal one, over time.

Digital skills recruitment challenges in small enterprises: the role of blockchain

ABSTRACT Industry reports estimate blockchain can potentially generate around $3.1 trillion in new businesses by 2030. These latest digital technologies present more opportunities for all sizes of enterprises to grow. However, they also create new challenges for the small enterprises in adopting such technologies for their individual business needs. While the growth of digital technologies and their impact is explicit, it is also evidenced that small enterprises struggle to recruit and train the digital skills required to effectively use these innovations. This study conducted a literature survey to analyse how blockchain can contribute to small enterprises benefits. Based on the blockchain social ecosystems’ analysis, this study proposes a National Digital Skills Recruitment Chains (NDSRC) model that explicates how blockchain characteristics (digital trust, data immutability, privacy, and security) can play a role in addressing the digital skills recruitment challenges in small enterprises.

Экосистема инновационных сред территории: дополнительное образование и предпринимательство

In the article, based on part of the conclusions of a qualitative study of the acceleration infrastructure of universities and the concept of social ecosystems, the hypothesis of the concept of innovative environments in the region is formulated. Starting from the organizational weakness of small and medium-sized businesses, the secondary nature of the acceleration infrastructure of universities, and its incorrect orientation to "entrepreneurship" with mandatory access to startups, the structural insufficiency of the innovation environment of the region is stated. The solution to this problem is supposed to be within the framework of the formation of the socio-technical infrastructure of the ecosystem of innovative environments that ensure the continuity of training, education, research and project activities, and the employment of students. Based on the idea of the role of organizational infrastructure in the functioning of socio-cultural communities or environments, as well as on the changes resulting from the "digital" nature of this infrastructure, the main features of the regional innovation ecosystem are conceptualized. It is an organizational and meaningful association of existing subjects of innovative activity, the core of which is the education system (school – college – university), around which a platform of "additional education" is formed with the participation of business and scientific institutions as the main "consumers" of graduates. The cell of the environment is a small working group of students under the mentorship of a teacher, which undergoes a variable design and research trajectory under the supervision of "consumers". The event part of the environment necessarily includes not only project and educational work directly but also a cultural and leisure component. The problem of using the results of research and development is supposed to be solved by either bringing groups into the space of existing business ecosystems (technoparks, etc.) or by using the institute of venture studios acting as operators of such sites. Such an ecosystem should be a universal educational space organized by a "package of services" and included in the "package of social services" of the territory, the variability of which is provided by the function of participating "consumers", as well as a combination of educational, research, cultural, and leisure programs. The testing of the provisions laid down was carried out in the spring and summer of 2023 during the competitive program of the Innovation Promotion Fund.

Design for additive manufacturing of plastic injection tool inserts with maintenance and economic considerations: An automotive study case

Additive Manufacturing (AM) allows a simpler and easier production of geometrically complex parts in a single step and with no specific tooling. Hence, it is mostly used for low series or customized products. Accordingly, using AM to produce tools and dies with higher quality could be an economic alternative for high-serial production. This paper presents a proof of the efficiency of the AM in producing tools and dies with higher capability. In this purpose, an industrial study case in the field of plastic injection molding is investigated. Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) is used as the main tool to conceive new cooling channels, so-called conformal cooling systems. The designed cooling systems are numerically simulated using a numerical simulation software designed by Autodesk© specifically for injection molding named Moldflow insight®. Both conventional and conformal designs are compared to prove the efficiency and productivity of the new molds designed for AM and an economic analysis is carried out. Results show that designing for AM allows the conception of unlimited design configurations for conformal cooling channels with highly complex shapes, and regardless of the configuration, an important gain in both cooling time and part deflection is acquired. Furthermore, despite its high cost, tools processed by AM enhance the productivity and accordingly the monetary profit that covers the expenses and makes important economic gains.

Progress for carbon dioxide geological storage in West Macedonia: A field and laboratory-based survey.

Background: It is widely acknowledged that carbon dioxide (CO 2), a greenhouse gas, is largely responsible for climatic changes that can lead to warming or cooling in various places. This disturbs natural processes, creating instability and fragility of natural and social ecosystems. To combat climate change, without compromising technology advancements and maintaining production costs at acceptable levels, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies can be deployed to advance a non-disruptive energy transition. Capturing CO 2 from industrial processes such as thermoelectric power stations, refineries, and cement factories and storing it in geological mediums is becoming a mature technology. Part of the Mesohellenic Basin, situated in Greek territory, is proposed as a potential area for CO 2 storage in saline aquifers. This follows work previously done in the StrategyCCUS project, funded by the EU. The work is progressing under the Pilot Strategy, funded by the EU. Methods: The current investigation includes geomechanical and petrophysical methods to characterise sedimentary formations for their potential to hold CO 2 underground. Results: Samples were found to have both low porosity and permeability while the corresponding uniaxial strength for the Tsotyli formation was 22 MPa, for Eptechori 35 MPa and Pentalofo 74 MPa. Conclusions:The samples investigated indicate the potential to act as cap-rocks due to low porosity and permeability, but fluid pressure within the rock should remain within specified limits; otherwise, the rock may easily fracture and result in CO 2 leakage or/and deform to allow the flow of CO 2. Further investigation is needed to identify reservoir rocks as well more sampling to allow for statistically significant results.

Influencing Factors of Fertility Intention of Youth of Childbearing Age: Based on Social Ecosystem Theory

Population problem is always a comprehensive, long-term and strategic problem facing our country. In 2022, China's fertility rate fell to 6.77 per thousand, a historic low, the natural population growth rate has also entered the negative growth range. The fewer children and aging phenomenon of China's population is more prominent. To encourage fertility, increase the fertility rate and promote an appropriate level of fertility is a pressing task to actively respond to aging and promote long-term balanced population development. Youth are the future of the country, the hope of the nation, the main force of fertility, and the backbone of improving balanced population development. The fertility intention of youth determines the choice of fertility behavior of youth. To improve the fertility rate of youth and give full play to the role of youth as the main force for fertility, improving the fertility intention of youth is the key issue. From the perspective of social ecosystem theory, the paper attempts to comprehensively explore the role of multi-dimensional factors affecting youth’s fertility intention and put forward countermeasures and suggestions to improve fertility intention of the youth.

Principles of the ecosystem approach: Possibilities for modeling educational ecosystems

Introduction. The article reveals the problem of applying the ecosystem approach for the transformation of education in the face of current global socio-economic and technological challenges. The aim of the article is to identify and summarize the principles of the ecosystem approach to education, to justify the possibilities of their application for modeling the national education system. Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the study includes systematic approach, socio-environmental approach, comparative analysis and thematic content analysis. In order to achieve the purpose of the research, an analytical review has been conducted in a comparative context: more than 60 full-text sources revealing the features of the ecosystem approach have been studied using the method of qualitative thematic content analysis. The comparative analysis made it possible to identify and clarify different points of view on the ecosystem approach and the prospects for its implementation in modern education. At first, the article examines the operating conditions of ecosystems. The authors have identified and described their key principles in business and entrepreneurship. In the second phase, the logical and methodological method of extrapolation has allowed the authors to implement these principles to education. A conceptual architecture of the educational ecosystem has been designed based on modeling method. Results. The authors have identified the key principles of social ecosystems functioning in business and entrepreneurship, substantiated the possibility of their application to the education sector. The authors have outlined and revealed six fundamental ecosystem principles in their entirety and systematic coherence: customer focus, configuration among participants’ relations, regulation and management, environmental influence, digital technologies and online platforms, symbiosis and co-evolution of participants. These principles have formed the basis for the conceptual architecture of the educational ecosystem. This meaningful mental model explicates inner meanings of ecosystem connections in education. It represents key features, new nature and configuration of relationships among dissimilar participants and stakeholders, such as formal and non-formal education, the state, the innovative business and the non-profit sector. Based on the analytical review and the comparative analysis of international and Russian sources, the authors have substantiated theoretical and practical potential, advantages and limitations of the ecosystem approach to education, as well as designed the model of the educational ecosystem. Conclusions. In conclusion, the authors summarize the identified fundamental principles of educational ecosystems; justify the possibilities of their application for the organizational, technological and content transformation of the national education system.

The effect of sex hormones on decision-making in healthy young women

Risky decision-making is associated with several mental health disorders and deleterious health behaviours. As men are known to engage in riskier behaviours, the effects of testosterone on decision-making have been extensively studied. However, few studies have been conducted in women and by extension, examined female sex hormones (progesterone and estradiol). This study aimed to understand the role of sex hormones (progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone) on decision-making. Forty healthy young women provided saliva samples to assess their sex hormones before completing the Iowa Gambling Task. The goal of this decision-making task was to maximize monetary profits by drawing cards from four decks: two with large gains and larger losses (risky decks) and two with small gains and smaller losses (safe decks). For the purposes of data analysis, card draws were separated into five blocks of 20 draws each, allowing us to quantify the learning rate of the advantageous safe decks. Multilevel linear models revealed two inverse interactions: time*testosterone and time*progesterone. Specifically, lower levels of progesterone and higher levels of testosterone were independently associated with riskier decision-making. In both cases, this effect led to slower learning of the advantageous safer decks. These data suggest that the effects of testosterone on risk-taking are not unique to men. Moreover, the results suggest that progesterone also influence risk-taking. This raises important questions regarding risk-taking tendencies in women throughout the menstrual cycle (which induces endogenous hormonal variations) and in women using hormonal contraceptives (which dampen the menstrual cycle).

Associated factors of health-promoting lifestyle of the elderly based on the theory of social ecosystem

ObjectTo explore the factors related to health-promoting lifestyles of the elderly based on social-ecosystem theory. DesignA cross-sectional survey study was carried out to include 627 elderly people in communities in three cities of Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, and Zhangjiakou) from October 2021 to January 2022 for questionnaire survey (601 validly returned cases). VenueThree cities of Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, and Zhangjiakou). Participants627 elderly people. InterventionsA cross-sectional survey study. Main measurementsThe questionnaire survey was conducted by using the general demographic data, health promotion life scale, frailty scale, general self-efficacy scale, health engagement scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, The family Adaptability, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve scale, and Perceived Social Support Scale. ResultsThe total health promotion lifestyle score for the elderly was 100.20±16.21, which was at the lower limit of the good level, with the highest mean score for nutrition (2.71±0.51) and the lowest mean score for physical activity (2.25±0.56). Stepwise linear regression showed that exercise frequency (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.304–3.885), smoking status (95% CI −4.190 to −1.556), self-efficacy (95% CI 0.071–0.185), health management (95% CI 0.306–0.590), frailty (95% CI −3.327 to −1.162) in the microsystem, marital status (95% CI 0.677–3.660), children's attention to the elderly health (95% CI 4.866–11.305), family care in the mesosystem (95% CI 1.365–4.968), and pre-retirement occupation (95% CI 2.065–3.894), living area (95% CI 0.813–3.912), whether receive community-based chronic disease prevention and management services (95% CI 2.035–8.149), social support (95% CI 1.667–6.493) in the macrosystem were the main factors affecting health promotion of life in the elderly (P<0.05). Hierarchical regression analysis showed the microsystem accounted for 17.2%, the mesosystem accounted for 7.1%, and the macrosystem accounted for 11.4%. ConclusionThe health promotion lifestyle of the elderly in Hebei Province was at the lower limit of good level. Among them, exercise frequency, children's attention to the elderly health, and pre-retirement occupation played a major role in relation to the health-promoting lifestyle of the elderly. Hence, it needs the joint action of individuals, families, and society to promote the elderly to adopt the health promotion lifestyle and realize healthy aging.

Progress for carbon dioxide geological storage in West Macedonia: A field and laboratory-based survey

Background: It is widely acknowledged that carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, is largely responsible for climatic changes that can lead to warming or cooling in various places. This disturbs natural processes, creating instability and fragility of natural and social ecosystems. To combat climate change, without compromising technology advancements and maintaining production costs at acceptable levels, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies can be deployed to advance a non-disruptive energy transition. Capturing CO2 from industrial processes such as thermoelectric power stations, refineries, and cement factories and storing it in geological mediums is becoming a mature technology. Part of the Mesohellenic Basin, situated in Greek territory, is proposed as a potential area for CO2 storage in saline aquifers. This follows work previously done in the StrategyCCUS project, funded by the EU. The work is progressing under the Pilot Strategy, funded by the EU. Methods: The current investigation includes geomechanical and petrophysical methods to characterise sedimentary formations for their potential to hold CO2 underground. Results: Samples were found to have both low porosity and permeability while the corresponding uniaxial strength for the Tsotyli formation was 22 MPa, for Eptechori 35 MPa and Pentalofo 74 MPa. Conclusions: The samples investigated indicate the potential to act as rock caps due to low porosity and permeability, but fluid pressure within the rock should remain within specified limits; otherwise, the rock may easily fracture and result in CO2 leakage or/and deform to allow the flow of CO2. Further investigation is needed to identify reservoir rocks as well more sampling to allow for statistically significant results.