Relevant Drivers Research Articles

Relationship between Functions, Drivers, Barriers, and Strategies of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Sustainable Construction Criteria: Indonesia Construction Industry

With increasing sustainability concerns, such as the construction sector being responsible for using 42% of the world’s energy, 30% of its raw materials, and 25% of its fresh water, building projects have been encouraged to adopt green and sustainable construction strategies. Innovation in science and technology plays an important role to support the transition to sustainable development. Its ability to rely on advanced technology and effective construction processes makes Building Information Modelling (BIM) an opportunity that can bring great benefits to the sustainable construction sector. This research focuses on functions, barriers, drivers, and implementation strategies, which were analyzed for their relationship with sustainable construction criteria using structural equation modelling (SEM). It was found that the BIM function has a positive influence on sustainable construction with relevant indicators in the form of building digitization, improvement from 2D CAD methods, and integration between tools. Relevant barriers consist of lack of demand from clients and implementation that feels like additional work. Relevant drivers consist of increasing work productivity and reducing work errors. Meanwhile, relevant strategies consist of conducting further research, providing commitment, and setting up infrastructure for the application of BIM into sustainable construction.

First Expert Elicitation of Knowledge on Possible Drivers of Observed Increasing Human Cases of Tick-Borne Encephalitis in Europe

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral disease endemic in Eurasia. The virus is mainly transmitted to humans via ticks and occasionally via the consumption of unpasteurized milk products. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported an increase in TBE incidence over the past years in Europe as well as the emergence of the disease in new areas. To better understand this phenomenon, we investigated the drivers of TBE emergence and increase in incidence in humans through an expert knowledge elicitation. We listed 59 possible drivers grouped in eight domains and elicited forty European experts to: (i) allocate a score per driver, (ii) weight this score within each domain, and (iii) weight the different domains and attribute an uncertainty level per domain. An overall weighted score per driver was calculated, and drivers with comparable scores were grouped into three terminal nodes using a regression tree analysis. The drivers with the highest scores were: (i) changes in human behavior/activities; (ii) changes in eating habits or consumer demand; (iii) changes in the landscape; (iv) influence of humidity on the survival and transmission of the pathogen; (v) difficulty to control reservoir(s) and/or vector(s); (vi) influence of temperature on virus survival and transmission; (vii) number of wildlife compartments/groups acting as reservoirs or amplifying hosts; (viii) increase of autochthonous wild mammals; and (ix) number of tick species vectors and their distribution. Our results support researchers in prioritizing studies targeting the most relevant drivers of emergence and increasing TBE incidence.

LACE 2.0: an interactive R tool for the inference and visualization of longitudinal cancer evolution

BackgroundLongitudinal single-cell sequencing experiments of patient-derived models are increasingly employed to investigate cancer evolution. In this context, robust computational methods are needed to properly exploit the mutational profiles of single cells generated via variant calling, in order to reconstruct the evolutionary history of a tumor and characterize the impact of therapeutic strategies, such as the administration of drugs. To this end, we have recently developed the LACE framework for the Longitudinal Analysis of Cancer Evolution.ResultsThe LACE 2.0 release aimed at inferring longitudinal clonal trees enhances the original framework with new key functionalities: an improved data management for preprocessing of standard variant calling data, a reworked inference engine, and direct connection to public databases.ConclusionsAll of this is accessible through a new and interactive Shiny R graphical interface offering the possibility to apply filters helpful in discriminating relevant or potential driver mutations, set up inferential parameters, and visualize the results. The software is available at: github.com/BIMIB-DISCo/LACE.

Towards financing the entrepreneurial SMEs: exploring the innovation drivers of successful crowdfunding via a multi-layer decision-making approach

PurposeIn this research, extracting the innovation drivers of successful crowdfunding from the literature review, screening them for the entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), analysing the cause-and-effect relationship amongst them and presenting a basic causal conceptual model and eventually determining the importance/weight of each relevant driver were the primary purposes of this research. As a result, the authors have also designed a score function to measure the future innovative crowdfunding score for SMEs.Design/methodology/approachA multi-layer multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach has been designed and employed to achieve research objectives. After extracting the initial list of drivers, Fuzzy Delphi was applied to screen the relevant innovation drivers of successful crowdfunding for entrepreneurial SMEs. Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) was used to analyse the cause-and-effect relationship amongst the drivers and illustrate a basic conceptual model. Analytical network process (ANP) and Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) were applied to determine the importance of the drivers and by aggregating them to measure the innovative crowdfunding score.FindingsInitially, 28 innovation drivers of successful crowdfunding were extracted from the literature. Then by employing the first-round Delphi fuzzy method amongst 15 international entrepreneurs in SMEs, the relevant drivers, including eleven items, were screened and selected. Then by implementing the DEMATEL method, the relationship amongst these screened drivers was identified, and seven drivers were determined as causes and the rest as effects. Subsequently, a conceptual model based on the causal analysis of the drivers from the DEMATEL method was designed. Eventually, by aggregating the weight of drivers emanated from SWARA, DEMATEL and DANP, the score function for measuring the situation of an SME was designed.Practical implicationsAccording to the crowdfunding scores in this research from entrepreneurs of SMEs, influential factors in developing countries were recognised as two times more prominent in developing countries. This might be rooted in the circumstances of developing countries where many startups and SMEs are emerging in vast areas and different fields due to investment in innovation management. In these countries, the authorities and officials support these companies to empower their capabilities and innovative ideas to (1) deal with the severe competitive market and (2) benefit from them as potential economic engines. Therefore, crowdfunding platforms and public initiatives can be considered one of the most effective government supports, which may involve financial risks.Originality/valueTo the best knowledge of the authors, investigating the innovation drivers of successful crowdfunding via quantitative analysis by multi-layer decision-making approaches has not been considered previously. Moreover, the authors have designed a crowdfunding score function to determine the situation of an entrepreneurial SME in this area. A combination of different MCDM methods, including Fuzzy Delphi, SWARA, DEMATEL, ANP and DANP, to investigate the innovation drivers of successful crowdfunding in SMEs has not been considered previously.

Spatiotemporal changes in land use and landscape fragmentation in coastal plain areas—A case study of Yancheng City, China

Coastal regions in China have the highest levels of economic development due to their prominent geographical locations and corresponding supporting policies. Global research concerns now include the spatiotemporal analysis of urban land use and landscape fragmentation in coastal plains. Research on coastal land use in China and related topics can provide a scientific basis for urban land use and sustainable development in other countries. In this study, a quantitative analysis of spatiotemporal changes in land use and landscape fragmentation was carried out based on land use data from Yancheng City, China. The dynamic degree of land use, Markov transition matrix and landscape indices were all subject to analysis. The results demonstrated that land use patterns in Yancheng City underwent substantial changes from 1990 to 2020. Cropland was found to be the dominant landscape in Yancheng City. Water rapidly increased whereas Grassland and Woodland dramatically decreased during the study period. Frequent transformations in and out of urban land were observed. In the late study period, the Tidal flat was gradually transformed into Grassland and Water. Variations in the landscape indices indicated significant changes in the landscape patterns. The landscape patterns in Yancheng City over a 30-year study period were found to be complicated. The special characteristics of Tidal flat land areas further intensified the landscape heterogeneity of the spatial range. Based on the above analyses, it was concluded that human activities (urban construction, beach reclamation, land development, and utilization activities) increased landscape fragmentation in Yancheng City throughout the three stages and gradually increased the degree of disturbance. These findings indicated that human intervention, the social economy and urban planning development could influence landscape fragmentation in coastal cities. This study used a spatially explicit approach to understand the relevant drivers of urban land-use change in a coastal plain. Moreover, it reduced the knowledge gap between land-use change and landscape fragmentation research from a temporal and spatial perspective.

Managerialization, professionalization and firm performance in family business: A Systems Thinking perspective

AbstractThis paper proposes a systemic model on the intertwined relations among managerialization, professionalization and firm economic performance, considering both business‐ and family‐specific features and issues. It sheds light on the role that, in the family business, the firm economic performance may play in favouring a positive development of both the business and the family itself. It aims at understanding how, in family businesses, the firm managerialization and professionalization may represent relevant drivers of firm performance. A Systems Thinking model based on causal loop diagrams was developed, to provide a clear framing of the interrelationships among the various aspects at stake. The conceptual model combines with systemic perspective all the variables and relationships that come into play when considering jointly the growth and development of the company and the family. This paper provides not only a conceptual background but also practical insights for family business' owners, managers and consultants.

Molecular Mechanisms of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors and Their Impact on Systemic Therapy Decision.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are soft tissue sarcomas that mostly derive from Cajal cell precursors. They are by far the most common soft tissue sarcomas. Clinically, they present as gastrointestinal malignancies, most often with bleeding, pain, or intestinal obstruction. They are identified using characteristic immunohistochemical staining for CD117 and DOG1. Improved understanding of the molecular biology of these tumors and identification of oncogenic drivers have altered the systemic treatment of primarily disseminated disease, which is becoming increasingly complex. Gain-of-function mutations in KIT or PDGFRA genes represent the driving mutations in more than 90% of all GISTs. These patients exhibit good responses to targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Gastrointestinal stromal tumors lacking the KIT/PDGFRA mutations, however, represent distinct clinico-pathological entities with diverse molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis. In these patients, therapy with TKIs is hardly ever as effective as for KIT/PDGFRA-mutated GISTs. This review provides an outline of current diagnostics aimed at identifying clinically relevant driver alterations and a comprehensive summary of current treatments with targeted therapies for patients with GISTs in both adjuvant and metastatic settings. The role of molecular testing and the selection of the optimal targeted therapy according to the identified oncogenic driver are reviewed and some future directions are proposed.

Holistic valuation of Nature-Based Solutions accounting for human perceptions and nature benefits

When assessing strategies for implementing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), it is paramount to identify and quantify all benefits for securing better, informed decisionmaking. Nevertheless, there appears to be a lack of primary data for linking the valuation of NBS sites with the preferences and attitudes of people interacting with them and their connection to supporting efforts to reduce biodiversity loss. This is a critical gap, as the socio-cultural context of NBS has been proven to play a big role in NBS valuation, especially for their non-tangible benefits (e.g. physical and psychological well-being, habitat enhancements, etc.). Consequently, through cocreation with the local government, we co-designed a contingent valuation (CV) survey to explore how the valuation of NBS sites may be shaped by their relationship with the users and the specific respondent and site characteristics. We applied this method to a case study of two distinct areas located in Aarhus, Denmark, with notable differences related to their attributes (e.g. size, location, time passed since construction). The esults obtained from 607 households in Aarhus Municipality show that the personal preferences of the respondent are the most relevant driver of value, surpassing both the perceptions linked to the physical features of the NBS and the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. Specifically, the respondents attributing most importance to nature benefits were the ones assigning a higher value to the NBS and being willing to pay more for an improvement of the nature quality in the area. These findings highlight the relevance of applying a method assessing the interconnections between human perceptions and nature benefits to ensure a holistic valuation and purposeful design of NBS.

Water temperature dynamics in a headwater forest stream: Contrasting climatic, anthropic and geological conditions create thermal mosaic of aquatic habitats.

The thermal regime of streams is a relevant driver of their ecological functioning. As this regime is presently submitted to numerous alterations (among others, impoundments, and climate change), it seems important to study both their effects and potential recovery from the latter. Thus, we investigated the surface and hyporheic water temperature along a small headwater stream with contrasting environmental contexts: forest landscape, open grassland landscape without riparian vegetation, several artificial run-of-the-river impoundments and one discharge point of a by-pass impoundment. The main objectives were to study the influence of these contrasting contexts on surface and subsurface water temperature at a local scale. Contrasting contexts were supposed to create effects on both surface and hyporheic thermal regimes at a local scale. Differences of thermal regimes between surface and hyporheos were expected, as well as between geological contexts. Sensors located at multiple stations allowed monitoring of stream and hyporheos temperature along the stream, while comparison with adjacent reference stream allowed for surface water thermal regime benchmark. Impoundments and landscapes significantly influenced stream thermal regime at a local scale (impoundments created up to +3.7°C temperature increase in average). Their effect on hyporheos thermal regime was less marked than the ones generated by solar radiation or geological features. Hyporheos thermal regime varies from stream one by temperature dynamics delay (up to 18h) and decrease (up to -7°C between surface and hyporheos temperature in average). These coupled effects create a mosaic of thermal habitats, which could be used for river biodiversity preservation and restoration.

Bonding with a Couchsurfing Robot: The Impact of Common Locus on Human-Robot Bonding In-the-Wild

Due to an increased presence of robots in human-inhabited environments, we observe a growing body of examples in which humans show behavior that is indicative of strong social engagement towards robots that do not possess any life-like realism in appearance or behavior. In response, we focus on the under-explored concept of a common locus as a relevant driver for a robot passing a social threshold. The key principle of common locus is that sharing place and time with a robotic artifact functions as an important catalyst for a perception of shared experiences, which in turn leads to bonding. We present BlockBots, minimal cube-shaped robotic artifacts that are deployed in an unsupervised, open-ended and in-the-field experimental setting aimed to explore the relevance of this concept. Participants host the BlockBot in their domestic environment before passing it on, without necessarily knowing they are taking part in an experiment. Qualitative data suggest that participants make identity and mind attributions to the BlockBot. People that actively maintain a common locus with BlockBot by taking it with them when changing location, on trips and during outdoor activities, project more of these attributes than others.

Health Effects of Increasing Income for the Elderly: Evidence from a Chilean Pension Program

We estimate the effect of a permanent income increase on the health outcomes of the elderly poor. Our regression discontinuity design exploits an eligibility cutoff in a Chilean basic pension program that grants monthly payments to retirees without a contributory pension. Using administrative data, we find that four years after applying, basic pension recipients are 2.7 percentage points less likely to have died. Survey evidence suggests an increase in food consumption and visits to health centers as relevant drivers of the mortality reduction. (JEL D63, G51, I12, I14, I38, J14, O15)

Time-varying impact of fiscal shocks over GDP growth in Peru: An empirical application using hybrid TVP-VAR-SV models

This paper estimates hybrid TVP-VAR-SV models suggested by Chan and Eisenstat (2018a) to identify and quantify the impact of fiscal shocks on GDP growth in Peru between 1995Q1–2018Q2. According to Bayesian criteria, the best models exhibit time-varying dynamics, but not necessarily in all parameters. Considering this result, our findings suggest that: (i) fiscal shocks are significant in the whole sample according to impulse response functions, forecast error variance decomposition and historical decomposition of GDP growth; (ii) tax revenue shocks are the least important and their impact is model dependent; (iii) expenditure shocks are relevant drivers of GDP growth; and (iv) expenditure multipliers, mainly for capital spending, have been growing over the last 20 years. We recommend constant revision of estimated fiscal multipliers and suggest that, in following years, fiscal policy in Peru should be mostly driven by capital expenditure.

Coastal wetland adaptability to sea level rise: The neglected role of semi‐diurnal vs. diurnal tides

AbstractTidal marshes and mangroves are threatened by relative sea level rise (RSLR) in certain regions on Earth. Elsewhere, these coastal wetlands can adapt through sediment accretion and resulting surface elevation gain. Studies identifying drivers of the global variability in coastal wetland adaptability to RSLR ignored the role of the tidal pattern, varying from semi‐diurnal to diurnal globally. Here, we present a meta‐analysis, including 394 marsh and mangrove sites worldwide, and demonstrate that the tidal pattern explains ~ 25% of the variability in wetland elevation response to RSLR. Using a numerical model, we illustrate that less frequent, diurnal tides trigger lower sediment accretion rates, hence higher wetland vulnerability to RSLR, for various values of RSLR rates, tidal range and sediment supply. Our findings reveal a previously overlooked but relevant driver of coastal wetland adaptability to RSLR and call for new research as tidal patterns may affect other wetland ecosystem functions and services.

Considering developmental neurotoxicity invitro data for human health risk assessment using physiologically-based kinetic modeling: deltamethrin case study.

Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is a potential hazard of chemicals. Recently, an in vitro testing battery (DNT IVB) was established to complement existing rodent in vivo approaches. Deltamethrin (DLT), a pyrethroid with a well-characterized neurotoxic mode of action, has been selected as a reference chemical to evaluate the performance of the DNT IVB. The present study provides context for evaluating the relevance of these DNT IVB results for the human health risk assessment of DLT by estimating potential human fetal brain concentrations after maternal exposure to DLT. We developed a physiologically based kinetic (PBK) model for rats which was then translated to humans considering realistic in vivo exposure conditions (acceptable daily intake [ADI] for DLT). To address existing uncertainties, we designed case studies considering the most relevant drivers of DLT uptake and distribution. Calculated human fetal brain concentrations were then compared with the lowest benchmark concentration achieved in the DNT IVB. The developed rat PBK model was validated on in vivo rat toxicokinetic data of DLT over a broad range of doses. The uncertainty based case study evaluation confirmed that repeated exposure to DLT at an ADI level would likely result in human fetal brain concentrations far below the in vitro benchmark. The presented results indicate that DLT concentrations in the human fetal brain are highly unlikely to reach concentrations associated with in vitro findings under realistic exposure conditions. Therefore, the new in vitro DNT results are considered to have no impact on the current risk assessment approach.

Drivers of water utilities’ operational performance – An analysis from the Portuguese case

The identification of the main drivers of performance is key to improve the sustainability of water utilities. The present study aims to identify the relevant drivers associated to the main sustainability-related operational indicators for water utilities, considering both drinking water supply and wastewater treatment. For this purpose, a range of data analysis methods are employed: i) cross correlations analysis to determine the interrelationships between the studied variables; ii) clustering analysis to highlight hierarchical aggregation; and iii) principal components analysis to capture and condense information in a smaller number of composite variables, representative of the service providers diversity. The results highlight the importance of the service provider size on both input and output operational indicators (suggesting the presence of economies of scale), the influence of the allocated personnel and water losses over expenditures and the essential role that the largest service providers attribute to certification policies (environmental and occupational health and safety). The largest and the certified service providers are mostly related to a concession-type governance model and predominantly of urban typology. The policy recommendations that can be driven from these results are the promotion of the aggregation of smaller service providers, the careful control of water losses and personnel allocation, as well as certification practices.

Reshaping surveillance for infectious diseases: less chasing of pathogens and more monitoring of drivers.

Animal health surveillance, despite its name, tends to focus on looking for disease. Often this involves searching for cases of infection with known pathogens (‘pathogen chasing'). Such an approach is both resource intensive and limited by the requirement for prior knowledge of disease likelihood. In this paper, the authors propose the gradual reshaping of surveillance towards the systems level, focusing on the processes (‘drivers') that promote disease or health, rather than on the presence or absence of specific pathogens. Examples of relevant drivers include land-use change, increasing global interconnectedness, and finance and capital flows. Importantly, the authors suggest that surveillance should focus on detecting changes in patterns or quantities associated with such drivers. This would generate systems-level, risk-based surveillance information to identify areas where additional attention may be needed, and, over time, inform the implementation of prevention efforts. The collection, integration and analysis of data on drivers is likely to require investment in improving data infrastructures. A period of overlap would allow the two systems (traditional surveillance and driver monitoring) to be compared and calibrated. This would also lead to a better understanding of the drivers and their linkages, and thereby generate new knowledge that can improve surveillance and inform mitigation efforts. Since surveillance of drivers may give signals when changes are occurring, which could act as alerts and enable targeted mitigation, this might even enable disease to be prevented before it happens by directly intervening in the drivers themselves. Such surveillance focused on the drivers could be expected to bring additional benefits, since the same drivers promote multiple diseases. Further, focusing on drivers rather than pathogens should enable control of currently unknown diseases, making this approach particularly timely, given the increasing risk of emergence of new diseases.

Scenario Analysis Indicates Revenue Increase for German Dairy Farmers Through Supply Chain Energy Management

Highlights The research field of supply chain energy management (SCEM) is introduced and applied to the German dairy sector. Changes in farm revenues are quantified, considering electricity sales and remuneration for energy data sharing. Results show that SCEM could become the most relevant driver for increasing energy-related revenues at dairy farms. Abstract. The dairy sector of the German food industry is vital not only for providing nutrition to people but also for promoting environmental responsibility. However, sustainability efforts in the sector must be balanced with profitability goals, and farmers face the challenge of operating profitably while also seeking new, sustainable sources of income. Energy management is one such lever that can help establish sustainable revenue streams for farms. Currently, energy management at dairy farms is mostly limited to the barn's boundaries, and there has been no comprehensive study yet around profit-oriented collaboration on energy management along German dairy supply chains. This lack of collaboration not only hinders revenue growth for dairy farms but also complicates the achievement of sustainability targets, which can negatively impact the sector's public perception. To address this issue, we have applied supply chain energy management (SCEM) as a research field that examines energy-related interdependencies along the dairy supply chain. Our scenario analysis assessing the future revenue change for German dairy farmers through the application of SCEM indicates that it has the potential to become the most relevant driver for increasing energy-related revenues at farms. For example, our studies on a sample farm with 56,950 kWh photovoltaic systems show that it can increase its energy-related revenues by 170% simply by adapting its energy (data) distribution mode in the context of SCEM. Based on these findings, we recommend conducting further studies within the research field of SCEM, which is the aim of the new initiative DairyChainEnergy. Keywords: DairyChainEnergy, Electricity sales, Energy data sharing, Food industry, Income, Profitability, SCEM, Sustainability.

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of residential battery storage systems: A German case study

AbstractBattery storage systems (BSSs) are popular as a means to increase the self‐consumption rates of residential photovoltaics. However, their environmental impact is under discussion, given the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production and the efficiency losses during operation. Against this background, we carry out a holistic environmental assessment of residential BSSs by combining a partial life cycle assessment for the production phase with a detailed simulation of 162 individual German households for the operational phase. As regards the production phase, we only find small differences between the carbon footprints of different cell chemistries. Moreover, we can show that the balance of plant components have a comparable impact on the global warming potential as the cell modules. In terms of the operational phase, our simulations show that BSSs can compensate at least parts of their efficiency losses by shifting electricity demand from high‐emission to low‐emission periods. Under certain conditions, the operational phase of the BSSs can even overcompensate the emissions from the production phase and lead to a positive environmental impact over the lifetime of the systems. As the most relevant drivers, we find the exact emissions at the production stage, the individual household load patterns, the system efficiency, and the applied operational strategy.

Indian wine tourism: new landscape of international spillovers

PurposeWine tourism is spreading from the “old world” wine countries to Asia. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the GLOW framework capturing the tension of homogenization and globalization of touristic experiences, the tourists' rising environmental concerns and their conflict of searching for authentic experience with new sensations.Design/methodology/approachIn a mixed-method procedure, evidence describing the wine tourists’ perceptions and motivations is assessed using a quantitative survey and fitting a structural equation model using the PLS algorithm. Complementing evidence through qualitative interviews with Indian entrepreneurs on designing a glocalized experience is analyzed.FindingsSpillover from international travel is the most relevant driver of wine tourism in India. However, types of wines and the experiences are adjusted to the local conditions. The winemakers are remarkably advanced in implementing environmentally sustainable production and avoiding over tourism which perfectly meets their clients’ expectations.Research limitations/implicationsEntrepreneurial creation theory as described by Alvarez and Barney (2007) is illustrated in the Asian glocalisation context giving special attention to the entrepreneur’s individual capabilities as called by Helfat and Peteraf (2015) and Liñán et al. (2020).Practical implicationsConservation of biodiversity and the aesthetics of the local landscape are essential for the vividness of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the attractiveness for the guests.Social implicationsLocal adaptation of the touristic experience in terms of entertainment, indigenous cuisines and local specialty supports sustainable development of all the stakeholders.Originality/valueNovelty arises from the projection of the visitors considering the wine cellar experience as an alternative to international travels in combination with analyzing how the entrepreneurs create entrepreneurial opportunities by carving out an authentic experience for their guests.

Vitality as a measure of animal welfare during purse seine pumping related crowding of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scrombrus)

The impacts of wild capture fishing on animal welfare are poorly understood. During purse seine fishing for Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scrombrus), catches are crowded to high densities to facilitate pumping onboard. This study aimed to monitor fish welfare during crowding events in the Norwegian purse seine fishery, and to identify relevant drivers. We first correlated a suite of neuro-endocrine, physiological and physical stress responses (integrated into a single measure of welfare using multivariate analysis) to the behavioural vitality of individual mackerel in controlled crowding trials in aquaculture cages. Vitality was found to be a useful measure of welfare. We then assessed individual fish vitality onboard a commercial purse seiner. Catch welfare, measured using vitality, was observed to be negatively impacted during pumping related crowding. Larger catches and longer crowding exposure times resulted in greater negative impacts. Vitality was not significantly impacted by crowding density or dissolved oxygen concentrations inside the net, although methodological limitations limited accurate measurement of these parameters. Blood lactate levels correlated negatively with vitality, suggesting that high-intensity anaerobic locomotory activity was associated with the reduction in welfare. Based on these findings, catch welfare could be improved by targeting smaller schools to minimise crowding exposure times.