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The global food industry is faced with the dilemma of finding a balance between food wastage and food shortage. Approximately one-third of food produced globally goes to waste, while about 800 million people suffer from undernourishment. Given this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate the unresolved challenges related to enhancing transparency associated with products of high perishability and low shelf life.

The authors conducted 25 interviews with global agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) experts to ask what impedes the progress of the current technologies, such as blockchain, to enable transparency and traceability (T&T) in AFSCs.

The findings indicate barriers at the individual, firm and supply chain levels. Based on these barriers, the authors propose an interconnected framework to explain technologically-driven T&T and guide on barrier removal from AFSCs. The authors conclude that by applying technology (i.e. blockchain) the authors can resolve the tension of supporting T&T in AFSCs. This can enable the efficient and transparent tracking of goods, reduction of food waste and loss, as well as promotion of the use of recyclable packaging and further sustainable practices and materials, all of which are aligned with a range of UN Sustainable Development Goals (2, 8, 10 and 12). Moreover, the authors see that some factors are interrelated. Based on these factors, the authors build an interconnected framework to guide on barrier removal from AFSCs. Managers in AFSC would find the findings especially relevant.

Drawing on industrial network theory and signalling theory, the authors propose an interconnected framework for explaining barriers (challenges) and potential solutions (opportunities) to T&T in AFSCs. This framework is developed by examining the interconnections of barriers at micro, meso and macro levels and applying signalling theory to explain how solutions address these barriers. The specific contributions of this study are: the list of barriers that impede the implementation of technological solutions for T&T in AFSCs; and a three-stage framework that explains how to remove the barriers for T&T. The study is limited by the focus on blockchain, which calls for future research once the next decentralised technology becomes available.

Metal laser-powder-bed-fusion using laser-beam parts are particularly susceptible to contamination due to particles attached to the surface. This may compromise so-called technical cleanliness (e.g. in NASA RPTSTD-8070, ASTM G93, ISO 14952 or ISO 16232), which is important for many 3D-printed components, such as implants or liquid rocket engines. The purpose of the presented comparative study is to show how cleanliness is improved by design and different surface treatment methods.

Convex and concave test parts were designed, built and surface-treated by combinations of media blasting, electroless nickel plating and electrochemical polishing. After cleaning and analysing the technical cleanliness according to ASTM and ISO standards, effects on particle contamination, appearance, mass and dimensional accuracy are presented.

Contamination reduction factors are introduced for different particle sizes and surface treatment methods. Surface treatments were more effective for concave design features, however, the initial and resulting absolute particle contamination was higher. Results further indicate that there are trade-offs between cleanliness and other objectives in design. Design guidelines are introduced to solve conflicts in design when requirements for cleanliness exist.

This paper recommends designing parts and corresponding process chains for manufacturing simultaneously. Incorporating post-processing characteristics into the design phase is both feasible and essential. In the experimental study, electroless nickel plating in combination with prior glass bead blasting resulted in the lowest total remaining particle contamination. This process applied for cleanliness is a novelty, as well as a comparison between the different surface treatment methods.

It is believed that the effectiveness of public service announcements (PSAs) in persuading recipients to engage in the advocated behavior may be influenced by the content of PSAs, the recipient and the context in which the recipient is exposed to the PSA. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the persuasive process of PSAs with respect to these three aspects. Specifically, how the normative appeals used in PSA, affective priming and self-construals of recipients influence the recipients' behavioral intention is investigated.

Between-subject experiments were conducted to collect data. The proposed hypotheses were verified by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Process macro.

Results show that participants with sad emotional experiences exhibit significantly higher behavioral intention after exposure to PSA compared to those with joy primed. However, the difference in behavioral intention between participants with guilt and neutral emotional experiences was insignificant. Concerning normative appeals, descriptive norms are more persuasive than injunctive norms. In addition, participants' self-construals moderate the relationship between normative appeals and behavioral intention.

First, this study selected a group of college students as participants and used “Empty Your Plate” campaign as stimulus. Future research should test this mechanism with different samples. Second, this study only tested the effect of print advertising. Future research may examine whether these findings still work with advertisement in different formats. Moreover, future research should investigate the impact of priming guilt that is related to the PSA themes on PSAs' persuasive outcomes. Finally, this study only explored the moderating role of self-construals. Other personal traits were not investigated in current study need to be further explored.

The findings of this study provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the effectiveness of PSA and have practical implications for PSA practitioners. Firstly, descriptive norms can be used more frequently to improve the effectiveness of PSAs. Secondly, negative emotion exerts a positive influence on persuasive outcomes, so PSA practitioners can arrange media planning more rationally. Furthermore, they can adapt their normative appeals to the self-construal characteristics of their primary audiences to achieve their communication goals more effectively. This study reveals the effectiveness mechanism of PSA in the Chinese context, and thus meets practical needs.

This research will help improve the effectiveness of PSAs to protect the public interest and alleviate social problems by optimizing media planning strategies and increasing the willingness of viewers to change their behavior.

This study enriches theory in PSAs about persuading individuals to engage in prosocial behaviors and provides evidence from China that is rarely seen. In addition, this study contributes to optimizing PSA practice by restoring the actual PSA delivery context in the experimental situation.

Numerous metals can be processed using the additive manufacturing process laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M, ISO/ASTM 52900). The main advantages of additive manufacturing technologies are the high degree of design freedom and the cost-effective implementation of lightweight structures. This could be profitable for gears with increased power density, combining reduced mass with considerable material strength. Current research on additively manufactured gears is focused on developing lightweight structures but is seldom accompanied by simulations and even less by mechanical testing. There has been very little research into the mechanical and material properties of additively manufactured gears. The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of lightweight structures in additively manufactured gears under static loads.

This research identifies the static load-carrying capacity of helical gears with different lightweight structures produced by PBF-LB/M with the case hardening steel 16MnCr5. A static gear loading test rig with a maximum torque at the pinion of T₁ = 1200 Nm is used. Further focus is set on analyzing material properties such as the relative density, microstructure, hardness depth profile and chemical composition.

All additively manufactured gear variants show no failure or plastic deformation at the maximum test load. The shaft hub connection, the lightweight hub designs and the gearing itself are stable and intact regarding their form and function. The identified material characteristics are comparable to conventionally manufactured gears (wrought and machined), but also some particularities were observed.

This research demonstrates the mechanical strength of lightweight structures in gears. Future research needs to consider the dynamic load-carrying capacity of additively manufactured gears.

The research investigates the relationship between halal credence, awareness, certification, need for cognition (NC), effort, health consciousness, and satisfaction towards halal food (STHF). In addition, observe the influence of STHF on purchase intention explored. Finally, religiosity is examined as a moderator between STHF and halal purchase intention.

The data was collected from Muslim participants in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China. A total of 476 respondents take part in this research. The data was collected from Muslims who eat food from halal food hotels. A purposive sampling technique is used to collect data from respondents. PLS-SEM is followed to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results reveal that halal credence, awareness, certification, effort, and health consciousness increase STHF. Conversely, NC does not influence STHF. Moreover, STHF significantly determines halal purchase intention. Finally, religiosity strengthens the positive association between STHF and purchase intention.

Food marketers and policy decision-makers can use research findings to enhance halal purchase intention. In China, Muslim customers usually search for halal food by putting in extra effort and seeing halal certification. They trust halal food because religiosity is their priority.

This initial research incorporates halal credence, halal awareness, certification, NC, effort, health consciousness, STHF, and religiosity to examine halal purchase intention using the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Understanding the thermal performance of sandcrete hollow block walls in the tropic is very essential for occupants' well-being, productivity and efficiency, due to its widespread application in buildings in the study area. Lokoja, in Nigeria, lies in the warm humid zone with its attendant's high temperatures all year round. Thus, providing an acceptable walling material that will control the high indoor air temperature becomes imperative. This paper assessed sandcrete hollow blocks as a walling material used in Lokoja, to determine the thermal performances for effective thermal comfort of the residents.

It involves the construction of a habitable model building with the commonly available sandcrete hollow blocks in the area. One unit of Cryopak iMINI Temperature and Relative Humidity Data Logger called new generation intelligent iMINI with Serial Number and Product Code MX-CI-145–0009 and MX-HE-S-16-L was installed, to record the indoor air temperature and relative humidity data at an interval of one hour, for 12 months covering dry and wet seasons. The results of the recorded data were downloaded to an excel spread sheet for assessment and analysis throughout the seasons. The values were computed using the temperature–humidity index (THI) equation, with a view to determine the indoor thermal comfort level category.

The study revealed that sandcrete hollow block walls provide thermal discomfort of the indoor environment for both seasons, with attendant adverse effects in the comfort of the occupants. The paper concludes that proper orientation of buildings, planting of trees, use of low absorbing or reflective surface materials, application of cavity walls to receive insulation materials in between the hollow spaces provided, instead of the single walling as well as providing shading device elements, can improve users' comfort and also ameliorate the heat effect on the external surface of building transferred into the interior by conduction, radiation or convection within the area and in the tropics at large. Other thermally eco-friendly wall materials available in Lokoja includes timber, stabilized laterite–cement blocks, burnt bricks and earth-mud bricks which can be used to replace sandcrete hollow block walls. These alternative wall materials are used for construction of residential and office buildings by the colonial government of Sir Fredrick Lugard in the study area.

The application of sandcrete hollow blocks as a wall material is in vogue, not minding its thermal discomfort to the users and the environment; this is due to its availability and ease of production. The acceptability of this walling material requires holistic study to unravel the best way to reduce the thermal discomfort inherent in its application.

The author succeeded in revealing the thermal performance of sandcrete hollow blocks as walling material in Lokoja, the study area. It is a first attempt at understanding the performance for human comfort in the area. This will greatly assist the resident and other researchers to improve on the application of sandcrete hollow blocks as walling material towards ensuring that maximum indoor thermal comfort is achieved.

Transport is the main enabler of tourism, but also one of its main sources of environmental impact. This paradoxical condition is even more controversial if considering the reluctancy of policymakers to introduce traffic management strategies, as they fear possible drops in tourism demand. This chapter addresses the ‘tourism-traffic paradox’ as a wicked problem and explores adequate and efficient policy interventions to foster sustainable mobility in Alpine destinations, minimising rebound effects in tourism demand. The chapter is focussed on the exemplary case of the Dolomites World Heritage Site (WHS), as this Italian area has experienced a long-lasting process of evidence-informed decision-making in transport, with two pilot actions for traffic calming in 2017 and 2018. The main goal of those actions was to shift the modal choices of tourists, to optimise the traffic network use and to minimise environmental impacts. The policy interventions were rooted in a sustainability governance approach, that is, they were creating a government-led network of stakeholders, including several academic experts, involved in the transport planning and monitoring phase. Advantages and disadvantages of this government-led network to solve the tourism-traffic paradox are discussed in the chapter.

The purpose is to explore the improvement mechanism of coating and laser micro-texture on the surface properties of cemented carbide, so as to give full play to the technical advantages of both and improve the overall surface properties of the material.

The surface hardness of the coating was measured by a microhardness tester, the surface element composition of the coating was tested by an energy spectrum analyzer and the phase was measured by an X-ray diffractometer to observe the surface morphology after the friction and wear experiment.

Laser will generate new oxide and nitride films on the surface of the coating, which will improve the hardness of the coating surface and the bonding strength between the coating and the substrate. The surface micro-texture can collect wear debris during the friction process, reduce abrasive wear and play a good role in inhibiting the expansion of the coating failure zone.

Most of the research on traditional laser coating is to process micro-texture first and then coating. This study is the opposite. In this paper, the modification effect of laser on the coating surface is explored, and the parameters of laser and coating are optimized, which paves the way for the subsequent milling experiments of textured coating tools.

This paper explores the effects of land education on the practice of a White social studies teacher educator who wanted to teach about the ecological crisis.

The teacher educator used self-study methodology to analyze her experiences with local Indigenous leaders when she was a high school social studies teacher and currently as a social studies methods professor. Data sources included journals, field notes, course-related materials, and formal writings.

Through experiences, Indigenous leaders helped the teacher educator identify contrasting cultural paradigms to broaden her understanding of where she lives. This learning enabled the teacher educator to use the two paradigms in her teaching about place and the ecological crisis.

This research shows inner work that can position teacher educators to understand the value of Indigenous wisdom regarding place when teaching about the ecological crisis.