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This study aims to enhance the resilience of foamed concrete (FC) against carbonation and water absorption (WA) by integrating microorganisms, specifically Aspergillus iizukae EAN605.

The focus was on understanding how variables such as microorganism concentration, concrete density and water-to-cement (w/c) ratio affect these properties. Optimal results were observed under specific conditions—FC density set at 1800 kg/m³, a w/c ratio of 0.5 and an Aspergillus iizukae EAN605 concentration of 0.5 g/L—resulting in significant reductions in carbonation and WA compared to standard FC.

It is observed that fungi not only fill pores with calcium oxalate but also limit carbonation by consuming CO₂ and block water penetration through their mycelial network. A central composite design within response surface methodology was employed for the experimental design, resulting in mathematical models that align closely with the empirical data. The models identified the most effective parameters for minimizing carbonation depth: FC density at 1970 kg/m³, fungal concentration at 0.585 g/L and w/c ratio at 0.470. Further regression analysis showed a high correlation between the experimental data and the predicted outcomes, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 92.29 and a model F-value of 16.45.

Statistical analysis highlighted the significant roles of density and fungal concentration in these reductions. Besides, scanning electron microscopy provided visual evidence of fungal-mediated mineral formation in FC, supporting the empirical findings. Overall, the study demonstrated the effective use of Aspergillus iizukae EAN605 in enhancing the durability of FC, marking an innovative stride in sustainable construction materials.

Fresh fruits and vegetables (FV) are crucial global food resources, but the presence of heat loads during harvest adversely impacts their shelf life. While freezing technology provides an effective means of removing heat loads, it is an energy-intensive process and may consequently prove too costly for practical business viability. The growing interest in utilizing magnetic field (MF) technology during the freezing of fresh FV enhances the freezing rate and rapidly removes the heat loads of products.

In the present study, pulsed magnetic field (PMF) pretreatment employing specific field strengths (9 T, 14 T and 20 T) was examined as a preliminary step before freezing mango and tomato and compared to the conventional freezing method (untreated) at − 18 °C.

PMF pretreatment prior to freezing demonstrated a noteworthy enhancement in freezing rate by around 10 and 12% when compared with the conventional (untreated) freezing, which exhibited freezing rates of −0.08 °C/min and −1.10 °C/min for mango and tomato, respectively. The PMF pretreatment (at 20 T) provided a higher freezing rate (at p = 0.05) than the conventional freezing method reduced heat loads amounting to 1.1 × 107 J/kg oC and 2.9 × 106 J/kg oC, significantly (at p = 0.05) from mango and tomato, respectively. These reductions in heat loads were approximately more than 5% of the calculated heat loads removed during conventional freezing.

Mango and tomato samples were only tested; the results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test for other products for further studies.

The paper includes implications for the development of a rapid freezing technique, the development of “pulsed magnetic field” and for eliminating the problem associated with conventional (slow) freezing.

The study holds significance for the production of postharvest freezing technology, providing insightful information on the PMF-assisted freezing of cellular foods.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, the author conducts the first detailed review on the impact of ownership variables on corporate tax avoidance, based on 69 archival studies over the two last decades.

Referring to an agency-theoretical framework, the author differentiates between six categories of ownership (institutional, state, family, foreign, managerial and cross-ownership/ownership concentration). The author also includes research on ownership proxies as moderators of other determinants of tax avoidance.

The review indicates that most research refers to institutional, state and family ownership. Moreover, except for state ownership, no clear tendencies on the impact of included ownership types can be found in line with the author’s agency-theoretical framework.

Regarding research recommendations, among others, the author stresses the urgent need for recognizing heterogeneity within and interactions between ownership proxies. Researchers should also properly address endogeneity concerns by advanced econometric models (e.g. by the difference-in-difference approach).

As international standard setters have implemented massive reform initiatives on both tax avoidance and corporate governance, this literature review underlines the huge interaction between those topics. Firms should carefully analyze their ownership structure and change their tax planning due to owners' individual tax preferences.

This analysis makes useful contributions to prior research by focusing on six categories of ownership and their impact on tax avoidance in (multinational) firms and moderating effects. The author provides a detailed overview about current archival research and likes to guide researchers to focus on ownership heterogeneity and endogeneity concerns.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model considering synergy effect for prefabricated construction service combination selection.

This research defines prefabricated construction service as a service-led construction method that meets the specific requirements of clients. Based on network theory, the multi-dimensional collaborative relationships of the prefabricated construction inter-services are formulated. The synergy effect is quantitatively calculated through the linear weighting of the strengths of collaborative relationships. Further, a weighted synergy network (WSN) is developed, from which a service composition selection model considering the synergy effect is established. Then, a genetic algorithm is employed to implement the model.

The results showed that (1) when the number of prefabricated construction services is increased, the synergy effect of combination options is enhanced; (2) The finer-grained prefabricated construction services, the stronger the synergy effect of service combination; (3) Clients have heterogeneous preferences for collaborative relationships, and there are differences in the synergy effect of service combination.

The contribution of this research includes proposed a method to quantify the synergy effect from the perspective of collaborative relationships, explored the specific procedure for the prefabricated construction service combination selection under the service-led construction, and provided a reference for promoting the development in construction. Besides, the model proposed could be applied to prefabricated construction service composition selection with diverse research boundaries or client preferences by executing the same procedure.

This study examines the role of social media adoption (SMA), opportunity recognition (OR) and opportunity exploitation (OE) in mediating the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and the performance of newly established small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies, with a particular emphasis on Ghana.

This study adopts a post-positivist philosophical stance and uses a quantitative approach and a survey design. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 336 SME owners and managers from Ghana’s manufacturing, trading and service sectors. Questionnaires were administered to source the empirical data for this study. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the proposed hypotheses.

The results reveal that EO positively and significantly influences the performance of new-born SMEs. SMA, OR and OE partially mediated this relationship.

This study is a wakeup call to policymakers, practitioners, managers and owners of recently established businesses. Policymakers should provide support and resources for newly established SMEs to adopt effective social media marketing strategies, bolstering their online presence and customer engagement. Simultaneously, they should invest in entrepreneurship education and create an environment conducive to innovation to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among fresh SMEs. Business owners and managers should proactively monitor market trends and consumer preferences, adapting their strategies to identifying and seizing emerging opportunities.

This study introduces a significant novelty to previous literature and one of the first to employ the dynamic capability theory to examine the interplay between EO, SMA, OR and OE in influencing the performance of new SMEs in the context of emerging markets. Furthermore, it extends the scope of understanding of the mechanisms through which SMEs can prosper in these dynamic environments. This unique combination of theoretical framework, comprehensive variables and contextual focus sets this study apart from existing research, enriching the literature on SME performance in emerging markets.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a bi-objective optimization framework to select prefabricated construction service composition. An improved algorithm-genetic simulated annealing algorithm (GSA) is employed to demonstrate the application of the framework.

The weighted aggregate multi-dimensional collaborative relationship is used to quantitatively evaluate the synergistic effect. The quality of service is measured using the same method. The research proposed a service combination selection framework of prefabricated construction that comprehensively considers the quality of service and synergistic effect. The framework is demonstrated by using a GSA that can accept poor solutions with a certain probability. Furthermore, GSA is compared with the genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing algorithm (SA) and particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) to validate the performance.

The results indicated that GSA has the largest optimal fitness value and synergistic effect compared with other algorithms, and the convergence time and convergence iteration of the improved algorithm are generally at a low level.

The contribution of this study is that the proposed framework enables project managers to clarify the interactions of the prefabricated construction process and provides guidance for project collaborative management. In addition, GSA helps to improve the probability of successful collaboration between potential partners, therefore enhancing client satisfaction.

This study aims to explore the strategies for implementing research data management (RDM) services in Tanzania’s higher education institutions (HEIs).

The study drew upon the technology, organization, people and environment (TOPE) framework. Using a qualitative case study approach, data was collected through semistructured interviews with librarians, lecturers, information and communication technologies (ICT) and research and innovation staff. Data was thematically analyzed.

Numerous participants recognized the importance of RDM services, such as creating data management plans, enhancing the retrieval and reuse of research data and offering support for data curation and preservation. The study also identified organizational support, including developing policies and guidelines, providing financial assistance and ensuring data security. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of ICT infrastructure, including servers, software and hardware. A lack of ICT infrastructure and limited skills and knowledge among those responsible for implementing RDM services were among the challenges identified.

This study used the TOPE framework, along with relevant literature, to guide the formulation of research objectives and questions. While the TOPE framework offers a comprehensive view through its four dimensions, there is a need to integrate additional models, such as data curation, to achieve a more holistic understanding.

This study provides valuable insights into strategies for implementing RDM services in HEIs. It highlights the importance of professional development for stakeholders, enabling them to develop and enforce effective strategies supporting a data-driven research agenda.

This study contributes original insights by outlining the necessary strategies for HEIs to consider when implementing RDM services. The study adds value to understanding effective RDM implementation requirements in an academic setting by identifying various strategies for developing RDM activities.

This study aims to reveal how mobile app stickiness is formed and how the stickiness formation process differs for apps of different social levels.

This study proposed and validated a stickiness formation model following the cognitive–affective–conative framework. Data were collected from surveys of 1,240 mobile app users and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Multigroup analysis was applied to contrast the stickiness formation process among apps of different social levels.

This study revealed a causal link between cognitive, affective and conative factors. It found partial mediation effects of trust in the association between perceptions and satisfaction, and the full mediation role of satisfaction and personal investment (PI) in the effects of subjective norm (SN) on stickiness. The multigroup analysis results suggested that social media affordances benefit stickiness through increased PI and strengthened effects of SN on PI. However, it damages stickiness through increased perceived privacy risk (PPR), decreased trust and strengthened effects of PPR on trust.

This study contributes to both stickiness scholars and practitioners, as it builds a model to understand the stickiness formation process and reveals the effects of the “go social” strategy. The novelty of this study is that it examined social influences, considered privacy issues and revealed two mediation mechanisms. The findings can guide the improvement of mobile app stickiness and the application of the “go social” strategy.

This study aims to assess the extent to which Uganda university libraries have implemented digital transformation technologies and to determine the facilitators and barriers affecting the implementation of digital transformation in selected university libraries in Uganda.

This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design. It was conducted in six selected university libraries in Uganda, which were in three private and three public universities. The study sample included 103 librarians with a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree and six library directors.

The findings indicated that there was an average (n = 37, 48.7%) implementation of digital transformation in the selected university libraries in Uganda. Some of the barriers hindering digital transformation included inadequate funding, lack of awareness of digital technologies, inadequate ICT skills, insufficient ICT infrastructure and limited staff among others. There is a need for library management to provide support in the form of funds, policies and human resources to implement such digital transformation.

The criteria for choosing universities were those that have been around for at least 10 years. The reason for this was that it was assumed that these universities would have well-established staff development programmes and procedures as well as be likely to have incorporated technology into their services, including libraries. This study’s limitations stem from the fact that this criterion for selection might not apply to all Ugandan university libraries, particularly those that are less than 10 years old and may not have been well represented in this study.

The magnitude of the problem of digital transformation in university libraries in Uganda is unclear because of the limited research available in the Uganda library and information science field. This study presents the status of digital transformation in Uganda university libraries.

Educators have had good reason to be concerned with social justice in a context where diversity has become more pronounced in both our schools and communities, with widening divisions between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. Internationally, increasing emphasis has been placed on utilizing the role of school leadership to address issues of social justice and equality, within a scenario where comparative studies of the performance of educational systems dominate the policy imagination globally, thus leading to increased pressure on school systems. This chapter presents a problematization of the social justice concept within education as presented in the literature, while setting out to critique this concept as an educational goal, as well as the role educational leadership is expected to play in the promotion of equity and social justice discourses through the lens of Actor-Network Theory (ANT). This theoretical chapter has implications for theory, policy, and practice.