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The agricultural sector is facing pressure due to concerns about its impact on the environment. Farmers must adapt to ensure high-quality, sustainable production. This requires efficient techniques such as soilless farming. The development of agricultural innovations depends on social acceptance; thus, it is crucial to identify the factors that influence consumers' purchasing decisions. The aim of this paper is to analyse consumers' perceptions of hydroponic cultivation techniques and their willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price for hydroponic tomatoes certified as “nickel-free” and “zero-residue”.

The survey was conducted in Italy using tomatoes as a case study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire from a convenience sample of 292 respondents and were analysed using statistical analysis and a multiple linear regression model.

The results showed that WTP was influenced by frequency of purchase, familiarity with soilless technology, environmental sustainability, income and education. Consumers place a high value on the sustainability of the hydroponic production process and their perception of increased safety positively influences WTP. It is therefore recommended that marketing strategies focus on the environmental sustainability and safety of hydroponic products. In addition, it may be beneficial to implement a certification system specific to hydroponic cultivation, in addition to the existing “nickel-free” and “zero-residue” certifications.

This study introduces several novel elements: it is the first to assess the Italian consumers’ perceptions and WTP for a hydroponic product. Secondly, it assesses WTP in relation to several aspects of increasing relevance related to health claims, namely “nickel-free” and “zero-residue”.

With burgeoning interest in the low-altitude economy, applications of long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (LE-UAVs) have increased in remote logistics distribution. Given LE-UAVs’ advantages of wide coverage, strong versatility and low cost, in addition to logistics distribution, they are widely used in military reconnaissance, communication relay, disaster monitoring and other activities. With limited autonomous intelligence, LE-UAVs require regular periodic and non-periodic control from ground control resources (GCRs) during flights and mission execution. However, the lack of GCRs significantly restricts the applications of LE-UAVs in parallel.

We consider the constraints of GCRs, investigating an integrated optimization problem of multi-LE-UAV mission planning and GCR allocation (Multi-U&G IOP). The problem integrates GCR allocation into traditional multi-UAV cooperative mission planning. The coupling decision of mission planning and GCR allocation enlarges the decision space and adds complexities to the problem’s structure. Through characterizing the problem, this study establishes a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model for the integrated optimization problem. To solve the problem, we develop a three-stage iterative optimization algorithm combining a hybrid genetic algorithm with local search-variable neighborhood decent, heuristic conflict elimination and post-optimization of GCR allocation.

Numerical experimental results show that our developed algorithm can solve the problem efficiently and exceeds the solution performance of the solver CPLEX. For small-scale instances, our algorithm can obtain optimal solutions in less time than CPLEX. For large-scale instances, our algorithm produces better results in one hour than CPLEX does. Implementing our approach allows efficient coordination of multiple UAVs, enabling faster mission completion with a minimal number of GCRs.

Drawing on the interplay between LE-UAVs and GCRs and considering the practical applications of LE-UAVs, we propose the Multi-U&G IOP problem. We formulate this problem as a MILP model aiming to minimize the maximum task completion time (makespan). Furthermore, we present a relaxation model for this problem. To efficiently address the MILP model, we develop a three-stage iterative optimization algorithm. Subsequently, we verify the efficacy of our algorithm through extensive experimentation across various scenarios.

This study explores the concept of intergenerational accountability to address the grand challenge of a just transition. Intergenerational accountability extends the notion of accountability for the other to include future generations in ways that avoid the trap of long-termism and delayed action.

We follow a critical qualitative case study approach with an Indigenous community in a settler colony. Sources of empirical materials include semi-structured interviews and documentary reviews, analysed abductively through thematic analysis.

Intergenerational accountability extends the notion of accountability for the other temporally by including future generations. Indigenous temporalities offer a way to address concerns that accountability to distant future generations could delay the urgency to act now. Findings suggest that the “eternal present”, where aspirations of ancestors and obligations to descendants coalesce into a contemporary obligation, has the potential to help confront the climate crisis. However, the ability to actively practice these understandings is constrained by commercial “best practice” and the colonial state. These constraints necessitate struggles for Indigenous self-determination that also exist in the eternal present.

We extend the concept of accountability for the other to include future generations, but avoid the trap of long-termism delaying action through the eternal present of Indigenous temporalities. However, these temporalities are constrained, so struggles for Indigenous self-determination become closely intertwined with struggles for a just transition.

This study addresses a critical gap in understanding consumer behavior toward indigenous chicken, investigating the interaction between cognitive factors and purchase decisions. The current research offers a valuable contribution to the field of sustainable food marketing by shedding light on these dynamics.

The research employed a quantitative survey method to gather data from consumers of indigenous chicken in Malaysia and analyzed it using structural equation modeling.

Health and price consciousness, along with effort expectancy, significantly influence consumer attitudes toward indigenous chicken. However, environmental consciousness and availability do not directly impact attitude. Similarly, attitude mediates the relationship between health consciousness, price consciousness, effort expectancy and purchase behavior, while attitude does not mediate the relationship between environmental consciousness, availability and purchase behavior of indigenous chicken.

This study is one of the pioneering works to apply the cognitive affect behavior (CAB) model to examine the factors influencing consumer attitudes and purchase behavior toward indigenous chicken. It investigates how constructs such as health consciousness, environmental consciousness, price consciousness, effort expectancy and availability affect these attitudes and behaviors, offering novel insights into the purchase intentions of younger and educated individuals.

This paper believes that while implementing the gradual delay retirement age policy in China, the impact should be considered comprehensively; we should pay attention to impacts brought by the delayed retirement policy and introduce policies to deal with the impacts in a timely manner.

This paper aims to explore the delayed retirement’s impact on women’s labor supply and to clarify the elderly care’s role in it.

The results found that the delayed retirement has a positive effect on the women’s overall and young women’s labor supply, with a more significant promotion for young women’s labor supply. The mediation results suggest that delayed retirement promotes women’s labor supply by affecting elderly care. Therefore, we believe that while implementing the gradual delay retirement policy in China, it is important to implement it on the correct estimation basis so as to reduce the volatility in the labor market.

This paper may produce marginal contributions in the following two aspects: From the research perspective, we construct a model containing delayed retirement, elderly care and women’s labor supply and illustrate how the delayed retirement promotes women’s labor supply by affecting elderly care. Secondly, from the research content, this paper expands the delayed retirement on macro-employment and further explores the micro-impact on employment.

The interplay between individual and collective creativity and its translation into innovation is a critical yet complex challenge in the ever-evolving innovation landscape. This study delves into the intricate relationship between managerial ability, intellectual property rights (IPRs) and research and development (R&D) investments contextualized within the dynamics of leverage, firm life stages and tangibility for pharmaceutical firms in the Asia-Pacific region. By exploring how micro-level factors influence macro-level innovation processes, this study aims to contribute to the broader understanding of creativity and innovation, a theme at the heart of addressing contemporary global challenges.

Econometric methodologies were used to analyse a data set comprising 2,660 firm-year observations spanning the decade from 2011 to 2020.

A key finding was that companies with lower managerial prowess strategically leverage R&D intensity to signal their value to the market and accrue reputational currency. The research unearths a significant positive relationship between managerial ability, IPRs and R&D investment. In environments characterized by strong managerial acumen and robust IPR safeguards, firms exhibit a heightened propensity to allocate resources to R&D endeavours. This underscores the role of intellectual leadership and legal protections in shaping R&D strategies within the pharmaceutical domain. Incorporating firm life stages as a moderating factor reveals that firm maturity fundamentally influences the interplay between managerial ability, IPRs and R&D expenditure.

These findings’ implications resonate profoundly within policy-making circles and pharmaceutical firms’ day-to-day operational strategies, underscoring the pivotal role of intellectual capital and legal safeguards in shaping the future of innovation in the Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical sector.