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• Digital divide is a key influencing factor of health among Chinese older adults. • Internet access and usage of internet functions are important for older adults' health. • Social connection and adaptation are important pathways from internet use to older adults' health. In the digital era, increasingly more Chinese older adults have become Internet users, but the digital divide deeply affects their health. Based on the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, the influence of Internet use on older adults' physical and mental health are examined. It is found that digital access, online socializing and information/knowledge acquisition improve older adults' physical and mental health, while Internet skills can hardly influence their health. Social connection and adaptation are two important channels through which Internet use improves older adults' health. Younger and better-educated older adults gain more health benefits from Internet access, but online socializing and economic activities show stronger positive health effects in less-educated older adults. Narrowing the digital divide and promoting digital cohesion are important for the health of older population, so the health and pensions sector and geriatric nursing providers should help this group integrate into digital life to improve their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Venus cloud sample return vital to study cloud composition and search for life. • A 27 m balloon and ∼2-ton rocket can launch a 10 kg sample canister to orbit. • A low-power low-mass electrostatic cloud collector can efficiently capture sample. • Planned development in sample capture, rapid balloon inflation, and ascent vehicle. The sulfuric acid clouds of Venus are of high scientific interest due to several intriguing observations from the past decades. These observations are not fully explained with current chemical models. Many hypotheses have been posed to date, including the presence of complex organics or microbial life in the clouds. The possibility of life is primarily supported by the biologically benign temperatures in the cloud layers and is secondarily bolstered by several unresolved cloud-layer atmospheric chemical anomalies. Here we propose that a robust search for signs of life or life itself in the Venusian aerial environment requires a sample return of the cloud particles. We propose a Venus cloud sample return mission concept by performing key trade studies, and evaluating the requirements, feasibility, and technological needs. The baseline mission concept includes a Venus entry system, a balloon for sample collection and ascent in the clouds, a Venus Ascent Vehicle to deliver samples to orbit, a Venus orbiter, and an Earth return system. We present the concept of three critical systems that are the focus of our study: cloud sample collectors, an aerial platform, and a Venus Ascent Vehicle. We found an electrostatic fog collector for low-power, high-efficiency cloud sample capture. The most significant newly identified technology gaps for near-term focused development that we uncovered are the rapid inflation of a large 7000 m3 balloon and navigation and control of the ascent vehicle in a low-visibility and turbulent cloud environment. We discuss the various technologies of the sample return mission that need focused development and have synergies across multiple types of planetary missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Countries' participation in green Framework Programmes enhances green competitiveness. • Domestic green innovation positively moderate the impact of international green collaboration on green exports. • Network policies should be combined with innovation policies. This paper studies the impact of environmental research networks on green exports by providing a unique contribution to the studies on the role of collaborative innovation for international competitiveness. Specifically, we adopt the technology gap model of international trade to study the impact of green innovation and the participation in European environmental research programs on green exports for 26 European countries over the period 2003 - 2015. We find that both environmental innovation and research networks positively impact on green exports and that they have a complementary effect that highlights the importance of green absorptive capacity. Moreover, all institutional sectors involved in the networks (firms, universities and public research centers) matter for green competitiveness, with universities playing a major role for institutional complementarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory qualitative study sought to identify the main technological gaps faced by digital influencers from generations X, Y, and Z. Using interviews with open questions, perceptions of nine Brazilian digital influencers from different areas and age groups were collected. The interviews, with an average duration of 40 minutes, addressed two blocks: the influencers' profile and perception of the technologies used. The content analysis through a Similitude Tree created by the Iramuteq software revealed common gaps between generations, such as adaptation to new platforms, emotional control, search for engagement, and constant updating. Understanding these nuances across generations allows for tailored solutions to minimize technological challenges and promote digital inclusion and professional success for these women. Future studies should explore creating a structural equation model to test the standard dimensions found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, great achievements have been made for deep learning based object detection methods. But their performance drops significantly when domain shifts occur. To address this problem, in this work we propose a loose to compact feature alignment method under an unsupervised domain adaptation framework. The entire feature alignment is performed in a divide and conquer manner, so as to distribute the alignment difficulties at two steps. At the first step, we loosen the goal at both image and instance levels. At the image level, a new Mask Guided Foreground Alignment (MGFA) module is proposed to make the alignment focus more on easier foreground regions, leaving the more diverse and more difficult background regions to the second step; at the instance level, we propose a Class-Wise Instance Alignment (CWIA) module with separated domain classifiers for different categories so as to ease the alignment. At the second step, the alignment is performed per pixel and per instance, achieving a more compact and better aligned feature space. We conduct experiments on three different adaptation scenarios, where we achieve comparable results, demonstrating the effectiveness of our proposed method. • We propose a loose to compact feature alignment framework. • MGFA module is proposed to highlight the foreground features in the first step. • We separate domain classifiers are used for different categories in CWIA. • Experiments are carried out on three adaptation scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of internet access in underdeveloped nations, including the Philippines, has significant impact on the digital divide. One of the challenges faced by students in underdeveloped nations, particularly those in far-flung and hinterland schools, is the lack of access to up-to-date educational resources due to their geographic isolation. This can lead to a significant disadvantage in terms of academic performance and future opportunities. Thus, a Remote Learning Management System (RLMS) is proposed. The study includes the development and testing of the RLMS system, as well as an evaluation of its acceptance through the Technology Acceptance Model survey questionnaire. This system utilizes intranet networks and a Network File System to provide distant learning and teaching-based eLearning in far-flung and hinterland schools. The system intends to make sharing educational resources easier, such as to let students access their lessons, modules, and assignments, take exams and quizzes and even watch video lessons on their laptops, smartphones, and tablets, even without an internet connection. The results show that the RLMS system is fully functional and accessible, with positive acceptance and intention to use from teachers and students. Future studies can focus on enhancing the RLMS capabilities, improving user-friendliness, and providing in-depth training to teachers to maximize the system's potential. Overall, the RLMS system provides a viable alternative for blended learning in areas with slow and limited internet access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically analyses the nonlinear relationship between China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and reverse green technological progress (RGTP) using fixed effects (FE) model based on panel data for 31 Chinese provinces from 2001 to 2020. We find that the link between China's OFDI and RGTP is an inverted U-shaped curve. In addition, environmental regulation and technology gaps all reduce the height of the inverted U-shaped inflection point. Environmental regulation prolongs the "climb" stage while technology gaps compress the "climb" stage of the inverted U-curve relationship significantly. This result is verified in further robustness tests. The four transmission mechanisms of China's OFDI on RGTP play a positive role: these findings may help policymakers to design more flexible and effective OFDI policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's New Energy Vehicle (NEV) industry has entered an accelerated development stage, with the technology innovation efficiency becoming an essential factor affecting the speed of its development. Therefore, to explore ways to improve the efficiency of technology innovation, this paper divides the technology innovation process into two stages: the research and development (R&D) stage and the commercialization stage. This paper introduces a framework for evaluating the technology innovation efficiency of NEV enterprises based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), meta-frontier, and tobit regression. Then, the technology innovation efficiencies of 45 vehicle, battery, and motor & electronic control NEV enterprises are analyzed. The results show that: (i) During the survey period, the overall technology innovation capability of Chinese new energy vehicle enterprises is not strong, especially regarding economic transformation. However, the general development trend is on the rise. (ii) Different types of enterprises have different technology gap ratios in the two stages. The technology innovation efficiency level of motor and electronic control enterprises is relatively weak in the new energy vehicle industry. (iii) Many measures can be implemented to help improve technology innovation efficiency: encouraging the large-scale development of enterprises, reasonably increasing the shareholding ratio of significant shareholders, improving the ratio of capital investment, stimulating the vitality of innovation within the enterprise, and optimizing the number of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey to investigate the associations between cooperative membership, E-commerce adoption, and household income. Using the conditional mixed process framework, we find that cooperative membership promotes rural households' e-commerce adoption, and cooperative membership and e-commerce adoption significantly increase rural household income. The two-stage predictor substitution approach confirms this result. Further, participating in different types of cooperatives has heterogeneous effects on the e-commerce adoption decision and household income growth. However, regardless of whether or which cooperative households participate in, e-commerce adoption significantly increases household income. Policymakers can work with e-commerce enterprises, leverage the current cooperatives, especially the village stock economic and market cooperative, and set up e-commerce cooperatives to popularize e-commerce-related knowledge to encourage e-commerce adoption among rural households. Further, considering the regional disparities in e-commerce adoption, it is essential to strengthen the policy support for the rural households residing in Central and Western China to narrow the "digital divide." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term growth is not a simple transition along the path of equilibrium growth, but a process of the interplay of technological, economic, institutional, and social factors. Social capability is an important prerequisite for late-developing countries to catch up with leading countries, and the combination of social capability and the technology gap co-determine the potential of a country to improve productivity through catching up. This paper clarifies the theoretical mechanism of social capability to promote economic growth, and reveals that accountability quality may become capability gap which impedes the convergence of economic growth of the low-income countries by analyzing the panel data from 166 countries over the period 1996–2019. This paper believes that with the rising income level, it is the general path of sustained economic growth to promote the modernization of economic structure while ensuring the supply of goods and effective social incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing number of space debris is alarming as it threatens space-borne services. Hence, there is an increasing demand to remove space debris to ensure sustainability and protect valuable orbital assets. Over the past few years, the research community, agencies and industries have studied many passive and active debris removal methods. However, the current technology readiness for space debris removal is still low. This paper first presents a comparative study of various space debris removal technologies to address the knowledge gap and quantify the challenges. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art space technologies relevant to Active Debris Removal (ADR) missions. Detailed trade-off analysis is then presented based on the Low Earth Orbit Pursuit for Active Removal of Debris (LEOPARD) Phase 0-A study; this study is part of the United Kingdom (UK) Space Agency's Active Debris Removal programme. The ADR mission scenario considered in this paper comprises a chaser spacecraft equipped with recommended technologies to capture non-cooperative targets safely. The final capture technology for the LEOPARD mission consists of an active robotic manipulator and a passive net capture mechanism. An analysis of the coupled-body dynamics of the chaser spacecraft carrying the robot manipulator and the targeted debris is carried out in simulation using SimscapeTM. The chaser spacecraft comprises Airbus's Versatile In-Space and Planetary Arm (VISPA) mounted on a base spacecraft from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL); the targeted debris is SSTL's Tactical Operational Satellite (TOPSAT). The simulation results show dynamic changes in the chaser robot and the target satellite while performing non-cooperative capture. The simulation study accounted for various operational scenarios where the target is stationary or in motion. Further, for different modes of operation, the worst-case end-effector capture force limits were determined using open-loop control to execute a safe capture. Overall, the results presented in the paper advance the current state-of-the-art of robotic ADR and offer a significant leap in designing close-range motion and force control for stabilising the coupled multi-body system during capture and post-capture phases. In summary, this paper pinpoints the technological gaps, identifies barriers to realising ADR missions and offers solutions to catalyse technology maturity for protecting the space ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in women, yet routine screenings lead to early detection and sometimes even prevention. Screening is an effective way to prevent cervical cancer, and it has been implemented in many countries and regions worldwide, especially in developed countries. However, the incidence of cervical cancer remains a public health problem due to screening disparities in the population. Social media engagement and overloading of online health information may be the cause of this disparity. Cross-sectional study. Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (a national survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute) was used to characterise cervical cancer screening into two dimensions; namely, high-frequency screening and guideline-concordant screening. The differences between these two screening frequency behaviours were compared by applying ordered logistic regression and binary logistic regression, and the mechanisms of guideline-concordant screening were explored. The factors influencing high-frequency screening and guideline-concordant screening were different. Only self-efficacy (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.98, 1.37) had a significant positive association with the high-frequency screening behaviour. Social media engagement (OR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.33, 0.96) was shown to have a significant negative impact on guideline-concordant screening. A theory-based mechanism of screening behaviour found that traditional health perception factors no longer influence guideline-concordant screening behaviour, whereas environmental factors (e.g., social media) significantly reduce guideline-concordant screening behaviour. The results from this study indicate that while the internet has become the main channel through which women acquire health resources, and social media has become a main platform for people to obtain health information, online information cannot guide people to engage in appropriate healthy behaviours. Overloading of online health information and the digital divide may lead to excessive screening. Consequently, it is important to address the screening disparity caused by health behaviours as a result of environmental factors and the digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is one of the most promising energy sources as it its significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil fuels. In this study, we employ the meta frontier framework to estimate US solar energy performance in 2019 using stochastic non-parametric envelopment of data (StoNED) under the convex and non-convex frameworks. This estimation allows us to monitor operating inefficiencies and technological gaps in each observation. In addition, we investigate the potential impact of the specification of a convex production technology in relation to the use of a nonconvex technology in the comparative analysis. This methodological reflection is mainly supported by the recent engineering literature that provides evidence of the non-convex hypothesis. The results indicate that a multifaceted approach must be taken to ensure the supply of energy. Given that sunny states have the potential to transmit energy to other states, the drawbacks, such as environmental concerns and high investment expenses, drive policymakers to look for other alternatives, such as adapting panels that are suitable for specific conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited hospital inpatient capacity, exacerbated by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and associated staffing shortages, has driven interest in converting surgeries historically done as inpatient procedures to same-day surgeries (SDS). Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has the potential to increase safety and confidence in SDS but has had mixed success in a bariatric population. Assess the feasibility of and adherence to a protocol offering patients same-day laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) supported by RPM with an updated wearable device. Secondary outcomes were readmissions, costs, adherence, and clinical alarm rates. Academic, military tertiary referral center (United States). A single-center, retrospective case control study of patients undergoing SG, comparing SDS with RPM to patients admitted to the hospital for SG during this time. Patients for SDS were selected by set inclusion/exclusion criteria and patient/surgeon preference, and perioperative management was standardized. Twenty patients were enrolled in the SDS group, then compared with 53 inpatients. Inpatients were older (46 versus 39, P =.006), but with no significant differences in sex, preoperative body mass index, or co-morbidities. RPM wearable and blood pressure adherence was found to be 97% and 80%, respectively. Readmission rates were similar (10% versus 7.5%, P >.05). RPM alarm rates were.5 (0–1.3) per patient for each 24-hour home monitoring period. SDS patients also demonstrated the potential for cost savings over inpatient SG, depending on the number of patients monitored per day as well as the healthcare setting. SG as SDS with RPM was a feasible approach. It should be evaluated in other surgical procedures and higher-risk patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FLASH radiation therapy (FLASH-RT), delivered with ultrahigh dose rate (UHDR), may allow patients to be treated with less normal tissue toxicity for a given tumor dose compared with currently used conventional dose rate. Clinical trials are being carried out and are needed to test whether this improved therapeutic ratio can be achieved clinically. During the clinical trials, quality assurance and credentialing of equipment and participating sites, particularly pertaining to UHDR-specific aspects, will be crucial for the validity of the outcomes of such trials. This report represents an initial framework proposed by the NRG Oncology Center for Innovation in Radiation Oncology FLASH working group on quality assurance of potential UHDR clinical trials and reviews current technology gaps to overcome. An important but separate consideration is the appropriate design of trials to most effectively answer clinical and scientific questions about FLASH. This paper begins with an overview of UHDR RT delivery methods. UHDR beam delivery parameters are then covered, with a focus on electron and proton modalities. The definition and control of safe UHDR beam delivery and current and needed dosimetry technologies are reviewed and discussed. System and site credentialing for large, multi-institution trials are reviewed. Quality assurance is then discussed, and new requirements are presented for treatment system standard analysis, patient positioning, and treatment planning. The tables and figures in this paper are meant to serve as reference points as we move toward FLASH-RT clinical trial performance. Some major questions regarding FLASH-RT are discussed, and next steps in this field are proposed. FLASH-RT has potential but is associated with significant risks and complexities. We need to redefine optimization to focus not only on the dose but also on the dose rate in a manner that is robust and understandable and that can be prescribed, validated, and confirmed in real time. Robust patient safety systems and access to treatment data will be critical as FLASH-RT moves into the clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early telemonitoring of weights and symptoms did not decrease heart failure hospitalizations but helped identify steps toward effective monitoring programs. A signal that is accurate and actionable with response kinetics for early re-assessment is required for the treatment of patients at high risk, while signal specifications differ for surveillance of low-risk patients. Tracking of congestion with cardiac filling pressures or lung water content has shown most impact to decrease hospitalizations, while multiparameter scores from implanted rhythm devices have identified patients at increased risk. Algorithms require better personalization of signal thresholds and interventions. The COVID-19 epidemic accelerated transition to remote care away from clinics, preparing for new digital health care platforms to accommodate multiple technologies and empower patients. Addressing inequities will require bridging the digital divide and the deep gap in access to HF care teams, who will not be replaced by technology but by care teams who can embrace it. [Display omitted] • Remote monitoring coupled with a system of care that engages, informs, and empowers patients is essential for effective home management of HF to control symptoms, avoid hospitalization, and ameliorate the patient's perception of illness. • Effective remote monitoring requires an accurate, reliable signal that is actionable through personalized algorithms. • Evolving digital health care must address the digital divide and deep gaps in access to HF management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to cope with global warming and as the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter, China has put forward the goal of carbon neutralization by 2060 and taken the development path choice of green energy to achieve it. China's green energy has developed rapidly from 2011 to 2019, but there are significant regional differences. Because existing research on the comparison of energy efficiency among regions rarely takes the development of green energy into account, this present study sets the proportion of green energy power generation in energy consumption as an exogenous variable and proposes a modified meta dynamic non-radial directional distance function to modify the energy efficiency values of 30 provinces in China. The empirical results show with the development advantages of green energy that the energy efficiency value of western China is revised upward from 0.45 to 0.64, and that the technology gap between the western and eastern regions has significantly narrowed. The development of green energy in the central region lags behind that in the western region at an energy efficiency value of 0.53. Finally, this study offers forward policy recommendations to realize the sustainable development of green energy among regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Resilience of Native American tribes is both a means for and a result of bridging the digital divide. • Resilient communities better capitalize on the opportunities and develop responses to challenges. • Opportunities include economic development, education, emergency management, and health care. • Challenges include knowledge development, environment, tribal structure, and limited resources. • Resilience practices involve Dialogue, Partnerships, Providing voice, and Empowering networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the labour-augmented K+S model framework, we analyse the Italian North-South divide by means of an agent-based model (ABM) endogenously reproducing the divergence between two artificial macro-regions. The latter are characterised by identical initial conditions in terms of productive and innovation structures, but different labour market organisations. We identify the role played by these different arrangements on the possible divergence across the two regions. We found that divergences in the labour market reverberate into asymmetric productive performance due to negative reinforcing feedback loop dynamics. We then compare alternative mitigation policies by showing that schemes increasing machine renewal and replacement investment are the most effective in fostering convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the associations between multiple sub-dimensions of the digital divide, including Internet access, support, usage divides, and depressive symptoms among older adults as well as the potential moderating effects of rural/urban status on these associations in China. Data were obtained from the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, which provided a nationally representative sample of 11,418 participants aged 60 years and older. Multivariate linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between digital divide and depressive symptoms. The moderating role of rural/urban status was tested based on the interaction terms. After controlling for the covariates, access to Internet devices, support for Internet use from family, and using the Internet for communication, entertainment, or as instruments, were found to be significantly associated with a lower level of depressive symptoms (P < 0.05), and compared with no access to the Internet, accessing and using the Internet was significantly related to decreased depressive risks (P < 0.001), whereas access to the Internet with non-use was not statistically significant. Additionally, the associations between multidimensional aspects of the digital divide and depressive symptoms were moderated by rural/urban status, with these associations being significantly stronger among rural older adults (P < 0.05). This study highlights the importance of assessing the associations between digital divide and depressive symptoms from the multidimensional perspectives of access, support, and usage. Policy interventions targeting various aspects of the digital divide should be implemented to ensure active Internet engagement among older adults, especially those living in rural areas. • Few studies have assessed the associations between multiple subdimensions of the digital divide and depressive symptoms. • Access to devices, support from family, and usage such as for communication, entertainment or as instruments were found to be significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms. • The associations between access, support, usage divides and depressive symptoms are stronger among rural older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote working has played an increasingly important role in accelerating alternative workplaces. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency demands, this paper seek to demonstrate the resilience of knowledge workers and their ability to work remotely, despite the uneven distribution of enabling infrastructure during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. The Belief Action Outcome (BAO) model for information systems was used to support the study as this underexplored theory was found to be worthy of further testing in real-world situations. This qualitative study used a range of sources consisting largely of search data from major online journal databases. The findings highlight that knowledge workers can successfully work from alternative workplaces and still deliver the required outputs, despite socio-economic problems such as locational disparities and inequalities in access to technology. The same technologies that empowered knowledge workers to transform their work locations during the COVID-19 crisis, however, are the same to enable certain sectors of society whilst hindering other cohorts residing in under resourced locations. Therefore, the benefits of working remotely cannot favour everyone because of the existing inequalities and disparities. Applying the BAO model in this context implies environmental issues are likely to play a growing important role in future when decisions are made around alternative workplace and adoption of IS/IT systems. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted working patterns and accelerated the trend towards working in alternative workplaces than the traditional office/factory premises, there are notable implications around this shift. The study confirmed the related behaviours, opportunities, and barriers (social systems and organisations), as well as the structures (both societal and organisational) of the BAO model. In addition, certain aspects of both the remote workers' and organisations' adoption behaviour were changed to a greater extent and more rapidly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a contribution, this qualitative study reveals in more detail the yet uncharted remote workers' beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To facilitate the personalized smart manufacturing paradigm with cognitive automation capabilities, Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has attracted ever-increasing attention by offering an adaptive and flexible solution. DRL takes the advantages of both Deep Neural Networks (DNN) and Reinforcement Learning (RL), by embracing the power of representation learning, to make precise and fast decisions when facing dynamic and complex situations. Ever since the first paper of DRL was published in 2013, its applications have sprung up across the manufacturing field with exponential publication growth year by year. However, there still lacks any comprehensive review of the DRL in the field of smart manufacturing. To fill this gap, a systematic review process was conducted, with 261 relevant publications selected to date (20-Oct-2022), to gain a holistic understanding of the development, application, and challenges of DRL in smart manufacturing along the whole engineering lifecycle. First, the concept and development of DRL are summarized. Then, the typical DRL applications are analyzed in the four engineering lifecycle stages: design, manufacturing, distribution, and maintenance. Finally, the challenges and future directions are illustrated, especially emerging DRL-related technologies and solutions that can improve the manufacturing system's deployment feasibility, cognitive capability, and learning efficiency, respectively. It is expected that this work can provide an insightful guide to the research of DRL in the smart manufacturing field and shed light on its future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the spatial impact of digitalization, the concern is often expressed that rural areas and the companies located there are disadvantaged by a digital divide compared to urban regions. Against this background, this paper explores the role of the urban/rural location of a small firm in the use of digital communication and information technologies (ICT). With the help of a cluster analysis approach, different modes of digitalization in the German small enterprise sector are identified. According to this, four groups of small firms can be distinguished in accordance to the maturity level concept of digital transformation: non-digital firms, digital beginners, platform-oriented firms and digital manufacturers. From a spatial perspective, it can be seen that the members of the platform-oriented group are relatively often located in urban regions, whereas the digital manufacturers are relatively often found in rural areas. These findings are interpreted as an indication that small firms at least partially consciously assign themselves to one of these digitalization modes, depending on which business model is most effective in the respective (urban or rural) business environment. By contrast, whether a small firm has not yet done anything in terms of digitalization or is only at the beginning of the digital transformation process does not significantly depend on the location of the company. The paper concludes with implications for policy and research. • There are four modes of digitalization in the small enterprise sector. • "Platform-oriented firms" are relatively often located in urban regions. • "Digital manufacturers" are relatively often found in rural regions. • No urban-rural divide is observed for "non-digital firms" and "digital beginners". • Various internal and external factors determine a small firm's digitalization mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies have investigated the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) deployment in the public sector on government-citizen interactions, findings remain controversial due to the technical complexity and contextual diversity. This study distinguishes between rule-driven and learning-driven AI and explores their impact as automated respondents on citizen-initiated contact, an important scenario for public participation with initiative. Based on a conjoint experiment with 763 participations (4578 observations), this study suggests that AI deployments enormously reduce the likelihood of citizen-initiated contact compared to human response, with learning-driven AI having a higher negative effect than rule-driven AI. In addition, the causal effects of respondent image, contact channel, contact purpose, and matter attributes on citizen-initiated contact, as well as their moderating effects, are explored. These findings make theoretical implications and calls for public participation in the roaring AI deployment in the public sector. • AI as automated respondents reduces citizen-initiated contact; learning-driven AI worsens the effect more than rule-driven AI. • Respondent image, channel, purpose, and matter affect citizen contact but hardly mitigate AI's negative impact. • Unlike the digital divide, young, highly educated individuals are least likely to contact AI respondents in government. • The gap between AI adoption and social acceptance highlights the critical need for public participation in AI governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal communities across the globe are prone to imminent disasters and emergencies due to their geographic placement, and their fishing occupations add to their exposure to ocean-related disasters more during their occupational voyage. The fishermen in the state of Kerala, India, lead a distinctive lifestyle compared to the mainstream community, primarily because of a significant digital divide. This divide hampers their access to livelihood support, such as live market information and impedes any potential improvement in their quality of life through digital services. The community's transformation is possible only through discrete and gradual steps of progression by bringing services to different areas such as education, connectivity, technology adoption, business, and livelihood. This study revealed prevalent gaps in the fishing community, including a lack of digital access and communication opportunities in the deep ocean, a deficiency in digital capacity preventing them from leveraging the benefits of Information and communications technology (ICT), leading to community isolation from digital inclusion and limiting economic opportunities. To address these issues, the study proposes an IoT-enabled digital ecosystem, transforming the community into a smart digital community. This ecosystem integrates a low-cost deep ocean communication solution, supportive software applications, a blockchain-based e-commerce platform, and a sustainable social change model for technology adoption. Proper adoption and utilisation of the digital ecosystem can strengthen the community's resilience to natural disasters, and climatic changes by providing relevant information and livelihood resilience by offering them an e-commerce platform to improve income and reduce their vulnerability. It will equip them to enhance their responsiveness to changing environmental and social factors and bounce back to build their innate resilience. • Co-designing solutions with community stakeholders aids in building a digital ecosystem for the community. • An amalgamation of technology development and sustainable social change model to promote a digital ecosystem for fishermen. • Conduct training programs on using digital resources and technology to enhance digital capacity. • Inclusion of a sustainable social model to improve the efficient utilisation of digital resources and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating offshore wind turbines suffer severe aerodynamics under platform motions. Novel control methods are urgently needed to improve power and load performances. A mechanical cyclic pitch control strategy is introduced in this paper, and the load reduction effect on the NREL 5-MW wind turbine is investigated under dominant pitch motions. The simulation is performed by the standalone Aerodyn_Driver code. Results show that the relative airflow under pitch motions can be equated to a linear sheared flow and is only related to wind velocity and pitch angular velocity. Cyclic pitch control hardly affects power and thrust but significantly changes aerodynamic moments. The resultant moment and moment axis azimuth are defined, and they are controlled respectively by pitch amplitude and phase. The optimal pitch parameter equations to minimize pitching and yawing moments are derived from fitting and derivation, and the standard deviations of aerodynamic moments are reduced by over 70 % under the sinusoidal pitch motion and steady inflow below rated operation. This paper provides a new idea for the individual pitch control structure, and the mechanism study for aerodynamic control is important and instructive to fill the technological gap in mature pitch control strategies for floating offshore wind turbines. • Cyclic pitch control is used to reduce aerodynamic loads under pitch motions. • The linear sheared airflow is only related to wind and pitch angular velocity. • Power and thrust are almost unaffected in the limited pitch angle range. • Load magnitude and direction are adjusted respectively by pitch amplitude and phase. • Standard deviations of moments are reduced by over 70 % with the optimal control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information Technology is important in daily life, especially was in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even in this period the phenomenon of the digital divide (dd) emerges. This research moves in this direction, studying the evolution of the Internet use in Italy, in three different macro-areas, in more recent times (from 1996 to 2022). To provide a rigorous quantitative approach of the internal dd, different statistical models of diffusion, in particular Logistic, Gompertz and Bass models have been used. In order to analyse the diffusion of the Internet and internal digital divide, the number of ".it "domain names were used as an indicator. From the comparison of the three statistical models applied, resulted that the Internet diffusion in the North is very developed compared to the Centre and South, and although the Centre and the North have a similar trend, the diffusion process is slower in the South. This confirmed the presence of an internal digital divide. A particular result arising from the application of Bass model is that, in Italy, potential users of the Internet are mostly "imitators" with respect to "innovators". Furthermore, results show the presence of two imitator areas with different behaviors: the imitator area with higher income adopts technology faster, reaching in some times the same levels of Internet penetration of the innovative area and the point of inflection of the diffusion curve less than one year earlier than the innovative area and almost two years earlier than the imitator area with low income. However, the results show that in the long term the North (the area where the innovation coefficient is highest) continues to differentiate itself from the Centre and the South, increasing rather than decreasing the dd. This study can be useful to policymakers in order to take measures to overcome the dd, even in an industrialized country like Italy. • Domain names were used as an indicator to analyse the diffusion of the Internet. • Three different statistical diffusion models were applied in various Italian areas. • During the post Covid-19 period, the Internet use increases in the "imitator" areas. • In the long term in the most innovative area the Internet use will continue to grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research focus in the field of digital rural development revolves around achieving high-quality digital rural construction and addressing the digital divide in different regions. This is particularly significant in China, where the issue has grown increasingly prominent. To delineate the pathway for rural digitalization and bridge the digital divide, we have constructed a Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, drawing upon configuration theory. Utilizing data from China's Top 100 Digital Rural Counties and applying the methods of Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), we identified the configurational paths necessary to achieve high-quality digital rural construction and discerned the nature of the digital divide across various regions. The findings show that: 1) none of the single antecedent conditions is a necessary condition for achieving a high level of digital rural construction. 2) There are four configurational paths for high-quality digital rural construction: technology-organization combination, technology-organization optimization, technology-organization symbiosis, and environmental integration. 3) Further analyses show that the configurational path for high-quality rural digitalization in the southeast coastal areas is organization-led, multi-coordinated, and technology-environment driven. In contrast, for inland provinces, it is technology-led, technology-innovation, and technology-external pressure. Moreover, a comparative analysis of regional differences shows that the high-quality digital rural construction in the southeast coastal provinces presents a well-rounded development type, whereas for the inland provinces it demonstrates a development mode of technology-driven under government leadership. The findings provide valuable insights for rural digitalization research and shed light on bridging the digital divide. • Rather than holistically evaluating the multiple drivers of rural digitalization, past research has primarily focused on a narrow perspective to evaluate the "nete effect" of driver factor affects the rural digitalization outcome. Instead, this paper advocate for an asymmetric configurational perspective that tests the causal complexity of high and not-high of rural digitalization outcomes. • This paper verified that none of a single antecedental factor constituted a necessary condition for achieve high-level of digital rural construction. Which means more attention should be paid to the confluence effect of multiple factors in rural digitalization. • This paper identified the paths to achieving high-quality of digital rural construction. There are four configurational paths for realize the high-quality of digital rural construction: technology-organization combination, technology-organization optimization, technology-organization symbiosis, and environmental integration. • This paper identified the nature of digital divide between regions in China. We classified the sample into two subsets, counties in the southeast coastal provinces and inland provinces. Comparative the two regions, this paper found that the high-quality of digital rural construction in the southeast coastal provinces presented a well-rounded development type. whereas, for the inland provinces it demonstrated a development mode of technology-driven under government leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the relationship between digitalization and sustainability in the manufacturing industry, considering the effects on sustainability barriers and the existence of differences in the level of development between countries and regions. While digitalization can improve efficiency and support sustainable goals, mixed results from previous studies suggest that there is still a need to understand how this relationship works. Using a sample of 1334 manufacturing companies with more than 20 employees from the Flash Eurobarometer 486 database and by conducting multiple regression analysis, the results reveal that although digital technologies can directly enhance environmental sustainability, the level of development moderates the effect of digitalization on the various barriers to sustainability. This study contributes to the field by deepening the knowledge about the trade-offs between digitalization and sustainability in virtue of the existence of digital divide between different levels of development among countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Inter-country croplands' GHG emissions differences were explored. • More potential drivers were discussed based on machine learning algorithms. • The feminization of agriculture was related to developing countries' emissions. • Land use change significantly impacted emissions in developed countries. Investigating the determinants of intercountry differences in cropland greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is paramount for emission reduction policies to combat climate change. Based on the categorization of developed and developing countries, this study employed the spatial within-between logarithmic mean Divisia index method, the meta -frontier production-theoretical decomposition analysis method and multiple machine learning algorithms to investigate the primary factors contributing to within- and between-group differences. The findings indicate that (1) developing countries experience higher GHG emissions from croplands than developed countries owing to their technology gap, lower technical efficiency, and less advanced industrial structure in the agricultural sector. However, they demonstrated rapid technological progress with great potential for emissions reduction. (2) The technology gap contributed to within-group differences among developed countries, while potential technological progress influenced those of developing countries. (3) Importance analysis based on machine learning algorithms and regression analysis revealed that the technology gap and the feminization of agriculture was related to developing countries' emissions, while variables associated with land use change significantly impacted GHG emissions from croplands in developed countries. Therefore, substituting agricultural machinery for labor and increasing technological innovations in the agricultural sector should be promoted in developing countries. Simultaneously, special attention should be paid to rational planning and monitoring of croplands in developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the urban–rural digital divide is a globally common phenomenon, less is known about the social determinants of the digital divide within rural and urban areas. Understanding this relationship is important for assessing the equity implications of telecommunication policy given the ongoing and significant public investment into high speed broadband infrastructure. This paper contributes to this discussion by connecting high speed broadband maps in Ireland to measures of social deprivation constructed from detailed population-wide Irish census data collected in 2022. Linking to newly available maps of urban boundaries, the results show that the availability of commercially provided high speed broadband (i.e. coverage) is highly divided; urban areas have near complete coverage, whereas rural areas have little to no coverage. Exploring determinants of coverage in rural areas, we observe that coverage increases with affluence. This suggests that rural areas, which are relatively socially deprived, are being further disadvantaged through inequalities in the availability of high speed broadband. • The urban/rural digital divide is a commonly documented phenomenon. • Less is known about the digital divide within urban and rural areas. • We spatially match high-speed broadband maps to an indicator of social deprivation to further explore this. • This shows high speed broadband availability increases with affluence in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haptic technology permeates diverse fields and is receiving renewed attention for VR and AR applications. Advances in flexible electronics, facilitate the integration of haptic technologies into soft wearable systems, however, because of small footprint requirements face challenges of operational time requiring either large batteries, wired connections or frequent recharge, restricting the utility of haptic devices to short-duration tasks or low duty cycles, prohibiting continuously assisting applications. Currently many chronic applications are not investigated because of this technological gap. Here, we address wireless power and operation challenges with a biosymbiotic approach enabling continuous operation without user intervention, facilitated by wireless power transfer, eliminating the need for large batteries, and offering long-term haptic feedback without adhesive attachment to the body. These capabilities enable haptic feedback for robotic surgery training and posture correction over weeks of use with neural net computation. The demonstrations showcase that this device class expands use beyond conventional brick and strap or epidermally attached devices enabling new fields of use for imperceptible therapeutic and assistive haptic technologies supporting care and disease management. • Continuous haptic feedback with high spatial resolution via adhesive-free biosymbiotic device architectures. • Continuous, neural net enabled multimodal closed-loop haptic feedback for assistive and therapeutic applications. • Demonstration of advanced learning outcomes through haptics for minimally invasive surgery training and postural reeducation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 42 urban nature measures were used in 115 pedestrian health studies reviewed. • Reviewed studies predominantly used objective and aerial-level measures. • Perceptual, eye-level, and quality measures of urban nature were underutilized. • Area/proportion and proximity were the most common disaggregate measurement types. • Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was the most popular composite variable. Walking and access to nature are two of the most effective health promotion and disease prevention strategies. There has been a growing interest in the dynamic pathways among access to nature, walking, and health. Effective measurement of these variables is the prerequisite to advancing our understanding of such pathways. However, contrasting to the rigorous methods available for walking and health measures, methods to quantify nature have been limited. This study uses a systematic literature review to synthesize urban nature measures (UNMs) used in published studies linking urban nature with pedestrian health outcomes (e.g. walking, physical activity, physical health, mental health). A survey of experts (n = 30) was used to identify additional and emerging methods. The literature search identified 115 articles and 48 UNMs most of which (40 or 83%) were objective measures. Results showed no consensus on the optimal UNMs for pedestrian health research, but certain measures such as NDVI, proximity to green spaces, and area/proportion of green spaces, were popularly used in previous studies. Experts suggested emerging methods including LiDAR, GPS, high-resolution imagery, virtual/augmented reality, and context-sensitive ecological momentary assessment. Major gaps in current UNMs included the shortage of eye-level and quality-related measures. While experts acknowledge the promise of emerging technologies, they shared concerns related to privacy, digital divide, confidentiality, and bias. This study offers insights into the UNMs available to quantify nature for pedestrian health research, which can serve to facilitate future research, community actions, and policy changes aimed at promoting walking and nature access for healthier urban communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper explores the development of a statistically based index evaluating digitalization processes to assess the digital divide between the regions of Kazakhstan: resource-based (oil and gas) regions and regions where the service sector dominates the GRP. As a method for forming such an indicator, the authors suggest using factor analysis, which reduces the dimension of factors while maintaining the reasoning behind a significant part of the data variability. This approach is preferable because the index is formed on the basis of statistically objective estimates rather than that of subjective expert opinion. The results of the factor analysis were interpreted as the following two qualitatively different subindices that formed the final Economy and Society Digitalization Index, namely, for resource-based (oil and gas) regions: subindex of digital consumption by households and subindex of digital consumption by organizations; for service-dominated regions: subindex of digital consumption by households and organizations, and subindex of digitalization of labor management processes. The combined values of the calculated subindices allowed us to conclude that the introduction of information and communication technologies into the consumer environment is greater than into the activities of economic entities. Open innovations are revealed to create additional opportunities for obtaining new knowledge and additional tools and ideas that can lead to bridging the digital divide in the regions of Kazakhstan. The analysis of descriptive statistics of these values allowed us to draw a number of conclusions available that can be used to form regional digital policy. First, the regional population shows a fairly homogeneous high level of consumption of telecommunications services, which indicates their availability. Second, the majority of economic entities throughout the country have successfully passed the first stage of digitalization, which consists in the use of Internet technologies; although, not all of them are characterized by a trend toward the digitalization of business processes. Thirdly, for most organizations, the digital development of human capital still remains an important task. Further statistical research of regional differentiation of the values of the proposed digital development indicator will allow a deeper understanding of the reasons for the digital divide in Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The digital divide can widen social inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Internet usage remained similar or increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Increased Internet use is associated with better self-rated health of older adults. • Older adults' health was affected by age and the types of Internet services. • It is necessary to actively support internet usage in older adults. Disparities in Internet access are barriers to older populations' well-being. This study examined the association between changes in older adults' Internet usage during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and their self-rated health. Participants were adults aged 65 years and above, selected from the 2020 Digital Divide Survey conducted in Korea (n = 1150). Changes in Internet use among younger (aged 65–74 years) and older (aged 75 years and above) groups and the association between these changes and participants' self-rated health were examined. Internet usage remained similar or increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among the younger group. Increased Internet use was associated with better self-rated health of the participants. Other characteristics, including age, income, and education level, were also positively associated with their health. This study highlights the need for increasing older adults' access to online activities to enhance health equity in the digital era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High inter-laboratory variability of precision, sensitivity and concordance in clinical WES variant detection for inherited disease. • DNA concentration and sequencing evenness are two major variables that lead to the coverage variation. • Bioinformatics tools and computational settings affect the sensitivity and precision of the final output, with precision having a greater influence than sensitivity. • CNV identification is less reproducible than small variants (SNVs and Indels) in the WES testing due to the technological gap, clinicians should choose the diagnosis approach that best suits their needs. • To improve the consistency and comparability of clinical WES outcomes amongst laboratories, the experimental and computational procedure in typical WES laboratories must be further developed, integrated, and standardized. • A list of 4441 'Pathogenic' and 'Likely_pathogenic' SNVs of 1176 genes from the ClinVar database with low sequencing read depth coverage was compiled as a source for creating in silico and synthetic DNA reference materials for clinical genomic test development and validation. • The findings of this study will help to inform guidelines for detecting clinical genetic disorders by exome sequencing. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) technology has become an essential tool in the clinical diagnostic for rare genetic disorders, however, the issues that reduce testing precision, sensitivity, and concordance are not clear under routine testing conditions. The study is to systematically evaluate the comparability of clinical WES testing results in laboratories under routine conditions. We designed a multi-laboratory study across 24 participating laboratories in China. We assessed sequencing quality across capture methods and sequencing platforms, benchmarked the impact of coverage and callable regions on detecting single nucleotide variants (SNVs), small insertions and deletions (Indels) under the same computational approaches, and compared the sensitivity, precision and reproducibility on detecting mutations across laboratories. High inter-laboratory variability on variants detection were found across participating laboratories. Sample DNA concentration and sequencing evenness are two major variables that lead to the coverage variation. The difference in bioinformatics tools and computational settings affect the sensitivity and precision of the final output. Besides, copy-number variants (CNVs) identification is less reproducible than SNVs and Indels in the WES testing. We also compiled a list of 4441 low coverage ClinVar variants of 1176 genes from this study, which can be used as a source for creating in silico and synthetic DNA reference materials for clinical genetic disorder detection. The considerable inter-laboratory variability seen in both sequencing coverage evenness and variants detection highlights the urgent need to improve the precision, sensitivity and comparability of the results generated across different laboratories. The list of low coverage variants can have important implications for the development and validation of clinical genetic disorder tests by laboratories. This study also serves to best practice inform guidelines for detecting clinical genetic disorders by exome sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to adequate, affordable, reliable broadband has become essential to many aspects of modern life. However, while urban centers in Canada already benefit from high-speed broadband services, many rural/remote and Northern communities face increasingly concentrated spaces of exclusion associated with digital divides. Inequalities in broadband services in Northern Canada have long been recognized by the federal government, which has initiated policies, regulations and funding programs to support the deployment of better connectivity infrastructure and services. Historically, many of these initiatives reflect a top-down approach that fails to consider the diversity of the communities and regions they are designed to support. Here, we focus on a case study of a policy consultation held by the national telecommunications regulator in an effort to learn current issues and challenges in the North. Consistent with existing research, our findings revealed that the most frequently reported challenges are the high cost of access, slow speeds, and limited competition. We also point out fewer submissions from smaller rural communities and argue that policymakers and researchers should pay closer attention to place-based challenges identified in different types of communities, and adopt more precise engagement tools and processes to encourage input from community members. • Long-standing digital inequalities persist in many rural/remote areas in Canada. • The telecommunications regulator launched a public consultation in North Canada. • We investigated the prevalence and focus of submissions from Northern residents. • There are distinctions between submissions from urban and rural communities. • More tailored policies can help reduce the social exclusion of rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technosignatures refer to observational manifestations of technology that could be detected through astronomical means. Most previous searches for technosignatures have focused on searches for radio signals, but many current and future observing facilities could also constrain the prevalence of some non-radio technosignatures. This search could thus benefit from broader participation by the astronomical community, as contributions to technosignature science can also take the form of negative results that provide statistically meaningful quantitative upper limits on the presence of a signal. This paper provides a synthesis of the recommendations of the 2020 TechnoClimes workshop, which was an online event intended to develop a research agenda to prioritize and guide future theoretical and observational studies technosignatures. The paper provides a high-level overview of the use of current and future missions to detect exoplanetary technosignatures at ultraviolet, optical, or infrared wavelengths, which specifically focuses on the detectability of atmospheric technosignatures, artificial surface modifications, optical beacons, space engineering and megastructures, and interstellar flight. This overview does not derive any new quantitative detection limits but is intended to provide additional science justification for the use of current and planned observing facilities as well as to inspire astronomers conducting such observations to consider the relevance of their ongoing observations to technosignature science. This synthesis also identifies possible technology gaps with the ability of current and planned missions to search for technosignatures, which suggests the need to consider technosignature science cases in the design of future mission concepts. • Technosignatures refer to observational manifestations of technology that could be detected through astronomical means. • This paper presents some of the conclusions of the TechnoClimes 2020 workshop. • Current and future astronomical facilities can place constraints on the prevalence of technosignatures. • Technosignature searches can be included in mission science justification without added cost. • The search for technosignatures would benefit from broader participation by the astronomical community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents and analyzes Reinforcement Learning (RL) based approaches to solve spacecraft control problems. Different application fields are considered, e.g., guidance, navigation and control systems for spacecraft landing on celestial bodies, constellation orbital control, and maneuver planning in orbit transfers. It is discussed how RL solutions can address the emerging needs of designing spacecraft with highly autonomous on-board capabilities and implementing controllers (i.e., RL agents) robust to system uncertainties and adaptive to changing environments. For each application field, the RL framework core elements (e.g., the reward function, the RL algorithm and the environment model used for the RL agent training) are discussed with the aim of providing some guidelines in the formulation of spacecraft control problems via a RL framework. At the same time, the adoption of RL in real space projects is also analyzed. Different open points are identified and discussed, e.g., the availability of high-fidelity simulators for the RL agent training and the verification of RL-based solutions. This way, recommendations for future work are proposed with the aim of reducing the technological gap between the solutions proposed by the academic community and the needs/requirements of the space industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess for sociodemographic factors associated with the use of an online patient portal to self-schedule screening mammography (SM) compared with the traditional scheduling pathway (phone call and referral system).Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at an urban quaternary care academic medical center with patient portal access to the electronic health record. All female patients undergoing SM at the institution from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, were included. The institutional data warehouse was queried to extract the following variables: patient scheduling pathway (online self-scheduled vs traditional), age, language, race/ethnicity, health insurance provider, and ZIP code. ZIP code was linked to census data to extract the following: computer with Internet access, median household income, and education level. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent factors associated with using the online self-scheduling pathway for SM.Results: A total of 46,083 patients met the inclusion criteria. Three hundred two (0.7%) used the online self-scheduling pathway. Patients using the online self-scheduling pathway had higher odds of being younger (odds ratio [OR] for age in years, 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-0.96), being English speakers (OR, 21.3; 95% CI, 2.9-153.9), being White non-Hispanic (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.5), and having commercial insurance (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1). Patients using the online self-scheduling pathway had higher odds of living in ZIP-code areas with higher access to computers with Internet connection (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) and lower rates of education at or above the college level (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-1.00). Patient median household income by ZIP code was not significantly associated with use of the online self-scheduling pathway.Conclusions: Patients with limited English proficiency, those of racial/ethnic minorities, those who were older, and those without commercial insurance were less likely to use an online self-scheduling pathway for SM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies revealed that existing lockdowns due to COVID-19 across developing countries resulted in education access inequalities and challenges. Closure of schools and higher education institutions have forced educators to deliver courses and assessments distantly as an immediate countermeasure against threats on the academic progression of students. Specifically, students marginalized by digital divides were found to have less satisfaction in learning experiences under this emergency online learning method. For students with science and engineering background, it is a challenge to learn first principles theories in the online environment which could affect their learning motivation level. This paper presents the implementation of online cooperative learning in the course Material and Energy Balance which covered the fundamental principles of Chemical Engineering. The impact of virtual cooperative learning approach to reduce the loss of motivation due to digital divide was investigated. Firstly, it was found that most of the students, from different backgrounds of digital access, experienced a drop in motivation at the start of emergency online learning. Secondly, when virtual cooperative learning was implemented, an increase in students' motivation at both sides of the digital divide was observed. The implications concerning provisions to design an all-inclusive online learning environment are also presented. We found that the incorporation of cooperative learning approach could contribute towards alleviating the drop in motivation, especially for the digitally disadvantaged students. We hope that the findings from this study could compel instructors or education practitioners to rethink and redesign the online teaching and learning activities to enable a more inclusive emergency online learning environment for digitally disadvantaged students. • The impact of virtual cooperative learning on the motivation of students during emergency online learning was investigated. • Most of the students experienced a drop in motivation at the start of emergency online learning. • Students with an unstable internet connection had lower motivation levels compared to those with stable internet connection. • Cooperative learning increased the learning motivation of students at both sides of digital divides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving land use efficiency is an important way to break resource and environmental constraints, and achieve sustainable development. First, the super-efficient SBM model with meta frontier and group frontier is adopted to measure urban land use efficiency. Then, a comprehensive indicator framework is constructed to assess the urban energy transition index. Finally, the impact of land use efficiency on urban energy transition is explored. Urban land use efficiency in China has shown a gradual upward trend over the study period. The technology gap ratio has a positive impact on urban land use efficiency, but there are significant regional differences. The urban energy transition index also shows a gradual upward trend, with regional differences in energy transition in different urbans. The urban land use efficiency has a positive impact on urban energy transition, and several endogeneity and robustness tests confirm that the conclusions are robust. The results of the heterogeneity analysis show that the impact of urban land use efficiency on energy transition is more significant in non-resource cities, cities with high cleanliness potential and cities with high levels of economic development. The analysis of the regulating mechanism shows that different land use policies have heterogeneous effects on the energy transition. • The super-efficient SBM model with meta frontier and group frontier is used to measure urban land use efficiency. • A comprehensive indicator framework is constructed to assess the urban energy transition index. • The impact of land use efficiency on urban energy transition is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores spatial patterns of the digital divide and its determinants at the sub-district level in Thailand, uncovering nuanced patterns often overlooked in the in prior literature. To our knowledge, no studies in the digital divide field have offered such detailed estimations. Based on the Spatially Aware Technology Utilization Model, we constructed a conceptual model tailored to the digital divide's geospatial context in Thailand. Using a spatial econometric approach, we analyzed the 2021 data set on basic household necessities provided by Thailand's Community Development Department. The results show a positive spatial autocorrelation of the household internet access divide (HIAD) across Thailand's sub-districts. This spatial clustering tended to be high–high in the sub-districts located in the northeastern and northern regions, with low–low agglomerations in the central region of Thailand. In addition, the spatial econometric analysis results indicated that the HIAD may be influenced by various factors including demographic, economic, educational, government ICT prioritization, social capital, transportation, and disaster-related variables. This study provides both theoretical and policy implications to enrich geographic knowledge of the digital divide, specifically in the context of developing countries. • Geographic barriers significantly correlate with the extent of the digital divide in Thailand. • This study investigated the spatial distribution and determinants of the digital divide at the sub-district level. • Spatial econometrics were applied to analyze detailed household internet access data. • Pronounced clustering of the digital divide was found within Thailand's sub-districts. • Key determinants are demographic, economic, educational, ICT policy, social capital, transportation, and disaster factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Digitalization has exacerbated socioeconomic disparities, ethics and equity. • Agriculture catches up to digitalization but applications are under scrutiny. • Higher Education institutions strategically positioned to address the digital divide. • Higher Education institutions can prepare the agricultural workforce of the future. Agriculture 4.0 technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things, Computer Vision, and Robotics, have revolutionized the agricultural sector. But the adoption of digital technologies has arguably created new or exacerbated existing socioeconomic disparities, while raising ethical issues, particularly when considering technology access and adoption. So far, the literature has placed little emphasis on how to effectively bridge knowledge and skills disparities in the agriculture sector—or mend agriculture's 'digital divides'—through workforce development strategies that leverage higher education and extension programs. In this article, we argue that academic programs have a much bigger role to play via educational and extension efforts to equip tomorrow's AI-ready workforce. This may be accomplished through imparting technological know-how in the form of upskilling and reskilling, and through the strategic management of equitable technological change and incorporation of ethical data management. We explain what this upskilling should consist in, where it is needed the most, and why engaging with the ethics of emerging technologies is important. The reader will get an appreciation of how academic programs can leverage digital agriculture (DA) to develop skills and talent needed for the agricultural sector to reap the benefits of digitalization and address the workforce development challenges encountered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital revolution is bringing profound changes to the production, lifestyle, and governance in urban and rural areas. However, the varying impacts of different digitalization dimensions on urban-rural disparity have been understudied, particularly in developing countries. Based on 1931 county-level administrative units, this study used cluster analysis and a novel Bayesian Quantile Regression approach to explore the digitalization characteristics, and how digitalization influences urban-rural disparity at different disparity levels and in different regions. We found three types of digitalization development, including Balanced Digital Progression (29.26 %), Digital Consumption Powerhouse (17.50 %), and Digital Development Potential (53.24 %). Digitalization played an essential role in alleviating urban-rural disparity, with a more pronounced effect in areas with higher levels of disparity. The access to information infrastructure related to the first-level digital divide may exacerbate the urban-rural disparity, while the digitalization dimensions related to the second-level digital divide could mitigate the urban-rural disparity. Regarding the regional effects, information infrastructure adoption has different impacts on urban-rural disparity across various regions, while digitalization usage is consistently mitigating urban-rural disparities. By comprehensively examining the role of digitalization, we provided a scientific basis for formulating more precise and effective policies for a more balanced and integrated urban-rural development. • This study identifies three types of digitalization development, with distinct patterns corresponding to specific geographical regions. • Digitalization played an essential role in alleviating urban-rural disparity, especially the dimensions of the second-level digital divide. • While some aspects of digitalization help reduce disparities, others contribute to the digital divide and may exacerbate the gap. • The impact of digitalization on reducing disparity is different across the quantiles, being more pronounced in areas with higher disparity levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation (GI) can increasingly contribute to green total factor productivity (GTFP) in the process of high-quality development transformation. However, the heterogeneous, spatial, and non-linear characteristics of GI are usually ignored when investigating its impact on GTFP. Using panel data on 275 Chinese cities from 2004 to 2022, two-way fixed, spatial Durbin, threshold, and mediation effect models are adopted to comprehensively examine how GI affects GTFP. The benchmark regression shows that GI can promote GTFP, and this result is maintained after robustness tests. The invention innovation is more likely to increase GTFP than green utility and green design innovations; furthermore, the enhanced impact driven by GI is primarily manifested via technological progress. GI can promote GTFP in neighboring regions through spillover effects under various spatial weight matrixes. Using the technological gap as the threshold variable, GI can promote GTFP through a gradually increasing feature. Furthermore, industrial upgrading, pollution reduction, and factor agglomeration are the three main mechanisms through which GI promotes GTFP. Based on the perspective of GI promoting sustainable development, the findings of this paper provide valuable recommendations for formulating GI and sustainable development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Review on recent progress in magnetic properties of SrM magnet & it's applications. • Reviewed various synthesis processes and their effect on magnetic properties of SrM. • Covered substitutional behavior of various elements on magnetic properties of SrM. • Attempted to cover the possibility of SrM-based magnet in numerous applications. • The review paper is motivated towards an alternative to rare-earth permanent magnet. Hard magnets (HMs) are significant components in various applications like rotating machines, telecommunication, computer devices, sensors, and many more. In the HM group, permanent magnets are extensively used due to their high energy product, though they are costly and contain rare earth (RE) elements. Advancements in the magnetic properties of non-RE-based hard magnets can fulfill the technology gap between non-RE and expensive RE-based hard magnets. Hexaferrite magnets represent the largest magnet group being used nowadays by volume, in which strontium hexaferrite (SrM) is a widely used non-RE hard magnet. It is the most faithful base magnet in terms of abundance and economic balance, which requires more or less reformation and advancement in the aspect of magnetic properties. SrMs are ferrimagnetic materials, and their magnetic properties are inherently linked to the microstructures. It can be upgraded to attain high (BH) max and high curie temperature by refining its magnetic properties. Improvement in its M s and H c , even mildly, could open up the possibilities of large-scale immersion of strontium hexaferrite-based magnets in the vast field of permanent magnet applications. In the past several years, enormous improvement has been made toward enhancing the physical and magnetic properties of SrM. Identifying the synthesis parameters as well as the microstructural changes is essential for designing and improvisation of magnets. The current progress in the magnetic properties of SrM (especially high M s and high H c) by synthesis parameters and different substituting elements is briefly covered in this review, along with the applications and future aspects of Sr-hexaferrite-based magnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Context within EUROfusion: the work is conducted within the EUROfusion framework, emphasizing its significance within the fusion research community. • Addressing Fundamental Issues: it aims to tackle fundamental issues crucial for achieving energy extraction from fusion reactors, indicating its importance in advancing fusion technology. • Plasma Aspect Ratio and PF system size: choosing a significantly high aspect ratio for the plasma results in a configuration where the PF coil system is too distant and subsequently too large to control the plasma in a conventional manner. • Machine Assembly Configuration: it proposes an alternative machine assembly configuration, highlighting the importance of proximity between poloidal magnets and the plasma. The PF system is now placed inside the TF system. Both systems are based on HTS magnets. • Feasibility Analysis: the paper includes a feasibility analysis of the proposed solution, providing details on a proposed overall fabrication and assembly sequence for the tokamak. The paper introduces a new approach to assemble tokamak machines applied to the plasma-based Volumetric Neutron Source (VNS) device, addressing challenges related to machine topology. The VNS, designed as a compact tokamak, serves as a qualification testbed for in-vessel fusion components, especially the breeding blanket. The project aims to bridge the technology gap between ITER and DEMO. The machine size has been minimized to maximize the Neutron Wall Load (NWL). This results in a small, dense plasma and, due to the massive neutron shielding structure, a comparably large distance between the plasma and the equilibrium magnets, challenging the primary stabilization and shaping of the plasma. To overcome this, a magnet system architecture is proposed for VNS in which the poloidal field (PF) coil system is placed inside the TF coils. An assembly procedure is proposed, where the superconducting PF coils are first completed and positioned around the vacuum vessel, followed by the in-situ winding and assembly of the toroidal field coil system. The main magnetic cage components of the machine are based on High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) to avoid the need for heat treatment. The paper presents the advantages of the magnet system architecture, and the preliminary feasibility study of the machine assembly process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines the meta-frontier analysis framework with the SBM-DEA model based on undesirable outputs to thoroughly reveal the mechanism of ecological efficiency differences in China's mariculture. This paper accurately identifies the weak links in ecological efficiency in various regions, thereby achieving a precise evaluation of mariculture ecological efficiency within the framework of technological heterogeneity. The results indicate that under the meta-frontier, the annual average ecological efficiency of mariculture in coastal areas of China during the sample period is 0.586, with a 41.4 % efficiency improvement space. However, under the group frontier, the annual average ecological efficiency is 0.783. The MEI in the BR economic zone and the YRD economic zone respectively stem from MI and TI, whereas in the PRD economic zone, the difference in the proportions of management inefficiency and technological inefficiency is not significant. Finally, this paper proposes four types of improvement paths. • Adopt a model combining meta-frontier analysis and SBM-DEA with undesirable outputs • Reveal the differences and mechanisms in China's mariculture ecological efficiency • Propose four improvement paths for different Chinese provinces • Emphasize promoting coordinated development of mariculture resources and ecology • Offer empirical & theoretical support for tailored mariculture efficiency strategy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Perceived greenspace abundance and visibility associated with objective greenspace. • Objective greenspace less associated with greenspace access, usage or quality. • Perceptions of greenspace exposure higher among white, high SES participants. • Environmental attitudes influence perceptions of greenspace exposure. This study explores the relationship between perceived and objective greenspace exposure, and how sociodemographic traits and environmental attitudes influence peoples' perceptions of greenspace. We leveraged a cross-sectional survey on greenspace exposure among residents of Denver, CO that ran from November 2019 through April 2021. We measured objective greenspace using the average NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), average percent vegetation, and median GVI (green view index) within 300, 500, and 1,000 m of participants' residences, and in participant-drawn polygons representing their neighborhoods. We measured perceived greenspace exposure using survey responses from questions about greenspace abundance, visibility, access, usage, and quality near participants' homes. We assessed relationships between perceived and objective greenspace measures using linear models. Then, we used latent class analysis to create perceived greenspace exposure classes, and used linear models to evaluate the relationship between these classes and sociodemographic and environmental attitude variables. We found that the relationship between perceived and objective measures (NDVI in the 300-meter buffer) was strongest for abundance (OR: 5.14, [4.0, 6.28]) and visibility (OR: 3.71, [2.58, 4.84]) compared to perceived access (OR: 2.17, [1.02, 3.32]), usage (OR: 2.28, [1.19, 3.37]), and quality (OR: 2.33, [1.25, 3.41]). In fully adjusted models, objective greenspace exposure and environmental attitudes predicted perceived greenspace exposure classes, but sociodemographic variables—other than age—did not. Our work suggests that objective greenspace exposure is only one factor influencing peoples' perceived greenspace exposure, and that environmental attitude variables may play an additional role in shaping peoples' perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]