The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale measures environmental concern in relation to sustainable development. This article will discuss how this scale was tested with three groups of Dutch higher education students. Findings demonstrate that anthropocentric and ecocentric values are independent of the students’ chosen course of study, suggesting that students attracted by the ‘sustainable development’ course title do not necessarily associate ‘sustainability’ with ecocentric aims. This article discusses why ecocentric values are beneficial to the objective of a sustainable society and proposes ways forward in which these values can be enhanced in learners. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7030069 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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Light intensity and spectral composition notably impact the human circadian rhythm. The human body is a physiological system that regulates its sleep-awake cycle through a constant rhythm of light and darkness. For a long time, the lighting research field has been concerned with understanding this circadian rhythm to improve people's quality of life. To better understand the influence of light on the human circadian rhythm, a remote monitoring device was developed that reliably measures the light spectrum and human circadian rhythm in different environments, including Antarctica and a tropical location study. The designed apparatus aims to facilitate the comprehension of the impact of light on the human circadian rhythm and provide accessible measurements through cost-effective tools. Results show that the developed monitoring prototype can collect and transmit environmental and human data. Therefore, the low-cost equipment developed can be reproduced and used by research institutions to collect data in different environments and improve the understanding of the influence of light on human activities. The cross-sectional analysis of the collected data revealed evidence of the significant influence of light on regulating the human circadian rhythm in tropical and Antarctica case studies. The collected information makes it possible to predict human reactions to the light environment, correlate these responses with seasonal periods, and comprehend how various forms of artificial and natural light interact with individuals and their living spaces. This prototype offers a non-invasive tool for assessing sleep quality and daytime activities, providing knowledge of how lighting conditions can impact overall well-being.
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Continuous monitoring, continuous auditing and continuous assurance are three methods that utilize a high degree of business intelligence and analytics. The increased interest in the three methods has led to multiple studies that analyze each method or a combination of methods from a micro-level. However, limited studies have focused on the perceived usage scenarios of the three methods from a macro level through the eyes of the end-user. In this study, we bridge the gap by identifying the different usage scenarios for each of the methods according to the end-users, the accountants. Data has been collected through a survey, which is analyzed by applying a nominal analysis and a process mining algorithm. Results show that respondents indicated 13 unique usage scenarios, while not one of the three methods is included in all of the 13 scenarios, which illustrates the diversity of opinions in accountancy practice in the Netherlands.
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from the article: Abstract Based on a review of recent literature, this paper addresses the question of how urban planners can steer urban environmental quality, given the fact that it is multidimensional in character, is assessed largely in subjective terms and varies across time. The paper explores three questions that are at the core of planning and designing cities: ‘quality of what?’, ‘quality for whom?’ and ‘quality at what time?’ and illustrates the dilemmas that urban planners face in answering these questions. The three questions provide a novel framework that offers urban planners perspectives for action in finding their way out of the dilemmas identified. Rather than further detailing the exact nature of urban quality, these perspectives call for an approach to urban planning that is integrated, participative and adaptive. ; ; sustainable urban development; trade-offs; quality dimensions
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Quantifying measures of physical loading has been an essential part of performance monitoring within elite able-bodied sport, facilitated through advancing innovative technology. In wheelchair court sports (WCS) the inter-individual variability of physical impairments in the athletes increases the necessity for accurate load and performance measurements, while at the same time standard load monitoring methods (e.g. heart-rate) often fail in this group and dedicated WCS performance measurement methods are scarce. The objective of this review was to provide practitioners and researchers with an overview and recommendations to underpin the selection of suitable technologies for a variety of load and performance monitoring purposes specific to WCS. This review explored the different technologies that have been used for load and performance monitoring in WCS. During structured field testing, magnetic switch based devices, optical encoders and laser systems have all been used to monitor linear aspects of performance. However, movement in WCS is multidirectional, hence accelerations, decelerations and rotational performance and their impact on physiological responses and determination of skill level, is also of interest. Subsequently both for structured field testing as well as match-play and training, inertial measurement units mounted on wheels and frame have emerged as an accurate and practical option for quantifying linear and non-linear movements. In conclusion, each method has its place in load and performance measurement, yet inertial sensors seem most versatile and accurate. However, to add context to load and performance metrics, position-based acquisition devices such as automated image-based processing or local positioning systems are required.
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De gemeente Utrecht zet de komende jaren in op het versterken van collectief werken in de ondersteuning voor kinderen en gezinnen met opgroei- en opvoedvragen (Gemeente Utrecht, 2024). De reden hiervoor is de toenemende druk op de jeugdzorg. Veranderingen in het zorgaanbod zijn nodig om kosten, werkdruk en wachtlijsten te beperken. Verder is er sprake van een cultuuromslag in het denken over het jeugddomein, die mogelijk versneld is door de druk op de jeugdzorg. Deze cultuuromslag wordt gekenmerkt door een focus op de pedagogische basis (versterken van het eigen netwerk) en normaliseren (niet meer direct labelen en diagnosticeren, maar proberen het binnen het normale te blijven, accepteren dat een zekere lijdensdruk bij het leven hoort).
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Evidence-based research (EBR) is the systematic and transparent use of prior research to inform a new study so that it answers questions that matter in a valid, efficient, and accessible manner. This study surveyed experts about existing (e.g., citation analysis) and new methods for monitoring EBR and collected ideas about implementing these methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study via an online survey between November 2022 and March 2023. Participants were experts from the fields of evidence synthesis and research methodology in health research. Open-ended questions were coded by recurring themes; descriptive statistics were used for quantitative questions. Ideas proposed in this study for monitoring the implementation of EBR can be used to refine methods and define responsibility but should be further explored in terms of feasibility and acceptability. Different methods may be needed to determine if the use of EBR is improving over time.
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Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO) are a rapidly emerging topic that has attracted significant interest from scientists in recent years. The initiative, strongly driven by the EU, aims to create a digital replica of the ocean to better understand and manage marine environments. The Iliad project, funded under the EU Green Deal call, is developing a framework to support multiple interoperable DTO using a federated systems-of-systems approach across various fields of applications and ocean areas, called pilots. This paper presents the results of a Water Quality DTO pilot located in the Trondheim fjord in Norway. This paper details the building blocks of DTO, specific to this environmental monitoring pilot. A crucial aspect of any DTO is data, which can be sourced internally, externally, or through a hybrid approach utilizing both. To realistically twin ocean processes, the Water Quality pilot acquires data from both surface and benthic observatories, as well as from mobile sensor platforms for on-demand data collection. Data ingested into an InfluxDB are made available to users via an API or an interface for interacting with the DTO and setting up alerts or events to support ’what-if’ scenarios. Grafana, an interactive visualization application, is used to visualize and interact with not only time-series data but also more complex data such as video streams, maps, and embedded applications. An additional visualization approach leverages game technology based on Unity and Cesium, utilizing their advanced rendering capabilities and physical computations to integrate and dynamically render real-time data from the pilot and diverse sources. This paper includes two case studies that illustrate the use of particle sensors to detect microplastics and monitor algae blooms in the fjord. Numerical models for particle fate and transport, OpenDrift and DREAM, are used to forecast the evolution of these events, simulating the distribution of observed plankton and microplastics during the forecasting period.
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There are over 1400 age-friendly cities and communities worldwide, and the efforts to create a better quality of life for older people progressively intersect with sustainability goals. The intentions and behaviours concerning sustainability among older are, however, not yet well understood. Therefore, there is a need for assessing these intentions and behaviours through the use of a transparently constructed and validated instrument which can be used to measures the construct of environmental sustainability among older people. The aim of this study is to develop a questionnaire measuring how older people view the theme of environmental sustainability in their daily lives, with a focus on the built environment, providing full transparency and reproducibility. The process of development and validation of the SustainABLE-16 Questionnaire followed the COSMIN protocol, and has been conducted in five phases. This rigorous process has resulted in a valid, psychometrically sound, comprehensive 16-item questionnaire. This instrument can be applied to assess older people's beliefs, behaviours and financial aspects regarding environmental sustainability in their lives. The SustainABLE-16 Questionnaire was created in Dutch and in British English.
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''Heritage buildings are often subjected to loading conditions that they were not exposed to in their earlier life span. Induced earthquakes in non-seismic regions caused by energy exploitation activities, or strains in the ground that are caused by the climate changes, are new phenomena that alter the usual loading situations for historical buildings.In this paper, monitoring results of a historical building in Groningen (Netherlands) in case of induced seismicity as well as climate change effects has been presented. Long-term monitoring results, detected cracks and relevance of the monitoring data are discussed. In the special case of Groningen, weak and agricultural soil properties dominate the structural response in the region. The gas extraction activities caused a soil subsidence in the giant Groningen Gas Field, resulting decameters of settlement in the entire area, thus an increase of the ground water level in respect to the ground surface. This is the reason why the heritage structures in the region are more vulnerable to soil-water-foundation interactions caused by climate change as compared to the time these heritage structures were constructed. The ground water monitoring as well as the interaction of soil movements with the structural response become important. The study presented here suggests ways on how to effectively monitor historical structures subjected to induced seismicity as well as harsh climate effects at the same time.It was shown here that the newly developed cracks on the structure were detected in a very narrow time window, coinciding with extreme drought and a small induced earthquake at the same time. One explanation provided here is that the soil parameters, such as shrinking of water-sensitive soil layers, in combination with small earthquakes, may cause settlements. The soil effects may superimpose with the earthquake effects eventually causing small cracks and damage. The effects of the climate change on historical buildings is rather serious, and structures on similar soil conditions around the world would need detailed monitoring of not only the structure itself but also the soil-foundation and ground water conditions.''
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