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The rapid urbanization witnessed in recent years has led to the deterioration of urban ecosystems, resulting in various environmental and socioeconomic challenges. In response to these concerns, the implementation of Green and Blue Infrastructures (GBI) has gained prominence as a sustainable urban planning approach. GBI is a planned network system of natural and semi-natural spaces, along with other environmental elements, managed and designed to provide a wide range of ecosystem services and improve ecological conditions, thereby contributing to citizens' wellbeing and quality of life. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the costs, benefits (ecosystem services), and impacts (ecosystem dis-services) associated with the incorporation of GBI in urban environments using the technique of emergy accounting. To achieve this, the research paper introduces a novel integrated valuation framework. This framework encompasses key components such as constructing/maintenance costs, ecosystem services, needed costs to human health and biodiversity damage, as well as ecosystem dis-services. Furthermore, the study conducts a comparative analysis of the costs, benefits, and impacts associated with different urban GBIs via ternary phase diagram, shedding light on their varying contributions to the urban ecosystem. The findings reveal that green roofs offer more ecosystem benefits as compared to other GBIs, but this study also highlights that green roof entail higher initial construction costs and produce a greater number of dis-services. Conversely, street trees have lower initial costs and impacts yet generate higher benefits. Furthermore, green walls, despite having a lower input emergy value and fewer benefits, result in higher impacts compared to other green-blue ecosystems. These findings provide valuable insights for urban planners, policymakers, and stakeholders, enabling them to make informed decisions in developing sustainable cities for the wellbeing of present and future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a strategic pillar of the Asian economic trade partnership, the logistics industry is a source of significant industrial relevance and specifically targeted CO2 emission initiatives. Therefore, in order to address the potential environmental risks that are associated with existing Asian free trade agreements and achieve global mitigation targets, it is imperative that one evaluates both the performance of the logistic sector and the factors that drive carbon emissions. As such, our research analyses 16 countries both the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, from one of the largest emerging global trade partnerships in Asia, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The results of which act as an important guide in how the green logistic service sector can be driven in emerging economies. In order to conduct this analysis, a balanced panel dataset from 2007 to 2018 is employed and estimated using Generalized Least Square and the Generalized Method of Moments regression approaches, with the issues of cross-sectional dependence, unit-root, stationarity, and cointegration also checked. The results revealed that economic growth, foreign direct investment inflows, and international trade positively affect logistics performance. In addition, improved logistics services, a hassle-free customs clearance process, and the frequency of shipments reduce transport CO2 emissions by 0.177%, 0.026%, and 0.014%, respectively. These findings suggest that renewable energy sources may alleviate the detrimental impact of logistics services on low-carbon transportation and spur economic action with substantial international trade opportunities available. This study hypothetically proposes and verifies a new dimension for two variables: international trade (export–import goods) and transport CO2 emissions. The lessons drawn from the study assist policymakers and stakeholders in rethinking the roles of green logistics infrastructure in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors bring to light the issue of appraising and diffusing information systems by small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. The empirical data was gathered through an online questionnaire-based survey from 312 SMEs in Ghana. All these enterprises are registered members of the Association of Ghanaian Industries (AGI) and are confirmed users of information systems. The framework of the study is developed based on the approaches found in technology management literature: management principles for disruptive technology, information system strategy, technological decision making, and the technology acceptance models. The aim of the paper is to unearth management principles that allow SMEs in Ghana to appraise and diffuse information system successfully. They defined these principles through the comparison of known principles with the practiced principles of management of the small enterprises in Ghana and distilling the best management practices in information system appraisal and diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions through nitrification and the optimization of maize yield are important in agricultural systems. However, within the semi-arid region, the impact of fertilization on the function of nitrification communities and its connection with N 2 O emissions in the rhizosphere soil is still unclear. Our study investigates the influence of fertilization treatments on the communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and the complete ammonia oxidizers of the Nitrospira known as comammox (CAOB) in a maize agroecosystem. Nitrous oxide production, potential nitrification activity (PNA), maize yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) were determined for the same samples. The fertilizer treatments included a control group without fertilization (NA), inorganic fertilizer (CF), organic fertilizer (SM), combined inorganic and organic fertilizer (SC), and maize straw (MS). The SC treatment indicated a lower cumulative N 2 O emission than the CF treatment in the 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons. The AOB community under the CF, MS, and SM treatments was predominantly composed of Nitrosospira cluster 3b, while the SC treatment was associated with the comammox Nitrospira clade A.1 lineage, related to key species such as Ca. Nitrospira inopinata and Ca. Nitrospira nitrificans . Network analysis demonstrated a positive potential for competitive interaction between hub taxonomy and distinct keystone taxa among AOB and comammox Nitrospira nitrifiers. The structural equation model further revealed a significant positive association between AOB nitrifiers and N 2 O emission, PNA, soil pH, SOC, NO 3 - -N, and DON under organic fertilization. The keystone taxa in the comammox Nitrospira nitrifier and network Module II exhibited a positive correlation with maize productivity and NUE, likely due to their functional activities stimulated by the SC treatment. It is noteworthy that the AOB community played a more significant role in driving nitrification compared to the composition of comammox Nitrospira . Collectively, combined inorganic and organic fertilizer (SC) treatment exhibits high potential for reducing N 2 O emissions, enhancing maize productivity, increasing NUE, and increasing the sustainability of the nitrogen dynamics of maize agroecosystems in the semi-arid Loess Plateau., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Fudjoe, Li, Anwar, Shi, Xie, Yeboah and Wang.)