Search results for: formal regulations

Authors: Gifty Kumadey, Albert Tchey Agbenyegah

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(i) Overview and research goal(s): This study aims to address research gaps in the Ghanaian pharmaceutical industry by examining the impact of environmental supply chain management (ESCM) practices on environmental and operational performance. Previous studies have provided inconclusive evidence on the relationship between ESCM practices and environmental and operational performance. The research aims to provide a clearer understanding of the impact of ESCM practices on environmental and operational performance in the context of the Ghanaian pharmaceutical industry. Limited research has been conducted on ESCM practices in developing countries, particularly in Africa. The study aims to bridge this gap by examining the drivers and barriers specific to the pharmaceutical industry in Ghana. The research aims to analyze the impact of ESCM practices on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Ghanaian pharmaceutical industry, focusing on SDGs 3, 12, 13, and 17. It also explores the potential for partnerships and collaborations to advance ESCM practices in the pharmaceutical industry. The research hypotheses suggest that pressure from stakeholder positively influences the adoption of ESCM practices in the Ghanaian pharmaceutical industry. By addressing these goals, the study aims to contribute to sustainable development initiatives and offer practical recommendations to enhance ESCM A practices in the industry. (ii) Research methods and data: This study uses a quantitative research design to examine the drivers and barriers to environmental supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry in Accra.The sample size is approximately 150 employees, with senior and middle-level managers from pharmaceutical industry of Ghana. A purposive sampling technique is used to select participants with relevant knowledge and experience in environmental supply chain management. Data will be collected using a structured questionnaire using Likert scale responses. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the data and provide insights into current practices and their impact on environmental and operational performance. (iii) Preliminary results and conclusions: Main contributions: Identifying drivers/barriers to ESCM in Ghana's pharmaceutical industry, evaluating current ESCM practices, examining impact on performance, providing practical insights, contributing to knowledge on ESCM in Ghanaian context. The research contributes to SDGs 3, 9, and 12 by promoting sustainable practices and responsible consumption in the industry. The study found that government rules and regulations are the most critical drivers for ESCM adoption, with senior managers playing a significant role. However, employee and competitor pressures have a lesser impact. The industry has made progress in implementing certain ESCM practices, but there is room for improvement in areas like green distribution and reverse logistics. The study emphasizes the importance of government support, management engagement, and comprehensive implementation of ESCM practices in the industry. Future research should focus on overcoming barriers and challenges to effective ESCM implementation.

Keywords: environmental supply chain, sustainable development goal, ghana pharmaceutical industry, government regulations

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Authors: Manal Rayes

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In its efforts to utilize the information and communication technology to enhance the quality of public service delivery, national and local governments around the world are competing to introduce more ICT applications as tools to automate processes related to law enforcement or policy execution, increase citizen orientation, trust, and satisfaction, and create one-stop-shops for public services. In its implementation, e-Government ICTs need to maintain transparency, participation, and collaboration. Due to this diverse of mixed goals and requirements, e-Government systems need to be designed based on special design considerations in order to eliminate the risks of failure to compliance to government regulations, citizen dissatisfaction, or market repulsion. In this article we suggest a framework with guidelines for designing government information systems that takes into consideration the special requirements of the public sector. Then we introduce two case studies and show how applying those guidelines would result in a more solid system design.

Keywords: e-government, framework, guidelines, system design

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Authors: Moushira Zaki, Wafaa Ezzat, Yasser Elhosary, Omnia Saleh

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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased in conjunction with obesity. The accuracy of risk factors for detecting NAFLD in obese adolescents has not undergone a formal evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate predictors of NAFLD among Egyptian female obese adolescents. The study included 162 obese female adolescents. All were subjected to anthropometry, biochemical analysis and abdominal ultrasongraphic assessment. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was diagnosed according to the IDF criteria. Significant association between presence of MS and NAFLD was observed. Obese adolescents with NAFLD had significantly higher levels of ALT, triglycerides, fasting glucose, insulin, blood pressure and HOMA-IR, whereas decreased HDL-C levels as compared with obese cases without NAFLD. Receiver–operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis shows that ALT is a sensitive predictor for NAFLD, confirming that ALT can be used as a marker of NAFLD.

Keywords: obesity, NAFLD, predictors, adolescents, Egyptians, risk factors, prevalence

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Authors: Yingxu Wang, Jianhua Lu, Jun Peng, Jiawei Zhang

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The fundamental demand in contemporary intelligent science towards Autonomous AI (AI*) is the creation of unprecedented formal means of Intelligent Mathematics (IM). It is discovered that natural intelligence is inductively created rather than exhaustively trained. Therefore, IM is a family of algebraic and denotational mathematics encompassing Inference Algebra, Real-Time Process Algebra, Concept Algebra, Semantic Algebra, Visual Frame Algebra, etc., developed in our labs. IM plays indispensable roles in training-free AI* theories and systems beyond traditional empirical data-driven technologies. A set of applications of IM-driven AI* systems will be demonstrated in contemporary intelligence science, AI*, and cognitive computers.

Keywords: intelligence mathematics, foundations of intelligent science, autonomous AI, cognitive computers, inference algebra, real-time process algebra, concept algebra, semantic algebra, applications

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Authors: Nicholas Freer

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Rhythmic complexity in progressive metal is a developing area of analysis, particularly the interpretation of hyper-metric time spans as hierarchically significant rhythmic units of compositional organisation (Pieslak 2007, Charupakorn 2012, Capuzzo 2018, Calder 2018, Lucas 2018, Hannan 2020). This paper adds to this developing area by considering the relationships between the concepts of tactus, metric imposition, polymeter and rhythmic parallax in the Meshuggah composition “Do Not Look Down”. By considering an architectonic rhythmic framework within “Do Not Look Down” as the controlling organisation mechanism, an exploration of the interaction between distinct rhythmic layers and the composition’s formal segmentation and harmony (as riffs), reveals a pervasive structural misalignment between these elements. By exhibiting how Meshuggah’s manipulations of rhythmic complexities deliberately blur structural boundaries, creating misalignments in a flat approach to temporal partitioning (Nieto 2014), rhythmic characteristics of Meshuggah and the genre of Djent are exposed.

Keywords: hypermeter, rhythmic parallax, meshuggah, temporal partitioning

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Authors: Mario Gómez, José Carlos Rodríguez

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This paper analyzes innovation trends in South Korea by means of the number of patent applications filed by residents and nonresidents during the period 1965 to 2012. Making use of patent data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), we search for the presence of multiple structural changes in patent application series in this country. These changes may suggest that firms’ innovative activity has been modified as a result of implementing some science, technology and innovation (STI) policies. Accordingly, the new regulations implemented in this country in the last decades have influenced its innovative activity. The question conducting this research is thus how STI policies in South Korea have influenced its innovation activity. The results confirm the existence of multiple structural changes in the series of patent applications resulting from alternative STI policies implemented during these years.

Keywords: econometric methods, innovation activity, Korea, patent applications, science, technology and innovation policy, STI

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Authors: Ondiba Hesborn Andole, Kenichi Matsui

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Women entrepreneurs in the rural areas of Kenya have continually been affected by culturally engraved gendered bias customs. This research investigates challenges and prospects of rural women entrepreneurship in Kakamega County, Kenya. We conducted the questionnaire survey and interviews among 153 women entrepreneurs in the County to better understand how traditional norms influence them in conducting or seeking small businesses. We found that Luhya customs significantly affect growth and performance of rural women enterprises. Traditional Luhya society does not recognize women’s rights to land and higher education. The Luhya traditional roles of women are limited so that, without competing with men, they need to find gender biased works through networking activities. Also, without higher education degrees, their business prospects are limited. Among the respondents, 31% had primary education and about 5% had no formal education at all. We discuss how these women may succeed in businesses under these conditions.

Keywords: chama, culture, entrepreneurs, rural women

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Authors: Md. Nazmul Haque, Mahinur Rahman

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The objective of the research is to determine the quantity of household waste generated and forecast the future condition of Ward No 24 (Nirala). For performing that, three core issues are focused: (i) the capacity and service area of the dumping stations; (ii) the present waste generation amount per capita per day; (iii) the responsibility of the local authority in the household waste collection. This research relied on field survey-based data collection from all stakeholders and GIS-based secondary analysis of waste collection points and their coverage. However, these studies are mostly based on the inherent forecasting approaches, cannot predict the amount of waste correctly. The findings of this study suggest that Nirala is a formal residential area introducing a better approach to the waste collection - self-controlled and collection system. Here, a forecasting model proposed for waste generation as Y = -2250387 + 1146.1 * X, where X = year.

Keywords: eco-friendly environment, household waste, linear regression, waste management

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Authors: Andrei Nastas, Sergiu Cernomopret

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This research addresses trafficking in human beings, in terms of the active subject and the victim of this crime, through the prism of national and international regulations in material and procedural criminal matters. For the correlative approach of both mentioned aspects, the active subject and the victim of trafficking in human beings, the research addresses both its constituent elements and the way to prevent and combat this phenomenon through criminal proceedings. As follows, trafficking in human beings, from a material criminal point of view, involves two subjects of this crime (active subject - offender and passive subject - victim), while their procedural status differs depending on the case (victim or injured party). The result of the research highlights some clarifications, which find a theoretical-practical basis in the legal provisions, the specialized doctrine, and the judicial practice.

Keywords: victim, active subject, abuse, injured party, crime

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Authors: Nellie Nosisi Feza

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Developing young students' number sense is a priority if the aim is to build a rich mathematical foundation for successful schooling and future innovative careers. Capturing students’ interests is crucial while mediating counting concepts. This paper reports South African young children number concepts demonstrated before entering the reception class. It indicates the diverse knowledge attained in different settings before entering formal schooling. The findings indicate that their start is uneven with fully and partly attained number concepts. The findings suggest pre-schooling stimulation that provides rich mathematical experiences and purposeful play towards the attainment of core foundational concepts. Literature directs practice on important core concepts that are foundational in developing number sense.

Keywords: numeracy, learning trajectories, innate abilities, counting, Grade R/reception class

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Authors: Khondokar Farid Ahmmed, Robin Bown

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It is widely recognized that the formal financing of Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) by Private Commercial Banks (PCBs) is restricted. Due to changing financial market competition, SMEs are now important customers to PCBs in the member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Various initiatives in enhancing the efficiency of risk assessment of PCBs have failed in increasing financing accessibility in the traditional financing system where information asymmetry is a key constraint. In this circumstance, PCBs need to undertake a holistic approach. Holistic approach refers to methods that attempt to fundamentally change established traditions. To undertake holistic approach, this study intends to find the entire established financing culture between PCBs and SMEs in a new lens beyond the tradition on the basis of two basic questions: “What is the traditional lending culture between PCBs and SMEs” and “What could be potential role of PCBs to develop that culture where focusing on SME financing to PCBs". This study considered formal SME financing in Bangladesh by focusing on SMEs applying for their first loan. Bangladesh is a member country of ADB. The data collection method is semi-structured and we utilized face-to-face interviews with in-depth branch managers, higher officials and owner-managers of SME customers of PCBs and higher officials of SME Foundation and the Bangladesh central bank. Discourse analysis method was used for data analysis on the frame of thematic discussion fully based on participants’ views. The research found that branch managers and loan officers have a high level of power in assessing and financing decision-making. There is a changing attitude in PCB sector in requiring flexible collateral assets. Branch managers (Loan Officers) consider value of business prospect of owner-mangers as complementary of collateral assets. However, the study found the assessment process of business prospect is entirely unstructured and linked with socio-cultural settings that does not support PCBs’ changing manner in terms of collateral requirement. The study redefined and classified collateral assets to include all financing constructs in a structure. The degree of value of the collateral assets determines the degree of business prospects. This study suggested applying an outside classroom-learning paradigm such as “knowledge tour” to enhance the value of the kinds of collateral assets. This is the scope of PCBs in increasing SMEs’ financing eligibility in win-win basis. The findings and proposition could be effective in other ADB member countries and audiences in the field.

Keywords: CCA, financing, information asymmetry, PCA, PCB, financing

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Authors: Maléne Maria Magdalena Campbell, Jeremiah Mholo

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Low-income households earning less than 3,500 ZAR (about 175 GBP) per month can apply to the South African government, through the National Housing Subsidy, for fully subsidised houses. An objective of this subsidy is to enable low-income households’ participation in the formal housing market; however, the beneficiaries received houses without title deeds. As such, if the beneficiaries did not have a secured tenure at the time of their death then surviving family may face possible eviction. Therefore, an aim of this research was to determine how these beneficiaries interpret tenure security. The research focused on government subsidised housing in the Dithlake settlement of a rural hamlet named Koffiefontein, in the Letsemeng Local Municipality of South Africa. Quantitative data on the beneficiaries were collected from the local municipality, while qualitative data were collected from a sample of 45 beneficiaries.

Keywords: low-income families, subsidised housing, titling, housing market

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Authors: Meena Marafi, Mohan S. Rana

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Catalysts play an important role in producing valuable fuel products in petroleum refining; but, due to feedstock’s impurities catalyst gets deactivated with carbon and metal deposition. The disposal of spent catalyst falls under the category of hazardous industrial waste that requires strict agreement with environmental regulations. The spent hydroprocessing catalyst contains Mo, V and Ni at high concentrations that have been found to be economically significant for recovery. Metal recovery process includes deoiling, decoking, grinding, dissolving and treatment with complexing leaching agent such as ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA). The process conditions have been optimized as a function of time, temperature and EDTA concentration in presence of ultrasonic agitation. The results indicated that optimum condition established through this approach could recover 97%, 94% and 95% of the extracted Mo, V and Ni, respectively, while 95% EDTA was recovered after acid treatment.

Keywords: atmospheric residue desulfurization (ARDS), deactivation, hydrotreating, spent catalyst

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Authors: S. Chandrasekaran, S. Nandita, M. Shivathmika, Srikrishnan Shivakumar

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The objective of the research work is to analyze the computational chemical-composition of carbohydrates in the context of healthcare informatics. The computation involves the representation of complex chemical molecular structure of carbohydrate using graph theory and in a deployable Chemical Markup Language (CML). The parallel molecular structure of the chemical molecules with or without other adulterants for the sake of business profit can be analyzed in terms of robustness and derivatization measures. The rural healthcare program should create awareness in malnutrition to reduce ill-effect of decomposition and help the consumers to know the level of such energy storage mixtures in a quantitative way. The earlier works were based on the empirical and wet data which can vary from time to time but cannot be made to reuse the results of mining. The work is carried out on the quantitative computational chemistry on carbohydrates to provide a safe and secure right to food act and its regulations.

Keywords: carbohydrates, chemical-composition, chemical markup, robustness, food safety

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Authors: Elana Mahboub, Lamar Bakhurji, Hind Alhindi, Sara Alesayi

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Duolingo is a revolutionary language learning platform that offers an interactive and accessible learning experience. Its gamified approach makes language learning engaging and enjoyable, with a diverse range of languages available. The platform's adaptive learning system tailors lessons to individual proficiency levels, ensuring a personalized and efficient learning journey. The incorporation of multimedia elements enhances the learning experience and promotes practical language application. Duolingo's success is attributed to its mobile accessibility, offering basic access to language courses for free, with optional premium features for those seeking additional resources. Research shows positive outcomes for users, and the app's global impact extends beyond individual learning to formal language education initiatives. Duolingo is a transformative force in language education, breaking down barriers and making language learning an attainable goal for millions worldwide.

Keywords: duolingo, artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence in duolingo, benefit of artificial intelligence

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Authors: Paola Cattabriga

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According to Gödel’s first incompleteness argument it is possible to construct a formally undecidable proposition in Principia mathematica, a statement that, although true, turns out to be neither provable nor refutable for the system, making therefore incomplete any formal system suitable for the arithmetic of integers. Its features and limitation effects are today widespread basics throughout whole scientific thought. This article brings Gödel’s achievement into question by the definition of the refutability predicate as a number-theoretical statement. We develop proof of invalidity of Theorem VI in Gödel’s 1931, the so-called Gödel’s first incompleteness theorem, in two steps: defining refutability within the same recursive status as provability and showing that as a consequence propositions (15) and (16), derived from definition 8.1 in Gödel’s 1931, are false and unacceptable for the system. The achievement of their falsity blocks the derivation of Theorem VI, which turns out to be therefore invalid, together with all the depending theorems. This article opens up thus new perspectives for mathematical research and for the overall scientific reasoning.

Keywords: Gödel numbering, incompleteness, provability predicate, refutability predicate

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Authors: Ishrar Tabassum, Jay Andrew Saptok, Khalid Raihan Kabir, Elmee Tabassum

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The purpose of this study is to bring light to the current state of the working environments in the corporate environment and other such institutions with a particular focus on the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) and its guidelines for accommodating the physically disabled. Data were collected via semi-formal interviews, site visits and focus groups conducted using a preset questionnaire as the guidelines. After conducting surveys at corporate offices of 20 organizations from major commercial sectors in Dhaka city, the auditing showed many inadequacies, as aside from the larger corporate offices, the offices have little to no accessibility for the physically disabled. This study hopes to shed light on the fact that the existing BNBCs lack of emphasis on ensuring the accessibility of the handicapped in corporate buildings in the hope that, in the future, the physically disabled will have greater opportunities at being productive members of the workforce.

Keywords: person with disability, PWD, corporate buildings, Dhaka City

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Authors: Thomas Ogilegwu Orohu

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This paper highlights the effect of education on farmers’ productivity in rural Nigeria which includes potential to obtain paid employment or generate income through self-help employment using skills learnt in school. The paper emphasizes that education help farmers’ in agro-processing units in production to reduce post harvest wastage. It highlights the benefits of schooling for farmers’ productivity, particularly in terms of efficiency gains and increased farm productivity. As technological innovation spread more widely within the country, the importance of formal education in farm production ought to become more apparent. Education help farmers to improve attitudes, beliefs and habits that may lead to greater willingness to accept risk, adopts innovation, save investment and generally to embrace productive practices. Finally factors affecting farmers’ education and appropriate recommendation were given with the hope that if resolutely implemented would bring the attainment of desired farm education to farmers to improve farm productivity outputs.

Keywords: benefit, education, effect, productivity

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Authors: Ismael Lins Patriota

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Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer who started his musical career under the influence of twelve-tone music and dodecaphonism. From 1968 to 1976, he isolated himself to search for a new path as a composer. In this period, he converted to Russian orthodoxy and changed his composing to tintinnabuli, a musical technique combining triadic chords with simple melodies. The recent analysis of Pärt’s output demonstrates that mathematics remained an influence after the invention of tintinnabuli. The present discussion deals with the relationship between math and religion in his work Out of the Depths (1980), proposing a musical-text approach and examining the minimum elements of the piece, such as motives and sub-phrases, which is the main focus of this work, considering text patterns and the role of the organ, which also uses the tintinnabuli system. The analysis of these elements demonstrates that Pärt uses math as a formal element, and the composer combines musical parameters to execute a personal and innovative interpretation of the text.

Keywords: Arvo Pärt, Out of the Depths, math, religion, analysis

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Authors: Chien-Song Chyang, Yu-Chi Wang

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For sludge disposal, incineration is considered to be better than direct burial because of regulations and space limitations in Taiwan. Additionally, burial after incineration can effectively prolong the lifespan of a landfill. Therefore, it is the most satisfactory method for treating sludge at present. Of the various incineration technologies, the fluidized bed incinerator is a suitable choice due to its fuel flexibility. In this work, sludge generated from industrial plants was treated in a pilot-scale vortexing fluidized bed. The moisture content of the sludge was 48.53%, and its LHV was 454.6 kcal/kg. Primary gas and secondary gas were fixed at 3 Nm³/min and 1 Nm³/min, respectively. Diesel burners with on-off controllers were used to control the temperature; the bed temperature was set to 750±20 °C, and the freeboard temperature was 850±20 °C. The experimental data show that the NO emission increased with bed temperature. The maximum NO emission is 139 ppm, which is in agreement with the regulation. The CO emission is low than 100 ppm through the operation period. The mean particle size of fly ash collected from baghouse decreased with operating time. The ration of bottom ash to fly ash is about 3. Compared with bottom ash, the potassium in the fly ash is much higher. It implied that the potassium content is not the key factor for aggregation of bottom ash.

Keywords: bottom ash, fluidized-bed combustion, incineration, sludge

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Authors: Nicholas Anderson, Steven Petersen, Tom Bates, Val Anderson

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Under the multiple-use management regime established in the United States for federally owned lands, government agencies have come under pressure from commercial apiaries to grant permits for the summer pasturing of honeybees on government lands. Federal agencies have struggled to integrate honeybees into their management plans and have little information to make regulations that resolve how many colonies should be allowed in a single location and at what distance sets of hives should be placed. Many conservation groups have voiced their concerns regarding the introduction of honeybees to these natural lands, as they may outcompete and displace native pollinating species. Assessing the quality of an area in regard to its floral resources, pollen, and nectar can be important when attempting to create regulations for the integration of commercial honeybee operations into a native ecosystem. Areas with greater floral resources may be able to support larger numbers of honeybee colonies, while poorer resource areas may be less resilient to introduced disturbances. Attempts are made in this study to determine flower cover using high resolution drone imagery to help assess the floral resource availability to pollinators in high elevation, tall forb communities. This knowledge will help in determining the potential that different areas may have for honeybee pasturing and honey production. Roughly 700 images were captured at 23m above ground level using a drone equipped with a Sony QX1 RGB 20-megapixel camera. These images were stitched together using Pix4D, resulting in a 60m diameter high-resolution mosaic of a tall forb meadow. Using the program ENVI, a supervised maximum likelihood classification was conducted to calculate the percentage of total flower cover and flower cover by color (blue, white, and yellow). A complete vegetation inventory was taken on site, and the major flowers contributing to each color class were noted. An accuracy assessment was performed on the classification yielding an 89% overall accuracy and a Kappa Statistic of 0.855. With this level of accuracy, drones provide an affordable and time efficient method for the assessment of floral cover in large areas. The proximal step of this project will now be to determine the average pollen and nectar loads carried by each flower species. The addition of this knowledge will result in a quantifiable method of measuring pollen and nectar resources of entire landscapes. This information will not only help land managers determine stocking rates for honeybees on public lands but also has applications in the agricultural setting, aiding producers in the determination of the number of honeybee colonies necessary for proper pollination of fruit and nut crops.

Keywords: honeybee, flower, pollinator, remote sensing

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Authors: Salvatore Pinna

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The growth of organic farming practices in the last few decades is continuing to stimulate the international debate about this alternative food market. As a part of a PhD project research about embeddedness in Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), this paper focuses on the promotional aspects of organic farms websites from the Madrid region. As a theoretical tool, some knowledge categories drawn on the geographic studies literature are used to classify the many ideas expressed in the web pages. By analysing texts and pictures of 30 websites, the study aims to question how and to what extent actors from organic world communicate to the potential customers their personal beliefs about farming practices, products qualities, and ecological and social benefits. Moreover, the paper raises the question of whether organic farming laws and regulations lack of completeness about the social and cultural aspects of food.

Keywords: alternative food networks, de-commoditisation, organic farming, madrid, reconnection of food

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Authors: Malgorzata Kurleto

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This study is trying to analyse the organization of the anti-doping system globally (particularly in Poland). The analysis is going to show the concept of doping, indicating the types of doping, and list of banned substances and methods. The paper discusses ethical aspects of the global anti-doping system. The analysis is focusing on organization of global Anti-Doping Agency. The paper will try to describe the basic assumptions of regulations adopted by WADA, called "standards” as well organization and functioning of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency (including the legal basis: POLADA). The base for this discuss will be the Polish 2018 annual report, which shows the most important assumptions, implementation and the number of anti-doping proceedings conducted in Poland. The aim of this paper is to show ethical arguments on anti-doping management strategies.

Keywords: anti-doping, ethical dilemmas, sports doping, WADA, POLADA

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Authors: Adel Elomri

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The notion of carbon footprinting is ever more widespread as companies are becoming increasingly aware that tackling carbon emissions and being seen to do so is a key issue to face governments, customers and other stakeholders’ pressures towards delivering environmentally friendly services and activities. In this contest, many firms are taking self-initiatives to reduce their own carbon emissions while some other are constrained to obey to different regulations/policies (e.g. carbon tax or carbon Cap) designed by higher authorities targeting a low-carbon environment. Using buyer-vendor framework, this paper provides some insights on how effective are these self-initiatives and regulatory policies when only concerning firms at the individual level and not the whole supply chain they are part of. We show that when firms individually engage in reducing their direct carbon emissions either under self-initiatives or regulatory policy, an opposite expected outcome resulting in a higher global supply chain emission can occur. This effect is referred to as the carbon seesaw effect. Moreover, we show that coordinating or centralizing the supply chain -contrary to what one may think at first- is not often the appropriate solution to get rid of this effect.

Keywords: carbon emissions, supply chain coordination, EOQ, sustainable operations

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Authors: Juliette Harper, Yu Yang

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Biofuels have gained significant attention recently due to the new regulations and agreements regarding fossil fuels and greenhouse gases being made by countries around the globe. One of the most common types of biofuels is biodiesel, primarily made via the transesterification reaction. We model this nonlinear process in MATLAB using the standard kinetic equations. Then, a nonlinear Model predictive control (NMPC) was developed to regulate this process due to its capability to handle process constraints. The feeding flow uncertainty and kinetic disturbances are further incorporated in the model to capture the real-world operating conditions. The simulation results will show that the proposed NMPC can guarantee the final composition of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) above the target threshold with a high chance by adjusting the process temperature and flowrate. This research will allow further understanding of NMPC under uncertainties and how to design the computational strategy for larger process with more variables.

Keywords: NMPC, biodiesel, uncertainties, nonlinear, MATLAB

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Authors: Hannes Koester

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Driven by difficult market conditions and increasing regulations, many banks are making the strategic decision to restructure their portfolio by divesting several business segments. Using a unique dataset of 727 portfolio restructuring announcements by 161 international listed banks over the period 1999 to 2015, we investigate the impact of restructuring measurements on the stock performance as well as on the banks’ profitability and risk. Employing the event study methodology, we detect positive stock market reactions on the announcement of restructuring measurements. These positive stock market reactions indicate that shareholders reward banks’ specialization activities. However, the results of the system GMM regressions show a negative relation between restructuring measurements and banks’ return on assets and a positive relation towards the individual and systemic risk of banks. These empirical results indicate that there is no guarantee that portfolio restructurings will result in a more profitable and less risky institution.

Keywords: bank performance, bank risk, divestiture, restructuring, systemic risk

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Authors: Hadi Badri Ahmadi, Xuping Wang

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Due to strict regulations and public awareness, corporations should develop policies to effectively decrease the negative environmental effects of their products and enhance their supply chain environmental sustainability. Assessment of environmental issues in the context of many industries has been studied in the previous literature. However, Iran cement industry has received less attention from researchers. Therefore, in this paper, we apply a Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach to assess the relationships among green metrics of Iran cement industry supply chain under fuzzy environment. The study findings provide considerable insight for cement industry managers and experts in order to enhance the environmental sustainability of their supply chain and move towards sustainable development.

Keywords: green supply chain, DEMATEL, fuzzy set theory, environmental sustainability, sustainable development, cement industry

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Authors: Kazuyasu Yoshino, Keita Yamaguchi, Toshihiko Nishimura, Masashi Kawasaki

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Shared Space, the planning and design concept that allows pedestrians and vehicles to coexist in a street space, has been advocated and developed according to the traffic conditions in each country in Europe. Especially in German/French-speaking countries, the "Meeting Zone," which is a traffic rule combining speed regulation (20km/h) and pedestrian priority, is often applied when designing shared spaces at intersections, squares, and streets in the city center. In this study, the process of establishment and development of the Meeting Zone in Switzerland, France, and Austria was chronologically organized based on the descriptions in the major discourse and guidelines in each country. Then, the characteristics of the spatial design were extracted by analyzing representative examples of Meeting Zone applications. Finally, the relationships between the different approaches to designing of Meeting Zone and traffic regulations in different countries were discussed.

Keywords: shared space, traffic calming, meeting zone, street design

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Authors: Carlos Guillermo Lloga Sanz, Maria del Carmen Tamayo Asef

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As an object of study in Cuban universities, cinema is still in its infancy. This is relevant considering the significance of cinema within the local political culture and its impact on countries of the region. Discussions about the medium have been carried out mainly in the field of film criticism. The objective of this article is to reflect on the divergences between film studies and film criticism taking into account formal and theoretical features and to explore the transcendence of this debate for the intellectual ambiance of the Island. Methodologically, the study relies on theoretical elaborations based on literature review and non-structure interviews with Cuban film critics and scholars. The study finds that the gradation proposed by the Anglo-Saxon tradition, where film studies are considered a “higher stage," compared to criticism and cinephilia, does not apply to the Cuban space. Instead, to assess the state of reflection on cinema in Cuba, it is essential to consider it a starry node traversed by epistemic, institutional, and geopolitical matrices.

Keywords: film studies, film criticism, Cuban cinema, Cuban film studies

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Authors: H. Al-Jabli

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The research on the presence of heavy metals and bromate in drinking water is of immense scientific significance due to the potential risks these substances pose to public health. These contaminants are subject to regulatory limits outlined by the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. Through a comprehensive analysis involving the compilation of existing data and the collection of new data via water sampling in residential areas of Kuwait, the aim is to create detailed maps illustrating the spatial distribution of these substances. Furthermore, the investigation will utilize GRAPHER software to explore correlations among different chemical parameters. By implementing rigorous scientific methodologies, the research will provide valuable insights for the Ministry of Electricity and Water and the Ministry of Health. These insights can inform evidence-based decision-making, facilitate the implementation of corrective measures, and support strategic planning for future infrastructure activities.

Keywords: heavy metals, bromate, ozonation, GIS

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