Search results for: groundwater resources

Authors: Rajkumar Ghosh, Bhabani Prasad Mukhopadhay, Ananya Mukhopadhyay, Harendra Nath Bhattacharya

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This study investigates the global issue of electronic waste (e-waste), focusing on its prevalence in India and other regions. E-waste has emerged as a significant worldwide problem, with India contributing a substantial share of annual e-waste generation. The primary sources of e-waste in India are computer equipment and mobile phones. Many developed nations utilize India as a dumping ground for their e-waste, with major contributions from the United States, China, Europe, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. The study identifies Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, and Delhi as prominent contributors to India's e-waste crisis. This issue is contextualized within the broader framework of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which encompasses 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets to address poverty, environmental preservation, and universal prosperity. The study underscores the interconnectedness of e-waste management with several SDGs, including health, clean water, economic growth, sustainable cities, responsible consumption, and ocean conservation. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data reveals that e-waste generation surpasses that of plastic waste, increasing annually at a rate of 31%. However, only 20% of electronic waste is recycled through organized and regulated methods in underdeveloped nations. In Europe, efficient e-waste management stands at just 35%. E-waste pollution poses serious threats to soil, groundwater, and public health due to toxic components such as mercury, lead, bromine, and arsenic. Long-term exposure to these toxins, notably arsenic in microchips, has been linked to severe health issues, including cancer, neurological damage, and skin disorders. Lead exposure, particularly concerning for children, can result in brain damage, kidney problems, and blood disorders. The study highlights the problematic transboundary movement of e-waste, with approximately 352,474 metric tonnes of electronic waste illegally shipped from Europe to developing nations annually, mainly to Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania. Effective e-waste management, underpinned by appropriate infrastructure, regulations, and policies, offers opportunities for job creation and aligns with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for SDGs, especially in the realms of decent work, economic growth, and responsible production and consumption. E-waste represents hazardous pollutants and valuable secondary resources, making it a focal point for anthropogenic resource exploitation. The United Nations estimates that e-waste holds potential secondary raw materials worth around 55 billion Euros. The study also identifies numerous challenges in e-waste management, encompassing the sheer volume of e-waste, child labor, inadequate legislation, insufficient infrastructure, health concerns, lack of incentive schemes, limited awareness, e-waste imports, high costs associated with recycling plant establishment, and more. To mitigate these issues, the study offers several solutions, such as providing tax incentives for scrap dealers, implementing reward and reprimand systems for e-waste management compliance, offering training on e-waste handling, promoting responsible e-waste disposal, advancing recycling technologies, regulating e-waste imports, and ensuring the safe disposal of domestic e-waste. A mechanism, Buy-Back programs, will compensate customers in cash when they deposit unwanted digital products. This E-waste could contain any portable electronic device, such as cell phones, computers, tablets, etc. Addressing the e-waste predicament necessitates a multi-faceted approach involving government regulations, industry initiatives, public awareness campaigns, and international cooperation to minimize environmental and health repercussions while harnessing the economic potential of recycling and responsible management.

Keywords: e-waste management, sustainable development goal, e-waste disposal, recycling technology, buy-back policy

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Authors: Merly Patiño Villanueva, Dubys Villarreal Torres, Eduardo Salazar Araujo, Lezly Ramos Macedo

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The concept of sustainability has been influencing business thinking from the perspective of various economic sectors and their environment, looking for concerns related to the risks associated with the indiscriminate consumption of the planet's resources, which have been widely studied and exposed by different public and private organizations. Tourism is not outsider to this reality; therefore, the concept of sustainable tourism evolves towards the integral management of resources, attending the needs of tourists, host communities and service providers, protecting ecosystems and assuring the conservation of the environment and its biodiversity. Considering the above, the purpose of this paper is to identify trends aimed at promoting sustainable tourism in the destinations of Barranquilla (Colombia) and Nayarit (Mexico). This study is part of the realistic epistemological paradigm, based on the existence of a specific environment for the development of tourism activity and the best sustainability practices associated with this industry, which can be observed and studied, therefore, this research contemplates qualitative research techniques such as the focus group and the interview, applied to 8 experts who are part of the value chain of the sector under study, added to a documentary review taken from the scientific databases Wos and Scopus, as well as statistical information published by official bodies. The data obtained were processed with the qualitative analysis software N-VIVO version 13. As a result, trends and actions to promote tourism are identified for the positioning of the cities of Barranquilla (Colombia) and Nayarit (Mexico) as sustainable destinations: first, the recovery of green areas and environmental spaces, as well as the realization of cultural events; promotion and encouragement of the creative industry and finally the realization of international events. It is concluded that both cities develop activities, projects and investments of public initiative, aimed at positioning them as sustainable tourist destinations.

Keywords: marketing, sustainability, tourism management, policies

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Authors: Sunho Seo, Younghwan Shin, Jong-Hong Park, Sooeun Song, Junsung Kim, Jusik Yun, Yongkyun Kim, Jong-Moon Chung

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In order to effectively cope with large and complex disasters, disaster response training is needed. Recently, disaster response training led by the ROK (Republic of Korea) government is being implemented through a 4 year R&D project, which has several similar functions as the HSEEP (Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program) of the United States, but also has several different features as well. Due to the unpredictiveness and diversity of disasters, existing training methods have many limitations in providing experience in the efficient use of disaster incident response and recovery resources. Always, the challenge is to be as efficient and effective as possible using the limited human and material/physical resources available based on the given time and environmental circumstances. To enable repeated training under diverse scenarios, an AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) combined simulator is under development. Unlike existing disaster response training, simulator based training (that allows remote login simultaneous multi-user training) enables freedom from limitations in time and space constraints, and can be repeatedly trained with different combinations of functions and disaster situations. There are related systems such as ADMS (Advanced Disaster Management Simulator) developed by ETC simulation and HLS2 (Homeland Security Simulation System) developed by ELBIT system. However, the ROK government needs a simulator custom made to the country's environment and disaster types, and also combines the latest information and communication technologies, which include AR, VR, and MPEG-DASH (Moving Picture Experts Group - Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) technology. In this paper, a new disaster response training simulator is proposed to overcome the limitation of existing training systems, and adapted to actual disaster situations in the ROK, where several technical features are described.

Keywords: augmented reality, emergency response training simulator, MPEG-DASH, virtual reality

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Authors: Rodrigo Calili, Anna Carolina Sermarini, João Henrique Azevedo, Vanessa Cardoso de Albuquerque, Felipe Gonçalves, Gilberto Jannuzzi

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The diffusion of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) has caused structural changes in the relationship between consumers and electrical systems. The Photovoltaic Distributed Generation (PVDG), in particular, is an essential strategy for achieving the 2030 Agenda goals, especially SDG 7 and SDG 13. However, it is observed that most projects involving this technology in Brazil are restricted to the wealthiest classes of society, not yet reaching the low-income population, aligned with theories of energy justice. Considering the research for energy equality, one of the policies adopted by governments is the social electricity tariff (SET), which provides discounts on energy tariffs/bills. However, just granting this benefit may not be effective, and it is possible to merge it with DER technologies, such as the PVDG. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the economic viability of the policy to replace the social electricity tariff (the current policy aimed at the low-income population in Brazil) by PVDG projects. To this end, a proprietary methodology was developed that included: mapping the stakeholders, identifying critical variables, simulating policy options, and carrying out an analysis in the Brazilian context. The simulation answered two key questions: in which municipalities low-income consumers would have lower bills with PVDG compared to SET; which consumers in a given city would have increased subsidies, which are now provided for solar energy in Brazil and for the social tariff. An economic model was created for verifying the feasibility of the proposed policy in each municipality in the country, considering geographic issues (tariff of a particular distribution utility, radiation from a specific location, etc.). To validate these results, four sensitivity analyzes were performed: variation of the simultaneity factor between generation and consumption, variation of the tariff readjustment rate, zeroing CAPEX, and exemption from state tax. The behind-the-meter modality of generation proved to be more promising than the construction of a shared plant. However, although the behind-the-meter modality presents better results than the shared plant, there is a greater complexity in adopting this modality due to issues related to the infrastructure of the most vulnerable communities (e.g., precarious electrical networks, need to reinforce roofs). Considering the shared power plant modality, many opportunities are still envisaged since the risk of investing in such a policy can be mitigated. Furthermore, this modality can be an alternative due to the mitigation of the risk of default, as it allows greater control of users and facilitates the process of operation and maintenance. Finally, it was also found, that in some regions of Brazil, the continuity of the SET presents more economic benefits than its replacement by PVDG. However, the proposed policy offers many opportunities. For future works, the model may include other parameters, such as cost with low-income populations’ engagement, and business risk. In addition, other renewable sources of distributed generation can be studied for this purpose.

Keywords: low income, subsidy policy, distributed energy resources, energy justice

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Authors: Moh’d Anwer Al-Shboul

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The year 2011 was a challenging year for Jordanian economy, which felt a variety of effects from the Arab Spring which took place in neighboring countries. Since February, 5th 2012, the Arab Gas Supply Pipeline, which carries natural gas from Egypt through the Sinai Peninsula and to Jordan and Israel, has been attacked more than 39 times. Jordan imported about 80 percent of its necessity of natural gas (about 250 million cubic feet of natural gas per day) from Egypt to generate particularly electricity, with the reminder of being produced locally. Jordan has utilized multiple alternatives to address the interruption of available natural gas supply from Egypt. The Jordanian distributed power plants now rely on the use of heavy fuel oil and diesel for electricity generation, in this case, it costs Jordan about four times than natural gas. The substitution of Egyptian natural gas supplies by fuel oil and diesel, coupled with the 32 percent rise in global fuel prices, has increased Jordan’s energy import bill by over 50 percent in 2011, reaching more than 16 percent of the 2011 GDP. The increase in the cost of electricity generation pushed the Jordanian economy to borrow from multiple internal and external resource channels, thus increasing the public debt. The Jordanian government’s short-term solution to the reduced natural gas supply from Egypt was alternatively purchasing the necessary quantities from some Gulf countries such as Qatar and/or Saudi Arabia, which can be imported with two possible methods. The first method is to rent a ship equipped with a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which is currently operating. The second method requires equipping the Aqaba port with an LNG terminal, which also currently is operating. In the long-term, a viable solution to depending on importing expensive and often unreliable natural gas supplies from surrounding countries is to depend more heavily on renewable supply energy, including solar, wind, and water energy.

Keywords: energy supply resources, Arab spring, liquefied natural gas, pipeline, Jordan

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Authors: Faith Eweluegim Enahoro-Ofagbe

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Water is essential for sustaining life. As a limited resource, effective water management is vital. Water scarcity has become more common due to the effects of climate change, land degradation, deforestation, and population growth, especially in rural communities, which are more susceptible to water-related issues such as water shortage, water-borne disease, et c., due to the unsuccessful implementation of water policies and projects in Nigeria. Since rural communities generate the majority of agricultural products, they significantly impact on water management for sustainability. The development of methods to advance this goal for residential and agricultural usage in the present and the future is a challenge for rural residents. This study evaluated rural water supply systems and irrigation management techniques to conserve water in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria. Suggesting some measures to conserve water resources for sustainability, off-season farming, and socioeconomic security that will remedy water degradation, unemployment which is one of the causes of insecurity in the country, by considering the use of fabricated or locally made irrigation equipment, which are affordable by rural farmers, among other recommendations. Questionnaires were distributed to respondents in the study area for quantitative evaluation of irrigation methods practices. For physicochemical investigation, samples were also gathered from their available water sources. According to the study's findings, 30 percent of farmers adopted intelligent irrigation management techniques to conserve water resources, saving 45% of the water previously used for irrigation. 70 % of farmers practice seasonal farming. Irrigation water is drawn from river channels, streams, and unlined and unprotected wells. 60% of these rural residents rely on private boreholes for their water needs, while 40% rely on government-supplied rural water. Therefore, the government must develop additional water projects, raise awareness, and offer irrigation techniques that are simple to adapt for water management, increasing socio-economic productivity, security, and water sustainability.

Keywords: water resource management, sustainability, irrigation, rural water management, irrigation management technique

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Authors: Su-Hyun Jung, Chang-Bin Ha, Hyoung-Kyu Song

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Recently, increasing the quality of experience (QoE) is an important issue. Since performance degradation at cell edge extremely reduces the QoE, several techniques are defined at LTE/LTE-A standard to remove inter-cell interference (ICI). However, the conventional techniques have disadvantage because there is a trade-off between resource allocation and reliable communication. The proposed scheme reduces the ICI more efficiently by using channel state information (CSI) smartly. It is shown that the proposed scheme can reduce the ICI with less resources.

Keywords: adaptive beamforming, CoMP, LTE-A, ICI reduction

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Authors: Sulila Anar

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Institutions of any kind are regulated by laws which could be formal or informal, visible or invisible that influences the very structure of the institutions itself. Here in this paper the attempt will be to see how institutions of higher education are regulated by the regulatory institutions by taking the case of India, the third largest education system in the world. The attempt is to try to see how regulation of higher education creates a space for contestation among regulatory institutions based on secondary resources and how this affects the governance of university to achieve the goals and visions.

Keywords: higher education, regulation, autonomy, space

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Authors: Kunyaporn Pipithsangchan, Alongkorn Korntong, Assanee Songserm, Phatchara Piriyavinit, Saowanee Dechakampoo

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The Kingdom of Thailand is one of the South East Asian countries. From its area of 514,000 square kilometers (51 million ha), at least 18,000 plant species (8% of the world total) have been estimated to be found in the country. As a result, the conservation of plant genetic diversity, particularly food crops, is becoming important and is an assurance for the national food security. Department of Agriculture Genebank or DOA Genebank, Thailand is responsible for the conservation of plant germplasm by participating and accomplishing several collaborative projects both at national and international levels. Integrated Management System of Plant Genetic Resources or IMPGR is one of the most outstandingly successful cooperation. It is a multilateral project under the Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) supported by the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of South Korea. The member countries under the project consist of 11 nations namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea. The project enabled the members to jointly address the global issues in plant genetic resource (PGR) conservation and strengthen their network in this aspect. The 1st phase of IMPGR project, entitled 'Collection, Conservation, Regeneration and Characterization of Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae 2012-2014', comprises three main objectives that are: 1) To improve management in storage facilities, collection, and regeneration, 2) To improve linkage between Genebank and material sources (for regeneration), and 3) To improve linkage between Genebank and other field crop or/and horticultural research centers. The project was done for three years from 2012 to 2014. The activities of the project can be described as following details: In the 1st year, there were 9 target provinces for completing plant genetic resource survey and collection. 108 accessions of PGR were collected. In the 2nd year, PGR were continuously surveyed and collected from 9 provinces. The total number of collection was 140 accessions. In addition, the process of regeneration of 237 accessions collected from 1st and 2nd year was started at several sites namely Biotechnology Research and Development Office, Sukothai Horticultural Research Center, Tak Research, and Development Center and Nakhon Ratchasima Research and Development Center. In the 3rd year, besides survey and collection of 115 accessions from 9 target provinces, PGR characterization and evaluation were done for 206 accessions. Moreover, safety duplication of 253 PGR at the World Seed Vault, RDA, was also done according to Standard Agreement on Germplasm Safety Duplication between Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Kingdom of Thailand and the National Agrobiodiversity Center, Rural Development Administration of the Republic of Korea. The success of the 1st phase project led to the second phase which entitled 'Collection and Characterization for Effective Conservation of Local Capsicum spp., Solanum spp. and Lycopersicon spp. in Thailand 2015-2017'.

Keywords: characterization, conservation, DOA genebank, plant genetic resources

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Authors: A. Gagat-Matuła

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There is a definite lack – in Poland, as well as around the world – of empirical studies of families raising handicapped child, in which one parent migrates. In diagnostics of the functioning of such families emphasis should be placed not only on the difficulties, but most of all it should be indicated what possibilities are there for the family and how it overcomes the difficulties. Migration of a parent on the one hand is a chance to improve the family’s material situation. In certain circumstances this may only be an “escape” into work from the issues associated with the upbringing and rehabilitation of a handicapped child. The aim of the study was to learn the functioning of a temporarily single parent family system as a result of migration of a parent from the perspective of adolescents with cerebral palsy. The study was conducted in the year 2013 in the area of Eastern Poland. It involved an analysis of 70 persons (with cerebral palsy in an intellectual capacity) from families in which at least one of the parents migrates. The study incorporated the diagnostic survey method. These tools were used: Family Evaluation Scales (SOR) adapted for Poland by Andrzej Margasiński. The explorations in this study indicate, that 47% of studied temporarily single parent families are balanced models. This is evidence of the resources at the disposal of the family which, despite the disability of the child and temporary separation, is able to function properly. The conducted studies show, that 37% of temporarily single parent families are imbalanced models in the perception of adolescents with cerebral palsy. These families experience functional difficulties and require psychological and pedagogical support. There is a need for building skills related to effective coping with family stress. Especially considering, that families of an imbalanced type do not use the internal and external resources of the family system. Such a situation may deepen the disarrangement of family life. In intermediate families (16%) there are also temporary difficulties in functioning. Separation anxiety experienced by mothers may disrupt relations and introduce additional stress factors. For that reason it is important to provide support for women with difficulties coping with the emotions associated with raising handicapped adolescents and migratory separation.

Keywords: child with cerebral palsy, family, migration, parents

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Authors: T. Lakshmi Priya

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With the widening definition of heritage, the challenges of heritage management has become more complex . Today heritage not only includes significant monuments but comprises historic areas / sites, historic cities, cultural landscapes, and living heritage sites. There is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the values associated with these heritage resources, which will enable their protection and management. These diverse cultural resources are managed by multiple agencies having their own way of operating in the heritage sites. An Integrated approach to management of these cultural resources ensures its sustainability for the future generation. This paper outlines the importance of an integrated approach for the management and protection of complex heritage sites in India by examining four case studies. The methodology for this study is based on secondary research and primary surveys conducted during the preparation of the conservation management plansfor the various sites. The primary survey included basic documentation, inventorying, and community surveys. Red Fort located in the city of Delhi is one of the most significant forts built in 1639 by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. This fort is a national icon and stands testimony to the various historical events . It is on the ramparts of Red Fort that the national flag was unfurled on 15th August 1947, when India became independent, which continues even today. Management of this complex fort necessitated the need for an integrated approach, where in the needs of the official and non official stakeholders were addressed. The understanding of the inherent values and significance of this site was arrived through a systematic methodology of inventorying and mapping of information. Hampi, located in southern part of India, is a living heritage site inscribed in the World Heritage list in 1986. The site comprises of settlements, built heritage structures, traditional water systems, forest, agricultural fields and the remains of the metropolis of the 16th century Vijayanagar empire. As Hampi is a living heritage site having traditional systems of management and practices, the aim has been to include these practices in the current management so that there is continuity in belief, thought and practice. The existing national, regional and local planning instruments have been examined and the local concerns have been addressed.A comprehensive understanding of the site, achieved through an integrated model, is being translated to an action plan which safeguards the inherent values of the site. This paper also examines the case of the 20th century heritage building of National Archives of India, Delhi and protection of a 12th century Tomb of Sultan Ghari located in south Delhi. A comprehensive understanding of the site, lead to the delineation of the Archaeological Park of Sultan Ghari, in the current Master Plan for Delhi, for the protection of the tomb and the settlement around it. Through this study it is concluded that the approach of Integrated Conservation has enabled decision making that sustains the values of these complex heritage sites in Indian context.

Keywords: conservation, integrated, management, approach

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Authors: Yusuf Ersoy Yildirim, Ismail Tas, Ceren Gorgusen, Tugba Yeter, Aysegul Boyacioglu, K. Mehmet Tugrul, Murat Tugrul, Ayten Namli, H. Sabri Ozturk, M. Onur Akca

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In recent years, a lot of research has been done for the sustainable use of scarce resources in the world. Especially, effective and sustainable use of water resources has been researched for many years. Sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI) is one of the most effective irrigation methods in which efficient and sustainable use of irrigation water can be achieved. When the literature is taken into consideration, it is often emphasized that, besides its numerous advantages, it also allows the application of irrigation water to the plant root zone along with air. It is stated in different studies that the air applied to the plant root zone with irrigation water has a positive effect on the root zone. Plants need sufficient oxygen for root respiration as well as for the metabolic functions of the roots. Decreased root respiration due to low oxygen content reduces transpiration, disrupts the flow of ions, and increases the ingress of salt reaching toxic levels, seriously affecting plant growth. Lack of oxygen (Hypoxia) can affect the survival of plants. The lack of oxygen in the soil is related to the exchange of gases in the soil with the gases in the atmosphere. Soil aeration is an important physical parameter of a soil. It is highly dynamic and is closely related to the amount of water in the soil and its bulk weight. Subsurface drip irrigation; It has higher water use efficiency compared to irrigation methods such as furrow irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. However, in heavy clay soils, subsurface drip irrigation creates continuous wetting fronts that predispose the rhizosphere region to hypoxia or anoxia. With subsurface drip irrigation, the oxygen is limited for root microbial respiration and root development, with the continuous spreading of water to a certain region of the root zone. In this study, the change in sugar beet yield caused by air application in the SDI system will be explained.

Keywords: sugar beet, subsurface drip irrigation, air application, irrigation efficiency

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Authors: Nattapol Pourprasert

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This research is to study qualitative research having two objectives: 1. to study comparison of private sector of government to compare with ASEAN Member States, 2. to study trend of private enterprise administration of ASEAN Member States. The results are: (1) Thai people focus on personal resource administrative system, (2) Indonesia focuses on official system by good administrative principles, (3) Malaysia focuses on technology development to service people, (4) Philippines focuses on operation system development, (5) Singapore focuses on public service development, (6) Brunei Darussalam focuses on equality in government service of people, (7) Vietnam focuses on creating government labor base and develop testing and administration of operation test, (8) Myanmar focuses on human resources development, (9) Laos focuses on form of local administration, (10) Cambodia focuses on policy revolution in personal resources. The result of the second part of the study are: (1) Thailand created government personnel to be power under qualitative official structural event, (2) Indonesia has Bureaucracy Reform Roadmap of Bureaucracy Reform and National Development Plan Medium Term, (3) Malaysia has database for people service, (4) Philippines follows up control of units operation by government policy, (5) Singapore created reliability, participation of people to set government policy people’s demand, (6) Brunei Darussalam has social welfare to people, (7) Vietnam revolved testing system and administration including manpower base construction of government effectively, (8) Myanmar creates high rank administrators to develop country, (9) Laos distributes power to locality, and (10) Cambodia revolved personnel resource policy.

Keywords: public administration development, ASEAN member states, private sector, government

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Authors: Arturo Daag

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The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) is enhancing its liquefaction hazard map towards a detailed probabilistic approach using SDS and geophysical data. Target sites for liquefaction assessment are public schools in Metro Manila. Since target sites are in highly urbanized-setting, the objective of the project is to conduct both non-destructive geotechnical studies using Screw Driving Testing (SDFS) combined with geophysical data such as refraction microtremor array (ReMi), 3 component microtremor Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR), and ground penetrating RADAR (GPR). Initial test data was conducted in liquefaction impacted areas from the Mw 6.1 earthquake in Central Luzon last April 22, 2019 Province of Pampanga. Numerous accounts of liquefaction events were documented areas underlain by quaternary alluvium and mostly covered by recent lahar deposits. SDS estimated values showed a good correlation to actual SPT values obtained from available borehole data. Thus, confirming that SDS can be an alternative tool for liquefaction assessment and more efficient in terms of cost and time compared to SPT and CPT. Conducting borehole may limit its access in highly urbanized areas. In order to extend or extrapolate the SPT borehole data, non-destructive geophysical equipment was used. A 3-component microtremor obtains a subsurface velocity model in 1-D seismic shear wave velocity of the upper 30 meters of the profile (Vs30). For the ReMi, 12 geophone array with 6 to 8-meter spacing surveys were conducted. Microtremor data were computed through the Factor of Safety, which is the quotient of Cyclic Resistance Ratio (CRR) and Cyclic Stress Ratio (CSR). Complementary GPR was used to study the subsurface structure and used to inferred subsurface structures and groundwater conditions.

Keywords: screw drive testing, microtremor, ground penetrating RADAR, liquefaction

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Authors: Mohammad Yousefikia, Sara Moridpour, Ehsan Mazloumi

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Perceiving track geometry deterioration decisively influences the optimization of track maintenance operations. The effective management of this deterioration and increasingly utilized system with limited financial resources is a significant challenge. This paper provides a review of degradation models relevant for railroad tracks. Furthermore, due to the lack of long term information on the condition development of tram infrastructures, presents the methodology which will be used to derive degradation models from the data of Melbourne tram network.

Keywords: deterioration modeling, asset management, railway, tram

Procedia PDF Downloads 379

Authors: D. P. Ray, L. Ammayappan, S. Debnath, R. K. Ghosh, D. Mondal, S. Dasgupta, S. Islam, S. Chakroborty, P. K. Ganguly, D. Nag

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Nature being bountiful is generous enough to provide rich resources to mankind. These resources can be used as an alternative to synthetics, thereby reducing the chances of environmental pollution. Natural fibre based composites have emerged as a successful trend in recent automobile industry. Natural fibre based composites used in automobile industries not only reduces their fuel consumption but also do not pose any health hazards. In spite of the use of natural fibre based bio composite in automobile industries, its use is only being limited to interior products. However, its major drawbacks which contributed to limited scope in the field of industry are reduced durability and mechanical strength. Thereby, the use of natural fibre based bio composites as headliner in case of automobile industries is also not successfully deployed. Out of all the natural fibres available, jute can widely be used as automobile parts because of its easy availability, comparatively higher specific strength, lower density, low thermal conductivity and most importantly its non polluting and non abrasive nature. Various research outcomes in the field of jute based biocomposites for the use of automobile industries has not successfully being deployed due to certain inherent problem of the fibre. Jute being hydrophilic in nature is not readily adhered to the hydrophobic polyester resin. Therefore introduction of a chemical compatibilizer, in the preparation of jute based composites have been tested to enhance the mechanical and durable properties of the material to a greater extent. This present work therefore focuses on the synthesis of a suitable compatibilizer, acting as a chemical bridge between the polar jute fabric and the non polar resin matrix. This in turn results in imparting better interfacial bonding between the two, thereby inducing higher mechanical strength. These coupling treated fabrics are casted into composites and tested for their mechanical properties. The test reports show a remarkable change in all of its properties. The durability test was performed by soil burial test method.

Keywords: jute, automobile industry, biodegradability, chemical compatibilizer

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Authors: Talha Ali Khan

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Discovering different energy resources to full fill the world growing demand is now one of the society’s bigger challenge for the next half-century. The main task is to convert the sun radiation into electricity via photovoltaic solar cells which is suddenly decreasing $/watt of delivered solar electricity. Therefore, in this context, the sun trackers are those devices that can be used to ameliorate efficiency. In this paper, a variety of the sun tracking systems are evaluated and their merits and demerits are highlighted. The most adept and proficient sun-tracking devices are polar axis and azimuth-elevation types.

Keywords: dual axis, fixed axis, sun tracker, MPPT

Procedia PDF Downloads 578

Authors: Sisay Wondmagegn Molla, Mulugeta Admasu Delele, Tadelle Nigusu Mekonen

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It is common to observe quality deterioration and mechanical injury of horticulture products as a result of suboptimal design and handling of the packaging systems. Society uses the old and primitive way of handling horticulture products, which is produced through trial and error This method is known to have many limitations on quality, environmental pollution, labor and cost. Ethiopia stands first in bamboo resources in Africa, which is 67 % of the African and 7 % of the world's bamboo resources. The purpose of this project was to design and develop bamboo-based ventilated horticultural produce crates using validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The model was used to predict the airflow and temperature distribution inside the loaded crate. The study included: sizing, collection of the thermo-physical properties, and designing and developing a CFD model of the bamboo-based ventilated horticultural crate. The designed crate (40×30×25cm) had a capacity of about 18 kg, and cold air temperature (130C) was used for cooling the fruit. Airflow in the loaded crate is far from uniform. There is a relatively high-velocity flow at the top, near inlet and near outlet sections, and a relatively low airflow near the center of the loaded crate. The predicted velocity variation within the bulk of the produce was relatively large, it was in the range of 0.04-7m/s. The vented produce package contributed the highest cooling airflow resistance. Similar to the airflow, the cooling characteristics of the product were not uniform. There was a difference in the cooling rate of the produce in the airflow direction and from the top to the bottom section of the loaded crate. The products that were located near the inlet side and top of the bulk showed a faster cooling rate than the rest of the bulk. The result showed that the produced volume average temperature was 17.9°C after a cooling period of 3 hr. It was reduced by 12.05°C. The result showed the potential of the CFD modeling approach in developing the bamboo-based design of horticultural produce crates in terms of airflow and heat transfer characteristics.

Keywords: bamboo, modeling, cooling, horticultural, packaging

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Authors: Rasim Alguliev, Farhad Yusifov

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Considering the international experience, conceptual and architectural principles of forming of electron government are researched and some suggestions were made. The assessment of monitoring of forming processes of electron government, intellectual analysis of web-resources, provision of information security, electron democracy problems were researched, conceptual approaches were suggested. By taking into consideration main principles of electron government theory, important research directions were specified.

Keywords: electron government, public administration, information security, web-analytics, social networks, data mining

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Authors: K. Almi, S. Lakel, A. Benchabane, A. Kriker

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The fiber–matrix compatibility can be improved if suitable enforcements are chosen. Whenever the reinforcements have more thermal stability, they can resist to the main processes for wood–thermoplastic composites. Several researches are focused on natural resources for the production of biomaterials intended for technical applications. Date palm wood present one of the world’s most important natural resource. Its use as insulating materials will help to solve the severe environmental and recycling problems which other artificial insulating materials caused. This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation on the thermal proprieties of date palm wood from Algeria. A study of physical, chemical and mechanical properties is also carried out. The goal is to use this natural material in the manufacture of thermal insulation materials for buildings. The local natural resources used in this study are the date palm fibers from Biskra oasis in Algeria. The results have shown that there is no significant difference in the morphological proprieties of the four types of residues. Their chemical composition differed slightly; with the lowest amounts of cellulose and lignin content belong to Petiole. Water absorption study proved that Rachis has a low value of sorption whereas Petiole and Fibrillium have a high value of sorption what influenced their mechanical properties. It is seen that the Rachis and leaflets exhibit a high tensile strength values compared to the other residue. On the other hand the low value of bulk density of Petiole and Fibrillium leads to high value of specific tensile strength and young modulus. It was found that the specific young modulus of Petiole and Fibrillium was higher than that of Rachis and Leaflets and that of other natural fibers or even artificial fibers. Compared to the other materials date palm wood provide a good thermal proprieties thus, date palm wood will be a good candidate for the manufacturing efficient and safe insulating materials.

Keywords: composite materials, date palm fiber, natural fibers, tensile tests, thermal proprieties

Procedia PDF Downloads 642

Authors: Oyatayo Kehinde Taofik, Ndabula Christopher

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Drainage basins are a central theme in the green economy. The rising challenges in flooding, erosion or sediment transport and sedimentation threaten the green economy. This has led to increasing emphasis on quantitative analysis of drainage basin parameters for better understanding, estimation and prediction of fluvial responses and, thus associated hazards or disasters. This can be achieved through direct measurement, characterization, parameterization, or modeling. This study applied the Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System approach of parameterization and characterization of the morphometric variables of Katsina – Ala basin using a 30 m resolution Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM). This was complemented with topographic and hydrological maps of Katsina-Ala on a scale of 1:50,000. Linear, areal and relief parameters were characterized. The result of the study shows that Ala and Udene sub-watersheds are 4th and 5th order basins, respectively. The stream network shows a dendritic pattern, indicating homogeneity in texture and a lack of structural control in the study area. Ala and Udene sub-watersheds have the following values for elongation ratio, circularity ratio, form factor and relief ratio: 0.48 / 0.39 / 0.35/ 9.97 and 0.40 / 0.35 / 0.32 / 6.0. They also have the following values for drainage texture and ruggedness index of 0.86 / 0.011 and 1.57 / 0.016. The study concludes that the two sub-watersheds are elongated, suggesting that they are susceptible to erosion and, thus higher sediment load in the river channels, which will dispose the watersheds to higher flood peaks. The study also concludes that the sub-watersheds have a very coarse texture, with good permeability of subsurface materials and infiltration capacity, which significantly recharge the groundwater. The study recommends that efforts should be put in place by the Local and State Governments to reduce the size of paved surfaces in these sub-watersheds by implementing a robust agroforestry program at the grass root level.

Keywords: erosion, flood, mitigation, morphometry, watershed

Procedia PDF Downloads 87

Authors: Km Tanu

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It has been widely accepted that the learning style of adults and children is different, the learning motivation among adults vary, and even their learning preferences cannot be predetermined. In India, where the population is widely diverse and socio-economic and cultural disparities are there, the learning strategies should also be according to their needs and preferences. The present study explores the concept of adult learners in India in order to understand their needs and styles better. The adult learning principles of Malcolm Knowles have been analyzed, and its presence in the different policies and programs has been traced. To what extent these principles and other such concepts would be beneficial for the Indian population and for effective learning strategies, and what contextual understanding is needed, has been argued in the study. Descriptive research methodology, along with content and thematic analyses, has been used for the paper. It has been argued that there are four areas that play crucial roles in making learning effective. These are the learner, the facilitator, the resources and the policy. The prior experiences of the learners, their motivation, the group to which they belong (i.e., the learning styles and the strategies can be varied for the group of farmers and migrant laborers), and their expected outcome play an important role in making any adult education program successful but along with this, the role of facilitator or the educator is also very important as it is not easy to deal with the adult learners, the understanding that the task is not to teach the adult learners but to make them learn and to use their prior knowledge is a task in itself, proper training is needed for that matter. Many times, it has been seen that adult education programs are poorly funded, or even if they are funded, the fund is not utilized well; the unavailability of the resources is one of the reasons for the failure of adult education programs, and if we see these four points as a triangle, at the bottom, there is a policy document. A well-stated and described doable policy document is also equally important.

Keywords: adult education, Indian adult learner, effective learning styles, Malcolm Knowles learning principles, adult education policies and program

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Authors: Tuji Jemal Ahmed

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Food security and utilization are critical aspects of ensuring the well-being and prosperity of a nation. This paper examines the current state of food security and utilization in Ethiopia, focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed to address the issue. Ethiopia, a country in East Africa, has made significant progress in recent years to improve food security and utilization for its population. However, persistent challenges such as recurrent droughts, limited access to resources, and low agricultural productivity continue to pose obstacles to achieving sustainable food security. The paper begins by providing an overview of the concept of food security, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the importance of access, availability, utilization, and stability. It then explores the specific factors influencing food security and utilization in Ethiopia, including natural resources, climate variability, agricultural practices, infrastructure, and socio-economic factors. Furthermore, the paper highlights the initiatives and interventions implemented by the Ethiopian government, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to enhance food security and utilization. These efforts include agricultural extension programs, irrigation projects, investments in rural infrastructure, and social safety nets to protect vulnerable populations. The study also examines the role of technology and innovation in improving food security and utilization in Ethiopia. It explores the potential of sustainable agricultural practices, such as conservation agriculture, improved seed varieties, and precision farming techniques. Additionally, it discusses the role of digital technologies in enhancing access to market information, financial services, and agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders, including government agencies, development organizations, research institutions, and communities, in addressing food security and utilization challenges. It emphasizes the need for integrated and holistic approaches that consider both production and consumption aspects of the food system.

Keywords: food security, utilization, Ethiopia, challenges

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Tuji Jemal Ahmed

Abstract:

Food security and utilization are critical aspects of ensuring the well-being and prosperity of a nation. This paper examines the current state of food security and utilization in Ethiopia, focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed to address the issue. Ethiopia, a country in East Africa, has made significant progress in recent years to improve food security and utilization for its population. However, persistent challenges such as recurrent droughts, limited access to resources, and low agricultural productivity continue to pose obstacles to achieving sustainable food security. The paper begins by providing an overview of the concept of food security, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the importance of access, availability, utilization, and stability. It then explores the specific factors influencing food security and utilization in Ethiopia, including natural resources, climate variability, agricultural practices, infrastructure, and socio-economic factors. Furthermore, the paper highlights the initiatives and interventions implemented by the Ethiopian government, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to enhance food security and utilization. These efforts include agricultural extension programs, irrigation projects, investments in rural infrastructure, and social safety nets to protect vulnerable populations. The study also examines the role of technology and innovation in improving food security and utilization in Ethiopia. It explores the potential of sustainable agricultural practices, such as conservation agriculture, improved seed varieties, and precision farming techniques. Additionally, it discusses the role of digital technologies in enhancing access to market information, financial services, and agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders, including government agencies, development organizations, research institutions, and communities, in addressing food security and utilization challenges. It emphasizes the need for integrated and holistic approaches that consider both production and consumption aspects of the food system.

Keywords: food security, utilization, Ethiopia, challenges

Procedia PDF Downloads 85

Authors: Mohamed Khali Zidi, Mohsen Henchiri, Walid Ben Ahmed

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In the context of a hypogene hydrothermal travertine system, including low-porosity brittle bedrock and rock-mass permeability in Aptian dolostone of Boulaaba, Kasserine is enhanced through faulting and fracturing. This permeability enhancement related to the deformation modes along faults and fractures is likely to be in competition with permeability reduction when microcracks, fractures, and faults all become infilled with breccias and low-permeability hydrothermal precipitates. So that, fault continual or intermittent reactivation is probably necessary for them to keep their potential as structural high-permeability conduits. Dilational normal faults in strong mechanical stratigraphy associated with fault segments with dip changes are sites for porosity and permeability in groundwater infiltration and flow, hydrocarbon reservoirs, and also may be important sources of mineralization. The brecciation mechanism through dilational faulting and gravitational collapse originates according to hosting lithologies chaotic clast-supported breccia in strong lithologies such as sandstones, limestones, and dolostones, and matrix-supported cataclastic in weaker lithologies such as marls and shales. Breccias contribute to controlling fluid flow when the porosity is sealed either by low-permeability hydrothermal precipitates or by fine matrix materials. All these mechanisms of fault-related rock-mass permeability enhancement and reduction can be observed and analyzed in the region of Sidi Boulaaba, Kasserine, central Tunisia, where dilational normal faulting occurs in mechanical strong dolostone layering alternating with more weak marl and shale lithologies, has originated a variety of fault voids (fluid conduits) breccias (chaotic, crackle and mosaic breccias) and carbonate cement.

Keywords: travertine, Aptian dolostone, Boulaaba, fracturing

Procedia PDF Downloads 65

Authors: Samiullah Paracha, Sania Jehanzeb, M. H. Gharanai, A. R. Ahmadi, H.Sokout, Toshiro Takahara

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The purpose of this study is to examine how health consumers utilize pictures when developing an understanding of multimedia health documents, and whether attentional processes, measured by eye-tracking, relate to differences in health-related cognitive resources and passage comprehension. To investigate these issues, we will present health-related text-picture passages to elders and collect eye movement data to measure readers’ looking behaviors.

Keywords: multimedia, eye-tracking, consumer health informatics, human-computer interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 339

Authors: Talha Ali Khan

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Discovering different energy resources to fulfill the world's growing demand is now one of the society’s bigger challenges for the next half-century. The main task is to convert the sun radiation into electricity via photovoltaic solar cells which is suddenly decreasing $/watt of delivered solar electricity. Therefore, in this context the sun trackers are those devices that can be used to ameliorate efficiency. In this paper, a variety of the sun tracking systems are evaluated and their merits and demerits are highlighted. The most adept and proficient sun-tracking devices are polar axis and azimuth-elevation types.

Keywords: dual axis, fixed axis, sun tracker, sun radiation

Procedia PDF Downloads 454

Authors: Chen Xiatong

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The study aims to explore the interrelationship between corporate governance factors and firm performance in Mainland China using a mixed-method approach. To clarify the current effectiveness of corporate governance, uncover the complex interrelationships between governance factors and firm performance, and enhance understanding of corporate governance strategies in Mainland China. The research involves quantitative methods like statistical analysis of governance factors and firm performance data, as well as qualitative approaches including policy research, case studies, and interviews with staff members. The study aims to reveal the current effectiveness of corporate governance in Mainland China, identify complex interrelationships between governance factors and firm performance, and provide suggestions for companies to enhance their governance practices. The research contributes to enriching the literature on corporate governance by providing insights into the effectiveness of governance practices in Mainland China and offering suggestions for improvement. Quantitative data will be gathered through surveys and sampling methods, focusing on governance factors and firm performance indicators. Qualitative data will be collected through policy research, case studies, and interviews with staff members. Quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical, mathematical, and computational techniques. Qualitative data will be analyzed through thematic analysis and interpretation of policy documents, case study findings, and interview responses. The study addresses the effectiveness of corporate governance in Mainland China, the interrelationship between governance factors and firm performance, and staff members' perceptions of corporate governance strategies. The research aims to enhance understanding of corporate governance effectiveness, enrich the literature on governance practices, and contribute to the field of business management and human resources management in Mainland China.

Keywords: corporate governance, business management, human resources management, board of directors

Procedia PDF Downloads 55

Authors: Jonas A. R. H. Lima, Maria Antonia Carravilla

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As productivity concepts are widely related to industrial savings, it is becoming particularly important in a more and more competitive world, to really understand how productivity can be well used in industrial management techniques. Nowadays, consumers are no more willing to pay for mistakes and inefficiencies. Therefore, one way for companies to stay competitive is to control and increase their productivity. This study aims to define clearly the productivity concept, understand how a company can affect productivity, and, if possible, identify the relation between each identified productivity factor. This will help managers, by clarifying the main issues behind productivity concepts and proposing a methodology to measure, control and increase productivity. The main questions to be answered are: what is the importance of productivity for the Portuguese Wood Furniture Industry? Is it possible to control productivity internally, or is it a phenomenon external to companies, hard or even impossible to control? How to understand, control and adjust productivity performance? How to make productivity to become one main asset for maximizing the use of the available resources? This essay will follow a constructive approach mostly based in the research hypothesis mentioned above. For that, a literature review is being done to find the main conceptual frameworks and empirical studies that already exist, and by doing so, highlight eventual knowledge or conflicting research to be addressed in this work. We expect to build theoretical explanations and test theoretical predictions from participants understandings and own experiences, by elaborating field surveys and interviews, to select adjusted productivity indicators and analyze the productivity evolution according the adjustments on other variables. Its intended the conduction of an exploratory work that can simultaneous clarify productivity concepts, objectives, and define frameworks. This investigation intends to migrate from merely academic concepts to a daily basis operational reality of the companies from the Portuguese Wood Furniture Industry highlighting productivity increased importance within modern engineering and industrial management. The ambition is to clarify, systemize and develop a management tool that may not only control but positively influence the way resources are used.

Keywords: industrial management, motivation, productivity, performance indicators, reward management, wood furniture industry

Procedia PDF Downloads 229

Authors: Sophie Kroeling, Agnetha Schuchardt

Abstract:

Striving for sustainability brings a lot of challenges for different fields of interest, e. g. security or health concerns. In Germany, civil protection is predominantly carried out by emergency responders who perform essential tasks of civil protection. Based on theoretical concepts of different psychological stress theories this contribution focuses on the question, how the resilience of emergency responders can be improved. The goal is to identify resources and successful coping strategies that help to prevent and reduce negative outcomes during or after stressful events. The paper will present results from a qualitative analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 emergency responders. These results provide insights into the complexity of coping processes (e. g. controlling the situation, downplaying perceived personal threats through humor) and show the diversity of stressors (like complexity of the disastrous situation, intrusive press and media, or lack of social support within the organization). Self-efficacy expectation was a very important resource for coping with stressful situations. The results served as a starting point for a quantitative survey (that was conducted in March 2017), the development of education and training tools for emergency responders and the improvement of critical incident stress management processes. First results from the quantitative study with more than 700 participants show that, e. g., the emergency responders use social coping within their private social network and also within their aid organization and that both are correlated to resilience. Moreover, missing information, bureaucratic problems and social conflicts within the organization are events that the majority of the participants considered very onerous. Further results from regression analysis will be presented. The proposed paper will combine findings from the qualitative study with the quantitative results, illustrating figures and correlations with respective statements from the interviews. At the end, suggestions for the improvement of the emergency responder’s resilience are given and it is discussed how this can make a contribution to strive for civil security and furthermore a sustainable development.

Keywords: civil security, emergency responders, stress, resilience, resources

Procedia PDF Downloads 145