Search results for: starting up strategies

Authors: Arash Rafiei, Carroll Moore

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Leaching process as the first stage of hydrometallurgy is a multidisciplinary system including material properties, chemistry, reactor design, mechanics and fluid dynamics. Therefore, doing leaching system optimization by pure scientific methods need lots of times and expenses. In this work, a mixture of two titanium ores and one titanium slag are used for extracting titanium for leaching stage of TiO2 pigment production procedure. Optimum titanium extraction can be obtained from following strategies: i) Maximizing titanium extraction without selective digestion; and ii) Optimizing selective titanium extraction by balancing between maximum titanium extraction and minimum impurity digestion. The main difference between two strategies is due to process optimization framework. For the first strategy, the most important stage of production process is concerned as the main stage and rest of stages would be adopted with respect to the main stage. The second strategy optimizes performance of more than one stage at once. The second strategy has more technical complexity compared to the first one but it brings more economical and technical advantages for the leaching system. Obviously, each strategy has its own optimum operational zone that is not as same as the other one and the best operational zone is chosen due to complexity, economical and practical aspects of the leaching system. Experimental design has been carried out by using Taguchi method. The most important advantages of this methodology are involving different technical aspects of leaching process; minimizing the number of needed experiments as well as time and expense; and concerning the role of parameter interactions due to principles of multifactor-at-time optimization. Leaching tests have been done at batch scale on lab with appropriate control on temperature. The leaching tank geometry has been concerned as an important factor to provide comparable agitation conditions. Data analysis has been done by using reactor design and mass balancing principles. Finally, optimum zone for operational parameters are determined for each leaching strategy and discussed due to their economical and practical aspects.

Keywords: titanium leaching, optimization, experimental design, performance analysis

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Authors: Farnaz Farzin, Julie C. Thomson, Rob Dekkers, Geoff Whittam

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Research has shown that techno-entrepreneurship is economically significant. Therefore, it is suggested that teaching techno-entrepreneurship may be important because such programmes would prepare current and future generations of learners to recognize and act on high-technology opportunities. Education in techno-entrepreneurship may increase the knowledge of how to start one’s own enterprise and recognize the technological opportunities for commercialisation to improve decision-making about starting a new venture; also it influence decisions about capturing the business opportunities and turning them into successful ventures. Universities can play a main role in connecting and networking techno-entrepreneurship students towards a cooperative attitude with real business practice and industry knowledge. To investigate and answer whether education for techno-entrepreneurs really helps, this paper chooses a comparison of literature reviews as its method of research. Then, 6 different studies were selected. These particular papers were selected based on a keywords search and as their aim, objectives, and gaps were close to the current research. In addition, they were all based on the influence of techno-entrepreneurship education in self-employment and intention of students to start new ventures. The findings showed that teaching techno-entrepreneurship education may have an influence on students’ intention and their future self-employment, but which courses should be covered and the duration of programmes needs further investigation.

Keywords: techno entrepreneurship education, training, higher education, intention, self-employment

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Authors: Abdikarim Barqadle Igale

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The main objective of this study is to find out the indicators of excellent supply chain management based on game theory. The study employed a survey design to collect data. A total of 268 respondents participated in this research. The results indicate that both companies (Coca-cola & Yousran International) managed to effectively use the physical and information flows but were different from the focus on the items in the two key areas. The Coca-cola, for instance, sustained to utilize the flows of excellent planning, starting from row materials, timing, transformation, transportation, and storage of goods to reach consumer’s hands on one side and solid linkage to strategic partners to plan and work together for long-term control of better day-to-day supply chains of goods and materials down to customers’ consumption on the other. Meanwhile, the Yousran International heavily concentrated on the physical side with moderate rapports with strategic partners for long-term improvement on supply chain. The study proposes that strong combination of effective use of both physical and information flows are good indicators of better supply chain management in today’s emerging companies.

Keywords: game theory, physical flow, supply chain management, indicators

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Authors: Qing Dai, Zhengkui Lin, Jiajia Zhang, Yi Qu

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Based on activity method, this paper focuses on morning commuting behavior when commuters travel with autonomous vehicles (AVs). Firstly, a net utility function of commuters is constructed by the activity utility of commuters at home, in car and at workplace, and the disutility of travel time cost and that of schedule delay cost. Then, this net utility function is applied to build an equilibrium model. Finally, under the assumption of constant marginal activity utility, the properties of equilibrium are analyzed. The results show that, in autonomous driving, the starting and ending time of morning peak and the number of commuters who arrive early and late at workplace are the same as those in manual driving. In automatic driving, however, the departure rate of arriving early at workplace is higher than that of manual driving, while the departure rate of arriving late is just the opposite. In addition, compared with manual driving, the departure time of arriving at workplace on time is earlier and the number of people queuing at the bottleneck is larger in automatic driving. However, the net utility of commuters and the total net utility of system in automatic driving are greater than those in manual driving.

Keywords: autonomous cars, bottleneck model, activity utility, user equilibrium

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Authors: Luisito L. Lacatan, Zacha Valerie G. Ancheta, Michelangelo A. Dorado, Lester Joseph M. Ochoa, Anthony Mark G. Tayabas

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Ignition Interlock Device or IID is a mechanism installed inside a vehicle which requires the driver to breathe into the device before starting the vehicle. If the IID detects that the alcohol level or blood alcohol content (BAC) is higher than the accepted value, the engine will not start. If the driver is not able to provide a clean breath sample, the IID will log the event, warn the driver, and then start up an alarm. The purpose of the IID is to prevent accidents due to driving under the influence (DUI). With the rise of the two-wheeled vehicle in the Philippines due to its mobility and purchasing power, IIDs are still mainly installed on four-wheeled vehicles. Even though riding the motorcycle when drunk is more dangerous, there are only a small number of installed devices on motorcycles and scooters. The general objective of this study was to develop a system with hardware and software components that would implement IID on motorcycles. The study employed a descriptive method of research. The study also concluded the following: the infrared must have a point-to-point communication, the breathalyzer on the helmet should react to ethanol, the microcontroller on the motorcycle should accept all IR signals from the helmet and interpret it and the GPS shield should have an unobstructed line-of-sight communication with the GPS satellites.

Keywords: blood alcohol content, breathalyser, driving under the influence, global positioning system, global system for mobile communication

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Authors: Juan C. Pérez-Mesa, Emilio Galdeano-Gómez, Jerónimo De Burgos-Jiménez, José F. Bienvenido-Bárcena, José F. Jiménez-Guerrero

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Environmental cost and transport congestion on roads resulting from product distribution in Europe have to lead to the creation of various programs and studies seeking to reduce these negative impacts. In this regard, apart from other institutions, the European Commission (EC) has designed plans in recent years promoting a more sustainable transportation model in an attempt to ultimately shift traffic from the road to the sea by using intermodality to achieve a model rebalancing. This issue proves especially relevant in supply chains from peripheral areas of the continent, where the supply of certain agrifood products is high. In such cases, the most difficult challenge is managing perishable goods. This study focuses on new approaches that strengthen the modal shift, as well as the reduction of externalities. This problem is analyzed by attempting to promote intermodal system (truck and short sea shipping) for transport, taking as point of reference highly perishable products (vegetables) exported from southeast Spain, which is the leading supplier to Europe. Methodologically, this paper seeks to contribute to the literature by proposing a different and complementary approach to establish a comparison between intermodal and the “only road” alternative. For this purpose, the multicriteria decision is utilized in a p-median model (P-M) adapted to the transport of perishables and to a means of shipping selection problem, which must consider different variables: transit cost, including externalities, time, and frequency (including agile response time). This scheme avoids bias in decision-making processes. By observing the results, it can be seen that the influence of the externalities as drivers of the modal shift is reduced when transit time is introduced as a decision variable. These findings confirm that the general strategies, those of the EC, based on environmental benefits lose their capacity for implementation when they are applied to complex circumstances. In general, the different estimations reveal that, in the case of perishables, intermodality would be a secondary and viable option only for very specific destinations (for example, Hamburg and nearby locations, the area of influence of London, Paris, and the Netherlands). Based on this framework, the general outlook on this subject should be modified. Perhaps the government should promote specific business strategies based on new trends in the supply chain, not only on the reduction of externalities, and find new approaches that strengthen the modal shift. A possible option is to redefine ports, conceptualizing them as digitalized redistribution and coordination centers and not only as areas of cargo exchange.

Keywords: environmental externalities, intermodal transport, perishable food, transit time

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Authors: Jeong Hwa Ryong

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Numerous characters appear in the works of England’s most prominent play writer, William Shakespeare. Most of the time, his male protagonists possess various and complex characteristics throughout the storyline of his work, making it interesting for the readers to analyze their actions in many different aspects. However, some critics argue that unlike male characters, Shakespeare’s female characters are rather more flat and one-sided, pointing out that they are either the extreme version of good or evil. Especially, it is a significant topic to discuss in the modern days, considering the fact that gender stereotype is now a sensitive issue. Starting from such argument, it is important to address their purpose of being in the play and suggest their meaning to the modern readers of today. In this context, this paper analyzes several female characters of Shakespeare’s work by closely examining their actions and lines. The characters analyzed are Ophelia from Hamlet, Cordelia from King Lear, Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew, Goneril from King Lear and Lady Macbeth from Macbeth. Nevertheless, some female protagonists of Shakespeare’s work do not fall in to this category and exceed the limitations of others. Therefore this paper proposes alternative characters such as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet and Portia from The Merchant of Venice that are rather more complex and difficult to include in just one category. By doing so, this paper critically analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of many female characters in Shakespeare’s play.

Keywords: female characters, gender stereotype, William Shakespeare

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Authors: Darsh N. Patel, Eric Olson

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Fractals can be found everywhere, whether it be the shape of a leaf or a system of blood vessels. Fractals are used to help study and understand different physical and mathematical processes; however, their artistic nature is also beautiful to simply explore. This project explores fractals generated by a cubically convergent extension to Newton's method. With this iteration as a starting point, a complex plane spanning from -2 to 2 is created with a color wheel mapped onto it. Next, the polynomial whose roots the fractal will generate from is established. From the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, it is known that any polynomial has as many roots (counted by multiplicity) as its degree. When generating the fractals, each root will receive its own color. The complex plane can then be colored to indicate the basins of attraction that converge to each root. From a computational point of view, this project’s code identifies which points converge to which roots and then obtains fractal images. A zoom path into the fractal was implemented to easily visualize the self-similar structure. This path was obtained by selecting keyframes at different magnifications through which a path is then interpolated. Using parallel processing, many images were generated and condensed into a video. This project illustrates how practical techniques used for scientific visualization can also have an artistic side.

Keywords: fractals, cubic method, Julia programming language, basin of attraction

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Authors: Carlos Riascos, Peter Thomson

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Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is a modern cyber-physical technique used for the experimental evaluation of complex systems, that treats the system components with predictable behavior as a numerical substructure and the components that are difficult to model as an experimental substructure. Therefore it is an attractive method for evaluation of the response of civil structures under earthquake, wind and anthropic loads. Another practical application of RTHS is the evaluation of control systems, as these devices are often nonlinear and their characterization is an important step in the design of controllers with the desired performance. In this paper, the response of three-story shear frame controlled by a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) and subject to base excitation is considered. Both passive and semi-active control strategies were implemented and are compared. While the passive TLCD achieved a reduction of 50% in the acceleration response of the main structure in comparison with the structure without control, the semi-active TLCD achieved a reduction of 70%, and was robust to variations in the dynamic properties of the main structure. In addition, a RTHS was implemented with the main structure modeled as a linear, time-invariant (LTI) system through a state space representation and the TLCD, with both control strategies, was evaluated on a shake table that reproduced the displacement of the virtual structure. Current assessment measures for RTHS were used to quantify the performance with parameters such as generalized amplitude, equivalent time delay between the target and measured displacement of the shake table, and energy error using the measured force, and prove that the RTHS described in this paper is an accurate method for the experimental evaluation of structural control systems.

Keywords: structural control, hybrid simulation, tuned liquid column damper, semi-active sontrol strategy

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Authors: Mingke Ma

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The recent discovery of the High-Income Trap phenomena and the established Middle-Income Trap literature have identified the similarity of the structural challenges that both Mainland China and Taiwan have been facing since the simultaneous growth slowdown from the 2000s. Mainland China and Taiwan’s ineffectiveness in productivity growth weakened their overall competitiveness in Global Value Chains. With the subsequent decline of industrial profitability, social compression from late development persists and jeopardises the social cohesion. From Ma Ying-jeou’s ‘633’ promise and Tsai Ing-wen’s ‘5+2’ industrial framework to Mainland China’s 11th to 14th Five-Year Plans, leaderships across the Strait have been striving to constitute new models for inclusive and sustainable development through policy responses. This study argues that social consensuses that have been constructed by the domestic political processes define the feasibility of the reform strategies, which further construct the conditions for Cross-Strait interactions. Based on the existing literature of New Institutional Economics, Middle/High Income Trap, and Compressed Development, this study adopts a Historical Institutionalist analytical framework to identify how the historical path-dependency contributes to the contemporary growth constraints in both economies and the political difficulty on navigating the institutional and Organisational change. It continues by tracing the political process of economic reform to examine the sustainability and resilience of the manifested social consensus that had empowered the proposed policy frameworks. Afterwards, it examines how the political outcomes in such a simultaneous process shared by both Mainland China and Taiwan construct the social, economic, institutional, and political foundations of contemporary Cross-Strait engagement.

Keywords: historical institutionalism, political economy, cross-strait relations, high/middle income trap

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Authors: Abbas Mohamed Abbas, Raafat El-Shafie Fat-Helbary, Karrar Omar El Fergawy, Ahmed Hamed Sayed

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The exploration in archaeological area requires non-invasive methods, and hence the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technique is a proper candidate for this task. GPR investigation is widely applied for searching for hidden ancient targets. So, in this paper GPR technique has been used in archaeological investigation. The aim of this study was to obtain information about the subsurface and associated structures beneath two selected sites at the western bank of the River Nile at Aswan city. These sites have archaeological structures of different ages starting from 6thand 12th Dynasties to the Greco-Roman period. The first site is called Nag’ El Gulab, the study area was 30 x 16 m with separating distance 2m between each profile, while the second site is Nag’ El Qoba, the survey method was not in grid but in lines pattern with different lengths. All of these sites were surveyed by GPR model SIR-3000 with antenna 200 MHz. Beside the processing of each profile individually, the time-slice maps have been conducted Nag’ El Gulab site, to view the amplitude changes in a series of horizontal time slices within the ground. The obtained results show anomalies may interpret as presence of associated tombs structures. The probable tombs structures similar in their depth level to the opened tombs in the studied areas.

Keywords: ground penetrating radar, archeology, Nag’ El Gulab, Nag’ El Qoba

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Authors: Monica Sanchez

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What responsibility does urban planning have on climate changes? How does the territory give us answers of resilience? Historically, urban plans have civilized territories: waters are channeled, grounds are sealed, foreign species are incorporated, native ones are extinguished, and/or enclosed spaces are heated or cooled. Socially this facilitates coexistence, but in turn brings negative environmental consequences. The past fifty years, mankind has tried to redirect these consequences through different strategies. Research studies produced strategies designed to alleviate climate change. Exploring the nature of territories has been incorporated in urban planning to discover natures response. The case to be studied is Santiago, Chile: for its combined impacts of climate change and the significant response by this city on climate governance in the last decades. Warmer areas in Santiago are seen in the areas of high-density buildings such as the commune of Recoleta, while the coldest are characterized by the predominance of low residential densities as the commune of Providencia. These two communes are separated and complemented by an undulating body that comes from the Andes mountains called San Cristobal Hill. What if the hill were taken into account when making roads, zoning and buildings? Was it difficult to prolong in the urban plans the hill characteristics to the city solving the intersection with other natural areas? Apparently it was, because the projected-profile informs us that the planned strategies used correspond to the same operations used in the flat areas of Santiago. This research focuses on: explaining the geographic relationships between city-hill; explaining the planning process around the hill with a morphological analysis; evaluating how the hill has been considered the in the city in the plans that intended to cushion the environmental impacts and studying what is missing on the hill and city to strengthen their integration. Therefore, the research will have different scales of understanding: addressing territorial scale -understanding the vegetation, topography and hydrology; a city scale -analyzing urban plans that Santiago has dealt with the environment and city; and a local scale -studying the integration and public spaces and coverage- norms of the adjacent communes. The expected outcome is to decipher possible deficits and capabilities of the current urban plans for climate change. It is anticipated that the hill and valley is now trying to reconcile after such a long separation. Yet it seems that never will prevail all the Rules of Nature, but the Urban Rules. The plans will require pruning, irrigation, control of invasive alien species and public safety standards, but will be rejoining a dose of nature with the building environment -this will protect us better from it from the time that we feared from it and knew little about it. Today we know a little more, enough to adapt to the process. Although nature is not perceived and we ignore it, it has a remarkable ability to respond.

Keywords: resilience, climate change, urban plans, land use, hills and cities, heat islands, morphology

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Authors: Maurizio Dapor, Isabel Abril, Pablo de Vera, Rafael Garcia-Molina

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The ionization yield of ion tracks in polymers and bio-molecular systems reaches a maximum, known as the Bragg peak, close to the end of the ion trajectories. Along the path of the ions through the materials, many electrons are generated, which produce a cascade of further ionizations and, consequently, a shower of secondary electrons. Among these, very low energy secondary electrons can produce damage in the biomolecules by dissociative electron attachment. This work deals with the calculation of the energy distribution of electrons produced by protons in a sample of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a material that is used as a phantom for living tissues in hadron therapy. PMMA is also of relevance for microelectronics in CMOS technologies and as a photoresist mask in electron beam lithography. We present a Monte Carlo code that, starting from a realistic description of the energy distribution of the electrons ejected by protons moving through PMMA, simulates the entire cascade of generated secondary electrons. By following in detail the motion of all these electrons, we find the radial distribution of the energy that they deposit in PMMA for several initial proton energies characteristic of the Bragg peak.

Keywords: Monte Carlo method, secondary electrons, energetic ions, ion-beam cancer therapy, ionization cross section, polymethylmethacrylate, proton beams, secondary electrons, radial energy distribution

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Authors: Emmanuel Bernard, Rebecca L. Cordell, Akeem A. Abayomi, Rose Alani, Paul S. Monks

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This study investigates the prevalence and extent of BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene) contamination in Leicester, United Kingdom, and Lagos, Nigeria, through field measurements at roadside (RS) and urban background (UB) sites. Using thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), BTEX concentrations were quantified. In Leicester, the average RS concentration was 24.9 ± 8.9 μg/m³, and the UB concentration was 12.7 ± 5.7 μg/m³. In Lagos, the RS concentration was significantly higher at 106 ± 39.3 μg/m³, and the UB concentration was 20.1 ± 8.9 μg/m³. The RS concentration in Lagos was approximately 4.3 times higher than in Leicester, while the UB concentration was about 1.6 times higher. These disparities are attributed to differences in road infrastructure, traffic regulation compliance, fuel and oil quality, and local activities. In Leicester, the highest UB concentration (20.5 ± 1.7 μg/m³) was at Knighton Village, near the heavily polluted RS Wigston roundabout. In Lagos, the highest concentration (172.1 ± 12.2 μg/m³) was at Ojuelegba, a major transportation hub. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between the concentrations of BTEX compounds in both cities, suggesting common sources such as vehicular emissions and industrial activities. The ratios of toluene to benzene (T:B) and m/p xylene to ethylbenzene (m/p X:E) were analysed to infer source contributions and the photochemical age of air masses. The T:B ratio in Leicester ranged from 0.44 to 0.71, while in Lagos, it ranged from 1.36 to 2.17. The m/p X:E ratio in Leicester ranged from 2.11 to 2.19, like other UK cities, while in Lagos, it ranged from 1.65 to 2.32, indicating relatively fresh emissions. This study highlights significant differences in BTEX concentrations between Leicester and Lagos, emphasizing the need for tailored pollution control strategies to address the specific sources and conditions in different urban environments.

Keywords: BTEX contamination, urban air quality, thermal desorption GC-MS, roadside emissions, urban background sites, vehicular emissions, pollution control strategies

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Authors: Peter Ekene Egwu

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Waste management is of critical importance in Africa for reasons related to public health, human dignity, climate resilience and environmental preservation. However, delivering waste management services requires adequate funding, which has generally been lacking in a context where the generation of waste is outpacing the development of waste management infrastructure in most cities. The sector represents a growing percentage of cities’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and some of the African cities profiled in this study are now designing waste management strategies with emission reduction in mind.

Keywords: management waste material, Africa, uses of new technology to manage waste, waste management

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Authors: W. S. Barber, S. L. King

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This paper is a qualitative case study analysis of the development of a fully online learning community of graduate students through arts-based community building activities. With increasing numbers and types of online learning spaces, it is incumbent upon educators to continue to push the edge of what best practices look like in digital learning environments. In digital learning spaces, instructors can no longer be seen as purveyors of content knowledge to be examined at the end of a set course by a final test or exam. The rapid and fluid dissemination of information via Web 3.0 demands that we reshape our approach to teaching and learning, from one that is content-focused to one that is process-driven. Rather than having instructors as formal leaders, today’s digital learning environments require us to share expertise, as it is the collective experiences and knowledge of all students together with the instructors that help to create a very different kind of learning community. This paper focuses on innovations pursued in a 36 hour 12 week graduate course in higher education entitled “Critical and Reflective Practice”. The authors chronicle their journey to developing a fully online learning community (FOLC) by emphasizing the elements of social, cognitive, emotional and digital spaces that form a moving interplay through the community. In this way, students embrace anywhere anytime learning and often take the learning, as well as the relationships they build and skills they acquire, beyond the digital class into real world situations. We argue that in order to increase student online engagement, pedagogical approaches need to stem from two primary elements, both creativity and critical reflection, that are essential pillars upon which instructors can co-design learning environments with students. The theoretical framework for the paper is based on the interaction and interdependence of Creativity, Intuition, Critical Reflection, Social Constructivism and FOLCs. By leveraging students’ embedded familiarity with a wide variety of technologies, this case study of a graduate level course on critical reflection in education, examines how relationships, quality of work produced, and student engagement can improve by using creative and imaginative pedagogical strategies. The authors examine their professional pedagogical strategies through the lens that the teacher acts as facilitator, guide and co-designer. In a world where students can easily search for and organize information as self-directed processes, creativity and connection can at times be lost in the digitized course environment. The paper concludes by posing further questions as to how institutions of higher education may be challenged to restructure their credit granting courses into more flexible modules, and how students need to be considered an important part of assessment and evaluation strategies. By introducing creativity and critical reflection as central features of the digital learning spaces, notions of best practices in digital teaching and learning emerge.

Keywords: online, pedagogy, learning, communities

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Authors: Joanna Rybicka-Łada, Magda Kosmal, Anna Kuśnierz

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One of the main problems of the glass industry is the still high consumption of energy needed to produce glass mass, as well as the increase in prices, fuels, and raw materials. Therefore, comprehensive actions are taken to improve the entire production process. The key element of these activities, starting from filling the set to receiving the finished product, is the melting process, whose task is, among others, dissolving the components of the set, removing bubbles from the resulting melt, and obtaining a chemically homogeneous glass melt. This solution avoids dust formation during filling and is available on the market. This process consumes over 90% of the total energy needed in the production process. The processes occurring in the set during its conversion have a significant impact on the further stages and speed of the melting process and, thus, on its overall effectiveness. The speed of the reactions occurring and their course depend on the chemical nature of the raw materials, the degree of their fragmentation, thermal treatment as well as the form of the introduced set. An opportunity to minimize segregation and accelerate the conversion of glass sets may be the development of new technologies for preparing and dosing sets. The previously preferred traditional method of melting the set, based on mixing all glass raw materials together in loose form, can be replaced with a set in a thickened form. The aim of the project was to develop a glass set in a selectively or completely densified form and to examine the influence of set processing on the melting process and the properties of the glass.

Keywords: glass, melting process, glass set, raw materials

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Authors: Catherine Heyjung Sonu

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This paper examines the effect of accounting quality on the process in which stock price is determined by focusing on contribution-in-kind valuations using Korean setting. In Korea, a number of chaebol firms have transformed into holding company system starting in 2003. With an attempt to gain as much voting right, management sold shares of subsidiaries to purchase shares of the holding company. In so doing, management of these firms received share issues for the contribution in kind that has been made to obtain additional shares of the holding company. The price of these share issues against contribution in kind is allowed to be discounted up to 30%. Using this interesting setting in Korea, this paper examines whether accounting quality affects the extent of the discount applied to the share issues. If the accounting quality of the firm for which the management is receiving share issues is poor, the extent of discount is likely to be high. The extent of discount is likely lower for firms with superior accounting quality. Using 24 cases, we find that, on average, the extent of discount is larger for share issues in which the accounting quality, proxied by the absolute value of discretionary accruals, is poor. This paper provides insight by examining the effect of accounting quality on the stock market. It sheds light on the intersection between finance and accounting research and should be of interest to researchers and practitioners.

Keywords: Accounting quality, Contribution-in-kind, discount, holding company

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Authors: Sanari Chalin Moriri, Kwabena Kingsley Ayisi, Alina Mofokeng

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Dryland smallholder farmers in South Africa are vulnerable to all kinds of risks, and it negatively affects crop productivity and profit. Pigeonpea is a leguminous and multipurpose crop that provides food, fodder, and wood for smallholder farmers. The majority of these farmers are still growing pigeonpea from traditional unimproved seeds, which comprise a mixture of genotypes. The objectives of the study were to identify the key risk factors that affect pigeonpea productivity and to develop management strategies on how to alleviate the risk factors in pigeonpea production. The study was conducted in two provinces (Limpopo and Mpumalanga) of South Africa in six municipalities during the 2020/2021 growing seasons. The non-probability sampling method using purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to collect data from the farmers through a structured questionnaire. A total of 114 pigeonpea producers were interviewed individually using a questionnaire. Key stakeholders in each municipality were also identified, invited, and interviewed to verify the information given by farmers. Data collected were subjected to SPSS statistical software 25 version. The findings of the study were that majority of farmers affected by risk factors were women, subsistence, and old farmers resulted in low food production. Drought, unavailability of improved pigeonpea seeds for planting, access to information, and processing equipment were found to be the main risk factors contributing to low crop productivity in farmer’s fields. Above 80% of farmers lack knowledge on the improvement of the crop and also on the processing techniques to secure high prices during the crop off-season. Market availability, pricing, and incidence of pests and diseases were found to be minor risk factors which were triggered by the major risk factors. The minor risk factors can be corrected only if the major risk factors are first given the necessary attention. About 10% of the farmers found to use the crop as a mulch to reduce soil temperatures and to improve soil fertility. The study revealed that most of the farmers were unaware of its utilisation as fodder, much, medicinal, nitrogen fixation, and many more. The risk of frequent drought in dry areas of South Africa where farmers solely depend on rainfall poses a serious threat to crop productivity. The majority of these risk factors are caused by climate change due to unrealistic, low rainfall with extreme temperatures poses a threat to food security, water, and the environment. The use of drought-tolerant, multipurpose legume crops such as pigeonpea, access to new information, provision of processing equipment, and support from all stakeholders will help in addressing food security for smallholder farmers. Policies should be revisited to address the prevailing risk factors faced by farmers and involve them in addressing the risk factors. Awareness should be prioritized in promoting the crop to improve its production and commercialization in the dryland farming system of South Africa.

Keywords: management strategies, pigeonpea, risk factors, smallholder farmers

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Authors: Monica Trifitriana, Rido Mulawarman

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Introduction: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a genetically predetermined disorder due to an excessive response to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Currently, non-surgical treatment of androgenetic alopecia is more in demand by the patient. There are many non-surgical treatments, ranging from topical treatments oral medications, and procedure treatments. Objective: We aim to assess the latest evidence of the efficacy of non-surgical treatments of androgenetic alopecia in men in comparison to placebo for improving hair density, thickness, and growth. Method: We performed a comprehensive search on topics that assess non-surgical treatments of androgenetic alopecia in men from inception up until November 2021. Result: There were 24 studies out of a total of 2438 patients divided into five non-surgical treatment groups to assess the effectiveness of hair growth, namely: minoxidil 2% (MD: 8.11 hairs/cm²), minoxidil 5% (MD: 12.02 hairs/cm²), low-level laser light therapy/LLLT (MD: 12.35 hairs/cm²), finasteride 1mg (MD: 20.43 hairs/cm²), and Platelete-Rich Plasma/PRP with microneedling (MD: 26.33 hairs/cm²). All treatments had significant results for increasing hair growth, particularly in cases of androgenetic alopecia in men (P<0.00001). Conclusion: From the results, it was found that the five non-surgical treatment groups proved to be effective and significant for hair growth, particularly in cases of androgenetic alopecia in men. In order of the best non-surgical treatment for hair growth is starting from PRP with microneedling, Finasteride 1mg, LLLT, minoxidil 5%, to minoxidil 2%.

Keywords: androgenetic alopecia, non-surgical, men, meta-analysis, systematic review

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Authors: Prama Mukhopadhyay

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Starting from transport to food, today’s world platform economy and digital markets have taken over almost every sphere of consumers’ lives. Sellers and buyers are getting connected through platforms, which is acting as an intermediary. It has made consumer’s life easier in terms of time, price, choice and other factors. Having said that, there are several concerns regarding platforms. There are competition law concerns like unfair pricing, deep discounting by the platforms which affect the consumer welfare. Apart from that, the biggest problem is lack of transparency with respect to the business models, how it operates, price calculation, etc. In most of the cases, consumers are unaware of how their personal data are being used. In most of the cases, they are unaware of how algorithm uses their personal data to determine the price of the product or even to show the relevant products using their previous searches. Using personal or non-personal data without consumer’s consent is a huge legal concern. In addition to this, another major issue lies with the question of liability. If a dispute arises, who will be responsible? The seller or the platform? For example, if someone ordered food through a food delivery app and the food was bad, in this situation who will be liable: the restaurant or the food delivery platform? In this paper, the researcher tries to examine the legal concern related to platform economy from the consumer protection and consumer welfare perspectives. The paper analyses the cases from different jurisdictions and approach taken by the judiciaries. The author compares the existing legislation of EU, US and other Asian Countries and tries to highlight the best practices.

Keywords: competition, consumer, data, platform

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Authors: Ya-Ping Chang

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Starting from the early stages of pregnancy, parents begin to form hopes and dreams about the future of their child. They will think about the appearance and personality of their child and may even develop many expectations. The patient in this study experienced a successful pregnancy following multiple attempts at artificial insemination. However, due to arrested embryonic development, and based on the physician’s evaluation, a caesarean section was performed at week 25. However, the baby suffered from infections and subsequently died from multiple organ failures. This study collected and analyzed objective and subjective data through observation, interviews, recording, and interactions with the patient. The following nursing issues of the patient were identified: anxiety, anticipatory grief, and adjustment disorder. The psychology of caring as proposed in Watson’s theory was applied to address these nursing issues. Comprehensive and continuous care was provided to the patient on the basis of mutual trust and individual nursing guidelines in order to alleviate the patient’s anxiety, help her to cope with grief, and prepare her for the eventual death of her child. The author helped the patient to say goodbye to her child and accept the child’s death calmly, such that she had no regrets about the experience. This nursing experience may serve as a reference to nurses managing similar cases in the future.

Keywords: dying baby, mother, grief, Watson’s theory

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Authors: Temosho Promise Chuene, T. Chitura

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Background: Foot and mouth disease is a real challenge in South Africa. The disease is a serious threat to the viability of livestock farming initiatives and affects local and international livestock trade. In Limpopo Province, the Kruger National Park and other game reserves are home to the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), a notorious reservoir of the picornavirus, which causes foot and mouth disease. Out of the virus’s seven (7) distinct serotypes, Southern African Territories (SAT) 1, 2, and 3 are commonly endemic in South Africa. The broad objective of the study was to establish the trend of foot and mouth disease in Limpopo Province over a seven-year period (2014-2020), as well as the adoption and comprehensive reporting of the measures that are taken to contain disease outbreaks in the study area. Methods: The study used secondary data from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on reported cases of foot and mouth disease in South Africa. Descriptive analysis (frequencies and percentages) and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to present and analyse the data. Result: The year 2020 had the highest prevalence of foot and mouth disease (3.72%), while 2016 had the lowest prevalence (0.05%). Serotype SAT 2 was the most endemic, followed by SAT 1. Findings from the study demonstrated the seasonal nature of foot and mouth disease in the study area, as most disease cases were reported in the summer seasons. Slaughter of diseased and at-risk animals was the only documented disease control strategy, and information was missing for some of the years. Conclusion: The study identified serious underreporting of the adopted control strategies following disease outbreaks. Adoption of comprehensive disease control strategies coupled with thorough reporting can help to reduce outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and prevent losses to the livestock farming sector of South Africa and Limpopo Province in particular.

Keywords: livestock farming, African buffalo, prevalence, serotype, slaughter

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Authors: Andreas Aceranti, Guido Bighiani, Francesca Crotto, Marco Colorato, Stefania Zaghi, Marino Zanetti, Simonetta Vernocchi

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The management of eye parameters such as convergence, accommodation, and miosis is very complex; in fact, both the neurovegetative system and the complex Oculocephalgiria system come into play. We have found the effectiveness of the "highvelocity low amplitude" technique directed on C7-T1 (where the cilio-spinal nucleus of the budge is located) in improving the convergence parameter through the measurement of the point of maximum convergence. With this research, we set out to investigate whether the improvement obtained through the High Velocity Low Amplitude maneuver lasts over time, carrying out a pre-manipulation measurement, one immediately after manipulation and one month after manipulation. We took a population of 30 subjects with both refractive and non-refractive problems. Of the 30 patients tested, 27 gave a positive result after the High Velocity Low Amplitude maneuver, giving an improvement in the point of maximum convergence. After a month, we retested all 27 subjects: some further improved the result, others kept, and three subjects slightly lost the gain obtained. None of the re-tested patients returned to the point of maximum convergence starting pre-manipulation. This result opens the door to a multidisciplinary approach between ophthalmologists and osteopaths with the aim of addressing oculomotricity and convergence deficits that increasingly afflict our society due to the massive use of devices and for the conduct of life in closed and restricted environments.

Keywords: point of maximum convergence, HVLA, improvement in PPC, convergence

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Authors: Scott A. Abbott

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This paper examines the increase in the occurrence of natural disasters worldwide and the need to support vulnerable communities in post-disaster recovery. Preparation and implementation of post-disaster recovery projects need to be improved to allow communities to recover infrastructure, housing, economically and socially following a catastrophe. With the continual rise in catastrophic events worldwide due to climate change, impacts on construction resources affect the ability for post-disaster recovery to be undertaken. This research focuses on case studies of catastrophic events in Queensland, Australia, to contribute to the body of knowledge and gain valuable insights on lessons learned from past events and how they have been managed. The aim of this research is to adopt qualitative data using semi-structured interviews from participants predominantly from the insurance sector to understand barriers that have previously and currently exist in post-disaster recovery. Existing literature was reviewed to reveal gaps in knowledge that needed to be tested. Qualitative data was collected and summarised from field research with the results analysed and discussed. Barriers that impacted post-disaster recovery included time, cost, and resource capability and capacity. Causal themes that impacted time and cost were identified as decision making, pre-planning, and preparedness, as well as effective communication across stakeholders. The research study applied a qualitative approach to the existing literature and case studies across Queensland, Australia, to identify existing and new barriers that impact post-disaster recovery. It was recommended to implement effective procurement strategies to assist in cost control; implement pre-planning and preparedness strategies across funder, contractor, and local governments; more effective and timely decision making to reduce time and cost impacts.

Keywords: construction recovery, cost, disaster recovery, resources, time

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Authors: James Ladzekpo

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Background: The urgent need to identify new pharmacological targets for diabetes treatment and prevention has been amplified by the disease's extensive impact on individuals and healthcare systems. A deeper insight into the biological underpinnings of diabetes is crucial for the creation of therapeutic strategies aimed at these biological processes. Current predictive models based on genetic variations fall short of accurately forecasting diabetes. Objectives: Our study aims to pinpoint key epigenetic factors that predispose individuals to diabetes. These factors will inform the development of an advanced predictive model that estimates diabetes risk from genetic profiles, utilizing state-of-the-art statistical and data mining methods. Methodology: We have implemented a recursive feature elimination with cross-validation using the support vector machine (SVM) approach for refined feature selection. Building on this, we developed six machine learning models, including logistic regression, k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN), Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network, to evaluate their performance. Findings: The Gradient Boosting Classifier excelled, achieving a median recall of 92.17% and outstanding metrics such as area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) with a median of 68%, alongside median accuracy and precision scores of 76%. Through our machine learning analysis, we identified 31 genes significantly associated with diabetes traits, highlighting their potential as biomarkers and targets for diabetes management strategies. Conclusion: Particularly noteworthy were the Gradient Boosting Classifier and Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network, which demonstrated potential in diabetes outcome prediction. We recommend future investigations to incorporate larger cohorts and a wider array of predictive variables to enhance the models' predictive capabilities.

Keywords: diabetes, machine learning, prediction, biomarkers

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Authors: Niamh Herlihy, Helen Fischer, Rainer Sauerborn, Anneliese Depoux, Avner Bar-Hen, Antoine Flauhault, Stefanie Schütte

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In the recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of publications both in the scientific and grey literature on the potential health risks associated with climate change. Though interest in climate change and health is growing, there are still many gaps to adequately assess our future health needs in a warmer world. Generating a greater understanding of the health impacts of climate change could be a key step in inciting the changes necessary to decelerate global warming and to target new strategies to mitigate the consequences on health systems. A long term and broad overview of existing scientific literature in the field of climate change and health is currently missing in order to ensure that all priority areas are being adequately addressed. We conducted a scoping review of published peer-reviewed literature on climate change and health from two large databases, PubMed and Web of Science, between 1990 and 2015. A scoping review allowed for a broad analysis of this complex topic on a meta-level as opposed to a thematically refined literature review. A detailed search strategy including specific climate and health terminology was used to search the two databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied in order to capture the most relevant literature on the human health impact of climate change within the chosen timeframe. Two reviewers screened the papers independently and any differences arising were resolved by a third party. Data was extracted, categorized and coded both manually and using R software. Analytics and infographics were developed from results. There were 7269 articles identified between the two databases following the removal of duplicates. After screening of the articles by both reviewers 3751 were included. As expected, preliminary results indicate that the number of publications on the topic has increased over time. Geographically, the majority of publications address the impact of climate change and health in Europe and North America, This is particularly alarming given that countries in the Global South will bear the greatest health burden. Concerning health outcomes, infectious diseases, particularly dengue fever and other mosquito transmitted infections are the most frequently cited. We highlight research gaps in certain areas e.g climate migration and mental health issues. We are developing a database of the identified climate change and health publications and are compiling a report for publication and dissemination of the findings. As health is a major co-beneficiary to climate change mitigation strategies, our results may serve as a useful source of information for research funders and investors when considering future research needs as well as the cost-effectiveness of climate change strategies. This study is part of an interdisciplinary project called 4CHealth that confronts results of the research done on scientific, political and press literature to better understand how the knowledge on climate change and health circulates within those different fields and whether and how it is translated to real world change.

Keywords: climate change, health, review, mapping

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Authors: Paula C. Latorre Arroyo, Andrea C. Latorre Arroyo

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In the present society, children are exposed to and impacted by technology from very early on in various ways. Artificial intelligence (AI), in particular, directly affects them, be it positively or negatively. The concept of artificial intelligence is commonly defined as the technological programming of computers or robotic mechanisms with humanlike capabilities and characteristics. These technologies are often designed as helpful machines or disguised as handy tools that could ultimately steal private information for illicit purposes. Children, being one of the most vulnerable groups due to their lack of experience and knowledge, do not have the ability to recognize or have the malice to distinguish if an apparatus with artificial intelligence is good or bad for them. For this reason, as a society, there must be a sense of responsibility to regulate and monitor different types of uses for artificial intelligence to protect children from potential risks that might arise. This article aims to investigate the many implications that artificial intelligence has in the lives of children, starting from a home setting, within the classroom, and, ultimately, in online spaces. Irrefutably, there are numerous beneficial aspects to the use of artificial intelligence. However, due to its limitless potential and lack of specific and substantial regulations to prevent the illicit use of this technology, safety and privacy concerns surface, specifically regarding the youth. This written work aims to provide an in-depth analysis of how artificial intelligence can both help children and jeopardize their safety. Concluding with resources and data supporting the aforementioned statement.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, children, privacy, rights, safety

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Authors: Rachna, Uma Shanker

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Aromatic phenols, being priority pollutants, are found in various industrial effluents and seeking the attention of environmentalists worldwide, owing to their life-threatening effects. In the present study, the coupling of zinc oxide with Prussian blue was achieved involving co-precipitation synthesis process using Azadirachta indica plant extract. The fabricated nanocatalyst was employed for the sunlight mediated photodegradation of various phenols (Phenol, 3-Aminophenol, and 2,4-Dinitrophenol). Doping of zinc oxide with Prussian blue caused an increase in the surface area to value 80.109 m²g⁻¹ and also enhanced the semiconducting tendency of the nanocomposite with band gap energy 1.101 eV. The experiment was performed at different parameters of phenols concentration, catalyst amount, pH, time, and exposure of sunlight. The obtained results showed a lower elimination of 2,4-DNP (93%) than 3-AP (97%) and phenol (95%) owing to their molecular weight and basicity differences. In comparison to the starting material (zinc oxide and Prussian blue), nanocomposite was more capable in degrading the phenols and lowered the t1/2 value of phenol (4.405 h), 3-AP (4.04 h) and 2,4-DNP (4.68 h) to a greater extent. Effect of different foreign anions was also studied to check nanocomposite’s liability under natural conditions. The extent of charge recombination being the most limiting factor in the photodegradation of pollutants was determined through the photoluminescence. Sunlight active ZnO@FeHCF nanocomposite was proven to exhibit good catalytic ability up to 10 cycles.

Keywords: nanocomposite, phenols, photodegradation, sunlight, water

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Authors: Suhathai Tosangwarn, Philip Clissett, Holly Blake

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Background: High prevalence of depression has been reported among older adults living in care homes in Thailand, associated with physical impairment, low social support, low self-esteem and particularly stigma associated with living in a care home. However, little is understood about how such stigma is experienced among Thai care home residents. This study examines residents’ perceptions of stigma and their strategies for coping with stigma. Method/Design: Case study research was used to gain an in-depth view about the stigma of residents’ perspectives and experiences from two care homes in the northeast of Thailand by conducting an in-depth interview and non-participant observation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 older residents (aged >60 years), purposively sampled from both care homes. Non-participant observation was conducted in various public spaces of the care homes, including the dining room, corridors, and activities areas for approximately one to two hours per day at different times; morning and afternoon including weekdays and weekend in both care homes for one month. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: The study identified three major themes related to the causes of stigma, the reactions towards stigma and the mitigating factors. Negative beliefs about care homes, negative attitudes, and stereotypes toward the elderly and perceptions of unequal power relations between staff and residents were the main factors precipitating stigma. Consequently, residents exhibited negative emotions and behaviours, including depressive symptoms, while living in care homes. Residents reported the use of particular coping strategies, including accessing support from the public and staff and engaging in care home activities which these helped them to cope with their perception of stigma. Conclusion: Improved understanding of the underlying factors behind perceived stigma in care home residents may help to prevent depression and reduce perceptions of stigma associated with living in a care home, by informing strategy, supportive intervention and guidelines for appropriate care for older Thai residents.

Keywords: care home, depression, older adult, stigma, Thailand

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