Hasil untuk "Economics"

Alexandre De Podestá Gomes

This paper examines the development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry in China from the perspective of mission-oriented innovation policies. It explores how China’s central and local governments interact to create and shape the industry, with a focus on state capacities and experimentation. Drawing on official policy documents, Chinese news outlets, EV industry data, and interviews, the paper analyzes two cases of local experimentation: one involving low-speed electric vehicles in Shandong province, and another featuring affordable, low-tech micro-EV models in Guangxi province. The paper argues that local governments, by establishing close ties with nontraditional companies and supporting experimentation, perform the functions of peripheral agencies in the context of innovation in new, emerging industries. The central government, in turn, monitors these local experiments, learns from them, and adjusts its national policies accordingly. The findings contribute to broader debates on how state bureaucracies can drive effective industrial transformation, particularly in middle-income countries.

Valsaraj PAYINI, Giridhar KAMATH, Vasanth V.P. KAMATH et al.

Purpose – With destinations facing ever-increasing challenges due to increasing tourism activities, understanding residents’ perspectives is critical for fostering a harmonious and sustainable coexistence. Therefore, this study systematically reviews the studies on residents’ attitudes toward blue tourism. Methodology/Design/Approach – Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this study employs a TCM framework to identify, assess, and synthesize relevant literature, theories, contexts, and methods the researchers adopt.Findings – The findings revealed blue tourism’s increasing attention and significance,highlighting its growing importance in the global tourism discourse. The systematic review of 81 articles suggests that social exchange theory was the most popular and widely usedto measure residents’ attitudes. Further, findings show that 50% were conducted on islands, followed by coastal tourism (25%). Other contexts were cruise tourism (17.5), marine tourism (2.5%), boat tourism (1.25%), and seaside destination (1.25%). Quantitative research designs account for more than two-thirds of the total (80%), with qualitative papers accounting for 15% and mixed method papers for the remainder (5%).Originality of the research – This review article identifies gaps in the current literature and recommends future research directions to enhance our understanding of resident attitudes and support for blue tourism, ultimately developing a resilient and sustainable knowledge landscape.

Daniela Popescul, Lily Murariu, Laura-Diana Radu et al.

Utilizing readily accessible information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mobile devices, applications, and simple Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and harnessing their potential through Experimentation as a Service (EaaS), crowdsensing, and gamification, represents one of the most effective approaches to implementing co-creation in smart cities. The benefits of this bottom-up approach are closely related to accurately identifying the real needs of city residents and increasing the chances of designing and implementing solutions with genuine impact, ensuring equity, social inclusion, sustainability, and community resilience. This paper investigates the utilization of ICTs to support social sustainability by analyzing 157 smart city projects funded under the Horizon 2020 program at the European Union level and 5 smart city projects from Canada. The results reveal the utilization of technological solutions such as testbeds, living labs, EaaS, crowdsensing, open data, and more for co-creation in smart city projects. In the discussion part, we point out the importance of focusing on technologies that are familiar to the beneficiaries and on leveraging resources already available as wearable devices or in the citizens’ homes, the versatility of the technological solutions analyzed, the role of heterogeneous and open data, and cross-disciplinary teams in creating new perspectives on urban problems, reducing inequity in the development of solutions to solve them. The concerns raised and problems reported relate to the technology itself (errors in operation), users (difficulties in stimulating their involvement and keeping it constant), and data (quality of data collected, difficult to process, ethics and security of data collection and use). Based on our results, we extract, synthetize and present six distinct categories of lessons learned by the implementation teams of the analyzed projects.

Vitalii Vakulenko, Denys Smetan

У статті досліджено перспективні напрямки управління виробничими процесами сільськогосподарських підприємств з використанням блокчейн технологій в умовах забезпечення продовольчої безпеки. Визначено важливість блокчейн децентралізованої бази даних при зборі інформації при поставках виробників продуктів харчування, уточнено п’ять основних характеристик. Деталізовано способи використання блокчейн технологій. Представлено переваги від блокчейну з точки зору економії витрат задля більшої ефективності в існуючих процесах виробництва сільськогосподарської продукції. Уточнено чотири етапи реалізації блок-ланцюга в сільськогосподарських організаціях. Визначено основні переваги технології Blockchain: обмін продукцією без посередництва третьої сторони, безпека і надійність здійснюваних операцій, висока якість даних, робота з кваліфікованими користувачами, цілісність процесу, прозорість і незмінність системи, спрощена система обліку, ефективні транзакції.

Yuan Ma, Bernhard Brümmer, Xiaohua Yu

This study is aimed at assessing agricultural and environmental performance and analyzing whether observable productivity changes stem from technologically induced or environmentally induced components. Based on individual farm household data from Hubei Province covering the period 2004 to 2010, we decompose total factor productivity (TFP) into technical efficiency change (TEC), technical change (TC), scale effect (SE), and the environmentally related allocative effect (AE) as a means of evaluating environmental performance. The empirical results indicate that the average TFP decrease rate is 2.8%, which reflects the comprehensive outcome of all relevant components. Regarding direct pollution-related inputs (fertilizer and land), improving nitrogen (N) fertilizer application efficiency and land use efficiency can contribute not only to less cropland expansion and greater productivity growth but also to N loss reduction and N pollution abatement in the short and long term. Concerning indirect pollution-related inputs (labor, intermediate input, etc.), although increases in quasi-fixed inputs (labor and intermediate input) can lead to both N and productivity growth, the magnitude of the positive effects of quasi-fixed inputs on productivity cannot offset the negative effect of fertilizer on productivity; thus, more scientific and economical fertilizer application is the key to improving agricultural productivity and benefiting the environment and the ecosystem.

Feiyan Yang, Xin Wen, Siwei Xie et al.

Efficient and comprehensive analysis of lipid profiles in yak ghee samples collected from different elevations is crucial for optimal utilization of these resources. Unfortunately, such research is relatively rare. Yak ghee collected from three locations at different altitudes (S2: 2986 m; S5: 3671 m; S6: 4508 m) were analyzed by quantitative lipidomic. Our analysis identified a total of 176 lipids, and 147 s lipid of them were upregulated and 29 lipids were downregulated. These lipids have the potential to serve as biomarkers for distinguishing yak ghee from different altitudes. Notably, S2 exhibited higher levels of fatty acids (21:1) and branched fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (14:0/18:0), while S5 showed increased levels of phosphatidylserine (O-20:0/19:1) and glycerophosphoric acid (19:0/22:1). S6 displayed higher levels of triacylglycerol (17:0/20:5/22:3), ceramide alpha-hydroxy fatty acid-sphingosine (d17:3/34:2), and acyl glucosylceramides (16:0–18:0–18:1). Yak ghee exhibited a high content of neutralizing glycerophospholipids and various functional lipids, including sphingolipids and 21 newly discovered functional lipids. Our findings provide insights into quantitative changes in yak ghee lipids during different altitudes, development of yak ghee products, and screening of potential biomarkers.

Yuji Aruka

M. Friedman, R. Friedman

Saniya Ramzan, Maryam Saeed, Zain Ali et al.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a paradigm change in pandemic preparedness measures, motivating an investigation of non-pharmaceutical therapies. This research dives into the lessons learned from COVID-19 to strengthen our strategy to prevent future pandemics. The study aimed to extract valuable insights from the COVID-19 experience, extrapolating lessons learned to develop strong strategies that include diet, lifestyle, risk factors and non-pharmaceutical treatments. Nutrition and lifestyle influences on illness susceptibility were studied using a comprehensive examination of scholarly literature, reports and epidemiological studies. Role of essential risk variables was investigated in magnifying pandemic outcomes and the efficiency of non-pharmaceutical treatments in reducing infectious agent transmission. The analysis demonstrates the long-term utility of COVID-19 findings. This review emphasizes the importance of nutrition and lifestyle variables in determining susceptibility to infectious illnesses. Furthermore, a detailed examination of risk variables shows critical predictors of pandemic severity. Most significantly, the findings highlight the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical measures, emphasizing their vital role in pandemic containment. This study has far-reaching ramifications that advocate for a paradigm change towards comprehensive pandemic preparation using the lessons learned during COVID-19. Research findings highlight the need for a multifaceted strategy, including diet, lifestyle changes, targeted risk reduction and non-pharmaceutical therapies. This study provides a road map for improving global resilience to potential future pandemics, calling for preventative strategies beyond pharmacological remedies.

Agnieszka Brelik, Wojciech Lewicki, Milena Bera et al.

In recent years, the development of renewable energy sources has become one of the key demands in the European Union's policy. In Poland, the idea emerged that the energy potential of domestic agriculture may be an opportunity for broader use of the available agricultural biomass. Given that agricultural biogas has long been seen as one of the most promising directions for energy transition, the goal of the article was to assess the potential of the agricultural biogas market in Poland. The research methodology was based on statistical measures related to analysing the structure and changes over time in individual years. The structure analysis was carried out for selected Polish provinces, for which empirical distributions were built and selected descriptive parameters were calculated. A similar study was made in relation to selected EU countries. In addition, according to the National Action Plan for Renewable Energy, at least one agricultural biogas plant should be established in each Polish municipality. On this basis, the article assesses the ecological effect of the project on agricultural biogas in Marcinkowice, in the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. The presented simulations allowed us to conclude that an agricultural biogas plant can be an ecological potential in the form of reducing the consumption of fossil fuels by reducing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere while reducing fossil fuel consumption. It was important for the practice to confirm that investing in renewable energy sources, including the use of biogas, is part of the goals and directions of development related to the sustainable management of environmental resources and the development of renewable energy sources.

A. C. Pigou

Gergő Bendegúz Békési, Lilla Barancsuk, István Táczi et al.

Distribution system state estimation (DSSE) is a valuable step for DSOs toward tackling the challenges of transitioning to a more sustainable energy system and the evolution and proliferation of electric cars and power electronic devices. However, on the LV level, implementation has only taken place in a few pilot projects. In this paper, an LV DSSE method is presented and implemented in four real Hungarian LV supply areas, according to well-defined scenarios. Pseudo-measurement datasets are generated from AACs and SLPs, which have been used in different combinations on networks built with different accuracies in terms of load placement. The paper focuses on the critical aspects of finding accurate and coherent information on network topology with automated management of information systems, real LV network implementation for power flow calculation and managing portions of the network characterized by uncertain or inconsistent line lengths. A refining algorithm is implemented for the integrated network information system (INIS) models. The published method estimates node voltages with a relative error of less than 1% when using AACs, and a meter-placement method to reduce the maximum value of relative errors in future scenarios is also presented. It is shown that the observation of node voltages can be improved with the usage of AACs and SLPs, and with optimal meter placement.

Ching-Shih Tsou, Christine Liou, Longsheng Cheng et al.

Although machine learning for quality prediction of manufacturing processes has attracted attention in the literature, there is a significant lack of case studies from industry, especially in medical sector. This paper proposes a data-driven approach to infer the batch quality of blood glucose test strips. Once the low quality of work in process is detected, unnecessary process waste could be eliminated. Starting from data pre-processing, which consists of Synthetic Minority Over-sampling TEchnique and Random Over-Sampling Example, this project tries to balance the ill-distributed data first. Followed by machine learning aims to classify and predict the quality of blood glucose test strips. Different models are evaluated by the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve and Area Under Curve. Computational results show that the decision tree and random forest after SMOTE perform better than the counterpart of ROSE method. Ensemble learning, such as random forest, out-wins base learner decision tree. To sum up, random forest with SMOTE is the suggested model for accurately predicting the quality of blood glucose test strips. There is a 30% improvement in error rate under random forest and SMOTE for NG class that could be of top concern for prognosis. Several factors, including the direction of applying test reagent onto test strips and the position where the strips are located, that affect quality of test strips have been identified. Explanations in terms of inspection and manufacturing are discussed subsequently. Finally, the prognosis of quality can be attained through big data and statistical machine learning.

Graham, M. Dawson

S. Bowles, H. Gintis

U. Chapra

Syed Anees Haider Zaidi, Muzzammil Hussain, Qamar Uz Zaman

This study analyzes the dynamic linkages between financial inclusion, energy consumption, and carbon emissions taking corruption, infrastructure, and economic growth as control variables. The data of 23 OECD countries covering the period from 2004 to 2017 have been used. The study develops two indexes with the help of Principal Component Analysis; one for financial inclusion and the other for infrastructure. The study also adopts second generation tests for unit root and cross-sectional dependence. To check long-run linkages, this study uses (Dynamic) Common Correlated Effects Estimator technique, also called CS-ARDL, which provides more reliable results. The results indicate positive connections between financial inclusion, energy consumption and carbon emissions. Corruption, infrastructure and economic growth are highly sensitive to carbon emissions. The study provides important points for pollution control and attaining the targets of sustainable development. Efforts are needed on government level to align the financial inclusion targets with energy usage behavior and environmental policies.

Sudha R. Shenoy, P. Bauer

Kamakshi Rajagopal, Olga Firssova, Ilse Op de Beeck et al.

Internationalisation has been a key theme in higher education (HE) for decades. Multiple initiatives across the world have contributed to creating offerings of high-quality online education, with collaborations across national borders. Two of the concepts that have proved to be influential are Virtual Mobility (VM) and Open Education (OE). Virtual mobility refers to study activities that students enrolled in HE in one country undertake online in other countries without physically moving. Such activities are certified and mutually acknowledged by participating institutions. Open education covers global initiatives increasing access to free online quality education, without or with alternative forms of certification.The research presented in this article identifies the learner skills and competences that are supported by Open Virtual Mobility (OpenVM), a new trend in online education that builds upon these two concepts. A group concept mapping study based on the contributions of experts in both VM and OE resulted in defining seven learner skills and competence areas including: intercultural skills and attitudes; networked learning; active self-regulated learner skills; media and digital literacy; autonomy-driven learning, interactive and collaborative learning in an authentic international environment and open-mindedness. The study provided input for further conceptualising of OpenVM as a bridge between VM and OE.

Svetlana G. Klimova, Ivan A. Klimov

This articles analyzes the business strategy of social innovators. We call the heads and employees of non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and the initiators of volunteer projects “social innovators”, as they not only use organizational novelties in their activities, but also change routine rules and practices, which alters the life of a society connected in any way with the activities of those organizations. It is demonstrated that the standard expectations of ideologues and officials, in respect to the activity of social innovators, contradict their values and visions of proper behavior. They consistently show orientation towards cooperation with each other and the social environment. Solidarity, the development of communities around non-profit organizations or social enterprises, is not only a resource, but also an independent effect of their activity. The functions of cooperation in the activity of social innovators are described. Cooperation is required not only to implement the mission accepted by innovators, but also to solve practical production problems. These are: the increase of knowledge and exchange of experience; cooperation for solving difficult problems; the joint elaboration of standards of professional ethics and business ethics; a way to gain reputation among colleagues and service consumers; the promotion of new values; and the preservation, re-creation, or restoration of the local community. It is concluded that the competition ideologeme promoted in the community of social innovators should be replaced with the cooperation ideologeme and relevant training programs.