Alternative Channels Research Articles

Urban electricity governance and the (re)production of heterogeneous electricity constellations in Dar es Salaam

BackgroundElectricity infrastructures in sub-Saharan African cities are characterized by heterogeneous socio-technical constellations, including alternative grid access channels and off-grid systems. These constellations secure access beyond conventional grids but also produce adverse social, environmental, and economic outcomes affecting sustainable energy transition efforts. In fact, interventions aiming to promote energy transitions may be restricted by institutional mechanisms that produce and maintain these heterogeneous constellations. This article explores these institutional mechanisms by focusing on the governance of heterogeneous electricity constellations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It develops a novel framework on governance modalities to understand and explain the logics, mechanisms, and actors that govern different constellations across diverse neighborhoods as well as to unpack how they limit the potential of sustainable energy transitions and offer specific opportunities for them.ResultsThis article is based on a qualitative case study covering three diverse neighborhood types in Dar es Salaam (i.e., low-income, peri-urban, and affluent areas) that reflect heterogeneous user demands. The research draws on interviews with residents and community leaders to understand local modes of coordination, the participatory observation of technical features and user practices, as well as document sources and semi-structured expert interviews to analyze institutional aspects. Our study demonstrates that heterogeneous electricity constellations in Dar es Salaam are governed by the place-based interplay of four governance modalities: hierarchical, market-based, network-based, and managerial governance. Based on this conceptualization, we identified critical barriers for interventions toward urban energy transitions in the context of infrastructural heterogeneity, namely, conflicting logics that shape conventional grid services, complex and fragmented actor constellations, and diverging, place-based interests among various actors, including different state actors.ConclusionsOur study indicates that heterogeneous urban infrastructure constellations are not merely a response to the considerable socio-spatial inequalities within Southern cities. Rather, their prevailing importance and (re)production must be understood as resulting from the interplay of various governance modalities. The study contributes to debates on urban energy transitions in sub-Sahara Africa by explaining the institutional complexity associated with infrastructural heterogeneity, which can restrict interventions aiming to improve and universalize service provision through heterogeneous urban electricity constellations.

TamTam: The Online Drums of Hate

Recognizing the correlation between the growing spread of violent extremist and terrorist content on the internet and online platforms and the significant increase in attacks inspired by these posts prompted governments, security agencies, and private companies to launch various countermeasures to reduce the spread and impact of such material. Struggling to adjust to these countermeasures and maintain their online presence, terrorists and violent extremists have migrated from mainstream online platforms to alternative online channels like 4chan, 8chan, Telegram, TikTok, and most recently to the new platform TamTam. This paper describes the migration to and within social media generally, with a specific focus on the newly discovered migration to the platform TamTam and presents the results of our extensive content analysis of hundreds of posts and shares containing terrorist and violent extremist content on this platform. These findings are discussed in terms of ethical and practical implications.

Judicial recentralization as political control: Evidence from the judicial leader rotation in China

AbstractObjectiveThis study analyzes how authoritarian leaders use the judicial system to solve the principal–agent problem in the government hierarchy. We argue that autocrats recentralize court personnel to enhance the central government's monitoring power over local officials.MethodsOur empirical analysis takes advantage of a judicial personnel rotation reform in which the Chinese Communist Party recentralized court personnel by rotating provincial‐level court leaders in 14 out of 31 provinces.ResultsPanel data analysis shows that judicial recentralization increased adjudicated administrative lawsuits by nearly 30 percent. We also demonstrate that the enhancement in judicial responsiveness is not driven by alternative channels such as learning or the substitution between different ways of petitions.ConclusionThis study explores the dilemma faced by authoritarian leaders in balancing the need for an effective court system to address local governance issues while maintaining control, highlighting the compromise solution of recentralizing local judiciaries to partially insulate them from local interference.

Beyond migration? Alternative articulations of transnational religious networks

AbstractA growing body of scholarship on transnational religion is grounded within the analytical framework of the religion–migration relationship and has highlighted migrant individuals and groups as main players in forging religious networking. This ignores a wide range of alternative drivers that are forceful in the (re)making of transnational religious networks. In this introduction of the special issue, we therefore open a collection of nine articles which contribute to alternative articulations of transnational religious networks. In particular, our contributors introduce three alternative drivers – ideas, institutions and digital technologies – in (re)producing religious mobilities, connections and networks across nation borders. At the same time, they offer fascinating insights into the diversified ways alternative actors and channels weave together religious migrants’ imaginations, practices and experiences, formulating new, complex forms of religious (re)production in a transnational world. This special issue also highlights the creativity, flexibility and vitality of Asian religions in the 21st century modernity.

Cultural and personal channels between religion, religiosity, and corruption

Literature on the effect of religion and religiosity on corruption has failed to distinguish between direct and mediated effect and to determine the different roles of two alternative mediation channels—the personal versus the cultural channel. Using a data set of 102 countries, we found that hierarchical religions have significant positive associations with corruption levels, while the non-hierarchical Protestant Christianity has significant negative associations with corruption levels. Most of the effect is mediated by the cultural channel. However, some hierarchical religions (particularly Sunni Islam and Orthodox Christianity) have both an indirect mediated effect and a direct unmediated effect, suggesting an additional dissociative parameter besides the hierarchical/non-hierarchical parameter, which we suggest is the status of a formal/informal state religion. The findings are closely linked to the modern view of economic development that although institutions give rise to economic growth, it is culture that shapes institutions.

WS17.03 An alternative mutation agnostic therapy for cystic fibrosis with oligonucleotide antisense

Objectives: CFTR modulators have significantly changed the course of the disease in patients carrying drug-sensitive mutations. Unfortunately, those drugs cannot treat people with CF-carrying CFTR nonsense mutations. Hence, there is a growing interest in finding alternative strategies to treat all CF patients regardless of their mutations. An exciting alternative is to develop “mutation-agnostic” therapies by activating other anion channels. TMEM16A is one of the most promising alternative channels that could compensate for defective CFTR. However, previous studies demonstrated that miRNA-9 downregulates TMEM16A expression by binding to its 3′ UTR mRNA. To restore TMEM16A expression, our team has developed an oligonucleotide antisense (TMEM16A ASO) that binds to the TMEM16A 3’ UTR and prevents miRNA-9 binding, therefore, re-establishing TMEM16A expression and activity. Here we determine the effectiveness of the TMEM16A ASO on CF-dysregulated parameters and evaluate its toxicity and specificity.

AsCCAs]-Coordinated Rhenium Hydrides and Their Reactivities Toward Unsaturated Hydrocarbons, Heterocumulenes, and CO2.

An [AsCCAs] ligand featuring a central alkyne and two flanking arsenic donors was employed for the synthesis of a trihydrido rhenium complex, while the corresponding phosphorus ligand was shown to be less suited. The reactivity of the former trihydride [AsCCAs]ReH3 (3) was examined in detail, which revealed that two alternative reaction channels may be entered in dependence of the substrate. Upon reaction of 3 with PhC≡CPh, ethylene, and CS2, monohydrides of the general formula [AsCCAs]Re(L)H with L = η2-PhC≡CPh (4), η2-H2C═CH2 (5), and η2-CS2 (6) were formed along with H2. In contrast, insertion products of the type [AsCCAs]Re(X)H2 (7-9) were obtained upon treatment of 3 with CyN═C═NCy, PhN═C═O, and Ph2C═C═O, while CO2 failed to react with 3 under identical reaction conditions. Given that several productive reactions between CO2 and hydrido rhenium carbonyls have been reported in the literature, 3 was further derivatized by introducing CO and tBuNC coligands, respectively. This led to the isolation of trans-[AsCCAs]ReH(CO)2 (trans-10) and trans-[AsCCAs]ReH(CNtBu)2 (trans-11), which were shown to thermally isomerize to the corresponding cis-configured products, cis-10 and cis-11. Interestingly, only the cis-complexes were found to react with CO2, which was rationalized by evaluating the relative nucleophilicities of the hydrides in cis-10, trans-10, cis-11, and trans-11 via Fukui analysis. The formates cis-[AsCCAs]Re(OCHO)(CO)2 (12) and cis-[AsCCAs]Re(OCHO)(CNtBu)2 (13) were isolated and shown to contain κ1-O-coordinated formate moieties. Treatment of 12 with [LutH]Cl/B(C6F5)3 (or with Ph3SiCl) led to the liberation of [LutH][OCHO···B(C6F5)3] (or triphenylsilyl formate) with concomitant formation of the expected chloro complex cis-[AsCCAs]ReCl(CO)2 (14). In a closed synthetic cycle, hydride 12 was regenerated from the latter chloride using NaBEt3H as a hydride source.

Investigation of MDRZ and DPSK modulation schemes employed in DWDM systems for smart city 5G access networks

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is one of the emerging technologies for data transmission in 5G access network assembly between the antenna unit (AU) and the distribution unit (DU). Here, in this work, we evaluate and analyze a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) — passive optical networks (PONs) employing erbium–ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier (EYDFA) [Formula: see text] Raman hybrid optical amplifier (HOA) using two modulation schemes — modified duobinary return to zero (MDRZ) and differential phase shift keying (DPSK) for alternate channels, where the channel count has been varied from 8 to 40. The system has been analyzed over the wavelength span of 1550–1558.8[Formula: see text]nm with a channel spacing, input power and data rate of 25[Formula: see text]GHz, 0[Formula: see text]dB and 40[Formula: see text]Gb/s, respectively. An average gain, gain ripple and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of 20.87, 0.95 and 30[Formula: see text]dB, respectively have been observed in the case of HOA along with the achievement of Q-factor of up to 9 at the receiving end of the system. The DPSK-modulated channels result in higher values of gain and OSNR along with lower gain ripple as compared to MDRZ channels making the proposed system a good option for 5G access network applications.

Barriers in accessing family planning services in Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

The COVID-19 virus is still with us, and in resource-limited countries, like Nepal, resurgence of a new variant is still a threat. In this pandemic, low-income countries struggle to provide essential public health services, including family planning. This study was conducted to explore what sorts of barriers are faced by women needing family planning services in Nepal during the pandemic. This qualitative study was conducted in five districts of Nepal. Telephonic in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 women of reproductive age (18-49 years) who were the regular clients of family planning services. Data were coded deductively using the preexisting themes based on a socio-ecological model (e.g., individual, family, community, and health-facility levels). Individual level barriers included low self-confidence, inadequate knowledge on COVID-19, myths and misconception related to COVID-19, limited access to FP services low priority to SRH services, low autonomy in family and limited financial ability. Family level barriers comprised of partner's support, social stigma, increased time at home with husbands or parents, un-acceptance of family planning services as essential health services, financial hardship due to loss of jobs, and communication with in-laws. Movement restrictions and transportation hindering access, unsecured feeling, violation of privacy, and obstacles from security personnel were the community level barriers and unavailability of preferred choice of contraception, increased waiting time, limited outreach services by community health workers, limited physical infrastructures, the behavior of health workers, stock out of commodities, and absence of health workers were health facility level barriers. This study highlighted key barriers faced by women in seeking family planning services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nepal. Policymakers and program managers should consider strategies to ensure continued availability of the full method mix during emergency, particularly since disruptions may go unnoticed and strengthen the provision of services through alternative service delivery channels to ensure sustained uptake of such services in this sort of pandemic.

English

This article is based on the proceedings of the National Conferences of Women in Police (NCWP), organised in India by the Bureau of Police Research and Training since 2002, in collaboration with the police departments of various states. It discusses the principal concerns raised by the NCWP in the last two decades. It argues that while security questions, old and new, including the safety of women, have been the province of police conferences on national security, women police in India have had to establish alternative channels, like the NCWP, to articulate their concerns as police workers, with their primary work continuing to be tied to the security of other women. Shaping the conversation about women police in policing institutions internally, these proceedings form a valuable contemporary archive in understanding the mobilisation of a collective voice by women police in a context where institutional rules prohibit and punish all unionisation. Rendered individuated and solitary, therefore, these Conferences have become the only available collective spaces where women in police have staked claims upon the state as its workers.

Influence of Mobile Wallet Adoption on Performance of Tea Farmer’s Payment Systems by Cooperatives Kenya

Technology and time have significantly changed. Mobile phones have since changed the world telecommunication industry. Many innovations have led to remarkable economic gains in the last two decades. The incredible gains achieved over the last decade in mobile phone access have led to unexpected innovations. Mobile banking is a crucial factor in ensuring customer satisfaction, reducing operating costs, and a path for banking services penetration to the general public. The increased adoption of mobile banking has led to a new distribution channel for retail banking. The adoption of Internet banking has changed the dimensions of competition by introducing alternative delivery channels, including automated teller machines, mobile phone banking, and personal computer banking. The study's main objective was to determine the influence of mobile Wallet adoption on performance of tea farmer’s payment systems by co-operatives Kenya. Keywords: Mobile Wallet, FinTech, Mobile Money Technology DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-8-07 Publication date: April 30 th 2023

You cannot turn my voice down: Podcasts as alternative media for queers in Turkey

This study focuses on podcasts produced in Turkey that incorporate queer culture and experiences by exploring the dynamics of podcasting as an alternative broadcast medium. We examined six podcasts consisting of conversations focused on queer culture and issues, with at least ten episodes distributed. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with nine participants – at least one representative of each podcast. We found that the programmes, as effective alternative publicizing channels of solidarity, make personal experiences audible. Queer podcasts in Turkey demonstrate the characteristics of alternative media, being carriers of non-hegemonic discourse and representations, and their organizational forms and structures support audience participation. On the other hand, the distribution channels of the content are commercial and not independent on state or market.

FWM crosstalk reduction and performance investigation of SC-DWDM system employing ML techniques

This article presents a comprehensive approach towards mitigation of four-wave mixing (FWM) induced crosstalk for a super-combined dense wavelength division multiplexing (SC-DWDM) system with in-line erbium-ytterbium doped fiber amplifier (EYDFA) + Raman hybrid optical amplifier (HOA). The performance of modified duo-binary return to zero (MDRZ) and differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) modulation formats employed on alternate channels of the 40-channel system have been compared considering equal (ECSA) and unequal channel spacing allocation (UECSA) schemes at a data rate of 40 Gbps. In the case of the UECSA scheme, the DPSK modulated channels have shown a reduction of FWM crosstalk components and intensities of up to 80% and 40 dB, respectively at a low bit error rate (BER) of 2.5 × 10−14. Different artificial neural network (ANN) techniques have been compared for gain spectrum estimation of HOA has been carried out based on input features of channel spacing, the number of channels and wavelength. Levenberg-Marquardt's (LM) model proves to be the best fit as compared to other ANN techniques. The k-nearest neighbours (KNN), support vector machine (SVM) and decision tree (DT) algorithms have been applied for the estimation of impairments based on root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) values as performance metrics. The best-performing model results applying an ANN approach with predicted R2 values of quality - factor (Q-factor) and noise figure (NF) of 0.74 and 0.56, respectively.

Wind energy and noise: Forecasting the future sounds of wind energy projects and facilitating Dutch community participation

This paper presents a case of a digital device – a noise app – employed by a wind farm operator as a response to growing noise annoyance by residents living next to their wind farm in the Netherlands. This noise app communicates predicted sound levels to the residents and monitors their noise annoyance. We analyse the noise app as a digital framing device that governs concerns around wind turbine sound through three processes: capturing, channelling and managing. We show how in the process of capturing, the app uses a particular definition of ‘the public’ and construes ‘noise’ as a matter of concern. We use the term channelling to highlight who is involved in the interpretation of the data about annoyance, and how certain conclusions come to be seen as legitimate. Finally, we discuss how in the process of managing, specific kinds of solutions are proposed that fit with this problem definition. The framing process of the noise app also leads to unforeseen effects in the form of overflows. Particularly, we see that concerned residents develop an expectation to be more actively involved in decision-making around the wind farm, and that residents resort to alternative forms and channels for expressing existing and new concerns. We conclude by reflecting on the broader energy justice implications of digital framing and overflowing in terms of recognition justice, procedural justice, and distributional justice.

Managerial tone and investors' hedging activities: Evidence from credit default swaps

AbstractThis study examines investors' hedging behaviours in the credit default swap (CDS) market in response to the managerial tone of the Management Discussion and Analysis section in 10‐K/Q flings. Utilising CDS positions data derived from the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, we first document that managerial tone is negatively associated with CDS positions. We further find that such an effect is stronger for investors with less reliable alternative information channels and for firms with greater default probability. Our inferences persist when using the abnormal tone from a two‐stage analysis, when using change model regression, and when filtering out other potential confounding impacts. The results of this study advance the understanding of how the linguistic tone presented by management affects CDS market investors' hedging decision making through the use of public accounting information in financial disclosures.

Pandemic Chaos: Equity-based Crowdfunding in Malaysia

Background: Malaysia, like the majority of other countries, has a system in place to ensure that SMEs do not continue to suffer as a result of the proliferation of Covid-19. Among the measures implemented is the assistance of crowdfunding sites to guarantee that SMEs have alternative financing channels even in the event of a calamity. Furthermore, the entrepreneur must work to solve the challenges that occur as a result of the pandemic. Objectives: To investigate the ECF as an alternate source of capital throughout the Covid-19 choas. Methodology: The content on the Pitch Platforms Sdn Bhd’s website from March 18, 2020, to April 5, 2021, as well as the relevant literature on the prospects of crowdfunding in assisting entrepreneurs in acquiring money amid the Covid-19 issue, were observed. Findings/ Implications: The study focuses on the usage of online funding via equity-based platforms in Malaysia during the outbreak. The ECF has a significant impact on Malaysian entrepreneurial finance. ECF encourages the development of crisis-resistant business models and raises entrepreneurs' understanding of digitization, technology, and web financing for expansion plans, particularly in potential business concepts. This analysis also indicates some intriguing research directions.

Developing the positive performance of satellite channels by improving product presentation processes in their television programmes

In the age of communications that we live in, many technological developments have taken place in the field of broadcasting, as in every field. With these developments, broadcast quality has increased and the number of TV channels has increased, with the digital method of programming in particular, the fact that the audience can watch the broadcast they want at any time has resulted in the ad generation going by without watching it, and as a result, reaching and keeping consumers more difficult. to the content of the message. In light of all these developments, brands have sought to convey their messages by reaching consumers through alternative channels other than traditional advertising channels in their media strategies (Chalaby, J. K. (2016)). As a result of these searches, applications that we call product placement, which can be defined as “the integration of branded products with communication media such as series, TV shows, music videos, video games, computer games, and especially movies”, have become such the practices are "alternatives to traditional forms of marketing communications that are becoming more expensive and less efficient in reaching target audiences."

Summaries of Articles

Summaries of Articles

A dynamic systems analysis of factors affecting success of identity-preserved products: the case of high-oleic soybeans

The factors contributing to success of identity-preserved (IP) products are understood conceptually, but are rarely quantified. A combination of system dynamics modeling and group modeling building with value chain stakeholders provides a generalizable approach to quantify the relative importance of individual factors and identify information needed to assess market potential. The limited growth of IP high-oleic soybean oil (HOSO) provides a case example for application of these methods. The specific assumptions and results for HOSO will differ from other IP products, but some outcomes appear generalizable. First, the values of key drivers need to be documented over time, including the relative cost of the IP and the proportion of potential end users that are aware of the potential benefits. Because sustained cost advantages are a key driver of end-user switching behavior for HOSO, understanding the patterns for relative costs over time would be important to develop realistic estimates of sales growth. Similarly, our analyses suggest that assessment of end-user awareness is important, which may require use of alternative communication channels and monitoring efforts by key decision makers throughout the value chain, including product formulators and procurement staff.

From bottom‐up to top‐down control of invertebrate herbivores in a retrogressive chronosequence

In the long-term absence of disturbance, ecosystems often enter a decline or retrogressive phase which leads to reductions in primary productivity, plant biomass, nutrient cycling and foliar quality. However, the consequences of ecosystem retrogression for higher trophic levels such as herbivores and predators, are less clear. Using a post-fire forested island-chronosequence across which retrogression occurs, we provide evidence that nutrient availability strongly controls invertebrate herbivore biomass when predators are few, but that there is a switch from bottom-up to top-down control when predators are common. This trophic flip in herbivore control probably arises because invertebrate predators respond to alternative energy channels from the adjacent aquatic matrix, which were independent of terrestrial plant biomass. Our results suggest that effects of nutrient limitation resulting from ecosystem retrogression on trophic cascades are modified by nutrient-independent variation in predator abundance, and this calls for a more holistic approach to trophic ecology to better understand herbivore effects on plant communities.