Case Study Material Research Articles

Review on background to AI principles and industry 4.0 implications and practices

This review paper presents completed case-study materials to share with the community and the new researchers. The goal is to examine latest developments, application, and integration in the areas of AI classification principle and Industry 4.0 and beyond. The objective is to identify the underlying fundamentals. Along with background and fundamentals the review presents developments, standards and importantly the mandates from the local and world establishments and organizations in the areas of Industry 4.0 and beyond. The topics not only can help understand the technology developers in the community but also the research workforce that we produce.

73 Building Models for Animal Production and Management with System Dynamics

Abstract The learning objectives of this workshop session are to be able to define system dynamics (SD), the core variables used in SD simulation (stocks, flows, and auxiliaries), and mental models. In order to achieve this, participants will build a small, simple SD model and run several preliminary tests to explore changes in dynamic behavior patterns. Several other case studies will be presented and discussed. By completing the exercises and interacting with the case study material, participants will gain a greater appreciation for the ways in which systems analysis using models can help address complex animal science or general agricultural resource problems as well as engage students in active and problem-based learning.

Complex unloading behavior of titanium alloy in cold and thermal-mechanical working

Unloading behavior is of crucial importance in metal forming, which particularly creates challenges for springback analysis and control of shape and dimensional accuracies of the manufactured components. For the working with hard-to-form materials at elevated temperatures, the thermal-mechanical coupling effect makes the unloading process more complicated and thus more difficult to model and control. Establishing an insight into the thermal-mechanical unloading behavior is crucial for ultimately improving the shape and dimensional accuracy of formed components. In this research, by using a near-alpha high-strength titanium alloy as a case study material, a series of continuous loading-unloading-reloading experiments within cold and warm forming domains were designed and conducted. Through the experiments, the complex unloading behavior, specially for the temperature-dependent degradation effect of elastic modulus and nonlinear stress-strain response, was investigated. A physically-based model was developed to reproduce the temperature-dependent nonlinear reduction effect of elastic modulus. In this model, the reversible mobile dislocation density is particularly included and represented to describe the evolving nonlinear elastic strain component upon unloading affected by both plastic strain and deformation temperature. Based on the model-based analysis, the mechanism accounting for the complex unloading nonlinearity in thermal-mechanical working was discussed and revealed from different evolutions of dislocation behaviors depending on plastic deformation and temperature.

Designing public financial management systems: exploring the use of chatbot-assisted case studies

IMPACT The design of public financial management (PFM) systems requires the exploration of the problem space before solution options are generated. Case studies are often employed to teach the design of PFM systems, but conventional forms of delivery of case study materials fail to help develop the skills needed to explore the problem space. This article investigates the use of chatbot-assisted case studies as a way to stimulate students’ efforts to pose questions about features of the problem scenario.

Facilitating the wise use of experts and evidence to inform local environmental decisions

Abstract Using biodiversity management within New Zealand's agricultural landscape as a case study, we apply ‘boundary science’ approaches to overcome two persistent deficiencies in environmental decision‐making: ‘evidence disparity’, the discrepancy between evidence desired and evidence generated, and ‘evidence complacency’, where evidence is not sought or used, or is out of date, incomplete or biased. Specifically, we assess how recent innovations in gathering, evaluating and communicating of evidence syntheses can: give local stakeholders from a diversity of roles and interests a voice in setting biodiversity priorities, systematically tailor global evidence to meet local needs and make wise use of local biodiversity specialists to enhance the accuracy and reliability of their judgements. Initial case study material comprised comprehensive lists of 18 biodiversity outcome groups and 84 management actions of potential value to New Zealand farms. Of the 40 management actions that mattered most to stakeholders, 90% of actions required editing in preparation for the expert assessments. The final list of priorities encompassed 43 management actions and 11 biodiversity groups. New Zealand evidence gaps were detected for the two actions and 10 biodiversity groups assessed, with half of these gaps plugged using global studies. Six experts then systematically evaluated this evidence to tailor its interpretation to the local context, mitigating the risks of using different evidence subsets and evaluation criteria. The effectiveness of each action in delivering biodiversity benefits was also assessed by a panel of 10 experts using their specialist judgement to mitigate the risks of: (a) a skewed assessment derived from one or two experts; (b) overwhelming panellists with a long list of issues to debate; and (c) conflicts arising from misunderstandings about action outcomes. The stakeholder priorities delivered useful insights, which could be used to direct and facilitate inclusive policy investments beyond our project. Auditing local studies using existing evidence synopses is recommended to help improve local conservation evidence bases. Our study highlights the crucial role that a boundary‐spanning team can play in gathering, organising, summarising and integrating datasets to address evidence disparity and complacency issues affecting local biodiversity management decisions required by global policy. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

An Integrated Testing Strategy for Ecotoxicity (ITS-ECO) Assessment in the Marine Environmental Compartment using Mytilus spp.: A Case Study using Pristine and Coated CuO and TiO2 Nanomaterials.

An integrated testing strategy for ecotoxicity assessment (ITS‐ECO) was developed to aid in the hazard and fate assessment of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) deposited in marine environments using the bivalve Mytilus spp. as a test species. The ENMs copper(II) oxide (CuO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), either in pristine form (core) or with functionalized coatings (polyethylene glycol [PEG], carboxyl [COOH], and ammonia [NH3]) were selected as case study materials based on their production levels and use. High‐throughput in vitro testing in Tier 1 of the ITS‐ECO revealed CuO ENMs to elicit cytotoxic effects on lysosomes of hemocytes of mussels, with the hazard potential CuO PEG > CuO COOH > CuO NH3 > CuO core, whereas TiO2 ENMs were not cytotoxic. Genotoxicity in hemocytes as well as gill cells of mussels following in vivo exposure (48 h) to CuO ENMs was also seen. Longer in vivo exposures in Tier 2 (48 h–21 days) revealed subacute and chronic oxidative effects for both CuO and TiO2 ENMs, in some cases leading to lipid peroxidation (core TiO2 ENMs). In Tier 3 bioaccumulation studies, distinct patterns of uptake for Cu (predominantly in gills) and Ti (predominantly in digestive glands) and between the different core and coated ENMs were found. Clear NM‐specific and coating‐dependent effects on hazard and fate were seen. Overall, using a tiered testing approach, the ITS‐ECO was able to differentiate the hazard (acute, subacute, and chronic effects) posed by ENMs of different compositions and coatings and to provide information on fate for environmental risk assessment of these ENMs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1390–1406. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Next generation risk assessment for skin allergy: Decision making using new approach methodologies

Our aim is to develop and apply next generation approaches to skin allergy risk assessment (SARA) that do not require new animal test data and better quantify uncertainties. Significant progress has been made in the development of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), non-animal test methods, for assessment of skin sensitisation and there is now focus on their application to derive potency information for use in Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA). The SARA model utilises a Bayesian statistical approach to infer a human-relevant metric of sensitiser potency and a measure of risk associated with a given consumer exposure based upon any combination of human repeat insult patch test, local lymph node, direct peptide reactivity assay, KeratinoSens™, h-CLAT or U-SENS™ data. Here we have applied the SARA model within our weight of evidence NGRA framework for skin allergy to three case study materials in four consumer products. Highlighting how to structure the risk assessment, apply NAMs to derive a point of departure and conclude on consumer safety risk. NGRA based upon NAMs were, for these exposures, at least as protective as the historical risk assessment approaches. Through such case studies we are building our confidence in using NAMs for skin allergy risk assessment.

Understanding Urban Growth through Heat Islands Using Remotely Sensed Data: Yaounde Case Study, Cameroon

Studies in urban dynamics have focused on population growth, urban sprawl and activities expansion to determine, understand and study the phenomenon of urbanization in the world. The methods used in these studies have explore remotely sense data from Global Positioning Systems (GPS), satellite imagery, aerial and ground photography for interpretation, analysis and explanation of urban land use and land cover evolution. This data is often combined with ground observations and other methods in social sciences to understand urban growth. In this article, data is tapped from temperature differences analysis in multi-date satellite images and combined with population statistics, human activities and infrastructure build up to explain the phenomenon of urbanization. The results of the findings will enrich our knowledge in Urban Geography on approaches and methods used in understanding urbanization and its problems. Drawing on case study material from Yaounde in Cameroon, this article examines how remote sensing techniques can help in understanding urban heat island in Yaounde and its negative outcomes on urban population, activity and the environment. As the study shows, urban growth has a direct relation with temperature increase and an inverse relation with vegetation change. Also, Increase in bare surfaces due to deforestation for development and settlement increases surface temperature and vice versa. Vegetation regulates surface temperature by absorbing energy from solar radiation and remission in the form of latent heat through the process of photosynthesis. Analysis of surface temperature increase through remote sensing techniques, urban land use evolution, determinants and implications of Yaounde heat islands constitute the focus of this paper. The implications of rise in surface temperature and relations with urban growth are important for decision making. This knowledge is essential for urban geography research, new methodological approaches to urbanization and policy.

The Role Of Big Data In The Formation Of Supply Chain Platforms For New Forms Of Online Retail

In the context of internet age, data is growing explosively in the Chinese retail industry. However, there is insufficient research of the theoretical frameworks and interaction relationships between big data, supply chain platforms, and online retail. Through a literature review, an empirical case study survey of Alibaba, and grounded theory, this paper explores how big data helps shape supply chain platforms able to support new forms of online retail. The theoretical framework was validated by testing the reliability and the open coding to process of the case study materials. The results identify the overall antecedents to the formation of the supply chain platform and reveal significant positive effects between big data and new retail. The findings help firms build big-data driven supply chain platforms better able to support new forms of online retail.

Augustine of Hippo and the rediscovery of the therapeutic potential of narrative theology for mental health

Since the task of therapy was a concern of classical antiquity, Hellenistic philosophy produced complex understandings on illness, treatment, and health that would inspire Augustine of Hippo (354-430) to adapt these ideals within a theological framework. Confessions (397-401) proposes an experience before divine grace that generates therapeutic effects, a proposal that fosters health and hope for his audience (Conf .10.3.4). Nevertheless, during the 20th century, Augustine’s Confessions was taken as a case study for psychoanalytic and psychotherapeutic theories. The weaknesses and ambiguities narrated by Augustine were considered case study material to be fitted into concepts of psychological theory or psychopathology. Faced with the task of reviewing the dialogue between Augustinian studies and psychological studies, this article suggests that it is necessary to retrace a path, overcoming a methodological problem through three steps: firstly, a historical recovery of late antiquity philosophical therapy, placing the original intent of Confessions’ therapeutic vision in its cultural, historical, and theological context; secondly, a repositioning of the interdisciplinary dialogue between psychology and theology. Despite the inadequacies of Augustine's psychologizing readings, understanding Confessions in partnership with contemporary psychology, allowing cross-fertilization, is a valid and necessary task, as in the conceptual synergy with Elementary Experience in Psychology; thirdly, the establishment and conduct of new interdisciplinary initiatives that not only strengthen historical and psychological understanding of Augustine’s Confessions, but seek to understand, apply and empirically test his narrative theological approach on its mental health effects.

Semantics of the regulative maty (mother) in Andrei Sheptytsky’s epistles

The article highlights the issue of the lexical regulative maty semantics in the epistles of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky. Since the case study material is the religious style texts, the lexeme under consideration, in addition to its basic meaning of „woman, in relation to the child she gave birth to”, expands its semantics with the meaning of „church, in relation to its believers” with its concretization through the adjective lexemes native, genuine. The frequency actualization of the regulative maty (mother) has been revealed in the names of the religious discourse Mother of God, God’s Mother, Mother of Christ, Holy Mother, Blessed Mother, used to denote the motherhood of the Virgin Mary in relation to Jesus Christ, and in the nomens the Mother of us all, the Mother of Heaven, used for the explication of her motherhood significance to all the faithful on the Earth. The secular meaning of the lexical regulative mother is determined by the style of woman’s behavior as a Christian and indicated, primarily, by the attributes of pious, Christian, native mother (a family status in relation to children). The Metropolitan’s idiostyle illustrates the use of the studied regulative in a clear family hierarchy, for example father and mother; father, mother, brother, sister, wife, husband; mother and a child, including a generalized collective image of all women, whose primary mission is the birth and upbringing of children.

The Future of Post-COVID-19 Urban Tourism: Understanding the Experiences of Indonesian Consumers of Hallyu with South Korean Virtual Tourism

Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, South Korea is still actively promoting its culture and tourist destinations to global audiences. Through the initiative of Imagine Korea Virtual Reality, the country invites foreign people to view Korean sightseeing places and tourist spots. Based on Imagine Korea as the case study material, our study attempted to identify the perceptions, feelings, and expectations of Indonesian consumers of Hallyu through virtual tourism offered by South Korea. The study employed in-depth interviews with 15 respondents who often consume Korean pop culture. The result revealed that most respondents had never experienced or had been interested in any virtual tours offered during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the experiments changed their perceptions of the entertainment virtual tours can provide throughout the COVID-19 crisis. While most respondents agreed that virtual tours sparked their interest in visiting Seoul after the pandemic ended, they mainly stated that virtual tours could never replace traditional travel. Thus, instead of serving as an alternative form of tourism during COVID-19 and afterwards, the study indicated the potential of virtual tours to be a primary destination marketing tool, one that can help visitors better design their itinerary routes and learn about local attractions.

Piloting a more inclusive governance innovation strategy for forest ecosystem services management in Primiero, Italy

Forests are increasingly recognized for their role, importance and multifunctionality in terms of provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services they provide. Even if timber production remains the most economically valuable provisioning service in Primiero, the importance of and need for multifunctionality of forests is acknowledged. This article analyses the development of Forest Ecosystem Services (FES) governance innovation strategies by the Provincial Forest Agency as a policy entrepreneur in the area of Primiero, in Trentino, northeast of Italy. Based on detailed case study material, we create the heuristic of Kingdon’s three streams model in order to reconstruct the development of and negotiations around the introduction of innovative approaches to the problem, policy and politics levels and to identify the chosen or missed windows of opportunity to deliver innovation in FES management. Findings show that the main issues perceived by the local stakeholders concern loss of biodiversity, of cultural identity and historical landscape values. The policy-entrepreneurial initiatives undertaken by the Forest Agency represent a governance mix of direct project execution, financial incentives, organisational incentives and information-based activities. The results highlight its efforts to move beyond the traditional top-down approach based on widely available public funds and towards coordination and collaborations among stakeholders, contribution of private investments, bureaucracy simplification and interconnection between participatory and institutional processes.

Circumstances of death and pattern of fatal railway injury

The progressive extension of railway networking and increasing number of passengers as well as goods train to meet the demands of rapid industrialization and growing urbanisation, results in an increase in the various modes of railway fatalities. To evaluate the pattern and distribution of fatal railway injuries in relation to the circumstances of death in cases of railway related deaths. The study was conducted at Forensic Medicine and Toxicology department of M.K.C.G. Medical College & Hospital, Berhampur for medico legal autopsy on selected cases of death due to alleged railway injuries, were subjected to thorough post mortem examination and the pattern of injuries noted.A total number of 1314 cases were brought for medico-legal autopsy during the study period, out of which 94 cases were selected for the present study having clear history of railway related deaths (in which either a train caused death or in which a body was found on the track) excluding all other causes of death (even the cases brought by the GRPS having natural deaths were not considered as study material). The study conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology revealed that the number of railway related deaths, both accidents and suicides is substantial in the locality. Amongst these, accidental railway deaths (63.83%) outnumber the other manners of death. The ante mortem nature of the railway injuries could be well established in the present case study material.

The politics of hyperregulation in La Paz, Bolivia: Speculative peri-urban development in a context of unresolved municipal boundary conflicts

In Bolivia, urbanisation increasingly takes place in peri-urban settings situated outside the boundaries of cities. Unlike previous research that considers peri-urban developments such as rural-to-urban land use transitions to be characterised by state absence and little regulation and planning, this article demonstrates that such developments occur precisely because of the presence of particular multi-scalar governance configurations. Drawing on case study material from peri-urban La Paz, the article demonstrates how legislative reforms by Bolivia’s national government on decentralisation and municipal delineation, which failed to establish clear jurisdictional boundaries, create a situation of hyperregulation whereby multiple local authorities claim political control over the same territory by deploying distinct and at times conflicting, legal and planning frameworks. While hyperregulation enables a loose coalition of elite actors, including government authorities, resident leaders of peri-urban settlements and private sector representatives, to advance specific political and socio-economic interests, it puts ordinary residents in a situation of permanent uncertainty. The article contributes to and further nuances conceptual debates on calculated informality which uncover how states deliberately create legally ambiguous systems to facilitate speculative urban developments. Unlike previous studies which highlight that this is mainly achieved through state engineering, and particularly by suspending or violating the law, this article demonstrates that legal ambiguity and irregularity can also be generated through multi-scalar governance configurations that (1) involve a number of elite actors, including state authorities but also private sector and civil society representatives and (2) create a situation in which different regulatory systems co-exist without coordination.

At the limits of "capability": The sexual and reproductive health of women migrant workers in Malaysia.

Despite the centrality of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), women migrant workers in Malaysia face an environment inimical to their SRH needs. Drawing on qualitative case study material, we present the first empirical application of the capability approach (CA) to explore the reproductive health needs of women migrant workers in a developing country, offering an original analysis of the capability for SRH of these women. Specifically, we explore the resources available to them; their opportunities and freedoms ("capabilities"); and factors that mediate transformation of resources into capability sets ("conversion factors"). While SRH information and health care are notionally available, women migrant workers face multiple challenges in converting resources into functionings, constraining the achievement of capability for SRH. Challenges include language barriers, personal beliefs, power relations between workers and employers and the consequences of current migration policy. We consider the scale of the challenges facing these women in securing SRH rights, the difficulties of operationalising the CA within such a setting, and the implications of our findings for the adequacy of the CA in supporting marginalised populations.

The Role of Ex Combatants Party Against The Advocacy of Political Representation of Women In The Post-Conflict in Aceh, Indonesia

This study discusses the role of ex-combatant parties in advocating post-conflict women by using the Aceh Party case study. Aceh Party is one of the parties that transformed the struggle movement from the armed movement into a political party movement through general elections. The ex-combatant party was formed by post-conflict combatants after peace negotiations. The ex-combatant party which later became the case study material in this study was the ex-combatant party (Aceh Party) in Aceh. The presence of ex-combatant parties as part of the democratization process has a different reception towards the equality discourse of women in the participation and representation of public spaces, especially representation in politics. The Aceh Party has a tendency for women only as a formality to fulfill a 30 percent quota, without involving women seriously in political matters. This certainly can be seen how the party programs tend to be gender biased. The purpose of this study is to look at the phenomenon of the presence of post-conflict ex-combatant parties as part of the democratization process in providing advocacy for women. Through this research with a qualitative approach both sourced from primary and secondary data by tracing various literature, documents, and other supporting materials.

Barriers for local authorities to invest in disaster risk reduction: evidence from Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Local authorities (LA) are vested with authority to preside over the affairs of local communities. This authority comes with responsibilities of reducing disaster risks and losses. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been a key goal of global frameworks for minimizing risk and losses from disasters. Despite global efforts to reduce disaster risk, research into what hinders LA in investing for DRR is limited. Using case study material from two rural councils in Zimbabwe, this study examined barriers that constrain LA in investing in DRR for resilience. The study used interviews that involved local authority and civil protection officials, the academia, policy makers and disaster practitioners. Results show that LA in Zimbabwe are constrained by inadequate legislative authority, unclear mandates for DRR and a lack of necessary resources. The study concludes that LA need strengthening through legislative reforms, devolution, and injection of financial and material resources to invest in DRR strategies.

Experimental and theoretical coupled approaches for the analysis of radiative transfer in photoreactors containing particulate media: Case study of TiO2 powders for photocatalytic reactions

The analysis of radiative transfer in photoreactors is often crucial for operating efficient photoreactions. This article aims to present a complete experimental and theoretical coupled approach allowing radiative transfer analysis of photoreactors containing particulate media. TiO2 powder, widely used in photocatalysis, was selected as a case study material for this work. First, Mie theory was used and adapted to assess the effective properties of heterogenous powders. A home-made experimental bench allowing normal-hemispheric transmittance measurement was settled. Theoretical and experimental evaluations of the radiative properties were compared and appear to match each other. The second part of the work consisted in both transmittance and local radiant energy modeling through Monte Carlo and Two Flux models using the previously defined radiative properties as entry parameters. The comparison of experimental and modeled transmittance highlighted the consistence of these models which were then used to describe the radiant energy evolution inside a parallel-plane photoreactor.

The Evolution of Modern Architecture Style in Context of Postcolonial Campus

The development of Indonesian architectures in the post-colonial era were the phase of new experiment and ideas that gave a birth to the awareness and spirit of exploring nation identity. Universitas Gadjah Mada is recognized as a post-colonial and the oldest national campus founded in 1949 in Yogyakarta. This paper aims to investigate the evolution of modern movement in the sense of campus architecture. Case study material is drawn mainly from post-colonial campus architecture at the central zone of Universitas Gadjah Mada. The method used is a qualitative methodology in which data is obtained from literature reviews and field observations. The development of modern architecture theories and styles have been studied through the case study. The finding of this study showed that socio-political transition of the old order, the new order, and present era, and also personal vision of the architect contributed to the production of modern architectures. Keywords: evolution of style; modernism; modern movement; post-colonial campus