Resource Conflicts Research Articles

A logic Petri net model for dynamic multi-agent game decision-making

This study proposes a logical Petri net model to leverage the modeling advantages of Petri nets in handling batch processing and uncertainty in value passing and to integrate relevant game elements from multi-agent game processes for modeling multi-agent decision problems and resolving optimization issues in dynamic multi-agent game decision-making. Firstly, the attributes of each token are defined as rational agents, and utility function values and state probability transition functions are assigned to them. Secondly, decision transitions are introduced, and the triggering of the optimal decision transition is determined based on a comparison of token utility function values, along with an associated algorithm. Finally, a dynamic game emergency business decision-making process for sudden events is modeled and analyzed using the logic game decision Petri net. Based on reachable markings, reachable graphs are constructed to analyze the dynamic game process. Algorithms are described for the generation of reachable graphs, and the paper explores how the logic game decision model for sudden events can address dynamic game decision problems, generate optimal emergency plans, and analyze resource conflicts during emergency processes. The effectiveness and superiority of the model in analyzing the emergency business decision-making process for sudden events are validated.

Multi-Objective Optimal Scheduling of Generalized Water Resources Based on an Inter-Basin Water Transfer Project

For inter-basin water transfer (IBWT) projects, the conflict between social, economic, and ecological objectives makes water allocation processes more complex. Specific to the problem of water resource conflict in IBWT projects, we established an optimal allocation model of generalized (conventional) water resources (G (C) model) to demonstrate the advantages of the G model. The improved multi-objective cuckoo optimization algorithm (IMOCS) was applied to search the Pareto frontiers of the two models under normal, dry, and extremely dry conditions. The optimal allocation scheme set of generalized (conventional) water resources (G (C) scheme set) consists of ten Pareto optimal solutions with the minimum water shortage selected from the Pareto optimal solutions of the G (C) model. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with criteria importance using the inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) method was used to assign weights of evaluation indexes in the evaluation index system. The non-negative matrix method was employed to evaluate the G (C) scheme set to determine the best G (C) scheme for the Jiangsu section of the South-to-North Water Transfer (J-SNWT) Project. The results show that (1) the Pareto frontier of the G model is better than that of the C model, and (2) the best G scheme shows better index values compared to the best C scheme. The total water shortages are reduced by 254.2 million m3 and 827.9 million m3 under the dry condition, respectively, and the water losses are reduced by 145.1 million m3 and 141.1 million m3 under the extremely dry condition, respectively. These findings could not only provide J-SNWT Project managers with guidelines for water allocation under normal, dry, and extremely dry conditions but also demonstrate that the G model could achieve better water-allocation benefits than the C model for inter-basin water transfer projects.

Dryland Water Resource Conservation and Conflict Management in Loisukut Sub-catchment in Laikipia North Sub-country, Kenya

The study examines access to water, use and management of water resources and conflicts in the Loisukut sub-catchment in Laikipia North Sub-Country. Additionally, the study provides information on grassroots initiatives that seek to improve and ensure equitable management of water resources by establishing connections with significant stakeholders. The study is supported by information acquired through the distribution of a questionnaire to various stakeholders, water users' groups, and communities. The study's conclusions indicate a relationship between water availability, consumption, and management that has a significant impact on water conflicts. The discrepancies in access to water are due to ineffective water management initiatives. The study recommends watershed conservation and diversifying pastoralists' economic opportunities will have positive effects on the environment, economy and society.

Challenging journeys for minority language-speaking parents: teaching heritage language in inter-lingual families

ABSTRACT To examine the specific education challenges that minority language-speaking parents encounter in teaching their children heritage language, this study conducted in-depth interviews with ten Chinese immigrant parents in Korean-Chinese multicultural families. Textual analysis of the interviews revealed that ‘One Parent One Language’ is a natural approach adopted by immigrant parents in their teaching practices, although it did not provide necessary or sufficient context for raising bilingual first language children. In addition, the main challenges that hinder immigrant parents’ teaching practices centred on three areas: teaching methods, resource conflicts, and language environment.

At the frontlines of implementing the right to a healthy environment: Understanding human rights and environmental due diligence in relation to armed conflicts

AbstractPotential harm to human rights and the environment, including by corporate actors, is amplified in situations of conflict. This article focuses on applying the right to a healthy environment in relation to armed conflicts and corporate responsibility. In particular, it analyzes and compares due diligence requirements in the European Union Conflict Minerals Regulation and the International Law Commission's Draft Principles on Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflicts and examines how these align with the right to a healthy environment.

Alternating Current Electrolytic Extraction of Transition Metals from NMC532 using Rotating Disc Cyclic Voltammetry in Dilute Chloride Solution

The rising application of portable electric devices has led to the rapid accumulation of electronic wastes such as lithium-ion batteries. These wastes pose significant environmental threats when improperly disposed of and contain valuable metals that could supplement the supply chain and reduce the need for certain conflict minerals. Recycling methods that limit the potential for environmental damage and improve separation of transition metals are vital to the sustainability of battery based electrical storage. Conventional aqueous recycling of lithium battery electrode materials utilizes oxidizing acids and a chemical reducing agent. This study investigates if chemical oxidizing and reducing agents may be aided or replaced by the application of an alternating electric field to reduce surface metal oxides and subsequently accelerate reoxidation with a solubilizing anion. The electrolytic leaching mechanics of commercial battery cathode material (NMC532) in dilute hydrochloric acid were investigated using rotating disc cyclic voltammetry (RDE-CV), solution analysis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and residue analysis with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). We found evidence that applying an alternating electric field allows for adjustment of leaching rates for different transition metals based on electrochemical cell parameters. By applying up to one volt oscillating between reducing and oxidizing polarity, the relative molar leaching rate of nickel and manganese drastically increased while that of cobalt slightly decreased. Future research will be required to determine how this effect translates to different leaching systems and its applicability to an industrial scale process.The authors acknowledge financial support from the NSF IUCRC program for the “Center for solid-state electric power storage” (#2052631) and support from the South Dakota Board of Regents for the “Governor’s Research Center (GRC) for electrochemical energy storage”.

Conflict Management Strategies and Farmers-Herders’ Conflict in Benue State, Nigeria, 2011-2021

The study examined conflict management strategies and farmers-herdsmen conflict in Benue State, 2011-2021. Farmers-herders conflict, a new normal of the wave of Nigeria’s internal violence is one of the major challenges that have threatened the security and unity of Nigeria resulting in a significant increase in the number of cases associated with natural resource conflicts. At present, Benue state could be regarded as the epicentre of the conflict. Attacks in Benue State villages have resulted in several deaths and the destruction of properties. The study adopted Conflict, Frustration-Aggression and Eco-Violence theories as its theoretical construct. The study adopted a triangulation method of data gathering technique. A sample size of 399 was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. 378 copies of questionnaires were distributed across the three local governments, namely Logo, Guma and Agatu (regarded as epicentres of violent attacks by herdsmen) from each of the three senatorial districts of Benue State. Tables, percentages and bar charts were used in the presentation of data. The study revealed that the major cause of the conflict between farmers and herdsmen in Benue State is land; the conflict management strategy (style) adopted by farmers and herders during conflict situations is the forcing or competition strategy, whereas the Federal Government and security agencies employ the avoidance strategy, among others. Also, the study concludes that there is a significant relationship between conflict management strategies and farmers-herders conflict in Benue State, among others. Consequently, the recommends amongst others a collaborative initiative such as setting up conflict management committees by the government to include farmers and herdsmen; the rule of law should prevail.

Simulation Study of sc-CO2 Based Silylation for Decreasing Severity of Water Blockage and Salt Precipitation during Geological CO2 Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers

Deep saline aquifers are often favorable for underground CO2 sequestration due to their large capacity and relatively low likelihood for resource conflicts. However, many possible issues can arise during CO2 injection. Often these aquifers have a significant salinity level (as these often present minimal resource conflict issues) and as such salt precipitation near the injection wellbore can be problematic. Furthermore, when water blockage occurs, salt precipitation can be exacerbated since large amounts of water remain near the wellbore. Altering the rock wettability towards less water-wet can alleviate water blockage and in turn reduce the likelihood or severity of salt precipitation. Previous lab experiments have shown that supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2)-based silylation can effectively functionalize rock surfaces with hydrophobic silanes. In this study, numerical models were constructed to evaluate the combined effects of multi-phase fluid flow, water evaporation and salt precipitation assuming a change in wettability (thus impacting the relative permeability characteristics of the reservoir) resulting from the silylation process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this chemical treatment to address near wellbore salt precipitation induced by CO2 injection. According to the simulation results, a decrease in injectivity due to salt precipitation is more significant when water blockage is also present. Injectivity is deteriorated prominently in high salinity reservoirs with water blockage since evaporation into the injected CO2 phase will cause significant salt precipitation. In a representative formation, the injectivity decline is worse (up to 68.6% relative injectivity change (RIC)) when both salt precipitation and water blockage are considered since the latter provides more trapped brine inducing more salt accumulation around the wellbore. With hydrophobic silylation, the combined effects of salt precipitation and water blockage on RIC are decreased on an absolute basis by up to 7%. Depending on techno-economic considerations, this method is encouraged to be implemented as early as possible during a CO2 injection program to minimize salt accumulation from the outset.

Niger Delta Subaltern Agency and Resistance in Obari Gomba’s The Ascent Stone and Stephen Kekeghe’s Rumbling Sky

This article applies the theoretical positions of some scholars from the Subaltern Studies Collective to the reading of poetry by Niger Delta writers. I argue that the Niger Delta people are subaltern in the Nigerian national space due to their disadvantaged sociopolitical position as well as the resource conflict that has left the region at the mercy of the state and its agents. With insights from the writings of Ranajit Guha, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Gyan Prakash, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Partha Chatterjee, I read the subaltern themes of agency and resistance in Obari Gomba’s The Ascent Stone and Stephen Kekeghe’s Rumbling Sky. In adopting this framework, I draw from Guha’s original theorisation of peasant insurgency and the structure of power as well as later theorisations of relational power discourse and subaltern agency. My close reading of selected poems reveals the figure of the Niger Delta subaltern as the architect of their own destiny and whose resistance haunts the dominant discourse of the nation. The notions of insurgency, the nation and its fragments, failed revolutions, and relational power discourse are deployed as hermeneutical strategies. My adoption of this theoretical approach recovers its insights for the reading of literary works by writers from minority groups.

More-than-Human Lifeworlds: Ethics, Ontology and Relationality in Local Environmental Struggles

Local environmental conflicts are often framed as “resource conflicts” in the political ecology literature. Based on ethnographic research on local community struggles against run-of-river hydroelectric power plants in Turkey’s East Black Sea Region, this article aims to demonstrate the limitation of the “resource” frame in explaining the grievances of environmentally dispossessed communities and their motivations to fight against it. The article discusses how and why rivers are more than “natural resources” for the rural communities of the region, maintaining non-human entities as integral not only to the umwelt (environment, surroundings), but also to the lebenswelt (lifeworld). It develops a bodycentred, phenomenological perspective demonstrating how non-human entities become an essential part of our experiential and social world through habitual and corporeal encounter and interaction. It maintains the centrality of the more-than-human lifeworld in the constitution of relational ontologies and ethics of coexistence, and in the formation of political agency.

The Cradle of the Makonde Nation of Mozambique Torn between Wars of Wealth

Abstract The cradle of the Makonde Nation of Mozambique is historically rich with unmatched artefacts that convey experienced socio-political struggles and unique heritage. The Makonde nation fought heroic wars that led to the end of imperialism as well as colonialism, and ultimately led to the liberation of Mozambique in 1975 from Portugal. The post-independent era, however, was marred by a 16-year-long civil war that left socio-political and economic bruises on the entire country and to a certain extent destabilised the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In 1992, a civil war erupted, and the attainment of peace became elusive. The unresolved socio-economic and political attrition between the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) and the opposition Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) contributed to the internal political crisis which compounded inequalities and socio-economic imbalances. Subsequently, opportunist transnational actors such as Al-Shabaab exploited these conditions in the frail yet minerally wealthy region of Cabo Delgado. The proceeding unfolding of events reveals the implications of unresolved past conflicts potentially escalating into complex conflicts – terrorism. Reflecting on past struggles and their influence on present conflicts, a qualitative methodology employing a desktop approach with documental and historical data analysis to determine how the prospects for full-scale peace, economic development, and sustainable security and stability can be attained. The question is: to what extent do the drivers of resource conflict contribute to radicalism and violent extremism as is the case of Cabo Delgado, in Mozambique? This paper argues that apart from other regional dimensions such as border proximity with terror-prone states such as Tanzania, the ill-management of natural resources and ambiguous approaches to the resolution of internal conflicts create conditions for terrorism in Cabo Delgado. The interdependence and cooperation perspective presents opportunities where collective implementation of robust counterterror strategic plans may effectively redress the associated resource conflict challenges in Mozambique.

Role of Climate Change in Afghanistan’s Geopolitical Power

The most significant environmental threats today are global warming and climate change. The effects of climate change include water and food scarcity, disease, unemployment, migration, poverty, resource conflicts, and global instability. This study examines the role of climate change in Afghanistan’s geopolitical power. This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach and a survey method. The statistical research community includes experts and specialists in geopolitics, political science, climate science, and university professors. The questionnaire was distributed among them based on indicators related to climate change, development, and geopolitics. 80 questionnaires were collected. On the basis of these findings, a significant and inverse relationship exists between the impacts of climate change and development. Furthermore, the reduction in the development process has a significant and negative impact on Afghanistan’s geopolitical power. Finally, the reduction in development affects the change. Climate plays a mediating role in geopolitics. Then, the priority of parameters influencing climate change in geopolitics was discussed using Friedman’s comparison test. These parameters include 1) poverty and social anomalies, drought, and migration. In the suggestions section, it is emphasized that there is a need to implement effective methods, such as irrigation and the use of clean energy, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

What matter matters as a matter of justice?

ABSTRACT With planet-wide environmental unravelling ideas of multispecies and planetary justice are gaining multidisciplinary attention. They frame a set of ethical, moral and political obligations to life-on-Earth. While it is clear it is humans who bear the duties and obligations of justice, who or what is the subject of justice-beyond-human varies widely: Some limit the subject to sentient animals, others include all living things. We argue for a more expansive subject that includes both living and non-living matter. We claim that privileging living/life is an anthropocentric categorisation embedded in the foundational epistemologies and ontologies driving environmental damages, resource conflicts and mass extinction. An exclusion of matter from concerns of justice ignores multiple fundamental more-than-human relationships in humans’ every-day material lives. We argue that the subject of planetary justice must be expansive – addressing sentient or not, living or not, animal, vegetable, mineral, and elemental – to be inclusive, applied, plural, and sustainable.

An increase in temperature under the shared socioeconomic scenarios in the Volta River Basin, West Africa: implications for economic development

Abstract This study examined the temperature variations in West Africa's Volta River Basin (VRB) from 2021 to 2050 in comparison to the historical period (1985–2014) under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathway Scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Datasets from three Global Climate Models (GCMs) of the sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) were used. The GCMs and their ensemble were evaluated on a monthly scale. The study used the ensemble mean to analyse the changes in annual and monthly temperature over the Sahel, Savannah, Guinea Coast, and the entire Volta basin. The results demonstrate the individual GCMs reproduced the observed temperature pattern at the VRB, though with some overestimations, but the ensemble mean indicated a better representation of the observed temperature. A warming trend in the basin is projected under both climate scenarios, with higher temperatures projected under SSP5-8.5 compared to SSP2-4.5 in all three zones. The mean annual temperature is projected to increase by 0.8 and 1.0 °C, with a statistically increasing trend under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, respectively. Without a doubt, high temperatures, if unchecked, can erupt into resource conflict among the competing interest groups, thereby affecting the achievement of economic development at the VRB.

Natural resources governance and conflicts: Retrospective analysis

Rapid increases in natural resources globally during the 1970s have had far-reaching environmental consequences. The rising exploitation of environmental assets has progressively detrimental societal effects. Therefore, the current study aims to identify the nexus between natural resources and governance conflicts while assessing the role of governance in natural resource management. The results identify three significant categories of governance challenges (associated with capacity, connectivity, and knowledge) and three domains of good governance (effectiveness, involvement, and efficiency). The results highlighted that developing countries would likely need more decision-making power, financial and human resources, leadership on crucial resource challenges, and conflict resolution mechanisms. On the contrary, research into natural resource management governance structures in industrialized countries has often shown problems with policy clarity and the alignment of stakeholder institutions' goals and aims. The study adds to the existing literature by summarizing new organizational capacities and governance frameworks essential for better natural resource management.

Model and Simulation of Benefit Distribution of Collaborative Cooperation in the Supply Chain of General Contracting Projects

In the supply chain of general contracting projects, there are many participating entities, which can easily lead to conflicts of interest and resources. In order to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of general contractors and subcontractors, achieve stability, maximize the benefits of the supply chain system, and improve the operational efficiency of the supply chain, it is necessary to design a scientifically reasonable mechanism for benefit distribution to coordinate the relationships between all members. This paper takes the general contractor and subcontractor in the supply chain of the general contracting project as the research objects and uses the Cobb–Douglas function to establish the benefit distribution model of the cooperation between the two in the supply chain system and analyzes the benefit distribution problem of the one-time cooperation and multiple cooperation between the two parties in the two decision-making modes of egoism and collectivism. The results show that in the case of one-time cooperation between general contractors and subcontractors, regardless of the decision mode, the degree of effort of both parties is positively related to their contributions and negatively related to each other’s contributions; the overall benefit of the supply chain system is positively proportional to the degree of contribution of the general contractor and inversely proportional to the share of benefit distribution of the subcontractor. In multiple cooperation, the equilibrium result of both parties achieving Pareto optimality at each stage is that both parties choose to cooperate.

Patterns of Electoral Violence During Côte D’Ivoire’s Third-Term Crisis

Abstract Almost a decade after the 2011 post-electoral crisis, Côte d’Ivoire once again held elections marred by widespread violence. The third-term crisis revolved around President Alassane Ouattara’s controversial third-term bid and left at least 83 people dead and 633 people injured. This briefing draws on a new electoral violence dataset and field research to unpack patterns of violence during the crisis, and disentangles disruptive electoral violence related to the opposition’s campaign to thwart the election from incidental electoral violence related to the overall electoral tension. The findings show that incidental violence was far deadlier than disruptive violence, yet only tenuously related to the national political divide. This incidental violence was often driven by pre-existing local resource conflicts, revenge, rumours and disinformation, and elite manipulation. The briefing contributes new knowledge on the local drivers of electoral violence in Côte d’Ivoire, and cautions that viewing local communities only as victims of elite rivalries can make decision-makers overlook important risk factors.

Analysis of the Effect of Conflict and Work Stress on the Performance of Employees of PT Perkebunan ABC Asahan

PT Perkebunan ABC is always encouraged to be able to achieve targets and increase the productivity of its employees. The problem in this study is whether conflict and work stress affect the performance of PT Perkebunan ABC employees with the hypothesis being conflict and work stress affect the performance of PT Perkebunan ABC employees. The theories used in this study are Human Resource Management (HRM), conflict management and organizational behavior related to conflict, work stress and employee performance. The purpose of this study is to determine what factors influence conflict and work stress on the performance of PT Perkebunan ABC employees and formulate managerial policies that can be implied in order to improve employee performance. This research is in the form of correlational research with a research population of 749 people, all of whom are Executive Employees. The analytical method used in this study is the Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis method. The results showed that conflict was the most dominant factor affecting the performance of PT Perkebunan ABC employees. The conclusion of this study is that the most dominant factor affecting the performance of Executive Employees (Karpel) at PT Perkebunan ABC Asahan is conflict with the magnitude of the influence reaching 91%.

Resource-efficient protection scheme for optical service units in fifth-generation fixed networks

One of the visions of fifth-generation fixed networks (F5G) is to provide a guaranteed reliable experience (GRE). Optical transport networks (OTNs) represent a primary candidate technology to offer high-quality bandwidth in F5G and hence to support GRE. Unfortunately, current OTN technologies provide large-bandwidth tunnels for carrying aggregated (typically, Ethernet) traffic, and corresponding protection techniques in OTNs consume a lot of resources. The emergence of a new technology called an optical service unit (OSU), which subdivides the payload block of traditional optical data units into smaller units, allows for the development of more flexible and resource-efficient protection schemes. In this paper, we propose a new resource-efficient protection scheme for OSU-based OTNs called OSU protection (OSU-P), with the aim to save network resources while providing individual customized protection for each single user. OSU-P only reserves small-bandwidth protection/backup connections for protected services; then, when a failure occurs, the protection bandwidth is adjusted to the bandwidth required by the service during the switching process. This scheme can save a significant amount of network resources, but it may encounter resource conflicts between the protected services and other preemptable services after a failure occurs. Hence, we also propose a deterministic protection algorithm and a preemptable service provisioning algorithm based on overlapping risk avoidance, which can ensure successful recovery switching of protected services and the least impact on preemptable unprotected services after a network failure occurs. Simulation results show that, compared with traditional 1+1 and 1:1 protection schemes, OSU-P can reduce spare resources allocated for protection by about 30% and 11%, respectively, and reduce the blocking rate by about 27% and 10%, respectively. The performance of the proposed algorithms in terms of the percentage of unsuccessful protection and affected preemptable services is also verified.

Stability analysis for scheduled air traffic flow

PurposeModeling and system performance analysis play an important role in the planning of air traffic system. In particular, this paper aims to concentrate on the modeling and the performance evaluation of air transportation system.Design/methodology/approachIt has shown that system matrices inherent in the airspace network can be acquired based on the service times of flights. This paper deals with a logical modeling which can avoid temporal synchronization conflict of resources. As a result, a class of queuing system is investigated to obtain a representation of the airspace network dynamics using dioid model.FindingsThe analysis of the air traffic system is conducted by solving the system state model. This indicates that it is feasible to use eigenvalues of system model for acquiring characteristics of the considered air transport systems.Practical implicationsThe departure scheduling prototype presented in this paper can offer air traffic controller a decision support tool to build optimal departure sequences for aircraft.Originality/valueThe properties of max-plus algebra described allow us to apply linear algebra concepts like eigenvalue and eigenvectors to obtain a solution to the air traffic system being modeled. By solving and analyzing the dioid model, this paper evaluated some performance measures of airspace network.