Economic Reasons Research Articles

Introduction to the Investigation of reproduction of the real geometry of UBM panels

The article concisely describes UBM technology (Ultimate Building Machine), that can be used as a solution for buildings and roof structures. The structure of this technology is made of double corrugated thin-walled steel profiles manufactured on the construction site by a self-contained UBM manufacturing factory on wheels. These panels serve as both the building envelope and the structural system. The specificity of the construction poses many design problems, especially the determination of the strength parameters and stiffness of the double-corrugated panels from which the structure is made. The article presents the results of spatial scanning tests of double-corrugated steel sheets, which were carried out using commonly available 3D scanning devices: Leica 3D Disto and MagiScan app. Additionally, results of numerical analyses performed on scanned samples and a comparison of these results with preliminary laboratory tests have been presented in the article. The purpose of scanning was to obtain an accurate and real geometry of the UBM panels, to implement it into a numerical software, and then to perform numerical analyses. Commonly available 3D scanning devices were used because using advanced 3D scanners is not popular nowadays for economic reasons, and hand-built geometric models pose a lot of problems and are not accurate enough. Promising results were obtained, which form the basis for further research.

The Clash between China’s High-Tech Industry versus the Chinese Government

China is experiencing a severe clash between its central government, the Chinese Communist Party, and its high-tech industry. While the Chinese government needs to expand and diversify its economy, it is attempting to impose stifling controls on the industry that could bring this to fruition. There are political, social, and economic reasons for this clash. But, most importantly, the clash between the Chinese government and the high-tech industry will most definitely affect the country’s economic future at a time when such factors as its gross domestic product and employment situation cannot afford a serious contraction. The aim and purpose of this article is to examine the numerous implications of China’s clash between its government and its high-tech industry.

Performance Indicators for Improving Irrigation Management in Aegean District

Water is vital for agriculture and its effective use has become imperative. The largest share of freshwater use in the world is in the agricultural sector with a rate of approximately 70%. Therefore, the evaluation of irrigation schemes is of great importance. In Turkiye, irrigation schemes are managed and distributed by organizations such as water user associations, municipalities, and irrigation cooperatives. In Türkiye, irrigation schemes with an service area of 500 ha or more are managed by water user associations. In this study, Ahmetli, Salihli and Menemen water user associations’ irrigation schemes, where the Gediz River is used as a water source, were chosen as materials. The selected irrigation schemes service area constitutes 60% of the total service area in the region (DSI (General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works) 2nd Region(Aegean region)). The service area of Ahmetli irrigation scheme is 50,532 ha, 22,797 ha in Salihli and 22,865 ha in Menemen. The main crop pattern of the irrigation area is vineyards, corn and cotton. These irrigation schemes were evaluated using performance indicators such as water supply, irrigation rate, and amount of irrigation water used per unit area. The raw data sets obtained from DSI cover the years 2007 and 2021. As a result, when looking at the average performance, relative water supply, irrigation rate and amount of irrigation water used per unit area were found to be 0.70, 57.99 and 7682.45 m3 ha-1, respectively. Although 70% of the irrigation water need can be met with the water diversion to the system, the irrigation ratio was approximately 58% indicating the problems in transferring water to the system and the irrigation techniques used by farmers on the field are not modern. In addition, the main reasons for the unirrigated areas, are social and economic reasons (137 ha in the Menemen WUA) and the lack of water supply in the Salihli and Ahmetli WUAs, respectively, 2319 ha and 11320 ha cannot be irrigated, respectively. Modernization seems inevitable for more effective use of our water resources. The most effective techniques in this modernization are land consolidation, renewal of irrigation channels, extension and consultancy services to farmers, and making water fees according to volume can be counted.

The Impact of Terrorism on Tourism Development in the Republic of Kosovo

In the last twenty years, tourism has faced many terrorist attacks or similar crises, so we can ask the question of what is the connection between terrorism and tourism, how does all this affect global tourism. The targets of terrorist attacks in a certain tourist destination can vary, starting from small objects to complex tourist infrastructure, and the basis of the attacks can be political, economic, religious, or other reasons. This research has special theoretical and practical importance for the development of tourism in Kosovo, but from the aspect of the impact of terrorism on tourism, with special reference to the Republic of Kosovo as a tourist destination. Research related to the impact of terrorism on tourism in the Republic of Kosovo will help us to understand, in essence, the negative effects that terrorism can have on the development of tourism in this country. From this research, we are expected to get to know the most important aspects of terrorism and tourism in modern conditions, but also with the legislation in this field and how it can help prevent terrorist acts in tourist facilities in Kosovo.

Synergistic Reinforcing Effect of Hazelnut Shells and Hydrotalcite on Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foam Composites

Recently, the development of composite materials from agricultural and forestry waste has become an attractive area of research. The use of bio-waste is beneficial for economic and environmental reasons, adapting it to cost effectiveness and environmental sustainability. In the presented study, the possibility of using hazelnut shell (HS) and hydrotalcite (HT) mineral filler was investigated. The effects of fillers in the amount of 10 wt.% on selected properties of polyurethane composites, such as rheological properties (dynamic viscosity, processing times), mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, hardness), insulating properties (thermal conductivity), and flame-retardant properties (e.g., ignition time, limiting oxygen index, peak heat release), were investigated. Polyurethane foams containing fillers have been shown to have better performance properties compared to unmodified polyurethane foams. For example, the addition of 10 wt% of hydrotalcite filler leads to PU composite foams with improved compression strength (improvement by ~20%), higher flexural strength (increase of ~38%), and comparable thermal conductivity (0.03055 W m–1 K–1 at 20 °C). Moreover, the incorporation of organic fillers has a positive effect on the fire resistance of PU materials. For example, the results from the cone calorimeter test showed that the incorporation of 10 wt% of hydrotalcite filler significantly reduced the peak of the heat release rate (pHRR) by ca. 30% compared with that of unmodified PU foam, and increased the value of the limiting oxygen index from 19.8% to 21.7%.

Agency mode selection and software competition in supply chains

AbstractAt present, many software developers work with downstream service providers to sell software and services. For political or economic reasons, foreign developers may be not allowed to sell software and services directly in the country of providers, but they can authorize their software to the providers for sale. In this study, we examine two types of IT supply chain (ITSC), namely, “Agenting Domestic Software” (Mode 1) and “Agenting Foreign Software” (Mode 2), each with a domestic developer/a foreign developer, a service provider, and client enterprises. In both modes, clients can either pay a high price to purchase software with accessorial pre‐sale service from the provider, or firsthand acquire it from the domestic developer at a low price but without pre‐sale service. We observe that in Mode 1, the domestic developer's market scale and the competition intensity of software have no effect on the domestic developer's decisions and profit; however, they have influences on the provider's decisions and profit. In Mode 2, the profits of ITSC members may increase with the intensity of software competition. When the domestic developer's market scale is small (large), and the domestic developer has (loses) the advantage of low extended‐warranty‐service (EWS) cost, Mode 1 (2) is more beneficial to the domestic developer than Mode 2 (1); however, the provider is more willing to choose Mode 2 (Mode 1). In other cases, either Mode 1 or Mode 2 may result in a win‐win situation for the domestic developer and provider.

Rationale for Terrorism Offences: Comparative study with the provisions of Islamic Sharia

The research deals with the study of the motivating reasons for the commission of terrorism crimes, both at the national, regional and international levels, with a comparative study with the provisions of the Islamic Sharia on this crime. The research showed that there are political, economic, social, intellectual and other reasons that lead to the commission of these crimes and even increase their spread at the level of the state, the region and across the world. The study relied on the descriptive, analytical and comparative approach to reach the desired goal of preparing this research. The study reached a set of results, the most important of which is that the disintegration and lack of cohesion of society may be one of the important reasons for the occurrence of international terrorist crimes. The study also proposed a number of recommendations, the most important of which is the need to work from international and regional bodies to prevent and combat the causes of the occurrence of international terrorist crime.

Bacterial contamination of hospital-prepared enteral tube feeding formulas in Kerman, Iran

Background: Blenderized feedings continue to be used in most parts of Iran, mostly due to economic and cultural reasons. The most important problem of this kind of food is bacterial contamination. Materials and Methods: 54 samples were taken at the first and the last time of their giving to patients from blenderized food. Furthermore, 10 samples were collected from the commercial brand Fresubin® in the same way. Samples were brought to the laboratory and analyzed for the presence of some microbial pathogens. Results: Citrobacter diversus, Enterobacter cloacae, E.coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus sp, Klebsiella oxytoca, Hafnia alvei, Serratia sp, Shigella sonnei were identified from blenderized feeding. The mean bacterial contamination of 54 samples that were collected from 3 intensive care units was 5/5×106 CFU/ml. Bacterial contamination of commercial food was obtained less than 1 organism/ml. According to these results, there are significant differences between these foods. Commercial foods are the best choice for feeding patients in the hospital. Conclusion: The results indicated that a majority of the blenderized enteral tube feedings in those hospitals are not safe. In comparison to the standard limits, these enteral tube feedings are highly contaminated and pose a substantial risk of developing a foodborne disease or nosocomial infection.

Geostatistical Inversion of Frequency-Domain Electromagnetic Data for Near Surface Modelling

The detailed characterization of near-surface deposits is important for both environmental and economic reasons. These shallow subsurface systems can be very complex and heterogenous due to natural dynamics and anthropogenic interferences. Modeling techniques based exclusively on direct sampling generate limited informed three-dimensional models of the near-surface. Geophysical methods provide valuable and additional information to model the spatial distribution of the near-surface for locations where direct observations are not available. From this set of methods, frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM) has been successfully applied to image complex near-surface deposits. Yet, predicting the spatial distribution of relevant subsurface properties from geophysical data, and the integration of direct observations, is not straightforward. It requires solving a challenging geophysical inversion problem. Geostatistical modelling tools have been effectively applied to couple direct observations with geophysical data such as seismic reflection. We propose an iterative geostatistical FDEM inversion method able to integrate data from direct measurements of the near-surface with surface loop-loop FDEM measurements to simultaneously predict high-resolution models of electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility, and their associated uncertainty. The iterative geostatistical inversion method is based on stochastic sequential simulation and co-simulation as model perturbation and update techniques. The iterative optimization is based on the local data misfit between observed and simulated FDEM data, weighted by the sensitivity of the acquisition equipment. The proposed method is first demonstrated for a synthetic landfill data set created based on real data collected at a mine tailing disposal site in Portugal, and on a real data set collected at a site with archaeological features in Knowlton, UK. The results show the ability of the proposed method to accurately predict and characterize the spatial distribution of electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility down to the depth of interest while reproducing the recorded FDEM data.

Influence of N- and/or P-restriction on bone metabolism in young goats.

Ruminants can recycle nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which are essential for vital body processes. Reduced N- and P-intake in ruminants is desirable for economic and ecologic reasons. Simultaneous modulation of mineral homoeostasis and bone metabolism occurs in young goats. This study aimed to investigate potential effects of dietary N- and/or P-restriction on molecular changes in bone metabolism. The twenty-eight young male goats were fed a control diet, an N-reduced diet, a P-reduced diet or a combined N- and P-reduced diet for 6-8 weeks. The N-restricted goats had lower plasma Ca concentration and higher plasma osteocalcin (OC) and CrossLaps concentrations. The P-restricted goats had reduced plasma inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations and increased plasma Ca concentrations. Due to the initiation of a signalling pathway that inhibits the fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) expression, this was lower with P-restriction. Consequently, lower Pi concentrations were the main factor influencing the reduction in FGF23. The changes in mineral homoeostasis associated with P-restriction led to a reduction in OC, bone mineral content and mineral density. Simultaneously, bone resorption potentially increased with P-restriction as indicated by an increased receptor activator of NF-κB ligand/osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratio and an increase in OPG mRNA expression. Additionally, the increased mRNA expression of the calcitonin receptor during P-restriction points to a higher number of osteoclasts. This study demonstrates an impairment of bone remodelling processes in young goats by N- or P-restriction. With P-restriction, bone mineralisation rate was potentially reduced and bone quality impaired, while with N-restriction, bone remodelling increased.

Examining the Impact of Socio-economic, Demographic and Policy Factors on Reverse Migration in India During COVID-19 Pandemic

This article examines the factors that determined ‘reverse migration’ of households from urban locations in India in the aftermath of a series of lockdowns that followed the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Positioning reverse migration as a coping strategy to ameliorate negative consequences of loss of livelihood, food shortages and loss of shelter in urban India, this article examines the factors that led to the utilization of this strategy in the aftermath of lockdown during the pandemic outbreak. The article also tests whether returning to hinterland persisted after the period of lockdowns. The lockdowns had exacerbated living conditions for urban poor. Migration to rural areas continued despite various policies and programmes that the national and state governments instituted to counter the negative impact of lockdowns, particularly on low-income households. Examining the socio-economic, demographic and policy factors, this article provides evidence that family support and rural social institutions such as self-help groups played a crucial role in providing support system during pandemic even to those who migrated back from urban areas. Government programmes such as Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and access to public distribution system were also important for reverse migrants. An important result is that the first wave of reverse migration was due to family and emotional reasons that arose because of lockdowns, the second wave of migration was for economic reasons as households continued to struggle in urban areas, and the migration during the third wave was a usual seasonal migration.

Comparative analyses of bacterial contamination and microbiome of broiler carcasses in wet market and industrial processing environments

The slaughtering environment is crucial for the food hygiene and safety of poultry products. Despite the global dominance of industrial processing, live bird slaughtering in wet markets persists due to cultural, religious, and economic reasons. This study aims to reveal the correlation between hygiene scales in wet markets and bacterial contamination levels on broiler carcasses, with a particular focus on pathobiont transmission risks and microbiome characteristics. Wet markets were categorized based on home-made ratings and the Hygiene and Biosecurity Assessment Tool (HABT). The study assessed total aerobic bacterial (TAB) levels, food spoilage and hygiene indicators (Pseudomonas and E. coli), foodborne pathogen Salmonella, and the microbiome of broiler carcasses, intestinal contents, and slaughtering facilities. Comparative analyses were conducted between market and industrial processing environments. TAB levels on broiler carcasses showed a significant negative correlation with hygiene scores, indicating that both HABT and home-made rating tools effectively assess and improve processing hygiene. Industrial processing consistently reduced bacterial contamination compared to wet markets. Although Salmonella spp. prevalence was lower in market-processed carcasses, the study identified significant cross-transmission of pathobionts and variations in bacterial composition with hygiene improvements. Notably, the microbiome analysis revealed overlaps in amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) between carcasses and contamination vectors, highlighting pathobiont transmission risks. The present study confirmed the scales of hygiene standards among wet markets reflect bacterial contamination on broiler carcasses. Enhancing slaughter practices to meet industrial hygiene standards is essential for reducing the transmission of foodborne pathogens and pathobionts, and improving food safety.

“In a moment of supreme discomfort.” An Analysis of Female Suicides Through the Press in Trieste in the Post-war Transition (1918-1922).

The goal of this essay is to investigate from a gender perspective, through articles in the local press, the phenomenon of female suicides in Trieste during the transitional phase following WWI (1918-1922). This was due to a period of abrupt changes: political, administrative, and economic. In addition, hope for a better future and anxiety had been dashed with the increase in poverty and the rampant violence that swept through the city. In Triste in 1920 for the first time the number of female suicides exceeded the number of male suicides. Based on the judgments made in the press, three macro categories have been identified into which we can place the suicides: the “comprese” (understood) that committed or attempted suicides were considered to be socially acceptable, or at least justified, in so far as that they related to economic reasons, health or familial grief; those considered to be linked to “frivolous motives” and condemned by bourgeois morality because they were connected to matters of romance and family conflict; and finally, those of sex workers (prostitute), about whom open criticisms were put forward, as they were seen as a natural and physiological consequence of life in the brothels.

Simultaneous seismic interpolation and statics estimation of land data

Imaging and inversion of land seismic data affected by complex weathering layers near the surface are challenging. When the data are additionally subsampled for economical reasons such as monitoring of sequestrated carbon dioxide and hydrogen, the problem is further exacerbated due to the combined influence of subsampling and weathering layers. On the one hand, interpolation performs poorly since the weathering layers reduce the data's coherency. On the other hand, near-surface corrections require knowledge of the subsurface model, separation between primaries and multiples as well as subsurface velocity estimation, which are difficult to perform from subsampled data. To overcome these hurdles, we combine seismic interpolation and statics estimation into a joint single rank-reduction-based algorithm. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this has been done. The proposed method simultaneously accounts for the weathering and subsampling effects, which both contribute to the low-rank structure destruction typically associated with statics-free densely-sampled data, to provide accurate reconstruction. Since a low-rank approximation is used for statics estimation, we also use it in rank-minimization interpolation as a cost-free initial solution to the optimization problem. As both statics estimation and interpolation operate in the midpoint-offset domain, we avoid the cost of transformations back and forth from the source-receiver to midpoint-offset transform domain. Consequently, the proposed reconstruction, which shows its potential on synthetic and field data is also computationally efficient.

Hosts’ acceptance of tourist and trip experience in Ghana

ABSTRACT There is little empirical understanding of tourists’ feelings of acceptance and how this shape their experiences at destinations. Using the Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory and interviews with 34 international tourists in 2018, this study examines international tourists’ feelings of acceptance in Ghana. The results show that while most of the tourists felt accepted, some felt unaccepted by the residents. Acceptance is underpinned by social, cultural, and economic reasons, while unacceptance is due to the display of undesirable behaviour, cultural differences and lack of respect for the local way of life. Acceptance enhanced the overall trip experience of the tourists, while unacceptance diminished their trip experience. The implications of these findings in terms of host-guest relationships are discussed.

The Illusion of a Green Transition in Slovenia by 2050

This study analyzes the possibilities of phasing out fossil and nuclear energy sources for Slovenia by 2050. Alternative carbon-free sources include renewable energy sources (RES) i.e. electricity, synthetic fuels and hydrogen from water electrolysis. The model is based on the use of currently mature low-carbon technologies and is adapted to Slovenia’s natural conditions. Photovoltaic panels (PV) and hydropower plants are used for the majority of renewable electricity generation. To bridge the winter period with minimal PV production, storage with a pumped storage power plant is planned. One of the assumptions of the national climate strategy has been incorporated into the model, which envisages zero growth in final energy consumption by 2050. The result of the paper is an assessment of what some of the basic characteristics of the Slovenian energy system would look like after the phase-out of fossil and nuclear energy sources. The estimated storage capacity required is 5.1 MWh/capita. Abandoning fossil fuels with the currently mature RES technologies is not realistically feasible for technical and economic reasons.

Monitoring equity in the delivery of health services: a Delphi process to select healthcare equity indicators.

Health equity is a key component of quality of care and an objective for a growing number of quality improvement projects for deontological, ethical, public health and economic reasons. To monitor equity in the delivery of health services in Switzerland, there is a need to implement valid, measurable and actionable equity indicators, along with vulnerability stratifiers such as migrant status, which could lead to differences in quality of care. The aim of this study was to develop a set of healthcare equity indicators and stratifiers targeting inpatient and outpatient populations and to test their feasibility. A scoping literature review and inputs from a national interprofessional expert taskforce provided a set of indicators and vulnerability stratifiers. The most valid and measurable indicators and stratifiers were retained using a Delphi process. They were then operationalised, and their implementation tested in three Swiss hospitals from the three language regions. A taskforce of 18 experts, including a patient representative, selected 11 indicators that evaluate structures, processes and outcomes, and five vulnerability stratifiers. Although most indicators and stratifiers could be implemented in all three hospitals, data availability was limited for some variables, including patient satisfaction and access to interpreters for foreign-language patients. The equity indicators and stratifiers identified by this two-stage process have content validity, wide patient coverage and are focused on inequities in the healthcare system that are actionable through improvement projects. Both the indicators and the project methodology could be replicated in institutions aiming for more equitable care.

Improving the rheological and thermal stability of water-based drilling fluids by incrementing xanthan gum concentration

Water-based drilling fluids (WBDF) are often used over oil-based drilling fluids due to economic reasons and environmental regulations. Bentonite-free WBDF is preferred to aid in the reduction of formation damage. In many cases, this WBDF is formulated with xanthan gum. The performance of drilling operations is mainly affected by the drilling fluid formulation. The complex interactions among polymer concentration, thermal, and shear histories influence the rheological behavior of drilling fluids. The present study aims to analyze the effects of xanthan gum concentration on the rheological behavior of water-based drilling fluids. The experimental results performed in rotational rheometers revealed a relationship between concentration, yield stress, and thixotropic phenomena. The increase in xanthan gum concentration not only enhances the stability of the drilling fluid, allowing for more prolonged process interruptions without risking the fluid degradation but also improves the thermal stability of the sample. These findings show that the concentration of xanthan gum improves water-based drilling fluids' rheological and thermal stability.

Toward a Symmetrical Global History of Technology: The Adoption of Chlorination in Bogotá, London, and Jersey City, 1900-1920.

This article discusses how the notion of "diffusionism" has functioned as a straw man in the history of technology. This has prevented it from becoming fully global and symmetrical. In contrast, the second section of this article offers an example of what a symmetrical account of the global history of technology might look like, using the case of chlorination in the early twentieth century. Focusing on London, Bogotá, and Jersey City, it shows that chlorination was initially rejected in each of these places but was later adopted in all of them for economic reasons after discussions that took the same form. It concludes by suggesting that global histories of technology must treat North and South, East and West, center and periphery, and metropole and colony symmetrically, drawing out similarities and differences based on the available evidence without assuming them in advance.

Educational Migration to Kyrgyzstan: Trends and Prospects

Educational migration in Kyrgyzstan has its own socio-demographic structure, which may vary depending on a number of factors, such as age, gender, nationality, educational level, etc. One of the main trends of educational migration to Kyrgyzstan is the increase in the number of students from neighboring countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, as well as the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus. This is due to both economic reasons and historical ties and cultural similarities between these countries. Educational migration to Kyrgyzstan from India, Pakistan and other countries has its own socio-demographic structure, which differs from educational migration from other countries. One of the main factors that stimulates educational migration is the lack of quality education in the home country. Many students seek to get an education in the West, where it is considered to be of higher quality and prestigious. In addition, educational migration can be caused by the desire to improve prospects in the labor market and get a highly paid job abroad. The forecast of educational migration in Kyrgyzstan is given. The author believes that there will be a positive trend in the development of educational migration in Kyrgyzstan, which will have a positive impact on the economy of Kyrgyzstan. The developed recommendations for improving the education management system in the Kyrgyz Republic contribute to the promotion and implementation of educational services aimed at students.