Environmental Efficiency Research Articles

Real-Time Industrial Data Analysis and Visualization

In the era of Industry 4.0, real-time data monitoring and analysis have become essential for enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making in industrial environments. This project focuses on the development of a comprehensive system for visualizing and analyzing real-time industrial data using a DHT11 sensor, which measures temperature and humidity. The collected data is transmitted and visualized through a dynamic web interface built on MyPHPAdmin, enabling users to access and interpret data seamlessly. The visualization aspect of the project aims to present the data in an intuitive format, allowing stakeholders to monitor environmental conditions effectively. Following the visualization phase, the data will undergo thorough analysis using advanced tools like Tableau and Excel, providing insights into patterns, trends, and anomalies in the industrial setting. This project not only demonstrates the integration of hardware and software technologies for real-time data management but also emphasizes the importance of data visualization and analysis in optimizing industrial processes. Ultimately, it serves as a foundation for further research and development in the field of industrial automation and data-driven decision-making.

Development of a simple, low-cost, blue light-emitting diode illuminator for hands-on training of DNA detection experiments using agarose gel electrophoresis.

DNA detection by agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) is commonly used in molecular biology. AGE is a separation method that provides opportunities for students to learn about the topology and size of DNA molecules. Recently, several fluorescent dyes have been used for DNA staining owing to their convenience, safety, reduced toxicity, and high sensitivity. A blue light-emitting diode (LED) transilluminator is required to detect DNA using fluorescent dyes; however, the associated high cost may limit its availability in classrooms or small laboratories. Therefore, we have designed a simple, low-cost blue LED illuminator to enable easy assembly for instructors and students. We evaluated the performance of the proposed illuminator by observing fluorescent dye-stained DNA markers using AGE, revealing clear DNA marker bands. Despite its limited functionality, the ease of construction and affordability of the proposed illuminator make it sufficient for hands-on molecular biology training in classrooms, thereby enhancing the learning environment and educational efficiency.

The Possibility of Environmentally Sustainable Yield and Quality Management of Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) of the Cornetto Variety When Using Sapropel Extract

Sustainable development is one of the main directions of modern agriculture. First of all, sustainability in the agricultural sector can be achieved through the possible abandonment of traditional mineral fertilizers. Many decades of using these fertilizers have led to the degradation of arable soils and to soil and environmental pollution. As a result, this causes reductions in yields and the environmental quality of agricultural products and affects the health of the population. An alternative to traditional mineral fertilizers may be the use of innovative organomineral fertilizers obtained from local resources. These include manure, humus, compost, sediments, etc. In recent years, fertilizers obtained from the sapropels of the bottom sediments of lakes have become widespread. Their distinctive feature is the environmental friendliness and completeness of the content of chemical elements and substances necessary for the development and growth of plants. In addition, the methods of obtaining and applying these fertilizers allow us to talk about their effectiveness in use. The range of applications of these fertilizers is diverse, from use in the form of a dry extract applied directly to the soil to the use of liquid suspensions used at various stages of processing and from pre-sowing seed treatment to watering and spraying plants at different periods of vegetation. Moreover, an important aspect is the research work on the variational use of sapropel fertilizers on different crops, with different methods of production and concentrations and at different stages of processing. This publication contains the results of a study of the effect of the obtained innovative sapropel fertilizer on productivity, wheat grain quality, and economic efficiency (Triticum aestivum L.). To identify the optimal concentration of sapropel extract, laboratory studies were carried out to determine the germination energy and germination of wheat seeds of different varieties when they were soaked in various concentrations: 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, and 2.0 g/L. The best indicators of germination energy and germination of wheat seeds during treatment with the extract were obtained at a concentration of 1.2 g/L. The research was conducted at an accredited variety testing laboratory. A field experiment was conducted in the fields of the agrobiological station of North Kazakhstan University named after Manash Kozybayev. The treatment of the seeds was carried out by soaking them in sapropel extract to evenly distribute the substance. The scheme of the field experiment included the option of using foliar treatment with a solution of sapropel extract at the tillering stage. As a result of the application of the obtained extract in the field, environmental and socio-economic efficiency was noted. The conducted field studies note its positive effect and effectiveness on the morphological, qualitative, and quantitative indicators of the wheat harvest. In the areas where wheat seeds were pretreated, as well as where foliar treatment with the resulting sapropel suspension was carried out, the best yield indicators were revealed. In these variants of the experiment with pre-sowing and pre-sowing and foliar treatment with the sapropel extract solution, the yield was 3.63 and 3.81 tons per hectare, respectively. The introduction of sapropel extract at the stage of seed treatment before sowing, as well as foliar processing of wheat at the tillering stage, will increase the efficiency and profitability of the agricultural industry and obtain a synergistic effect in the form of socio-economic efficiency and environmental safety of production. In our opinion, this will contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture and the production of environmental products.

Environmental Efficiency of Municipalities in the Araguaia River Valley in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil: an Approach Via Data Envelopment Analysis

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental efficiency of municipalities located in the Araguaia River Valley, in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, focusing on the relationship between economic development and sustainability, aiming to identify practices that promote the conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of environmental impacts. Theoretical Framework: The text addresses concepts of sustainable development and sustainability, highlighting important distinctions between them. It highlights the relevance of urban planning, in association with the Sustainable Development Goals, as a tool for including environmental factors in promoting environmental quality and the well-being of communities. In this sense, the rational use of natural resources appears to be a preponderant and essential factor in ensuring sustainability and promoting balanced development. Method: This is a qualitative and quantitative approach. The data were obtained through the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics website for the Gross Domestic Product variable and on the Terrabrasilis website for the deforestation variable, involving 25 municipalities in Mato Grosso, in the Araguaia river basin. Based on the data, the R software was used to process the information, using a mathematical model based on Data Envelopment Analysis. Results and Discussion: The results showed a low level of environmental efficiency in the VRS model, with average values of 0.25762 (2017), 0.21655 (2018), 0.36978 (2019), 0.214396 (2020) and 0.28803 (2021). A minority of municipalities were highlighted in environmental efficiency, indicating that they are located on the DEA production frontier, pointing to a balance between environmental protection and economic growth. The success of the municipalities that stood out demonstrates the importance of planning, social mobilization and commitment, it is possible to reverse or minimize the scenario of environmental degradation. Research Implications: The study points to the need for public policies aimed at improving the environmental efficiencies of municipalities that showed lower performance, especially minimizing deforestation. Originality/Value: The originality of the study focuses on the importance of studies aimed at measuring environmental efficiency in the municipalities that make up the cerrado, highlighting the importance of preserving and conserving this biome.

Evaluation of Rural Environmental Governance Efficiency and Influencing Factors in the Yangtze River Delta Region under the Goal of “Dual Carbon”

In the face of deteriorating ecological problems such as pollution from agricultural production, pollution from farmers' lives, and pollution from township industries in the Yangtze River Delta region, as well as the plight of an imperfect rural environmental governance system and insufficient governance capacity, there is an urgent need to set up a comprehensive assessment system for the efficiency of rural environmental governance, improve the rural environmental governance system, and modernize the capacity of environmental governance. This project will firstly sort out the research results of rural environmental governance at home and abroad, and systematically analyze the theory of rural environmental governance; secondly, analyze the spatial changes of environmental pollution in rural areas during different periods, and analyze the efficiency of environmental governance in the rural areas of the Yangtze River Delta in different dimensions; finally, analyze the influencing factors of the efficiency of rural environmental governance under the constraints of the target of “double carbon”, and analyze the factors of economic development, economic development, and the impacts on the efficiency of rural environmental governance. Finally, we analyze the influencing factors of rural environmental governance efficiency under the constraint of the “double carbon” goal, and analyze the impacts of economic development, policy formulation, villagers' motivation and other factors on rural environmental governance efficiency. The results of this study provide an important reference for further promoting the realization of the dual-carbon goal and scientific environmental governance in the Yangtze River Delta region, and also provide a strong case study and reference for environmental governance strategies in other regions.

Organic matter processing by heterotrophic bacterioplankton in a large tropical river: Relating elemental composition and potential carbon mineralization.

River hydrology shapes the sources, concentration, and stoichiometry of organic matter within drainage basins. However, our understanding of how the microbes process dissolved organic matter (DOM) and recycle nutrients in tropical rivers needs to be improved. This study explores the relationships between elemental DOM composition (carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus: C/N/P), C and N uptake, and C mineralization by autochthonous bacterioplankton in the Usumacinta River, one of the most important fluvial systems in Mexico. Our study investigated changes in the composition and concentration of DOM and evaluated carbon dioxide (CO2)production rates (C-CO2) through laboratory experiments. We compared three sites representing the middle and lower river basins, including their transitional zones, during the rainy and dry seasons. After incubation (120 h at 25°C), the DOM decreased between 25% and 89% of C content. Notably, the initial high proportion of C in DOM in samples from the middle-forested zone and the transition led to elevated C-CO2 rates (>10 mg l-1 day-1), in contrast to the lower initial C proportion and subsequent C-CO2 rates (<7 mg l-1 day-1) in the lower river basin. We also found that dissolved organic carbon uptake and NO3- and NH4+ production were higher during the dry season than in the rainy season. The low water flow in the river during the dry season accentuated the differences in elemental composition and microbial processing of DOM among the sites, while the high water flow of the rainy season homogenized these factors. Our findings indicate that microbial metabolism operates with reduced efficiency in C-rich environments like forests, particularly when faced with high C/N and C/P ratios in DOM. This study highlights the influence of the tropical hydrological regime (rainy and dry seasons) and the longitudinal changes in the river basin (middle and lower) topography and land cover on microbial metabolism by constraining DOM characteristics, emphasizing the crucial role of elemental ratios in river DOM processing.

The nexus of industrial employment, financial development, urbanization, and human capital in promoting environmental sustainability in E7 economies

ABSTRACT Financial development supports economic growth, reduces unemployment, ensures justice, and has an impact on the environment. Human development significantly supports E-7 countries in achieving the goal of stable and qualified economic development in the next decade. This factor affects people’s ability to manage environmental problems and increases their productivity by contributing to people’s industrial and production processes. It can be a guide for states to choose technologies that take into account the clean environment and increase energy efficiency in areas where energy is constantly used. Increasing urbanization encourages various development activities. This study aims to investigate the impact of financial development, human development, urbanization, and industrial employment on environmental quality for E-7 countries with regularized common correlated effects and the Augmented Mean Group long-run estimators. Another important aim of the study is to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8, 9, 11 and 13. Increasing financial development improves environmental quality in Russia and India, according to robust results from long-run estimators. Increasing human development in China increases environmental pollution. While the expansion of urbanization increases environmental quality in Brazil, it decreases it in China. The increase in employment in the industry increases the load capacity factor in the panel group, Brazil, China, Indonesia, and India. In addition to these results, the current article presents policy recommendations for governments to increase environmental quality on a country basis and provides feasible solutions on how to use the independent variables in the study as environmental tools.

Towards a Greener Future: Sustainable Banking Practices in Bangladeshs Commercial Banks

Green Banking is nowadays the most crucial issues in the financial arena. Globally the financial institutions are trying to accord to conserve the environment. The central bank of Bangladesh also formed some policy regulations for the banks and financial institutions to gain feasible development. The prime objectives of such article toward present the current status of sustainable banking practices of commercial banks in Bangladesh. A questionnaire survey method was used to collect required data about green banking awareness, online banking, greener future, natural environment, ethical and energy efficiency, training for consumer awareness, communication transaction, solar&amp; biogas, green deposits and accounts, sustainability of banking, minimizing greenhouse effects, reducing carbon footprint from banking activities, pollution checkup camps, mitigate the risk of climate change, focuses on saving paper, debit &amp; credit cards practices on 300 employees of different commercial banks. Also secondary data was collected from various articles to learn throughout the green banking implementation. From this research it has been figured out that there is designed green banking practices of merchant banks in Bangladesh. In order to improve the degree of satisfaction, motivation of clients various programs are offered by the commercial banks. This report is not sufficient for developing any conclusion but still the report may be useful for designing any further study to evaluate the green banking facilities provided by the financial institutions in Bangladesh.

NEW ECONOMETRIC MODEL OF SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUANTIFYING THE IMPACT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SDG9 IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT

In the context of European integration, sustainable economic development in the European Union is a strategic priority. In recent years, the European Union has made progress towards sustainable development objectives, reflecting a commitment to economic growth that respects the principles of environmental protection, social equity and economic efficiency. The European Union plays an important role in shaping sustainable development policies and initiatives through legislation, directives and financial funds aimed at both protecting the environment and stimulating innovation and competitiveness. We aim to analyse the level of innovative sustainability of the European economy in relation to the European dimension of innovative sustainability using an econometric model. The methods used consist of a literature survey, database consolidation and econometric modelling. The econometric model shows that environmental taxes and raw material consumption have a negative impact on GDP per capita in the short run, while technological innovation, measured by the number of patents and R&amp;D personnel, contributes significantly to economic growth and sustainable development, underlining the need for long-term investment in human capital and green technologies to support the competitiveness and sustainability of European economies. The results of the study will lead to the formulation of European public policies on sustainable economic development regarding the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 9.

Energy Efficiency and Economic Survivance Appraisal of a 375 kWp Rooftop Solar PV System Under Hot and Dry Indian Climate

ABSTRACTIndia's rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are experiencing rapid growth due to favorable regulations. As climate change becomes a growing concern, researchers are turning their attention to the effects of weather patterns on the performance of rooftop solar panels, and also to optimize their efficiency in a changing environment. Consequently, industry players in the solar sector have been conducting performance validation and feasibility assessments of these plants. A 375 kWp rooftop PV plant is studied as a case example from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, generating 543,666 kWh annually for the grid. The NMBE and MBE were assessed using simulation tools like PVGIS and PV Watts. In addition, a cost–benefit analysis of carbon credits was conducted with and without their inclusion. The energy payback time is calculated at 4.5 years post‐inclusion. Over a 25‐year lifespan, the embodied energy of the PV plant amounts to 2,552,265 kWh. This plant can mitigate CO2 emissions annually by 10,173.57 tons which is equivalent to INR 5,464,925. The current study highlights both environmental and economic benefits by incorporating carbon credits into the project. Further advancement in simulation tools, PV technologies, climate change adaptations are expected which will improve the rooftop system efficiency with shorten pay pabck periods and maximum reductions in CO2 emissions.

Environmental Efficiency of Municipalities in the Araguaia River Valley in The State of Mato Grosso, Brazil: An Approach Via Data Envelopment Analysis

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental efficiency of municipalities located in the Araguaia River Valley, in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, focusing on the relationship between economic development and sustainability, aiming to identify practices that promote the conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of environmental impacts. Theoretical Framework: The text addresses concepts of sustainable development and sustainability, highlighting important distinctions between them. It highlights the relevance of urban planning, in association with the Sustainable Development Goals, as a tool for including environmental factors in promoting environmental quality and the well-being of communities. In this sense, the rational use of natural resources appears to be a preponderant and essential factor in ensuring sustainability and promoting balanced development. Method: This is a qualitative and quantitative approach. The data were obtained through the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics website for the Gross Domestic Product variable and on the Terrabrasilis website for the deforestation variable, involving 25 municipalities in Mato Grosso, in the Araguaia river basin. Based on the data, the R software was used to process the information, using a mathematical model based on Data Envelopment Analysis. Results and Discussion: The results showed a low level of environmental efficiency in the VRS model, with average values ​​of 0.25762 (2017), 0.21655 (2018), 0.36978 (2019), 0.214396 (2020) and 0.28803 (2021). A minority of municipalities were highlighted in environmental efficiency, indicating that they are located on the DEA production frontier, pointing to a balance between environmental protection and economic growth. The success of the municipalities that stood out demonstrates the importance of planning, social mobilization and commitment, it is possible to reverse or minimize the scenario of environmental degradation. Research Implications: The study points to the need for public policies aimed at improving the environmental efficiencies of municipalities that showed lower performance, especially minimizing deforestation. Originality/Value: The originality of the study focuses on the importance of studies aimed at measuring environmental efficiency in the municipalities that make up the cerrado, highlighting the importance of preserving and conserving this biome.

Environmental concerns and their impact on inbound tourism revenue: does the growth rate of the nation’s matter?

PurposeEnvironmental concerns are gaining traction with every passing day. Moreover, post Covid 19, similar to many sectors, the tourism sector is also trying to revive itself. Theoretically, the environment and tourism complement each other. However, empirical vetting is not adequate. This study is motivated to determine how the environment impacts tourism. In addition, the moderating influence of the growth rate of the nations on the impact of the nations on tourism is also investigated.Design/methodology/approachWe have gathered clear and balanced panel data on tourism and the environment for 106 nations for 10 years. The difficulty in measuring environment status is managed by estimating environment efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).FindingsSurprisingly, we find a significant impact of environmental efficiency on inbound tourism across the nations used in the study. Such findings are rarely observed in the earlier studies as very less studies look for the association of environmental efficiency with tourism. However, the findings are supportive of the principles of the Faro convention and ICOMOS (“International Council on Monuments and Sites”) charter to promote environmental quality for tourism attraction. The current research findings can change the future course of action regarding the environment for tourism. The findings of the study establish financial materiality for the tourism sector. These findings give a boost to the theory of sustainable tourism.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s inconsistent outcome (as the literature finds significant association) regarding the insignificant influence of GDP growth rate is a limitation of the study. The insignificant association needs to be further investigated. This limitation can be a future scope on the topic.Originality/valueThe authors do not find many studies on the environment’s impact on inbound tourism. In addition, a few studies on the topic, which exist provide contradictory outcomes. Above all, the literature does not observe the moderation of the GDP growth rate on the environment’s impact on inbound tourism. This lack of studies in literature, to the best of our knowledge, is the unique contribution of the current study.

Environmental quality in Africa and infrastructure development: The mediating impact of the knowledge economy

AbstractThe study investigates the impact of infrastructure development on environmental quality and the mediating impact of the knowledge economy in 48 African economies from 2000 to 2020. The Generalized Method of Moment is adopted to control for error term‐related problems and potential endogeneity through an instrumentation process. The following findings are established: First, Infrastructure development enhances environmental sustainability in Africa, through the reduction of greenhouse gasses. Second, it contributes to reducing CO2 emissions in liquid, solid and gaseous states of fuel consumption. These results hold after considering the infrastructure development indicators of the African Development Bank. Third, the findings further reveal that the transport, energy, water supply, and technology sectors all contribute to enhancing environmental quality. Fourth, taking into account differences in factor endowment, the findings indicate that infrastructure development helps reduce CO2 emissions in both lowly and highly endowed African countries, except for electricity and water supply in the lowly endowed economies, indicating that the development in these sectors needed to be speeded‐up to enhance environmental quality in these countries. Fifth, the findings indicate that the knowledge economy mediates with infrastructure development to promote environmental quality through the reduction CO2 emissions. The findings recommend policymakers promote infrastructure development for environmental efficiency in Africa. This is particularly enhanced through the mediation impact of the knowledge economy.

Theory of AI-driven scheduling (TAIS): a service-oriented scheduling framework by integrating theory of constraints and AI

This paper introduces the Theory of AI-driven scheduling (TAIS), an innovative framework designed to revolutionise service-oriented scheduling (In the context of this paper, ‘service-oriented’ refers to the design and execution of scheduling processes that are specifically tailored to meet the dynamic and varied needs of service-manufacturing industries. This approach emphasises adaptability, customer-centric scheduling, and the efficient allocation of resources to enhance product and service delivery.) by integrating the theory of constraints (TOC) (see APPENDIX I) with cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. TAIS extends the traditional five steps of TOC by introducing three additional layers to enhance adaptability, efficiency, and applicability in service-oriented environments. TAIS incorporates continuous monitoring and adjustment mechanisms across all five TOC steps to improve adaptability, ensuring real-time responsiveness to dynamic scheduling challenges. To enhance efficiency, TAIS integrates lifecycle management and governance into the core framework, which helps in the efficient allocation of resources throughout the scheduling process. Lastly, TAIS includes robust security and compliance measures to bolster applicability. By leveraging AI, TAIS offers a predictive, flexible, and scalable solution capable of addressing the complexities and rapid changes inherent in dynamic scheduling tasks and providing a significant leap forward in scheduling and operations management.

Prefab: New Technologies and Prospects of the Construction Industry

Statement of the problem. The main factors in the construction industry are: the cost of the project, its duration and uniqueness. Their achievement is facilitated by the currently developing pre-fabrication, the essence of which is reduced to the factory or factory manufacture of parts with their subsequent assembly into structural elements, modules and objects in general. At the same time, technologies, organization of construction and management of prefab processes have not been worked out to date. Results. A systematic review of the implementation of buildings using prefab technology with high factory readiness is proposed. An overview of modules that can be integrated into on-site projects with less waste and higher quality control compared to projects that use a traditional type of construction is provided. The difference between the prefab method and the modular assembly of a construction object is emphasized. An overview of the prefab products currently on the market is given. Conclusions. The article substantiates the directions of improving the quality of manufactured buildings inherent in prefab technologies, as well as the environmental friendliness and energy efficiency of this technology. A fragment of a BIM model with a calendar and construction schedule for the construction of a prefab house, prefab technologies used in Russia and in particular in Novosibirsk, is presented.

Factors influencing carbon and water use efficiency in changing environments

IntroductionVegetation plays a crucial role in terrestrial ecosystems, acting as a vital link connecting the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere in terms of energy flow and material cycling. Changes in surface vegetation significantly regulate the water cycle, energy flow within terrestrial surfaces, and global carbon balance.MethodsThis study focuses on nine major river basins in China to quantitatively investigate the impacts of climate factors, vegetation dynamics, and land use changes on carbon use efficiency (CUE) and water use efficiency (WUE).ResultsThe primary controlling factors of WUE trends are NDVI (average contribution: 33.75% ± 6.90%) and VPD (average contribution: 28.04% ± 3.98%). NDVI predominates in the Haihe, Yellow River, Yangtze River, Pearl River, and Songliao River basins, while shortwave radiation (Srad) dominates in the southeastern rivers and inland river areas, and humidity (Shum) in the southwestern river basins. For CUE trends, the main controlling factors are Srad (average contribution: 36.46% ± 3.40%) and precipitation (Pre) (average contribution: 26.72% ± 5.20%). NDVI negatively influences the Huaihe River and southeastern river basins, while Pre negatively influences the Songliao River and Yellow River basins, and Srad negatively influences the Huaihe and southwestern river basins. Pre predominates in the Huaihe, Songliao, Haihe, southwestern river basins, and inland river areas, while Srad predominates in the Pearl River, Yangtze River, and Yellow River basins.DiscussionClimate factors and vegetation dynamics have significant regional impacts on WUE and CUE across different river basins, especially the roles of NDVI and VPD on WUE, and Srad and precipitation on CUE. These differences underscore the importance of developing region-specific management strategies to optimize ecosystem services in each basin.

Automation in Agriculture: A Robotic Approach to Weed Control for Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation

The increasing global population has heightened the demand for efficient food production, leading to the adoption of compact cultivation methods such as greenhouses. However, weed growth within these controlled environments significantly challenges crop productivity. The application of robots can be a useful and economic choice. This study presents an innovative, purely mechanical system for weed control in greenhouses, specifically designed to operate autonomously on a monorail. The machine stops in the distance between the two main plant rows (cucumber) and its arm goes into the gap to deploy the weeds by rotating its blades. This is continued repeatedly. The cutting is by the rotational speed of the blade. Variable-speed motions of the blade were at 3500, 2500 and 1500 rpm for 3 types of moulinex, triangular, and circular blades. The movement speed of the arm was 10 and 30 rpm and the forward movement speed of the machine was 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 120 rpm. The results showed that different blades, blade speeds and engine speed affect significantly (p &lt;0.05) the percentage of weeds being cut. Although the interactions of these factors have no significant effect on percentage; the average percentages by the blades have significant differences. Although the interactions between these factors were not statistically significant, the comparison of means revealed that at lower blade speeds, the blade type had a pronounced effect on weed-cutting efficiency. As blade speed increased, differences in blade performance diminished. The most effective combination was achieved using Moulinex blades at 3500 rpm with a 10-rpm arm speed, resulting in the highest percentage of weeds cut. These findings suggest that optimizing blade type and speed can significantly enhance the mechanical weed control efficiency in greenhouse environments.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SUPERMARKET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING UML FOR STREAMLINED INVENTORY, SALES, AND CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT

The growing demands on supermarket management have necessitated the adoption of robust systems to streamline operations such as inventory control, sales tracking, and customer management. This study introduces a UML-based design for a supermarket management system that addresses the core needs of store administration through structured modules and defined workflows. The system encompasses store registration, inventory management, sales tracking, and customer engagement, further facilitating seamless product browsing, checkout, and post-sale support. Through structured modeling, the proposed system simplifies process flows, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency and user experience in a supermarket environment. This paper details the UML diagrams used, outlines the functional processes, and discusses the potential benefits of the system for modern retail management.

Resource Efficiency and the Role of Renewable Energy in Miskolc: The City’s Journey Towards Becoming a Smart City

Miskolc, which is the focus of our investigation, is the fourth most populous city in Hungary and the center of one of the most underdeveloped NUTS2 (basic territorial category for the regional policy of the European Union) regions in the European Union. The socialist heavy industry played a decisive role in the development of the city, the decline of which also left deep traces in the city. In its current position, the city tries to manage its available resources as efficiently as possible, and the city management is open to the use of modern urban development tools. This is supported by the fact that Miskolc was the first Hungarian city to join the Green Cities for Sustainable Europe movement in 2011, and then in 2015, it joined the Triangulum project of the EU Smart Cities and Communities program as a follower city. In the process of becoming a smart city, the dimensions of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency were given a prominent role, which should not be surprising considering the traditions of the city. Within this, we must first mention the construction of the geothermal central heating system, with which the city really took significant steps in this field. The main goal of the study is to develop a new smart local concept closely linked to regional development and the key energy sector, through which the local adaptation of the defining elements of the internationally defined smart city in several forms for the city of Miskolc will be presented. In our study, we review how the results achieved by Miskolc so far and the development plans for the future fit in with the smart energy developments of smart cities. Before exploring the processes in Miskolc, we will deal in more detail with the possibilities inherent in district heating and geothermal energy utilization and Hungary’s capabilities.

Balancing economic and environmental strategies in regional hinterland transport: a dynamic network cross efficiency analysis

Regional seaport hinterland transport network development strategies aim to maximize economic benefits while simultaneously mitigating environmental impacts. Tracking hinterland transport’s environmental efficiency is crucial for monitoring and improving sustainable transport policies in regional seaports. Previous research mainly employs static self-assessment models under a single objective, overlooking multi-modal hinterland transport routes. This study introduces network cross-efficiency data envelopment analysis models to assess the efficiency of regional seaport hinterland transport, balancing economic and environmental strategies. We further employ the cross-efficiency global Malmquist productivity index to examine dynamic changes and emission reduction potential. We find that hub seaports advance faster than smaller seaports. Road-rail transport constantly showcases high efficiency. Hinterland transport’s efficiencies under environment priority strategy show a weak positive correlation with balanced strategy, and a moderate negative correlation with economy priority strategy. Efficiency improvements in road and road-rail transport can be achieved through enhanced management, while technological innovation is key for road-inland waterway transport. The models and outcomes provide valuable insights for developing sustainable inland transport policies balancing economic growth and emission reduction in regional seaports.