Viability Issues Research Articles

Light entrepreneurship as a parallel staying strategy - insights from Tanzanian medical doctors

Africa faces numerous challenges such as retaining globally mobile talent and informal economies. Economic inequality leads developing countries to lose human capital, but research on staying strategies remains limited. This multiple-case study explores how Tanzanian medical doctors organise a sufficient income through parallel entrepreneurial activities with forms of light entrepreneurship. We present four strategies from intramural entrepreneurial strategy to extramural diversified entrepreneurial strategy that illustrates distinct contextual adaptations. These dual practices through parallel entrepreneurship enhance their stickiness to the context and profession, thus reducing brain drain. Such entrepreneurial strategies feed in towards upholding their primary profession, suggesting that informal entrepreneurial activity may advance overall sustainability of the society. However, parallel entrepreneurial activities require empowering capacity-building lenses and holistic policy approaches as they are linked to broader issues of local systemic viability and of talent retention in Africa. This study contributes to international migration-, human resources-, entrepreneurship- and sustainability management.

Motivations To Join And Stay A Member Of A Village For Older Adults

To support older adults’ preferences to age in place, home and community-based aging-related resources are available, but are often under-utilized. Many barriers prevent individuals from accessing aging-related resources, especially in rural and geographically isolated locations. Therefore, we set out to better understand the perspectives of community members who plan to age in place in rural areas. We administered a survey as part of a broader university-community partnership called Senior Access Points (SAP), which addresses aging-related resource access. Participants were N = 210 individuals living in rural regions across Northern Colorado, ranging from 37 to 94 years old (mean age = 68.91, SD = 8.85). We assessed hopes and worries about growing older at home, and awareness of available resources. Two independent coders applied a pre-determined coding scheme, then achieved consensus ratings. An overwhelming majority of participants affirmed the importance of being able to remain in their current home (94.8%) or community (95.3%) as they age. Top hopes for aging in place centered around health/medical; housing/home services; and independent rural lifestyle. The top worries were related to health/medical; housing/home services, and transportation. Resource awareness was low: 43.3% of all participants were not aware of any available resources. Overwhelmingly, rural residents hope to grow older at home, but may not know how to connect to resources that support this goal. The resource needs we identified are being used to inform community-driven approaches to improve both awareness and availability of community resources in these rural communities.

Influence of hydrogen and exhaust gas recirculation on the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine operated on dual fuel mode using dairy scum biodiesel and low calorific value gas

Producer gas (PG) fueled diesel engine provides decreased performance along with amplified HC and CO emissions with reduced smoke and NOx emissions. Consumption of renewable fuels in a diesel engine addresses need of alternative fuels, energy security and drastically deal social, financially viability and environmental issues. In the existing study an effort is carried out to amplify performance with drastic decrement in HC, CO and NOx emissions. To accomplish this, H₂ enriched PG, EGR and DOC has been employed in test engine. In this context, effect of H₂ and EGR on performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine worked on DF mode by using DiSOME and PG had been examined. In this study, flow rate of H₂ was retained constant at 10 lpm and EGR was used in the range from 0 to 10 % (by vol) and varied in steps of 5. Results showed that with 10 lpm H₂ and 5% EGR introduction, DiSOME-PG operation presented recovered thermal efficiency by 6.1% with reduced carbon based and NOx engine out gases compared to neat DiSOME-PG operation.

An advanced approach for an efficient mode of organ transportation

Advancements in Medical care is a routine occurrence, yet when considered in terms of the crucial means of organ transportation the technology followed in most countries is still inadequate. OT BOX (OTB) is a technological innovation in the form of upgradation of the conventional 'Ice box'. The OT BOX aims at providing the best possible unit for transporting organs by cutting down on the drawbacks of the conventional unit in use. One of the major challenges faced in times today is an unpredicted virus or bacteria which occur with source and cause unknown and the automatic time regulated disinfecting system that goes off at regular intervals which keep the surroundings of the unit clean, combats the sanitization issues. It also contains an inbuilt GPS system that focuses on keeping a check on the whereabouts of the organ at all times so as to always be in the know. The main concern of the medical field regarding spending on new innovation is the cost. OT Box attempts to keep the expense at bay and provide a unit which provides extensive attributes to combat the issues of the existing unit which varies from maintaining the temperature, organ viability issues, damage control, longer hour transportation etc. there by attempting to improve the face of organ transportation.

What Can “Marriage Announcements” Tell Us? A Content Analysis of News Articles on Library-Press Collaboration

More university presses and academic libraries have started to collaborate in the scholarly publishing field, and it becomes important to investigate how this message of collaboration has been delivered to the academic community, since this community includes both creators and users of scholarly works. This study collects 23 news articles on the collaboration between university presses and academic libraries from the formal news sites of the affiliated institutions and then conducts content analysis on these articles, focusing on their content coverage and purposes. These news articles covered topics including the background and benefits of collaboration, how the collaboration worked/would work, and how libraries and presses can contribute to the collaboration. The analysis reveals that these news articles aim not only to inform their readers about the collaboration, but also to provide rationales to the collaboration. The news articles also demonstrate an unbalanced depiction between press and library by focusing more on the press, and this study interprets this phenomenon as a result of two assumptions held by the news articles: the audience’s unfamiliarity with the press and more challenging financial viability issues the press encountered.

Integrating nurse practitioners into primary care: policy considerations from a Canadian province

BackgroundThe integration of nurse practitioners (NPs) into primary care health teams has been an object of interest for policy makers seeking to achieve the goals of improving care, increasing access, and lowering cost. The province of Alberta in Canada recently introduced a policy aimed at integrating NPs into existing primary care delivery structures. This qualitative research sought to understand how that policy – the NP Support Program (NPSP) – was viewed by key stakeholders and to draw out policy lessons.MethodsFifteen semi-structured interviews with NPs and other stakeholders in Alberta’s primary care system were conducted, recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the interpretive description method.ResultsStakeholders predominantly felt the NPSP would not change the status quo of limited practice opportunities and the resulting underutilization of primary care NPs in the province. Participants attributed low levels of NP integration into the primary care system to: 1) financial viability issues that directly impacted NPs, physicians, and primary care networks (PCNs); 2) policy issues related to the NPSP’s reliance on PCNs as employers, and a requirement that NPs panel patients; and 3) governance issues in which NPs are not afforded sufficient authority over their role or how the key concept of ‘care team’ is defined and operationalized.ConclusionsIn general, stakeholders did not see the NPSP as a long-term solution for increasing NP integration into the province’s primary care system. Policy adjustments that enable NPs to access funding not only from within but also outside PCNs, and modifications to allow greater NP input into how their role is utilized would likely improve the NPSP’s ability to reach its goals.

Electronic waste vulnerability: circular economy as a strategic solution

Managing waste is a global challenge. Electronic wastes have been drawing the attention of the global communities in the recent past. In fact, waste management is a reactive strategy where we think about the extent of recyclability of materials to minimize environmental threats. There is a need for proactive approaches to maximize the volume of recycling of e-waste using simulation. It is possible through Business Process Reengineering and Value Engineering by augmenting appropriate modifications at the design level. Recent reports indicate that consumption of electronic goods has been rapidly increasing and the accumulation of disposable e-waste is at an alarming rate. The options before us are limited to sustain ecological balance, i.e., the product elements may go back to nature (reversibility) or ease of transformability of material to produce goods repetitively without using virgin resources from nature. Reversibility is possible in classical science but very rare in real-life situations due to constraints of feasibility and viability issues. The wide avenues for restoring sustainability solely depend on the ease of recyclability. In fact, recyclability serves the dual aspects, i.e., it leads to achieving sustainability, and at the same time, it strengthens the backbone of the economy. The latter is popularly coined as Circular Economy. This study attempts to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding the concept of recyclability and its essence and emergence in our life to address the concerns toward the environment and commitment toward economic enrichment and holistic growth.

A Case Study on Scientific Attempt to Turn Agriculture Scetor Sustainable, Profitable and Attractive Through Innovative Aquaphonic Farming Methods in Cuttack and Khordha Districts of Odisha, India

Decreasing availability of land for farming due to Urbanization and Industrialization has further complicated Wide spread difference between cost of Agricultural Production-Minimum Support Price (MSP). To resolve the issues of viability in terms of economic & financial return and to find out alternative methods have to be applied in farming sector.Use of innovative technology ,the less numners of persons have been employed which obtained better results,less area under innovative farming has resulted in higher yield..As per suitability non-traditional methods to be implemented at large scale by the assistance of Government mechanism for the betterment of society. Agriculture has to be climate smart, technology driven, profit generating and sustainable to meet the need of food security of the country

The Influence and Treatment of the Intestinal Microbiome on Child Respiratory Diseases

Abstract The intestinal microbiome has a great influence on human health through its close interaction with the human body, including growth, development, maturation, immunity, and anti-aging. Numerous studies have reported that the intestinal microbiome is related to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Variable clinical interventions, such as prebiotics and probiotics have been widely used to cure people. However, probiotics might suffer from viability issues. Therefore, new technologies are being exploited to solve these problems. In this review, we describe the correlation between the intestinal microbiome and children respiratory diseases, present therapies based on microecological theory, and introduce some new technologies aimed to improve the efficacy of microbiological therapies.

Aerosol and surface persistence: Novel SARS-CoV-2 versus other coronaviruses.

The present communication emphasizes on a very pertinent issue of aerosol transmission, persistence and surface viability of novel SARS-CoV-2. Studies in this regard have been conducted on previously known human coronaviruses, and similarities have been drawn for novel SARS-CoV-2. The communication highlights that caution should be excercised while drawing inferences regarding the persistence and viability of the novel SARS-CoV-2 based on the knowledge of already known human coronaviruses.

The Bodies of the Commons: Towards a Relational Embodied Ethics of the Commons

This article extends current theorizations of the ethics of the commons by drawing on feminist thought to propose a relational embodied ethics of the commons. Departing from abstract ethical principles, the proposed ethical theory reconsiders commoning as a process emerging through social actors’ embodied interactions, resulting in the development of an ethics that accounts for their shared corporeal concerns. Such theorizing allows for inclusive alternative forms of organizing, while offering the ethical and political possibility of countering forms of economic competition and addressing the issues of viability that have long bedeviled commoning practices. This, we suggest, is achieved in the context of social organizing processes whereby social actors are able to reproduce their resource systems and communities based on recognition of their actual corporeal vulnerabilities, which drives reciprocity and embodied relationality with the other.

Current Trend and Pro-survival Approaches for Augmenting Stem Cell Viability.

Stem cells are of two types: embryonic and adult stem cells and they act as a repair system by replenishing body tissue. Stem cells differentiate into different types of cells, such as neural, hematopoietic, adipose, etc. and are used for the treatment of various conditions like myocardial infarction, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease and diabetes. This article focuses on recent research development that addresses the viability issues of stem cells. The efficiency of transplanted stem cells reduces due to conditions like hypoxia, inflammation, nutrient deprivation, immunogenicity, extracellular matrix loss on delivery and mechanical stress. To increase the viability of stem cells, techniques like scaffolds of stem cells with hydrogel or alginate, pre-conditioning, different routes of administration and encapsulation, are implemented. For the protection of stem cells against apoptosis, different pathways, namely Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K/AKT), Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF1), Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK) and Hippo, are discussed. Activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway decreases the concentration of apoptotic factors, while the HIF pathway protects stem cells against the micro-environment of tissue (hypoxia).

Reconstruction of f(R) Lagrangian from a massive scalar field

We present a reconstruction of the Lagrangian for $f(R)$ gravity by using a massive scalar field. The scalar field is minimally coupled to the action of $f(R)$ gravity. We demonstrate the use of a theorem based on invertible point transformation of anharmonic oscillator equation that has only recently been applied to gravitational physics. This avenue gives us a direct way to solve the field equations for a few well-known self-interaction potential of the scalar field. A few cases which do not fall in the regime of the theorem are also discussed. The $f(R)$ models are discussed in the context of recent cosmological observations and viability issues.

Farm Mechanization in Indian Agriculture with Focus on Tractors

Indian agriculture is dominated by smallholders. With an average holding size of just 1.08 hectares (ha) (in 2015-16), and 86 percent of holdings being of less than 2 ha in size, Indian agriculture transformed the country from functioning ‘ship-to-mouth’ during the mid-1960s to being a net exporter of agri-produce today. This would not have been possible without the onset of the Green Revolution post-1965, which resulted in increased foodgrain production and productivity. Among various inputs such as seeds, irrigation and fertilizers, the productivity of farms also depends greatly on the availability and judicious use of farm power by the farmers. Between the mid-20th century and 2013-14, India witnessed a tremendous shift away from traditional agriculture processes to mechanized processes. Today, 88 percent of the total farm power comes from tractors, diesel engine pump-sets, electric pump-sets and power tillers (2013-14). Additionally, India has emerged as the largest manufacturer of tractors in the world, followed by the USA and China. But how has farm mechanization, especially the use of tractors, evolved in India over time? What were the key drivers of the demand for tractors? And how efficiently are the tractors being used in terms of usage by number of hours/year? Given the high cost of tractors, it is also interesting to see how far they have penetrated the small and marginal holdings, i.e., the issues of inclusiveness, financial viability and sustainability. These are some of the key questions that are addressed in this study. Our analysis shows that farm mechanization in India, especially the use of tractors, has made commendable progress. With major policy changes, entry of private farm machinery manufacturing companies and foreign collaborations, farm power availability increased from 0.25 kilowatt per hectare (kW/ha) in 1951 to 2.02 kW/ha in 2017. Furthermore, the contribution of mechanized sources to farm power increased from some 3 percent in 1951 to 88 percent in 2013-14, replacing human and draught power. In addition, the production of tractors increased significantly from a meager 880 units in 1951 to about 900,000 units in 2019. This has transformed India from being a net importer of tractors through the 1960s and 1970s to being an exporter of tractors, exporting some 92,000 units in 2019. In terms of inclusiveness, although larger farms are more mechanized, the Input Census data (2011-12) reveals that even in the category of small and marginal holdings (less than 2 ha), an average of roughly 44 percent of farmers use farm machinery (e.g., tractors, diesel engine pump sets, electric pump sets and power tillers). This is a good achievement, but further improvements are always possible and major attempts in this direction are already underway with heavy policy support through Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs). However, the fact that farm machinery is expensive also raises concerns over whether it is financially viable and sustainable to own and use on smallholder farms. It is therefore important to look at unfolding innovations providing farm machinery services through ‘CHCs’ and ‘Uberization’ models. These innovations make farm machinery and equipments perfectly divisible as a service to all classes of farmers at the doorstep at affordable cost on a ‘pay per use’ basis. This seems to be the future of farm machinery usage in India, if it is developed as a sustainable business model with due support of policy and finance.

Using Mountain Lion Habitat Selection in Management

ABSTRACTWildlife agencies are generally tasked with managing and conserving species at state and local levels simultaneously. Thus, it is necessary for wildlife agencies to understand basic ecological processes of a given species at multiple scales to aid decision making at commensurately varied spatial and behavioral scales. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) occur throughout California, USA, and are at the center of a variety of management and conservation issues. For example, they are genetically and demographically at risk in 1 region yet apparently stable and negatively affecting endangered species in another. Currently, no formal plan exists for mountain lions in California to deal with these diverse scenarios involving issues of local mountain lion population viability and problems related to predation of endangered species. To facilitate development of a state‐wide management and conservation plan, we quantified habitat selection by mountain lions at 2 spatial scales across the range of environmental conditions in which the species is found in California. Our analyses used location data from individuals (n = 263) collared across the state from 2001–2019. At the home range scale, mountain lions selected habitat to prioritize meeting energetic demands. At the within home range scale, mountain lions avoided areas of human activity. Further, our analyses revealed 165,350–170,085 km2, depending on season, of suitable mountain lion habitat in California. Fifty percent of the suitable habitat was on unprotected lands and thus vulnerable to development. These habitat selection models will help in the development of a state‐wide conservation and management plan for mountain lions in California by guiding mountain lion population monitoring through time, prioritization of habitat to be conserved for maintaining demographic connectivity and gene flow, and efforts to mediate mountain lion‐prey interactions. Our work and application area will help with wildlife policy and management decisions related to depredation problems at the local scale and issues of habitat connectivity at the statewide scale. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

Principles of multifunctional agriculture for supporting agriculture in metropolitan peri-urban areas: The case of Greater Melbourne, Australia

Abstract Agriculture in metropolitan peri-urban areas is influenced by structural changes associated with increased input costs, an aging farming population, difficulty in retaining labour, and fluctuations in market conditions. In the absence of clear planning policies, the proximity to the city has fuelled land fragmentation, encroachment, and increased land value, thus increasing pressure on existing farms. Using the case of Greater Melbourne in Victoria, we argue that metropolitan planning policies have diminished the agricultural potential of peri-urban agriculture by creating a precedent for more urban uses in otherwise agricultural landscapes. The future of peri-urban agriculture requires alternative models that address emerging issues of resilience and viability. The concept of Multifunctional Agriculture (MFA) presents a useful model to re-evaluate metropolitan peri-urban agriculture beyond food production functions by integrating the environmental and socio-cultural role into local and regional economies. Based on the adopted definition and broad characterisation of MFA as implemented in the European Union, we discuss a set of six principles of multifunctionality: flexibility, collaboration, smaller-can-be-better, long-term strategies, use of technology, and circular resource use. These principles aim to expose the fundamental processes required for transforming agriculture in Australian metropolitan peri-urban areas.

ÉVALUATION DE LA DURABILITÉ SOCIOÉCONOMIQUE DES ATELIERS AVICOLES À M’SILA (ALGÉRIE)

Poultry farming contributes to food security, economic development, stability and social equitability for the farmer and his family and supports social bonds. The intervention of these functions together leads to the social and economic sustainability of the farms. In order to determine the degree of sustainability of poultry farms, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the production system and identify practices to improve we proceeded to assess the socio-economic sustainability of the poultry farms in the province of Msila by the “DIAMOND” method. The results indicate that the best-capitalized farmers and those with technical and economic know-how are aware of the issue of economic viability and diversification of activities and customers, which improves their incomes and decreases the economic fragility of their farms. However, for most farmers, the work is difficult and the productivity of the workforce is low.

Factors Affecting Indian Consumers’ Intention to Use eHealth Services

Purpose: This study focuses on the degree of acceptance of different categories of eHealth among the Indian consumers and the factors that determine acceptance and intention to use these services. The factors included for the study are as follows: demographic factors, use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the status of healthcare. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through personal interviews from a sample of 125 respondents living in urban and semi-urban villages in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi of India. Quota sampling method was used so that the impact of demographic factors on eHealth services could be analysed. Findings: From this study, we can conclude that the key factors that need to be considered include age, location, computer literacy and healthcare status in terms of healthcare need, accessibility and satisfaction. Practical implications: The results of this study will help in determining the customer segment and size of the market for eHealth. The government can also use the findings of this study to improve the quality of healthcare for its people by ensuring better utilization of eHealth services. Originality/value: eHealth services are an emerging solution to address the issues of healthcare accessibility, affordability and financial viability in developing countries like India. This study contributes to the limited existing literature on exploring the consumers’ intention to use eHealth services in India and the factors that will determine this intention.

Cosmological dynamics of the general non-canonical scalar field models

We extend the investigation of cosmological dynamics of the general non-canonical scalar field models by dynamical system techniques for a broad class of potentials and coupling functions. In other words, we do not restrict the analysis to exponential or power-law potentials and coupling functions. This type of investigation helps in understanding the general properties of a class of cosmological models. In order to better understand the phase space of the models, we investigate the various special cases and discuss the stability and viability issues. Performing a detailed stability analysis, we show that it is possible to describe the cosmic history of the universe at the background level namely the early radiation dominated era, intermediate matter dominated era and the late time dark energy domination. Moreover, we find that we can identify a broad class of potentials and coupling functions for which it is possible to get an appealing unified description of dark matter and dark energy. The results obtained here, therefore, enlarge the previous analyses wherein only a specific potential and coupling functions describe the unification of dark sectors. Further, we also observe that a specific scenario can also possibly explain the phenomenon of slow-roll inflationary exit.

A feasibility study of a multimodal stimulation bioreactor for the conditioning of stem cell seeded cardiac patches via electrical impulses and pulsatile perfusion.

Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Myocardial tissue engineering aims to create transplantable units of myocardium for the treatment of myocardial necrosis caused by ischemic heart disease - bioreactors are used to condition these bioartificial tissues before application. Our group developed a multimodal bioreactor consisting of a linear drive motor for pulsatile flow generation (500ml/min) and an external pacemaker for electrical stimulation (10mA, 3V at 60Hz) using LinMot-Talk Software to synchronize these modes of stimulation. Polyurethane scaffolds were seeded with 0.750 × 106 mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord tissue per cm2 and stimulated in our system for 72h, then evaluated. After conditioning histology showed that the patches consisted of a cell multilayer surviving stimulation without major damage by the multimodal stimulation, scanning electron microscopy showed a confluent cell layer with no cell-cell interspaces visible. No cell viability issues could be identified via Syto9-Propidium Iodide staining. This bioreactor allows mechanical stimulation via pulsatile flow and electrical stimulation through a pacemaker. Our stem cell-polyurethane constructs displayed survival after conditioning. This system shows feasibility in preliminary tests.