Lower Labor Costs Research Articles

Research on the Entrance Damage of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer/Ti6Al4V Stacks in Six-Degrees-of-Freedom Robot Drilling

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP)/titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) stacks are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their excellent physical properties. The substantial demand for drilling components in the aerospace industry necessitates the implementation of enhanced processing efficiency and drilling quality standards. Six-degrees-of-freedom robots are commonly used in the aerospace industry due to their high production efficiency, high flexibility, and low labor costs. However, due to the weak stiffness, chatter is prone to occur during processing, which has a detrimental impact on the quality of the finished product. As an advanced processing technology, ultrasonic-assisted machining technology can effectively reduce the cutting force and suppress the chatter in the drilling process, so it is widely used in production. In this paper, first, the robot kinematic (dexterity) and stiffness performance is analyzed. Then, the appropriate range of the machining plane and the posture of the robot in the workspace are selected. Finally, the vibration and CFRP entrance damage during the machining process are compared and studied in conventional robotic drilling (CRD) and ultrasonic-assisted robotic drilling (UARD). The experimental results demonstrate that the UARD is an effective method for reducing vibration during the machining process. Compared with the CRD, the CFRP entrance delamination damage in UARD is reduced. Under the appropriate processing parameters, the entrance delamination factor could be reduced by 15%, and the burr height could be reduced by 45%. Obviously, the UARD is a promising process to improve the CFRP entrance delamination damage.

Financial Performance of Emerging Circular Economy Enterprises in Rural Areas of South Punjab

Financial performance of emerging Circular Economy (CE) enterprises in rural South Punjab is examined from the standpoint of CE practices impact on revenue growth, profitability, cost savings and financial sustainability. Structured surveys and financial records were obtained from 150 small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) from across sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, and manufacturing. It shows that most enterprises implementing Circular Economy practices with waste reduction/recycling and renewable energy among the most widely adopted practices report positive financial outcomes from the adoption. In particular, 60% of enterprises had revenue growth, 55% increased profitability and 45% generated cost savings of 20–25%. Circular Economy adoption is shown through regression analysis to be significantly positively related to improved financial performance, with the most effective drivers being waste reduction and renewable energy use. However, limited access to capital, poor technical expertise, and weak waste management infrastructure remain key barriers. However, there are also opportunities including access to local agricultural waste, lower labor costs and increasing demand for sustainable products which can be strong inducements for more Circular Economy adoption. The ability of Circular Economy practices to improve the financial sustainability of rural enterprises in tandem with environmental and economic resilience is underlined in the study.

Spatial variability of hydraulic parameters of a cropped soil using horizontal crosshole ground penetrating radar

AbstractSoil hydraulic parameters (SHP) play a crucial role controlling the spatiotemporal distribution of water in the soil–plant continuum and thus affect water availability for crops. To provide reliable information on the SHP at different scales, measurement techniques with a good spatial resolution and low labor costs are required. In this study, we used crosshole ground penetrating radar (GPR)‐derived soil water contents (SWCs) measured along horizontal rhizotubes under a controlled experimental test site cropped with winter wheat to estimate the unimodal and dual‐porosity soil hydraulic characteristics with different soil layer setups. Therefore, sequential inversion of the GPR‐derived SWCs was performed using the hydrological model HYDRUS‐1D, whereby the SWC data were either averaged prior inversion or used in a spatially distributed way. To analyze if the time‐lapse gathered GPR data contain enough information to estimate the SHP, additional synthetic studies were performed increasing the data resolution to daily GPR measurements. The results showed that the time‐lapse data contained enough information to estimate the SHP accurately. Additionally, spatially distributed soil hydraulic characteristics differed from the one estimated based on averaged SWCs derived from spatially distributed GPR data. Finally, we derived spatially resolved SHP, which can be used for 3D process rhizosphere processes and root–soil interaction modeling.

Strategic Directions for Strengthening Sustainability of Forestry Workforce

Today in many countries and regions, forestry sector deals with a considerable shortage of forestry workers and faces the serious challenge of ensuring a qualified and sustainable workforce. Current global processes and structural changes, such as emigration from rural areas, aging of the population, unfavorable age structure of existing employees, negative demographic trends (migrations, decline in birth rate, negative natural increase, etc.), lack of interest in the so-called 3D (dirty, dangerous and demeaning) jobs, low cost of labor and others, significantly contribute to such an adverse situation. Additionally, forestry work, especially wood harvesting, represents a very risky, professionally highly demanding and physically extremely intensive activity, which is regularly classified as one of the most dangerous occupations with a high proportion of serious injuries, fatalities and occupational diseases. For these reasons, the forestry profession is considered unattractive, and the job of a forestry worker undesirable. All of this makes finding the people interested in these jobs very difficult, and the task of ensuring the necessary workforce for all regular activities in sustainable forest management becomes very hard. In this paper, based on the surveys carried out in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), i.e. evaluation of forestry workforce sustainability factors, and on the study of available strategic documents, policies and case studies, strategic directions aimed at strengthening the sustainability of forestry workforce were elaborated. The sustainability factors were observed in three categories related to: a) stronger recruiting in forestry, b) more successful retention of forestry workers, and c) higher work commitment of forestry workers. Established rankings, together with other findings, were used to define four separate strategic directions: (1) Direct financial strategy, which emphasizes direct monetary payments to workers and is oriented towards labor productivity, (2) Indirect financial strategy, which focuses more on providing indirect material gains to workers and the quality of performed work, (3) Educational strategy, aimed at the education and training of workers, and (4) Technical-technological strategy, aimed at increasing the mechanization in forest operations thus reducing the demand for labor. The paper elaborates the basic starting points and main characteristics (priorities, measures and activities, stakeholders, responsible authorities, etc.) of each strategic direction considering the possibility and conditions of their implementation in national forestry sector. The objective of the paper is to raise the required awareness of the forestry workforce issues, its position and status, and also to provide foundations for enhancing the attractiveness of forestry work and improving the overall sustainability of the forestry workforce. The results of the study point out the critical issues and provide valuable insights that can help in formulating effective policies and strategies for the future.

Multi-targets cleavage of BmNPV genome through genome-wide repeat sequence using CRISPR/Cas9 antiviral system.

The escalating severity of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) infections poses significant challenges to the silkworm industry, especially when massive production shifts occur from the eastern regions to western regions with lower labor costs. Education and experience levels are different and disease control is badly needed. To solve the problems, we have developed an innovative CRISPR/Cas9 system specifically targeting BmNPV to enhance viral resistance. For the system, we selected BmNPV genes linked to virus replication and proliferation as targets, designing 2 sites for each gene. Mutating the target sequence renders the system incapable of efficiently cleaving the virus genome, hence decreasing cleavage efficiency. We conducted a search for "NGG" or "CCN" target sequences in the BmNPV genome, excluding non-recurring and potential targets in the B.mori genome. We successfully identified 2 distinct target sequences in the BmNPV genome-one being repeated 12 times and the other three times. These sequences lead to fragmentation of virus genome into multiple large segments that are difficult to repair. Transgenic silkworms demonstrate robust resistance to viruses, significantly boosting their survival rates compared with wild-type silkworms under various virus infection concentrations. Our system efficiently targets dozens of viral genomes with just 2 sequences, minimizing transposable elements while ensuring cutting effectiveness. This marks a pioneering advancement by using repetitive elements within the virus genome for targeted CRISPR cleavage, aiming for antiviral effects through genome fragmentation rather than disrupting essential viral genes. Our research introduces innovative concepts to CRISPR antiviral investigations and shows promise for the practical application of gene editing in industrial silkworm strains.

Analysis of registered clinical trials in Italy regarding dermatology (2003-2022): a cross-sectional study on historical trend and prospects for industry investments.

This cross-sectional analysis intends to evaluate trend and outlook of industry clinical research in Italy regarding dermatology and its prospects for the next few years. A computerized search of ClinicalTrial.gov database was carried out considering the 20-year period 2003-2022 using the following string: "Skin Diseases OR Skin cancer OR Skin Neoplasms OR Skin Infection OR Skin Lesion OR Skin Ulcer OR Skin Laxity OR Skin toxicity OR Dermatologic Complication OR Skin abnormalities". During the last 20 years 690 Industry Clinical Trials (IndCTs) were conducted in Italy regarding dermatological investigations, almost entirely funded by non-Italian pharmaceutical companies, involving 4497 centers, and recruiting an average of 13.0 subjects per site. The number of controlled and randomized studies has grown quite regularly and in the last 5 years they represented 79.6% of IndCTs initiated. Countries most frequently sharing with Italy international protocols were Spain (75.0%), Germany (71.8%), France (68.5%), the USA (67.4%), and the UK (54.8%). These data point to a historical involvement of Italy in dermatology IndCTs lower than in the major European countries. However, the war in Ukraine has deprived IndCTs of the contribution of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, meaning a mean of about 40 new IndCTs per year in a population of 200 million inhabitants. In contrast, many indicators point to Italy as a country with potential in dermatology wider than used in the past: an efficient health care system accessible to any citizen or resident, 4.6 million dermatological interventions per year, low density of IndCTs concerning dermatology, good production of scientific papers in indexed medical journals, relatively low cost of services and labour and geopolitical stability. The European Clinical Trials Information System's (CTIS), mandatory for the EU member states since early 2023 allows common, simplified, and harmonized regulatory procedures over the life cycle of clinical trials in Europe (EMA, 2023) and plays in favor of Italy's greater competitiveness in clinical research.

Combine harvester outsourcing services and seasonal rural non‐farm employment in Myanmar

AbstractPrior research on mechanization outsource services has not explored seasonal variations in drivers and outcomes of adoption by smallholders. These omissions are important because seasonality of crop cultivation may influence intensity of demand for machines, while seasonality of demand for non‐farm labor may influence the availability and cost of agricultural workers and the opportunity costs of on‐farm self‐employment. We analyze seasonal correlates of combine harvester outsource service use in Myanmar. Surprisingly, adoption is not associated with lower labor costs or higher net margins from paddy cultivation. Rather, using combines releases family labor into more remunerative dry season non‐farm employment.

Development of a bionic hexapod robot with adaptive gait and clearance for enhanced agricultural field scouting.

High agility, maneuverability, and payload capacity, combined with small footprints, make legged robots well-suited for precision agriculture applications. In this study, we introduce a novel bionic hexapod robot designed for agricultural applications to address the limitations of traditional wheeled and aerial robots. The robot features a terrain-adaptive gait and adjustable clearance to ensure stability and robustness over various terrains and obstacles. Equipped with a high-precision Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the robot is able to monitor its attitude in real time to maintain balance. To enhance obstacle detection and self-navigation capabilities, we have designed an advanced version of the robot equipped with an optional advanced sensing system. This advanced version includes LiDAR, stereo cameras, and distance sensors to enable obstacle detection and self-navigation capabilities. We have tested the standard version of the robot under different ground conditions, including hard concrete floors, rugged grass, slopes, and uneven field with obstacles. The robot maintains good stability with pitch angle fluctuations ranging from -11.5° to 8.6° in all conditions and can walk on slopes with gradients up to 17°. These trials demonstrated the robot's adaptability to complex field environments and validated its ability to maintain stability and efficiency. In addition, the terrain-adaptive algorithm is more energy efficient than traditional obstacle avoidance algorithms, reducing energy consumption by 14.4% for each obstacle crossed. Combined with its flexible and lightweight design, our robot shows significant potential in improving agricultural practices by increasing efficiency, lowering labor costs, and enhancing sustainability. In our future work, we will further develop the robot's energy efficiency, durability in various environmental conditions, and compatibility with different crops and farming methods.

Avenues To Reduce Carbon Emission In Cement Fabrication To Acquire Carbon Credit

The cement industry accounts for roughly 8% of global carbon dioxide emission, and for every tonne of cement procured, a ton of carbon dioxide is released into the air. Cement industry is the backbone of global infrastructure development with no sign of slowing down, as such, it provides the most promising testbed for a carbon credit market to start up. Carbon credit functions as a conversion of money as payment to offset carbon dioxide emission, and can be acquired by reducing carbon emission or its greenhouse equivalents. This carbon credit can then be sold on the carbon market which provides financial incentive for companies to reduce their carbon emission. Acquiring carbon credit can be a viable capital gain strategy in developing nations due to their relatively low labor and overhead costs. This study aims to provide avenues to reduce carbon dioxide emission in cement fabrication as a way to acquire carbon credit for capital gain purposes to developing nations worldwide. This study uses literature review with a descriptive qualitative methodology, with data from relevant books and journals of renowned and reputable publishers online as validity. This study identified three promising avenues to reduce carbon dioxide emission in cement fabrication: alternative cement aggregate material fly ash and bottom ash, carbon capture and storage technology, and alternative fuel in cement fabrication. Three avenues provide pathways for players in the cement industry to adopt according to their capabilities in order to effectively reduce their carbon dioxide emission for acquiring carbon credit.

A SWOT Analysis of Organizations in the Agri-Food Chain Sector from the Northern Region of Portugal Using the PESTEL and MEETHS Frameworks

Research on modern agri-food chains aims to enhance flexibility by analyzing supply chain aspects to identify improvement opportunities. A SWOT analysis of 39 agri-food sector organizations using a SWOT analysis organized using the PESTEL and MEETHS categories was conducted to evaluate the stakeholders’ needs in this sector of activity in Northern Portugal. Logistic regressions were used to compute inferential statistics, which were complemented with a qualitative analysis. Cooperatives and primary sector companies often claim superior product quality without clear evidence, while corporations integrated into competitive national markets, like those with smoked products, adapt better to dietary trends. Small- and medium-sized enterprises struggle with competitive wages, leading to high turnover and difficulty retaining skilled workers. High costs hinder many organizations, particularly cooperatives, from adopting modern communication technologies affecting competitiveness. Challenges include identifying market opportunities and managing global competition for raw materials, like wild fish. Fishing and meat sectors depend heavily on modern distribution and are dominated by large retailers. Low labor costs boost competitiveness but reflect the struggle to add value. Larger organizations are more optimistic though many face challenges with the cost and volatility of key products, like pork and milk. This study offers the following key recommendations: invest in technology and innovation while balancing short-term gains with long-term sustainability; strengthen strategic planning and collaboration among corporations, cooperatives, associations, and academic institutions; and adapt to regulatory changes, invest in market and technological capabilities, and address resource limitations. Research and collaboration with policymakers and academic institutions will support tailored solutions, enabling the sector to anticipate challenges and capitalize on opportunities.

Combined effect of climate change and labor relation on optimally managing labor productivity under uncertainty

Heat stress amplified by climate change causes excessive reductions in labor capacity, work injuries, and socio-economic losses. Yet studies of corresponding impact assessments and adaptation developments are insufficient and incapable of effectively dealing with uncertain information. This gap is caused by the inability to resolve complex channels involving climate change, labor relations, and labor productivity. In this paper, an optimization-based productivity restoration modeling framework is developed to bridge the gap and support decision-makers in making informed adaptation plans. The framework integrates a multiple-climate-model ensemble, an empirical relationship between heat stress and labor capacity, and an inexact system costs model to investigate underlying uncertainties associated with climate and management systems. Optimal and reliable decision alternatives can be obtained by communicating uncertain information into the optimization processes and resolving multiple channels. Results show that the increased heat stress will lead to a potential reduction in labor productivity in China. By solving the objective function of the framework, total system costs to restore the reduction are estimated to be up to 248,700 million dollars under a Representative Concentration Pathway of 2.6 (RCP2.6) and 697,073 million dollars under RCP8.5 for standard employment, while less costs found for non-standard employment. However, non-standard employment tends to restore productivity reduction with the minimum system cost by implementing active measures rather than passive measures due to the low labor costs resulting from ambiguities among employment statuses. The situation could result in more heat-related work injuries because employers in non-standard employment can avoid the obligation of providing a safe working environment. Urgent actions are needed to uphold labor productivity with climate change, especially to ensure that employers from non-standard employment fulfill their statutory obligations.

Assessing supplementing strategies for beef cattle in a bale grazing system using grass hay during variable winter conditions

IntroductionBeef cattle in the Northern Great Plains of the United States of America are normally kept in open dry lot pens in winter. Practices such as bale grazing, swath grazing, stockpiling, and corn residue grazing, can be used to extend the grazing season and minimize dry lot use. Extending the grazing season has several advantages over dry lot use but arguably the most important benefit is cost savings due to lower labor and input costs. Strategies selected to supplement cattle in extended grazing systems should maintain cost savings while providing required nutrients to cattle. This study was conducted to evaluate supplementing strategies for beef cattle in a bale grazing system using grass hay during variable winter conditions. The study was conducted across variable winter conditions that are encountered in winters in the US Northern Great Plains.MethodsThe study extended over four years. Each year, non-lactating pregnant beef cows (n = 64, year 1; n = 80, year 2, 3, 4) were divided into eight groups of similar average body weight and randomly assigned to one of four bale grazing treatments as follows: a) bale grazing grass hay, b) bale grazing grass hay treated with a liquid supplement, c) bale grazing grass hay and alfalfa hay, and d) bale grazing grass hay and plus 1.8 kg corn DDGS/head/day. Animal performance was assessed from two-day body weights and body condition scores taken at the start and end of the study. Data analysis considered the fixed effects of treatment, year, and treatment x year interaction.ResultsFinal BW tended (P = 0.09) to be greatest following corn DDGS supplementation and lowest when grass hay was offered. The treatment strategy x year interaction (P = 0.026) for ADG showed that corn DDGS supplementation resulted in positive ADG across the years regardless of environmental conditions. Liquid or alfalfa hay supplementation resulted in positive ADG when environmental conditions were favorable. Final BCS (P = 0.005) and BCS change (P = 0.004) were greater following corn DDGS supplementation, intermediate following alfalfa hay or liquid supplementation and lowest when grass hay was fed. Supplementation costs ranged from $1.33 to $1.90/head/day, the highest cost occurred with corn DDGS supplementation mainly due to cost of corn DDGS and labor required to deliver corn DDGS to cattle on pasture.DiscussionAlfalfa hay or molasses-based liquids increased diet CP content but did not supply adequate energy in severely cold winters. Despite relatively higher supplement costs, high energy supplements such as corn DDGS may be required in severely cold winters where cattle require extra energy. Supplement selection should consider supplement effectiveness to meet animal nutrient requirements particularly in adverse winter conditions such as those encountered in the US Northern Great Plains.

Drone Technology for Precision Agriculture: Advancements and Optimization Strategies

This paper delves into the development and optimization of an intelligent agricultural monitoring system that makes use of drone technology to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. With the world's population on the rise and the scarcity of arable land, precision agriculture becomes essential in guaranteeing food security. By harnessing state-of-the-art sensors and imaging technologies, drone technology offers a new and innovative approach to agricultural monitoring. Efficiently collecting vital data on vegetation indices, soil moisture, and crop health. This study seeks to create a state-of-the-art drone-based monitoring system that uses advanced machine learning algorithms and data processing technologies to analyze agricultural data with exceptional precision. It explores the most efficient methods for operating drones, including flight planning and data collection protocols, with the aim of creating a comprehensive agricultural monitoring system. This platform provides the convenience of automating monitoring processes, leading to lower labor costs, improved resource allocation, and a beneficial impact on agricultural modernization. The article delves into the effects of the latest developments in drone technology and the subsequent decrease in costs on the agriculture industry worldwide. It highlights the ways in which these advancements are transforming conventional farming methods.

Efficiency and Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Manual and Intelligent Venous Blood Sampling in Outpatient Area of Hospital.

To evaluate the efficiency and cost-benefit of the manual and intelligent venous blood sampling in outpatient area. The hospital selected had two branches with the outpatient area in Branch A using manual venous blood sampling as the control group and the outpatient area in Branch B using intelligent venous blood sampling as the experimental group. Analyze the differences between the two groups in operation time, cost-benefit, and service efficiency through on-site investigation and project cost methods. Compared with manual venous blood sampling, intelligent venous blood sampling project is more optimized with shorter operation time and higher nursing service efficiency. But both groups have negative returns. The intelligent venous blood sampling process is more optimized, combined with dynamic job implementation, resulting in lower labor costs and higher job service efficiency compared to manual venous blood sampling.

Fabric defects identification for textile industry with a deep learning approach

The textile and clothing industries are crucial sectors that make significant contributions to the economic growth and advancement of countries. In addition to low labor costs, the sector’s development performance is influenced by flexible production structure and defect-free products manufacturing. However, in the textile companies, the manufacture, processing, and weaving of fabric can lead to undesirable defects, which ultimately leads to a decline in both quality and cost. This study investigates the effectiveness of different deep learning frameworks to accurately classify fabric defects commonly encountered in the textile industry in Turkey. For this purpose, an innovative data set is generated as comprising fabric defects such as lines, wrinkle marks, machine oil leaks, holes, and bleaching. Furthermore, the effectiveness of Adam and Ranger optimization functions in defect identification has been evaluated using various models in connection with explainable artificial intelligence. The findings indicate that the ResNet18 + Adam model, which is very simple and shallow, obtained a notable level of success with an accuracy of 99.30%. On the other hand, the more complex EfficientNetv2m + Adam model emerged by achieving an accuracy of 99.42%. The research results suggest that deep learning algorithms can effectively replace human manual control in the task of detecting fabric defects.

EVALUATING CASSAVA FARMERS’ LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FADAMA III-ADDITIONAL FINANCING PROJECT IN EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

The study assessed the cassava farmers’ level of participation in Fadama III- additional financing in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Two hundred and forty (240) cassava farmers were chosen through a multi-stage sampling procedure to participate in the Fadama III- additional financing project. A multistage sampling procedure was used to obtain primary data from 240 cassava farmers participating in Fadama III- additional financing project. A timetable for conducting interviews was utilized to gather primary data, which were then analyzed using basic statistical methods like frequency, percentage, mean, and Likert-type scale. The study's findings showed that the cassava farmers in the research region actively engaged in the creation of business plans need assessments, input and project distribution, and training sessions. It also demonstrated how cassava growers profited from better input availability, higher farm yields, workshops and training, bigger farms, easier access to market data, lower labour costs, and infrastructure support. The respondents cited several significant issues that impede agricultural productivity, including late arrival of inputs, the unsatisfactory attitude of some Fadama staff, lack of market information, inadequate communication channels, poverty, poor access to loans, and fear of crop failure and disease assault. To overcome the significant obstacle of late farm input arrival, it is highly recommended that governments at all levels and the World Bank guarantee the timely release of farm inputs to cassava farmers. This will encourage cassava farmers to actively participate in Fadama III- additional financing project in the study area.

Divesting or keeping overseas subsidiary production under rising production costs and uncertain market demands in host countries

This study examines whether overseas manufacturing subsidiaries are divested or kept under rising production costs and uncertain market demands in their host countries. We predict that even under increasing production costs, a subsidiary will not be divested but kept under high market demand uncertainty. A multinomial logit analysis of Korean overseas manufacturing subsidiaries finds that an overseas manufacturing subsidiary exposed to high labor cost growth in its host country is not divested but kept alive under high market demand uncertainty via cross-border production volume adjustments with other in-network subsidiaries in different countries. It also shows that the moderating impact of demand uncertainty on production shifts over divestment is pronounced more for the subsidiaries with low cross-country labor cost correlation, high product compatibility, and high ownership share. These findings imply that the longevity of subsidiary operations is shaped by geographic and organizational characteristics determining production shift conditions.

Matching comparative advantages to special economic zones for sustainable industrialization

African countries are consistently trying to leverage industrialization to advance their economic development. Despite possessing favorable factors such as abundant natural resources, a surplus of low-cost labor, and an increasing number of established Special Economic Zones (SEZs), African countries are yet to fully maximize their potential and achieve sustainable and inclusive industrialization. This study explores the comparative advantages of African countries to determine the types of SEZs that can effectively accelerate industrialization. By leveraging the unique strengths and resources of each country, customized strategies for SEZs can be developed to attract investments, promote technological advancements, and foster sustainable economic growth. The research utilizes the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) matrix, which is grounded in Ricardian trade theory, examining trade data spanning from 2011 to 2021 to evaluate the competitive export capabilities of various countries. The findings consistently reveal that the selected countries (Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa) possess a significant and consistent comparative advantage in natural and agricultural resources compared to other sectors. Establishing SEZs that focus on these sectors can generate substantial socio-economic impacts, including attracting investments, creating employment opportunities, enhancing export capacities, stimulating economic growth, fostering linkages, facilitating skills and technology transfer, promoting spillover effects, encouraging specialization, developing infrastructure, and supporting value addition in agribusinesses. The result of this study will contribute to policy discussions and aid decision-making processes for policymakers, investors, and development practitioners in their efforts to advance industrial development across Africa.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICIENCY OF PARABOLIC AND TRAPEZOIDAL SECTIONS IN IRRIGATIONCANALS

One of the current scientific directions in hydraulic engineering is to give irrigation canals a hydraulically and statically stable cross-sectional shape in the form of the most advantageous parabolic profile. This approach allows maximizing the sediment transport capacity of the flow and significantly reducing the time and costs of construction and maintenance works, using optimization criteria for next-generation machinery and mechanisms. The significance of this research lies in developing a new concept for designing, constructing, and operating irrigation canals in hydraulic engineering systems with cross-sectional shapes that are both hydraulically and statically stable. These shapes aim to maximize sediment transport capacity, ensure ecological sustainability of natural-technical basin systems, and contribute to national food security. The objects of study are hydraulic engineering structures, specifically the inter-farm canals of irrigation systems within the Syr Darya river basin in the southern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For the study, methods were used including stability analysis of earth slopes using circular-cylindrical sliding surfaces, methods based on analogy between shear curves and slopes, and methods based on the theory of limit equilibrium. Calculations have demonstrated the advantages, including increased resistance to cross-section deformation, reduced earthwork volumes during irrigation canal construction and cleaning by 20-25%, decreased materials and work volume for possible lining by 13-18%, narrower canal top width and land acquisition zones by 11-17%, lower labor costs by 13-16%, reduced construction costs by 14-18%, and decreased specific adjusted costs by 15-18%.

Employment of Migrants as a Response to the Needs of Entrepreneurs in Rural Border Regions—Examples from Poland

The aim of the study was to identify the needs of entrepreneurs in the context of labor shortages on the local labor market and supplement them with immigrants from Ukraine. The focus was on border enterprises from rural areas located on the external border of Poland and the EU. It was determined in which industries cross-border entrepreneurs are looking for migrants to work. A research questionnaire was created to determine the migrant’s profile from the point of view of the entrepreneur’s needs. It covered 400 enterprises, 100 from each of the surveyed voivodeships of Eastern Poland: Warmia-Masuria, Podlaskie, Lublin and Subcarpathia. Correspondence analysis was used to help determine differences in entrepreneurs’ preferences in the studied voivodeships. Entrepreneurs are most likely to employ qualified immigrants with professional experience in flexible forms of work. They expect that immigrants will be more available and will have lower wage requirements compared to local workers, which will translate into lower labor costs and better economic results. They believe that employing immigrants will improve productivity, quality and work discipline. The main limitations include ignorance or poor knowledge of the language of the host country, premature termination of contracts and working under the influence of alcohol.