Low Investment Research Articles

The impact of ESG ratings on low carbon investment: Evidence from renewable energy companies

With the driving force of carbon neutrality and carbon peaking goals, enhancing low-carbon investment (LCI) in renewable energy companies has important carbon reduction significance. This study analyzed the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) on LCI. Based on CSMAR and WIND databases, a sample of renewable energy listed companies from 2012 to 2021 is used to further construct and quantify an indicator system for LCI. Firstly, compared to companies without ESG rating, ESG rating can promote a 2.1 % increase in LCI. Secondly, compared to the decrease and unchanged ESG rating, an increase in ESG rating will further promote LCI. Thirdly, ESG ratings have a high promoting effect on prospective LCI, soft LCI, terminal LCI, and managed LCI. Fourth, ESG rating will increase LCI by alleviating financing constraints, government subsidy and mitigating internal control risks, whlie, ESG ratings can reduce LCI by increasing manager confidence, information disclosure and management costs. Fifth, ESG produces spillovers, and the spillover effect of ESG ratings in the same region is more significant than that in the neighboring regions. This study provides implications for promoting LCI and promoting ESG ratings for renewable energy companies.

Methodology for Inventory Management in Neighborhood Stores Using Machine Learning and Integer Linear Programming

Context: Nowadays, inventory management poses a challenge given the constant demands related to temporality, geographic location, price variability, and budget availability, among others. In neighborhood shops, this process is manually done based on experience (the data generated are ignored), which is sometimes not enough to respond to changes. This shows the need to develop new strategies and tools that use data analysis techniques. Method: Our methodology predicts the weekly demand for 14 common products in neighborhood stores, which is later refined based on investment capital. The method is validated using a database built with synthetic information extracted from statistical sampling. For the prediction model, three supervised learning models are used: support vector machines (SVM), AutoRegressive models (Arx), and Gaussian processes (GP). This work proposes a restricted linear model given an inversion and the predicted quantity of products; the aim is to refine the prediction while maximizing the shopkeeper's profit. Finally, the problem is solved by applying an integer linear programming paradigm. Results: Tests regarding the prediction and inventory adjustment stages are conducted, showing that the methodology can predict the temporal dynamics of the data by inferring the statistical moments of the distributions used. It is shown that it is possible to obtain a maximum profit with a lower investment. Conclusions: Our method allows predicting and refining inventory management in a neighborhood store model where quantities are managed to maximize the shopkeeper's profits. This opens the way to explore this approach in a real scenario or to introduce new techniques that can improve its performance.

Entrained flow gasification-based biomass-to-X processes: A techno-economic assessment

In the pursuit of a successful energy transition, synthetic basic chemicals and fuels, alongside renewable energies, play pivotal roles. This study focuses on the utilization of biomass as a carbon source to replace conventional fossil feedstocks, conducting detailed process simulations and techno-economic analyses for various biomass-to-x pathways. Six key products—Methanol, Dimethyl Ether, Methane (SNG), Fischer-Tropsch syncrude, Hydrogen, and Ammonia—derived from entrained flow gasification of a representative biomass are systematically compared. The uniformity of simulation detail and economic methodology enables a direct and comprehensive comparison of these products. Notably, carbon-based products exhibit up to 34% lower average investment costs compared to their hydrogen-based counterparts, namely ammonia and hydrogen. This cost discrepancy is reflected in the levelized costs of manufacturing, with hydrogen-based products emerging as the most energy-expensive. The analysis identifies variable costs as the primary contributor to overall costs with around 50%, followed by fixed investment. The study underscores the critical impact of full load hours, plant lifetime, and feedstock costs on results. This emphasise the importance of detailed planning if alternative feedstock is used to balance fuel costs and enhance plant availability. Among the evaluated products, methanol emerges as the most promising across the evaluated KPIs with costs of 283.48 € MWh−1. However, regarding hydrogen-based products, it is suggested that, especially in the context of CO2 abatement costs, a comprehensive consideration of the long-term system effects is essential to prevent misinvestments during the early stages of the energy transition. This emphasizes the need for strategic planning to ensure a sustainable and economically viable shift towards biomass-derived synthetic fuels.

Cross-sectional study of attitudes toward online continuing dental education in Libya during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational institutions switched to e-learning educational platforms. This approach was essential but raised challenges, particularly in training practitioners for medical emergencies. This approach not only led to global challenges and a need for rapid adaptation, but also raised inequities across countries, with some facing far more technical challenges than others. In Libya, low investment in education technology and unpredictable internet connectivity limited its integration into schools and universities even before the pandemic. The current study reports feedback from an online continuing dental education (CDE) course for dental practitioners that was developed emergently during the pandemic and aimed to address the challenges posed by Libya's internet environment. Participants were recruited through social media and received an 8-hour online CDE course consisting of three modules. Participants were invited to complete a pre-course demographic/informational survey on a Google form. After passing all modules, students were prompted to complete a post-course survey consisting of 23, five-point Likert scale questions. Respondents included 43 females (74.1%) and 15 males (25.9%). For ~50% of the cohort (n = 32), this was their first online clinical course. 87.9% of post-course participants rated the course as a positive learning experience, while 90.9% agreed their learning outcomes had been achieved. Most participants (97%) agreed the course instructor explained all concepts clearly. In total, 81.8% agreed that the technology effectively supported their learning. Most agreed that a clear demarcation between each course module existed and that the language and depth of the material were adequate. Some students reported technical difficulties, and 33.3% saw repetitions in the modules. However, all post-course respondents said they would recommend the online course to colleagues. Libyan dental practitioners showed high satisfaction levels towards the e-learning process, course content, instructors' attitudes, and overall e-learning experience despite the inherent e-learning challenges posed in this country.

Design and performance analysis of a novel compressed air–liquid CO2 energy storage

The application of aboveground artificial tank frees the compressed air energy storage (CAES) from geographical limitations, while one significant issue is how to reduce the price of storage tanks and achieves high efficiency concurrently. The compressed CO2 energy storage (CCES) with flexible gas holder may be an effective and economic proposal, but it can only be used in sparsely populated areas due mainly to the huge size of flexible gas holder. Therefore, this study reports a new aboveground energy storage system with a small footprint, high efficiency and low investment cost. This system is an integration of CAES and CCES by arranging the CCES flexible gas holder into the CAES air chamber. With this configuration, the isobaric CAES is ensured and the size of flexible gas holder is significantly lessened. The integrated system is systematically evaluated in the view of a technical and economic standpoint. It is found that the system efficiency is 67.47 % (charge and discharge pressures being 5.5 MPa), which is increased by 12 % of the CAES efficiency (charge pressure being 10 MPa and discharge pressure being 3.5 MPa). One of the deficiencies of the proposed system may be the larger gas storage volume, which is 1.27 times of that in the CAES system. The system levelized cost of storage is 0.1491 $/kWh, representing a 14.05 percent reduction compared to that of the CAES system. More importantly, the system gas storage pressure is only 5.5 MPa, carrying about half of that in the CAES system. The reliability and safety of the energy storage plant is extensively intensified.

Temporal constraints influence reproductive characteristics that are related to the pace‐of‐life continuum in geese

Among avian species, particularly those with altricial young, life‐history strategies are characterized by a ‘slow’ pace‐of‐life at lower latitudes, where relatively low annual investments in reproduction are traded‐off for increased survival. Evidence for this pattern in precocial species, however, is equivocal, and questions about ecological drivers of latitudinal variation in reproduction remain. To better understand spatial variation in pace‐of‐life and related reproductive traits across bird species and to test a hypothesis that might explain observed spatial patterns, we analysed breeding data from closely related Canada Geese Branta canadensis and Cackling Geese Branta hutchinsii, hereafter Canada‐type geese, comprising eight sub‐species from 16 sites across a broad gradient of latitude (32°N to 69°N) and season length. Unlike the pattern reported for many altricial species, Canada‐type geese did not show reduced annual fecundity at lower latitudes, and instead this reduced reproductive investment was at higher latitudes. For three of five reproductive traits, the relative influence of growing season length (GSL; an index of the time available to breed) was greater than that of latitude. A shorter GSL resulted in later nest initiations, shorter pre‐laying intervals and higher seasonal rates of clutch size decline. Our results suggest that these and other species of geese are able to circumvent nutritional and temporal constraints imposed by shorter GSL by storing and using nutrient reserves for egg laying and incubation. Relative flexibility in reproductive traits may permit Canada‐type geese to accommodate predicted increases in climatic variability, compared to species with more rigid reproductive strategies.

Review Paper- “COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIA REGARDS TO FINSAARTHI LEARNING SOLUTIONS”

Mutual fund is an important and good source of investment options for investors. This source helps the investors in earning better returns compared to other source of investment. In India most of the people does not have the adequate knowledge on the subject of mutual fund. They feel that investment in mutual is unsafe and it’s like gambling. The lack of awareness and misunderstanding about mutual fund leads to low investment in this industry. There is a need to raise public awareness by enlightening people about the advantages of investing in mutual funds. This report Contains information on the performance of chosen companies from various mutual fund schemes. The study’s major goal is to figure out why SBI mutual fund schemes outperform when compared to other companies’ mutual fund schemes and to scrutinize the risk and return of various funds. As in India companies are focusing young people and adopting modern technology aspect in this industry. This project gave a knowledge exposure and I was able to understand the performance of fund and customer behavior towards mutual fund. In this project report the first part includes industry and company related information, vision, mission, SWOT Analysis and financial reports of the company. Keywords – Asset Management Company, Asset Under Management, Mutual Funds, Net Asset Value..

Assessing the Impact of Naira Policy Redesign on Nigeria's Economic Development

This research investigated the impact of the Naira Redesign Policy on Nigeria's Economic Development by administering structured questionnaires to 800 participants across 3 Deposit Money Banks and 3 Tertiary institutions in the South East region of Nigeria. Of these, 160 respondents, representing 20%, either did not return or submitted incomplete questionnaires. Utilizing Cluster Mean Analysis based on Likert’s Five Point Scale, the study addressed its research inquiries. Additionally, it critically reviewed existing theoretical analyses related to the subject matter. The results indicate that the Naira redesign policy did not curtail illegal activities or corruption, stabilize exchange rates, facilitate easy access to production and investment loans, prevent vote buying or monitor campaign funding, lower interest rates, or increase financial inclusion while reducing the unbanked population. However, the policy did reveal currency holdings previously outside commercial bank vaults, aided security agencies in combating banditry and ransom incidents, but contributed to low savings and investment, resulting in citizen poverty. The study recommends a necessary redesign, production, and circulation of the Naira, aligning with globally accepted Central Banking standards. This call is particularly crucial considering the lack of such an exercise by the CBN for almost two decades. Moreover, this redesign process should occur concurrently with the withdrawal of the old currency. Keywords: Naira Redesign, Likert’s Five Point, Cluster Mean Analysis, Economic Development

Health promotion policies, perceptions, actions and needs in sports clubs in Ireland

Objective: Policy development is the biggest gap for health-promoting sports clubs. The present study aims to identify Irish sports club’s involvement in health promotion (HP) policy development. Design: Mixed methods concurrent survey design, with quantitative data providing insights into priorities, activities and documentation and qualitative data documenting stakeholders’ perceived needs. Setting: Two hundred and thirty-nine sports clubs in Ireland. Method: The survey measured perceptions of HP, the importance of promoting 10 health topics (e.g. suicide prevention, healthy eating, addictive behaviours) and corresponding actions relevant to HP in club policy documents and future needs. Quantitative data were analysed using multivariate statistics. The policy cycle was used to conduct a deductive analysis of qualitative data on sports clubs’ perceived needs. Results: A high importance score (>70%) was found for the 10 health topics. Sports clubs reported their greatest investment was in physical activity promotion, and the lowest investment was in supporting the participation of disabled people. Up to two thirds of sports clubs had no HP policy. Irish sports clubs’ perceptions of HP showed higher but similar patterns of response relative to sports clubs in other countries. Conclusion: Findings suggest that sports clubs consider HP to be an important part of their remit, but up to 66% have no policy in this regard. The policy cycle analysis helped identify the key tools needed to promote sports clubs’ HP policy development. Practical implications include fostering the inclusion of HP in sports clubs’ development plans by establishing templates and receiving support from sports federations.

Exergoeconomic comparison of a novel to a conventional small-scale power-to-ammonia cycle

Ammonia is a promising carbon-free energy vector with potential applications for low carbon energy storage, transportation, power production, and fertilizer use. Small-scale renewable Power-to-Ammonia (P2A) is particularly suited for remote, agricultural areas. Employing real cost data, this work presents an exergoeconomic comparison of a novel to a conventional prototype containerized P2A system. The novel system is designed for low investment cost and is going to be tested in late 2023. Both systems have an installed 18 kWel electrolyzer capacity, yielding 1.5 kg/h of ammonia. However, the novel system has 90 000 € lower purchased equipment costs of 400 000 € and 1 800 € lower operating and maintenance costs of 20 000 €/y. The exergoeconomic analysis rightly identifies the key component in the novel design, the recycle valve, as the highest operation cost driver. However, the investment cost advantage of the valve compared to a recycle compressor in the conventional layout results in a slightly lower Levelised Cost Of Ammonia (LCOA) of 161 €/kg for the novel compared to 173 €/kg of the conventional cycle, making the novel layout overall cost superior. These values are well above values reported in literature of below 1 €/kg. However, the data presented in this work refer to a research prototype application, whose costs are strongly affected by the high engineering cost and the low number of operating hours. A mass produced prototype with a higher utilization will have much lower costs.

Factors influencing US equity-crowdfunded companies’ ability to survive

ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors being associated with equity-crowdfunded companies’ likelihood of survival in the US. We focus on factors observable to crowdinvestors, either being set by entrepreneurs (signals) or being non-alterable (determinants), at least in the short run. Such observable factors at the time of crowdinvesting include company and campaign characteristics, growth potential, and company riskiness. Cox proportional hazards model is used on a sample of 429 US equity-crowdfunded companies. We find that 89% of the companies survived for a minimum of three years after a successfully funded initial equity offering. This survival rate is around ten percentage points higher than in Europe. We document that equity retention, funding goal, and current year revenue estimate are associated with the likelihood of building an enduring business. Higher proportion of equity offered to crowdinvestors signals lower investment quality and thus lower probability of survival. In contrast, companies with higher funding target and current year revenue have better prospects for survival after a successful equity offering. The funding goal affects the probability of survival through the capital intensity channel; if a company in a capital intense industry has been successfully funded, the threat from the competitors is lower given the high entry barriers.

Study on formation of methane hydrate in rotating packed bed

Offshore oilfield development process often carries a large amount of associated gas, most of it needs to be emptied or burned, resulting in a large amount of waste and environmental pollution. Hydrate storage and transportation technology has the advantages of simple process treatment, good offshore adaptability, good safety and relatively low investment. It is one of the important recovery technologies for associated gas in offshore oil fields. However, the long induction period of hydrate formation, the difficulty of gas dissolution, and the difficulty of continuous formation hinder the improvement of hydrate formation rate and gas storage density, and hinder the development of hydrate storage and transportation technology. High-gravity technology may be one of the development directions of new hydrate rapid formation reactors due to its small size and high mass transfer capacity. In this paper, a small-scale RPB was designed independently, and the effects of high-gravity factor, initial pressure, and packing type on hydrate formation were assessed by calculating the gas consumption, gas consumption rate, gas storage density, and gas conversion rate of hydrate formation under each experimental condition. The results show that in the range of high-gravity factor and pressure tested in the experiment, the increase of high-gravity factor and pressure can significantly accelerate the hydrate formation rate, which can be increased by up to 177 %, and the maximum gas storage density can reach 148.88 V/V. The type of packing has a strong influence on the rate of hydrate formation, and the principle of packing selection changes when dealing with solid-containing systems, and the rate of hydrate formation can be increased by 20 % with the proper selection of packing type. This study can provide a basis for subsequent high-gravity hydrate experiments and industrial applications.

Risk identification of integral pressurized water reactor (IPWR) cooling system using a combination HAZOP, FMEA, and FTA methods

AbstractIntegral Pressurized Water Reactor (IPWR) is gaining attention for use in Indonesia due to lower initial capital investment, sitting flexibility, and high level of inherent safety. IPWR relies heavily on passive cooling systems that have many advantages but lacks operational experience because no one operates commercially. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a risk analysis related to passive cooling system failures that may occur during operation. Even if conventional risk analysis methods are applied singularly, the results still have shortcomings. This study aims to integrate the use of the Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) methods to identify risks in the IPWR primary cooling system during normal operation. HAZOP was used to identify hazards, FTA analyzed the root causes of the critical problems, and the basic event's FMEA was developed for risk ranking and mitigation measures. This combined methodology makes risk assessment more systematic and comprehensive because it manages entity‐wide risk. The results offer valuable insights for stakeholders involved in decision‐making regarding the development of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Indonesia.

Short of capacity? Why the government must address the capacity constraints in the English National Health Service.

A decade of low investment in the English National Health Service (NHS) resulted in strong headline productivity growth but undermined the health system's resilience and left it exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Projected demographic pressures, driven by the aging of the baby-boom generation and the rise in multi-morbidity levels in the population, will add pressures to already stretched health care resources. As the NHS faces the twin challenges of recovering services after the pandemic and meeting care needs from an aging population, our projections of demand for care indicate the NHS almost certainly needs significantly more beds as well as more staff. Productivity improvements in hospital care can reduce the amount of additional resources needed, but this will require significant concomitant investment in community-based health and long-term-care services.

The characteristics of H6 against Microcystis aeruginosa.

Algal bloom caused by Microcystis aeruginosa has always been the focus of attention; microbial algal control has the advantages of significant effect, low investment cost, and environmental friendliness; the use of microbial technology to inhibit the bloom has a broad prospect for development. In this study, a strain of Enterobacterium algicidal bacteria screened from a river was used to study the algicidal characteristics against Microcystis aeruginosa using SEM, 3-D EEM and zeta potential. The results showed that the optimal dosage (v/v) of the strain was 5% and the removal rate of algal cells was 70% after 7 days. When the algal density was OD680nm = 0.3, the removal rate of algal cells reached 83% after 7 days. In the pH range of 5 ~ 11, the removal rate of algal cells was 70 ~ 80% after 7 days. Algicidal bacteria H6 is mainly indirect algae lysis and is supplemented by direct algae lysis. Algicidal bacteria H6 removes algicidal substances by secreting high temperature resistant algicidal substances and algicidal products are humic acids. Algicidal bacterium H6 was a strain of Enterobacterium with good algicidal effect in a wide pH range, which enriched the bacterial resources in the control of cyanobacteria bloom in water. The high temperature resistance of the algae-soluble substance secreted by the algae-soluble substance provided convenience for the subsequent preparation and application of bacterial powder.

Annual reproductive cycle of Chinese sleeper Perccottus glenii, Dybowski, 1877 (Teleostei: Gobiiformes: Odontobutidae) an invasive fish inhabiting Central Europe

Chinese sleeper is an invasive species from South Asia inhabiting Eastern and Central Europe. So far, no detailed analysis of the reproductive cycle of Chinese sleepers has been conducted. The aim of the study was to describe the reproductive cycle of Chinese sleepers in the Wilanówka River, Vistula tributary (Poland, Central Europe). Fish morphometric data, age, gonadal maturity, and absolute and relative fecundity of females were analysed. A standard paraffin technique and six-stage scales were used to assess the gonad development and maturation in both sexes. The age of the studied fish ranged from 0+ to 6+.The female-to-male ratio was 1:1. Females and males mature at age 1+.The smallest female and male reaching maturity were 3.8 and 3.7 cm long, respectively. An extended spawning season from the beginning of April to mid-September was determined based on gonadal maturity analysis. The mean absolute fecundity was 2,971 (180–19,656) oocytes. The male reproductive system comprises paired testis (spermatogenic region, blackish color) and paired testicular gland (secretory region, whitish color). In both regions, seasonal changes were observed. Male gonads during winter had completed spermatogenesis, and the lobules were filled with spermatozoa. Very fast spermatogenesis and overlapping of reproductive cycles have been observed in Chinese sleeper males. Almost all year round testis contains spermatozoa. In the new habitat examined, this species was characterized by earlier maturation and longer reproduction season, compared to the native habitat and other native species of the examined area. Moreover, high female fecundity, multiple spawning, and lower investment in the development of gonads in males allow maintaining vitality and protecting the nest, contribute to the species competitiveness and successful colonization of new areas.

Comparative Feasibility and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton Stalks Gasification and Pyrolysis

In a circular economy, significant emphasis is given to the energetic valorization of agricultural byproducts. Cotton stalks are suitable as a feedstock for the production of bioenergy due to their high energy content. This study’s main focal areas are the economic viability and environmental implications of a system that can gasify or pyrolyze 25,500 tons of cotton stalk annually. To learn more about how gasification and pyrolysis affect the environment, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. This analysis evaluates the whole value chain and covers all stages of the cotton supply chain from cradle to gate, including production, harvest, transportation, and utilization. According to the findings, both systems exhibit economic viability, generating sizable profits and having quick payback times. However, despite its larger initial expenditure of EUR 2.74 million, the pyrolysis unit ends up being the better option because it has a payback period of 1.58 years, a return on investment (ROI) of 58% and a net present value (NPV) of EUR 21.5 million. Gasification is still an economically attractive alternative with a lower initial investment (EUR 1.81 million), despite having a lower ROI (36%) and NPV (EUR 10.52 million), as well as a longer payback period (2.41 years). However, the environmental implications of the gasification option are generally higher than those of pyrolysis. The impacts of gasification on fossil depletion (FDP) were estimated to be 5.7 million kg oil eq., compared to 5.3 million kg oil eq. for pyrolysis. Similarly, gasification resulted in 41.55 million kg U235 eq. and pyrolysis in 41.5 million kg U235 eq. related to impacts on ionizing radiation (IRP_HE). Other impact categories that emerge as the most important are freshwater eutrophication (FEP) and marine eutrophication (MEP).

Progress on the Methods for Preparation of Fish Protein Concentrate from Underutilized Fish Residue: A Short Review

Due to higher cost and existence of various allergens in plant, low-cost proteins derived from animal sources are becoming more attractive to consumers. Currently, there are several methods used for the preparation of fish protein concentrate from underutilized sources. This review elaborates the progress of methods used for the preparation of fish protein concentrate (FPC) from underutilized fish residue. Basically, FPC manufacturing processes involve either the dissolution and precipitation of soluble protein fractions or segregation of undesirable components, namely lipids, water and carbohydrates. The combination of physical and chemical methods has been developed with low investment and operational cost to obtain high product yield and high-quality FPC. In addition, the demand for environmentally friendly process has also encouraged the use of effective and generally regarded as safe solvents. As a conclusion, the preferred FPC preparation method should facilitate the use of green solvents, low investment, energy and operational cost, and the achievement of a high FPC yield with premium product quality.

ВАЛОВИЙ ВНУТРІШНІЙ ПРОДУКТ ЯК ІНДИКАТОР РІВНЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО РОЗВИТКУ КРАЇНИ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ ЧЕСЬКОЇ РЕСПУБЛІКИ)

The article addresses the current issue of researching and analyzing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of national economic competitiveness on a global scale and its impact on the macroeconomic stability of the Czech Republic. The authors emphasize the importance of GDP analysis for effective economic management, planning, forecasting, and ensuring macroeconomic stability. The study is based on a review of previous research and publications by both Ukrainian and foreign scholars. As a result, the concept of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is thoroughly analyzed, with three main aspects of the concept elucidated: "gross," "domestic," and "product." Furthermore, the article provides crucial explanations to enhance comprehension of the GDP concept. Moreover, the article extensively analyzes the dynamics of nominal and real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Czech Republic from 2016 to 2022. Special attention is given to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Czech economy and its adverse effects in 2020. The causes of GDP decline are highlighted, along with data on economic recovery at the end of 2020 and an assessment of GDP dynamics in 2021 and 2022. The significance of evaluating GDP growth rates and their potential implications for the Czech economy are underscored, as well as the importance of GDP per capita as an indicator of Czech economic competitiveness and the country's position in the GDP per capita ranking. Additionally, the article examines the impact of declining household consumption on Czech GDP due to inflation and low investments. The methodology of correlation-regression analysis is employed to identify trends in GDP dynamics, along with projected GDP values for 2024 and 2025. It is noted that the main drivers of Czech economic growth should be the export activities of companies and the recovery of household demand. However, further research is needed to explore the analysis of GDP dynamics as an indicator of macroeconomic stability, its impact on forming global competitiveness rankings, and positioning the Czech Republic in the global economic community.

The role of syndromic knowledge in Ethiopian veterinarians' treatment of cattle.

Veterinarians play a significant role in the treatment and prevention of livestock diseases at the farm level, safeguarding public health and ensuring food safety. In sub-Saharan Africa, access to quality veterinary services is a major challenge for livestock farmers due to the low number of publicly employed veterinarians, underfunding and privatisation of veterinary services. Low investment in veterinary services and infrastructure, including a lack of laboratories for diagnosis, has made veterinarians rely on their experience and knowledge of cattle disease symptoms developed over years of practice to diagnose and treat cattle diseases. A cross-sectional survey using a role-play approach was used to collect data on knowledge regarding cattle diseases among veterinarians in veterinary clinics and private practices in Addis Ababa, Oromia and Adama regions in Ethiopia. Veterinarians were given a number of disease scenarios based on "fictive disease symptoms" that are commonly manifested in a sick cow and asked to identify the disease what personal biosecurity they would use, diagnostic tests they would perform, treatments they would prescribe, treatment costs, and additional services and inputs they would recommend to the farmer. The results show that veterinarians could identify endemic cattle diseases through symptoms. The majority of veterinarians did not find it important to report notifiable diseases, a behaviour which could hamper disease surveillance and outbreak response. The advice and services the veterinarians said they would offer and recommend to farmers included improvement in feeding, vaccination, use of artificial insemination, and adoption of farm biosecurity measures that can reduce disease prevalence, and improve food safety, animal health and welfare. Low use of personal protective equipment and other protective biosecurity measures among veterinarians could expose them to zoonotic diseases. The study concludes that there is a need for increased funding for continuous training, improved access to animal health-related information, and investment in infrastructure such as laboratories to enable veterinarians to deliver quality animal health services.