Mitigation Technologies Research Articles

The integration of forensic accounting and big data technology frameworks for internal fraud mitigation in the banking industry

The purpose of this study is to investigate the integration of forensic accounting and big data technology frameworks in relation to the mitigation of internal fraud risk in the banking industry. This study employed an explanatory research design involving the use of simulated data to mirror the situation in the banking industry. To this end, the big data analytical approach considered is machine learning that involves a neural network with two-layer feed forward, one hidden layer and five hidden neuron layers created to detect the presence of fraud and classify them into two, viz.: fraudulent and non-fraudulent activities. Both the input and output target samples are automatically divided into training, validation, and test datasets, while the confusion matrix is employed to visualise the percentages of correct and incorrect classifications. Furthermore, the clustering of the fraud indicators was also carried out to group them based on their similarities. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of neural networks in classifying internal fraud into three levels of risks and fraud detection. This is evidenced in the percentage of correct classification (95%) and misclassification (5%) obtained from the confusion matrix. The model also demonstrates the feasibility of clustering the potential red flags of internal fraud. This study provides an understanding into the attributes of internal fraud and a practical guided approach to implement an integrated forensic accounting and big data technology framework for internal fraud mitigation. The forensic accountant should ensure that the machine learning models are regularly updated with new datasets for automatic classification and clustering analysis. There is still scanty information regarding the integration of forensic accounting and big data technology for mitigation of internal fraud risk in the banking industry. Hence, it is envisaged that this study will contribute to the method, theory and practise of internal fraud mitigation.

Methanobrevibacter boviskoreani JH1T growth on alcohols allows development of a high throughput bioassay to detect methanogen inhibition

Rumen methanogenic archaea use by-products of fermentation to carry out methanogenesis for energy generation. A key fermentation by-product is hydrogen (H2), which acts as the source of reducing potential for methane (CH4) formation in hydrogenotrophic methanogens. The in vitro cultivation of hydrogenotrophic rumen methanogens requires pressurised H2 which limits the ability to conduct high-throughput screening experiments with these organisms. The genome of the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanobrevibacter boviskoreani JH1T harbors genes encoding an NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase and a F420-dependent NADP reductase, which may facilitate the transfer of reducing potential from ethanol to F420 via NADP. The aim of this study was to explore the anaerobic culturing of JH1T without pressurised H2, using a variety of short chain alcohols. The results demonstrate that in the absence of H2, JHIT can use ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol but not methanol, as a source of reducing potential for methanogenesis. The ability to use ethanol to drive CH4 formation in JH1T makes it possible to develop a high throughput culture-based bioassay enabling screening of potential anti-methanogen compounds. The development of this resource will help researchers globally to accelerate the search for methane mitigation technologies for ruminant animals. Global emissions pathways that are consistent with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, rely on substantial reductions of agricultural greenhouse gasses, particularly from ruminant animals.

A one-two punch to the economy: Climate vulnerability and corporate innovation strategies

Using firm-level R&D and patent data for 88 countries, we find that country climate vulnerability is negatively related to firms’ R&D investment and innovation. The potential mechanisms include decreased responsiveness of R&D to investment opportunities, reduced incentives to innovate, lower private value of innovations, and stronger managerial career concerns. We further show that climate vulnerability is positively associated with the ratio of climate change mitigation technologies (CCMTs) and global collaborative patents in innovations and promotes international strategic alliances (e.g., research collaboration and licensing). Moreover, climate risk exposure through global supply chains and customer locations also relates to corporate innovation, and firm-level climate risk is negatively associated with innovation. Finally, using a difference-in-differences regression, we find that treated firms’ sensitivity of innovation to climate vulnerability increases after climate disasters. Our findings suggest a potential indirect effect of climate risk on the global economy through the reduction of corporate innovation activities.

A Review of Voltage Stability Issues in Distribution System Influenced By High PV Penetration and Its Mitigation Techniques

The installation of the photovoltaic system across the world is dramatically increasing to meet the increase in electrical energy demand. But the higher penetration of PV will lead to severe impacts on the distribution system such as instability in power balancing, over-voltage, under-voltage, etc. Typically, voltage stability is achieved using conventional and emerging mitigation technologies. The effects of increased PV penetration on distribution networks and their mitigating methods are thoroughly reviewed in this research.

An Evaluation of the Priority Mitigation Technology Needs of Belt and Road Initiative Developing Countries

Climate technology transfer is vital to greening the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and strengthening the BRI cooperative partnership. The major concerns of technology transferrers are to clarify what to transfer and where to transfer. On the basis of technology need assessment reports and the cooperative patent classification system, as well as a set of indicators for measuring urgency and attractiveness, this study identified the priority technology needs of BRI countries from global and regional perspectives. We found that technologies such as photovoltaics, land-use policy measures, and road transportation technologies in the energy, agriculture, and transportation sectors are the priority needs in BRI countries; however, these are not fully recognized by China’s current regional cooperation initiatives. In addition, the regional perspective analysis revealed the urgent need for diverse climate technologies at the regional level. Regional mismatches were also detected between China’s current technology transfer efforts and the BRI countries’ requirements, which may be attributed to the demand-pull and market-driven modes of technology transfer. We suggest that technology transferrers adjust their focus on technology cooperation to reflect the changing needs and regional disparities of BRI countries.

Soil vibration and auralisation software tools for application in railways

The main objective of the SILVARSTAR Shift2Rail project is to develop validated software tools in the field of ground vibration and auralisation. The first project work stream focuses on the prediction of ground vibration through the development of a hybrid approach, combining numerical prediction with experimental results. The general framework adopted expresses the vibration level in a building as the product of terms describing the source, the propagation through the soil and the receiver. In the second work stream, auralisation and Virtual Reality (VR) software tools are developed based on physical models to synthesise railway noise in high quality. The novel auralisation and VR tools enable perception-based evaluation of noise mitigation technologies and an effective demonstration of different noise scenarios, including noise mitigation measures and vehicle design variants.

Investigating biochar as a net-negative emissions strategy in Colombia: Potentials, costs, and barriers

Biochar is identified as a land-based mitigation technology (LMT) and a net-negative emissions technology (NET) with significant potential for mitigating climate change and providing co-benefits. Transforming residual biomass into biochar can potentially avoid CO2 emissions to be rapidly released to the atmosphere. This study aims to assess the sustainability of biochar production in Colombia as a NET. The research consists of five steps, literature review, expert elicitation, estimation of agricultural residues for biochar production, evaluation of biochar's CO2 mitigation potential, and techno-economic analysis of biochar under different biomass availability and technologies scenarios. Our findings indicate that approximately 10% of agricultural residual biomass can be transformed into biochar and reintegrated into the soil. Over a 100-year period, each tonne of biochar in the soil has the potential to avoid emissions of 1 to 2.2 t of CO2eq. Cost-wise, biochar production cost structure depends on the pyrolysis technology used. The cost structure of biochar production depends on the pyrolysis technology used. We find that raw feedstock represents the main cost component, ranging from 64% to 74% of total costs for artisan-made equipment, and 33% to 34% for specialized pyrolysis equipment. Capital investments, fixed costs, and raw feedstock account for the remaining costs. Our results highlight that the net present value (NPV) is most sensitive to biomass transport distance, biomass price and biomass humidity. Our findings can be used internationally for navigating the production, mitigation potentials, costs, and barriers of biochar, and devising deployment and market creation strategies.

Exploring the potential for improving material utilization efficiency to secure lithium supply for China's battery supply chain

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) is the key technology for climate change mitigation. The sustainability of LIB supply chain has caused widespread concern since the material utilization efficiency of LIB supply chain has not been well investigated. This study aims to fill this research gap by conducting a dynamic material flow analysis of lithium in China from 2015 to 2021. Results indicate that within the temporal boundary, lithium flow and in-use stock grew significantly in China due to the rapid development of the EV market, with lithium flow in domestic production of basic chemicals increasing by 614% to 100 kt, end-use consumption increasing by 160% to 35 kt, and in-use stock increasing by 62% to 195 kt. China has been a net importer of lithium, of which cumulative imports and exports were 343 kt and 169 kt, respectively. In addition, 103 kt of lithium was converted to inventories or was lost during the processing from 2015 to 2021. By optimizing inventory and processing, developing substitutes for lithium for non-battery applications, and improving lithium recycling, China's net import dependency of lithium could be reduced from 27%-86% to 0%-16%. Our study demonstrates that it is urgent to improve material utilization efficiency so that the lithium resource supply can be secured.

Efficiency of magnesium ions removal from water in processes of its mitigation

Significant concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions in natural waters force the majority of domestic drinking and energy waters to undergo preliminary softening. Therefore, mitigation technologies are becoming particularly acute today, and research in this field is increasing every year. Since water hardness is determined by the total content of calcium and magnesium ions, these elements are the focus of such research. 
 Traditionally, it is believed that calcium ions are the first to be removed, and magnesium ions are less likely to form a solid phase. However, the effectiveness of softening technology depends equally on both cations. Therefore, sufficient attention should also be paid to magnesium ions. Sodium phosphate is considered a promising reagent in this direction. Its use in the processes of removing calcium ions allows to ensure the residual hardness of water at the level of 0.1 - 0.2 mg-eq/dm3 in a wide range of temperatures and hydrogen index. Detailed studies of the use of sodium phosphate in the processes of removing magnesium ions showed its insufficient efficiency. 
 The effectiveness of soda-sodium softening allows to ensure at pH 11.0 - 11.5 the residual hardness of water at the level of 0.4 - 0.6 mg-eq/dm3. But the need to adjust the hydrogen index and the high consumption of reagents make this technology unsuitable for widespread use. The determining factor in water softening processes using phosphate ions is the ratio between the concentrations of phosphate ions and magnesium ions K = [PO43-, mg-eq] / [Mg2+, mg-eq]. Taking into account the strict requirements of current regulatory documents for the content of phosphates in treated waters, it is desirable to carry out the treatment with stoichiometric ratios of reagents for a more complete reaction between the components. The advantage of sodium phosphate as a reagent for removing magnesium ions can be considered the fact that in the pH range of 3.16 - 10.07 at K = 1, the residual hardness ranges from 1.8 to 3.4 mg-eq/dm3. At the same time, the minimum value of the residual stiffness was recorded at the level of 0.75 mg-eq/dm3 at pH 10.07 and K = 2. As the pH decreases, a stable decrease in efficiency is observed, although it is not very significant. Thus, during the transition from an alkaline to an acidic medium, the residual concentration of magnesium ions increases by a factor of 2, regardless of the value of the coefficient K. Similar trends persist in the case of a change in the initial hardness of water. The biggest difference is observed at values ​​of K ≤ 1, which is explained by the deficiency of phosphate anions and the impossibility of forming a solid phase of stoichiometric composition. However, even with a stoichiometric ratio of reactants (K = 1), the residual hardness of treated water is quite significant and ranges from 2.5 to 3 mg-eq/dm3. A further increase in the dose of sodium phosphate allows to slightly reduce the residual hardness of the treated water. Thus, the minimum residual hardness of treated water at K = 2.0 is fixed at the level of 0.7 mg-eq/dm3 with an initial hardness of 22.9 mg-eq/dm3. An increase in the residual hardness of the treated water with a decrease in its initial hardness was also noted. This situation is caused, in our opinion, by a significant increase in the mass of the solid phase and an increase in pH with an increase in the dose of sodium phosphate. 
 A significant advantage of sodium phosphate as a precipitator of calcium ions is the fact that the temperature of the water practically does not affect the efficiency of the process in a wide range of temperatures. This trend is also characteristic of magnesium ions. In the temperature range of 5 - 70 °C, the softening efficiency remains stable. Moreover, the solid phase is formed immediately after draining the solutions. If we take into account the high efficiency of phosphates in removing calcium ions, then in general, the use of phosphates for softening water can be permissible, provided that the formed solid phase is completely separated from the water. Detailed studies of the efficiency of separation of magnesium phosphate particles by settling or filtering are as important as the processes of solid phase formation.

Enteric methane research and mitigation strategies for pastoral-based beef cattle production systems.

Ruminant livestock play a key role in global society through the conversion of lignocellulolytic plant matter into high-quality sources of protein for human consumption. However, as a consequence of the digestive physiology of ruminant species, methane (CH4), which originates as a byproduct of enteric fermentation, is accountable for 40% of global agriculture's carbon footprint and ~6% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, meeting the increasing demand for animal protein associated with a growing global population while reducing the GHG intensity of ruminant production will be a challenge for both the livestock industry and the research community. In recent decades, numerous strategies have been identified as having the potential to reduce the methanogenic output of livestock. Dietary supplementation with antimethanogenic compounds, targeting members of the rumen methanogen community and/or suppressing the availability of methanogenesis substrates (mainly H2 and CO2), may have the potential to reduce the methanogenic output of housed livestock. However, reducing the environmental impact of pasture-based beef cattle may be a challenge, but it can be achieved by enhancing the nutritional quality of grazed forage in an effort to improve animal growth rates and ultimately reduce lifetime emissions. In addition, the genetic selection of low-CH4-emitting and/or faster-growing animals will likely benefit all beef cattle production systems by reducing the methanogenic potential of future generations of livestock. Similarly, the development of other mitigation technologies requiring minimal intervention and labor for their application, such as anti-methanogen vaccines, would likely appeal to livestock producers, with high uptake among farmers if proven effective. Therefore, the objective of this review is to give a detailed overview of the CH4 mitigation solutions, both currently available and under development, for temperate pasture-based beef cattle production systems. A description of ruminal methanogenesis and the technologies used to estimate enteric emissions at pastures are also presented.

The trickle down from environmental innovation to productive complexity

We study the empirical relationship between green technologies and industrial production at very fine-grained levels by employing Economic Complexity techniques. Firstly, we use patent data on green technology domains as a proxy for competitive green innovation and data on exported products as a proxy for competitive industrial production. Secondly, with the aim of observing how green technological development trickles down into industrial production, we build a bipartite directed network linking single green technologies at time t_1 to single products at time t_2 ge t_1 on the basis of their time-lagged co-occurrences in the technological and industrial specialization profiles of countries. Thirdly, we filter the links in the network by employing a maximum entropy null-model. Our results emphasize a strong connection between green technologies and the export of products related to the processing of raw materials, notably crucial for the development of climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies. Furthermore, by looking at the evolution of the network over time, we observe a growing presence of more complex green technologies and high-tech products among the significant links, suggesting an increase in their importance in the network.

Unveiling evolution characteristics of inventive activity on climate change mitigation technologies in China

Unveiling evolution characteristics of inventive activity on climate change mitigation technologies in China

Institutional acceptance of wildlife mitigation technologies for wind energy: The case of Israel

While the existing literature on the acceptability of renewable energy focuses primarily on stated preferences of individual acceptance, this study focuses on a socio-political dimension of acceptance by examining revealed preferences as evidenced by stakeholder interactions with in a regulatory process. Specifically, we examine the acceptability of technology designed to mitigate harm to wildlife: a Shutdown On Demand (SOD) technology. Taking a longitudinal approach, we review planning protocols covering four years of negotiations over this new mitigating technology in the case of a proposed wind farm to be located along a major international corridor for migrating birds. We develop three separate indicators of institutional acceptance and demonstrate how exposure to different types of uncertainties influenced acceptance of the technology over time. We also show how various responses to these uncertainties can resolve gridlocks around institutional acceptance. The study offers insights into the development of negotiations strategies for different stakeholders over time. It also offers recommendations for policy designed to resolve issues inhibiting institutional acceptance, including data gathering and exchange, issue linkage strategies, and incremental regime building.

Innovation and Climate Change Mitigation Technology in the Asian and African Mining Sector: Empirical Analysis Using the LMDI Method

Technology plays an essential role as climate change becomes a growing concern worldwide. This article aims to examine the influence that innovation exerts on climate change mitigation technology (CCMT) in the African and Asian mining sectors. Data were collected from the World Intellectual Property Organization mining database. We conducted a decomposition analysis of patent families between 2011 and 2020 based on the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method. Findings revealed that African countries do not devote their innovation efforts to adaptive technologies, resulting in a mismatch between mining and access to technologies as the scope of R&D narrows. In Asia, the drive for innovation and technological efficiency is a tool to prevent economic damage and legitimize technological benefits as solutions for climate change mitigation technology. This outcome calls on political, national, and international governments to bridge the innovation gap to trigger a real shift from innovation to these technologies.

Perspectives for the circular chemical economy post COP26

More global action towards climate change in the UK is needed now. Carbon dioxide levels need to be decreased globally and more sustainable practices implemented throughout all sectors in the UK. Whilst many steps have been taken in the UK to reduce its overall carbon footprint, the UK chemical sector must become more sustainable. Whilst carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced, a holistic systematic approach is needed to reduce emissions and improve sustainable manufacture. The circular economy in conjunction with reducing carbon dioxide levels can therefore be used to tackle this issue. Carbon dioxide mitigation technologies, such as carbon capture utilisation and storage amongst others, must help complement a circular economy as well as push towards a more circular carbon-based UK chemical sector. This perspective will discuss policies pledged towards tackling climate change via carbon dioxide reduction methods, pre and post COP26, and critically discuss the good and bad aspects of the conference, especially in terms of creating a circular chemical economy in the UK.

Overview of multipath mitigation technology in global navigation satellite system

The global navigation satellite system is a high-precision radio navigation system based on artificial satellites. Among the factors affecting the positioning accuracy of the navigation satellite system, the multipath signal is the most significant and challenging to eliminate. Furthermore, the multipath environment of the receiver is also becoming more complex, and it seriously threatens the measurement accuracy and stability of the receiver. The multipath mitigation technology is also continuously improved and developed in practical application. This paper firstly introduces the concept and characteristics of multipath signals, and summarizes the influence of multipath signals on navigation satellite systems from two aspects of code tracking loop and carrier tracking loop. Furthermore, the existing multipath mitigation technology is summarized in four stages: signal system design, antenna design, baseband signal processing, and navigation data processing. Finally, according to the summary of the existing technology and the new demand, the future development direction of multipath suppression technology is prospected.

Full-Scale Investigation of Methane and Ammonia Mitigation by Early Single-Dose Slurry Storage Acidification

The effects of early acidification with sulfuric acid of animal slurry in concrete storage tanks to pH 5 on methane and ammonia emissions have been investigated on two cattle and two pig slurry storage tanks in full scale. The tanks’ up- and down-wind concentrations were measured online by cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). The inverse-dispersion method (IDM), using a backward Lagrangian stochastic (bLS) model, was used to determine the emission rates. The results show that CH4 emissions after single-dose acidification of slurry tanks in the early summer were reduced by 95 ± 14% and 95% ± 6% for cattle and pig manure, respectively, compared to the emissions measured before acidification. The reductions occurred even though pH increased during the storage with and without addition of fresh slurry. After acidification, NH3 emissions were comparable to or lower than when a natural crust was present. A supplementary experiment on small-scale slurry containers was conducted to investigate the pH development when fresh slurry was added to the acidified slurry. The influence of pH development on the long-term emission dynamics of methane is discussed by comparing the large-scale and small-scale studies. The study presents the first full-scale documentation that slurry acidification is a promising technology for mitigation of methane from slurry storage.

Global oil refining's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions from 2000 to 2021

The refining industry is the third-largest source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary sources, so it is at the forefront of the energy transition and net zero pathways. The dynamics of contributors in this sector such as crucial countries, leading enterprises, and key emission processes are vital to identifying key GHG emitters and supporting targeted emission reduction, yet they are still poorly understood. Here, we established a global sub-refinery GHG emission dataset in a long time series based on life cycle method. Globally, cumulative GHG emissions from refineries reached approximately 34.1 gigatons (Gt) in the period 2000-2021 with an average annual increasing rate of 0.7%, dominated by the United States, EU27&UK, and China. In 2021, the top 20 countries with the largest GHG emissions of oil refining accounted for 83.9% of global emissions from refineries, compared with 79.5% in 2000. Moreover, over the past two decades, 53.9-57.0% of total GHG emissions came from the top 20 oil refining enterprises with the largest GHG emissions in 12 of these 20 countries. Retiring or installing mitigation technologies in the top 20% of refineries with the largest GHG emissions and refineries with GHG emissions of more than 0.1 Gt will reduce the level of GHG emissions by 38.0%-100.0% in these enterprises. Specifically, low-carbon technologies installed on furnaces and boilers as well as steam methane reforming will enable substantial GHG mitigation of more than 54.0% at the refining unit level. Therefore, our results suggest that policies targeting a relatively small number of super-emission contributors could significantly reduce GHG emissions from global oil refining.

Photoactive catalysts for treatment of air pollutants: a bibliometric analysis.

In recent years, photocatalysts are becoming attractive to researchers in exploring their application for treatment of air pollutants. Exposure to ultra-violet visible (UV-VIS) light on photocatalysts often makes them active in decomposing various toxic materials into less or environment-friendly products. Thus, identification, as well as simple synthesis and processing of photocatalysts, could ultimately lead to technologies for the cost-effective mitigation of environmental hazards. A bibliometric analysis has been carried out here to understand and assess the development in photocatalyst research. The data retrieved from the Scopus database on the topic for 2000-2020 were analyzed to investigate the research activities of the past to foresight the future. Various facets of bibliometry were investigated to produce this holistic article. The contribution of various countries, institutions, and authors were investigated. Numerous facets of photocatalyst such as types of photocatalysts, their modification through metal and non-metal doping, their pollutants treatment potency, types of reactors for photocatalysis, factors influencing treatment performance, and models used for designing reactors were examined. In brevity, substantial growth was observed in the last two decades. Contribution of China, the USA, Japan, and India were notable. Chinese universities contributed majorly to the research. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental Journal was the topic's main journal and Titanium dioxide was the hotspot in photocatalytic research. The research development, problem disclosure, adopted strategies, and materials explored on the photocatalysis for air pollution treatment over recent years across the world could be insightful to the researchers and eventually will be beneficial to formulate new research strategies.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of carbon dioxide capture

Carbon dioxide capture is an important greenhouse gas mitigation technology that can help limit climate change. The design of improved capture materials requires a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which carbon dioxide is bound. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy methods have emerged as a powerful probe of CO2 sorption and diffusion in carbon capture materials. In this article, we first review the practical considerations for carrying out NMR measurements on capture materials dosed with CO2 and we then present three case studies that review our recent work on NMR studies of CO2 binding in metal–organic framework materials. We show that simple 13C NMR experiments are often inadequate to determine CO2 binding modes, but that more advanced experiments such as multidimensional NMR experiments and 17O NMR experiments can lead to more conclusive structural assignments. We further discuss how pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR can be used to explore diffusion of adsorbed CO2 through the porous framework. Finally, we provide an outlook on the challenges and opportunities for the further development of NMR methodologies that can improve our understanding of carbon capture.