Problematic Factors Research Articles

#MeToo, popular feminism and the news : A content analysis of UK newspaper coverage

This article examines the first 6 months of #MeToo’s coverage in the UK press, revealing how newspapers played an important role in heightening the campaign’s visibility. Using content analysis, our study demonstrates that the press contributed to expanding and reinforcing #MeToo’s visibility in important ways. In terms of reach, the UK press has expanded the movement’s visibility beyond social media, addressing potentially new and different readerships. This attests to the pivotal role that news media continue to play in disseminating global issues and debates for a national audience. Second, in terms of content, while the news coverage developed and consolidated stories that were originally revealed on social media, it also publicized new stories. However, our study also highlights how the press’ role in enabling and expanding the visibility of #MeToo has been characterized by a number of crucial and, we argue, problematic factors. First, while #MeToo was covered positively in all newspapers, there was significant variation within newspapers, which was largely consistent with their traditional ideological alignments. Second, the #MeToo coverage seems to have followed and reinforced familiar patterns with respect to news coverage of both sexual violence and feminism, namely, support of feminism alongside a concurrent de-politicization, an individualizing tendency through a focus on celebrity and the cultural industries, and the centring of the experiences of celebrity female subjects who are predominately White and wealthy.

Coastal Ecosystem Health Assessment in Korea: Busan Case Study

As a pioneering effort to assess the health of marine ecosystems in Korea, coastal ecosystem components were monitored in the Busan coastal area from 2013 to 2015. Pelagic ecosystem assessment focused on eutrophication and plankton communities in surface waters. For benthic ecosystem assessment, sediment environments with regard to toxic organic compounds and heavy metals as well as benthos communities were investigated. Preestablished indicators and criteria based on the relationships between chemical pressures and biological responses were applied to the assessment. Water and sediment qualities and community health of plankton and benthos were expressed in their respective individual indices and finally integrated into a holistic health index or score. From observation across the three-year study period in the Busan coastal waters, water quality index and plankton health index were assessed as “Fair” or “Good”. Sediment quality index was “Very poor” or “Poor” inside harbor areas such as Busan North Port, Busan South Port, Gamchun Port, and Dadaepo Port. Benthic pollution index evaluating the health status of macrobenthic communities also exhibited an unhealthy condition in the harbor areas. The annual health map of the Busan coastal ecosystem was consecutively updated from 2013 to 2015 to provide scientific information on unhealthy spaces and indicators in the Busan coastal area. The annual health maps displayed a hot spot of ‘Poor’ grade in the Busan South Port. Therefore, it is suggested that the top priority for the Busan coastal ecosystem management should be paid to the hot spot to restore the ecosystem health of the Busan coastal waters by especially focusing on the benthic ecosystem. Future coastal management should focus on the mitigation of problematic factors and should be connected to and provide feedback to the health assessment results of the Busan coastal area.

Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels?

Mountain plant communities are thought to be sensitive to climate change and, thus, able to reveal its effects sooner than others. The status as sentinels of two plant communities are reviewed. Alpine treeline ecotones and alpine vegetation have been observed to respond to climate change in recent decades. The treeline has moved upslope and alpine communities have had some species increase and others decrease. The response for both, however, has been inconsistent if taken as a whole. Problematic factors for this response are outlined for both: abiotic and biotic interactions partially decouple the plant communities from climate. Differences across spatial and temporal scales complicate interpretation. Partial decoupling leads to nonlinear responses and difficulties for prediction and for planning mitigation.

Problems Facing Urban Christian Church-Sponsored Schools Exemplified by St. Peter Claver’s Catholic Primary School, Nairobi County

Education is one of the major social pillars that the National Strategic Plan captures in Kenya Vision 2030. Besides the government which is a main provider of education in the country, there are other partners such as the Roman Catholic Church that pursue the goal of providing holistic education. It is worth appreciating that, in Kenya, it is in common domain that the RCC has contributed a lot towards socio-political, economic and education growth. Nonetheless, efficiency and conflict of interest regarding management of some public sponsored schools together with mutual hostility with civil authorities more so in urban ones deserves critical attention. This provides a springboard for the study to investigate pertinent problematic factors that hinder the actualization of the ideals of Church sponsored urban schools in schooling and education focusing on St. Peter Claver’s Catholic Primary School in Nairobi as a model. The study applies qualitative research while using a case study design to collect data from both secondary and primary sources. Primary data is acquired through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focused group discussions and observation. To delve further into the problem, the study is guided by three inter-dependent theories. They are: Social Learning Theory, Mediation Theory and Redaction Criticism Theory. The findings of the work include - but are not limited to - conflict between ecclesial sponsors and civil authorities, diverging faith affiliation demands, infrastructural problems together with environmental challenges. It is against these socio-economic milieus that the study articulates on the critical roles of the government and the Church as a sponsor to avert recurrent conflict of interest and other problems that urban Christian Church sponsored schools face. In view of these issues a study on the problems facing sponsored primary schools is pivotal since the education received in these schools is the foundational level that determines most the present and future character of the pupils and school management, and guarantees upward mobility in schooling, education, and gainful employment.

Perceptions on self-regulation and transaction friendliness relevant to smart contracting

PurposeThis paper aims to report on signs of public awareness and empowerment among the general public that are presumed to determine the viability of the smart contracting (SC) approach and identifies prevailing concerns regarding individual transactional experiences.Design/methodology/approachA mixed approach was followed to explore perceptions of self-regulation and transaction friendliness by using an interpretative multiple case study method and by presenting a descriptive summative analysis of the data.FindingsOn self-regulation, the study reveals spread awareness, empowerment, contractual competences and responsibility. Regarding transaction friendliness, subject matter influences transaction experiences the most, and trust and engagement are the most problematic factors. The findings support the viability of SC, endorsing the application of proactive perspectives in legal and managerial practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe study confirms the foundational assumptions of SC, identifies key transactional issues that should be further addressed to improve the functionality of digital trade environments and contributes to the consolidation of the legal design research field on transaction usability.Practical implicationsThe findings point to the viability of SC. Organizations and practitioners are given indications on transaction upgrade priorities and invited to adopt and help disseminate the proposal.Social implicationsThe expansion of a collaborative transactional culture can reduce legal disputes, improving the legal environment of business and strengthening private governance regulatory models.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study on the viability conditions of the SC-approach, identifying transactional usability testing and intervention priorities.

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Loggers in the Ark-La-Tex Region

ABSTRACTBackground: The U.S. logging sector is among the most dangerous industrial sectors, with high fatality and non-fatal injury rates. Limited research has addressed work-related musculoskeletal disorders among logging machine operators (LMOs). The purpose of this study was to estimate the 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and the associated work-related risk factors among LMOs in the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas (Ark-La-Tex) logging region.Methods: A self-administered 93-item questionnaire with six different sections: (1) demographics, (2) lifestyle and medical background, (3) work experience, (4) job training, (5) occupational heat-related stress, and (6) occupational injuries and MSS was administered to LMOs (n = 88) using Qualtrics Mobile Survey Software®. Poisson regression models were used to estimate crude prevalence ratios (PR), adjusted PR [aPR], and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results: Regarding organizational, ergonomic, and handling equipment occupational factors and 12-month MSS prevalence, the adjusted model controlled for age, BMI, smoking status, and drinking status. For organizational, the most problematic factors for the lower back were performing a task over and over (63.2%) and working very fast, for short periods (60.0%). For ergonomics, the most problematic factor for the lower extremities was awkward or cramped conditions (58.1%) and for the lower back was bending/twisting back awkward (55.9%). Last, for handling equipment, the most problematic for both the lower back and lower extremities was handling or grasping small objects (57.1%).Conclusion: Our findings revealed associations between work-related MSS and specific job factors (e.g., organizational, ergonomic, handling equipment, etc.), extreme environmental conditions or environmental, and personal risk factors. In particular, study findings suggest lower back and lower extremities MSS are associated with the a majority of job-related risk factors, lower extremities with extreme environmental conditions, and neck and upper back with personal risk factors.

Development Analysis of Global Competitiveness Index of ASEAN-7 Countries and Its Relationship on Gross Domestic Product

The objectives of the research are: (1) to investigate the development of global competitiveness index (GCI) of ASEAN-7 countries as an illustration of economic performance and potentiality, (2) to investigate which factors or pillars are drivers for the improvement of GCI ASEAN-7 countries, and (3) to analyze the effect of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on GCI of ASEAN-7 countries. The analysis method used in calculating the weight of the contribution of each pillar to changes in the competitiveness index, and determining the effect of GDP on GCI, a Semi-Logarithmic Regression analysis is used. The result shows that during the period of year 2008/2009 to the year of 2016/2017, the rank and index of GCI of each ASEAN-7 countries continue to increase. The pillars of the basic requirement subindex still dominate the largest contribution to the improvement of the competitiveness index for Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. As for Malaysia and Singapore sub-indexes of efficiency enhancers and innovation-sophistication have been able to give the largest contribution to the improvement of GCI. The GDP of ASEAN-7 countries has a positive and significant impact on the improvement of global competitiveness index, except for Thailand. The most problematic factors in improving the competitiveness index are corruption, inadequately educated labour, access to financing, tax regulations, and inefficient government bureaucracy.

Development Analysis of Global Competitiveness Index of ASEAN-7 Countries and Its Relationship on Gross Domestic Product

The objectives of the research are: (1) to investigate the development of global competitiveness index (GCI) of ASEAN-7 countries as an illustration of economic performance and potentiality, (2) to investigate which factors or pillars are drivers for the improvement of GCI ASEAN-7 countries, and (3) to analyze the effect of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on GCI of ASEAN-7 countries. The analysis method used in calculating the weight of the contribution of each pillar to changes in the competitiveness index, and determining the effect of GDP on GCI, a SemiLogarithmic Regression analysis is used. The result shows that during the period of year 2008/2009 to the year of 2016/2017, the rank and index of GCI of each ASEAN-7 countries continue to increase. The pillars of the basic requirement subindex still dominate the largest contribution to the improvement of the competitiveness index for Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. As for Malaysia and Singapore sub-indexes of efficiency enhancers and innovation-sophistication have been able to give the largest contribution to the improvement of GCI. The GDP of ASEAN-7 countries has a positive and significant impact on the improvement of global competitiveness index, except for Thailand. The most problematic factors in improving the competitiveness index are corruption, inadequately educated labour, access to financing, tax regulations, and inefficient government bureaucracy.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS OF ORGANIZATION GARLIC BUSINESS IN UKRAINE

The article considers the current state of the garlic market in the world. It is determined that garlic is one of the most widely used crops in the world and has a wide range of uses, which makes it a promising object of business interests. An overview of the dominant trends in the production of garlic, the capacity of the world market, price aspects and formed the top 5 countries-exorcists of this product. The trend of gradual growth of volumes of deliveries and currency earnings has been recorded. The tendencies of export-import circulation of garlic are analyzed, features of production and realization of this product in Ukraine are determined. The key problems of domestic garlic are outlined. A description of the varietal conglomeration of domestic garlic selection was carried out. On the basis of author's data, the calculation of the efficiency of using different planting material and landing schemes was made. Also calculated the expediency of storing garlic in vegetable stores and selling it in winter. On the basis of which are summarized the main vectors of the organization of profitable garlic business in the countryside. According to the results of the conducted research, a number of problematic factors that restrain the effective development of this industry in Ukraine are proposed and the key paradigmatic directions of their solution are proposed.

Problematika Konsep Kafa’ah dalam Fiqih (Kritik dan Reinterpretasi)

The concept of kafaah (equality) in Islamic marriage aims to avoid the negative impact of inequality between husband and wife in terms of physical appearance, heredity, wealth, and religion. Nonetheless, the aspect of equality in various respects may trigger a negative effect; it is caste as a closed social stratification system that contradicts Islamic teachings. This present study aims to explore the problematic factors that emerge from the application of the kafaah concept and tries to reconceptualize kafaah in realizing an Islamic marriage that does not characterize a caste system. A qualitative approach was designed in this library research. The findings expose that the criteria in the concept of kafaah, excluding religion, may lead to social stratification and even discrimination in society, specifically for marital life. Consequently, it is noteworthy to re-understand the concept of kafaah, which is emphasized more on religion rather than other criteria.

ПРОБЛЕМИ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ АВТОТРАНСПОРТНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

The study of the environment in which the company operates is an important part of any management process, including the procedures for managing the economic security of an enterprise, since the totality of various factors has an impact on the enterprise and is reflected in the results of the entity's operations. Motor transport enterprises, operating in a dynamic environment, where there is always a prerequisite for the threat of any nature and in the absence of a guarantee of protection from the state, is forced to put their security in the first place. The urgency of this issue encourages the constant search for new effective mechanisms for ensuring the economic security of the enterprise. The article analyses the internal and external environment of motor transport enterprises and highlights the factors of influence on ensuring their economic safety. According to the distinguished factors of the external and internal environment, the main available problems of ensuring the economic safety of motor transport enterprises are classified. In the internal environment of the MTE, the greatest impact on the provision of economic security is financial, personnel and technical and technological factors. Regarding the environment, state regulation, international relations, labour market and economic situation in the country are highlighted as the main problematic factors for ensuring the economic safety of the MTE. Selection and classification of problems of ensuring economic security by factors of external and internal environment contributes to the development of measures to increase the level of each element and the system of ensuring the economic safety of motor transport enterprises in general. For each MTE, the list of problems may vary. Monitoring and assessing the level of economic safety of a motor transport enterprise and its individual units and timely warning or prevention of problems can enable the company to avoid losses or bankruptcy.

ПРОБЛЕМА РЕГЛАМЕНТАЦІЇ МІЖНАРОДНО-ПРАВОВОГО СТАТУСУ ГЕОСТАЦІОНАРНОЇ ОРБІТИ

In article, author notes the problems of regulation of the international legal status of the geostationary orbit and identifies the problematic factors of man-made human activity in this area of the space. The article considers the issue of belonging of the GSO to outer space, the issue of establishing a clear delimitation between airspace and outer space. At a special level, the author identifies the problem of space garbage, which poses a potential threat to the functioning of geostationary satellites. Analyzing the international law, concept of law scientsts and astronomers, the author expresses his own opinion on this issue. Finally, the author cites certain solutions to these problems, which in his opinion are the most expedient and rational.

Improving the Reliability of Pumped-Storage Power Plants in the Operational Phases using Data Mining Algorithms

The sudden breakdowns of the power generation facilities caused a serious concern about the stable operation of the power system. However, since electricity system in South Korea is not connected to neighboring country, it is necessary to devise methods to counteract emergency such as unexpected failure of a power plant or sudden increase of electric power demand. In response, South Korea is operating seven pumped-storage power plants whose capacity is equal to that of about five nuclear power plants, accounts for 5.9% of the total power capacity of South Korea. The pumped turbine is a machine that operates through forward and reverse rotations to store energy and produce electric power. It requires high reliability for rapidly generating electricity on load. The losses caused by the shutdown of the power plants due to turbine failures, and the costs of their recovery, are enormous. Thus, improving the reliability of a pumped-storage power plant will have a significant influence on the national power system. In this regard, this research seeks to increase the reliability of the pumped storage power plant by identifying the problematic factors. This study proposes models of Case Based Reasoning (CBR) for eliminating possible problematic factors in pumped storage power plants before operation phase through predicting and checking failure. The development of the model involves analyzing operational data from 36 pumped-storage power plants; conducting decision tree analysis on 19 problems in order to select significant problems; and developing CBR models which can predict and check possible problems to improve the reliability of the pumped-storage power plant.

Empirical Evidence on Failure Factors of Warehouse Productivity in Malaysian Logistic Service Sector

ABSTRACT Warehousing is a crucial industry for trade-dependent nations like Malaysia. According to the World Bank Logistic Performance Index (LPI) 2016, Malaysia was ranked number 32 out of 160 countries in 2016, as against number 25 in 2014, despite a high level of warehouse activity during that year. The decrease in ranking was due to low warehouse productivity in Malaysia. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to consider ten parameters to assess the failure factors of warehouse productivity in the Malaysian logistics service sector, by applying a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method. The findings highlighted the top three failure factors that influence the levels of warehouse productivity in the Malaysian logistics service sector as being ‘labour productivity’, ‘warehouse utilisation’ and ‘inventory space utilisation’. This study contributes to the empowerment of warehouse productivity in the industry, in alignment with Malaysia's aspirational 2020 economic target. Consequently, this study provides new knowledge on warehouse productivity issues that will benefit decision makers in the warehouse industry. This research may enable decision makers to recognise problematic factors when planning their warehouse productivity improvement strategy, which may contribute to fulfilling government targets and empowering the national economy.

STRUKTUR KOMPLEKS DALAM BAHASA INDONESIA ILMIAH DAN MASALAH PENERJEMAHANNYA KE DALAM BAHASA INGGRIS

Abstract. Translating complex structures have always been a challenge for a translator since the structures can be densed with ideas and particular logical relations. The purpose of translation is reproducing texts into another language to make them available to wider readerships. Since language is not merely classification of a set of universal and general concept, that each language articulates or organizes the world differently, the concepts in one language can be radically different from another. One issue in translation is the difference among languages, that the wider gaps between the source and target languages may bring greater problems of transfer of message from the source into the target languages (Culler, 1976). Problematic factors involved in translation include meaning, style, proverbs, idioms and others. A number of translation procedures and strategies have been discussed to solve translation problems. This article presents analysis of complex structures in scientific Indonesian, the problems and effects on translation into English. The study involves data taken from two research article papers in Indonesian to be translated into English. The results of the analysis show seven (7) problems of Indonesian complex structures, whose effect on translation process can be grouped into two: complex structures related to grammar (including: complex structure with incomplete information, run-on sentences, redundancy , sentence elements with inequal semantic relation, and logical relation and choice of conjunctor) and complex structures related to information processing in discourse (including: front-weight- structure and thematic structure with changes of Theme element). Problems related to grammar may be solved with language economy and accuracy while those related to discourse may be solved with understanding information packaging patterns in the target language discourse. 
 
 Keywords: scientific language, complex structures, translation

Sample size determination for examining interaction effects in factorial designs under variance heterogeneity.

Moderation analysis is a vital aspect of research in education, management, psychology, and related disciplines. Although several methodological artifacts have been identified and examined, heterogeneity of variance remains one of the unique and problematic factors known as detrimental to statistical power in the detection of moderating effects. To alleviate the difficulty in assessing moderation because of low statistical power, this article describes feasible solutions to sample size calculations for tests of hypothesized interactions between categorical variables under variance heterogeneity. Detailed numerical illustrations and simulation studies are presented to demonstrate the feature and usefulness of the suggested technique for 2- and 3-way factorial designs. Moreover, SAS and R programs are provided to facilitate the implementation of the proposed sample size procedure. (PsycINFO Database Record

Designing a fuzzy cognitive map to evaluate drilling and blasting problems of the tunneling projects in Iran

The study of drilling and blasting processes in excavation projects, especially in Iran, demonstrates various challenges and problems that eventually affect the technical and economic aspects of project performance. This paper introduces a methodology based on a computer-based fuzzy cognitive map approach to find and prioritize the problematic drilling and blasting factors in tunneling projects‏ in Iran. A particular cognitive map of the problem was designed by use of 34 problematic factors that selected by tunneling engineers in Iran. In the designed map, the weights of the problematic factors and their interactions were considered on the basis of the opinions of engineers. The designed map was finally solved by considering the causes and effects of the problematic factors. Results indicated that the most critical factors were respectively identified as the disregard for geomechanical changes, the lack of accurate drilling supervision and management, and the insufficient knowledge of blasting teams.

Inovativnost zemlje u globalnoj trgovini - slučaj Republike Moldavije

The study highlights the importance of interaction between innovation, competitiveness and foreign trade. This study found the innovation competitiveness of a country is the main determinant for successful integration of country in the Global Value Chains (GVC). The purpose of research is to study the most problematic factors that affecting the innovation competitiveness of the Moldovan economy. The study is based on the analysis of the Republic of Moldova’s score and position in international indicators and rankings in correlation with the methodology of the World Economic Forum. The values of innovation, business sophistication and technological readiness factors of competitiveness between Moldova and South- Eastern Europe countries are analyzed in the paper. The study identified that the Republic of Moldova and Serbia recorded low indicators of the innovation and sophistication competitiveness in comparison with other countries of Southeast Europe. At the same time economy of Moldova follows the EU economies on the technological readiness, overcoming the Albanian and Serbian economy in the last years. The study showed that the need to raise the competitiveness by attracting foreign direct investments into research and development, information communication technologies as well as the high-value manufacturing and tradable sectors and by fully and efficiently implementing public institution reform, has become not only important but also urgent because the country is to be capable to strengthen the economic benefits that many countries have reached in past years. The results of study can be used in process of implementation of public administration reform, the elaboration of the National Program of science and innovation of the Republic of Moldova, the improving of governance the research and development in country.

Identification of influential demographic and work-related risk factors associated to lower extremity pain perception among rice farmers.

A high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and abnormal alignments of the lower extremities (LE) was found for rice farmers. It is important to investigate demographic and work-related risk factors associated with LE pain prior to developing intervention strategies addressing the problematic factors of the highest-risk task. To identify factors associated with LE pain in rice farmers for every stage of the cultivation process. Thirty experienced farmers (age of 45.9±6.21 (mean±SD)) rated LE pain experienced before and after each cultivation stage using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. Risk factors of pain were characterized based on expert risk assessment of tasks due to force, posture and motion, in addition to a conventional survey of demographic and other work-related information. Ergonomic risk factors were found to be the strongest predictors of knee and foot pain perception, which induced a substantial increase of pain perception (up to 4.6 times) with varying extent for individual cultivation stages. The highest risk and pain perception was found during the planting performance. Age exhibited significantly positive association with foot pain during planting and harvesting. However, more experienced farmers perceived less foot pain, presumably by developing effective movement strategies. The findings suggest that the planting process should be subject of further intervention development, especially for older farmers, with focus on reducing force, awkward posture and repetitive movement to minimize risk of LEpain.

Accelerating The Global Competitiveness Of Nigerian Economy: The Role Of Polytechnic Education

The Global Competitiveness of Nigerian Economy has been ranked poor by the World Economic Forum (WEF) since the past ten years. The country has maintained a three-digit position for about a decade, averaging 114 out of 139 countries and 3.57 on a 7-point scale since the past nine years. Although poor infrastructure, corruption, and access to finance have been identified as the three most problematic factors to business, productivity and global competitiveness of the country, the inability of Nigeria to fully tap from the potentials of polytechnic education which is practical and productive oriented has contributed in worsening the country’s competitive ranking globally. This study x-rayed Nigeria’s ranking in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index from 2007 to 2015 and adopted the Porter’s Diamond Model in explaining the role of polytechnic education in enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness. Evidence from the WEF 2015/2016 report reveals that Nigeria remains one of the poorly ranked economies in terms of global competitiveness and productivity. The paper provides an insight into the untapped potentials of polytechnic education in Nigeria and how the country can leverage it to overcome economic recession and accelerate its global competitiveness and productivity.