Development Projects Research Articles

Evaluating the Impact of ICDP on India’s Coffee Production, Yield, and Exports

The coffee industry plays a pivotal role in India's agricultural sector, contributing significantly to the country's economy and livelihoods. However, the sector has faced challenges such as fluctuating yields, inconsistent production, and varying export quantities, largely due to biotic and abiotic stress factors. In response, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched the Integrated Coffee Development Project (ICDP) in 2014, aiming to enhance coffee production, productivity, and quality across both traditional and non-traditional growing regions in India. This research paper evaluates the impact of ICDP on coffee production, yield, and exports in India by analysing data from 2008 to 2022. The study adopts an interrupted time series analysis methodology to assess trends in the area under cultivation, production, yield, and export quantities before and after the ICDP intervention. The study period is divided into pre- and post-intervention phases to quantify the effects of the scheme. The results indicate a mixed impact of the ICDP. Traditional coffee-growing areas showed initial increases in production and yield, followed by declines, while non-traditional areas exhibited smaller but more consistent growth. Exports also experienced a temporary decline post-intervention but later rebounded, though at a slower growth rate. The analysis underscores the complexity of agricultural interventions, suggesting that while the ICDP had positive impacts in certain areas, challenges such as climate variability and pest infestations continue to affect the sector's overall growth. In conclusion, the ICDP has contributed to stabilizing and developing India’s coffee sector, but ongoing efforts are needed to address the underlying challenges hindering sustained progress.

Children’s rights in the modern world: challenges and prospects of legal protection

This research article analyzes the challenges and prospects of legal protection of children's rights in the modern world. We consider the main problems faced by children in different countries, such as violence, child labor, hostilities, and limited access to education and medical services. We provide examples of effective approaches to protecting children’s rights, including the creation of specialized bodies and the development of programs and projects. We pay special attention to the Ukrainian context and suggest measures to improve the situation of children’s rights in Ukraine, including strengthening legislation and conducting educational campaigns. The article describes international standards of children’s rights and innovative approaches to their protection.

Assessing rural residents perception on utilization of environmental impact assessment for rural development projects in Oyo State, Nigeria

Assessing rural residents perception on utilization of environmental impact assessment for rural development projects in Oyo State, Nigeria

Implementation of Gold Bullion Funding as Alternative Instruments to Overcome the Problem of Currency Fluctuation

Infrastructure development has an important contribution in improving the national economy and realizing people's welfare. However, there are still problems in the implementation, namely the government's limited ability to fund infrastructure development projects. For this reason, the government has actually attempted to create a mechanism in the form of Public Private Partnership (PPP) by emphasizing risk sharing between the government and the private sector. However, this effort did not run smoothly because there were other risks, one of which was related to project financing which was at risk of currency value fluctuations. This situation shows that there is a need for a solution to optimize project financing in Indonesia through the Gold Bullion Funding (GBF) mechanism. The research method used is normative legal research by utilizing a qualitative method in analyzing data or secondary data through searching regulations and literature related to the object of the problem. Based on the research results, the author initiated the GBF mechanism to answer problems related to the implementation of project finance in PPPs. Regarding its implementation, the GBF mechanism will refer to the OJK regulation regarding the implementation of bullion business activities in order to optimize the government's role in forming the bullion ecosystem in Indonesia. With this mechanism, problems related to currency fluctuations in project finance in Indonesia can be resolved so that development can be realized that is effective, efficient and provides benefits to society.

Determinants of Credit Constraint among Smallholder Farmers’ Co-Operators in Oyo State, Nigeria

Credit constraint (CC) has been identified as one of the factors that diminish the production efficiency of farmers. Although Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (MCS) have been identified as an avenue to reduce (CC) among farmers, (CC) persists. Thus, the effectiveness of (MCS) in credit delivery and the determinant of (CC) of co-operators were examined. A four-stage sampling procedure was used where Oyo State was purposively selected based on high numbers of registered Agricultural Cooperative Societies. One block was selected from each zone of the four Agricultural Development Project zones. Two cells were randomly selected from each block. Multi-purpose cooperative societies from each of the cells were randomly selected. Co-operators were randomly selected proportionate to size and in all, 200 respondents were randomly selected. Co-operators access credit, inputs, tractors, market information and processed their produce by (MCS). Female co-operators were more credit constraint than their male counterparts. Education, default history farming experience, monthly contributions and dependency ratio were the determinants of credit constraint. Default history has the highest impact in determining credit constraint of co-operators, therefore conscious effort is needed by co-operators to avoid it occurrence. Credits should be made available to farmers through cooperative societies to enhance their efficiency

Beyond Glycolysis: Aldolase A Is a Novel Effector in Reelin-Mediated Dendritic Development.

Reelin, a secreted glycoprotein, plays a crucial role in guiding neocortical neuronal migration, dendritic outgrowth and arborization, and synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. Reelin primarily operates through the canonical lipoprotein receptors apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (Apoer2) and very low-density lipoprotein receptor (Vldlr). Reelin also engages with noncanonical receptors and unidentified coreceptors; however, the effects of which are less understood. Using high-throughput tandem mass tag (TMT) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based proteomics and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), we identified both shared and unique intracellular pathways activated by Reelin through its canonical and noncanonical signaling in primary murine neurons of either sex during dendritic growth and arborization. We observed pathway cross talk related to regulation of cytoskeleton, neuron projection development, protein transport, and actin filament-based process. We also found enriched gene sets exclusively by the noncanonical Reelin pathway including protein translation, mRNA metabolic process, and ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis suggesting Reelin fine-tunes neuronal structure through distinct signaling pathways. A key discovery is the identification of aldolase A, a glycolytic enzyme and actin-binding protein, as a novel effector of Reelin signaling. Reelin induced de novo translation and mobilization of aldolase A from the actin cytoskeleton. We demonstrated that aldolase A is necessary for Reelin-mediated dendrite growth and arborization in primary murine neurons and mouse brain cortical neurons. Interestingly, the function of aldolase A in dendrite development is independent of its known role in glycolysis. Altogether, our findings provide new insights into the Reelin-dependent signaling pathways and effector proteins that are crucial for dendritic development.

A model of knowledge chain integration for complex product R&D projects based on DSM and TCPN

AbstractComplex product research and development projects usually are large scale with high cost and complex technologies and with large number of group members involved. From the perspective of complex system management, this paper adopts design structure matrix and timing constraint Petri nets (TCPN) to analyse knowledge behaviour and time constraints of team members in complex product R&D projects. In specific, this paper first develops a knowledge‐activity design structure matrix and a time‐resource design structure matrix model. Then a TCPN model that integrates resource constraints in knowledge chains is proposed based on the dependence relationship of team members' knowledge activities. Schedulabilities of the model are calculated, analysed and corrected to integrate team members' knowledge. Finally, a case study is conducted to test the proposed model.

Carbon Emission Analysis of RC Core Wall-Steel Frame Structures

The development of super high-rise building projects has become crucial for mitigating land shortages in rapidly growing urban areas. Super high-rise steel structures, particularly RC core wall-steel frame systems, have become the preferred choice due to their superior performance, high prefabrication level, and construction efficiency. Despite their benefits, super high-rise buildings face challenges related to higher energy consumption and carbon emissions. Consequently, it is important to analyze the carbon emissions of these buildings throughout their lifecycle and propose low-carbon construction strategies. A carbon emission analysis focused on super high-rise buildings with RC core wall-steel frame structures is conducted in this study. A carbon emission analysis model is constructed based on BIM-enabled LCA through a real-world case study. The emission factor method is combined with the BIM model to calculate carbon emission. Furthermore, carbon emissions across various construction strategies are compared, with a particular focus on the manufacturing processes of the main materials. The results indicate that incorporating admixtures in concrete, along with adopting the electric arc furnace (EAF) method and utilizing recycled scrap steel in steel manufacturing, significantly reduces the carbon emissions of the buildings. Lastly, effective low-carbon approaches for these buildings are proposed.

Evaluating community projects through participatory rural appraisal: case study of a CSR initiative in India

ABSTRACT The success of any project depends on the stakeholder participation. There are many methods by which stakeholder participation is ensured in a project. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is an approach that is used by many development projects to incorporate knowledge and opinions of the stakeholders, especially the beneficiaries, in various stages like planning, implementation, and evaluation. This paper documents a PRA exercise done by trained social work students to evaluate a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects implemented in India. Apart from highlighting the process of conducting PRA, this paper sheds light on the possibility of using participatory methods like PRA to assess CSR projects in India, which ensures the inclusion of the perception of beneficiaries. The research adopted a case study approach, and the participants were the beneficiaries of CSR projects in the community. Qualitative feedback was also taken from 20 participants to understand the advantages of using participatory tools in the performance evaluation of CSR. The group discussions, in-depth interviews and PRA techniques were adopted to gather data. The findings underline the relevance of social work professionals in CSR initiatives and also the role of PRA in empowering the beneficiaries.

Reaching millions: Water, substitute infrastructure, and the politics of scale in Kenya

AbstractThis article analyzes the politics of scale in global development by focusing on a sanitation program in western Kenya. It follows the daily work of a nongovernmental organization that seeks to provide access to chlorine dispensers to millions of people for the purpose of disinfecting water. By engaging with literatures on development and infrastructure, this article proposes reach as an analytic that jointly attends to the aspirations, labors, and uncertain outcomes embedded in scale work. An ethnography of reach emphasizes the temporality of off‐grid infrastructures to capture the ambivalent relationships between aspirations and results and between standardization and adaptation, as well as the unstable nature of care. This proves useful to theorizing expansion as potentially generative of, rather than only inimical to, the good life—thereby troubling the vision of scale making as replication often used to understand development projects and their consequences.

Community energy and socio-technical infrastructure resilience: analysis of mini/micro hydro power projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract In 2014–15, Pakistan’s provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) launched a decentralised power generation initiative, installing over 356 small hydro power units to provide electricity to over 2.5 million people in its mountainous regions. This initiative built on the foundation of prior community-based mini/micro hydro-power projects (MHPPs) deployed in the region since the 1980s that have experienced mixed success; by 2020, over 150 units were non-operational. This paper investigates the socio-technical factors influencing the success and failure of these projects, focusing on outcomes and processes integral to community MHPPs. The study analyses the critical implications of MHPPs for socio-economic welfare, gender equity and democratic governance through extensive primary research including field observations at 40 sites, questionnaire surveys with community residents in three in-depth case-studies, and expert interviews with local policymakers and project developers. Analysis shows that electricity provision from MHPPs has had positive outcomes for the communities in terms of improved education, poverty alleviation and economic growth, alongside enhanced access to information and gains in women’s entrepreneurship and health. Nonetheless, the study also identifies significant shortcomings in the processes involved in community MHPPs related to inadequate technical assessments, monitoring, and evaluation, as well as challenges arising from undemocratic governance mechanisms and inequitable participation. By teasing out the multiple socio-technical dimensions that shape infrastructure resilience of MHPPs in KPK, this paper contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable community energy projects and informs policy for decentralised energy transitions that ensure democratic alignment and inclusive design.

Advancing Automotive Electronics: The Role of Collaborative Education and Project Development [Automotive Electronics

Advancing Automotive Electronics: The Role of Collaborative Education and Project Development [Automotive Electronics

Towards sustainable energy: integrating ERA5 data for offshore wind farm planning in India

India’s pursuit of offshore wind energy development, particularly along the Tamil Nadu coastline within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), faces significant spatial and economic challenges due to existing industrial activities and water depth limitations. Motivated by the need to optimize offshore wind resources and bridge the gap between onshore and offshore wind energy achievements, this study hypothesizes that ERA5 reanalysis wind data can be relied upon for assessing offshore wind resources and optimizing wind farm layouts, especially in the absence of measured data. The research employs methods such as comparing ERA5 data with empirical wind measurements, generating wind rose diagrams for layout optimization, and conducting a comprehensive financial analysis to estimate the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE). The results confirm the efficacy of ERA5 data, identifying an optimal wind farm layout with a capacity density of 5.17 MW per square kilometer, turbine spacing of 7.22 meters, and an LCoE of Rs. 8.84 per kWh. The study concludes that significant financial support and strategic policy interventions are essential for minimizing wake losses, optimizing capacity density, and fostering the long-term growth of India’s offshore wind energy sector, providing critical insights for policymakers, developers, and investors. The novelty of this research lies in its detailed exploration of spatial optimization and cost-effective strategies to enhance the techno-economic viability of offshore wind projects in India.

Ресурсная оценка оленьих пастбищ как особо ценных земель Арктики в условиях ее промышленного освоения

The article discusses the issues of managing the territories of traditional economic activity in the Arctic zone, taking into account the results of their resource assessment. The authors analyze the methods for resource assessment of reindeer pastures as the basis for reindeer husbandry — the main activity of indigenous peoples of the northern regions of Russia and other countries. Based on the main productivity indicator of reindeer pastures — reindeer capacity, they propose a classification of lands according to their economic value. The practical significance of the research results lies in the possibility of using them in justifying projects for the industrial development of the Arctic, in conducting market and cadastral assessments of Arctic territories, and in calculating compensation payments to communities of indigenous peoples of the North during the industrial development of the Arctic.

ALLEGRO FCC-ee detector concept & Noble liquid calorimetry

ALLEGRO is a proposed FCC-ee general-purpose detector concept with a noble liquid (NL) electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) as a central feature. Calorimetry based on liquified noble gases is a well-proven technology that has been successfully applied in numerous high-energy physics (HEP) experiments. This technology provides excellent energy resolution, linearity, stability, uniformity and timing properties at a reasonable cost, making it a strong candidate for future HEP experiments. By using multi-layer printed circuit boards as readout electrodes, we can build a calorimeter with almost arbitrarily high granularity. This in turn allows for four-dimensional imaging, machine learning algorithms and particle-flow reconstruction to be fully exploited. In this proceedings contribution we give an overview to the ALLEGRO concept and present the ongoing R&D work for adapting NL calorimetry to an ECAL of a lepton collider experiment. In addition to simulation studies and expected performance, we show results on signal extraction and noise mitigation studies made with readout electrode prototypes and compare the measurements to simulations, as well as discuss test results of absorber prototypes. In addition we present progress of the mechanical design project and status of the barrel ECAL test-beam prototype module development.

Digital Transformation of Chinese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Under the context of the rapid development of the digital economy in the global world, Digital Transformation (DT) for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is becoming increasingly significant for various countries that are seeking sustainable development. In China, DT has been considered as a key project for future strategic development recently, as well. Therefore, the majority of SMEs have embarked on DT due to the motivation of either the market environment or governmental policies. However, as DT is a complicated and new proposition for SMEs, many of them have faced a series of challenges and issues. Hence, after considering the opinions of other scholars, detailed data, and reviews, this study hopes to give a brief introduction to the current circumstances and solutions to diverse issues that SMEs have met in order to assist SMEs in gaining a better understanding of DT. This paper may provide helpful insights for both the policy makers and financial investors.

Engaging in Transnational Feminist Praxis

In this reflective article, I focus on the meanings and implications of conducting feminist ethnographic research during the COVID-19 pandemic with women participants of an educational project supported by the non-governmental sector in India. This research aimed to provide the space for women to organically present and provide insight into the multiplicity of factors that influence their decision-making authority and ability, illuminating the connections between education, agency, and empowerment during the COVID-19 pandemic. I discuss the nuances as well as on-the-ground limitations of developing collaborative and relational research in contexts with significant material and structural constraints. In this article, I seek to underscore the need to examine closely what collective belonging, duty, and responsibility looks like for researchers in the development and implementation of transnational feminist projects during crisis.

3D Mapping In Construction Projects for Soil Characterizations And EIA Enhancement

With the advancement on automation systems in our life and construction projects the development of automated Environmental Impact assessment EIA system is desirable. This could be achieved by set of integrated technologies, software, and hardware to perform a task which is in this research paper is Quality EIA. The environmental impact assessment must be improved, assessed, and quality checked for the human and the environment health and safety benefit first, and the advancement of human activities and needs towards the future. If we consider the development and construction projects is one of the markers and the signature of how far is countries and human civilized or advanced, the EIA quality review and development of this document in any project should be improved and advanced. Ideally EIA system, document, will lead to quickly and easily obtain information, improve project value, and return of investment, improving facilities and reach the optimum clients and government requirements. This often necessitates to build a tailored applications sometime combine or develop innovative, and integrate, new, existing hardware, software, methods, and technologies to reach that aim. Which is the research methodology of this research paper This research paper concluded that 3D mapping for soil characterizations a technology where spatial interpolation methods play a significant part as a backbone of its core in relation to the accuracy of the data which will provides essential elements towards site characterization information, that need to be informed in to the EIA in structure and elegant way to improve decision making, planning strategies, environmental management, risk assessment, more than those projects estimations. This research paper adopts a multi-method approach involving reviewing the literature, case studies, and computer simulation.

Barriers encountered with clinical data warehouses: Recommendations from a focus group

Background and ObjectiveThe increasing implementation and use of electronic health records over the last few decades has made a significant volume of clinical data being available. Over the past 20 years, hospitals have also adopted and implemented data warehouse technology to facilitate the reuse of administrative and clinical data for research. However, the implementation of clinical data warehouses encounters a set of barriers: ethical, legislative, technical, human and organizational. This paper proposes an overview of difficulties and barriers encountered during a clinical data warehouse (CDW) development and implementation project. MethodsWe conducted a focus group at the 2023 Medical Informatics Europe Conference and invited professionals involved in the implementation of CDW. These experts described their CDW and the difficulties and barriers they encountered at each phase: (i) launching of the data warehouse project, (ii) implementing the data warehouse and (iii) using a data warehouse in routine operations. They were also asked to propose solutions they were able to implement to address the barriers previously reported. ResultsAfter synthesis and consensus, a total of 26 barriers were identified, 10 pertained to tasks, 5 to tools and technologies, 4 to persons, 4 to organization, and 3 to the external environment. To address these challenges, a set of 15 practical recommendations was offered, covering essential aspects such as governance, stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and external expertise utilization. ConclusionsThese recommendations serve as a valuable resource for healthcare institutions seeking to establish and optimize CDWs, offering a roadmap for leveraging clinical data for research, quality enhancement, and improved patient care.

Shear-Wave Velocity Data Assists Modeling for Offshore Windfarm Development

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 35354, “Pseudo-3D Underwater Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves for Offshore Windfarm Development,” by Stephan Unterseh and Luis McArthur, TotalEnergies, and Edouard Mouton, SismOcean. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2024 Offshore Technology Conference. _ In the course of a research and development (R&D) project dedicated to quantitative ground modeling, underwater multichannel analysis surface-wave (UMASW) data were acquired within an offshore windfarm area currently in development in the North Sea. The goal of the project described in the complete paper was to test the added value of the shear wave velocity (Vs) interpreted from the UMASW, particularly as a propagation tool of geotechnical information. While UMASW, together with seismic refraction, is regularly used to characterize the ground for burial or trenching purposes, it appears also to bring valuable design parameters for offshore wind turbine foundations. Introduction To investigate the value of Vs in the performance of quantitative ground modeling studies, an internal R&D initiative was launched aimed at acquiring Vs data and the associated uncertainties of foundation depth of an offshore windfarm currently in development. These data will be tested at a later stage for the propagation of geotechnical parameters used in foundation design. The acquisition consisted of obtaining Vs data through UMASW methodologies around two distinct geotechnical boreholes and along a corridor tying the two areas. The UMASW commonly is used in combination with seismic refraction to perform burial assessment analysis of cable or pipeline or to characterize ground conditions before performance of horizontal deviated drilling. Thus, the data acquisition did not require extensive hardware development. A unique pseudo-3D processing technique nevertheless was implemented to allow for 3D data visualization and ground characterization. Site Conditions The selected site lies in the North Sea in water depths ranging from 20 to 30 m. The area was first investigated with standard geophysical techniques. Preliminary geotechnical investigation included 6-m-deep vibrocores and 60-m-deep drilled boreholes, with alternating cone penetration tests and push sampling and coring. P-S logging also was performed at key geotechnical locations to gather 1D primary wave velocities (Vp) and Vs. The seabed generally consists of a thin cover of Holocene dense sand, occasionally with boulders, overlying quaternary subglacial formation deposits, including moraine, gravelly sand, and clays of variable thicknesses. The bedrock is generally Jurassic and includes dense sand; hard clay; weak claystone; and, locally, strong limestone bands. The test locations were selected within the coverage of the geophysical data set in areas where variable lithologies occur and where the seabed was found free of boulders and outcrops because these are detrimental to UMASW acquisition. The lithology of the two boreholes performed within the test area is indicated in Table 1 of the complete paper.