Protected Sector Research Articles

Comparison of the ablative performance of silicone rubber‐based composites by analyzing a large number of samples

AbstractSilicone rubber‐based materials are important thermal protection materials for high‐temperature applications. In this work, a holistic analysis of silicone rubber‐based materials was conducted with an aim to comparatively study the ablative performance of different rubber matrices using the oxyacetylene flame. Six types of silicone rubber‐based composites were prepared in large quantities using a customized device, and the relationship between the ablative properties and influencing factors was elucidated, which was useful in guiding the design and preparation of flexible ablative materials for thermal protection purpose. The expansion and ceramicization of char layer, which was realized by introducing expandable graphite and alumina was found helpful in reducing line ablation rate. The increase in the thickness of char layer and the decrease in surface roughness indicated a successful implementation of the above strategy, which led to a significant decrease in line ablation rate and an increase in thermal insulation performance of the studied system. Moreover, a thermal ablative composite with excellent moldability after ablation process was prepared which showed a promising application as a reusable thermal protection material. This work provided guidelines for developing flexible thermal ablative composites, which can be targeted for practical applications in aerospace and fire protection sectors.

Impact of Climate Risks and Global Uncertainties on Technology and Environmental Protection Stocks: A Study on China

This study aims to examine the relationship between CUM, CPU, CU, and UCT with the FTSE China Technology Index (FTXIN410) and SZSE Environmental Protection Index (SZEPI) using ARDL and NARDL methods. To test the robustness of the model, three additional parametric methods are employed: FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR. The technology and environmental protection sectors in China are crucial for the country's sustainable economic future. Understanding the impact of global and local uncertainties on these sectors is critical for predicting sectoral trends and future market dynamics. Climate uncertainties and global uncertainties can impact investors' returns and market behaviors. In critical sectors such as technology and environmental protection, uncertainties need to be closely monitored for their implications on investment decisions and market stability. The results of the study indicate a long-term relationship between China’s climate uncertainties and global uncertainties with technology and environmental protection indices.

Attitudes Towards Parents with a Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder in Child Protection Settings

BackgroundParents diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have high rates of child protection involvement. Research has shown that this diagnosis carries a significant amount of stigma. In the absence of standardised procedures for parenting capacity assessments within the child protection sector, the risk of stigma contributing to the decision-making process is high. ObjectiveThis study examined if there were differences in how students and practitioners rated parenting capacity based on parenting scenarios where a parent had a diagnosis of BPD compared to a parent diagnosed with postnatal depression. Participants and settingThe sample included 122 current, past, and prospective child protection workers who were recruited via social media and a local University. MethodsParticipants completed an online survey which included demographic questions and rated parenting capacity based on two vignettes involving two scenarios (one where a parent had a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and post-natal depression in the other), along with general attitudes towards people with a diagnosis of BPD. ResultsThe parent in the borderline personality disorder vignette was assessed as having poorer parenting capacity compared to the parent in the postnatal depression scenario. Interestingly, there was no significant association between the assessment of parenting capacity and participants general attitudes and skills towards people with a diagnosis of BPD. Differences between the ratings of professionals and students are described. ConclusionsFurther training providing psychoeducation BPD is recommended to reduce the potential impact of stigma on decision-making, particularly for professionals within child protection settings.

Development of innovationin the Polish banking sector

The rapidly developing market for new technologies is driving the introduction of innovative solutions in the banking sector. As a public trust sector, they are subject to numerous regulations. Supervisors and central banks are trying to support the develop- ment of new technologies in the sector by reducing regulatory uncertainty and support programs aimed at FinTech (Financial Technologies) companies. The purpose of the study is to analyse existing regulations and regulators’ initiatives on new technologies in the banking sector. The author seeks to answer the research question of whether the introduced regulations support or limit the digital transformation of the banking sector in Poland. An im- portant aspect in the sector is customer security, so regulations should focus on protecting the banking customer and ensuring the stability of the sector. They are analysed by regulators so that the relevant regulations enable the introduction of innovative yet safe solutions. The author points out possible synergies resulting from cooperation between banks and FinTech companies. In conclusion, dialogue between banking sector institutions, regulators, central banks and banks leads to the creation of an environment that allows the introduction of innovative solutions while maintaining customer protection and banking sector stability.

How NGO Staff Understand Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and MHPSS Pyramid in Iraq: A Pilot Descriptive Study.

The Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Maslow's pyramid) and the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) pyramid are integral frameworks in humanitarian settings whose aim is to address individual and community needs. However, confusion often arises among non-governmental organization (NGO) workers about the application and differentiation of these models. This study aims to investigate the extent of confusion among NGO workers in Iraq as regards the Maslow's and MHPSS pyramids, identify the causes of this confusion, and explore its implications in the context of humanitarian mental health support. A pilot descriptive study was conducted in December 2023 through an online survey involving 61 local NGO workers from MHPSS components in Iraq. We created a measure to assess the participants' familiarity with both models, their perceived differences, and their views on the models' applicability in humanitarian contexts. Male participants represented 55.7% (n=34) of the sample, while females accounted for 44.3% (n=27). Most participants were aged 25-34 (57%, n=35) and 35-44 (34%, n=21). A majority held bachelor's degrees (67.2%, n=41), with 21.3% (n=13) holding master's degrees. In terms of occupation, 49.2% (n=30) were engaged in the protection sector (gender-based violence and child protection), followed by health (19.7%, n=12), education (4.9%, n=3), and MHPSS staff roles in other sectors (26.2%, n=16). The study revealed that 54.1% (n=33) of the participants struggled to understand or differentiate between Maslow's and MHPSS pyramids. The causes of this confusion were related to perceived structural similarities (18.03%, n=11), lack of awareness and knowledge about the MHPSS pyramid (63.93%, n=39), and a combination of both (18.03%, n=11). The study underscores the importance of better training and education for NGO workers to improve their understanding of the Maslow's and MHPSS pyramids. Addressing this knowledge gap can increase efficacy in humanitarian aid provision, ensuring that individual and community needs are adequately met in crisis situations.

A practitioners view on the ICRP review of the system of radiological protection - feedback from SRP 2023 workshop.

In 2018 the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) initiated a review and revision of the System of Radiological Protection which will lay the foundation for Radiation Protection standards, regulations, guidance and practice worldwide for the next 40 years. On the 25th April 2023 the Society for Radiological Protection ran a workshop at their Annual Conference presenting the current status and progress in the ICRP Review and Revision, along with inviting a number of panellist's across different areas of the profession and wider audience to share their thoughts. The outputs of the workshop are summarised in this paper showing the views from a variety of practitioners working across the radiation protection sectors on the key factors to be considered in the review.

Radiological Protection Management: software implementation in a hospital in south Brazil

The exacerbated increase in the use of ionizing radiation to obtain images, and the risks and standards that exist to preserve the health of those who use it, are not properly taken into account when carrying out radiodiagnostic examinations. The professionals who work in these environments play a decisive role in the performance of their numerous activities within radiodiagnostic services, bearing in mind that any dose of radiation is associated with a probability of biological effects occurring, no matter how low that dose may be. Thus, the aim of building a software program was to optimize the work of the multiprofessional and interdisciplinary team in radiodiagnostic services, in the management of radiological protection. This is a methodological and quasi-experimental study carried out in a university hospital in southern Brazil, intentionally chosen because it has a Radiological Protection Committee. This research design was adopted for the development of technological production, in this case software for managing radiological protection. The study was carried out in the radiological protection sector of the radiology department of a university hospital in southern Brazil. The results showed that the software, called SisPRad - Management System for Radiological Protection, is a tool that helps the service's multi-professional and interdisciplinary team in terms of managing radiological protection. Finally, it aims to ensure the safety of professionals working in the service and its users, as well as reducing repetition of activities at management level, and can be adapted for other institutions. The computer registration number 512019002125-8 was obtained from the National Institute of Industrial Property for the first version of the software and the registration number 512023003116-0 for its second version.

Perspectives of the role of ICRP and the system of protection in meeting the United Nations sustainable development goals

Established in 2015 the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) were agreed with the aim to balance the need to address social and ethical obligations such as ending poverty and other deprivations, while tackling climate change and the other planetary boundaries. In 2018 the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) initiated a review and revision of the System of Radiological Protection which will lay the foundation for Radiation Protection standards, regulations, guidance and practice worldwide for the next 40 years. Recognising the importance of the UN SDG's the ICRP has started to consider what the role of the revised system of protection should be in enabling delivery. On the 15 May 2024 the Society for Radiological Protection and World Nuclear Association ran a workshop exploring the intersection of the System of Radiological Protection and the SDG's. The outputs of the workshop are summarised in this paper showing the views from a variety of practitioners working across the radiation protection sectors on the key factors to be considered in the revision of the system of radiological protection to enable delivery of the UN SDG's.

Preventive conservation – a means of sustainability of cultural heritage: The case of the M’Zab Valley

Abstract The management of heritage sites is fundamental to their conservation and sustainability, and more broadly, it contributes to the preservation of the environment. This article highlights the conservation plan developed for one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Algerian context: the M’Zab Valley in Ghardaïa. It has managed to preserve its specific character over the centuries thanks to the management operations that have been necessary for its continuity. The main question of this study is what are the management actions adopted in the M’Zab Valley with regard to the Ksourian architectural heritage to ensure its sustainability? Given the exploratory nature of this research, we chose a qualitative and inductive method. The study is based on a combination of several investigative tools: interviews, observations and photographs. The aim of the article is to highlight the efforts made by the Algerian public authorities and the local community to implement cultural heritage management measures in a particular context. The results of the analysis reveal, first, that the implementation of the permanent plan for the safeguarding and enhancement of the protected sector of the M’Zab Valley has proven itself in the preservation of monuments, sites and historic buildings, but also all the contexts associated with the daily life of people. Second, the rehabilitation operations of the historic ksour shall ensure the authenticity of the buildings and their integrity with the environment will be kept while adapting them to the current needs of users. Third, the combination of efforts between public institutions, the Office for the Protection and Promotion of the Valley of M’Zab, the local community and associations avoided the weakening of traditions and ancestral values through awareness missions, heritage education programmes, the application of heritage laws and regulations, and scientific and historical documentation of local heritage. Finally, the involvement of the local community in all operations on their local heritage ensures the transfer of local knowledge.

Can Green Credit Policies Promote Fund Investment? Evidence from China

Fund investment, as a type of financial investment in the capital market, is designed to attract more social capital towards the green environmental protection sector and foster a harmonious relationship between economic development, social advancement, and ecological conservation. Therefore, as a significant policy instrument, will implementing the green credit policy impact the investment preferences of fund investors? How does it influence their participation in the market? This study utilizes microdata from Chinese Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share-listed companies from 2004 to 2020 to establish a DID model based on the Green Credit Guidelines introduced in 2012. The research delves into the effects of the green credit policy on fund investment and its underlying mechanisms. The green credit policy was found to favor the entry of fund investment, and the results are still valid after a series of robustness tests. The attraction effect of the green credit policy on investors is more evident in non-state-owned enterprises, small and micro enterprises, and non-green industries. Green credit policy can positively influence investor entry through the financing constraint effect and productivity effect. The study theoretically supplements the literature in the field of evaluating the effect of the green credit policy, and practically provides practical guidance and inspiration for strengthening the synergy of the government, banks, and enterprises in implementing green credit policy, promoting industrial transformation, and upgrading, and realizing high-quality economic development.

Examining the impact of green human resource management on green innovative work behavior: A multilevel analysis

AbstractThe significance of green human resource management (GHRM) practices in promoting employees' environmentally friendly behaviors and enhancing environmental performance is well‐documented in current research. However, the impact of GHRM practices at the organizational level on the eco‐conscious behaviors of individual employees remains unexplored. Moreover, scholarly attention to employees' green innovative work behavior (GIWB) has been limited. This study explores the novel concept of GIWB from a strategic human capital (SHC) perspective. Drawing on signaling theory, this study proposes that GHRM practices act as signals emphasizing the importance of environmental sustainability, which may influence GIWB at the individual level. This research aims to assess the effect of various GHRM practices on GIWB and to explore how unit‐level GHRM practices moderate the relationship between an employee's creative personality (CP) and their GIWB, using social exchange theory (SET) as the guiding framework. Data were collected from 163 HR managers and plant supervisors and 815 employees within Taiwan's environmental protection sector and then analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) techniques. The findings reveal that specific GHRM practices significantly enhance employees' GIWB. Furthermore, it demonstrates that aggregated GHRM practices moderate the relationship between CP and GIWB. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how signals from organizational GHRM practices can foster GIWB among individual employees.

The welfare effects of partial tariff reduction in Japan

When some sectors are more heavily protected than others, will removing lightly protected sectors’ tariffs improve welfare? We argue that this second-best question is highly relevant in Japan, wherein its government made some exceptions to the across-the-board tariff elimination during the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. We have calibrated a specific factor model with multiple import-competing sectors to the 2015 Japanese economy and conducted some counterfactual exercises. Although the partial tariff removal policy in question barely affects Japanese welfare, when it is combined with the agricultural sector tariff removal (across-the-board tariff elimination) the effect on Japanese welfare is made positive. Furthermore, the positive welfare effect more than doubles if it is combined with the removal of the subsidy in the agricultural sector. Both findings indicate the severity of the existing distortion stemming from the Japanese agricultural sector protection as well as the importance of lowering the protection to render the nonagricultural sector tariff removal meritorious.

Potato Berries as a Valuable Source of Compounds Potentially Applicable in Crop Protection and Pharmaceutical Sectors: A Review.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a major agricultural crop cultivated worldwide. To meet market demand, breeding programs focus on enhancing important agricultural traits such as disease resistance and improvement of tuber palatability. However, while potato tubers get a lot of attention from research, potato berries are mostly overlooked due to their level of toxicity and lack of usefulness for the food production sector. Generally, they remain unused in the production fields after harvesting the tuber. These berries are toxic due to high levels of glycoalkaloids, which might confer some interesting bioactivities. Berries of various solanaceous species contain bioactive secondary metabolites, suggesting that potato berries might contain similarly valuable metabolites. Therefore, possible applications of potato berries, e.g., in the protection of plants against pests and pathogens, as well as the medical exploitation of their anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antifungal properties, are plausible. The presence of valuable compounds in potato berries could also contribute to the bioeconomy by providing a novel use for otherwise discarded agricultural side streams. Here we review the potential use of these berries for the extraction of compounds that can be exploited to produce pharmaceuticals and plant protection products.

Construction of PPS based carbon fiber photothermal foam for crude oil absorption and seawater desalination

Efficient and clean solar energy conversion through photothermal materials has garnered significant attention, finding applications across energy, environmental protection, and healthcare sectors. This project focused on developing waste PPS-based carbon fiber (PCF) foam, emphasizing the high-value utilization of waste fibers in solar photothermal oil-absorption and photothermal evaporation applications. With exceptional light-absorption capabilities exceeding 97 %, the PCF@PDMS foam demonstrated superior photothermal conversion efficiency alongside impressive mechanical properties, facilitating effective absorption of highly viscous crude oil. Through PVA/CNF hydrophilic modification, internal water supply channels were integrated into the mPCF@PDMS foam, optimizing the evaporation surface area by retaining hydrophobic regions. This design not only enhanced thermal insulation but also significantly increased the evaporation rate to 2.00 kg·m−2·h−1 with an efficiency of 89.89 % under 1.0 sun irradiation. The presence of hydrophobic regions endowed the evaporator with self-floating ability, enhancing its practicality. During simulations of seawater desalination, the prepared evaporator exhibited remarkable salt crystallization resistance attributed to the strong water supply capacity and Marangoni effect induced during saltwater evaporation, facilitating salt diffusion and water evaporation. Overall, the foams developed in this project hold substantial application potential in the realm of photothermal technology.

Pesticide Pressure on Insect and Human Population: A Review

It is estimated that the current 7 billion world population would increase by 70 million people year, or 30%, to reach 9.2 billion by 2050. It is anticipated that this increased population density will result in a 70% rise in the demand for food production. This increase is mostly attributable to shifts in emerging countries' dietary trends toward higher-quality foods, such as increased consumption of meat and dairy products and the growing use of cereals for animal feed. There isn't much more agricultural land available. Any growth will primarily come at the price of forests and other natural ecosystems that support wildlife, wild cousins of crops, and organic pest adversaries. Additionally, rather than producing food, more agricultural land will be used to create bio-based commodities like fiber and biofuel. As a result, we must produce food on even less area, with even less water, and with less energy, pesticides, and fertilizer than we do now. There is an urgent need for sustainable production at elevated levels in light of these constraints. Reducing the present output losses resulting from pests is a significant obstacle to agricultural productivity. This review covers pest-related crop losses worldwide, estimates of productivity linked to pesticide use, costs and benefits of pesticide use, chemical yield loss reduction strategies, biological and recombinant pest control methods, and the difficulties facing the crop protection sector. In deciding how pesticides will be used in agriculture in the future, the general public plays a crucial role. However, the external issues related to the impacts of pesticides on human and environmental health must also be addressed as long as there is a need for pesticide-based solutions to pest management issues and food security concerns.

INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children—exploring knowledge uptake, use and impact

Levels of violence against children remain high worldwide. A focused commitment in the child protection sector and from health and development agencies worldwide has delivered impressive baseline metrics on the scope of and trends for violence against children. Alongside this data, agreement around global guidelines—INSPIRE: Seven strategies for Ending Violence Against Children—and a host of related practice, learning and advocacy products has ensured a steady supply of knowledge to the field. As a result, high level political awareness for the prevention of violence against children (VAC) grows, yet full scale endorsement for the implementation of evidence-based strategies still falls short. A brief history of how the INSPIRE global guidelines were incubated, developed, and disseminated worldwide helps assess how knowledge is positioned, generated, and analysed. A call for reflecting on how to balance the supply and demand of INSPIRE knowledge for the field is forwarded. This review of progress made, and the challenges ahead, is timely as INSPIRE undergoes revisions just short of the 2030 SDG deadline.

Tradeoff between local protection and public sector performance: Lessons from judicial fiscal centralization

A fundamental governance challenge facing central authorities is how to mitigate the prevalent local protection against non-local firms. We document that judicial fiscal centralization—transferring local courts’ budgetary power from local governments to provincial finance departments—significantly increases the winning probability of non-local plaintiffs (defendants) against local defendants (plaintiffs) if lawsuits are tried in the defendant's (plaintiff's) jurisdiction. However, such centralization exhausts local governments’ information advantage in keeping local courts accountable. Specifically, the reform shifts local courts’ expenditures from public affairs to private welfare and breeds judge corruption. Interestingly, as gifts in the form of pro-local rulings from courts to governments disappear, governments’ day-to-day support to courts also weakens, deteriorating the courts’ performance. Overall, our paper highlights the depth of the judiciary's political embeddedness and the complexity of fighting against local protection.

Inorganic Fe-O and Fe-S oxidoreductases: paradigms for prebiotic chemistry and the evolution of enzymatic activity in biology.

Oxidoreductases play crucial roles in electron transfer during biological redox reactions. These reactions are not exclusive to protein-based biocatalysts; nano-size (<100nm), fine-grained inorganic colloids, such as iron oxides and sulfides, also participate. These nanocolloids exhibit intrinsic redox activity and possess direct electron transfer capacities comparable to their biological counterparts. The unique metal ion architecture of these nanocolloids, including electron configurations, coordination environment, electron conductivity, and the ability to promote spontaneous electron hopping, contributes to their transfer capabilities. Nano-size inorganic colloids are believed to be among the earliest 'oxidoreductases' to have 'evolved' on early Earth, playing critical roles in biological systems. Representing a distinct type of biocatalysts alongside metalloproteins, these nanoparticles offer an early alternative to protein-based oxidoreductase activity. While the roles of inorganic nano-sized catalysts in current Earth ecosystems are intuitively significant, they remain poorly understood and underestimated. Their contribution to chemical reactions and biogeochemical cycles likely helped shape and maintain the balance of our planet's ecosystems. However, their potential applications in biomedical, agricultural, and environmental protection sectors have not been fully explored or exploited. This review examines the structure, properties, and mechanisms of such catalysts from a material's evolutionary standpoint, aiming to raise awareness of their potential to provide innovative solutions to some of Earth's sustainability challenges.

Tanzanian social policy in the new millennium – a cross-sectoral analysis from a gender perspective

PurposeMainland Tanzania has seen two decades of significant social policy reforms and transformations in its social and economic structures, whilst the country continues to grapple with persisting gender inequalities. This article examines Tanzania's social policy developments from a gender perspective. The authors analyse the level, reach and quality of social policy delivery to working-age women across the areas of health policy, social protection and employment policy during 2000–2021.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on qualitative research deploying the scoping review method. The data consist of diverse secondary materials, including academic publications, government policy documents, relevant statistics and other types of “grey” literature.FindingsTanzania has made significant advancements in the legal frameworks around welfare provision and has instituted increasingly gender-responsive government policy plans. The health and social protection sectors, in particular, have witnessed the introduction of large-scale measures expanding social policy implementation. However, social policy delivery remains two-tiered, with differences in provisions for women in the formal and informal sectors.Originality/valueSocial policy delivery and implementation have increased and diversified in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during the new millennium, with a growing integration of gender-specific policy objectives. However, limited social policy scholarship has focused on the gendered effects of broader social policy models in SSA. The article remedies the concomitant knowledge gaps by examining various social policies and their impacts on working-age women in Mainland Tanzania. The authors also engage with the theoretical welfare regime literature and present an analytical framework for gender-sensitive assessment of emerging social policy models in the Global South.

ПРАВОВЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ИСКУССТВЕННОГО ИНТЕЛЛЕКТА ДЛЯ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ КИБЕРБЕЗОПАСНОСТИ В МАЛАЙЗИИ И ИНДОНЕЗИИ

The article provides a comparative legal analysis of approaches to the regulation and use of artificial intelligence in the field of cybersecurity using the example of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region – Malaysia and Indonesia. The main legal acts in the field of personal data protection, copyright, banking and financial sector, security of telecommunication networks, information infrastructure, cybercrimes, as well as issues of bringing to administrative and criminal liability for cybercrimes are considered. State bodies coordinating and implementing cybersecurity issues are listed. Particular attention was paid to the characteristics of the basic concepts disclosed in the acts under study. It is noted that the legal framework of Indonesia contains clearer interpretations of the definitions of a number of concepts in the field of cyber defense compared to Malaysia. However, Malaysian legislation covers a wider range of regulation of public life in the implementation of cybersecurity issues – from medicine to transport. In Indonesia, not all areas are so well regulated to deal with such issues. At the same time, the arsenal of means of protection against cyber-attacks or other illegal actions that encroach on the information and digital environment in Malaysia and Indonesia is approximately the same and differs only in the methods and quality (efficiency) of implementation. The serious and diverse approach of these countries for the further development, changes and improvement of legislation in matters of the use of artificial intelligence in activities to combat cybercrime is emphasized. Despite the contradictions on certain issues, each country seeks to strengthen its tools to combat cyber threats by developing separate national security strategies.