Reduce Resource Use Research Articles

Do Information Systems Today Play a Strategic Role in Business?

An information system is a combination of software, hardware, and telecommunication networks to collect useful data, especially in an organisation. Many businesses use information technology to complete and manage their operations, interact with their consumers, and stay ahead of their competition. The purpose of this study is to analyze and investigate the strategic role of information systems in modern enterprises. We analyzes the components of information systems and their overall functions, as well as the importance of keeping the information system and organizational strategy aligned. By analyzing the influence of digital connection on enterprises, this paper expounds the adoption of information system in enterprises. We analyze the reasons why information systems have a significant impact on organizational operations, and the goals of an enterprise's adoption of information systems. The relationship between proper information system and improving the efficiency of company operation is analyzed. In business operation, small and medium-sized enterprises regard information system as a priority, and the impact of strategic information system on enterprises. From the above, we conclude the value of information systems in contemporary enterprises, increasing productivity, reducing resource use, and making data collection more efficient.

PATHway: Intervention optimization of a prevention program for adolescents at–risk for depression in the primary care setting

With as many as 13% of adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorders each year, prevention of depressive disorders has become a key priority for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Currently, we have no widely available interventions to prevent these disorders. To address this need, we developed a multi-health system collaboration to develop and evaluate the primary care based technology “behavioral vaccine,” Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive-Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Therapy (CATCH-IT). The full CATCH-IT program demonstrated evidence of efficacy in prevention of depressive episodes in clinical trials. However, CATCH-IT became larger and more complex across trials, creating issues with adherence and scalability.We will use a multiphase optimization strategy approach to optimize CATCH-IT. The theoretically grounded components of CATCH-IT include: behavioral activation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and parent program. We will use a 4-factor (2x2x2x2) fully crossed factorial design with N = 16 cells (25 per cell, after allowing 15% dropout) to evaluate the contribution of each component. Eligible at-risk youth will be high school students 13 through 18 years old, with subsyndromal symptoms of depression. The study design will enable us to eliminate non-contributing components while preserving efficacy and to optimize CATCH-IT by strengthening tolerability and scalability by reducing resource use. By reducing resource use, we anticipate satisfaction and acceptability will also increase, preparing the way for an implementation trial.

Engaging hotel guests to reduce energy and water consumption: A quantitative review of guest impact on resource use in tourist accommodation

Compared to residential and commercial buildings, hotels use a high amount of resources in their operation, particularly electricity, water and gas. Resource use in hotels is influenced by both hosts and guests, however initiatives to reduce consumption are typically initiated by the host. To improve the effectiveness of host requests aimed at guests to use less resources, it is important to understand how hotel guests contribute to overall consumption. This study assesses quantitative resource consumption and occupancy data from two Australian case study hotels and investigates the impact of guest occupancy on net resource use. Agency theory is adopted as a framework to examine the host (principle) – guest (agent) exchange, and the agency costs associated with discretionary resource usage by the guest. It is found that guest numbers have little impact on net electricity consumption, however, are closely correlated with water consumption in both case studies. The findings suggest that strategies to reduce resource use are to be organised differently between electricity and water, with the former targeted at the hosts and the latter with the guests. Engaging with guests to reduce discretionary water consumption is expected to achieve greater reductions as compared to electricity and gas. The findings have implications for hotel operators and researchers toward designing and implementing effective resource use reduction strategies in hotels, and for understanding hotel resource use in the context of agency theory.

Post-growth Human–Computer Interaction

Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers have increasingly been questioning computing’s engagement with unsustainable and unjust economic growth, pushing for identifying alternatives. Incorporating degrowth, post-development, and steady-state approaches, post-growth philosophy offers an alternative not rooted in growth but in improving quality of life. It recommends an equitable reduction in resource use through sensible distributive practices where fulfillment is based on values including solidarity, cooperation, care, social justice, and localized development. In this paper, we describe opportunities for HCI to take a post-growth orientation in research, design, and practice to reimagine the design of sociotechnical systems toward advancing sustainable, just, and humane futures. We aim for the critiques, concerns, and recommendations offered by post-growth to be integrated into transformative HCI practices for technology-mediated change.

Research on Green Technology Innovation in Manufacturing Firms from ESG Perspective

This study investigates the research of manufacturing enterprises in green technology innovation from the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) perspective. Green technology innovation is one of the key factors to promote enterprises to realize environmentally sustainable development. Based on previous research on: first, manufacturing companies should conduct environmental impact assessment and management to assess the environmental impact of product life cycle and take measures to reduce the negative impact. Second, renewable energy applications are an important direction for green technology innovation, and manufacturing companies can shift to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to reduce their dependence on traditional energy sources. Third, circular economy and product design are also the focus of research, through product design to reduce resource use and waste, and introduce the concept of circular economy to promote the recycling of materials and energy. Fourth, supply chain sustainability is also a key area of green technology innovation, where manufacturing companies need to consider aspects such as partner selection, raw material sourcing and transportation to ensure a sustainable and environmentally friendly supply chain. Finally, data-driven and smart manufacturing can optimize the production process through the application of technologies such as data analytics and artificial intelligence to improve resource utilization efficiency and energy consumption efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions and waste generation.

A Minimally Interventional Approach to Oesophageal Atresia Repair With Early Enteral Feeding is Safe, Optimises Neonatal Outcomes, and Reduces Resource use

PurposeRecent series of newborn Oesophageal Atresia (OA) repair continue to report widespread use of chest drains, gastrostomy, routine contrast studies and parenteral nutrition (PN) despite evidence suggesting these are superfluous. We report outcomes using a minimally interventional approach to post-operative recovery. MethodsEthically approved (15/WA/0153), single-centre, retrospective case-note review of consecutive infants with OA 2000–2022. Infants with OA and distal trache-oesophageal fistula undergoing primary oesophageal anastomosis at initial surgery were included (including those with comorbidities such as duodenal atresia, anorectal malformation and cardiac lesions). Our practice includes routine use of a trans-anastomotic tube (TAT), no routine chest drain nor gastrostomy, early enteral and oral feeding, no routine PN and no routine contrast study. Data are median (IQR). ResultsOf total 186 cases of OA treated during the time period, 157 met the inclusion criteria of which 2 were excluded as casenotes unavailable. TAT was used in 150 infants. A chest drain was required in 13 (8%) and two infants had a neonatal gastrostomy. Enteral feeds were started on postoperative day 2 (2–3), full enteral feeds established by day 4 (4–6) and oral feeds started on day 5 (4–8). PN was required in 15%. Median postoperative length of stay was 10 days (8–17). Progress was quicker in term infants than preterm. One infant died of cardiac disease prior to neonatal discharge. Two planned post-operative contrast studies were performed (surgeon preference) and a further 7 due to clinical suspicion of anastomotic leak. Contrast study was therefore avoided in 94%. There were 2 anastomotic leaks; both presented clinically at day 4 and day 8 after oral feeds had been started. ConclusionOur minimally interventional approach is safe. It facilitates prompt recovery with lower resource use, reduced demand on nursing staff, reduced radiation burden, and early discharge home compared to published series without adversely affecting outcomes. Level of EvidenceLevel 4.

How should institutions help clinicians to practise greener anaesthesia: first-order and second-order responsibilities to practice sustainably

There is a need for all industries, including healthcare, to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In anaesthetic practice, this not only requires a reduction in resource use and waste, but...

Pay to be green? The effect of corporate social responsibility contracting on green innovation performance

This study examines how the integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) criteria in executive compensation can improve green innovation performance in European countries. Using agency theory and stakeholder theory, and a database of 5,603 firm-year observations from European companies in the period 2012–2021, we find that CSR aligns the interests of senior executives with the company’s green innovation goals through green compensation contracts. We also explore the indirect effect in this relationship and reveal that the implementation of green practices mediates the impact of CSR contracting on green innovation performance. These findings indicate that CSR contracting as an effective governance mechanism could be strengthened by green practices, such as reducing resource use, water efficiency, energy reuse, emission reduction and pollution prevention. This study offers valuable insights for senior executives and policymakers who wish to manage CSR initiatives and green practices to improve their green innovation performance. JEL CLASSIFICATION: Q56 M12

On the Economics of the Transition to a Circular Economy

AbstractHumanity is facing complex challenges posed by population growth, climate change, and the need to increase food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy production while confronting the scarcity of natural resources. The transition to a circular economy, characterized by reduced resource use and waste, is being increasingly recognized in academic, business, and policy making circles as essential to meeting these challenges, with the emphasis being on the development of methods and processes that enable and facilitate the transition from a linear to a circular economy. This paper argues the need for an increased emphasis on the economics of the circular economy and presents a general framework that illustrates the transition from a linear to a circular economic system. In addition, the paper highlights the economic issues that arise during the transition to increased circularity and the policy options available to facilitate the successful transition to a more circular economic system.

Life cycle assessment of face mask decontamination via atmospheric pressure plasma

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of face masks to prevent transmission of infection has increased. One way to reduce impacts of the production of new masks (including reduction of resource use) is to implement circular economy strategies to allow multiple (re)uses of the face masks. In the present study, the environmental impacts of single use disposable masks in hospital are compared with their potential decontamination and reuse using the low temperature plasma (LTP) decontamination process. For all the considered scenarios, it resulted that environmental impacts of single use of disposable masks are lower (for every impact category) compared with decontamination and reuse of face masks. Highest impact in the decontamination process is due to helium used for cooling the electrodes, causing more than 95% of the impacts in most of the impact categories. To decrease impacts of decontamination, two improvement scenarios were assessed: 1) helium replacement with alternative materials (as argon or nitrogen), and 2) decreased helium consumption (based on optimized helium flow, or helium recirculation). Replacing helium with alternative materials does not lead to environmental benefits, while optimising the helium consumption could make the decontaminating more environmental friendly, but only if helium consumption in the current laboratory practise would be decreased by at least 95%. This assessment takes into consideration that the decontamination is still based on laboratory scale process, and for which additional research to optimize the process from a resource and environmental point of view is needed.

Do mineral rents endowment and agricultural raw material imports determine natural resource management in the United States?

The scarcity of natural resources is an issue that affects many countries around the world. Mineral rents and agricultural raw material imports have a large impact on the availability of these resources. Natural resource management is the practice of using natural resources such as water, land, soil, plants, and animals for the benefit of society. This paper examines the impact of mineral rents, and agricultural raw materials imports on natural resource management in the United States from 1975 to 2020, using textile clothing, alternative energy sources, and CO2 emissions as control variables. The results show that textile clothing, mineral rents, alternative nuclear energy, and CO2 emissions are statistically significant at 1%. Textile and clothing production, alternative and nuclear energy, and CO2 emissions are all activities that can hurt natural resources. In contrast, evidence suggests that mineral rents can positively influence natural resource rents. Implementing efficient production processes and technologies is essential for reducing resource use. At the same time, governments must create incentives to encourage using more sustainable resources. This could include tax incentives for companies that use sustainable resources or subsidies for developing more efficient production processes. The best way to address the scarcity of natural resources is through careful management of mineral rents and agricultural raw material imports. Finally, policymakers must ensure that the benefits of the imports outweigh the costs to the environment and natural resources and encourage only sustainable resources to be used, and that production processes are designed to minimize resource use.

Does Living in a Protected Area Reduce Resource Use and Promote Life Satisfaction? Survey Results from and Around Three Regional Nature Parks in Switzerland

Regional nature parks in Switzerland are, for the most part, protected areas that aim to promote sustainable development and residents’ well-being. In recent years, research on regional nature parks and comparable protected areas has focused on questions regarding local populations’ acceptance of such areas, their governance, and their economic effects. However, we know surprisingly little about the impact of protected areas on environmental resource use and life satisfaction, two essential ingredients of sustainable regional development. In this study, we survey people living in and around three regional nature parks in Switzerland on their resource use and life satisfaction (gross sample n = 3358). We propose a novel measurement of resource use based on vignettes describing different lifestyles, which we validate against the carbon footprint obtained for a subsample of our respondents. With these indicators, using multiple regression analyses, we test several hypotheses derived from the literature on the relationship between resource use and life satisfaction in and around protected areas. Contrary to our expectations, we do not find differences in resource use or life satisfaction, or the relationship between resource use and life satisfaction, across park and non-park regions. We discuss potential explanations for our findings and their implications for nature park authorities and future study designs.

Reduction of byproduct formation and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells during post-chlorination by the combined pretreatment of ferrate(VI) and biochar

Ferrate [Fe(VI)] can efficiently degrade various pollutants in wastewater. Biochar application can reduce resource use and waste emission. This study investigated the performance of Fe(VI)/biochar pretreatment to reduce disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells of wastewater during post-chlorination. Fe(VI)/biochar was more effective at inhibiting the cytotoxicity formation than Fe(VI) alone, reducing the cytotoxicity from 12.7 to 7.6 mg-phenol/L. The concentrations of total organic chlorine and total organic bromine decreased from 277 to 130 μg/L and from 51 to 39 μg/L, compared to the samples without pretreatment. Orbitrap ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry revealed that the number of molecules of DBPs decreased substantially from 517 to 229 by Fe(VI)/biochar, with the greatest reduction for phenols and highly unsaturated aliphatic compounds. In combination with the substantial reduction of 1Cl-DBPs and 2Cl-DBPs, 1Br-DBPs and 2Br-DBPs were also reduced. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis suggested that fulvic acid-like substances and aromatic amino acid was obviously reduce likely due to the enhanced oxidation of Fe(IV)/Fe(V) produced by Fe(VI)/biochar and adsorption of biochar. Furthermore, the DBPs generated by electrophilic addition and electrophilic substitution of precursors were reduced. This study shows that Fe(VI)/biochar pretreatment can effectively reduce cytotoxicity formation during post-chlorination by transforming DBPs and their precursors.

An Empirical Approach to Enhance Performance for Scalable CORDIC-Based Deep Neural Networks

Practical implementation of deep neural networks (DNNs) demands significant hardware resources, necessitating high computational power and memory bandwidth. While existing field-programmable gate array (FPGA)–based DNN accelerators are primarily optimized for fast single-task performance, cost, energy efficiency, and overall throughput are crucial considerations for their practical use in various applications. This article proposes a performance-centric pipeline Coordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC)–based MAC unit and implements a scalable CORDIC-based DNN architecture that is area- and power-efficient and has high throughput. The CORDIC-based neuron engine uses bit-rounding to maintain input-output precision and minimal hardware resource overhead. The results demonstrate the versatility of the proposed pipelined MAC, which operates at 460 MHz and allows for higher network throughput. A software-based implementation platform evaluates the proposed MAC operation’s accuracy for more extensive neural networks and complex datasets. The DNN accelerator with parameterized and modular layer-multiplexed architecture is designed. Empirical evaluation through Pareto analysis is used to improve the efficiency of DNN implementations by fixing the arithmetic precision and optimal pipeline stages. The proposed architecture utilizes layer-multiplexing, a technique that effectively reuses a single DNN layer to enhance efficiency while maintaining modularity and adaptability for integrating various network configurations. The proposed CORDIC MAC-based DNN architecture is scalable for any bit-precision network size, and the DNN accelerator is prototyped using the Xilinx Virtex-7 VC707 FPGA board, operating at 66 MHz. The proposed design does not use any Xilinx macros, making it easily adaptable for ASIC implementation. Compared with state-of-the-art designs, the proposed design reduces resource use by 45% and power consumption by 4× without sacrificing performance. The accelerator is validated using the MNIST dataset, achieving 95.06% accuracy, only 0.35% less than other cutting-edge implementations.

Resource-use intensity and the labour market: More for less?

Although the circular economy primarily focuses on closing supply chains, residual waste management, and product lifetime extensions, reducing resource use remains critical. This paper examines the system-wide impacts of reducing resource use using a multisectoral computable general equilibrium model. Although not strictly circular, the focus is on a costless ‘technology shock’ that reduces the consumption of intermediate goods in the construction sector and its system-wide effects. The results suggest that there is potential for reductions in CO2 emissions, but this is accompanied with a fall in GDP and employment, with unskilled workers experiencing larger negative employment effects. However, the scale of these GDP and employment effects is small, despite relatively large reductions in resource use. This indicates that technology-induced reductions in resource use have the potential to support the transition towards an economy that uses fewer resources without causing significant disruptions at the macroeconomic level.

FOREIGN EXPERIENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE APC (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE USA)

The article explores the key aspects that have contributed to the success of the United States in creating a sustainable and efficient agricultural system, focusing on environmental and economic aspects. The role of the state in supporting the sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex is defined, pointing out the importance of proper regulation and stimulation of the sector. It is emphasized that the United States has successfully used economic incentives, such as financial incentives, tax incentives, and regulatory mechanisms to promote the development of the environmental and economic potential of the agro-industrial complex. The author also draws attention to the importance of partnerships between government agencies, industries, and the public sector in achieving sustainable development. It is shown that the United States actively engages scientific institutions, business environment and non-profit organizations to jointly develop innovative solutions and technologies aimed at preserving the environment and increasing the productivity of the agro-industrial complex. The level of US GDP and its importance in the formation of an efficient economy are characterized. The main characteristics of the development of the ecologically based economy in the country and innovative approaches and technologies, such as agricultural biotechnology, precision agriculture, water storage systems and energy efficiency, which contribute to increased productivity and reduced resource use, are outlined. In addition, the article notes that the success of the United States lies in a developed research and development system that promotes continuous innovation and adaptation to changing conditions. The article emphasizes the importance of taking into account environmental factors in the development of the agricultural sector, which can lead to increased production efficiency, reduced negative environmental impact and improved product quality. The results of the US study show that environmentally oriented approaches and innovative technologies can contribute to increased efficiency and sustainability in the agricultural sector.

Healthcare Utilization After Respiratory Tuberculosis: A Controlled Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Despite data suggesting elevated morbidity and mortality among people who have survived tuberculosis disease, the impact of respiratory tuberculosis on healthcare utilization in the years following diagnosis and treatment remains unclear. Using linked health administrative data from British Columbia, Canada, we identified foreign-born individuals treated for respiratory tuberculosis between 1990 and 2019. We matched each person with up to four people without a tuberculosis diagnosis from the same source cohort using propensity score matching. Then, using a controlled interrupted time series analysis, we measured outpatient physician encounters and inpatient hospital admissions in the 5 years following respiratory tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. We matched 1216 individuals treated for respiratory tuberculosis to 4864 non-tuberculosis controls. Immediately following the tuberculosis diagnostic and treatment period, the monthly rate of outpatient encounters in the tuberculosis group was 34.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.7%, 37.2%) higher than expected, and this trend was sustained for the duration of the post-tuberculosis period. The excess utilization represented an additional 12.2 (95% CI: 10.6, 14.9) outpatient encounters per person over the post-tuberculosis period, with respiratory morbidity a large contributor to the excess healthcare utilization. Results were similar for hospital admissions, with an additional 0.4 (95% CI: .3, .5) hospital admissions per person over the post-tuberculosis period. Respiratory tuberculosis appears to have long-term impacts on healthcare utilization beyond treatment. These findings underscore the need for screening, assessment, and treatment of post-tuberculosis sequelae, as it may provide an opportunity to improve health and reduce resource use.

Ecological footprint, water scarcity footprint, and benefit to cost ratio analysis towards sustainable rice production in Thailand

Thailand is a large producer of rice and the sustainable production of rice is very important. This research aimed at assessing the ecological footprint, water scarcity footprint (WSF), and benefit to cost ratio (B/C) of major and second rice cultivation and ecological footprint of packaged rice production using the life cycle assessment approach. The study areas included provinces in the northern, northeastern, central, and southern regions of Thailand. The ecological footprint of major and second rice cultivation ranged between 1.37–3.33 and 1.39–2.64 gha/t, respectively. Rainwater and irrigation water were the most important resources for the major and second rice cultivation as measured by forest productivity or ecological footprint of forest. Applying the alternate wetting and drying technique could decrease the ecological footprint of major and second rice cultivation to 0.89–2.89 and 0.90–2.14 gha/t, respectively. The ecological footprint of packaged rice ranged from 1.78 to 4.02 gha/t, contributed mainly by the ecological footprint of the forest from the water requirement in cultivation. The WSF of major and second rice cultivation ranged between 2.58–25.4 and 14.2–1021 m3 H2Oeq/t. The variation of WSF resulted from the variation in both irrigation water and water stress index. There was a significant change in the benefit of rice cultivation from 2009 to 2018 resulting in the variation of B/C of major rice from 0.75 to 1.48 and second rice from 0.76 to 1.60. To promote sustainable rice cultivation, cultivation at the provincial and regional levels must have lower ecological footprint and WSF as well as higher B/C than the national average. The ecological footprint, WSF, and B/C results can be used by policymakers to promulgate the area-based policy on reducing resource use and increasing the income for the farmers in Thailand.

College Resources and Event Management & Analysis

This research paper aims to propose a platform for College Resource and Event Management & Analysis. The platform will provide various services such as sharing study content from teachers to students, a one-stop destination for official notices, managing college events and schedules, a platform for sharing career experiences from alumni, BE project tracking service to avoid duplicate project ideas, and a place for internship reference. Additionally, the platform will add an extra advantage for colleges to collect and analyses data of students and college to make decisions for improving the quality of education and sharing experiences. The platform will be implemented using Google’s latest and fastest technology framework Flutter, which supports web and mobile development. The whole application will be implemented in Micro-service Architecture to reduce resource use on mobile devices

Impact of Reduction of Waste and Waste, Green Employee Behavior and Reduction of Resource Use on Environmental Strategy: Manufacturing Companies top management’s Perception

This study explores the impact of reduction of waste and waste, green employee Behavior and reduction of resource use on environmental strategy in manufacturing companies of Sindh, Pakistan. Using a cross-sectional design and a sample of 220 firms, data was collected through face-to-face surveys conducted from August 1 to October 31, 2022. The questionnaire adopted in this study focused on including the reduction of waste and waste, green employee behavior and reduction of resource use. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings suggest that these variables have a positive and significant impact on environmental strategy, indicating that these variables can be valuable tools for promoting environmental strategy in the manufacturing sector of Sindh, Pakistan. These results have practical implications for manufacturing companies in Sindh, Pakistan, as it suggests that top management should prioritize the development of effective strategies to promote the reduction of waste and waste, green employee behavior and reduction of resource use in the future strategies.