Framework For Resolution Research Articles

DISARMAMENT, DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION (DDR) PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN AFRICA

The implementation of post conflict disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme is usually characterised by several problems and challenges at various stages hence, this paper examined DDR problems and challenges in Africa. The paper argues that DDR programmes can only be effective if it is conducted in line with approved international standards as enshrined in the Integrated, Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) manual. The study adopted the basic human needs theory as its theoretical framework and derived its data from secondary sources. The data collected were analysed qualitatively since the study was a descriptive study. The study revealed that DDR programme is a post-conflict nonviolent conflict resolution framework which been applied in several African countries including Nigeria, Angola, Liberia etc. Findings from the study also shows that the implementation of DDR programme in Africa is faced with series of challenges yet it has helped in transforming and resettling several ex-combatants and warlords back to normal civil society. Thus, for any DDR programme to be effective, attention must be paid to monitoring, supervision and the general welfare needs of ex-combatants and trainees in order to build trust and confidence from all the parties and stakeholders.

Current Issues of the Sukuk Market and Using Sukuk for the Global Infrastructure Projects

The sukuk market has proven its usefulness as a significant source of capital for the public and private sector entities. As a result, the sukuk market has gained great popularity both in the Islamic and the non-Islamic countries. The sukuk market has a flexible nature in product structuring and poised to grow even further. On the other hand, the public financing of infrastructure is a worldwide problem in today’s world. World Economic Forum reports an annual infrastructure financing gap of $1 trillion. As a fast growing segment of the Islamic finance, the sukuk market has significant potential to bridge that gap. However, only a small part of the great potential of sukuk has been released until now. Although huge as it is today, the sukuk market still suffers from the illiquidity of the secondary market for sukuk instruments. The yield curve for sukuk products is still incomplete and regular sovereign issuances is most needed as part of governments’ debt financing programs. That could serve as a benchmark for pricing so corporate sukuk market could develop further. However, there are a myriad questions to answer regarding the public financial management issues before making sukuk issuances an integral part of sovereign debt management policies. Safety nets, resolution frameworks are missing in many jurisdictions. Investors are facing many more risks beyond the conventional fixed-income instruments but they are not adequately protected. There are many complex sukuk structures but there is not sufficient harmonization of shari’ah ruling or legal treatment regarding those products at the international level. Once these problems were resolved, the sukuk market in theory could be much more useful in providing funds to infrastructure projects all around the world. This paper documents the contemporary issues that need to be addressed in the sukuk market and discusses whether the sukuk market could be used to channelize the needed funds for the infrastructural projects.

Qualitative Analysis of Consumer Redressal Practices in Indian Regulated Sectors

This paper aims to study and analyseconsumer complaint resolution mechanisms and ombudsman frameworks in three Indian regulated sectors and tries to compare it with that of telecom sector. Here an analysis of regulatory data is carried out. The paper is both theoretical and analytical in nature.This research sheds light on complaint resolution frameworks in Indian regulated sectors such as “Banking, Insurance, Electricity and telecom. Role of Ombudsman and alternates dispute resolution mechanism in the sector is also studied. It is necessary for Ombudsman to perform its duties and responsibilities for overall growth of the sector.Visible, sharp complaint resolution structure and noticeable, orderly decision making entity are truly necessary component of complaint solving mechanism. This Paper also analyses statistics, facts of complaint resolution rates etc. Consumer complaint solving framework is a regulatory vehicle for discarding of grievances. This research is indicator of eight principles of effective consumer resolution mechanism.

Super Resolution with Kernel Estimation and Dual Attention Mechanism

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have led to promising performance in super-resolution (SR). Most SR methods are trained and evaluated on predefined blur kernel datasets (e.g., bicubic). However, the blur kernel of real-world LR image is much more complex. Therefore, the SR model trained on simulated data becomes less effective when applied to real scenarios. In this paper, we propose a novel super resolution framework based on blur kernel estimation and dual attention mechanism. Our network learns the internal relations from the input image itself, thus the network can quickly adapt to any input image. We add the blur kernel estimation structure into the network, correcting the inaccurate blur kernel to generate high quality images. Meanwhile, we propose a dual attention mechanism to restore the texture details of the image, adaptively adjusting the features of the image by considering the interdependencies both in channel and spatial. The combination of blur kernel estimation and attention mechanism makes our network perform well for complex blur images in practice. Extensive experiments show that our method (KASR) achieves promising accuracy and visual improvements against most existing methods.

Two-Stage Point Cloud Super Resolution with Local Interpolation and Readjustment via Outer-Product Neural Network

This paper proposes a two-stage point cloud super resolution framework that combines local interpolation and deep neural network based readjustment. For the first stage, the authors apply a local interpolation method to increase the density and uniformity of the target point cloud. For the second stage, the authors employ an outer-product neural network to readjust the position of points that are inserted at the first stage. Comparison examples are given to demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves a better accuracy than existing state-of-art approaches, such as PU-Net, PointNet and DGCNN (Source code is available at https://github.com/qwerty1319/PC-SR ).

Toward a sustainable system of wastewater treatment plants in Chile: a multi-objective optimization approach

Over the past fifty years the population of the world has doubled, while resources as water have become increasingly scarce. In particular, water consumption has far exceeded the available of this resource in some regions of the world. In order to address the above problem, the possibility of reusing grey water by installing wastewater treatment plants could be a suitable alternative for several developing countries. This paper seeks to find the best configuration for these facilities in Chile by considering the economic and environmental aspects conjoint to the social dimension. The problem is modeled as a multi-objective optimization including: minimizing costs, minimizing environmental impact, maximizing phosphorus extraction from wastewater and maximizing the number of workers to be required with the goal of analyzing the sustainability of the system. To find the Pareto frontiers of multi-objective problem, a resolution framework based on an adaptation of elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is provided for the problem. From the obtained results, the non-dominated solutions and a compromise solution are computed, reporting configuration alternatives that integrate the three sustainability dimensions, the economic, the environmental and the social as objectives for the design for a sustainable system of wastewater treatment plants.

A level playing field in anti-doping disputes? The need to scrutinize procedural fairness at first instance hearings

The WADA Code upholds the virtues of procedural fairness. Minimum procedural guarantees have been strengthened under the 2021 WADA Code and the International Standard for Results Management. However, implementation of these guarantees by National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) and domestic anti-doping panels are critical in ensuring that athletes are afforded procedural fairness. While some countries have enacted reforms in anti-doping dispute resolution infrastructure, other jurisdictions are arguably lagging behind. Since few doping disputes are heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a strong domestic dispute resolution framework should encourage independence, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as well as promote consistency and procedural fairness at all levels of hearing. First instance hearings are particularly significant given that CAS is not considered a practical option for many athletes, especially those from developing countries, predominately due to challenges of access to justice and affordability. Irrespective of procedurally unfair decisions at first instance, CAS has the de novo right of review to correct any such irregularities. However, this approach alone is inadequate, especially given that most athletes do not appeal to CAS. CAS, WADA and NADOs all have significant roles to play in ensuring procedural fairness for athletes. WADA and NADOs need to do more to ensure compliance with procedural guarantees at first instance. This paper advances the debate on the importance of procedural fairness and proposes a research agenda to support future reform, arguing that the current anti-doping model needs to reconsider how these important standards are upheld, from first instance until final appeal.

Norway

Much of the work of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the missions ending on February 13, 2020. Given the FSAP’s focus on medium-term challenges and vulnerabilities, however, its findings and recommendations for strengthening policy and institutional frameworks remain pertinent. The report was updated to reflect key developments and policy changes since the mission work was completed. It also includes a risk analysis that quantifies the possible impact of the COVID-19 crisis on bank solvency. Since the previous FSAP in 2015, the Norwegian authorities have taken welcome steps to strengthen the financial system. Regulatory capital requirements for banks were raised and actions were taken to bolster the weak capital position of insurers. Alongside other macroprudential measures, temporary borrower-based measures for residential mortgages were introduced, which seem to have had some moderating impact on segments of the housing market. The resolution framework was also strengthened, with the implementation of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and the designation of Finanstilsynet (FSA) as the resolution authority.

NIGERIA: DELTA OIL EXPLORATION POLITICS AND THE PORTRAYAL OF BRUTAL IMPACT IN YERIMA’S HARD GROUND

This study presents an interdisciplinary approach towards a critical analysis of some impacts of crude-oil exploration in Niger Delta and polemics of viable conϐlict resolution framework. This approach involves analysis of Ahmed Yerima’s creative portrayal in Hard Ground which revolves around the variables activating conϐlicting emotional interests in matters concerning ‘black gold’ in Nigeria, and how these variables resonant in debates and demands for Nigeria’s polity restructuring because of perceived resource mismanagement. More so, our scope includes an analytical attempt at illuminating elaborately our interpretation of the dimensions to the loud and shrewd inclinations subsuming what some see as solution to the lingering conϐlict, and the suppositions explaining why others see the debates and demands on polity restructuring as dark convoluted ploys aimed at hidden agenda. Hence, through select theories of victimhood, this study attempts to elucidate on the variables propelling conϐlicting emotional interestsabout oil exploration in Niger Delta, by looking interpretively hard and deep on the perspectives, views and suppositions deϐining the ideologies and inclinations propelling them. In the end, this study notes that the disenchantments and troubles with Nigeria’s polity framework and structure as it relates to oil exploration in Niger Delta are subsumed in Hard Ground’s creativecontribution as a means of assessing the points to the fault-lines that characterize the subsisting socio-political structure upon which Nigeria stands and wobbles.

Official sector lending during the euro area crisis

In response to the euro area crisis, policymakers took a gradual, incremental approach to official lending, at first relying on the blueprint followed by the International Monetary Fund, then developing their own crisis resolution framework. We describe this process of institutional development, marked by a substantial divergence in the terms of official loans offered to. We use a unique dataset of the characteristics of the various official loans to provide key stylised facts, and use regression and event analysis techniques to study the effect of different lending terms on market borrowing costs and fiscal performance. Euro area loans, when in longer maturities and lower rates, go hand in hand with improved market access. Instead, the terms of IMF loans appear to have no significant effect on market access, but primary balances are larger when IMF maturities are longer. We discuss arguments for refocusing debt sustainability analysis and embed debt management techniques in programme design, while considering the trade-off between adjustment incentives and official lending.

Unifying logic rules and machine learning for entity enhancing

This paper proposes a notion of entity enhancing, which unifies entity resolution and conflict resolution, to identify tuples that refer to the same real-world entity and at the same time, correct semantic inconsistencies. We propose to unify rule-based and machine learning (ML) methods for entity enhancing, by embedding ML classifiers as predicates in logic rules. We model entity enhancing by extending the chase. We show that the chase warrants correctness justification and the Church-Rosser property. Moreover, we settle fundamental problems associated with entity enhancing, including the enhancing, consistency, satisfiability, and implication problems, ranging from NP-complete and coNP-complete to Π 2 -complete. Taken together, these provide a new theoretical framework for unifying entity resolution and conflict resolution.

Dispute Settlement in the Belt and Road Initiative: Lessons from the Singapore Experience

Abstract Historically, Singapore has played an important role in the growth and success of the old maritime Silk Road. Today, Singapore remains an important stop on the Belt and Road, though its advantages now also lie in its position as a trusted, neutral forum for the efficient resolution of disputes as well as a platform for the sharing of ideas for the development of a legal framework for dispute resolution in the Belt and Road Initiative. Three initiatives have been taken by Singapore to strengthen its new position, including the Asian Business Law Institute, the Singapore International Commercial Court, and the Singapore–China Annual Legal and Judicial Roundtable.

Insolvency of Significant Non-Financial Enterprises: Lessons from Bank Failures and Bank Resolution

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis the EU bank resolution regime went through fundamental changes that seek to preserve financial stability and ensure continuity of critical functions. The same cannot be said of insolvency rules applicable to non-financial enterprises. Unlike bank resolution with its macroprudential and proactive focus, insolvency law has largely remained microprudential and reactive. Admittedly, unlike bank failures, corporate insolvencies usually do not pose systemic risk. However, in practice this may not hold true for significant non-financial enterprises (SNFEs). Such enterprises oftentimes play a major role in national economies and serve important public functions. Their failure may trigger contagion and cause disruptive consequences. Insofar as insolvency of SNFEs raises concerns common to bank failures, the question arises whether certain strategies and tools embraced within the EU bank recovery and resolution framework should be extended to regulate SNFE insolvency. This article explores the feasibility of such an extension.

Bank Resolution Regimes and Systemic Risk

We assess the ability of bank resolution frameworks to deal with systemic banking fragility. Using a novel and detailed database on bank resolution regimes in 22 member countries of the Financial Stability Board, we show that systemic risk, as measured by Delta CoVaR, increases more for banks in countries with more comprehensive bank resolution frameworks after negative system-wide shocks, such as Lehman Brothers' default, while it decreases more after positive system-wide shocks, such as Mario Draghi's whatever it takes speech. These results suggest that more comprehensive bank resolution may exacerbate the effect of system-wide shocks and should not be solely relied on in cases of systemic distress.

THE NECESSITY FOR THE FORMULATION OF AN ONLINE FAMILY DISPUTE RESOLUTION MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IN MALAYSIA

This article discusses the need for the formulation of an online family dispute resolution management framework in Malaysia. One of the main reasons is that young married couples need assistance to resolve challenges that they faced in their marriage. Researches have shown that the first five years is the most difficult period in a marriage. An initial study conducted by National Population and Family Development Board also known as Lembaga Penduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara (LPPKN) has shown that in 2014, more than one third of a first marriage that were less than 5 years ended in divorce or separation. With the prominent role that technology plays in our society, it is hypothesized that the internet can be used as a tool to reach out to couples who are experiencing marital discords. Professional intervention is often needed to address such disagreements before it escalates into separation or divorce. Through a survey of literatures and a series of discussions gathered from workshops, it has been found that a more effective method of outreach is needed for younger couples in Malaysia who are in need of professional marital advice. This article therefore proposes for the use of an online family dispute resolution management framework as an outreach tool which can connect marriage professionals and couples who are in need of professional intervention. This Online Dispute Resolution framework will act as a guided pathway of information and advice to young couples who are considering separation or divorce.

Unsupervised Entity Resolution With Blocking and Graph Algorithms

Entity resolution identifies all records in a database that refer to the same entity. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised framework for entity resolution using blocking and graph algorithms. The records are partitioned into blocks with no redundancy for efficiency improvement. For intra-block data processing, we propose a graph-theoretic fusion framework with two components, namely ITER and CliqueRank. Specifically, ITER constructs a weighted bipartite graph between terms and record-record pairs and iteratively propagates the node salience until convergence. Subsequently, CliqueRank constructs a record graph to estimate the likelihood of two records resident in the same clique. The derived likelihood from CliqueRank is fed back to ITER to rectify the edge weight until a joint optimum can be reached. Experimental evaluation was conducted with 4 real datasets. Results show that our unsupervised framework is comparable or even superior to state-of-the-art deep learning approaches.

Words are important: A textual content based identity resolution scheme across multiple online social networks

Identity resolution of a person using various online social networks can enable an interested party to have a better and holistic understanding of former’s behavior and personality. Major challenges in developing a reliable and scalable matching scheme for online identities include non-availability of required information or having contradictory information for the same user across these networks. In this study, we present a scheme for identity matching which utilizes important features extracted from contents generated by or shared with users across one’s online social networks. With the help of natural language processing and text mining techniques, we extract and process parts-of-speech, symbols, emoticons, numbers, and high frequency words in user’s posts, tweets, retweets, and URLs. On the basis of experiments with ground truth Twitter–Facebook real datasets, this method achieved 91.2 percent accuracy in matching user’s identity across the user’s profiles. The main contribution of this paper is that this proposes a novel method for identity matching, which utilizes only the publicly available content information of online social network users. This method can be used alone for identity matching, or can be used along with other identity resolution frameworks to enhance their accuracy.

Musings on the legal framework for resolution of foreign investment disputes in Nigeria

Resolution of dispute arising from foreign investments in Nigeria is achieved through non-judicial and judicial mechanisms, otherwise known as arbitration and litigation in courts. Foreign investors are expected to seek redress using one of the aforementioned mechanisms. Although the principles of public international law seem to be in contention with the business interests of an investor and the host country, there has been a rapid growth and development in investment arbitration as a trade dispute resolution mechanism in the past years, and the courts in Nigeria, through her decisions, have made pronouncements regarding the disputes from foreign investments. Consequent to this, it has become critically important for investors, solicitors, professional service providers and trainers, to understand the intricate legal elements involved in the resolution of disputes involving foreign investment. This study examines the legal framework for resolution of foreign investment disputes in Nigeria. Concepts such as nationalisation and expropriation of foreign investments, stability clauses and foreign investment disputes, renegotiating and the stability of contractual agreement as well as legal infrastructure were discussed and fully analysed.

Spoljna politika Kine

This paper presents a brief outline of the foreign policy aims of the People's Republic of China. Brought into focus is the principle of multilateralism, the basic guiding principle of China, which is aware of the effects of globalization. The principle needs to be applied to the response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Stressed in the paper are the principles that China follows in its relations with the USA, the EU and Serbia, and the importance of the Belt and Road initiative and Cooperation 17+1. The paper states that the question of Kosovo and Metohija should be resolved within the framework of Resolution 1244 passed by the UN Security Council. Hongkong is an integral part of China and the questions regarding this matter are to be resolved by China. Hongkong is a territory with a large degree of autonomy and the recent legislation aims to protect the security of China and Hongkong and do not contradict the policy "One Country - Two Systems", but rather confirm it. The paper also presents new data on the economic development of China and progress made in its economic relations with the EU and the countries participating in the Cooperation 17+1 program.

Go Preventive or Go Home - A New Role of MREL

Bank Resolution is considered a cornerstone of the post-crisis financial regulation; however, it is also widely considered ineffective and inefficient in handling bank failures. This article analyses the preventive potential of the resolution framework, specifically focusing on the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL). We argue that MREL has a double nature. On the one hand, it should ensure the feasibility of resolution in case of a bank failure. On the other hand, it aims at restricting the funding model of banks, similarly to the other (preventive) capital requirements. By analysing the 2019 reform of the EU banking regulation, we contend that MREL represents an important complement to the rest of the preventive regulatory framework and that the latest reform unleashes such potential. We demonstrate that the new rules on MREL determination and enforcement allows the resolution authority to look after the build-up of systemic risk. The analysis reveals that MREL can serve both micro- and macro-prudential purposes. Finally, we argue that the current institutional architecture represents the main impeding factor for the new regulation to efficiently work, curbing the positive preventive potential of MREL.