Scarce Resources Research Articles

Population Growth and Resource Scarcity: Implications for Conflict and Cooperation in Taraba State, Nigeria

Population growth has profound effects on resource availability and social dynamics in many regions across the globe. In Taraba State, Nigeria, the rapid increase in population has intensified resource scarcity, leading to heightened conflicts among communities, particularly those reliant on land and water for their livelihoods. This study examines how population growth intersects with resource depletion, conflict, and cooperation in Taraba State. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving the analysis of questionnaire data from 294 respondents and qualitative insights from interviews with 10 local leaders, agriculturalists, and herders. The findings reveal that population growth significantly exacerbates the depletion of essential resources, such as land and water, with 72.8% of respondents indicating that population increases directly impact resource availability. This scarcity has led to a 78.3% occurrence of conflicts in areas experiencing severe resource depletion. The study also shows that resource scarcity forces communities into competition, often escalating tensions into violent disputes. However, the research accentuates the critical role of traditional governance structures, which were acknowledged by 64.3% of the respondents as key to fostering cooperation and mitigating conflicts in the state. The study concludes that integrating traditional governance systems with formal frameworks is essential for sustainable resource management and conflict reduction in Taraba State. Policymakers should prioritize these strategies to address the challenges posed by rapid population growth and resource scarcity, ensuring the long-term stability and well-being of communities in the state.

New Insights on the Understanding of Sulfur-Containing Coal Flotation Desulfurization

The clean and efficient utilization of coal is a promising way to achieve carbon neutrality. Coking coal is a scarce resource and an important raw material in the steel industry. However, the presence of pyrite sulfur affects its clean utilization. Nonetheless, this pyrite could be removed using depressants during flotation. Commonly used organic depressants (sodium lignosulfonate (SL), calcium lignosulfonate (CL), and pyrogallol (PY)) and inorganic depressants (calcium oxide (CaO) and calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)2)) were chosen in this study. Their inhibition mechanism was discussed using FTIR, XPS, and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. The desulfurization ability of organic depressants was shown to be better than inorganic ones. Among the organic depressants, PY proved to be advantageous in terms of low dosage. Physical adsorption was identified as the main interaction form of SL, CL, and PY onto the surface of pyrite, as evidenced from FTIR and XPS analyses. Similarly, MD simulation results showed that hydrogen bonds played a proactive role in the interactions between PY and pyrite. The diffusion coefficient of water molecules on the pyrite surface was also observed to decrease when organic depressants were present, indicating an increase in the hydrophilicity of pyrite. This research is of great significance to utilize sulfur-containing coal and minerals.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of irrigated cropland water use efficiency and driving factors in northwest China’s Hexi Corridor

BackgroundAgricultural irrigation is an important practice to safeguard crops against drought and enhance grain yield in arid regions. The Hexi Corridor, known as a classic arid region, faces significant pressure on agricultural production and food security due to the scarcity of water resources. There is an urgent need to investigate agricultural water use of the irrigated regions. Water use efficiency (WUE), defined as the ratio of gross primary productivity (GPP) to actual evapotranspiration (ET), serves as a valuable indicator linking carbon assimilation and water loss. It enables the quantification of areas where water can be utilized more effectively. However, the long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of WUE and driving mechanism in the irrigated areas of the Hexi Corridor remain unclear.ResultsThis study used GPP calculated by a light use efficiency model (EF-LUE), ET estimated by an ETMonitor model and irrigated cropland maps across China (IrriMap_CN) to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of irrigated cropland WUE and its controlling factors in the Hexi Corridor from 2001 to 2018. The results are as following: (1) The average annual WUE was approximately 1.34 ± 0.38 g C kg−1 H2O yr−1, with an increasing trend of 0.012 g C kg−1 H2O yr−1, and faster growth observed during 2011–2018 compared to 2001–2010. (2) The contribution of GPP to WUE trends and WUE interannual variability (IAV) was greater than that of ET. (3) The dominant climatic factors of WUE IAV in the Hexi Corridor were SPEI, precipitation, and soil moisture. (4) The standardized Structural Equation Model (SEM), incorporating the relationship between WUE and factors such as water, energy, NDVI, and water-saving irrigation, explained 81% of the variation in irrigated cropland WUE. Here, biological factors (GPP and NDVI) were the primary factors influencing WUE variability, and water-saving irrigation had a stronger indirect effect than climate factors (water and energy) on variation in WUE.ConclusionsOur findings offer valuable theoretical insights into the mechanisms governing the interaction between the carbon and water of irrigated cropland, guiding the management of water resources and land in agricultural practices within the Hexi Corridor.

Modern Drip Irrigation Technology on Tomato and Head Cabbage Production and Its Economic Feasibility at Misrak Silti District, Siltie Zone, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia various techniques were applied to improve on-farm irrigation water management under surface irrigation, especially on furrow irrigation system for last many years, however, it was very difficult to achieve threshold limit of water use efficiency, wisely use of scarce water resources in irrigated field, crop water productivity, precisely controlled application of irrigation water to plant roots, uniform water delivery to all plants, crop yield and its quality, regulate flow, deliver optimum crop water requirement, field water losses, groundwater withdrawal and save labor. It is great practical significance and series of measures using drip irrigation system to solve mentioned problems in irrigated field, because the irrigated agriculture is largest water-consuming sector in this area. This study was aimed to demonstrate drip irrigation technology, prove its economic feasibility and create skills of farmers and extension experts on implementation of the drip system on tomato (Galila 555) and head cabbage (Copen Hagen) productions within groundwater source area on Balo koriso main station in Misrak Silti woreda, Siltie zone, southern Ethiopia. The activity was done for four consecutive years (2019 to 2022 G. C) on fixed plot of 2500 square meter area in collaboration with Agricultural Research Institute and Techno serve project. During demonstration all the costs were considered to economic feasibility including initial investment cost. The study found that the use of drip irrigation saved 3690 m<sup>3</sup>/ha of water compared with use of furrow irrigation. This saved water may irrigate additional 2ha area of land by drip irrigation. This study also revealed that, a net income of 313066.04 ETB/ha in single irrigation season was obtained using modern drip irrigation technology. The farmers and local experts recognized noticeable saving water, fuel cost, irrigating time and labour, good crop performance from demonstrated drip irrigation system and shown interest to use the technology abundantly. Therefore, scaling up locally manageable drip irrigation system around the study area through comprehensive training of farmers and supportive staffs and allowing sufficient local market for drip kits and incentives or loan will be economically feasible and affordable to increase income and saves irrigation water.

Synthesis and Characterization of Recycled-TiC Reinforced AlZnMgCu Powder Metallurgy Composites

Recycling’s value in conserving scarce resources, avoiding environmental damage to the land, and reducing energy consumption is well known. This research aims to develop a composite that uses recycled reinforcement that was formed through an in situ method to build confidence in the usage of recycled materials. Thus, in connection with defense and aerospace industry applications, aluminum composite alloys receive more interest due to their light weight and high strength with improved mechanical properties; therefore, this research focuses on the fabrication of in situ-developed recycled TiC (r-TiC)-reinforced AlZnMgCu composites, i.e., new recycled materials. Experiments were conducted to determine the synthesized composites’ microstructural, mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties. The microstructural study showed that r-TiC was distributed uniformly along the grain boundaries until the addition of 12% r-TiC. However, the accumulation of reinforcements began at 14% r-TiC addition and became more aggregated with subsequent increases in the percentage addition of r-TiC. The mechanical and tribological tests showed that the composite with 14% r-TiC was superior to all other compositions, with 60% improved mechanical qualities and the lowest wear rate of 0.0007 mm3/m. Composites containing 2% r-TiC showed the best corrosion resistance, an increase of 22% over AlZnMgCu, without reinforcement.

Empowering the circular economy practices: Lifecycle assessment and machine learning-driven residual value prediction in IoT-enabled microwave oven

In an era of resource scarcity and environmental concerns, integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology into the circular economy (CE), particularly for household appliances like microwaves, is crucial. The lack of systematic assessment of their post-use residual values often reduces utilization and shortens lifespans. Inadequate disposal and management contribute to electronic waste and environmental pollution. Addressing these challenges is vital for efficient appliance management within resource constraints, ensuring meaningful contributions to sustainable resource management. Thus, this study addresses these concerns by integrating IoT technology into microwave ovens, enabling real-time monitoring of key parameters such as voltage, current, door closures, and motor/blade rotations. Data from integrated sensors enables performance analysis and trend tracking, offering potential for advancing CE practices and sustainable product management. Subsequently, utilizing the insights stored from IoT data analysis and tailored surveys, a predictive maintenance model is developed, aiming to predict the life cycles of microwave oven components and categorize them within the CE principles, including reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and cascade. Finally, to mitigate the challenges of lower effective utilization and shortened operating lifespans observed in household appliances, this research employs machine learning models such as Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Decision Tree to accurately predict the residual values of IoT-enabled microwaves. Notably, Random Forest demonstrates superior accuracy compared to the other models. Therefore, these technological advancements allow household appliances to be utilized more effectively, thereby enhancing resource utilization.

Establishing the water resources implications for closing the land and water productivity gaps using remote sensing – A case study of sugarcane

ContextTwo of the key limitations for sustainably increasing agricultural production are the scarcity of land and fresh water resources. Establishing land and water productivity gaps is, therefore, essential for measuring how efficiently these resources are being utilised and assessing the scope for increasing feed and food production. Monitoring the productivity gaps at large scales or over time using field data is challenging and expensive. Remote sensing offers an alternative data source to reveal spatial and temporal variations in productivity. ObjectiveThis paper presents a framework that integrates remote sensing derived data and field data to assess (1) land and water productivity gaps, (2) bright spots – fields exhibiting land- and water productivity equal to or higher than the target, and (3) net irrigation water demand for increasing production. MethodsThe framework is developed and applied to the Xinavane sugarcane estate in Mozambique, demonstrating its practical application through systematic evaluation on a 6637 ha section of the estate divided by different irrigation application methods. ResultsThe results reveal that the productivity gap is the highest on fields irrigated by furrow (13.1 tonnes (ton) per ha), followed by sprinkler (12.6 ton/ha) and centre pivot (9.4 ton/ha). Bridging the productivity gap on the same cropland results in an increased sugarcane production of 12.5 % requiring 8.5 % additional irrigation water, whereas achieving the same production increase through irrigation expansion requires more blue water. ConclusionsThe analyses show that remote sensing provides a viable source of information to diagnose the productivity constraints and how bright spots can provide insights into the best field management practices to overcome them. The framework demonstrates its usefulness for policy makers and stakeholders to make informed decisions on the scarce blue water allocation for enhancing agricultural production.

“Who Eats the Forest?”: Forest Animacy among the Bahnar People of Vietnam

In this paper, we explore Bahnar perspectives on the agency of plants and forest, and human–forest relations in Vietnam. The Bahnar are among Vietnam's 54 recognized ethnic minority peoples 1 , many of whom live in proximity to the forest, gather its resources, and regard it as a spiritual abode in their cosmology. The Bahnar (Ba Na) people who inhabit the Central Highlands and are the main focus of this article have traditionally relied on the forest for subsistence, practising swidden cultivation, hunting birds and mammals, and gathering plants. Their forest knowledge is transmitted primarily orally; through the lexicon, everyday discourses, stories, and songs. It is acquired through participation in forest-related activities and informal learning of arts such as vernacular architecture, basketry, canoe-building, and textiles. The Bahnar see spirits in things in nature with which they have a connection or routine interactions (stones, streams, and trees) but not in everything. The Bahnar spiritual connection with the forest also guides their husbandry of increasingly scarce forest resources, such as rattan used in basketry, and large trees needed to make canoes. Certain plants and trees are protected by taboos, and certain parts of the forest are considered sacred, inhabited by gods and spirits, and not to be touched. Forests possess animacy for the Bahnar in that they are sensitive and responsive to a wide range of human behaviours, and must be treated with respect and care. This human–forest–spirit relationship is the primary lens through which the Bahnar perceive nature, and guides their daily interactions with it.

A distribution-free-based approach for stochastic food closed-loop supply chain

ABSTRACT Resource scarcity has driven growing interest in circular economy (CE). Closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) with returnable transport items (RTIs) in the food industry is an important component of CE. However, existing works on food CLSC with RTIs have not simultaneously considered the perishability, facility location, and uncertain demand under limited information. Therefore, this work addresses a new food CLSC optimisation problem. We first propose a non-linear chance-constrained programming model. It is then transformed into a mixed-integer linear programming model via using the distribution-free (DF) method and sample average approximation (SAA) method, respectively. An illustrative example reveals that the DF method needs only 10.50% of the computation time of the SAA method. To address large-scale problems, an improved Lagrangian relaxation (LR) method is developed. To address the computational challenge in large-scale problems, an improved Lagrangian relaxation (LR) algorithm is developed. Results show that CPLEX achieves a gap of 75.57%, while the LR surpasses it by finding near-optimal solutions with a gap of 1.22%, using only 31.82% of the computation time required by CPLEX. For this work, the main insights are summarised: (1) extending product shelf life can reduce the total cost; and (2) to alleviate uncertain demand and production risks, production capacity and product inventory capacity can be appropriately expanded, but excessive investment may not improve returns.

Upcycling of Spent LiFePO4 Cathodes to Heterostructured Electrocatalysts for Stable Direct Seawater Splitting

AbstractThe pursuit of carbon‐neutral energy has intensified the interest in green hydrogen production from direct seawater electrolysis, given the scarcity of freshwater resources. While Ni‐based catalysts are known for their robust activity in alkaline water oxidation, their catalytic sites are prone to rapid degradation in the chlorine‐rich environments of seawater, leading to limited operation time. Herein, we report a Ni(OH)2 catalyst interfaced with laser‐ablated LiFePO4 (Ni(OH)2/L‐LFP), derived from spent Li‐ion batteries (LIBs), as an effective and stable electrocatalyst for direct seawater oxidation. Our comprehensive analyses reveal that the PO43− species, formed around L‐LFP, effectively repels Cl− ions during seawater oxidation, mitigating corrosion. Simultaneously, the interface between in situ generated NiOOH and Fe3(PO4)2 enhances OH− adsorption and electron transfer during the oxygen evolution reaction. This synergistic effect leads to a low overpotential of 237 mV to attain a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and remarkable durability, with only a 3.3 % activity loss after 600 h at 100 mA cm−2 in alkaline seawater. Our findings present a viable strategy for repurposing spent LIBs into high‐performance catalysts for sustainable seawater electrolysis, contributing to the advancement of green hydrogen production technologies.

Dietary supplementation of distiller's grains yeast cultures improves performance and immunity by altering the intestinal flora of broilers.

Distiller's grains are a by-product of liquor production with a higher yield than liquor. Developing and utilizing distiller's grains well could alleviate the problem of scarce feed resources. Our present experiment was conducted with 6000 yellow-feathered broilers to study the effects of adding distiller's grains yeast cultures (DGYC) to the diet on growth performance and immunity of broilers. The broilers were divided into five groups, receiving different DGYC concentrations during two stages. Growth performance, intestinal microorganisms and immune organ development were measured. The results showed that groups B and D, supplemented with medium and high concentrations of DGYC, respectively, had significantly improved growth performance compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Group D also showed higher immune organ index (P < 0.01), increased serum total protein, high-density lipoprotein and immunoglobulin levels (P < 0.05) and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor α (P < 0.05). Hematoxylin and eosin staining confirmed improved immune organ development in group D (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in high-concentration group D, levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA; acetic, propionic and butyric acids) in cecal chyme were significantly increased (P < 0.05). The richness (Chao1) and diversity (Faith-pd) index of cecal microbiota were significantly higher in group D compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The microbial composition in group D differed from the control and medium-concentration group B. Seven bacteria (Clostridia-UCG-014, UCG-009, DTU089, UCG-010, Campylobacter, Harryflintia, Shuttleworthia) showed significant differences (P < 0.05). After DGYC feeding, DTU089 decreased, while other SCFA-producing bacteria increased (P < 0.05). Subsequently, KEGG function and corresponding signal pathway predictions were performed on bacteria with significant differences. Group D exhibited a higher enrichment of immune function pathways (P < 0.01) and showed significant changes in four immune signaling pathways according to the signal pathway heatmap. Our data suggest that high concentrations of DGYC can be applied as a feed additive for broilers that promotes growth, improves intestinal health and enhances certain immunity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Environmental life cycle assessment of drink and yoghurt products using non-nutritive sweeteners and sweetness enhancers in place of added sugar: the SWEET project

Abstract Purpose There are increasing concerns regarding detrimental health effects of added sugar in food and drink products. Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) and sweetness enhancers (SE) are seen as viable alternatives. Much work has been done on health and safety of NNS&amp;SE when consumed in place of sugar, but very little on their sustainability. This work aims to bridge that gap with an environmental study of replacing added sugar with NNS&amp;SE in the context of drink and yoghurt. Methods A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to compare environmental impact of a drink and yoghurt, sweetened with sucrose, to those sweetened with NNSs or an SE: stevia rebaudioside A, sucralose, aspartame, neotame, and thaumatin. Primary ingredients data were taken from preparation of foodstuffs for clinical trials. Results are reported via the ReCiPe 2016 (H) method, with focus on land use, global warming potential (GWP), marine eutrophication, mineral resource scarcity, and water consumption. Impacts are reported in terms of 1 kg product. Scenarios explore sensitivity of the LCA results to change in background processes, functional unit, and sweetener type. This research was conducted as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project SWEET (sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: impact on health, obesity, safety, and sustainability). Results and discussion Replacing sugar with an NNS or part-replacing with an SE is shown to reduce environmental impact across most impact categories, for example, on a mass basis, GWP for a drink reduces from 0.61 to approx. 0.51 kgCO2-eq/kg and for a yoghurt from 4.15 to approx. 3.73 kgCO2-eq/kg. Variability in environmental impact is shown to be relatively small between the NNSs, indicating that choice of NNS is less important than the reformulation changes required to accommodate the loss of sugar. Reporting impact in terms of calorie density, instead of mass, shows greater reduction in environmental impact when using an NNS or SE and shows how important functional unit is when reporting impact of these products. Conclusion This study is the first to compare food or drink products sweetened with sugar, NNS, or SE. Results show that there is great potential to reduce environmental impact of sweetened drinks and yoghurts. Moreover, the choice of NNS does not greatly affect the environmental impact of either product. Therefore, this research shows that choices relating to replacing added sugar may be based more upon health or formulation needs and less on environmental concerns.

Opinion on the prospects of emerging food processing technologies to achieve sustainability in the industry by reduced energy consumption, waste reduction and valorisation, and improved food nutrition

SummaryConventional food processing technologies cannot meet the demands of sustainability in the face of societal concerns about climate change, resource scarcity, and food insecurity. Therefore, the food industry must embrace emerging food processing technologies such as ohmic heating, microwave heating, cold plasma, pulsed electric field, and ultrasound to achieve sustainable food production. Although these technologies have been researched worldwide, they have yet to be widely adopted in the industry as concerns such as high capital investments, regulatory issues, technological limitations, and scalability limit their practical applications. This manuscript discusses key contributions of emerging technologies in enhancing sustainability, including reducing energy consumption, waste reduction and valorisation, and enhancing nutrition. Despite these promising capabilities, fully benefiting from emerging technologies in the industry requires further technological advancements, optimisation, economic viability, consumer acceptance, regulatory compliance, and sustainable workforce education. These could be achieved only by close collaborations between academia, industry, and technology developers. Such considerations and actions to resolve the concerns could facilitate the industrial application of emerging technologies to achieve a more sustainable future with reduced carbon emission, environmental impact, and carbon footprint, along with the capability of improved resource efficiency and further contributions to food security and food nutrition improvement.

Evaluating the Bias in Hospital Data: Automatic Preprocessing of Patient Pathways Algorithm Development and Validation Study.

The optimization of patient care pathways is crucial for hospital managers in the context of a scarcity of medical resources. Assuming unlimited capacities, the pathway of a patient would only be governed by pure medical logic to meet at best the patient's needs. However, logistical limitations (eg, resources such as inpatient beds) are often associated with delayed treatments and may ultimately affect patient pathways. This is especially true for unscheduled patients-when a patient in the emergency department needs to be admitted to another medical unit without disturbing the flow of planned hospitalizations. In this study, we proposed a new framework to automatically detect activities in patient pathways that may be unrelated to patients' needs but rather induced by logistical limitations. The scientific contribution lies in a method that transforms a database of historical pathways with bias into 2 databases: a labeled pathway database where each activity is labeled as relevant (related to a patient's needs) or irrelevant (induced by logistical limitations) and a corrected pathway database where each activity corresponds to the activity that would occur assuming unlimited resources. The labeling algorithm was assessed through medical expertise. In total, 2 case studies quantified the impact of our method of preprocessing health care data using process mining and discrete event simulation. Focusing on unscheduled patient pathways, we collected data covering 12 months of activity at the Groupe Hospitalier Bretagne Sud in France. Our algorithm had 87% accuracy and demonstrated its usefulness for preprocessing traces and obtaining a clean database. The 2 case studies showed the importance of our preprocessing step before any analysis. The process graphs of the processed data had, on average, 40% (SD 10%) fewer variants than the raw data. The simulation revealed that 30% of the medical units had >1 bed difference in capacity between the processed and raw data. Patient pathway data reflect the actual activity of hospitals that is governed by medical requirements and logistical limitations. Before using these data, these limitations should be identified and corrected. We anticipate that our approach can be generalized to obtain unbiased analyses of patient pathways for other hospitals.

How do experts determine where to intervene on test ordering? An interview study

Abstract Objectives Lab testing is a high-volume activity that is often overused, leading to wasted resources and inappropriate care. Improving test ordering practices in tertiary care involves deciding where to focus scarce intervention resources, but clear guidance on how to optimize these resources is lacking. We aimed to explore context-sensitive factors and processes that inform individual decisions about laboratory stewardship interventions by speaking to key interest holders in this area. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with test-ordering intervention development experts and authors of test-ordering guidance documents to explore five broad topics: 1) processes used to prioritize tests for intervention; 2) factors considered when deciding which tests to target; 3) measurement of these factors; 4) interventions selected; 5) suggestions for a framework to support these decisions. Transcripts were double coded using directed-content and thematic analysis. Results We interviewed 14 intervention development experts. Experts noted they frequently consider test volume, test value, and patient care when deciding on a test to target. Experts indicated that quantifying many relevant factors was challenging. Processes to support these decisions often involved examining local data, obtaining buy-in, and relying on an existing guideline. Suggestions for building a framework emphasized the importance of collaboration, consideration of context and resources, and starting with “easy wins” to gain support and experience. Conclusions Our study provides insight into the factors and processes experts consider when deciding which tests to target for intervention and can inform the development of a framework to guide the selection of tests for intervention and guideline development.

Испанские оборонительные мероприятия на Канарских островах в контексте британских планов овладения Макаронезией в 1940–1942 годах

This article is devoted to the efforts of Francoist Spain to ensure the defense of the Canary Archipelago in 1940–1942. The obviousness of British plans to conquer Macaronesia forced the Spaniards to take measures to preserve sovereignty over the islands. The goal was achieved in conditions of resource scarcity and the threat of a naval blockade. In this situation, the leadership of the defense resorted to emergency measures. A partial mobilization of people and resources was carried out on the archipelago. The metropolis found reserves of weapons and military equipment, which made it possible to equip thecreated group. Thescarcity of the material base limited thecapabilities of thecontingent, but its presence made it possible to prevent the primary plans of a potential enemy. The article concludes that the Spanish military preparations, along with the political and operational situation, prevented the planned British expansion against the Iberian archipelagos.

Ethical boundary decisions in intensive care medicine

Ethical decision-making is acornerstone of intensive care and emergency medicine. In acute scenarios, clinicians often face rapid, high-stakes decisions concerning life and death, made more challenging by time constraints and incomplete information. These decisions are further complicated by economic constraints, limited resources, and evolving technological capabilities. What decision-making aids and factors can be employed in ethical borderline cases within intensive care medicine? Fundamental ethical principles such as patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice form the basis for medical treatment decisions. Evaluating the patient's will through advanced directives or proxy consensus is crucial, although advanced directives can be ambiguous. Assessing quality of life is increasingly important, with instruments such as the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) being utilized. For older patients, aholistic approach is recommended, focusing on overall health rather than chronological age. In patients with advanced underlying diseases, amultidisciplinary dialogue is essential. Decision-making in intensive care medicine requires careful consideration of medical, ethical, and individual factors. Despite advances in artificial intelligence and prognostic models, human judgment remains crucial. During periods of resource scarcity, ethically sound triage protocols are required. The challenge lies in applying these principles and factors in clinical practice while respecting the individuality of each patient.

Navigating resource scarcity and digital finance solutions for a sustainable future in ASEAN

This research assesses how resource scarcity and digital finance affect sustainability in ASEAN countries, using data from eight members between 2005 and 2022. The CUP-FM technique highlights that digital banking significantly boosts sustainable energy, with a 1% increase leading to a 0.15% rise in sustainable energy generation. In contrast, a 1% increase in fossil fuel reserves results in a 0.43% decrease in sustainable energy output, underscoring the drawbacks of fossil fuel dependence. Expanding forest areas by 1% correlates with a 0.32% increase in sustainable energy development, stressing the need for forest conservation. Additionally, the presence of SMEs and patent applications are key drivers of sustainable energy, emphasizing the role of innovation. A positive correlation with annual temperature suggests its beneficial impact on green energy. To advance sustainability, ASEAN policymakers should enhance digital finance infrastructure, encourage renewable energy, support forest conservation, foster SMEs and innovation, and integrate climate resilience into energy strategies.

Flexible Austerity: Negotiating the Unequal Effects of Resource Shortages in Racialized Organizations

Resource shortages unfold unequally, often affecting the most socially disadvantaged people and exacerbating preexisting inequalities. Given that most resources are obtained through organizations, what role do organizational processes play in amplifying inequalities during shortages? I argue that workers engage in a practice I term flexible austerity. Flexible austerity describes how resource shortages become opportunities for decision-makers to more readily rationalize unequal resource allocation. I develop this concept by drawing on an ethnography of an urban academic hospital and leveraging data from before and during a nationwide shortage of medical intravenous (IV) opioids. I show that prior to this shortage, clinicians disproportionately assessed Black patients’ pain as “undeserving” of IV opioids, but they allocated these resources liberally because they felt constrained by evidence-based clinical best practices guidelines. During the shortage, clinicians constructed resource scarcity as necessitating austerity practices when treating Black patients, yet they exercised flexibility with White patients. This widened care disparities in ways that may have been detrimental to Black patients’ health. Based on these findings, I argue that resource shortages amplify inequalities in organizations because they provide new “colorblind” justifications for withholding resources that allow workers to link ideas of deservingness to allocation decisions.

Key Factors for Student Startup Success: Insights from Higher Education Professors

The study aims to identify and analyse the key factors of student start-ups from the perspective of higher academic institution professors. Entrepreneurial students in higher education face challenges such as limited funding, scarce resources, lack of business experience and struggling to balance academic commitments with their start-up ventures. Additionally, they struggle with navigating complex business regulations and often lack access to proper networks or mentorship. This research contributes to a better understanding of how the entrepreneurial ecosystem in higher education institutions can support student start-up initiatives to succeed. For the research, a survey was conducted targeting ten experts from higher education institutions engaged with business or entrepreneurial study programmes. The research used the content validation method and descriptive statistical analysis to evaluate the responses, focusing on measures of central tendency and variability to determine the degree of consensus among respondents regarding the 36 statements provided. The study results revealed that while respondents agreed on the importance of student attitudes towards failure and self-confidence, there was strong disagreement among them regarding the belief that non-business students have a lesser chance of creating a successful startup. Also, experts suggested that entrepreneurship education should place more emphasis on the development of students' entrepreneurial mindset, which is considered to be an essential quality for the uncertain journey of entrepreneurship. Finally, the survey results indicated that networking and experiential learning are crucial for startup development. This underscores the importance of scientific debate not only on innovative funding models but also on non-financial support systems that surpass traditional educational methods in higher education environments.