Legislation Sets Research Articles

In Re Rohit Arora v. Zomato (P.) Ltd. (CCI Case No. 54 of 2020)

Competition law which is also known as ‘Anti-Trust’ law is comparatively a new set of legislation. It enables corporate laws across the globe and endeavour to protect the interest of consumers as well as small business class and traders. The Competition Act, 2002 [hereafter referred as ‘the Act’] upholds the spirit of Indian Constitution. The Constitution of India under Part IV, Article 39(c) says that the State has to make such an economic policy and principle that the process of the economic system may not yield into concentration of assets as well as means of production to the handful capitalist or industrialist causing common detriment to nation and its economy.

Impact of an eHighway on the directly emitted greenhouse gases by road freight transport

German legislation sets forth that anthropogenic greenhouse gases must be net-zero from 2045 onward (KSG, 2019). In contrast, road freight transport is projected to grow significantly (BMVBS, 2008; BMVI, 2021). If sustainable solutions for road freight transport are not implemented swiftly, Germany will not be able to meet its climate protection targets. This study analyzes the potential of the eHighway system—an overhead contact line-based electrification of trucks—to reduce the road freight transport's carbon footprint. Based on more than three years of field test operation with over 500,000 real-world driven kilometers, we estimate the saving potential of directly emitted greenhouse gases from five pilot overhead contact line trucks that use the eHighway system (O-trucks). We conclude that with only a five percent electrified stretch of a trip, 14–17% of direct greenhouse gas emissions are saved compared to a conventional truck. We develop a scaling and comparison calculator for the estimation of directly emitted greenhouse gases of O-trucks. We argue that with an electricity mix based upon renewable energies and an appropriately extended eHighway network, road freight transport is capable of offering transport with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Based on a unique data set, we provide a benchmark for all further research in evaluating eHighway technology and for comparing it to alternative drive technologies.

PRIVATE EXPERT OPINION – LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND MEANING

The Slovak law on expertness defines an expert opinion, determining who can venture it and how to bring it before the court. Yet, do the courts consider expert opinions as their own? The presented study explores the incentives to commissioning expert opinions and the legal environment of this institute. The community of experts has found flaws in the legislation governing expert opinions, arguing that experts tend to bias their opinion in favour of the client and break the oath they took on behalf of the law. Although the Slovak legislation sets parameters to avoid abuse or defamation of the expert opinion, the judicial practice will show if the degree of acceptance of this opinion is higher than in countries with non-enacted legislation on these opinions despite their wide use in legal proceedings.

RAPID METHODS FOR DETECTION OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND THEIR TOXINS - A REVIEW OF CURRENT TRENDS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Background: Food safety is of utmost importance to sustaining life and promoting good health and is a main problem in any country, regardless of economic and social development. Unsafe food containing harmful pathogens and their toxins cause hundreds of diseases, particularly affecting infants, young children, the elderly and sick people. Therefore, the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens is of great significance for public health. The aim of this review was to provide comprehensive information regarding methods for the detection of foodborne pathogens as well as genus Fusarium and their toxins, from fundamental to state-of-the-art, presenting their advantages and limitations in order to update current knowledge. Review Results: The traditional culture-based methods for the detection of pathogens in food are usually laborious, limited by complex sample preparation procedures, time-consuming, slow to provide results, and require well-trained professional staff. However, compared to these methods, the new ones - immunological methods, nucleic acid-based assays and biosensor-based methods are rapid, accurate, highly sensitive and specific, and easy to use. Precisely providing accurate real-time results would help limit foodborne disease outbreaks, ensure compliance with legislation setting maximum levels of pathogens in certain food categories, detect and improve the import of food contaminated with dangerous levels of pathogenic microorganisms, and ensure public health safety. Conclusion: The development of rapid and automated methods that detect real-time, small numbers of viable microbial cells within a given volume of food is vital in the prevention, transmission and treatment of foodborne diseases. Such methods would also offer a great commercial advantage in the food industry and related fields.

A national evaluation analysis and expert interview study of real-world data sources for research and healthcare decision-making

Real-world data (RWD) can provide intel (real-world evidence, RWE) for research and development, as well as policy and regulatory decision-making along the full spectrum of health care. Despite calls from global regulators for international collaborations to integrate RWE into regulatory decision-making and to bridge knowledge gaps, some challenges remain. In this work, we performed an evaluation of Austrian RWD sources using a multilateral query approach, crosschecked against previously published RWD criteria and conducted direct interviews with representative RWD source samples. This article provides an overview of 73 out of 104 RWD sources in a national legislative setting where major attempts are made to enable secondary use of RWD (e.g. law on the organisation of research, "Forschungsorganisationsgesetz"). We were able to detect omnipresent challenges associated with data silos, variable standardisation efforts and governance issues. Our findings suggest a strong need for a national health data strategy and data governance framework, which should inform researchers, as well as policy- and decision-makers, to improve RWD-based research in the healthcare sector to ultimately support actual regulatory decision-making and provide strategic information for governmental health data policies.

The Problem of Defining Insurance of Business and Financial Risks in Russian Legislation

The development of Russian insurance legislation is associated with the presence of certain differences in the legal regulation of the insurance business; in particular, there is the problem of classifying certain types of insurance: business insurance and financial risk insurance. The purpose of the study is to consider sequentially the main stages of the development of insurance legislation in terms of insurance of business and financial risks, which would allow us to identify, on the one hand, the reasons for changes in insurance legislation, and, on the other hand, to form the authors’ own standpoints on this issue and draw appropriate conclusions. The article examines the changes made to national insurance legislation over the course of a quarter of a century, and identifies contradictions and differences in the definitions of insurance of business and financial risks. The authors have drawn the conclusion that there is a global cause of the observed phenomena, which is the absence in our country of a single codified normative legal act regulating insurance relationships — the Insurance Code. According to the authors, the development and adoption of such a systematic set of insurance legislation would be the most important step towards solving the problem of classifying types of insurance, in particular business risk insurance and financial risk insurance.

New legislation set to improve the safety and welfare of cats in England

From 10 June 2024, all owned cats in England must be microchipped with correct registration details by law.

Mixed-Methods Assessment of Farmworkers’ Perceptions of Workplace Compliance with Worker Protection Standards and Implications for Risk Perceptions and Protective Behaviors

ABSTRACT Introduction The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Worker Protection Standards is the primary set of legislation aimed at protecting farmworkers from occupational pesticide exposure in the United States. Previous studies suggest that worker adoption of Pesticide Protective Behaviors (PPBs) promoted by WPS is associated with lower urinary pesticide concentrations. However, adoption of PPBs is often outside of the control of individual farmworkers and dependent on workplace factors such as employer provisioning of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and access to trainings/resources. Methods We conducted a mixed-method study including urinary pesticide biomonitoring, surveys, and interviews with 62 Latinx farmworkers in southwestern Idaho from April to July 2022. We integrated findings across the various data sources to identify emergent themes relating to farmworkers’ perceptions of workplace compliance with WPS and potential implications for their pesticide risk perceptions, protective behaviors, and urinary pesticide concentrations. Results Participants reported some indications of poor workplace compliance with WPS regulations, notably inconsistent access to clean handwashing stations and notification of pesticide applications. Some farmworkers, particularly pesticide applicators, viewed herbicides to be categorically safer than other classes of pesticides such as insecticides; these perceptions appeared to influence protective behaviors, such as the relatively low use of PPE while applying herbicides. These findings are underscored by the higher concentrations of biomarkers of herbicides, but not insecticides, among pesticide applicators compared with non-applicators (e.g. median 2,4-D concentrations = 1.40 µg/L among applicators and 0.69 µg/L among non-applicators). Participants further reported concerns regarding the inadequacy of pesticide safety training, pesticide drift, and the lack of communication regarding pesticide applications on and near fields where they are working. Discussion Participants’ perceptions that herbicides are categorically safer than other pesticide classes is in direct conflict with WPS training, raising concerns about discrepancies between WPS instruction and other on-the-job training, as well as the inadequate provisioning of PPE during the application of certain pesticides. Our findings also suggest that current WPS regulations may not sufficiently address farmworkers’ concerns, particularly in regard to pesticide drift.

INFLUENCE OF TRANSCRIPTION TOOLS ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN COUNTY ASSEMBLIES IN CENTRAL REGION OF KENYA

The study investigated the influence of transcription tools on effective communication in County Assemblies in Central Region of Kenya. The research adopted a mixed methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. A sample of 149 participants, comprising County Assembly staff, Members of County Assembly (MCAs), and key informants such as Speakers, Clerks, and Majority Leaders, were selected through purposive and stratified sampling techniques. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The study found a significant positive relationship between the use of transcription tools and effective communication in County Assemblies. The descriptive findings indicated positive perceptions towards the utilization of voice recognition software, transcription foot pedals, and audio digital recorders, with respondents agreeing that these tools facilitated transcription processes and enhanced communication. Inferential statistics, including regression analysis and ANOVA, confirmed the significant positive impact of transcription tools on communication effectiveness. Furthermore, the study revealed a high overall response rate of 85.9%, highlighting the importance of the research topic and the willingness of participants to contribute to understanding the influence of transcription tools. The study's conclusions emphasize the need for continued investment in transcription technologies and training to maximize their benefits in County Assemblies. Recommendations for managerial practices and policy makers include developing clear guidelines, allocating adequate resources, and fostering a culture of transparency. Additionally, the study contributes to the Uses and Gratification theory and the Media System Dependency theory by highlighting the diverse motivations for using transcription tools and the potential for dependency on these tools for accessing legislative information. . The intent of this study is to add to the existing literature and provide additional knowledge on Legislative bodies. Overall, this research provides valuable insights for enhancing communication practices in legislative settings.

SUSTAINABLE USE OF GEOMORPHOLOGICAL FORMS IN TOURISM, THE CASE OF HALF MOON BAY, EASTERN REGION, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The Coastal geomorphology of the Half Moon Bay in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia has created great opportunity for human interventions. Public and private tourism and entertainment facilities were established along the Bay cost leading to modifications of natural phenomena. Therefore, this study aims at assessing tourism uses of geomorphological forms in the Half-moon Bay and identifying practical aspects related to sustainable tourism. It was based on literature review, field survey, analysis of google earth satellite imagery, risk analysis and SWOT analysis. Depending on the characteristics of the different coastal forms, various tourist activities were developed in the study area. However, environmental alterations, such as change of direction, length and meander of coastline have been recognized mainly, due to land excavation and backfilling of shallow sea water. Despite some constrains, several opportunities are available in order to promote and develop sustainable tourism in the region mainly supported by a set of legislations, efforts and actions at the national and local levels.

Hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel within the Fit for 55 package

28 March 2023 the EU Council has adopted a regulation setting stringent carbon dioxide emission standards for new cars and vans. Under the new law, new vehicles with a 100 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will be able to be registered after 2035. The new EU legislation sets the following targets: a 55 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions for new cars and 50 per cent for new vans between 2030 and 2034 compared to 2021 levels; a 100 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions for both new cars and vans from 2035. This will result in only electric or hydrogen-powered cars and vans being able to be registered after 2035. The fuel omitted from the Fit for 55 packages within cars and vans is hydrotreated vegetable oil. According to the research carried out so far, it is possible to replace diesel with HVO fuel even without interference with the fuel injection control system. If an internal combustion engine is fuelled with HVO fuel instead of diesel, the greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 90 per cent. What is more, the technology for using HVO fuel has many more possibilities for reducing CO2 emissions, if only by refining the exhaust after-treatment process. The exclusion of this fuel from the Fit for 55 package raises serious doubts about the quality of the analyses based on which HVO fuel was not included in the Fit for 55 packages.

The Gender Gap in Issue Attention and Language Use within a Legislative Setting: An Application to the Italian Parliament (1948–2020)

Abstract We investigate the gender gap in issue attention among members of parliament (MPs) by applying automated text analytic techniques to a novel data set on Italian parliamentary speeches over a remarkably long period (1948–2020). We detect a gendered specialization across issues that tends to disappear as women’s shares in parliamentary groups increase. We then investigate whether women’s access to previously male-owned issues brings with it a different agenda, operationalized as a different vocabulary. We detect a U-shaped pattern: language gender specificity is high when female MPs are tokens in parliamentary groups with a large preponderance of men; it decreases when their shares start increasing and grows again when they constitute a considerable minority. We argue that this pattern is consistent with the theory of tokenism, and it is produced by the interlinkage of commitment to shared norms and the distribution of “activation thresholds” among female MPs.

Dairy cattle welfare – the relative effect of legislation, industry standards and labelled niche production in five European countries

The only common European Union (EU) legislation set up specifically to ensure the welfare of dairy cattle is for calves. As a consequence, there is wide diversity in how dairy cattle welfare is ensured in EU countries. A few countries have legal requirements for dairy cattle welfare, while in others, it is left to industry standards or niche production requirements, typically linked to various premium labels. In this paper, we compared animal welfare provisions in dairy cattle production across five countries with different combinations of legislative and other approaches: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Firstly, we aimed to map the diversity of animal welfare initiatives. Secondly, we used the Benchmark method of expert valuations and weightings of the relative importance of individual welfare provisions. We found that Denmark and Sweden have the highest level of dairy cattle welfare provisions as measured by the Benchmark method, partly due to high legislative welfare requirements, followed by the United Kingdom, which has an extensive industry standard with very high uptake. Germany and the Netherlands, on the other hand, have lower levels of documented welfare provisions, and correspondingly a Benchmark score closer to a baseline defined by legal requirements at EU level. We also found differences in what elements of animal welfare were focussed on. Some initiatives emphasised fulfilling the social needs of cattle, while others focused more on space and freedom to move. Also, the countries with the highest Benchmark score had a relatively high level of production of organic and other specialty dairy products. We found the effect of national legislation or ambitious industry standards on dairy cattle welfare to be much larger than previous studies have found in either pigs or poultry. At a time when the EU is considering stepping up its efforts to improve animal welfare in terms of common minimum standards, the results of this study could have important policy implications. The diversity in the level of dairy cattle welfare standards found across countries may speak in favour of having shared minimum standards, both at EU level and globally. However, even among countries with a similar Benchmark score, we found a difference in the kinds of welfare provisions at work, which may make full harmonisation of standards more challenging.

Policy and innovation network: a study of inter-agency collaboration in post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction in the Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

The idea of the policy and innovation network in the context of post-disaster governance refers to a set of rules, legislation, regulations, and guidelines that offer guidance for the efforts of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of policies and innovation networks on post-disaster rehabilitation in a specific geographical region. The research methodology employed in this study is qualitative in nature. The present study employed a diverse range of research data obtained from interviews and disaster management report documents. These data were subsequently subjected to analysis applying the Nvivo12 plus software. The findings of the research suggest that the post-disaster rehabilitation network involves a range of components, specifically the public policy network which comprises the central government, regional governments, associated institutions, and civil society organisation. The local government of Palu City adopted policy changes that prioritised the implementation of a land acquisition and resettlement action plan in the context of post-disaster rehabilitation and construction efforts.

Occurrence and dietary intake of dioxins, furans (PCDD/Fs), PCBs, and flame retardants (PBDEs and HBCDDs) in baby food and infant formula

This study determines the levels of 49 persistent organic pollutants which were grouped into polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs), in infant formula and varieties of baby food. The analyzed samples (n = 80) came from stores all over Poland.The presence of PCDD/F, PCDD/F/PCB and non dioxin-like (ndl)-PCB congeners above the maximum levels stipulated in Commission Regulation (EU) No 1259/2011 was not detected in any sample. The determined average content of PCDD/Fs/dl-PCBs in the tested baby foods was in the range of 4–10 % of the maximum level, and content of ndl-PCBs was in the range of 2–6 % of the maximum level. Despite these low levels of dioxins, furans, and PCBs, a risk analysis assuming weekly consumption of the recommended food intake showed exceedances of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI).The content of flame retardants was low in all examined categories of food for children and infant formula. The lower-bound concentration of the sum of HBCDD isomers (LB ∑HBCDDs) ranged from below the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 0.0313 ng/g w.w. and the concentration of ∑PBDEs was in a 0.001–1.014 ng/g w.w. range. Neither infant formula nor baby food contributed considerably to infant exposure to HBCDDs or PBDEs.Our research indicates that the safe exposure thresholds for dioxins and PCBs in foods for infants and young children may be too high and perhaps it may be necessary to amend the legislation setting acceptable limits for baby food. It seems reasonable to introduce a recommendation on the frequency of food consumption for children and the control of raw materials for food production, in particular fish and cow milk, should be a permanent control point in the food safety assurance system.

Library of Parliament’s Competency-Based New-Librarian Development Program

Employee orientation and development are essential organizational processes. This paper examines a competency-based new-librarian development program in a legislative library setting, emphasizing program redesign and continuous improvement. The new-librarian development program was originally introduced in 2012 and was revised in 2018 in response to changes in the organization’s structure, the introduction of a revised competency framework and feedback from stakeholders. The new-librarian development program uses recommended practices from the employee development literature as a frame. The process of developing and redesigning the program offers insights into how librarians can develop customized development programs. A copy of the competency profile for research librarians is included in the appendix.

Analysis of the Impact of Job Burnout on Quality and Economic Benefits of Enterprises

Job burnout is a crucial cause of the decline in product (work) quality and operating efficiency, which may lead to increased costs, reduced revenues, and a decline in the quality and economic performance of business enterprises. Based on a systematic review of the extant literature, this paper examines several conceptual issues of job burnout (i.e., connotation, classification, and consequences), explores its influencing factors and possible intervention measures, and analyzes the impact of job burnout on operating quality and economic benefits from the perspective of quality cost management. We contend that the negative impact of job burnout on "improvement of quality and operating efficiency" cannot be overlooked. It is of great practical significance to prevent the occurrence of job burnout and minimize its adverse effect on the quality and economic benefits of an enterprise. Some countermeasures to avoid or alleviate job burnout are proposed, from the perspectives of legislative and institutional settings and new technology applications.

The (mis)appropriation of human rights by the new global right: An introduction to the Symposium

Abstract The meaning of human rights has always been susceptible to multiple, and sometimes conflicting, interpretations. Yet after several decades of efforts to develop an emerging, if dispersed and overlapping, normative consensus at the regional and UN treaty-system level, as well as within domestic constitutional and legislative settings, an array of efforts at concerted legal change in the human rights field has recently appeared in different parts of the world, on the basis of a supposedly reformed characterization of human rights, including in Putin’s Russia, Erdogan’s Turkey, Modi’s India, Bolsanaro’s Brazil, and the United States under the former Trump Administration, alongside developments in Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana. We describe these arguments and moves as appropriations—and indeed as misappropriations—when they use human rights language in the service of ends which are exclusionary, repressive, or anti-pluralist in character, highly retrogressive or reversing of previous commitments, and evasive of external monitoring or accountability. We argue that by invoking the language, tools, and framework of human rights to exclude or repress particular groups and individuals, while consolidating authority and avoiding accountability, they misappropriate a human rights system which—despite extensive contestation and critique—has been developed over a long period around certain core values including equal human dignity, inclusion, and accountability. The essays in this Symposium track a range of these actors and the strategies they are using to reshape the human rights field, examining recent moves towards transnational coordination of nationalist, populist, right-wing, and authoritarian movements. The analyses from various jurisdictions around the world focus on attempts to remake and—we argue—reverse a range of progressive achievements of the human rights system around gender, religion, property, culture, and equality.

Green HRM - A Novel Approach to the Sustainability of the Health Care Sector

This research investigates the link between environment’s factor and green human resources management (HRM) practices in the Odisha health care organization, including recruiting and selection, training and development, green incentives. A questionnaire survey that was sent to health care organizations in Odisha between March and May 2022 is used to test the study hypotheses. The findings indicate a modest adoption of green human resource management in Odisha hospitals; recruiting and selection showed the highest association, while training and development showed the lowest. Additionally, a statistically significant correlation between the three HRM practises and environmental performance was discovered. To lessen the staggering effects of uncontrolled aspects in the study, such as legislative, cultural, and economic settings, we made the design choice to concentrate on a specific sector. This research, which is said to be the first of its kind in Odisha, explores the role that human resources play in hospitals and other healthcare facilities in delivering environmental performance. It supports the body of literature on environmental preservation and green human resource management, which is underdeveloped in developing nations like (Odisha), India. Keywords-Organizational performance; Green HRM; Performance appraisal; training and development.

The Specific Accounting of the Group of Manufacturers Functional in the Agricultural Cooperative

Romania is one of the best endowed European countries from the point of view of agricultural lands. Provided they are exploited correctly, they may contribute to real progresses concerning the reduction of rural poverty and the economic development. The increase of competitiveness in the agricultural sector can be significantly speeded up by the balanced development of the relations between the agricultural manufacturers and their association in view of the market capitalization of qualitatively and quantitatively adequate agricultural products and adapted to the market requirements. The integration of farmers on the market and in the value chain and granting financial support for starting an economic activity are subject to the national legislation setting up the operational and acknowledgment framework of the groups of producers aiming to jointly trade the agricultural products of the members and contributes to their awareness with regard to the advantages resulted from a collective action.