Sound Planning Research Articles

Forecast-planning system of financial support for the development of industrial enterprises

The aim of the article is to develop a forecast-planned system of financial support for enterprise development based on approaches to forecasting factors influencing the need for financial resources to ensure enterprise development and planning financial support for enterprise development. In order to ensure high-quality and accurate forecasting of external and internal environmental factors necessary for further planning and the possibility of sound planning, the system has formed forecasting and planning modules. Based on the structure of the forecasting module with the identification of key factors influencing the financial security of the enterprise and comparing the most effective forecasting methods, an approach to forecasting factors influencing the need for financial resources in ensuring the development of agricultural machinery. The forecasting module is built by combining quantitative forecasting methods based on the approximation of existing trends with quantitative and qualitative approaches based on expert assessments. Based on a combination of balance, calculation-analytical and program-target planning and formalization of the choice of the date of the beginning of measures to manage financial security depending on the importance of the event, an approach to planning financial support for enterprise development. In the planning module, the external element in relation to the financial management system is the goal-setting system of the enterprise, which determines the mission and its goals in the areas of development. Approbation of the forecast-planning system at PJSC "Harvesters" was carried out. The results would be useful for practitioners, for the effective implementation of sustainable planning and forecasting of enterprise resources in accordance with the objectives of its development.

Determinants of Retirement Preparedness: Understanding Malaysian Millennials

Retirement refers to a phase, in which an individual withdraws permanently from active working life and is no longer earning a steady income from employment. Unfortunately, their expenses will continue and they will need to depend primarily on their accumulated savings. However, the hard reality is that retirement planning usually falls at the bottom of the financial priority list among Malaysians. Considering the poor retirement planning among Malaysians, their level of financial preparedness for retirement warrants further investigation. Therefore, this study aims to examine the determinants of retirement preparedness among Malaysian millennials that are entering their career. In particular, it investigates whether financial literacy, financial stress, financial management practices or saving behaviour influence the level of retirement preparedness among this group of respondents. A survey questionnaire was designed and administered to a sample of 171 final-year bachelor's degree students of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris aged between 20 and 38 years. The results show that financial stress and saving behaviour are significant predictors of retirement preparedness. However, financial literacy and financial management practices are found to have no influence on retirement preparedness. This study contributes to the extant literature by examining the segment that forms the largest working population in the country. Hence, our findings should provide more insights to interested stakeholders in designing new or improving existing financial planning programs or mechanisms, particularly those related to retirement to better promote sound retirement planning among millennials.

Exploring resource and environmental carrying capacity and suitability for use in marine spatial planning: A case study of Wenzhou, China

The sea is the key to conducting sustainable scientific research and achieving strategic development of economic and environmental goals. The international community attaches great importance to the coordinated development of marine ecology, environment and socio-economic growth, and Europe has taken the lead in conducting relevant research. In recent years, although China has gradually tried to use quantitative and precise models for spatial planning, it still lacks a scientific logic - from theory to methodology - to address marine spatial planning. Based on the previous study of ecological and environmental quality and socio-economic development, this paper advocates the application logic of marine resources and ecological carrying capacity (MRECC) and marine use suitability (MUS). The Wenzhou City in Zhejiang Province was selected as the research area and MRECC is measured by four dimensions: spatial development of the marine area, fishery resources, environment and ecology. Two types of typical marine use, fishing use and construction use, were selected as the suitability for analysis to determine the optimal spatial arrangement of the sea and to assess the spatial conflict of the sea in Wenzhou. The results show that: (1) the comprehensive carrying capacity index of the marine area varies greatly among the districts and counties of Wenzhou city, and the resources and environment are highly differentiated. Longwan and Dongtou counties are overburdened with fishery resource development; Yueqing city and Longwan county are overburdened with marine environment. (2) There are only a few suitable areas for fisheries, and these are distributed in the nearshore area. The unsuitable areas are concentrated in the Oujiang River, Feiyun River and Aojiang River estuary. The areas that are particularly suitable for marine construction are concentrated in the coastal waters. The water depth in the near-shore area is far from urban settlements, which is not suitable for marine construction and development. (3) The spatial conflict phenomena in Cangnan County and Pingyang County are less - the spatial arrangement of marine planning is more reasonable. Yueqing City, Longwan County and Dongtou County have significant conflicts in the arrangement of marine fishery use and need to be optimised. Overall, the intensive development of the sea affects the carrying capacity and suitability of the sea, and inevitably leads to conflicts in the sea. Marine protection and development urgently require active management measures and sound spatial planning. The implementation of targeted and marine spatial planning with “double assessment” is of great importance for coastal spatial planning and an important means to achieve sustainable development of the marine economy. Therefore, the recommendations are to implement environmental protection of coastal areas, improve the level of marine development and balance the development of marine areas to promote the sustainable development of the region.

Measurement of CSR Performance in Manufacturing Industries

The study aims to measure what factors influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) in manufacturing industries and how organizational strategic planning (OSP) instigates the factors to achieve better CSR performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM), along with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has been used to analyze the data collected from the different levels of employees from the manufacturing industries of Bangladesh. The study finds that the OSP has a significant impact on social accountability and social investment (SASI), ethics and human resources (EHR), environmental protection and sustainability (EPS), and green practices and performance (GPP). The findings of the study suggest that the policymakers and stakeholders of the manufacturing industries should be more conscious of formulating sound strategic planning to ensure better CSR performance.

The Press and Pulse of Climate Change: Extreme Events in the Colorado River Basin

AbstractExtremes in temperature and precipitation are associated with damaging floods, prolonged drought, destructive wildfires, agricultural challenges, compromised human health, vulnerable infrastructure, and threatened ecosystems and species. Often, the steady and progressive trends (or presses) of rising global temperature are the central focus in how climate impacts are described. However, observations of extreme weather events (or pulses) increasingly show that the intensity, duration and/or frequency of acute events are also changing, resulting in greater impacts on communities and the environment. Describing how the influence of extreme events may shape water management in the Colorado River Basin in clear terms is critical to sound future planning and efforts to manage risk. Three scenario planning workshops in 2019 and 2020 were held as part of a Colorado River Conversations series, identifying potential impacts from multiple intersecting extreme events. Water managers identified climate‐related events of concern in the Colorado River Basin that necessitate greater attention and adaptive responses. To support efforts to include consideration of climate‐change‐driven extremes in water management and planning, we explore the current state of knowledge at the confluence of long‐term climate shifts and extreme weather in the Colorado River Basin related to the events of concern that were identified by scenario planning participants.

Considerations of the built environment for autistic individuals: A review of the literature.

Factors related to the interiors of buildings, including the layout of rooms, colours, smells, noises, temperature, ventilation, colour and clutter, among other things, can change the way we interact with our environment and the people around us. Autistic individuals can have differences in processing sensory information and may find aspects of the built environment (BE) over-whelming and difficult to navigate. We reviewed the existing literature exploring the BE and autism. This study found that it is possible to make changes to the BE to create more inclusive and friendly environments for everyone, including autistic individuals. Findings from this study provide clear recommendations that can be used by interior designers, architects, builders, and clinical practitioners to make a positive difference. Key recommendations include using simple spatial layouts, compartmentalising and zoning spaces into specific activity sections and providing retreat spaces. The thoughtful placement of windows and blinds and the installation of dimmable lights, for example, will allow users to manage or reduce sensory over-stimulation caused by lights. Similarly, we recommend creating soundproofing and sound absorbent materials to reduce background noise and sound levels. We also recommend using neutral or simple colour palettes and restrained use of patterns. Finally, and most importantly, the BE needs to be flexible and adaptable to meet the unique needs of each person. This study provides a starting point for design guidelines and recommendations towards making a difference to the everyday experiences of the interiors of buildings.

State-led agricultural subsidies drive monoculture cultivar cashew expansion in northern Western Ghats, India.

Agricultural commodity production constitutes an important livelihood source for farmers but significantly contributes to tropical deforestation and biodiversity loss. While the socioecological effects of agricultural commodities such as palm oil, cocoa and coffee are well studied, the effects for commodities such as cashew (Anacardium occidentale) have received less attention. Global cultivated area for cashew increased rapidly from 526,250 ha in 1980 to ~5.9 million ha in 2018. India is the world's second largest cashew producer, with cashew farms often occurring adjacent to remnant forests. To mitigate deforestation for cashew expansion, it is necessary to understand present-day land use policies and management practices that drive this expansion. Through semi-structured interviews (n = 65) and a literature review on agricultural policies in India, we evaluated the role of state-led land use policies in cashew expansion and characterised present-day cashew farming systems in the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg landscape in India. Agricultural subsidies introduced from 1980s to 1990s encouraged cultivar cashew expansion and influenced land use conversion from rice and privately owned forest to cashew. Farmers preferred cultivar cashew as they produced higher yields faster, although they required more agrochemical inputs and were susceptible to pests and wildlife depredation. About 80% of farmers had planted cashew farms by clearing forests in the past 30 years and expressed interest to continue the same. Farmers avoided applying for government-sponsored compensation for crop losses due to wildlife depredation and chose instead to expand cultivar cashew into forested areas. Our study deepens the understanding of how government-led agricultural subsidies drive farmers' uptake of cashew cultivars, farmers' cashew management practices, and how these factors drive deforestation in this landscape at the state and farm level. We recommend further research with equitable stakeholder participation in cashew farming systems to devise sound planning for forest conservation and sustainability standards for the cashew industry.

A Regulatory Risk-Based Approach to ATMP/CGT Development: Integrating Scientific Challenges With Current Regulatory Expectations.

Cell and Gene Therapy Products (CGT), regulated as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) in the European Union (EU), represent a novel and varied group of biotherapeutics developed to treat specific conditions for which there are limited or no effective treatments. The novelty and complexity of this product modality demands a regulatory risk-based approach to define a sound development plan, particularly, as most developers aim to target more than one market area simultaneously for clinical development and registration. This regulatory strategy should be built on solid scientific data that also addresses general regulatory recommendations to enable a benefit:risk analysis that is aligned with the particularities of each CGT product. This risk-based approach is especially helpful when no detailed product-specific regulatory guidelines are available. The goal of this article is to orient developers on how to build a combined EU/US regulatory strategy through the assessment of commonly understood quality (CMC), non-clinical, and clinical regulatory risks faced by ATMP/CGT.

Environmental governance of a Belt and Road project in Montenegro – National agency and external influences

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious effort to increase trans-continental connectivity and cooperation mainly through infrastructure investments and trade. On the one hand, this globally unparalleled initiative is expected to foster economic growth, but on the other hand, it can have substantial environmental implications. The BRI creates new challenges and opportunities for environmental governance as new actor constellations emerge in BRI host countries to plan and construct large infrastructure projects. Although China has outlined its vision of building a “green Belt and Road”, it remains unknown how it unfolds on the ground.As an example of a BRI project with clear environmental implications, we present a case study of the Bar-Boljare highway in Montenegro. Based on expert interviews, we elucidate the complex web of actors and contractual arrangements involved, and demonstrate how internal and external actors exert influence on domestic environmental governance in this EU candidate country in the Western Balkans. We find that Montenegro has substantial agency over the environmental governance of this BRI project, but shows little concern over the environmental impacts of the project. Environmental issues could have been prevented during the spatial planning phase, but important governance instruments such as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) were of limited effectiveness due to its fast and late completion, lack of assessment of alternative routes, and the limited enforcement of the provisions therein. International institutions like the EU or UNESCO have drawn on their normative power in environmental governance to demand greater environmental safeguards from Montenegrin authorities. This case is illustrative of a larger set of BRI projects which run the risk of falling short on sustainability due to a lack of environmentally sound and transparent planning and implementation.

Integrating Water Quality Restoration Cost with Ecosystem Service Flow to Quantify an Ecological Compensation Standard: A Case Study of the Taoxi Creek Watershed

Watershed ecological compensation is an important economic tool for solving the protection–development conflict. However, establishing a sound ecological compensation plan for rational water resource use at the watershed scale remains challenging. Monthly water samples were collected between April 2019 and July 2020 at 28 points to analyze the spatiotemporal variation in water quality in the Taoxi Creek watershed, which is important for local water security. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to simulate water supply, demand, and spatial flow at the watershed scale. Water quality restoration cost was integrated with ecosystem service flow to quantify the watershed ecological compensation. The ecological compensation using water quality restoration cost based on pollutant treatment cost and water quality target level was CNY 11.9 million (USD 188 million). Taoxi Creek was identified as the major supplier of water ecosystem services for downstream residents, and the ecological compensation based on ecosystem service flow was CNY 18.9–47.2 million (USD 3.0–7.5 million). Combining both calculations, the watershed should annually receive CNY 30.8–59.1 million (USD 4.9–9.3 million) of economic compensation from downstream ecosystem beneficiaries. This study provides a scientific basis for improving the ecological compensation scheme in the Taoxi Creek watershed and a reference for ecological compensation formulation in other watersheds.

PO-1506 Healthy tissue sparing in proton therapy of lung tumors using statistically sound robust planning

PO-1506 Healthy tissue sparing in proton therapy of lung tumors using statistically sound robust planning

The COVID‐19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Student Performance in Medical Pharmacology

PurposeThe COVID‐19 Pandemic has had a profound effect on almost all aspects of our lives. One of the most critical and lingering effects is how it triggered drastic changes to the way Educational Content is delivered to medical students. In March of 2020, the first COVID patient was documented in Mississippi. This led to the almost immediate transitioning of the Pre‐Clinical Medical Curriculum to virtual/online. From that point forward, content and delivery methods were distinctly different than at any other time in history. The Pandemic forced us to rapidly accelerate the learning curve to adopting new ways to think about Education and the delivery of Educational content. Many of the approaches that were mastered under the duress of a Pandemic are now the “new normal” for Education and interactions with students. Data‐driven, evidence‐based information is necessary to guide continuous quality improvement and ensure educational program objectives are successfully met.MethodsThe objectives of this study were to determine if there were measurable effects of the Pandemic on student outcomes in a Medical Pharmacology course. If so, effectively utilize the information to provide oversight and evaluation of the content, the delivery methods, and student engagement and satisfaction. The aggregate exam performances of students prior to the Pandemic were evaluated and compared to performances of students during the ongoing Pandemic. Data were evaluated for each of three years. In addition, student feedback and engagement information was evaluated in the context of the Pandemic.ResultsStudent performance on examinations pre‐Pandemic and Post‐Pandemic were analyzed. Averages on individual exams, overall exam averages, and distribution shapes were compared in the context of when the Pandemic began. Pre‐COVID data was compared to COVID‐1 (virtual/online, no in‐person sessions) and COVID‐2 (hybrid, masked, socially distanced) data. Overall exam averages for the three groups were statistically similar (~5% variation). This is not surprising for the COVID‐1 group as only one exam was affected by the Pandemic. However, it is surprising for the COVID‐2 group which was under Pandemic protocols for the whole year. Comparison of the individual exam averages, appropriate for the Pre‐COVID group and the COVID‐2 group were also statistically similar with the COVID‐2 group scoring slightly higher on 4 of the 5 exams. This is consistent with student feedback and evaluations indicating that despite the Pandemic, the COVID‐2 group felt that the content and delivery was very satisfactory. Due to the Pandemic, The COVID‐1 group did not take the Pharmacology Subject Exam. The COVID‐2 group did and overall the scores were lower than those of the Pre‐COVID group.ConclusionsThe approaches that were used to manage the COVID‐19 Pandemic and deliver our Educational Content worked in the short term. Examination scores and student feedback did not show an adverse result from the Pandemic. However, the trends in the Pharmacology Subject Exam scores indicate that there is a disconnect that needs to be investigated further. We are currently collecting more refined data in order to develop a sound plan of action and ensure that we continue to successfully meet the Medical Education needs of our students.

Towards Conserving Crop Wild Relatives along the Texas–Mexico Border: The Case of Manihot walkerae

Walker’s Manihot, Manihot walkerae, is an endangered species endemic to south Texas and northeastern Mexico and is a Crop Wild Relative (CWR) of the international and economically important crop cassava (M. esculenta). Manihot walkerae is globally endangered (IUCN’s Redlist, Texas list, USA); however, it is not recognized on the Mexican list of endangered species (NOM-059-SEMARNAT). We assessed the status of M. walkerae in Mexico and re-evaluated its global status. According to our analysis, M. walkerae should be considered an endangered species based on the IUCN’s assessment method and a threatened species in Mexico based on the Mexican criteria. Our findings encourage the establishment of sound conservation plans for M. walkerae along the Texas–Mexico border.

Wetlands in China: Evolution, Carbon Sequestrations and Services, Threats, and Preservation/Restoration

China has a wetland area of 53.42 million hectares, the fourth largest in the world; it includes all types of wetlands defined by the Ramsar Convention and has a carbon sink capacity of more than 1.71 million metric tons per year. Inland wetlands in China are mainly distributed in 10 major catchments, among which the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the rivers in the northwest, and the rivers in the northeast each have more than 8 million hectares of wetlands. There are 4220 species of plants and 4015 species of animals in China’s wetland ecosystem. The wetland resources that have been developed and utilized include edible products, reeds for paper making, peat for fertilizer, fuel for power generation, and chemical, pharmaceutical, ceramic, and building materials. However, wetland areas in China have shrunk by about 54% since 1980. In recent years, China’s central government has set great store by Chinese wetlands, and although 49.03% of wetland area is now officially protected, many issues have confounded the implementation of that protection. It is imperative that knowledge gained from scientific research be used to formulate a sound wetland protection and management plan that takes into consideration social, economic, and ecological issues in a way that facilitates the sustainable use of wetland resources and informs decision-makers of the paths that must be followed to achieve that goal.

Pandemic-Resilient Urban Centers: A New Way of Thinking for Industrial-Oriented Urbanization in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, the flourishing of industrial parks in the suburbs of major urban centers is a recent phenomenon. The outbreak of COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on the emerging industrial parks and prospects of cluster cities. The aim of this article is to explore the different urban planning measures employed during the pandemic and to propose sound planning methods for the development of sustainable industrial-oriented urban centers. In Ethiopia, industrial-oriented urbanization started in the 1920s with the advent of the railway line. Currently, more than 25 industrial park-based cluster cities have flourished adjacent to cities. A number of initiatives have been undertaken by major stakeholders in these cluster cities to combat COVID-19. Their efforts, however, were made difficult because urban planners were not proactive and did not have foresight in the selection of sites that can mitigate the impact of COVID-19 or other similar pandemics. The researchers believe the problem could have been addressed if the planners used a science-based, human-focused, computer-aided decision-making approach, i.e., space syntax. Therefore, this article recommends that planners become proactive and work in collaboration with different stakeholders for the creation of resilient and livable industrial parks-oriented urban centers.

Comparison of Invasive Coronary Angiography Versus Computed Tomography Angiography to Assess Mehran Classification of In-Stent Restenosis in Bifurcation Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The Mehran classification is used to determine the presence of in-stent restenosis (ISR) and characterization of its subtypes in invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The utility of computed tomography angiography (CTA) for the assessment of Mehran classification is unknown. We aimed to compare the agreement and reproducibility of Mehran classification between ICA and CTA and evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of both imaging methods. Consecutive patients who had ISR on ICA preceded with CTA before intervention were enrolled in our study. Modified Mehran's classification was employed by CTA and ICA to classify ISR into 4 subtypes: focal (type I [A, B, C]), intra-stent (type II [A, B, C]), proliferative (type III [A, B, C]), and total occlusion (type IV). Agreement between ISR classification and main vessel lesion length, reference vessel diameter, and bifurcation angles were compared. A total of 405 patients with 431 bifurcation percutaneous coronary interventions with ISR were included in this investigation. The total agreement between CTA and ICA for assessment of Mehran class was poor (kappa=0.168). Proliferative ISR (25% vs 10%, p=0.012) and total occlusions (24% vs 5%, p <0.001) were reclassified more often between ICA and CTA, respectively. CTA assessment of lesion length was significantly longer than that of ICA measurements in all subtypes of ISR (32.15 ± 5.23 vs 27.41 ± 3.63, p = 0.004). Receiver operating characteristic curve expressed CTA to be more sensitive and specific than ICA in diagnosing ISR. In conclusion, Mehran classification was significantly affected by imaging modality, and CTA results were more reproducible than ICA. Therefore, CTA evaluation of ISR may facilitate treatment options and generate a sound plan before the procedure.

Failure Mode Structured Preventive Maintenance Scheduling With Changing Failure Rates in Industry 4.0 Environment

Critical manufacturing systems consist of many different components working together. Each component is important to the operation and performance of the whole system. It is crucial to have a sound maintenance plan to ensure continuous production output. The strategy of current research is to focus on the failure mode modelling of the manufacturing system and divide it according to failure mode in production blocks. The preventive replacement intervals are determined using mean time to failure values of components, with group replacements of components within the production blocks to prevent unexpected functional breakdown failures. With the implementation of Industry 4.0 infrastructure, the mean time to failure values of components are constantly updated. The multi-mode mathematical model developed in this paper is able to adjust the preventive replacement schedule dynamically to suit changing system conditions. The results indicate that preventive replacement of components can achieve consistent minimum system reliability of 90% while minimizing system costs due to maintenance and downtime. Novelty of the approach lies in developing a holistic preventive maintenance schedule using failure mode and effects analysis for a complete system. The approach not only improves maintainability and reliability, lowers the cost of maintenance, but also keeps continuity of production.

Integrating Soundscape Criteria in Urban Sustainable Regeneration Processes: An Example of Comfort and Health Improvement

This paper reports an example of an urban sustainable regeneration process in a small open square following the soundscape approach in urban design and involving a transdisciplinary team. The renovation of this urban public space brought changes in its acoustic environment and improved soundscape perception as much more pleasant (enhanced comfort). The rehabilitation broadened the use of the square and enhanced users’ wellbeing and health, showing a significant positive impact of sound: reduction in negative emotions and perceived stress while increasing positive feelings. To conclude, the implications of the results about restorative environments in urban sound planning and future areas of research are discussed.

Research on Activation Design of Street Leftover Spaces on the Main Island of Macao Based on Industry 4.0 and Propagation Models

Space has become a driver not only for knowledge, inspiration, cooperation, and policymaking, but also for high-end technology integration into the manufacturing domain. As the high-density city quarters, the Macau Peninsula carries multiple functions via its public outdoor spaces, and they are of vital significance. Closely intertwined with Industry 4.0 is therefore the next industrial revolution that is already showcasing the benefits of increased connectivity, intelligence, and flexible automation. The rapid urbanization of Macao was not guided by sound land use planning, induced the scattering of many negative spaces on narrow streets. Because of their irregular shapes and utilization difficulties, these spaces gradually become leftover spaces. A number of measurement-based street leftover spaces models have been developed over the years by researchers as well as standards bodies to model path in typical wireless environments. In this paper, the streets of Macao are analyzed based on the city characteristics. The pedestrians and spatial relationships are investigated via space syntax and SPSS regression fitting. Finally, activation design of street leftover spaces is conducted, for making better use of leftover spaces, compensate for the functional deficiencies of streets, and endow them with more vigor and vitality.

Perceptions and imagined performances of pregnancy, birth and parenting among voluntarily child-free individuals in Sweden

ObjectiveReasons to avoid pregnancy, birth and parenting among voluntarily child-free individuals remain largely unknown. The aim of this qualitative study is to better understand the perceptions and worries about pregnancy, birth and parenting among child-free individuals in Sweden. MethodsA total of 23 individual interviews were conducted in 2020–2021, and data were evaluated in thematic network analysis. ResultsThe organizing themes captured significant consequences and complications of pregnancy and birth perceived by child-free individuals and their various thoughts about their unsuitability for parenthood. Reproductive health was associated with fears of pregnancy, birth, chronic disease and mental illness and long-acting reproductive contraceptives, sterilisation and abortion were regarded as appropriate, sustainable ways to remain child-free. ConclusionChild-free individuals avoid exposure to pregnancy, birth and parenting due to fears, perceived risks, potential complications and their perceived unsuitability for parenthood. They greatly value and protect their healthy, unharmed bodies and emphasise sound family planning.