scholarly journals Governance for Sustainability of Estuarine Areas—Assessing Alternative Models Using the Case of Ria de Aveiro, Portugal

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Fidélis ◽  
Filipe Teles ◽  
Peter Roebeling ◽  
Fayaz Riazi
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Design ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Ria De Aveiro ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Compliance Model

Estuaries are one of the most productive and complex types of ecosystems supporting a wide range of economic activities. Departing from a set of governance problems and emergent goals, such as sustainability or climate change adaptation faced by an estuarine case study area, Ria de Aveiro, in Portugal, this article assesses the adequacy of alternative governance models under the existing water resources legal framework and traditional political culture. It shows that apart from the centrally-based compliance model, all other alternatives require high degrees of institutional reforms. Moreover, although the model based on a dedicated new agency, long preferred by many users of Ria de Aveiro, is the most understandable and focused, it does not assure the pursuance of adaptability or collaboration, which are considered essential for estuary governance. As it relies on collective action and multi-level and multi-agent contexts, estuarine governance may require a new institutional design. Where one begins a process of institutional change, however, is not a simple issue to address and demands a deeper analysis, particularly on the types of required institutional changes, as well as on their impacts on policy and decision-making outcomes over estuarine environments and associated socio-ecological networks.

A Multi-Level Modularized System Architecture for Mobile Robotics

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Basso ◽  
Benjamin Kehoe ◽  
J. Karl Hedrick
Keyword(s):  
System Architecture ◽  
Design Principle ◽  
Mobile Robotics ◽  
Modular System ◽  
Design Philosophy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Bottom To Top

This paper describes a modular system architecture for mobile robotics. It presents the view of an individual robot as a collection of many small pieces of hardware and software grouped into functional subsystems. A set of robots can then join together to form a larger system. The goal of this work is to describe a software design philosophy and architecture that is flexible yet robust enough to meet the challenges of the mobile robotics domain. The guiding design principle is bottom-to-top modularization, from individual algorithms, to software executables, to functional groupings of executables. These functional groupings are presented as canonical subsystems for collaborative robotics, applicable to a wide range of robotics systems. A multi-agent multi-user UAV application is presented as a case study and proof of the generality of the design philosophy.

scholarly journals Understanding Variation in Processes of Institutional Formation

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 226-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien Lowndes ◽  
Maximilian Lemprière
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Design ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Institutional Formation ◽  
City Regions ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Historical Trajectory ◽  
Institutional Actors

The article asks why institutional reforms work in one place and not another and why old ways of doing things can prove so resilient. It argues in favour of a concept of institutional formation, which is different from ‘institutional design’ as a time-limited event or ‘institutional change’ as an open-ended historical trajectory. Institutional formation is conceptualised as an animated, nested and embedded process. A multi-level framework is developed that specifies the links between institutional actors, institutional rules and institutional contexts. The model is elaborated with reference to a case study of local government reform in England, specifically the devolution of responsibilities from central government to voluntary collaborations of elected local authorities (‘combined authorities’). The model is used to explain variation in the process of institutional formation in two different city-regions, focusing on the role of leaders, legacies and localities.

scholarly journals What Drives Institutional Reforms in Regional Organisations? Diffusion, Contextual Conditions, and the Modular Design of ASEAN

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Jetschke
Keyword(s):  
Dispute Settlement ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
Dispute Settlement Mechanism ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
The Us ◽  
Regional Organisations ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Settlement Mechanism

AbstractWhat drives institutional reforms in regional organisations? And what explains the institutional design of ASEAN? Despite many differences, conventional approaches to the institutional design of regional organisations more generally and ASEAN in particular are united in regarding them as either determined by factors endogenous to the region − such as varying state interests or collective norms − or as exogenously driven, most importantly by hegemonic states like the US or China. This article offers a diffusion account of ASEAN's institutional design. Building on a more recent strand in the diffusion literature emphasising that diffusion rarely leads to convergence, the article makes two genuine contributions. First, it argues that members of regional organisations engage in modular adoption: they select institutional templates from a variety of regional as well as international organisations thereby taking advantage of available information on the costs and benefits of alternative institutions. Second, it argues that contextual conditions and cognitive priors influence what templates are chosen. The argument will be illustrated with a case study on ASEAN's adoption of a single market and a dispute settlement mechanism. Finally, and contrary to arguments that institutional borrowing might increase the expectations-deliverance gap within regional organisations, it argues that if conducted consistently, modular adoption can lead to substantial innovation and success.

Blockchain-based architecture for the control of logistics activities: Pharmaceutical utilities case study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeray Mezquita ◽  
Roberto Casado-Vara ◽  
Alfonso GonzÁlez Briones ◽  
Javier Prieto ◽  
Juan M Corchado
Keyword(s):  
Smart Contracts ◽  
Multi Agent System ◽  
Agent System ◽  
Logistics System ◽  
New Model ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Logistics Services ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Multi Agent

Abstract Logistics services involve a wide range of transport operations between distributors and clients. Currently, the large number of intermediaries are a challenge for this sector, as it makes all the processes more complicated. To face that problem, we propose a system that uses smart contracts to remove intermediaries and speed up logistics activities. Our new model combines smart contracts and a multi-agent system in a single platform to improve the current logistics system by increasing organization, security and getting rid of several human intermediaries to automate its processes, making distribution times significantly faster. Also, with this kind of approach, it is possible to apply penalties to parties that do not comply with the terms of using this platform.

Determinants and barriers of PV self-consumption in Spain from the perception of the installers for the promotion of distributed energy systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 153-169
Author(s):  
José Ángel Gimeno ◽  
Eva Llera Sastresa ◽  
Sabina Scarpellini
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Distributed Energy ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Transition Scenario

Currently, self-consumption and distributed energy facilities are considered as viable and sustainable solutions in the energy transition scenario within the European Union. In a low carbon society, the exploitation of renewables for self-consumption is closely tied to the energy market at the territorial level, in search of a compromise between competitiveness and the sustainable exploitation of resources. Investments in these facilities are highly sensitive to the existence of favourable conditions at the territorial level, and the energy policies adopted in the European Union have contributed positively to the distributed renewables development and the reduction of their costs in the last decade. However, the number of the installed facilities is uneven in the European Countries and those factors that are more determinant for the investments in self-consumption are still under investigation. In this scenario, this paper presents the main results obtained through the analysis of the determinants in self-consumption investments from a case study in Spain, where the penetration of this type of facilities is being less relevant than in other countries. As a novelty of this study, the main influential drivers and barriers in self-consumption are classified and analysed from the installers' perspective. On the basis of the information obtained from the installers involved in the installation of these facilities, incentives and barriers are analysed within the existing legal framework and the potential specific lines of the promotion for the effective deployment of self-consumption in an energy transition scenario.

Cyber crimes in the banking sector: Case study of Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (05) ◽  
Author(s):  
LE Thanh Tam ◽  
Nguyen Minh Chau ◽  
Pham Ngoc Mai ◽  
Ngo Ha Phuong ◽  
Vu Khanh Huyen Tran
Keyword(s):  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Technological Revolution ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Cyber Crimes

The technological revolution 4.0 brings great opportunities, but also cybercrimes to economic sectors, especially to banks. Using secondary data and survey results of 305 bank clients, the main findings of this paper are: (i) there are several types of cybercrimes in the banking sector; (ii) Vietnam is one of the top countries worldwide having hackers and being attacked by hackers, especially the banking sector. Three most common attacks are skimming, hacking and phishing. Number of cybercrime attacks in Vietnam are increasing rapidly over years; (iii) Vietnamese customers are very vulnerable to cybercrime in banking, as more than 58% seem to hear about cybercrimes, and how banks provide services to let them know about their transactions. However, more than 50% do not have any deep knowledge or any measures for preventing cybercrime; (iii) Customers believe in banks, but do not think that banks can deal with cybercrime issues well. They still feel traditional transactions are more secure than e-transactions; (iv) the reasons for high cybercrimes come from commercial banks (low management and human capacity), supporting environment (inadequate), legal framework (not yet strong and strict enough on cybercrimes), and clients (low level of financial literacy). Therefore, several solutions should be carried out, from all stakeholders, for improving the cybersecurity in Vietnamese banks. 

Site specific agricultural soil management with the use of new technologies

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Digital Interface ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Soil Variation ◽  
Soil Information ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques ◽  
Agricultural Areas

<p>The Soil Science Institute of Thessaloniki produces new digitized Soil Maps that provide a useful electronic database for the spatial representation of the soil variation within a region, based on in situ soil sampling, laboratory analyses, GIS techniques and plant nutrition mathematical models, coupled with the local land cadastre. The novelty of these studies is that local agronomists have immediate access to a wide range of soil information by clicking on a field parcel shown in this digital interface and, therefore, can suggest an appropriate treatment (e.g. liming, manure incorporation, desalination, application of proper type and quantity of fertilizer) depending on the field conditions and cultivated crops. A specific case study is presented in the current work with regards to the construction of the digitized Soil Map of the regional unit of Kastoria. The potential of this map can easily be realized by the fact that the mapping of the physicochemical properties of the soils in this region provided delineation zones for differential fertilization management. An experiment was also conducted using remote sensing techniques for the enhancement of the fertilization advisory software database, which is a component of the digitized map, and the optimization of nitrogen management in agricultural areas.</p>

The use of intelligent agents in modeling an integrated information system of transport logistics

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Y.M. Iskanderov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Intelligent Agents ◽  
Technological Processes ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Integrated Information System ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Transport Logistics ◽  
Integrated Information

Aim. The use of intelligent agents in modeling an integrated information system of transport logistics makes it possible to achieve a qualitatively new level of design of control systems in supply chains. Materials and methods. The article presents an original approach that implements the possibilities of using multi-agent technologies in the interests of modeling the processes of functioning of an integrated information system of transport logistics. It is shown that the multi-agent infrastructure is actually a semantic shell of the information system, refl ecting the rules of doing business and the interaction of its participants in the supply chains. The characteristic of the model of the class of an intelligent agent, which is basic for solving problems of management of transport and technological processes, is given. Results. The procedures of functioning of the model of integration of information resources of the participants of the transport services market on the basis of intelligent agents are considered. The presented procedures provide a wide range of network interaction operations in supply chains, including traffi c and network structure “fl exible” control, mutual exchange of content and service information, as well as their distributed processing, and information security. Conclusions. The proposed approach showed that the use of intelligent agents in modeling the functioning of an integrated information system makes it possible to take into account the peculiarities of transport and technological processes in supply chains, such as the integration of heterogeneous enterprises, their distributed organization, an open dynamic structure, standardization of products, interfaces and protocols.

Research on the Economic Organization Environmental Impact

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-601
Author(s):  
Dan Paul Stefanescu ◽  
Oana Roxana Chivu ◽  
Claudiu Babis ◽  
Augustin Semenescu ◽  
Alina Gligor
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Economic Organization ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Material Environment ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Harmful Effects

Any economic activity carried out by an organization, can generate a wide range of environmental implications. Particularly important, must be considered the activities that have a significant negative effect on the environment, meaning those which pollute. Being known the harmful effects of pollution on the human health, the paper presents two models of utmost importance, one of the material environment-economy interactions balance and the other of the material flows between environmental factors and socio-economic activities. The study of these models enable specific conditions that must be satisfied for the economic processes friendly coexist to the environment for long term, meaning to have a minimal impact in that the residues resulting from the economic activity of the organization to be as less harmful to the environment.

Proportional Representation and its Impacts on Multi Ethnic Society of Sri Lanka

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeni Mohamed Aliff
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Ethnic Violence ◽  
Institutional Affiliation ◽  
Secondary Data Sources ◽  
The Impact

This paper will examine the impact of PR electoral systems in a divided society. This research will explore the strength and weakness of the current electoral system and institutional design of Sri Lanka and will recommend changes to decrease the risk of minority exclusion in decision making and ethnic violence. The objectives of this research are to examine the character of the merits and demerits of the PR, and to investigate and assess the impacts of the PR in the multi ethnic societies of Sri Lanka. The study is a qualitative case study, and primary and secondary data sources have been employed to gather relevant data. The My Fieldwork was conducted in Sri Lanka, with the intention of gaining a better and more thorough understanding of the current situation. The interviews conducted were as such not structured or semi-structured, due to the interviewees’ varying professional background and institutional affiliation. Accordingly, unstructured interviews, as well as informal conversations and meetings, were conducted throughout Sri Lanka.

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