scholarly journals Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) Production in the Cameroonian Cotton Basin between the Dynamics of Structuring an Agricultural Value Chain and Sustainability Issues

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Joël Fofiri Nzossié ◽  
Christophe Bring
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Agricultural Activities ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Working People ◽  
Glycine Max L ◽  
Real Value ◽  
Sustainability Challenges ◽  
And Control

Over the past ten years, the Cameroonian cotton front, in the Sudano-Sahelian region, has experienced dynamics in soybean production, resulting in significant changes in agro-systems. From a simple hut culture not referenced in regional agricultural statistics, since 2010, soybean ranks 2nd in legumes cultivated after peanuts, followed by cowpea and voandzou, yet culturally and economically more adopted by the populations. The rapid development of cultivated areas from 6,705 ha in 2008 to 15,020 ha in 2018 is indicative of the enthusiasm shown by farmers for this speculation which, despite the almost lack of supervision on the part of public authorities, now structures a real value chain with challenges for improving farmers’ incomes, in a space where more than 80% of working people live from agricultural activities. The objective of this research is therefore to analyse the sustainability challenges of a productive and market dynamics built around speculation subject to strong demands of international competitiveness. The results show that the viability of this dynamics remains precarious through a set of constraints inherent in the proven inability of farmers to empower themselves to optimise production and control marketing, as well as the poor technical supervision of cultivation.

scholarly journals Games and network structures on corruption, income inequality, and tax control

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 152-172
Author(s):  
Elena Gubar ◽  
◽  
Edgar J. Sánchez Carrera ◽  
Suriya Kumacheva ◽  
Ekaterina Zhitkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Real Income ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Tax System ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Corrupt Behavior ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

The income tax system is the main instrument of fiscal policy that aims to improve income distribution and economic growth, but the problem arises when there is corrupt behavior in that system. While the tax audit is a tax control tool that is costly, the tax system should guarantee, however, the instruments for tax collection. In this research work, we formulate a model in which all taxpayers decide to pay taxes or not according to their personal income, individual preferences with respect to the audit and tax control information perceived in their social environment. We develop a theoretical model to study the structure of citizen networks that must pay taxes. First, we assume that citizens are classified by two social groups, the rich and the poor. When all citizens are taxpayers, but public authorities are corrupt, we show that the poor group is the most affected by corruption. However, when taxpayers are corrupt or tax evaders, we implement mechanisms to audit and control this corrupt behavior. Hence, we show that this situation of corruption and control of tax payments can be represented by several well-known theoretical games. Then, we apply the evolutionary theory of the game in the network considering that each taxpayer receives information from his∖her neighbors about the probability of audit and that he∖she could react according to his∖her risk status and real income. Such behavior forms a group of informed agents that propagate the information beyond the proportions of the informed and uninformed contributors that are modified. Our evolutionary model in the structure of the network describes the changes in the population of taxpayers driven by the impact of information on the future fiscal audit. Our simulation analysis shows that the initial and final preferences of taxpayers depend on important parameters, that is, taxes and fines, audit information and costs.

scholarly journals Making Resilient Decisions for Sustainable Circularity of Fashion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celinda Palm ◽  
Sarah E. Cornell ◽  
Tiina Häyhä
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
State Response ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Industry Value Chain ◽  
The Many ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

AbstractThe fashion and textiles industry, and policymakers at all levels, are showing an increased interest in the concept of circular economy as a way to decrease business risks and negative environmental impacts. However, focus is placed mainly on the material ‘stuff’ of textile fashion and its biophysical harms. The current material focus has several shortcomings, because fashion is a social-ecological system and cannot be understood merely by addressing its environmental dimensions. In this paper, we rethink the fashion system from a critical social-ecological perspective. The driver-state-response framework shows social drivers and ecological impacts as an adaptive social-ecological system, exposing how these interacting aspects need to be addressed for sustainable and resilient implementation of circular economy. We show how current responses to global sustainability challenges have so far fallen short. Our overall aim is to expand possibilities for reframing responses that better reflect the complex links between the global fashion system, culture and creativity and the dynamics of the living planet. We argue that reducing planetary pressure from the global fashion and textiles industry requires greater recognition of the system’s social drivers with more emphasis on the many cross-scale links between social and ecological dimensions. Resilient decisions aiming for sustainable circularity of the fashion industry must therefore pay attention to social activities beyond the industry value chain, not just material flows within it.

Remote Wireless Network Monitoring Application System

2012 ◽  
Vol 433-440 ◽  
pp. 7024-7028
Author(s):  
Hui Fu ◽  
Bin Jin ◽  
Lin Han ◽  
Zuo Tang Tao
Keyword(s):  
Wireless Network ◽  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Information Display ◽  
Remote Monitoring System ◽  
Encrypt Data ◽  
And Control ◽  
Embedded Applications ◽  
Monitoring Application

With computer technology, communication technology and the rapid development of electronic technology, remote monitoring technology will be more widely used for data transmission requirements and more stringent. GPRS-based remote monitoring system, which is based in communications equipment, through the server to PC, as the remote control platform, embedded applications, network programming and other technology, the remote information display and control. Throughout the system, users can allow each terminal in the case of permission to accept the data on the changes and settings. Wireless network communication is important that the network transmission of data security and consistency, to solve this problem this thesis, performance of network communications software technology to achieve self-monitoring and self-recovery, while use of end to end encryption to encrypt data on the transmission , which can guarantee data reliability, completeness, real time and security.

Impact of precarious employment on retirement planning for young workers and their parents: the case of Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ka Ki Chan ◽  
Tat Chor Au-Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Retirement Planning ◽  
Young Workers ◽  
Precarious Employment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement System ◽  
Working People ◽  
Social Insecurity ◽  
And Control

PurposeRetirement protection has been widely debated in Hong Kong over two decades. The debate about the relationship between social insecurity and retirement protection, and provoked consideration of a choice between a rights-based universal retirement system and means-tested protection for senior citizens are still contested. This study aims to explore the understanding and behaviours of young workers regarding retirement planning, their difficulties and worries with the implementation of providing support for their parents' retirement.Design/methodology/approachThis was an exploratory study to target young workers aged 20–34 years to participate. Qualitative data presented in this study were drawn from 16 young workers. Seven were female and nine were male young workers.FindingsThe research found that young workers who have a relatively low level of income, particularly for non-standard workers and the self-employed, both are likely to find difficulties to contribute to their own retirement planning and their parents' retirement with the emerging problems of job insecurity and instability. Young working people in lower socio-classes have further limited choices and control over their own retirement planning, as well as providing support for their parents' retirement that may cause a breach of intergenerational contract.Originality/valueWith the increasing number of young workers with precarious employment or unemployment, this study has contributed to a shift in views regarding intergenerational contracts, particularly in the need to support other generations of family members in a contemporary Hong Kong society.

Abstract P273: Enhancing Documentation and Control of Lipids in a University-Based Cardiology Clinic

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keerthana K Karumbaiah ◽  
Mazen B Omar ◽  
Bassam A Omar
Keyword(s):  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Lipid Profiles ◽  
Fasting State ◽  
Lipid Management ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Cardiology Clinic ◽  
Blood Pressures ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
And Control ◽  
Risk Equivalent

Background: Non-compliance with laboratory appointments, separate from clinic visit appointments, for measuring fasting cholesterol may hinder documentation and control of patients’ lipids. Methods: A university-based cardiologist’s clinic notes, from a single year (yr 1), when patients were asked to have a fasting cholesterol a week prior to the clinic visit, were analyzed (100 patients). The poor compliance prompted a same day as the clinic visit measurement (fasting or non-fasting) of lipids, for patients who could not comply with their laboratory appointment, during the following year (yr 2; 130 patients). Lipid values were managed by a subsequent call to the patient. All patients had coronary artery disease or risk equivalent mandating LDL levels < 100 mg/dL. Results: In yr 1, 62% (62/100) of patients had documented lipid profiles compared to 83% (108/130) of patients in yr 2. The average LDL in yr 1 was 115 +/- 36 mg/dL compared with 96 +/- 31 mg/dL in yr 2 (P < 0.01). Only 22% of the patients in yr 1 reached goal of < 100 mg/dL, compared with 65% in yr 2. There were no significant differences in the HDL, TG levels or blood pressures documented during the concurrent visits. Conclusion: Better documentation and control of lipids may be obtained when lipid profiles are done on clinic visit day, with fewer burdens on the patients who cannot comply with a separate laboratory appointment. Although there were many non-fasting levels as a result, the triglyceride levels where not significantly different among the two groups, probably reflecting an overall more intensive lipid management in yr 2, commensurate with the better documentation. Therefore, as has been shown by others, a lipid profile does not necessarily have to be fasting, especially in patients being treated for stricter targets such as our cohort, which may decrease the burden on patients unable to comply with a fasting state or added clinic visits.

Law and biomedicine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Comartova ◽  
Andrey Pomazanskiy ◽  
Elena Nikitina ◽  
Saria Nanba ◽  
Timur Mel'nik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Social Orientation ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
Biomedical Technologies

The rapid development of modern biomedicine creates both hopes for solving global problems of humanity, and risks associated with the enormous potential of its impact on human nature. In this regard, the processes of development and application of biomedical technologies need timely and adequate legal regulation that defines the boundaries of biotechnological intervention in human life. This publication is devoted to the theoretical development of general legal approaches to the essence, content, social orientation and the main industry features of the regulation of relations in the field of biomedicine, which would allow to form a special legal regulation in this area. For researchers, teachers, postgraduates, students, practicing lawyers, employees of public authorities.

A Blockchain-Enabled Approach for Online Stream Sensor Data Protection in Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhangyue Shi ◽  
Chenang Liu ◽  
Chen Kan ◽  
Wenmeng Tian ◽  
Yang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Stream Data ◽  
Physical Security ◽  
And Control

Abstract With the rapid development of the Internet of Things and information technologies, more and more manufacturing systems become cyber-enabled, which significantly improves the flexibility and productivity of manufacturing. Furthermore, a large variety of online sensors are also commonly incorporated in the manufacturing systems for online quality monitoring and control. However, the cyber-enabled environment may pose the collected online stream sensor data under high risks of cyber-physical attacks as well. Specifically, cyber-physical attacks could occur during the manufacturing process to maliciously tamper the sensor data, which could result in false alarms or failures of anomaly detection. In addition, the cyber-physical attacks may also illegally access the collected data without authorization and cause leakage of key information. Therefore, it becomes critical to develop an effective approach to protect online stream data from these attacks so that the cyber-physical security of the manufacturing systems could be assured. To achieve this goal, an integrative blockchain-enabled method, is proposed by leveraging both asymmetry encryption and camouflage techniques. A real-world case study that protects cyber-physical security of collected stream data in additive manufacturing is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that malicious tampering could be detected in a relatively short time and the risk of unauthorized data access is significantly reduced as well.

scholarly journals Design of SnO2 Aggregate/Nanosheet Composite Structures Based on Function-Matching Strategy for Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongting Wang ◽  
Shangheng Liu ◽  
Mingfa Shao ◽  
Jinghan Zhao ◽  
Yukun Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Composite Structures ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽  
Strong Light ◽  
Solar Cell Performance ◽  
Dye Sensitized ◽  
Drying Treatment ◽  
Matching Strategy ◽  
Sno2 Nanosheet ◽  
And Control

Hierarchical SnO2 nanocrystallites aggregates (NAs) were prepared with a simple room temperature–based aqueous solution method followed by simple freeze-drying treatment. The as-prepared SnO2 NAs were subsequently combined with SnO2 nanosheet–based structures from the viewpoint of a function-matching strategy, and under an optimized condition, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.59% was obtained for the resultant hybrid photoanode, a remarkable 60% enhancement compared to that of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) fabricated with bare SnO2 NAs architecture. The significantly enhanced efficiency can be attributed to the combination of the desirable electron transport property obtained by the intentionally introduced SnO2 nanosheets (NSs) and the effectively retained inherent characteristics of SnO2 NAs, i.e., large surface area and strong light-scattering effect. This work provides a promising approach for the rapid development of highly efficient SnO2 photoanode film-based DSCs with the properties of simplicity of operation and control over the photoanode composition.

scholarly journals Development of A Study Module on and Pedagogical Approaches to Industrial Environmental Engineering and Sustainability in Mozambique

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Roope Husgafvel ◽  
Mikko Martikka ◽  
Andrade Egas ◽  
Natasha Ribeiro ◽  
Olli Dahl
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Sustainability Challenges ◽  
Eduardo Mondlane University ◽  
And Training ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

Addressing the sustainability challenges in the forest sector in Mozambique require capacity building for higher education and training of new skilled expert and future decision-makers. Our approach was to developed a study module on and pedagogical approaches to industrial environmental engineering and sustainability. The idea was to developed a joint module that would eventually become a part of both PhD and MSc programmes in the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) in Mozambique. The basis of our development work encompassed the local priorities as identified by the UEM staff, UEM competencies in forestry engineering and the experience of the Aalto University in higher education in the fields of environmental engineering, sustainability and forest products technology. From the beginning, public authorities and industry/company representatives were involved in the development process to advance the created benefits in terms of sustainable development in Mozambique. The result of the joined work by these two higher education institutions was a study module that has been teached and completed by a class of MSc students as a part of the official UEM curricula.    

scholarly journals Transition Pathways for the Farmed Salmon Value Chain: Industry Perspectives and Sustainability Implications

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12106
Author(s):  
Ingunn Y. Gudbrandsdottir ◽  
Nína M. Saviolidis ◽  
Gudrun Olafsdottir ◽  
Gudmundur V. Oddsson ◽  
Hlynur Stefansson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Food System ◽  
Current System ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Drivers Of Change ◽  
System Perspective ◽  
Production Methods ◽  
Farmed Salmon ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Salmon is the most consumed farmed seafood in the EU and there is no indication that demand will abate. Yet salmon aquaculture’s environmental impacts are significant, and its future is likely to be shaped by demands of increased but at the same time more sustainable production. This study developed an integrated theoretical framework based on the multi-level perspective (MLP) and a global value chain (GVC) governance framework and applied it to the global farmed salmon value chain. The objective was to provide insights on the most likely transition pathway towards sustainability based on industry and expert perspectives. The perceptions on challenges and drivers of change, were gathered through focus groups and in-depth interviews, and fitted to the integrated framework to facilitate the transition pathway analysis. Viewing the qualitative findings in the context of the MLP framework provided information about the current workings of the system, the drivers of change in the socio-technical landscape and niche-innovations and their potential to challenge or enhance the current system and thus indicated possible system transitions. To emphasize the role of industry actors in shaping the future of the salmon value chain, the analysis was strengthened using the GVC model which added information about power relations, signaling the ability of system actors to motivate or resist change. The findings indicate that, due to resistance in the regime and the fact that niche-innovations are not yet sufficiently developed, the farmed salmon value chain will continue to be predominated by traditional sea-based aquaculture but that there will be a gradual shift towards more diversity in terms of production methods in response to landscape pressures. The discussion addresses sustainability challenges and policy implications for the farmed salmon value chain and highlights the need for a food system perspective.

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