scholarly journals Investigating the dynamic interactions between supply and demand for rural sanitation, Malawi

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Cole ◽  
John Pinfold ◽  
Goen Ho ◽  
Martin Anda
Keyword(s):  
Market Research ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Sanitation Marketing ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Key Barrier

Formative market research is the first step in developing evidence-based sanitation marketing programs. In Malawi, the design, implementation and evaluation of rural sanitation marketing programs has been limited. This study applied a mixed methodological approach to examine the dynamic interactions between the supply and demand of sanitation in three rural districts. The supply assessment identified an extremely limited range of latrine options. Sanitation suppliers reported very low household demand for their existing latrine options. An additional constraint reported by suppliers was householders' perception of a hardware subsidy for latrine construction. The demand assessment found a key constraint of constructing an unlined pit latrine was their short time-in-use (11–13 months). Householders expressed despondency at having to consistently rebuild collapsed, unlined pit latrines. For brick-lined latrines, a key barrier was affordability combined with an over-estimation of construction costs. Key motivations to construct brick-lined latrines included product attributes and social drivers. Wide variations in access to income and use of micro-finance organizations were recorded within and across the study sites. Formative market research is an iterative process from which new lines of investigation arise. This study provides information that will provide a foundation for the ongoing research, design, implementation and monitoring of rural sanitation marketing programs in Malawi.

Dynamic interactions between stock markets and the real economy

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikiforos T. Laopodis ◽  
Andreas Papastamou
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Stock Market ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Cointegration Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Real Economy ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the relationship between a country’s aggregate stock market and general economic development for 14 emerging economies for the period from 1995 to 2014. Design/methodology/approach The methodological approach of the paper is multifold. First, the authors use cointegration analysis to determine the simple dynamics among the variables. Second, the authors utilize vector autoregression analysis to study the dynamics among the variables for the 14 countries. Third, the authors employ panel analysis to determine common variations among the variables and across countries. Findings When examining the linkage between the stock market and economic development, proxied by gross domestic product growth or with gross fixed capital formation growth, the authors did not find a meaningful relationship between them. However, when the authors included additional control variables strong, dynamic interactions between the two magnitudes surfaced. Specifically, it was found that the stock market is positively and robustly correlated with contemporaneous and future real economic development and, thus, it directly contributed to a country’s economic development either through the production of goods and services or the accumulation of real capital. Thus, it can be inferred that the stock market alone is not capable of boosting economic development in these countries unless being part of a comprehensive financial system (which includes banks) as well as investment in real capital. Research limitations/implications The policy implications are clear. Government authorities must recognize that the stock market alone is not a driver of economic development and that a sound, efficient financial system (which includes banks) must be present in order to contribute and foster economic development. Originality/value The study is original in the sense that it examines various financial and economic variables to determine the degree of (or dynamic interactions among) the stock market and the real economy for each and all emerging markets in the sample.

scholarly journals Methods of eliminating waste from food packaging as a globalization tool

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 04025
Author(s):  
Daniela Salkova ◽  
Olga Regnerova
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Environmental Burden ◽  
Packaging Waste ◽  
Buying In

The article deals with possible ways of elimination of waste from food packaging. It focuses on eliminating packaging waste through unpackaged food stores and the zero waste concept. Elimination of any waste in the form of packaging is an important element of protection and reducing the burden on the environment, and in this context also important element of globalization. The methodological approach is based on a field survey in the form of interviews with customers of a selected packaging-free shop and research aimed at identifying awareness and the use of packaging-free stores among the general public. The survey also included a comparison of prices of selected foods in the packaging shop and three hypermarkets. The aim of the article is to propose other possible ways to reduce packaging waste when buying food. The survey found that customers from 21 to 30 years old are most likely to shop in unpacked stores. The main reason for buying in unpacked shops is for most customers the effort to reduce the man-made environmental burden and the higher quality of the products sold. The most frequently mentioned disadvantage of this way of buying food is the limited range of products.

Combining sensor monitoring and ethnography to evaluate household latrine usage in rural India

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 426-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen O'Reilly ◽  
Elizabeth Louis ◽  
Evan Thomas ◽  
Antara Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Rural India ◽  
State University ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ethnographic Interviews ◽  
Portland State University ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Sensor Monitoring

This paper advances research on methods used to evaluate sanitation usage and behavior. The research used quantitative and qualitative methods to contribute to new understanding of sanitation practices and meanings in rural India. We estimated latrine usage behavior through ethnographic interviews and sensor monitoring, specifically the latest generation of infrared toilet sensors, Portland State University Passive Latrine Use Monitors (PLUMs). Two hundred and fifty-eight rural households in West Bengal (WB) and Himachal Pradesh, India, participated in the study by allowing PLUMs to be installed in their houses for a minimum of 6 days. Six hundred interviews were taken in these households, and in others, where sensors had not been installed. Ethnographic and observational methods were used to capture the different defecation habits and their meanings in the two study sites. Those data framed the analysis of the PLUM raw data for each location. PLUMs provided reliable, quantitative verification. Interviews elicited unique information and proved essential to understanding and maximizing the PLUM data set. The combined methodological approach produced key findings that latrines in rural WB were used only for defecation, and that low cost, pit latrines were being used sustainably in both study areas.

Ownership dynamics around IFRS adoption: emerging markets context

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manel Hessayri ◽  
Malek Saihi
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Capital Market ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
International Investors ◽  
Market Benefits

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the firm’s capital market benefits in a high-quality information setting. More specifically, the authors address the question of whether the commonly documented IFRS benefits are capable of influencing inducing shareholders to increase their equity investment in adopting firms. Design/methodology/approach This study is performed on publicly listed firms in three emerging countries, namely, Morocco, South Africa and Turkey. The design of the ownership database allows a panel analysis for the years 2001 through 2011. The trend approach is suitable to account for concurrent effects that are unrelated to financial reporting while controlling for time-lasting behavior of investors. Overall, a minimum of four-year periods before and after the IFRS adoption date are warranted. Findings Overall, the findings support evidence of increases in equity holdings following a firm’s IFRS adoption. More specifically, institutional investors and institutional blockholders (both domestic and foreign) invest more heavily in the stocks of the firms that have committed to IFRS. By contrast, the authors fail to report evidence for ownership by blockholders and controlling shareholders. Practical implications The current empirical work should be of value to international investors, policy makers and market authorities. As for international investors facing reduced information disadvantage and comparable financial information across worldwide markets, they will find it easier to select and invest in value-creating stocks. This study may be useful for policy makers in acquiring a clear view of advantages, challenges and relevance of IFRS adoption to emerging markets. In particular, this study contributes to an understanding of potential capital market consequences of IFRS adoption. Furthermore, market authorities should be aware of the importance of institutional framework to enhance IFRS implementation and usage. Originality/value This work contributes to the ongoing empirical research on the intended capital market benefits of IFRS. The authors provide deeper insight into shareholdings changes of a number of key investors in a context where supply and demand of information are stained with asymmetry and mostly, influenced by differences in accounting practices. A major contribution of this study is the use of a methodological approach that outperforms commonly used approaches in the way how it considers concurrent events (compared to the shift specification) and time-lasting investor behavior (compared to the difference-in-differences analysis).

scholarly journals Abundance and Distribution of Odonates (Dragonflies and Damselflies) In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-38
Author(s):  
Kehinde A. Kemabonta ◽  
Rosemary Essien ◽  
Babasola W. Adu ◽  
Sylvester U. Ogbogu ◽  
Abdussalam Iysa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Statistical Difference ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Abundance And Distribution ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Sweep Net

Introduction: Odonates are used as bio-indicators for monitoring habitat degradation both on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem because of their sensitivity to anthropogenic activities. They serve an important role in the ecological food chain by consuming aquatic larvae and being in turn consumed by birds and various amphibians. This study is part of the ongoing research on the diversity of Odonate species of Nigeria. The objective is to determine the abundance and distribution of odonates in Akwa Ibom State and to compare the species diversity across the various sites in Akwa Ibom State. Methodology: Akwa Ibom state was divided into six areas namely Ikot Akpaden, Obio Akpa, Ikot Okoro, Ikot Udofia, Urua Udofia and Obio Ndot using biotypes and a study site was randomly selected in each area. Adult members were captured using a sweep net and were preserved for identification using morphological features. Results: A total of 767 odonates were collected at the six study sites representing 24 species, 16 genera and four families namely Libellulidae (77%), Coenagrionidae (21%), Calopterygidae (>1%) and Chlorocyphidae (>1%). Most of the species collected were members of family Libellullidae (77%) with Palpopleura lucia having the highest occurrence (41%) and found in all the sites. Family Calopterygidae and Chlorocyphidae had less than 1% population of the total individuals collected. Ikot Okoro had the highest number of individuals (238) and the least evenness (e^H/S=0.3292) while Ikot Akpaden, which had the least effect of anthropogenic intrusion had the largest diversity of Odonata species (H’=2.387). Obio Ndot had the most evenly distributed Odonata species (e^H/S=0.8028). There was no statistical difference in the occurrence of dragonflies across all study sites (p= 0.238). Conclusion: The high occurrence of family Libellulidae which are anthropogenic tolerant, and the absence of more highly localized species indicate that most of the study sites have been degraded and may not be fit for species with narrow niches. It is therefore vital to conserve the Odonata community by implementing proper forest management techniques.

scholarly journals EL TURISMO DE SALUD DESDE EL ENFOQUE SISTÉMICO: APLICACIÓN A LA PROVINCIA DE ALICANTE

2021 ◽  
pp. 123-152
Author(s):  
Elke Hersch Glass
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
German Literature ◽  
Health Tourism ◽  
Wellness Tourism ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Main Determinants

El propósito de ese trabajo se centra en identificar los principales fundamentos condicionantes de la demanda y de la oferta en el turismo de salud sobre la base de la teoría de sistemas. Además, se lleva a cabo un análisis empírico del turismo médico, turismo wellness y turismo medical wellness de la provincia de Alicante desde este enfoque. Metodológicamente el trabajo se fundamenta en una tarea de sistematización de la bibliografía anglo-germánica existente sobre el tema y no traducida al español. La relevancia de este artículo la constituye la novedad de su enfoque metodológico y su aplicación sobre el turismo de salud, así como su aplicación a un espacio turístico consolidado, como es la provincia de Alicante, donde esta modalidad está implantada y viene funcionando desde hace décadas. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main determinants conditioning supply and demand in health tourism based on systems theory. An empirical analysis of medical tourism, wellness tourism and medical wellness tourism in the Province of Alicante is carried out, applying the aforementioned approach. Methodologically, the work is based on the task to systematize the existing Anglo-German literature on the subject that has not been translated into Spanish. The relevance of this article lies in the novelty of the methodological approach and its application to health tourism as well as its application to a consolidated tourist area, such as the Province of Alicante, where this modality is established and has been working for decades.

scholarly journals Molecular dynamics and in silico mutagenesis on the reversible inhibitor-bound SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease complexes reveal the role of a lateral pocket in enhancing the ligand affinity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Li Weng ◽  
Shiv Rakesh Naik ◽  
Nadia Dingelstad ◽  
Subha Kalyaanamoorthy ◽  
Aravindhan Ganesan
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Reversible Inhibitor ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractThe 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 remains a serious health threat to humans and a number of countries are already in the middle of the second wave of infection. There is an urgent need to develop therapeutics against this deadly virus. Recent scientific evidences have suggested that the main protease (Mpro) enzyme in SARS-CoV-2 can be an ideal drug target due to its crucial role in the viral replication and transcription processes. Therefore, there are ongoing research efforts to identify drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro that resulted in hundreds of X-ray crystal structures of ligand bound Mpro complexes in the protein data bank (PDB) that describe structural details of different chemotypes of fragments binding within different sites in Mpro. In this work, we perform rigorous molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of 62 reversible ligand-Mpro complexes in the PDB to gain mechanistic insights about their interactions at atomic level. Using a total of ~2.25 μs long MD trajectories, we identified and characterized different pockets and their conformational dynamics in the apo Mpro structure. Later, using the published PDB structures, we analyzed the dynamic interactions and binding affinity of small ligands within those pockets. Our results identified the key residues that stabilize the ligands in the catalytic sites and other pockets in Mpro. Our analyses unraveled the role of a lateral pocket in the catalytic site in Mpro that is critical for enhancing the ligand binding to the enzyme. We also highlighted the important contribution from HIS163 in this lateral pocket towards ligand binding and affinity against Mpro through computational mutation analyses. Further, we revealed the effects of explicit water molecules and Mpro dimerization in the ligand association with the target. Thus, comprehensive molecular level insights gained from this work can be useful to identify or design potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.

Respiratory costs of producing and maintaining stem biomass in eight co-occurring tree species

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1838-1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Rodríguez-Calcerrada ◽  
Roberto L Salomón ◽  
Guillermo G Gordaliza ◽  
José C Miranda ◽  
Eva Miranda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Carbon Allocation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Phylogenetic Distance ◽  
Stem Respiration ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Adult Trees

AbstractGiven the importance of carbon allocation for plant performance and fitness, it is expected that competition and abiotic stress influence respiratory costs associated with stem wood biomass production and maintenance. In this study, stem respiration (R) was measured together with stem diameter increment in adult trees of eight co-occurring species in a sub-Mediterranean forest stand for 2 years. We estimated growth R (Rg), maintenance R (Rm) and the growth respiration coefficient (GRC) using two gas exchange methods: (i) estimating Rg as the product of growth and GRC (then Rm as R minus Rg) and (ii) estimating Rm from temperature-dependent kinetics of basal Rm at the dormant season (then Rg as R minus Rm). In both cases, stem basal-area growth rates governed intra-annual variation in R, Rg and Rm. Maximum annual Rm occurred slightly before or after maximum Rg. The mean contribution of Rm to R during the growing season ranged from 56% to 88% across species using method 1 and from 23% to 66% using method 2. An analysis accounting for the phylogenetic distance among species indicated that more shade-tolerant, faster growing species exhibited higher Rm and Rg than less shade-tolerant, slower growing ones, suggesting a balance between carbon supply and demand mediated by growth. However, GRC was not related to species growth rate, wood density, or drought and shade tolerance across the surveyed species nor across 27 tree species for which GRC was compiled. The GRC estimates based on wood chemical analysis were lower (0.19) than those based on gas exchange methods (0.35). These results give partial support to the hypothesis that wood production and maintenance costs are related to species ecology and highlight the divergence of respiratory parameters widely used in plant models according to the methodological approach applied to derive them.

Creating an Information Environment for Construction Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 992-1002
Author(s):  
I. V. Karakozova ◽  
Yu. S. Prokhorova
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Management Algorithm ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis ◽  
Capital Construction

Aim. The presented study aims to create a unified information environment for all participants of construction project implementation and to monitor key indicators of construction during its implementation.Tasks. The authors develop a methodological approach to substantiate a unified information environment for the implementation of capital construction projects; develop modules of the information environment that reflect the processes of designing a facility and managing costs at all stages of its life cycle. Methods. This study uses the methods of analysis and synthesis, graphical modeling, expert and comparative assessments, methods of pricing in construction.Results. An information environment for the implementation of capital construction projects is developed. Its major modules reflect the processes of designing and constructing a facility and managing costs at all stages of its life cycle.Conclusions. Introduction of the proposed information environment for managing construction costs at the enterprise level with an integrated design module based on information modeling technologies will improve the efficiency of interaction between the participants of the investment and construction process and will provide a unified cost management algorithm in the context of the active digitalization of the industry.

Heritage and Modernism in New York

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie A. Wilkie
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
High Line ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Remote Past

Archaeology is a powerful tool for understanding how heritage, through discourses of modernity, has been scripted into a binary relationship that places it in opposition to progress, change, and development. This has been particularly true in the recent past in debates regarding quality of life issues for urban dwellers, with preservationists and developers representing diametrically opposed visions. This chapter blurs the boundaries between the categories of development and heritage, not only to bring complexity to the histories that are told about the heritage movement, but also to encourage a different perception of the ways that heritage contributes to the quality of life in contemporary cities. The author’s methodological approach for this work is what might best be labelled a documentary contemporary archaeology, not unlike the documentary archaeology approaches she has employed to study sites created in the more remote past. The chapter explores these issues in relation to two cases studies: one showcasing the historical narratives of the preservation movement that focus on the struggle to save Washington Square Park, in New York City; the second, a consideration of the development and use of High Line Park, also in New York.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document