scholarly journals Framework for the Integrated Sustainability Assessment of Irrigation with Marginal Water

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1168
Author(s):  
Pavan Cornelissen ◽  
Sjoerd E. A. T. M. van der Zee ◽  
Anton Leijnse

The use of marginal water, such as reclaimed wastewater or effluent, for irrigation can reduce the pressure on existing freshwater resources. However, this can cause contaminants to accumulate in compartments such as the soil, crop, air, surface- and groundwater, which may harm the public health and the environment. Environmental quality standards for these compartments are generally considered separately. However, the compartments are related to each other by the fluxes between them, and the concept of sustainability should hold for all compartments simultaneously. An integrated approach is therefore required for the sustainability assessment of irrigation with marginal water. Since such an approach has not been provided yet, we develop an integrated framework in this study. We provide sustainability indicators by comparing the long-term contaminant concentration and fluxes with quality standards for each environmental compartment. These indicators give comprehensible information on which contaminants will cause problems, which environmental compartments are threatened, and on what timescale this will occur. This allows for the prioritization of mitigation and preventive measures for better sustainability management. We illustrate the use of the framework by means of a case study.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 949
Author(s):  
Salman Qureshi ◽  
Saman Nadizadeh Shorabeh ◽  
Najmeh Neysani Samany ◽  
Foad Minaei ◽  
Mehdi Homaee ◽  
...  

Due to irregular and uncontrolled expansion of cities in developing countries, currently operational landfill sites cannot be used in the long-term, as people will be living in proximity to these sites and be exposed to unhygienic circumstances. Hence, this study aims at proposing an integrated approach for determining suitable locations for landfills while considering their physical expansion. The proposed approach utilizes the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) to weigh the sets of identified landfill location criteria. Furthermore, the weighted linear combination (WLC) approach was applied for the elicitation of the proper primary locations. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) and cellular automation-based Markov chain method were used to predict urban growth. To demonstrate the applicability of the developed approach, it was applied to a case study, namely the city of Mashhad in Iran, where suitable sites for landfills were identified considering the urban growth in different geographical directions for this city by 2048. The proposed approach could be of use for policymakers, urban planners, and other decision-makers to minimize uncertainty arising from long-term resource allocation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 63 E ◽  
pp. 128-150
Author(s):  
Bianca RADU

The goal of this article is to analyze the level of citizens’ trust in different public institutions during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, and the influence of citizens’ trust on their compliance with the measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus. The research was conducted between November and December 2020 on a sample of 700 residents of Metropolitan Area of Cluj, Romania. During the time of data collection, Romania registered the largest number of daily COVID-19 cases, therefore, citizens’ compliance with preventive measures was crucial to contain the spread of the virus. Citizens reported high levels of compliance with preventive measures. However, even though people were recommended to avoid meetings with relatives and friends, and participation to private events with large number of people, respondents reported that did not fully comply with social distancing requirements. Citizens have highest level of trust in the public institutions at local level, medical institutions and County Committees for Emergency Situations. The research found that trust in public institutions influences the compliance with preventive measures; however, the influence is weak and the trust in different institutions influences differently policy compliance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1219-1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Roszkowska ◽  
Marzena Filipowicz-Chomko

Abstract Sustainability is a holistic and complex multi-dimensional concept comprising economic, social and environmental issues. The EU Sustainable Development Goals’ indicator set, developed by European Commission, is implemented online in Eurostat’s database and constitutes the basis for assessing the level of sustainability assessment in different areas. The integration of the sustainability indicators was carried out in many studies by using the multi-criteria techniques. This work proposes a new methodological framework based on extended TOPSIS procedure, which takes into account EU targets and/or national targets in building positive ideal solution and negative ideal solution. This algorithm allows compensatory and non-compensatory approach in integrated sustainability assessment from the target point of view. This framework has been applied to measure sustainable development in the area of education in 28 EU countries in 2015. The results of this research also illustrate the complexity of measuring sustainable development, where multiple sustainability criteria and targets are considered.


2013 ◽  
Vol 723 ◽  
pp. 968-975
Author(s):  
Hui Hua Yang

Public bikes rental system is an innovative scheme of rental bicycles in urban areas and can be seen as part of the public transport system. This study investigates the users of Taipei YouBike rental system, analysis their intention and behaviors, pre-expectation and actual experience on satisfaction. The result indicates that the users were mostly from long term annual fee commuters. The result also reveals distinct discrepancies between pre-expectation and actual experience, especially in distributes of safety routes and environments and clear indication of signs on bike routes. The findings can be used for Taipei City to improve the urban bicycle program and make more effort to develop safety cycling infrastructures and amenities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreea Daniela Pana Talpeanu ◽  
Lazar Rusu

Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) has generated considerable interest within Information Systems (IS) research as a consequence of its benefits in terms of cost efficiency and freedom to focus on core capabilities. This study covers the area of ITO in the public sector, specifically, in Swedish Municipalities where ITO has become a mainstream strategy. The influential ITO factors of the post-contract stage of an ITO relationship are examined and debated in light of existent research literature. The research is based on a case study of a Swedish Municipality and a direct IT vendor. A thematic analysis brings light upon three new ITO influential factors which are: (1) mutual understanding and long-term engagement; (2) Multi-sourcing, and (3) Communication between Municipalities, together with other seven factors present in the research literature that have an influence on the ITO relationship. The findings of this study can support ITO decision-makers from Swedish municipalities in improving the ITO relationship between their organizations and IT vendors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Pétervári

This article is a case study, providing a possible interpretation of the current Hungarian financial-legal culture.How to apply those terms and conditions in long-term loan agreements in financial crisis, which are favourable or seemingly irrelevant in good times but turn out to be disadvantageous, sometimes even disastrous in bad times. How to calculate and allocate risks, what is acceptable and what is foreseeable to laymen? The focus here is on the laymen attitudes towards long-term contractual obligations and performances in the global financial crisis: whether debtors’ contractual obligations must be fulfilled, what should be construed as an excuse for non-performance, whether there should be measures designed to protect the debtors more, if yes, at whose expense – the creditors (rather preventive measures) or the taxpayers (rather restitutive measures) –, if no, how to allocate ideally the risks and liabilities, is profit-making an evil per se, that needs to be managed?


Author(s):  
Marc Haddad ◽  
Rami Otayek

This chapter proposes a framework for integrating lean and systems thinking tools to explore the dynamics of lean implementations in manufacturing. The value of this integrated approach is in supplementing the operational level principles of lean with the strategic outlook of systems thinking to mitigate adverse impacts of operational complexity on system performance. In particular, the focus of the framework is to enable the sustainment of lean gains in the long-term, a major challenge in manufacturing settings. The application of the framework is illustrated with a case study of a lean implementation for reducing work-in-process (WIP) at a clothing manufacturer dealing with a number of operational complexities such as demand uncertainty, a high product mix and inefficient processes. The case study highlights the usefulness of system dynamics modeling in revealing counterintuitive system behaviors that could compromise the success of the lean initiative. The simulation results demonstrate the application of the framework for sustaining lean implementations in practice.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pernilla Ingelsson ◽  
Ingela Bäckström

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects a lean initiative has on the health-related quality management (QM) values, “Leadership Commitment” and “Participation of Everybody,” as well as on perceived co-worker health in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach A case study was carried out at a municipal division that had been working with lean for approximately 18 months. A questionnaire was used to measure the effect on health-related QM values both before and after the initial 18 month period. Documents from the intended lean implementation were studied at the starting point and after 18 months; this was followed up by examining new documents. The results from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS and the documents were analyzed by means of document comparisons and consensus discussion in the research group. Findings The effects on the health-related QM values; “Leadership Commitment” and “Participation of everybody” in this study showed that the values still permeated the organization to a relatively high extent after 18 months but that no statistical differences can be shown between the two measurement points. When measuring what effects a lean initiative has on values, a period of 18 months might be too short, if significance changes are expected. None the less, the results can be a way of monitoring the development of these softer values. Something that is equally important is to see if there have been any major changes, as a way of keeping the work with building a new culture alive and in focus. The results strengthen the assumption that a long-term mindset is needed when QM initiatives such as lean are applied within an organization especially when changes to values and workplaces are expected. Originality/value This study has further explored the QM in relation to lean in the respect of how the QM values “Leadership commitment” and “Participation of Everybody” are effected by a lean initiative.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8095
Author(s):  
Alexandra-Camelia Marian-Potra ◽  
Ramona Ișfănescu-Ivan ◽  
Sorin Pavel ◽  
Cătălina Ancuța

The linking (in terms of functional use) of brownfield sites with creative spaces is a frequently encountered phenomenon in western European, post-communist, and industrialized countries in general and is viewed as a way of revitalizing, repurposing, or simply making temporary use of them. It may also be seen in the municipality of Timișoara in Romania, where 12 creative spaces, each involving one or more kinds of functionalities (coworking space, maker space, community space, event space, incubator), are operating on such sites. A content analysis of interviews with those in charge of these 12 creative spaces brought to light, on the one hand, the opportunities represented by the existence of derelict industrial spaces, as represented by their large size, low rents, and innate flexibility, but on the other the reality of a number of long-term constraints on the use of these spaces, given the financial instability of cultural operators, the limited numbers of the public who are interested in creative activities of this kind, and, most seriously, the development pressure exerted by some real-estate developers on derelict industrial spaces.


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