Critical Issues in Consumer Horticulture: Gaps in Research and Public Gardens’ Involvement in Consumer Horticulture

The retail gardening industry in the United States is expected to reach $50 billion by 2023, and it is a significant driver of the agricultural economy. To meet the corresponding demand for information, consumer horticulture (CH) professionals will need to develop innovative digital outreach, research-based solutions, a concerted recruitment of youth, and enhanced collaborations. To understand the current gaps in CH research and the extent of the involvement of public gardens in CH, surveys were conducted among the two groups, CH/extension researchers and staff of public gardens. The results of the surveys were presented at the virtual conference of the American Society for Horticultural Science on 12 Aug. 2020 during a workshop hosted by the Consumer Horticulture and Master Gardener Professional Interest Group. The workshop included four presentations, and two of those are discussed in this paper: 1) research gaps in CH and 2) bridging the divide between CH and public gardens. Among researchers, even though there was a general understanding of CH, there was a disconnect in participants’ perceptions of the roles of CH in the economy and recreation. The greatest knowledge gap was in basic horticultural practices. Regarding public garden professionals, there needs to be a concerted effort to educate them about CH so they can provide a consistent message to their audiences and the general public.

Anaerobic digestion fundamentals, challenges, and technological advances

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a natural biochemical process that converts organic materials into combustible biogas. AD has been long practiced for agricultural and urban waste management; however, this process is getting more attention as an alternative energy source nowadays. Additionally, various biogas-derived value-added chemicals and transportation fuels are turning AD into a profitable biorefinery business model. Despite its numerous potentials, AD technologies still face challenges in conversion efficiency, process stability, product quality, and economic feasibility. Researchers have been devising various mechanisms to tackle these challenges. However, a widespread adoption of commercial-scale AD is yet to be visible. The development of AD technology requires a concerted effort of scientists from different backgrounds to ensure rapid expansion.

Towards more inclusive metrics and open science to measure research assessment in Earth and natural sciences

Science's success and effect measures are built on a system that prioritizes citations and impact factors. These measurements are inaccurate and biased against already under-represented groups, and they fail to convey the range of individuals' significant scientific contributions, especially open science. We argue for a transition in this out-of-date value system that promotes science by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. To achieve systemic change, it will necessitate a concerted effort led by academic leaders and administrators.

Reinforcement of Humanitarian Policies to AID Displaced Population in Nigeria and Africa through Coordination, Collaboration and Integration Mechanism

Humanitarian programmes within Africa should be collaborative and integrative in nature, this would easily address the issue of displacement and abandonment, as it shall aid the promotion of the instrumentality of integration within Member states in Africa. Nigeria has over the years played a leading role in Africa affairs based on its foreign policy objectives. The servitude of brotherhood being demonstrated by Nigeria in Africa is a way of uplifting and promoting humanitarian aids in Africa. The problems of displacement of persons, who then becomes refugees in other climes within Africa cannot be overemphasized. People still bear the brunt of the conflict in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, which has resulted in widespread displacement, lack of protection, destruction of infrastructure and collapsed of basic services. The neglect for a concerted effort towards promoting humanitarian services within Africa, has open the doors for the United Nations or International communities to averred that aids and humanitarian services can only be sourced within their domain, thus making African states to be dependent. This study explores the possibilities of enhancing and promoting humanitarian policies in Africa through collaboration and integration. The study further identified areas of neglect in humanitarian services, as policies geared towards humanitarian services has to be sustained, to meet desired objectives. The study employed the secondary data analysis, and adopted the humanitarianism approach. The study recommended that existing humanitarian policies should be strengthened, sustained and adequately implemented to address the issues of humanitarian problems in Africa, while adequate measures are also put in place to monitor its’ implementation.

Introduction

Atrocity prevention is a difficult and complex undertaking, one that needs concerted effort by multiple stakeholders to be successful. This article seeks to help bridge the acknowledged gap between the promise of atrocity prevention and its implementation by providing an introduction about lessons learned from various case studies. By doing so, it seeks to develop an evidence base of effective atrocity prevention efforts to benefit practitioners of atrocity prevention. To ensure the evaluation is as rigorous as possible, five principles were incorporated into the research. One, to apply a reasonableness test so as not to confuse association with causation. Two, use a mixed methods approach for data collection. Three, triangulate data with multiple sources. Four, validate data with participants and experts to determine a level of accuracy. And five, consider a counterfactual argument of what would have happened if the preventive action(s) had not occurred.

Free-to-Fee Transformation of Industrial Services

Industrial firms venturing into services is a common phenomenon in B2B markets. However, companies are often unable to monetize many such services, thus incurring high costs of service provision without benefiting from revenue generation in return. To address this critical but little-studied problem, we investigate how industrial firms can transform existing free services into for-fee offerings. Employing a theories-in-use approach, we explore leading global firms via a cross-section of B2B industries, including automotive, maritime, material handling, medical equipment, mining and construction tools, and petrochemicals. Contingent on the empirics, we precisely characterize and define free industrial services. Based on the internal and external challenges that firms face in free-to-fee (F2F) transformations, we develop a typology classifying free services into four distinct categories: Front-runners, Tugs of War, In-house Shackles, and Dead Ends. For each category, we provide empirical illustrations and identify critical actions and activities that firms deploy to successfully implement F2F transformations along the dimensions of structures, processes, people, and rewards. Thus, we offer guidance on how to overcome both external and internal challenges. Our findings demonstrate that F2F transformations of industrial services are not isolated marketing, sales, or pricing activities but require a concerted effort among all organizational functions involved.

Reproducibility and research integrity in applied linguistics

This preprint contains the text of a submission of written evidence to the UK Parliament, House of Commons Science and Technology Committee inquiry on reproducibility and research integrity (submitted: 24 September 2021. Viewable on the parliament website). In our review of the breadth of the reproducibility crisis within applied linguistics, we emphasise the necessity for full disclosure of data and code as well as full provision of experimental materials and protocols. We also highlight the critical role research funders have in supporting the field-specific open digital infrastructures which are needed to support research reproducibility. Finally, we call for a concerted effort to reduce the power of the large publishing houses and support society-led publishing efforts, and non-profit publication platforms.

Professor David Tuesday Adamo's Biblical Scholarship on Women: Reflections from an African-South African Mosadi

One of the prolific writers in the discipline of African Biblical Hermeneutics is the Nigerian Old Testament (OT) scholar, Professor Tuesday David Adamo. In his tireless efforts to unlock the OT reality for African contexts, persuaded by his commitment to decolonise the subject of Biblical Studies, Adamo has made successful efforts to reflect on the African presence in the Old Testament. The present study seeks to engage Adamo's concept of African Biblical hermeneutics in order to investigate whether the author sufficiently discussed the theme of gender in his discourses. This research attempts to respond to the following two main questions in view of Adamo's discourses: (1) In Adamo's concerted effort of confirming the presence of Africa and Africans in the Hebrew Bible, does the woman question feature? (2) If so, how does Adamo navigate the question?

TEKS UBAT BEDIL: PENGETAHUAN TEKSTUAL TENTANG UBAT BEDIL MELAYU

The knowledge of firearms is one of the genres found in Malay manuscripts. However, gunpowder texts documented in such manuscripts have been largely elusive. This article aims to bridge the widening knowledge gap by presenting several textual evidence on the Malay tradition of using gunpowder. Using the philological research method, this article presents the transliteration of two texts found. Additionally, this paper intends to discuss content related to instructive and quantitative discourses. Therefore, this study is expected to provide a clearer picture of the textual dynamics of gunpowder knowledge to highlight the importance of the texts. Subsequently a discussion on the aforementioned manuscripts where specific gunpowder mixtures were explicitly stated will be considered as a concerted effort to enhance the understanding of Malay gun technology and facilitate in-depth discussions on various aspects of the traditional texts associated with the transmission of traditional knowledge, particularly in the form of quantitative or numerical descriptions. Keywords: Malay manuscripts, gunpowder text, traditional knowledge, textual dynamics, instructive and quantitative texts.

Fragmented Societies and a Fragmenting International System: Implications for Peacemaking

The cases of peacemaking in Kosovo and Sudan/South Sudan yield insights into the interplay of international politics, relations among political elites, and reconciliation among identity groups. A durable, positive peace requires an approach by peacemakers that encompasses all these dimensions. Complicating matters, the readiness of states to adhere to rules and norms built up over decades has declined in recent years. Absent a concerted effort to (re)build them, the work of peace mediation will become more challenging and the odds of success incalculably longer. This, in turn, will corrode the ability of external powers, competing via proxy, to work together even on unrelated matters in different parts of the globe.