„Duma i uprzedzenie i zombi” Setha Grahame-Smitha i Jane Austen jako popkulturowy recykling kanonu

The article discusses the film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is a reference to Jane Austen’s novel, and the problem of zombie characters as a factor modifying the reality of its original version. The analysis was carried out with reference to the plot design of the film, the way of creating heroes and the costumes within the framework of a costume movie in which the story was embedded. The aim of the article is to identify the causes and consequences of introducing undead characters to the world created by Jane Austen. The reasons for this treatment were the popularity of the zombie motif in popular culture, the tendencies to experiment with the reinterpretation of works considered classic and repeatedly processed earlier into the language of cinema, as well as an attempt to adapt them to the requirements of a contemporary recipient seeking strong impressions. In addition, the world of zombies is a manifestation of the popular aspirations to achieve an economic profit. Consequences of completing the world with the undead epidemic theme include changes in the current social order, brutalization and sexualization of relations between characters, as well as a return to the traditional film narration about women, presented primarily as aesthetic objects and a source of interest for male characters.

Criminological features of cybercrime against minors

Cybercrime today is one of the fastest growing types of criminal activity that encroach on various social groups of community. Today, in addition to criminal acts aimed at economic profit, the level of criminal infringements aimed at the personal rights of children, has increased, as has the involvement of minors in the commission of serious and particularly serious crimes. Crimes against children committed in the information environment are different from traditional forms of criminal abuse, and are characterized by particular cruelty, a high level of proficiency of perpetrators, anonymity (identity of a perpetrator is hidden behind an information code) and transnationality. Conditionally the activities of cybercriminals can be categorized as offences aimed at the personal rights of children and criminal acts aimed at involving minors in offences through the information environment. Cybercriminal activities include, inter alia, trafficking in children in information and telecommunications networks; sexual exploitation of minors, including involvement in prostitution; inducement of children to commit suicide; and others. Such acts constitute serious or particularly serious crimes aimed at violating the personal rights of children, whose protection requires the development of national legislation and constant international cooperation. The author believes that specific international treaties on cooperation in the detection of cybercrime should be concluded, as well as general rules on the definition of various forms of cybercrime.

Analysis of competitiveness and economic profit of the confectionary sector in Kazakhstan and its comparison with Czech Republic data

Measuring competitiveness in post-communist countries in Central Asia is challenging. Many well-known metrics fail to warn bankruptcy risks sufficiently early or at all. This study uses metrics of the Altman z-score, Taffler z-score, IN99, IN01, IN05, and creditworthiness models to assess bankruptcy likelihood and financial performance of local and foreign confectionery companies operating in Kazakhstan during 2007-2018. These companies are Roshen, KDV Yaskino, Konti, Rakhat, and Bayan Sulu. The IN bankruptcy and creditworthiness models are considered in this study because they are found to be more appropriate for post-communist countries. Compared to the well known Altman or Taffler z-score models, they better suit the events and corporate situations peculiar to these countries. The benchmarking INFA system, involving a pyramidal approach developed for Czech companies, provides the economic-value-added (EVA) and component indicators to analyze competitiveness. This study also compares the performance of Kazakhstan companies with Nestlé Czechia and the Czech food industry. The objective is to analyze company competitiveness, bankruptcy probability, and ability to create value. Results show the effectiveness of INFA in analyzing competitiveness and the applicability of IN models to companies from Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic.

Mathematical Tool Based on Breakthrough Curves to Evaluate the Economic Advantages of Chemical Regeneration of Activated Carbon in Power Plants: A Comparative Study

A mathematical tool has been developed to evaluate the economic advantages of in-situ chemical regeneration of fixed-bed industrial adsorbers of granular activated carbon for cooling water treatment systems in Cuban power plants. Two scenarios of activated carbon (AC) management in a power plant were compared by applying the proposed model. The economic profit by implementing the regeneration strategy as a function of the number of regeneration cycles was determined and optimized. Breakthrough curves were obtained to assess the adsorption performance of the AC after progressive saturation–chemical regeneration cycles using synthetic water and hydrochloric acid, respectively. For the first saturation cycle, the breakthrough time was 272 min and after 10 cycles, it was reduced to 58 min, indicating a decrease of the adsorption capacity of 21%. The AC adsorption performance in terms of saturation time as a function of the number of regeneration cycles was considered one of the tool parameters. The proposed tool allows to determine the optimal number of regeneration cycles for a maximum economic profit in the regeneration strategy. It was demonstrated, using the proposed tool, that after an optimum of seven regeneration cycles, the power plant expends only 26% of the total investment. The simplicity of the tool permits a rapid way to find the most profitable number of regeneration cycles by combining economic, technical and adsorption efficiency parameters in one function, thus improving the AC management strategy at an industrial scale with corresponding environmental and economic advantages, including sustainability.

Combination of irrigation and fertilizer increases yield and economic profit in carrot production

ABSTRACT This study aimed to carry out an economical and productive analysis of carrot production using different irrigation depths and doses of fertilizer. A randomized block design was used arranged in a 6 × 4 factorial scheme, with three replicates. The treatments were constituted by six irrigation depths: (L1: 210.5, L2: 315.7, L3: 421.0, L4: 526.2, L5: 631.5, and L6: 736.7 mm) and four doses of fertilizer: (F1: 226.9, F2: 340.3, F3: 453.8 and F4: 567.2 kg ha-1) applied via fertigation. At the end of the cycle, four carrot roots were collected per plot to estimate yield. The maximum estimated yield of the carrot was 95.4 t ha-1, obtained using 478.1 mm of water and 538.8 kg ha-1 of fertilizer. The best economic return was achieved with 482.0 mm of water and 460.0 kg ha-1 of fertilizer, giving 95.0 t ha-1. The combination of irrigation and fertilizer allows lesser amount of both to be used, giving greater response than when applied separately.

Financial Evaluation of the Use of Reclaimed Water in Agriculture in Southeastern Spain, A Mediterranean Region

In a global context where agriculture is the major consumer of water, there is a pressing need to look for alternative water resources. In light of there being a lack of studies that compare the use of diverse water alternatives in different crops, the overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact generated by the use of tertiary water from an economic and financial perspective and compare it with groundwater and desalinated water. To reach this objective, a detailed study of the cost structure of greenhouse investment has been developed. Furthermore, the most traditional indicators for investment profitability have been calculated for the three different water alternatives: tertiary water, groundwater and desalinated water. The cost analyses demonstrate the relative short reach that the price of water has in an area of greenhouse agriculture exploitation, which provides a margin of increasing water costs while still allowing for economic profit. Taking into account the three water resources considered, evidence shows that the use of tertiary water is not only financially and economically viable but is also the best alternative water resource above desalinated water in terms of profitability and sustainability.