The Development and Issues of Energy-ICT: A Review of Literature with Economic and Managerial Viewpoints

This paper reviews the economic and managerial literature on the relationship between energy-ICT and the development of the green energy economy. It is summarized that there are four lines of existing literature on energy-ICT: cost and benefit analysis, fair competition issues, cybersecurity issues, and promotion policy issues. Even though ICT is energy-consuming, most of the existing empirical studies support the idea that energy-ICT has net positive effects on energy savings, energy efficiency improvement, emission reduction, and economic growth at both enterprise and economy-wide levels. Energy-ICT equips the platform operator with higher bargaining power, such that a governance mechanism to assure the fair access right of each entitled participant is required. A smarter energy-ICT network also becomes riskier, and hence the cybersecurity protection is more important than before. Future research and development opportunities remain on these issues of the fair competition, cybersecurity, and promotion policy of energy-ICT.

Defining ‘woman': A governmentality analysis of how protective policies are created in elite women's sport

Women's sport remains a contested realm that frequently features standards and regulations premised on women's inferiority and physiological distinctions from men. In response to these purported sex-based differences, a range of protective policies have been implemented to ostensibly ensure women's safety and health, defend “fair competition” in women's sport, and/or prevent the violation of social and medical boundaries that define who is a “woman.” Yet, protective policies encompass a multitude of rationales and strategies, demonstrating the malleability of “protection” in terms of who is protected and why. In this article, I draw from Michel Foucault's theory of “governmentality” to investigate the nuances of protective policies, especially their placed importance on sex differences. To do so, I examine three case studies: World Athletics’ (WA) 2019 female eligibility policy, WA's 2019 transgender eligibility policy, and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Using document texts and semi-structured interviews with eight scientists involved with developing the case studies, I find that protective policies are developed through messy and often contentious processes that selectively draw from varying knowledges and discourses. This then culminates in contrasting methods of defining, protecting, and governing women athletes and their bodies.

Network Embedding-Based Approach for Detecting Collusive Spamming Groups on E-Commerce Platforms

Information security is one of the key issues in e-commerce Internet of Things (IoT) platform research. The collusive spamming groups on e-commerce platforms can write a large number of fake reviews over a period of time for the evaluated products, which seriously affect the purchase decision behaviors of consumers and destroy the fair competition environment among merchants. To address this problem, we propose a network embedding based approach to detect collusive spamming groups. First, we use the idea of a meta-graph to construct a heterogeneous information network based on the user review dataset. Second, we exploit the modified DeepWalk algorithm to learn the low-dimensional vector representations of user nodes in the heterogeneous information network and employ the clustering methods to obtain candidate spamming groups. Finally, we leverage an indicator weighting strategy to calculate the spamming score of each candidate group, and the top-k groups with high spamming scores are considered to be the collusive spamming groups. The experimental results on two real-world review datasets show that the overall detection performance of the proposed approach is much better than that of baseline methods.

Can competition improve hospital quality of care? A difference-in-differences approach to evaluate the effect of increasing quality transparency on hospital quality

Public reporting on the quality of care is intended to guide patients to the provider with the highest quality and to stimulate a fair competition on quality. We apply a difference-in-differences design to test whether hospital quality has improved more in markets that are more competitive after the first public release of performance data in Germany in 2008. Panel data from 947 hospitals from 2006 to 2010 are used. Due to the high complexity of the treatment of stroke patients, we approximate general hospital quality by the 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate for stroke treatment. Market structure is measured (comparatively) by the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI) and by the number of hospitals in the relevant market. Predicted market shares based on exogenous variables only are used to compute the HHI to allow a causal interpretation of the reform effect. A homogenous positive effect of competition on quality of care is found. This effect is mainly driven by the response of non-profit hospitals that have a narrow range of services and private for-profit hospitals with a medium range of services. The results highlight the relevance of outcome transparency to enhance hospital quality competition.

Transgender Swimmer in College Athletics

There is current scientific and legal controversy about sports competition eligibility regulations for transgender athletes. To better understand and contextualize the effect of androgen-suppression treatment on swimming performance, we compared the gender-related differences in performance of a transgender swimmer who competed in both the male and female NCAA (collegiate) categories to the sex-related differences in performance of world and national class swimmers. These data demonstrate that the gender-related differences in middle distance freestyle performances of a transgender woman are smaller than the observed sex-related differences in performance of top athletes. Our analysis may be useful as a framework for regulators considering participation guidelines which promote fair competition for all athletes, whether cisgender or transgender.

The concept of the development of wholesale and retail markets and its main objectives in ensuring food security of the country

Создание условий для развития продовольственного рынка и обеспечения продовольственной безопасности страны в условиях глобализации и недобросовестной конкуренции на внешнем рынке является стратегической задачей органов государственной власти и бизнеса. Важное место в решении этой задачи отводится разработке и реализации эффективных законов и государственных программ для формирования эффективной товаропроводящей инфраструктуры и обеспечения гарантированного сбыта отечественного продовольствия на внутреннем рынке по справедливой цене. Необходимым условием решения этой проблемы для реализации скоропортящейся продукции является создание эффективной системы оптовых продовольственных и розничных рынков. Основным преимуществом этих каналов сбыта является то, что они создают условия для развития добросовестной конкуренции между поставщиками продуктов питания на территории этих рынков и формированием справедливой цены на продукты питания. Как показывает зарубежный опыт, государственная поддержка этих каналов сбыта обусловлена их ролью в продовольственном снабжении населения городов и решением социально-экономических проблем общества. Для создания эффективной системы оптовых продовольственных рынков в субъектах Российской Федерации 27 сентября 2021 г. Правительством Российской Федерации утверждена Концепция развития оптовых продовольственных рынков и подготовлены законопроекты по внесению изменений в Закон о регулировании торговой деятельности в части развития розничных рынков. Creating conditions for the development of the food market and ensuring food security of the country in the context of globalization and unfair competition in the foreign market is a strategic task of public authorities and business. A ranking place in solving this problem is given to the development and implementation of effective laws and state programs to form an effective commodity distribution infrastructure and ensure the guaranteed sale of domestic food products on the domestic market at an equitable price. The necessary condition for solving this problem for selling perishable products is the creation of an effective system of wholesale food and retail markets. The main advantage of these marketing channels is that they create conditions for the development of fair competition between suppliers of food products in the territory of these markets and the formation of a fair price for food products. As foreign experience shows, the state support of these marketing channels is due to their role in the food supply of the population of cities and solving socio-economic problems of society. In order to create an effective system of wholesale food markets in the subjects of the Russian Federation, on September 27, 2021 by the Government of the Russian Federation approved the Concept of development of wholesale food markets and prepared the bills on amendments to the Law on regulation of commercial activities in terms of development of retail markets.

Gender identity and Olympic games: The iridescence in Tokyo 2020

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has brought great strides in terms of equality and inclusion. At least 185 publicly out LGBTIQ+ athletes have attended this global mega-event, which is more than triple the number from the 2016 Rio Olympics. This study investigates the sports participation of the LGBTIQ+ group based on qualitative method of literature review and logical analysis. It first examines the literature about the LGBTIQ+ group's sports participation and then sheds light on the evolution of gender characteristics of Olympics and sports from a historical research perspective. Finally, taking Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as an example, this work discusses the state quo and future of the LGBTIQ+ group's Olympic participation. The results indicate that sex discrimination in sports has a long history. As the most important global sporting event, the Olympic Games have gone through different stages from the "male-exclusivity" to the gender binary system. However, true gender equality has not yet been realized. In addition, it points out that the Tokyo Olympics is of positive significance for promoting inclusiveness and equality. The ever-developing inclusiveness and diversity will probably break the gender competition mechanism of the Olympic Games. Sports institutions need to deal well with issues of gender equality and fair competition

EEC ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT VIOLATIONS OF THE GENERAL RULES OF COMPETITION IN CROSS-BORDER MARKETS

The article presents a study of the activities of the Eurasian Economic Commission in the field of suppressing anticompetitive conduct restoring a level playing field in the cross-border markets of the Eurasian Economic Union. The study is provides an overview and classification of the most widely used performance indicators of the antimonopoly agency based on world practice. The reasons for the inexpediency, and sometimes the impossibility of using most of them in order to assess the performance of the supranational antimonopoly authority of the Eurasian Economic Union, are indicated. It is analyzed what indicators of the work of the Eurasian Economic Commission can give an objective assessment of the effectiveness of its activities based on the available data. The article presents the results of assessing the activities of the supranational antimonopoly authority according to various criteria in the field of considering the cases of a potential violation of the general rules of competition in cross-border markets for 2016-2019. It is concluded that as a whole the antimonopoly policy of the integration grouping successfully copes with the task of suppressing anti-competitive behavior and restoring fair competition and meets international standards, despite a number of difficulties in this area.

Rapid Athlete Testing

<p>The Rapid Athlete Testing project stemmed from exploratory research partnership to assess the commercial viability of Auramer Bio’s aptamer-based biosensor in the field of testing athletes for signs of drug abuse and doping in sport. Within this project, we aimed to explore a side avenue for the device to ascertain further market exploration and to determine whether it could be a popular and profitable industry to enter. The drug abuse and doping in sport industry is a worldwide cause and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) leads the charge as an individual governing body. Each nation has a government-affiliated body that facilitates the sample collecting and testing at one of the 34 WADA accredited labs around the world. The scope of the opportunity for the innovation and commercialisation of this project is immense as Auramer Bio’s device could be implemented on the grand worldwide scale. This project and report aims to explore and analyse the development and commercialisation potential of the device for Auramer Bio. The opportunity primarily lay in the evaluation of a suitable business and product development strategy, understanding the scope of the industry and a thorough analysis of similar technologies and competitor products. In order to delve into this regimented and secretive industry to extract the necessary information and assess the viability of our goal, we first needed to find where we could obtain these sources of information and what we needed to ask them. For the true development of the project, we explored several business and development strategies to ensure the right methodology was being carried out for the device. We assessed our most direct competition and investigated the development strategies of similar technologies. Next, we began to reach out and connect with organisations involved with the drug testing in sport industry, as well as those indirectly involved and those affected by it. We directly interviewed candidates from Drugfree Sport NZ, the Australian Sports Drug Testing Lab (ASDTL) and were even fortunate enough to have a survey for WADA answered. Through our investigation, we found many key inefficiencies within the industry that our device could exploit to create a viable niche. Our research participants confirmed our base theories and assumptions, whilst also delivering vital information that allowed us to pivot accordingly. We have also found an amiable starting point for the device’s prototype and a direction for the future. With the help of one of our research participants, we were able to isolate a plan for our path to market and our hopeful future WADA accreditation for the device. The Rapid Athlete Testing project has sought out the knowledge of several key industry representatives, the athletes and coaches themselves and has networked effectively to create a practical starting point for Auramer Bio’s aptamer based biosensor within a firmly structured industry. If managed successfully in the future, the work from this project could take the device to the world stage and be a key tool in the Olympics and other large sporting events to come, maintaining fair competition in sport.</p>

Rapid Athlete Testing

<p>The Rapid Athlete Testing project stemmed from exploratory research partnership to assess the commercial viability of Auramer Bio’s aptamer-based biosensor in the field of testing athletes for signs of drug abuse and doping in sport. Within this project, we aimed to explore a side avenue for the device to ascertain further market exploration and to determine whether it could be a popular and profitable industry to enter. The drug abuse and doping in sport industry is a worldwide cause and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) leads the charge as an individual governing body. Each nation has a government-affiliated body that facilitates the sample collecting and testing at one of the 34 WADA accredited labs around the world. The scope of the opportunity for the innovation and commercialisation of this project is immense as Auramer Bio’s device could be implemented on the grand worldwide scale. This project and report aims to explore and analyse the development and commercialisation potential of the device for Auramer Bio. The opportunity primarily lay in the evaluation of a suitable business and product development strategy, understanding the scope of the industry and a thorough analysis of similar technologies and competitor products. In order to delve into this regimented and secretive industry to extract the necessary information and assess the viability of our goal, we first needed to find where we could obtain these sources of information and what we needed to ask them. For the true development of the project, we explored several business and development strategies to ensure the right methodology was being carried out for the device. We assessed our most direct competition and investigated the development strategies of similar technologies. Next, we began to reach out and connect with organisations involved with the drug testing in sport industry, as well as those indirectly involved and those affected by it. We directly interviewed candidates from Drugfree Sport NZ, the Australian Sports Drug Testing Lab (ASDTL) and were even fortunate enough to have a survey for WADA answered. Through our investigation, we found many key inefficiencies within the industry that our device could exploit to create a viable niche. Our research participants confirmed our base theories and assumptions, whilst also delivering vital information that allowed us to pivot accordingly. We have also found an amiable starting point for the device’s prototype and a direction for the future. With the help of one of our research participants, we were able to isolate a plan for our path to market and our hopeful future WADA accreditation for the device. The Rapid Athlete Testing project has sought out the knowledge of several key industry representatives, the athletes and coaches themselves and has networked effectively to create a practical starting point for Auramer Bio’s aptamer based biosensor within a firmly structured industry. If managed successfully in the future, the work from this project could take the device to the world stage and be a key tool in the Olympics and other large sporting events to come, maintaining fair competition in sport.</p>