An IoT-Based Services Infrastructure for Utility-Scale Distributed Solar Farms

Internet of Things (IoT) provides large-scale solutions for efficient resource monitoring and management. As such, the technology has been heavily integrated into domains such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and utilities, which led to the emergence of sustainable smart cities. The success of smart cities depends on the availability of data, as well as the quality of the data management infrastructure. IoT introduced numerous new software, hardware, and networking technologies designed for efficient and low-cost data transport, storage, and processing. However, proper selection and integration of the correct technologies is crucial to ensuring a positive return on investment for such systems. This paper presents a novel end-to-end infrastructure for solar energy analysis and prediction via edge-based analytics.

Potential factors in determining cross-border price spillovers in the pork sector: Evidence from net pork-importing countries

Although food self-sufficiency is regarded as a potent strategy to secure food supply in the policy circle, the efficacy of policy measures, especially in terms of their quantitative effects, is still not fully understood. We analysed the relationships between international and local prices of pork between January 2001 and December 2018 for 10 net pork-importing countries. The primary outcome obtained in our research is that high self-sufficiency and a small trade volume of pig meat commodities could impair price volatility transmission from the global market. This result does not suggest that a protectionist regime should be established to stabilise the national food supply. It presents useful information to balance the benefit from highly efficient resource allocation and the market steadiness gained from higher self-sufficiency in food, considering the maximisation of the expected utility of economic agents.

METHODOLOGICAL FEATURES OF ASSESSMENT OF THE LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF AN ENTERPRISE

Currently, an important item on the global agenda is the achievement of sustainable development, which is impossible without a transition to sustainable production and consumption patterns. Effective business models for ensuring more efficient resource use are offered by the concept of a circular economy (circular economy). Indicators other than those used in linear economics are needed to monitor progress in the transition to a circular economy. The article presents the results of an analytical review and comparison of the most common methodological approaches in English and Russian-speaking scientific research to assessing the circular economy at the local level. The advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, their areas of possible application are indicated. The conclusion is made about the narrowness of the interpretation of the concept of circular economy in the analyzed works and the need to develop a special tool for assessing the circular economy of an enterprise.

Managing User Integration

The importance of robotics and assistive technologies for healthcare is increasing. For their introduction into practical application, the continuous integration of the user perspective is crucial to ensure acceptance and usability. This can be achieved by the user-centered design approach. In an earlier publication, several problems with its functional implementation within research and development (R&D) projects were pointed out. This chapter discusses possible solutions to promote an effective integration of the user perspective in R&D projects based on six interviews with experts from Germany. The results can be summarized in three main requirements: first, the generation of a common understanding of the target group; second, a scientific research approach considering the context of technology usage; third, projectification, with a focus on efficient resource planning, the development of generic technologies, and technology evaluations with the user group. Leaders of innovative projects can benefit from implementing these strategies in the development process.