Suchergebnisse

The declining cost of solar technology and declaration of Japan, China, and Korea to not invest in new coal power plants has opened up new possibilities for the expansion of solar deployment worldwide. Bangladesh has also scrapped the plan to build new coal power plant like many other lower middle-income countries in Asia. However, the lower middle-income countries were not able to take the opportunity of the declining solar cost in last one decade and the growth of solar remained in the formative phase for most of the developing countries. Bangladesh has already missed the target to generate 10% from renewable by the year 2020. The increasing emphasis on solar globally and locally has pushed the government to set ambitious targets without considering the techno-economic, socio-technical, and political feasibility of solar. This research has used process tracing based on policy documents and interviews to explore the mechanisms through which solar deployment grew slowly in Bangladesh. Then, this paper found out the feasible, moderately feasible, ambitious, and highly ambitious solar targets of Bangladesh and identified the factors that can increase the multi-dimensional feasibility of solar targets. It shows that market mechanism alone cannot increase feasibility of the target and argues that socio-technical and political feasibility must also be considered in setting realistic target.
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (Hum.), Vol. 68(1), 2023, pp.33-56

COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures reasonably limited the social contacts of people in many countries. It is crucial to understand the effect of such policies on people's social ties and the possible need for evidence-based public policy amendments. Therefore, this study examines 1) the prevalence of loneliness in the population aged 15+ in Lithuania in late 2021 and 2) the self-rated effect of the COVID crisis on loneliness in population groups with different levels of loneliness. It also focuses on the socio-demographic characteristics of these population groups. Data from a representative cross-sectional quantitative survey (N = 1067), carried out in November–December 2021, was used. Based on the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, descriptive statistics analysis revealed the high prevalence (51% of a medium level of loneliness) in the Lithuanian population. One in three people (36%) declared low-level loneliness, and each seventh or eighth (13%) reported high-level loneliness. The feelings of respondents who reported a high level of loneliness were also less stable; they more often stated that their feelings of loneliness increased during the pandemic. These research findings make contributions to studies of loneliness within the context of sudden crises. They emphasise the importance of policymakers focusing on additional measures when preparing for future emergencies and providing special attention to residents who experience the highest levels of loneliness. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SPER-020 Full Text: PDF

TOEFL test is one type of English testing system to measure test takers' proficiency in English grammar and structures as well as academic skills such as listening and reading. Within Indonesian higher education context, postgraduate English department students are required to have a minimum TOEFL score of 500 in order to be able to pass the thesis exam or to graduate. As English is a foreign language to students, having a high TOEFL score would be challenging for them. This study aims to identify and describe the difficulties faced by students of a postgraduate English department in a government university in West Nusa Tenggara. This study employed a survey research design. Questionnaires and interviews were used for the data collection. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were used as the basis of data analysis. Sixteen (16) students in their first semester in the academic year 2022/2023 were involved as the participants of the study. The findings revealed that the students have difficulty in all three sections: listening, structure and reading. In listening they found difficulties in several aspects including negative expressions, idiomatic expressions and long conversations. In structure, their problems were in terms of having lack of grammar understanding such as parallel structure, subject-verb agreement, and error recognition. In reading, the students were still struggling with unknown vocabulary, implicit meaning, and time management. This study suggests that students should develop strategies to be successful in The TOEFL test.

IntroductionNewborn babies who require admission for specialist care can experience immediate and sometimes lasting impacts. For babies admitted to special care nurseries (SCN), there is no dataset comparable to that of the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN), which has helped improve the quality and consistency of neonatal intensive care through standardised data collection.
ObjectivesWe aim to establish a proof-of-concept, Victoria-wide registry of babies admitted to SCN, embedded within the whole-of-Victoria Generation Victoria (GenV) cohort.
MethodsThis prototype registry is a depth sub-cohort nested within GenV, targeting all babies born in Victoria from Oct-2021 to Oct-2023. Infants admitted to SCN are eligible. The minimum dataset will be harmonised with ANZNN for common constructs but also include SCN-only items, and will cover maternal, antenatal, newborn, respiratory/respiratory support, cardiac, infection, nutrition, feeding, cerebral and other items. As well as the dataset, this protocol outlines the anticipated cohort, timeline for this registry, and how this will serve as a resource for longitudinal research through its integration with the GenV longitudinal cohort and linked datasets.
ConclusionThe registry will provide the opportunity to better understand the health and future outcomes of the large and growing cohort of children that require specialist care after birth. The data would generate translatable evidence and could lay the groundwork for a stand-alone ongoing clinical quality registry post-GenV.

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der Mai lief wieder besser. 191 Menschen und Institutionen haben im vergangenen Monat einen Anteil zur Mitfinanzierung dieses Blogs geleistet. Insgesamt kamen 4.072 Euro (zuzüglich Umsatzsteuer)
zusammen. Ein vergleichsweise hoher Wert. Allerdings immer noch gut 1.400 Euro weniger, als ich derzeit zum nachhaltigen Betrieb brauche. Ich danke allen Unterstützerinnen und Unterstützern
sehr herzlich. Sie helfen mit, dass der gesamte Blog für alle Leserinnen und Leser unabhängig von ihrem Geldbeutel zugänglich bleibt. Und Ihre Geste motiviert mich zusätzlich.



 



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einen vergleichsweise starken Monat und meine entsprechende Meldung stets ein Monat mit einem deutlichen Rückgang in Sachen Zahlungsbereitschaft.



 



Keinen Rückgang, sondern im Gegenteil einen kräftigen Anstieg gibt es seit Monaten bei den Nutzerzahlen. Im Mai hatte meine Seite etwa 111.000 Besucherinnen und Besucher, gut 40 Prozent mehr
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weiter ich vom Zahlungsziel entfernt bleibe, desto weniger bleibt also für eine Entlohnung meiner Arbeit übrig.



 



Wenn Sie meine journalistische Arbeit wichtig und hilfreich finden, würde ich mich über Ihre erstmalige oder erneute Unterstützung sehr freuen. Bitte bleiben Sie mir und meinem Blog
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Mit den besten Wünschen



Ihr Jan-Martin Wiarda


Einnahmen für den Blog im Mai 2023

Abstract
The presence of trace elements such as lithium (Li) in water resources in the long term can endanger consumers' health. Several studies have been conducted on Li concentration in water sources; hence, this study attempted to retrieve studies using a systematic search. The search was conducted in Web of Sciences, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases from 1 January 2010 to 15 January 2023. Li concentration was meta-analyzed based on the type of water resources and countries subgroups in the random effects model (REM) statistical analysis. In addition, health risk assessment in different age groups was calculated using the target hazard quotient (THQ). This study included 76 papers with 157 data reports in our meta-analysis. The overall pooled concentration of Li was 5.374 (95 % CI: 5.261–5.487 μg/L). The pooled concentration of Li in groundwater (40.407 μg/L) was 14.53 times surface water (2.785 μg/L). The highest water Li content was attributed to Mexico (2,209.05 μg/L), Bolivia (1,444.05 μg/L), Iraq (1,350 μg/L), and Argentina (516.39 μg/L). At the same time, the lowest water Li content was associated with Morocco (1.20 μg/L), Spain (0.46 μg/L), and India (0.13 μg/L). THQ due to Li in water resources in consumers of Iraq, Mexico, South Africa, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Portugal, Malawi, South Korea, Nepal, South Korea, Argentina, and the USA was higher than 1 value. Therefore, continuous monitoring of Li concentration in water sources and reducing Li concentration, especially in groundwater water, using new water treatment processes in these countries are recommended.

Abstract
This paper analyzes the cultural and social dimensions of the concept of civil diplomacy, encompassing various aspects of intellectual, artistic, literary, and creative life. It reflects the dynamism of cultural life on national, ethnic, and humanistic levels. People-to-people diplomacy is a theoretical concept that symbolizes the protection of basic human rights in terms of knowledge, work, housing, freedom of expression, and the right of people to defend themselves and build their communities freely, according to their core interests, without external pressures. It utilizes media channels to promote relations between nations and relies on civil initiatives and non-governmental organizations to generate widespread public opinion that contributes to raising awareness among people in various fields. Civil diplomacy has contributed to enhancing positive cooperation between nations and has helped expand the scope of collaboration among people's organizations advocating for the fundamental interests of their communities. The paper addresses the origins of diplomatic representation between China and Arab countries, the cultural and social dimensions of China-Arab civil diplomacy, the distinguished experience of the Arab-Chinese Friendship Association from 2006 to 2023, China's and Arab countries' efforts to build a more humane globalization, and the future prospects of civil diplomacy in the development of China-Arab relations build a more humane globalization, and the future prospects of civil diplomacy in the development of China-Arab relations.

Indian Army's doctrinal manoeuvring would create severe challenges for the strategic stability of South Asia. The New Land Warfare Doctrine envisage force restructuring. Under the new doctrine, Indian Army's Integrated Battle Groups will be highly equipped with reduced numbers but qualitatively a deadly force with modern weapons and equipment for quick shallower operations under the nuclear threshold of Pakistan. The LWD also focuses on a force to fight a two-front war against China and Pakistan. Still, this point is contentious because India's military deployment and force modernisation is Pakistan-focused, not against China. China is too assertive for India, and both states have huge asymmetry at all levels. In addition, the article concludes that under this new doctrine, India would also use sub-conventional warfare operations or surgical strikes. The study concludes that Pakistan will never accept any intimidation or bullying. Pakistan's response to any misadventure by India will be apt, quick and precise. The study emphasises that confrontation between two belligerents would have far-reaching regional and global security implications. Both nuclear powers of South Asia must engage themselves in a meaningful, consistent dialogue process for South Asia's long-term peace and stability.


Bibliography Entry
Saba, Al-Kokab and Dr. Noor Fatima (2023) "Doctrinal Shift in the Indian Army after 2018: Implications for Pakistan" NDU Journal. 37: 16-24.

The origin of the Kashmir dispute is political, as it is the unfinished agenda of partitioning the Indian Subcontinent. The legal aspects were later attached to the dispute to provide relevance and coverage to the unsolicited Indian invasion, which was a significant impediment towards a logical and pacific resolution. However, over seven decades of occupation proved infertile and less time for winning the hearts and minds of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for India. Today, after seventy-five years of its occupation, the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir neither accept the Indian constitution, nor the annexation, unilaterally and illegally carried out by India on August 5, 2019. Instead, they stood up for their fundamental right of self-determination with new vigour and enthusiasm. This development has infuriated India to commit massive human rights violations in IIOJK. While India has done all this in violation of UN resolutions on Kashmir, there are sufficient grounds for pursuing the case in the UN politically and legally. This research focuses on finding out a roadmap as a way forward for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute through political and lawful means.


Bibliography Entry
Khan, Dr. Muhammad and Sidra Khan (2023) "Roadmap for the Political and Legal Resolution of the Kashmir Dispute" NDU Journal. 37: 85-100.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of organizational justice components on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) of employees in the higher education sector of Vietnam. Although many research studies have been conducted in organizations on the topics of organizational justice, as well as organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviour, there is a shortage of these topics in higher education institutions as well as in Asian context. Therefore, this article attempts to fill this literature gap. A total of 317 employees from various universities in Vietnam participated in this study, and a self-administered survey was conducted, which was modified based on suggestions from the universities' management team following interviews. The collected data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results showed that procedural justice and interactional justice had a significant impact on both job satisfaction and organizational commitment, while distributive justice only affected job satisfaction. Furthermore, the study found that job satisfaction and organizational commitment significantly affected OCB. However, this study had a limitation in terms of the narrow sample size, which only included participants from universities. Future studies should broaden the sample size to include participants from vocational colleges. On paper, the study shows the effects of organizational justice on OCB through the mediating roles of individual work outputs, which received inadequate attention in previous studies. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-08 Full Text: PDF

Background: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a great influence on the sustainability of company development, so it can be considered a business model for business effectiveness. Objective: The objective of the research is to determine the mutual influence of real-estate companies' activities and CSR effectiveness in different countries. This study examines indicators for assessing companies' financial stability, CSR, and working capital management's influence on the activity effectiveness of real-estate companies. Methods/Analysis: Questionnaires, the principal component method, the Sobel test, and linear regression analysis are used to evaluate the relationship between CSR and the business performance of autocratic management-style companies. The authors' algorithm for assessing a company's financial stability, CSR, and capital management, which affect the efficiency of companies, is proposed. Findings: Empirical analysis has shown that management has no mediating effect on CSR and enterprise performance relationships for companies with high financial stability and working capital, though it has a stimulating effect for low financial stability companies. CSR and business performance have positive relationships in companies, but despite financial stability growing, the autocratic leadership style reduces interest in CSR development. This paper conceptualizes the impacts of CSR on the effectiveness of companies. Novelty: The novelty of this study is to create theoretical and practical provisions aimed at laws and regulations. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-03-08 Full Text: PDF

Abstract. In the present study, we analyze ground-motion hazard
maps and hazard disaggregation in order to define areas in Italy where
liquefaction triggering due to seismic activity can not be excluded. To this
end, we refer to the triggering criteria (not to be confused with
liquefaction susceptibility criteria, which essentially take into account
soil type and depth to groundwater) proposed by the Italian Guidelines for
Seismic Microzonation, which are described in the main body of the
paper. However, the study can be replicated in other countries that
adopt different criteria. The final goal is the definition of a screening
map for all of Italy that classifies sites in terms of liquefaction
triggering potential according to their seismic hazard level. The map, which
is referred to with the Italian acronym MILQ – Mappa del potenziale d'Innesco
della LiQuefazione (i.e., map of liquefaction triggering potential), and the
associated data are freely accessible at the following web address:
https://distav.unige.it/rsni/milq.php (last access: 28 April 2023). Our results can be useful to guide
land-use planners in deciding whether liquefaction is a hazard that needs to
be considered within the planning processes or not. Furthermore, they can
serve as a guide for recommending geological and geotechnical investigations
aimed at the evaluation of liquefaction hazards or, conversely, rule out
further studies with consequent savings in efforts and money.

The United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union was supposed to be definitively settled several times during the past decade – yet it was not. The 2016 referendum brought about a surge in interest in legal questions, especially of EU law and international economic law. This presented scholars with a questionable gift: on the one hand, countless new opportunities for research, publications, and public visibility; on the other, the curse of chasing a rapidly and at times erratically moving target. Therefore, this essay reflects on the continued relevance of Brexit scholarship and different strategies for extending its shelf-life. It argues that the relevance of this scholarship may indeed extend into the future when foresighted and innovative approaches are being put forward. Looking ahead, the essay observes that the Windsor Framework to overhaul the Northern Ireland Protocol likely marks the end point of the frenzied and fraught EU-UK relationship between 2016 and 2023. The essay concludes that, while disagreements will continue, the EU-UK relationship as a topic is entering a period of normalization. Rigorous legal and innovative interdisciplinary scholarship will remain necessary both to develop EU-UK relations as a sub-topic of its own and to embed it into wider discourses of EU and international law.
Brexit, EU–UK Relations, Legal Scholarship, Northern Ireland, Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Withdrawal Agreement

The article is devoted to how the events of 2022 and early 2023. influenced the process of integration of Ukraine economic and political space of the European Union. She would hardly have survived without the assistance of the EU member states. For it, the question of the forms, pace and timing of European integration for Kyiv has evolved from much theoretical to practical and urgent. The speed of its restoration will also depend on the answer to this question, and the future of the EU, its «strategic autonomy» will depend on how and when the armed conflict and political crisis in Eastern Europe will end. How everything that has happened to Ukraine during this time has affected the process of its integration with the EU is difficult to assess unequivocally. On the one hand, one of its main conditions - achieving a level of development comparable to other EU countries, economic and political-legal compatibility, geopolitical risks have increased as well. The armed conflict has exacerbated the ongoing difficulties of transformation. On the other hand, doubts about the viability of the Ukrainian state, the stability of its foreign policy orientation have eased, mutual rapprochement has accelerated at the economic, political and (due to mass emigration to EU member states) even at the personal levels. There is an obvious need to rethink and clarify the objectives of the relevant policy, the possibilities, ways and timing of their achievement.

In recent times, Uganda has witnessed human suffering resulting from the occurrence of environmental disasters thereby placing social work professionals, particularly those in civic organizations at the forefront of responses. As such, this article argues that the country's largely agrarian welfare system and its pursuit of sustainable social development urgently necessitate reframing social work scholarship with an emphasis on eco-social theory for professionals to gain relevance and preparedness for actions and interventions that address environment linked problems. Through case analysis, the paper presents four recent cases of environmental natural disasters as a persuasion towards building an eco-social work body of knowledge. It then highlights the education and practice actions towards an eco-social work knowledge. The channels through which this action should take place are discussed and the implications of eco-social work thinking on professional social work education and practice are explored. It concludes by proposing a model for eco-social work education and practice that integrates formal public environmental safeguards and indigenous knowledge systems that champion protective and co-dependence approaches in people-environment interfaces.
How to reference using ASWNet style:
Bhangyi, V. B. (2023). Directions in constructing a body of knowledge in eco-social work education and practice in Uganda: Actions, channels, and implications. African Journal of Social Work, 13(2), 70-77. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i2.3
Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net