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A Novel Application Of City Information Modelling: Filling The Gap In The Data Through Better Citizens' Engagement. Insights From Al Baqa
No full textNoCity Information Modelling (CIM) is a new approach which merges existing digital technologies for urban and building management. Its application is still in its infancy, as well as its potential has been not yet fully exploited. This paper presents some preliminary findings from a novel application of CIM to a pilot case study providing fresh insights on how CIM technologies can be applied in urban areas where inconsistency of data may challenge the imple-mentation of digital technologies. The novelty of the method stems from a mixed methodology, which integrates knowledge and technical expertise on CIM and social science thus providing a basis for building community resili-ence. The case of Al Baqa’ has been chosen, as paradigmatic example of a challeng-ing urban context, as it was originally a Palestinian refugees’ camp, and evolved over time into a dense development of mainly two-story concrete buildings. High population density in the area impacts on the environment in terms of pollution, shortage of services, water sewage efficiency and waste management. Refugees have been living in Al Baqa’a since 1967 facing daily challenges from different angles: political, because of the precarious acknowledgement of their rights as citizens; economic, for the settlement of-fers limited opportunities to grow; physical, as Baqa’a residents are plagued by a variety of issues, including underperforming water sewage system, lack of ventilation and daylight in the houses, poor waste management. In such context, the pilot project aims at developing a CIM prototype, merging in one platform a variety of data, including mapping of the water sewage sys-tem, 3D views of the buildings, and qualitative data collected from residents, in an attempt to combine data from different sources and actors and explore the potential of CIM in overcoming one of the major environmental challeng-es, e.g. water management. Further studies may apply the same methodology to different contexts and or different sectors, thus allowing for a better under-standing of potential benefits of CIM in terms of enhanced community resilience
Optimal scheduling of a multi-energy hub with integrated demand response programs
No full textYesThis paper presents an optimal scheduling framework for a multi-energy hub (EH) that integrates electricity, natural gas, wind energy, energy storage systems, and demand re-sponse (DR) programs. The EH incorporates key system components including transform-ers, converters, boilers, combined heat and power (CHP) units, and both thermal and elec-trical energy storage. A novel aspect of this work is the joint coordination of multi-carrier energy flows with DR flexibility, enabling consumers to actively shift or reduce loads in response to pricing signals while leveraging storage and renewable resources. The opti-misation problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and solved using the CPLEX solver in GAMS. To evaluate system performance, five case stud-ies are investigated under varying natural gas price conditions and hub configurations, including scenarios with and without DR and CHP. Results demonstrate that DR partici-pation significantly reduces total operating costs (up to 6%), enhances renewable utilisa-tion, and decreases peak demand (by around 6%), leading to a flatter demand curve and improved system reliability. The findings highlight the potential of integrated EHs with DR as a cost-effective and flexible solution for future low-carbon energy systems. Further-more, the study provides insights into practical deployment challenges, including storage efficiency, communication infrastructure, and real-time scheduling requirements, paving the way for hardware-in-the-loop and pilot-scale validations.Partially supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant EP/Y035135/1, and HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01-01-ID: 101131501, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE), titled: 6G Terahertz Communications for Future Heterogeneous Wireless Network (6G-TERAFIT)
Physical activity promotion in extremely rural districts: An analysis of facilitators and barriers in 13 rural districts of Bavaria
No full textNoBackground: Physical activity (PA) is a fundamental determinant of health, but governments face challenges promoting it. This holds particularly true for rural areas, which are home to a third of the population in the European Union. This study explores (1) to whom local government officials in extremely rural districts attribute the responsibility for PA promotion and (2) which barriers and facilitators they encounter when attempting to implement PA promotion projects.
Method: We conducted semistructured interviews with 24 officials responsible for PA promotion across 13 districts in the German state of Bavaria. Qualitative content analysis was applied to identify the allocation of responsibilities, as well as facilitators and barriers for rural PA promotion.
Results: Respondents characterized PA promotion in extremely rural areas as a multisectoral endeavor, considering sport clubs as central to program implementation and local governments as key providers of PA-friendly infrastructures. They named policymakers’ awareness for the issue, strong political support for project implementation, and well-established networks with external collaboration partners as important facilitators of PA promotion. Limited human and financial resources, requirements of funding schemes, inadequate infrastructures, and political challenges were identified as main barriers.
Conclusion: Results indicate that rural municipalities in Germany may require specially tailored funding schemes and PA promotion programs to strengthen existing structures, overcome barriers, and support local development. While confirming general findings from previous international research, this study may still provide important specific guidance for policymakers to improve PA program implementation outside of urban population centers in central Europe
Ancient Borrelia genomes document the evolutionary history of louse-borne relapsing fever
Get PDFYesSeveral bacterial pathogens have transitioned from tick-borne to louse-borne transmission, which often involves genome reduction and increasing virulence. However, the timing of such transitions remains unclear. We sequenced four ancient Borrelia recurrentis genomes, the agent of louse-borne relapsing fever, dating from 2300 to 600 years ago. We estimated the divergence from its closest tick-borne relative to 6000 to 4000 years ago, which suggests an emergence coinciding with human lifestyle changes such as the advent of wool-based textiles. Pan-genome analysis indicated that much of the evolution characteristic of B. recurrentis had occurred by ~2300 years ago, though further gene turnover, particularly in plasmid partitioning, persisted until ~1000 years ago. Our findings provide a direct genomic chronology of the evolution of this specialized vector-borne pathogen.This work was supported by grants to L.v.D. from UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships (MR/X034828/1) and the European Union END-VoC consortium (agreement no. 101046314) as well as grants to P.Sk. from the Vallee Foundation, the Wellcome Trust (217223/Z/19/Z), the European Molecular Biology Organisation, the European Research Council (grant no. 852558), and Francis Crick Institute core funding (FC001595) from Cancer Research UK, the UK Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust. P.Sw. was supported by Francis Crick Institute core funding (FC001595 to P.Sw.) and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship grant (MR/X034828/1 to L.v.D.). This research received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 834087; the C’MMIOS Project to I.A.). L.S. was supported by a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship (220457/Z/20/Z
Digital video advertising strategies: Grow your brand with online videos
No full textNoA comprehensive guide to navigating the complex world of digital marketing. From 3D video and augmented reality (AR), to virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and high-definition video
From attraction to aversion and back: examining brand hate, love, and retention
Get PDFYesThis study investigates psychological ownership, brand uniqueness, hedonic pleasure, and brand passion as antecedents of brand love (BL). Additionally, the study explores the mediating role of brand hate (BH) and the moderating effects of brand obsession and opposition loyalty on BL. Finally, the study examines brand retention (BR) as an outcome of BL. Four studies were conducted to test proposed relationships, and data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS 4. The findings of Study 1 showed that the antecedents (except psychological ownership) positively influenced BL. Furthermore, it was found that BH negatively predicts BL, and it also mediates the relationship between antecedents (except psychological ownership) and BL. Study 3 found the moderating effects of brand obsession and opposition loyalty between BH and BL. Finally, Study 4 confirmed the positive influence of BL on BH. The findings highlight how positive emotional antecedents can offset the effects of BH and sustain BH, even in emotionally ambivalent brand relationships. These results provide actionable insights for brand managers, emphasizing the importance of leveraging positive emotional connectors while mitigating negative consumer sentiments
A Multilevel Examination of Performance in Innovation Ecosystems: Board, Asset Scale, Technology, and Government Support
Get PDFYesWe investigate how the firm’s board structure (i.e., Chief Executive Officer duality or independence) and its asset scale at the microlevel, the industry’s technological intensity at the mesolevel, and the government’s initiatives at the macrolevel influence firms’ digital innovation performance in the innovation ecosystem of the Chinese manufacturing industry. Drawing on a longitudinal study of 1098 firms sourced from the China Stock Market and Accounting Research database, in this article, we utilize a coevolutionary multilevel model for the exploration. Our findings reveal that firms led by independent board members with large-scale assets and that have received government subsidies are more likely to achieve superior digital innovation performance. Furthermore, the impact of microlevel factors varies with technological intensity, with medium- and high-tech firms showing more significant innovation performance improvements. We suggest that firms maintain a board composition with a balanced
mix of independents with objective oversight and nonindependents with strategic influence and allocate their resources to capitalize on emerging technological trends to perform better in innovation ecosystems. Firms should not solely depend on government support but align their resource basis and governance structures to leverage technology and incentives effectively. Policymakers should craft targeted initiatives depending on the innovation ecosystems’ technological intensity and the firms’ resource endowments.China National Social Science (23&ZD078), Shanghai Office of Philosophy and Social Science (2021BGJ003
Realising Sustainable Access to Water and Sanitation in Africa: Role of Critical Institutions
No full textNoThe current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report reemphasises the fact that the African continent is particularly vulnerable to the disastrous impact of climate change. The Report highlights the urgent need for countries to adopt critical strategies towards ensuring the actualisation of 1.5 C temperature. Based on low adaptive strategies and geographical location, the impacts of climate change further exacerbate the inherent environmental challenges of the African continent, more so, the struggle to attain poverty-eradication. One of the adverse impacts of climate change is reducing access to water, thus increasing the burden on already water scarce African countries such as South Africa and Nigeria. In cognizance of the fact that access to water and sanitation is critical towards poverty eradication and realising the kind of continent that Africans want by 2063, African countries are increasingly adopting several measures to ensure citizens’ access to water. Taking a regional approach, this paper examines the current institutions and legal framework adopted by regional bodies in Africa, namely the South African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), proffering a practical template that States in sub-Saharan Africa can adopt to resolve this challenge of lack of access to clean, safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The chapter also discusses the existence of an adequate enforcement mechanism that ensures and provides the platform for citizens to assert and protect their right to access clean water and sanitation. Furthermore, the chapter’s focus on South Africa and Nigeria, analyses the extent to which regional frameworks are being adopted, implemented, and sustained at the national level, proffering recommendations which can be adopted by other countries within the sub-Saharan African region
Measuring Currency Risk Premium: The Case of Turkey
No full textYesThis study examines the determinants of a change in currency expectations for the Turkish Lira (TL) versus the US dollar with different maturities (1 month, 3 months and 1 year). The risk premium is estimated using the interest rate differential and a latent component called the missing risk premium. The empirical model is extended to break down the risk component by introducing other explanatory variables, such as currency swap agreements, credit default swap (CDS), foreign reserves and the volatility index (VIX). A state-space model is employed to explain the behaviour of an unobserved variable over the period between January 2005 and March 2023 with daily and weekly data frequencies. Our findings suggest that the uncovered interest parity (UIP) condition does not hold consistently in Turkey during this period. Deviations from UIP can be attributed to a time-varying risk premium as outlined in Fama's framework. Additionally, our analysis also shows that interest rates and swaps play a significant role in explaining the variations in the TL's risk premium. Moreover, we found a substantial increase in both the level and volatility of the missing risk premium for longer maturities after 2018. Incorporating observable variables substantially reduces both the magnitude and the long-lasting impact of the missing risk premium shocks on expectations. Overall, this study sheds light on the intricate relationship between monetary policy changes, exchange rates and risk premia in the context of an emerging market
Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy to investigate the reaction of alkylsulfate and alkylethoxysulfate surfactants with keratin
No full textYesTime-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) was used to investigate the changes in keratin protein surface chemistry caused by the covalent bonding reactions of commercially available alkylsulfates and alkyl ethoxysulfates surfactants. Due to cystine and cysteine oxidation, plus regular shampooing, the surface chemistry of human hair is different from that of freshly scoured merino wool. Human hair can produce positive ions derived from the reaction of alkylsulfates and alkylethoxysulfates, commonly present in shampoos, with histidine and possibly lysine residues (with little evidence for cysteine thiol reaction). ToF-SIMS analysis of alkylsulfate treated keratin fibers confirmed the reaction of these surfactants with cysteine thiol, tyrosine phenolate, histidine imino, and possibly lysine amino residues. The reaction of alkylsulfates with keratin fiber surface nucleophiles is salutary since similar nucleophiles are present in skin proteins, enzymes, and DNA—which could reasonably be expected to undergo similar modification. In the case of skin, this reaction increases the surface hydrophobicity, which alters the skin biochemistry and microbiome. This results in suitable environmental conditions that could exacerbate existing afflictions such as dandruff, eczema, and mouth ulcers