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Barriers to financing climate change actions in infrastructure projects in Ghana
Full text linkClimate change alters how often damaging events such as floods and fires occur, and how severe they are. This is likely to increase damage and disruption to ongoing and completed public infrastructure projects in Ghana such as Keta Port Project, District and regional hospital projects, West Africa Petroleum Hub, Takoradi Gas Tank Farms, and expansion of second cycle educational institutions under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy. Damages to these infrastructure projects in Ghana as result of climate change affect people, communities, and the economy, through direct damages and flow-on (indirect) impacts such as disruptions to businesses, productivity, and the way of life. Existing infrastructures in the country have commonly been designed to suit historic climate patterns and may not withstand future climate conditions. A major strategy to address these concerns from potential climate crisis is getting enough financial support to build and support climate-resilient infrastructure projects. However, little has been explored on the barriers to financing this cause in the country. Therefore, the aim of this article is to assess the key financing barriers to climate-conscious infrastructures in Ghana with solutions. The study utilised questionnaire data from project management professionals and experts. Whilst the findings reveal twenty-one critical challenges to financing climate change, the participants provided solutions such as creating a climate fund to support infrastructure development. The findings of this study are critical to raise awareness of climate funding for infrastructure projects and it provides a guide to poster future studies
Beyond COVID-19: Integrating Disposable Face Masks in Asphalt to Combat Plastic Waste and Improve Pavement Resilience
Full text linkSingle-use disposable face masks, largely proliferated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have created substantial challenges in global waste management due to their persistent accumulation. Composed predominantly of non-biodegradable polypropylene (PP), these masks significantly contribute to plastic pollution. This paper explores an innovative approach to mitigate the environmental impact of discarded face masks by repurposing them as an additive in hot mix asphalt (HMA). Through incorporating shredded face masks into HMA, this study aims to enhance asphalt pavements\u27 mechanical performance, particularly in rutting resistance, while offering an economically viable solution. A life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) evaluates the economic feasibility of mask-modified asphalt by comparing its long-term costs to conventional pavements. Findings indicate that integrating face masks into asphalt improves pavement durability and delivers substantial long-term cost savings through reduced maintenance. This research tackles the pressing issue of plastic pollution, proposing a sustainable, cost-effective solution for road construction that contributes to circular economy goals in the infrastructure sector
Integrating Land Use and Transport for Energy Efficiency: Enabling Urban Transformation and Combating Environmental Pollution
Full text linkLand use and transport are crucial to urban transformation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, these sectors significantly contribute to environmental issues due to high energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. This research explores land use and transport integration in Lahore, Pakistan—a rapidly urbanizing city with rising energy demands and severe air pollution. Lahore’s air quality index (AQI) has reached critical levels, with PM2.5 concentrations exceeding WHO guidelines by over 50 times, highlighting the urgency for intervention. The study evaluates the impact of land use and transport integration on energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions along Lahore’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor while assessing Transit-Oriented Development’s (TOD) potential in South Asian cities. Findings indicate significant energy use variations across BRT stations, with central stations like Kalma Chowk featuring mixed-use zoning exhibiting lower energy consumption and emissions. Conversely, peripheral stations like Gajjumata show higher transport-related energy use, underscoring the need for better connectivity and mixed-use development. Stakeholder interviews highlight TOD’s recognized benefits but also reveal challenges such as fragmented regulations, financial constraints, and resistance to lifestyle changes. The study underscores TOD’s role in fostering compact, energy-efficient urban development, aligning with global research while addressing Lahore’s unique challenges. It provides valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners, advocating for stronger sectoral coordination, better land use enforcement, and a shift towards sustainable transport and energy efficiency. Strengthening TOD principles can help Lahore transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon future, serving as a model for other fast-growing South Asian cities
Business Librarian Collaboration in the Midwest Entrepreneurship Case Competition
Full text linkLaunched in 2024, the Midwest Entrepreneurship Case Competition (MECC) is a regional case competition organized by business librarians and designed for undergraduate students across the Midwest. The competition helps students strengthen their business research skills while competing for prize incentives, generously sponsored by vendors of widely used business databases.
In addition to supporting student learning, MECC facilitates meaningful collaboration among business librarians involved in planning and implementation. It also offers a valuable window into how students engage with business information tools to support informed and strategic decision-making. This presentation will highlight the benefits of partnering with MECC and share upcoming opportunities for business librarians to get involved
Compilation as Narrative Art in Medieval Islam: The Redemption of Kuthayyir in the \u3cem\u3eBook of Songs\u3cem\u3e
Full text linkThis article examines the narrative art of Abū ‘l-Faraj al-Iṣbahānī’s Kitāb al-Aghānī through a close reading of the chapter on the poet Kuthayyir ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (d. 723). Though Kuthayyir is mocked throughout for his short stature, unorthodox beliefs, and supposed insincerity, the chapter ends with a surprising scene: his death is mourned by the people of Medina in a large public funeral, suggesting a reevaluation of his character. I argue that this tonal shift is not incidental but the result of Iṣbahānī’s deliberate narrative arrangement. By analyzing the structure of the chapter—including the juxtaposition of genealogical accounts, the gradual reframing of critical reports, and the placement of poetic excerpts—I show how Iṣbahānī invites his audience to question received judgments and consider Kuthayyir’s legacy anew. Building on the work of scholars like Bilal Orfali and Julia Bray, this article contends that the Aghānī exemplifies the literary sophistication of pre-modern Arabic anthologies. Iṣbahānī’s art lies not in direct narration but in his strategic compilation of voices, which transforms Kuthayyir from a comic foil into a figure of pathos and esteem. In doing so, the Aghānī demonstrates how compilation can serve as a powerful vehicle for narrative artistry
Ancient Chinese Poetry as a Trans-lingual and Cross-cultural Textual Resource in Gustav Mahler’s \u3cem\u3eDas Lied von der Erde\u3cem\u3e
Full text linkThis article analyzes the use of classical Chinese poems in Gustav Mahler’s song cycle The Song of the Earth, which is almost unanimously deemed as a musical work with a number of Chinese motifs. After elaborating on these texts, especially the original poem in the second and third movement, the author examines the background to Mahler’s adaptation. This includes his personal physical and mental crisis, the context of the prevailing Chinese cultural influences in Europe, especially the utilization of Taoism in light of the epistemology of death, and the social context of anti-Semitism in fin-de-siècle Vienna
Derrida in Mesopotamia: On the Import of the Cuneiform Inscriptions in \u3cem\u3eOf Grammatology\u3cem\u3e
Full text linkCuneiform writing has a small but privileged position in Derrida’s Of Grammatology – providing the text with its first two epigraphs. By elucidating the source and import of these inscriptions and evaluating Derrida’s understanding of the cuneiform writing system in reference to more recent grammatological studies, this paper explains the significance of these references to the ancient Near East for Derrida’s arguments regarding the origins of Western metaphysics and logocentrism. In the first part, I analyze Derrida’s brief paragraph on cuneiform writing in Of Grammatology as evincing a “fundamental synaesthesia” of phonetic and non-phonetic elements that problematizes the phonocentric definition of writing as a transcription of speech. I then expand the comparative mythology that Derrida briefly notes in “Plato’s Pharmacy” to show how writing was thought of in cuneiform cultures in contrast to Plato’s Egyptian myth of Theuth. In parts three and four, I show how the first cuneiform epigraph hails an early science of writing – a grammatology, in other words – and how the second epigraph hails a written science
Exploring Dynamic Human Mobility of Diverse Social Groups Under Heat Conditions: A Simulation-Based Approach
Full text linkExtreme heat events, exacerbated by climate change, present significant risks to human health and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Traditional assessments of heat exposure often rely on static residential data, which fails to account for the dynamic human mobility pattern of the population in space and time. Recent work utilizes mobility data to explore exposure dynamics in heat-related studies. However, these studies are primarily focused on the general population or the differences in human mobility across varying income levels in response to heat exposure. Unlike previous studies, this research employs a Monte Carlo simulation that integrates mobility data with American Community Survey (ACS) data to estimate the social composition of populations by race, income, and education and to examine mobility differences across social groups exposed to heat in Greater Austin, Texas. Our findings reveal that during extreme heat (caution) events, movements in the higher-income neighborhoods significantly reduce outdoor mobility, particularly for Whites and Asians, while lower-income communities exhibit limited adjustments. The young population (ages 15–29) across all income levels decreases their movement during heat caution periods. Notably, within high-income areas, only those with a college degree tend to reduce mobility, whereas individuals with a high school education or less tend to increase their movement. The findings highlight key strategies for policymakers, including enhancing access to cooling centers, shade infrastructure, green space, and urban resilience plans, supporting vulnerable communities, and protecting outdoor workers to mitigate health risks associated with heat
Machine Learning-based Variance Analysis of Brightness Temperature in Simulated Satellite Footprints
No full textThis study investigates the variance in brightness temperature (BT) within simulated satellite footprints for Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSE), focusing specifically on Channels 5 and 11 of the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A). High-resolution atmospheric simulations from the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains (DYAMOND) dataset were utilized to generate brightness temperature data using the Python interface for the Community Radiative Transfer Model (PyCRTM). A computational design map incorporating Random Forest and Association Rule Mining was employed to identify and validate key atmospheric variables influencing BT variance. This ensemble approach facilitated a deeper understanding of atmospheric variability across the coast of Greenland, the Arctic face, and the East Pacific regions. Results highlighted that surface skin temperature and wind velocities significantly influence BT variance, particularly in lower atmospheric layers (Channel 5), while upper atmospheric temperature variance showed prominence in higher layers (Channel 11). The findings highlight the utility of machine learning methodologies to improve accuracy in radiance simulations. This methodology provides a transferable framework for geospatial variance analysis applicable to diverse environmental monitoring and sustainability applications
Assessing Vulnerabilities Associated with High-Risk Dams in Utah
Full text linkAcross the United States, the age of dam infrastructure presents a substantial threat. The potential for structural failure associated with these aging dams is exacerbated by increased climate uncertainty and the threat of dam overtopping due to extreme and prolonged precipitation events. These compound threats place downstream areas at pronounced risk. These downstream areas vary widely. Some are relatively free of vulnerable elements, while others have a complex mix of infrastructure, populations, and ecologically important elements. This paper highlights the risk situation associated with aging dams and hydroclimatic extremes, the methodological and geospatial challenges and opportunities associated with mapping the potential inundation zones for dams, and the value of taking a social-ecological-technological systems approach to understanding downstream vulnerabilities, particularly related to critical infrastructures, populations, and protected ecosystems. To demonstrate these issues, we use Utah as a use case, where a set of associated inundation zones for 234 high-risk, state regulated dams is publicly available. Utilizing the inundation zones for these dams, we were able to map vulnerable entities that lay within the inundation zone, quantifying the potential impacts in the event of a dam failure