Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd.
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Soft law governance of enterprise data compliance in the context of environmental protection
Full text linkDomestic and foreign countries have different views on soft law governance. In China, the understanding of “soft law” stays at a static level, which is considered to be a social norm in a pluralistic sense. Foreign countries understand “soft law” from a dynamic perspective, that is, they mainly tend to take it as a means of governance and a mechanism to solve disputes and contradictions. Combining the above two viewpoints, soft law governance can be understood as a governance concept or governance model, and it takes the needs of the governance object as the starting point. Moreover, it advocates bottom-up governance. This governance method reflects the value connotation of people-oriented, democratic, autonomous and inclusive, and actively practices “multi-subject participation”. It can be seen that, rather than hard law, soft law is more suitable for the liquidity, development and change characteristics of enterprise data, especially in the context of environmental-related data, and is conducive to condensing the governance force of multiple subjects including the government. The effectiveness of enterprise data compliance governance is of great significance in the field of environmental protection. With the help of ecological environment data such as carbon emission data, environmental detection data and pollution control data, the efficiency and benefit of ecological environment governance can be improved, and the efficiency of ecological governance can be driven by data. But compared with the United States, the European Union and Singapore, the effect of enterprise data compliance soft law governance is not significant. Through literature research and comparative analysis, the factors affecting the effectiveness of Chinese soft law in enterprise data compliance governance are analyzed, and the solutions can be found from the comparative analysis
Pedobarography and foot homeostasis in the pediatric population: A narrative review
No full textFoot homeostasis refers to a delicate and intertwined equilibrium of various body structures, including the neural and musculoskeletal elements. It reflects the ability to coordinate body movements, balance, and gait, using the functional feedback-operative foot-brain axis. Disturbances of this system cannot be underestimated in the childhood developmental phase, for they contribute to the child’s health status and health complications in adulthood. The foot dysfunction in children is an underrecognized area of homeostatic well-being. This article summarizes recent updates on foot homeostatic complications evolving from children’s metabolic disorders, exemplified by diabetes, lipid dysfunction, and obesity, all strongly on the rise in the contemporary world. The review advocates the broader use of pedobarography, a safe, noninvasive, and effective method of foot examination. Pedobarography, developed for adult use, is suitable for the pediatric population, offering a unique assessment of the musculoskeletal system based on plantar pressure distribution while standing or walking. It is poised to play a significant role in clinical practice. The foot-brain axis structural distortion may be an early sign of neuromuscular or neuropathic metabolic disorders, exemplified by diabetes or obesity, ailments on the rise in childhood. Thus, foot examination helps diagnose and manage children’s disorders, including treatment and rehabilitation follow-ups
Investigation of the removal of physicochemical pollutants in the Kızılırmak River by aluminum sulfate and iron sulfate coagulants
Full text linkThis study evaluated the optimal dosage and pH for removing turbidity, chloride, alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and sulfate from Kızılırmak River water using iron sulfate and aluminum sulfate (10–60 mg/L). Maximum turbidity removal efficiencies were 98.84% for iron sulfate and 78.99% for aluminum sulfate at pH 4.5. Chloride removal was 77.12% at pH 7.0 for aluminum sulfate and 74.33% at pH 6.0 for iron sulfate. Aluminum sulfate reduced alkalinity by 90.40% at pH 8.0, while iron sulfate achieved 99.21% removal at pH 4.5. TDS removal efficiencies were 99.58% for aluminum sulfate at pH 8.0 and 95.61% for iron sulfate, although total dissolved solids concentrations increased with dosage. Sulfate removal was 97.85% at pH 6.0 for aluminum sulfate and 85.92% at pH 7.0 for iron sulfate. The statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 to assess the relationships between coagulant type, pH, and dosage on pollutant removal. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine significance. The model explained 70.7% of variance (R2 = 0.707, p < 0.001). pH (p = 0.003), pH2 (p = 0.002), and dosage2 (p = 0.049) were significant. Kernel Ridge Regression was used for TDS removal due to overestimation in RSM. Both coagulants were effective in removing pollutants, with optimal performance depending on pH and dosage. Aluminum sulfate exhibited higher turbidity and alkalinity removal at certain pH levels, while iron sulfate achieved greater sulfate and TDS removal under acidic conditions
Addressing wastewater treatment challenges in developing nations: A standardized framework for sustainable adsorption techniques in small and medium industries
Full text linkWater pollution has become a major challenge for many low-income and developing countries, leading to a shortage of clean water for daily activities. The review section of this study merges findings from different studies on wastewater treatment, which explored various techniques categorized primarily into physical, biological, and chemical methods. Among these, adsorption—a physical method was identified as the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach, primarily because the materials needed for it are widely available in nature. A major gap observed in all the studies reviewed was the lack of the application of the adsorption technique on an industrial scale, which stems mainly from the absence of standardization, as the study reveals. To bridge this gap, we develop a standardized framework for adsorption techniques in small and medium industries with clear guidelines on how to implement adsorption-based wastewater treatment. It incorporates sustainable practices, climate change considerations, and water risk management to ensure long-term environmental and economic benefits
Engineering and geological environment of urban areas: Experience from Kharkiv, Ukraine (1960–2020)
Full text linkThe article presents the results of the generalization and analysis of the development of engineering-geological and hydrogeological environments in the territory of a large city, Kharkiv, Ukraine, from the 1960s to the present day. The study is based on the authors’ many years of experience performing engineering surveys for construction in many cities of the former USSR, primarily Ukraine. Engineering-geological processes and phenomena with adverse consequences for buildings, structures, and populations that occur in urban areas as a result of insufficiently thought-out organizational, design, and construction solutions are listed. The process of flooding of urban areas by groundwater (FGW) is chosen as an example, which is a trigger for many negative and dangerous processes and phenomena, changes in the properties of soils and the geological environment. The main concepts associated with flooding, FGW indicators, causes and factors of its occurrence and development are given. The characteristics of FGW features for the conditions of the city of Kharkiv are given, and the most significant above-ground, near-surface and underground factors of flooding are highlighted. Some examples of construction and organizational solutions in the territory of Kharkiv are given. The article discusses approaches to combating flooding by installing protective structures, primarily drainage of various types, i.e., creating gray infrastructure. Much more promising is the installation of blue-green infrastructure (BGI), references are given to examples of its implementation, as well as other solutions based on nature. The creation of BGI is crucial for the harmonious coexistence of natural and anthropogenic landscapes, water management, and reducing the impact on the surface and underground hydrosphere
Cyber risk management: Theories, frameworks, models, and practices
Full text linkCyber risks have been a major concern even if more advanced technologies have been used to deter or mitigate cyberattacks. Much research has been conducted in the areas of cyber risks and cybersecurity. Handling cyber risks needs the specific support of the theories, frameworks, and models of cyber risk management. This paper introduces theories for managing cyber risks, frameworks for handling cyber risks, models for managing cyber risks, and cyber risk management and practices. Cyber risk management and threat intelligence provide their technologies and standards. Healthcare organizations must provide robust cybersecurity procedures. Big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)/deep learning (DL), etc., have thus far offered significant advances in cybersecurity for healthcare agencies. This paper will also present a case study of managing cyber risks, which will demonstrate how successful these theories, frameworks, models, and practices have been in healthcare. This paper is not a more in-depth qualitative or quantitative analysis but focuses on identifying, justifying, and describing certain key issues regarding cyber risks
The new concept of ternary logic and the problems of its implementation
Full text linkThe article deals with the problem of ternary logic, in which, except for the states “yes” and “no” (inherent in the traditional binary logic), is introduced the “third state” U—“Unknown”, and also addresses the issues of technical and mathematical problems that arise in this case. To do this, the ternary logic of Stephen Kleene has been corrected, and the implementation of ternary calculations using probabilistic polynomials over the field of real numbers has been proposed. The authors analyze the process of the addition of the “third state” to binary logic, in that regard the approach of Stephen Kleene, who introduced an “indefinite state”. But the authors judge it necessary to introduce also the negation of the “indefinite state” and suggest a way to replace logical functions with probabilistic polynomials based on the field of real numbers, which are conveniently calculated on modern hardware, for example, in video card processors. Terms of the ternary logic can be useful for the implementation of new artificial intelligence projects that model the operation of thinking with uncertain results, while the transition to probabilistic functions can expand the capabilities of such models and simplify the analysis of errors that occur during the operation of artificial intelligence systems
Sustainability target setting and incentive design: A literature review
Full text linkThe integration of sustainability targets and their connection to executive compensation is emerging as a new facet of corporate strategies in response to the low-carbon transition, ESG-driven demands from institutional investors, regulatory mandates, and commitments to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The purpose of this research is to explore issues related to sustainability target-setting and the associated methodologies. This paper summarizes the prior work on target setting and sustainability targets, and the results from previous studies on the reason and rationality of setting sustainability targets were discussed. It also pointed out the issues in sustainability targets and related incentive design. Based on this, several suggestions are offered to assist companies in developing and setting sustainability targets and goals
Assessment of the drinking water quality in the municipality of Vinto-Cochabamba-Bolivia
Full text linkSince coliform bacteria can raise the risk of infectious diseases in the most susceptible groups, their presence in water poses a possible concern to public health. When the physicochemical and microbiological quality of the water is uncertain, the situation becomes more complex. This study aims to assess the drinking water quality in three Territorial Base Organizations (TBOs) of the Municipality of Vinto-Cochabamba as well as the link between the TBOs and the microbiological parameters. According to Bolivian Standard 512 (NB 512), laboratory analyses of 30 samples collected from various residences (10 samples per TBO) demonstrate compliance with the upper limits of allowable values for physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, alkalinity, and hardness). The microbiological parameters were subjected to chi-square analysis, showing enough evidence to confirm with 95% confidence that the results of total and heat-resistant coliforms do not depend on the TBO (p = 0.36). By comparing the results of household water consumption with those of water supplied, it can be hypothesized that contamination of microbiological origin occurs either in the distribution pipes, household tanks, and/or the water use practices of each household. Of the 30 samples analyzed, only 11 met the maximum permissible limit for total coliforms, whereas 25 of the 30 samples met the maximum permissible limit for total coliforms
The (virtual) battle for intellectual property rights in the metaverse: The case of copyright, trademarks and the NFT technology
No full textThis paper examines the evolving challenges of intellectual property (IP) rights protection in the Metaverse, with particular focus on the intersection of traditional IP frameworks with emerging Non-fungible token (NFT) technology. While existing research has explored digital IP rights broadly, the unique characteristics of the Metaverse—its decentralized nature, platform interoperability, and novel ownership models—present unprecedented legal and technical challenges that warrant systematic investigation. The research addresses three key questions: 1) How do traditional territorial-based IP frameworks adapt to the borderless nature of the Metaverse? 2) What specific challenges does NFT technology present for trademark and copyright protection? 3) How can existing legal mechanisms be enhanced to provide effective IP protection in virtual environments? Through comparative analysis of recent case law from American and European courts, supported by examination of regulatory frameworks and technological capabilities, this study identifies critical gaps in current IP protection mechanisms. The analysis reveals that while NFTs offer new possibilities for digital rights management, their implementation raises complex issues regarding ownership verification, cross-platform rights enforcement, and jurisdictional authority. The paper proposes a three-tier framework for enhancing IP protection in the Metaverse: 1) Technical solutions incorporating blockchain-based verification systems with practical implementation considerations; 2) legal adaptations to address jurisdictional challenges; and 3) platform-level governance mechanisms. Each tier is evaluated against current technological constraints and legal precedents to ensure practical viability. This research contributes to both academic discourse and practical policy development by providing a structured analysis of Metaverse IP challenges and offering implementable solutions that balance innovation with rights protection. The findings suggest that effective IP protection in the Metaverse requires a hybrid approach combining adapted legal frameworks, technological solutions, and platform cooperation