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Essays on financial development, environmental regulations, technology, natural resources, and renewable energy: empirical insights from environmental sustainability in Sub-Sahara Africa
No full textThis thesis investigates the dynamics and determinants of environmental sustainability in SubSahara Africa (SSA), focusing on the interplay between financial development, environmental regulations, technology, natural resources, and renewable energy. The urgent need to address the region's environmental challenges, encompassing degradation, pollution, and climate change impacts, is emphasised. Through rigorous empirical analyses, this thesis assesses the impact of financial development on key environmental indicators, including carbon emissions, methane emissions, pollution levels, ecological footprint indicators, and natural resource depletion. Additionally, it critically evaluates the effectiveness of existing environmental regulations and policies through a comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks across various SSA countries. Furthermore, it explores the role of technological innovation in fostering environmental sustainability, specifically focusing on clean technologies, renewable energy solutions, and eco-friendly practices. By synthesising empirical insights, the thesis provides refined perspectives on the dynamics shaping environmental sustainability in SSA and offers actionable policy recommendations to address the region's environmental challenges effectively. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis, setting the stage for the subsequent discussions. Following this, Chapter 2 investigates the literature review and theoretical underpinnings of the study, laying the foundation for the empirical analyses. Chapter 3 (objective 1) investigates the impact of the development of financial institutions on environmental sustainability in Africa. Drawing on a distinctive panel data set encompassing 34 countries from 1980 to 2017, with carbon emissions serving as an indicator of environmental sustainability, we discover that enhancing the development of financial institutions leads to increased carbon emissions, especially about the depth of these institutions. Furthermore, our study supports the environmental Kuznets curve, heterogeneous slopes and shifts over time in the finance–emissions nexus. Our results remain robust to different model specifications. Our conclusions indicate that developing financial institutions and implementing pro-growth policies are essential for attaining environmental sustainability on the African continent. Chapter 4 (objective 2) explores the regulation–technology–environment nexus in SSA, one of the world’s most rapidly growing regions. Using a comprehensive panel dataset of 32 countries om 2000 to 2022, we find that stronger environmental regulations and technological innovation enhance environmental well-being. Moreover, we identify stronger environmental regulations to be the catalyst of pro-environment innovation. Finally, we present clear evidence for a dynamic and nonlinear regulation–technology–environment nexus, ruling out one-sizefits-all policy approaches to environmental well-being. Our results remain robust to different estimators, measurements, and sample selections. Chapter 5 (objective 3) explores the relationship between natural resources–environmental sustainability, and the mediating role of voice and accountability in African nations. We used data from 2004 to 2021 in 30 African countries (16 resource-rich and 14 resource-poor). We show that the results obtained using the System-GMM estimation method suggest that natural resources have a degrading effect on the environment across all African regions. Additionally, our findings indicate that an improvement in natural resource management positively impacts environmental quality, as demonstrated by the results from the long-run Panel Corrected Standard Error (PCSE) estimation method. Furthermore, voice and accountability (government policies and practices) do not significantly improve environmental sustainability in resourcerich regions; however, in resource-poor regions, voice and accountability have a positive impact on improving the environment, suggesting that effective policies and accountability can contribute to better environmental outcomes, particularly in regions with fewer resources. Finally, we demonstrate that resource-rich regions in Africa are associated with more detrimental environmental outcomes compared to resource-poor regions. Our study identifies issues related to sustainable development and governance, the absence of well-defined national policy guidelines, and weak institutions that impact environmental sustainability in Africa. We recommend the establishment of strong policy institutions that focus on environmental sustainability in the continent
Relationship Between Vitamin D Insufficiency and Anemia in Older Adults: An Approach Considering Clinical Aspects and Food Insecurity
No full text: Background/Objectives: Studies have shown a high prevalence of anemia and vitamin D insufficiency in older adults, and the literature suggests a relationship between these two conditions, as vitamin D insufficiency may impair erythrocyte synthesis. Food insecurity refers to the lack of regular access to sufficient and nutritious food, which can directly affect health by worsening conditions such as anemia and vitamin D insufficiency. This study evaluated the association between vitamin D insufficiency and anemia in older adults. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 430 individuals aged 60 and older, using personal interviews and blood tests for data collection. Anemia was identified with serum hemoglobin levels o
Police and trust: The cases of Australia, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia
No full textA touchstone issue for many rural residents – regardless of geographic location – is the relationship they have with police. All too often, whether real or perceived, rural people are left with feelings of being overlooked, ignored and not taken seriously when they report victimisation. There are, too, concerns about agricultural awareness of police to whom crime is reported. These perceptions are contributed to be a range of factors, including a tyranny of distance in rural areas meaning police and residents are physically separated, although there also exists issues around police training and a more lackadaisical approach to policing in rural areas. This chapter presents views of rural residents about police and trust in four countries: Australia, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia. The central aim is to provide a snapshot of perceptions from four distinctly different international contexts and to identify points of agreement and of departure in the views expressed by survey respondents in each of these four countries
Australia: Researching the World's Diversity—in One Country
No full textThere is no question that Western and Asian markets differ in many ways—not just in tastes for clothing, food and music but also in how major products are used and perceived.This diversity is reflected in differences in home design, tastes and product usage—and that is why so much market research has to be replicated across many countries. Now, smart Asian exporters are finding simpler and more cost-effective ways to predict how global markets and different cultures will respond to product developments—both in fast-moving consumer goods and particularly in brown and white goods. It is not surprising that countries like South Korea, which is fast becoming one of the economic powerhouses of the 21st century, are turning to Australia as their first (and possibly last) port of call for offshore market research as a gateway to the West
A Study of Knowledge and Recognition on Postoperative Delirium Among Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) Nurses
No full textPurpose: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a syndrome that often occurs after surgery. Nursing staff are the first-line personnel who have the most time and close contact with postoperative patients. If delirium is not recognized immediately, it will affect the patient’s prognosis and increase clinical care requirements and health care costs. This study explores postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nursing staff’s knowledge and ability to recognize POD in patients. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted with purposive sampling to recruit nurses from hospital PACUs in central and southern Taiwan. Data were collected from April to December 2019 using a questionnaire survey on knowledge of POD and videos to test delirium recognition abilities. Methods: A total of 178 nurses from 9 hospitals met the inclusion criteria for participation; 2 participants were unable to attend because of taking leave, resulting in 176 valid questionnaires. Findings: The percentage of correct answers for POD knowledge was 63.84%, and for recognizing POD was 59.1%, both at a moderate level. Nurses’ advanced skills significantly influenced their POD knowledge and recognition abilities. There was a positive correlation between PACU nurses’ POD knowledge and recognition abilities (r = 0.23, P Conclusions: PACU nurses demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge and ability to recognize POD in patients. Those with higher-level nursing skills showed better POD knowledge and recognition abilities. Nurses with better POD knowledge exhibited higher recognition abilities
Research design for assessing victimisation, safety and policing in rural areas
No full textThis chapter discusses the methodology and research design of the empirical studies conducted in 19 different countries. It also considers the various challenges and limitations in conducting a large international comparative data collection project. The study adopted a truly global perspective of the phenomenon of rural crime, safety perceptions, crime prevention and rural policing. By using surveys covering these topics around rural localities around the world, a central aim of the project was to examine the nature, type and extent of rural victimisation and people's safety perceptions in different country contexts, assessing police trust and crime prevention practices and examining current practices and policies that respond to such safety needs. This chapter also describes the research design framework in detail and the common methodology shared by contributors considers common terms used across the book
Abject Humanism in Tom Perrotta Adaptations: Election and Little Children
No full textOne of the key figures in the development of a suburban ensemble cinema over the past two decades has been author Tom Perrotta, whose novels typically feature multi-focalised structures, blended affect, and suburban scrutiny. Two of his books were translated to cinema, Election (1999) and Little Children (2006), directed by Alexander Payne and Todd Field respectively, and more recently The Leftovers has been adapted as an HBO serial. Election and Little Children are both high-profile examples of the suburban ensemble dramedy, a millennial American filmmaking mode similarly featuring multiple protagonists, usually half sentimental and half satirical, set in different iterations of the American suburbs; other popular titles include American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999), Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 2006) and The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010). These films have often been called human dramas and are an example of what I call narrative humanism. In this paper I wish to extend the scope of literary and narrative humanisms, using the Perrotta adaptations to articulate the role abjection might play in suburban ensemble cinema. The paper also demonstrates how a humanist hermeneutic method that accounts for the abject can produce a new, complex ethical inquiry that is focussed on honouring the challenges we face in living up to the prosociality humanism espouses
Effects of glycine supplementation in low protein diets on water consumption and performance in broilers.
No full textA scholarly dialogue: writing scholarship, authorship, academic integrity and the challenges of AI
No full textConcerns about the role of technology and the quality of student writing in higher education are not new. Historically, writing scholars have been at the forefront of initiatives that scrutinise and integrate new technologies in higher education. This article contends that writing scholars are again uniquely equipped to assist students, teachers in all disciplines, and institutions of higher education in navigating the challenges created by the public availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Adopting a dialogical approach, the article brings together six scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds within the broad umbrella of writing studies. Through the lens of writing scholarship, this chorus of critical voices illuminates the important questions posed by, and possible responses to, AI in higher education. Although AI complicates key issues in higher education such as academic integrity, assessment, and authorship, writing scholarship provides an essential framework for educators to respond to these challenges. Collectively, these scholars map the history of writing scholars’ responses to technological change in higher education and suggest how writing scholars can contribute to the debates and discussions concerning the impact of AI on higher education