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Bio & earth-based materials compendium presentation at COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Azerbaijan
Get PDFThe inaugural 'Bio & Earth-Based Materials Compendium' was presented at the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference, Baku, Azerbijan, on 19 November 2024. The presentation was made during the following conference session: 'Accelerating the Buildings Breakthrough: Tools and Solutions for Addressing Whole Life Carbon, Circularity, and Shifting to Bio-Based Materials.' The Compendium highlights natural materials used in buildings and construction that exemplify sustainable and regenerative practices, with a focus on projects that empower local and regional communities. It covers processing and manufacturing techniques, from basic to advanced, and underscores the importance of material sufficiency and low-embodied energy strategies that contribute to decarbonising the building sector. The Compendium primarily features projects composed of natural materials, and showcases examples of products for structural or non-structural building applications, or buildings
Millimeter-wave antenna design inspired by half-ring resonators for 5G communication systems
Get PDFThe proposed antenna design incorporates half-ring resonators with radiation properties that are contingent upon the line thickness and gap spacing. The symmetrical spring segments situated at the horizontal centerline directs the bidirectional radiation. The bottom surface of the FR4 substrate, coated with 35 µm of copper, acts as a reflector for electromagnetic (EM) waves, thereby increasing the intensity of the waves in accordance with the principles of image theory. The simulation results demonstrate that the antenna achieves a return loss of -30.3 dB at 33 GHz, covering a bandwidth of 2.3 GHz, which is sufficient for 5G applications through millimeter-wave (mm-wave domain). To prevent system noise, the additional increase in bandwidth is avoided. The antenna exhibits high performance, with a maximum gain of 10 dBi at φ=0° and θ=0°, 4.04 dBi at φ=90°, and a directivity of 12.85 dBi at 33 GHz. The far-field radiation patterns exhibit half-power beamwidths of 17.4°, 22.5°, and 25.3° in the azimuth and elevation planes, respectively. The proposed mmwave antenna structure offers high gain and directivity, rendering it an optimal choice for efficient, low-loss data transmission in 5G applications. The optimized impedance matching and minimized reflection losses serve to further enhance the antenna’s performance, thereby meeting the stringent demands of modern communication systems
Forms of knowing: emotion, creativity and play in learning
No full textThis chapter uses the example of play to draw out the complex relationship between emotions, creativity and learning. Taking a critical stance on the underlying systems of education that place value on easily compartmentalized forms of knowledge, we will explore how developing forms of knowing based on the relations between people can support creativity and learning
Global relations and workers at the border
No full textThis chapter examines how work ‘at the border’ is driven by the market‑oriented economic approach, neoliberalism, which drives cheap production. Free markets, and the multinational organisations that operate within them, are often celebrated as bringing prosperity to people’s lives, and organisations will always present themselves as supporters of equality and freedom for all. But, as this chapter shows, the reality for workers ‘at the border’ is that neoliberalism creates spaces where poor working environments are manifest
Turning trash into treasure: exploring the potential of AI in municipal waste management - an in-depth review and future prospects
Get PDFRapid urbanization, economic expansion, and population growth have increased waste generation in many nations worldwide. Research on municipal waste management (MWM) is moving towards new frontiers in efficiency and applicability due to the growing amount of data being collected in these systems and the convergence of various technological applications; artificial intelligence (AI) techniques present novel and creative alternatives for MWM. Even though much research has been conducted in this field, relatively few review studies assess how advancements in AI techniques can contribute to the sustainable advancement of MWM systems. Furthermore, there are discrepancies and a dearth of knowledge regarding the operation of AI-based techniques in MWM. To close this gap, this study conducts a thorough review of the relevant literature with an application of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses-based methods, examining 229 peer-reviewed publications to explore the role of AI in different MWM areas, such as waste characteristics forecasting, waste bin level monitoring, process parameter prediction, vehicle routing, and MWM planning. The main AI techniques and models used in MWM optimization, as well as the application areas and stated performance metrics, are all thoroughly analyzed in this review. A conceptual framework is proposed to guide research and practice to take a holistic approach to MWM, along with areas of future study that need to be explored. Researchers, policymakers, municipalities, governments, and other waste management organizations will benefit from this study to minimize costs, maximize efficiency, eliminate the need for manual labor, and change the approach to MWM
Failure mode and effects analysis: a decision making risk prioritization approach
Get PDFFailure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a method of risk assessment that is broadly utilized to identify, predict as well as mitigate possible defects in products, operations, and systems prior to the occurrence of a negative incident. However, inaccurate results may be generated due to the uncertain conditions under which risk assessment using the FMEA. Therefore, there is need to mitigate the uncertainty, particularly randomness and fuzziness in the assessment process. This can be achieved by using Grey number to develop the FMEA and VIKOR methods to fix several hindrances related to the risk priority number (RPN) of the traditional FMEA. This paper aims to compare the Grey VIKOR with the traditional FMEA to present more accurate ranking. In the first step Grey system was used to rank failure modes and select risk elements to join vulnerability into subjective judgments. Thereafter, VIKOR method was applied for prioritizing and evaluating failure modes. The results of comparative analysis indicate the adequacy and versatility of the proposed method in dealing with real-world issues
Neuroblastoma and its target therapies: a medicinal chemistry review
Get PDFNeuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood malignant tumour belonging to a group of embryonic tumours originating from progenitor cells of the sympathoadrenal lineage. The heterogeneity of NB is reflected in the survival rates of those with low and intermediate risk diseases who have survival rates ranging from 85 to 90 %. However, for those identified with high‐risk Stage 4 NB, the treatment options are much more limited. For this group, current treatment consists of immunotherapy (monoclonal antibodies) in combination with anti‐cancer drugs and has a 40 to 50 % survival rate. The purpose of this review is to summarise NB research from a medicinal chemistry perspective and to highlight advances in targeted drug therapy in the field. The review examines the medicinal chemistry of a number of drugs tested in research, some of which are currently under clinical trial. It concludes by proposing that future medicinal chemistry research into NB should consider other possible target therapies and adopt a multi‐target drug approach rather than a one‐drug‐one‐target approach for improved efficacy and less drug‐drug interaction for the treatment of NB Stage 4 (NBS4) patients
Book review : The political economy of heaven and earth in Ghana / Charles Prempeh
Get PDFBook review of 'The Political Economy of Heaven and Earth in Ghana' by Charles Prempeh (Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group, 2023). 408 pp., £46.20 (paperback), ISBN: 9789956553174.
Christian nationalism in Ghana is a significant religious and political ideology. Many of its proponents are Pentecostals or Charismatics, who seek changes in public policy to build God’s kingdom on earth, that is, a Christianised state. Critics believe this poses a serious threat to national cohesion as it involves vilifying those who have different religious or cultural beliefs, including the 20 per cent of Ghanaians who are Muslim, the 5 per cent of the population who are followers of African traditional religions, and Ghana’s small and beleaguered LGBTQ+ community.
Ghana is not the only African country affected by Christian nationalism. For example, Zambia was declared a ‘Christian nation’ over 30 years ago. Nigeria’s politics have been significantly influenced by Christians, notably Pentecostals, for more than two decades. Côte d’Ivoire experienced the rise of Christian nationalism from the late 1990s, with significant effects on inter-faith relations. Ethiopia is a religiously plural country, where Christian nationalism is said to be ‘tearing the country apart’. It is, however, unclear to what extent – if at all - ‘Christian nationalism’ in, for example, Côte d’Ivoire is the same phenomenon as in Ghana.
Charles Prempeh’s book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the phenomenon of Christian nationalism in Ghana. Prempeh is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Cultural and African Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KumasiGhana. He is a self-declared member of Ghana’s largest Protestant church, the Church of Pentecost. He brings to the topic of Christian nationalism both an academic’s sceptical eye and a believer’s focus
Beyond populism and into the state: the political economy of national-conservatism
No full textThis article argues that the crises of neoliberal globalisation since the 2000s have given rise to a new transnational political family that we call ‘national-conservatism’. Through a critical examination of the literature on the Global Right and the role of the state under globalization, we contend that national-conservatism acts as an innovative model for acquiring and exerting power from the right today, characterised by an endorsement of the state’s economic role, an emphasis on traditional values and hierarchies such as religion, and a proactive, occasionally confrontational stance in foreign policy. Consequently, the paradigm of national-conservatism prompts the division of transnational neoliberalism into discrete national domains. These domains function as havens where the neoliberal elite is shielded both from foreign competitive pressures and radical demands of respective national societies. Crucially, national-conservatism garners legitimacy for this new order through its commitment to revitalizing traditional, hierarchical models of national sovereignty
The emergence of digitalization to the manufacturing sector in the sustainability context: a multi-stakeholder perspective analysis
No full textSustainable digitalization in industry requires extensive preplanning to integrate business strategies with the concept of digitalized sustainability. However, stakeholders often have different perspectives, making alignment more challenging. Stakeholders in the digitalized sustainable manufacturing industry must be identified and prioritized for effective implementation. Therefore, the present study combines a Systematic Literature Review and Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Techniques, including the Full Consistency Method and Fuzzy-Evaluation based on the Distance from Average Solution method, to prioritize stakeholders' roles in digitalized sustainable manufacturing and associated strategies. This study explores various implementation methodologies and their relations to different stakeholders. It categorizes stakeholders, such as manufacturers, research and development teams, managers, mergers and acquisitions, education programs, the 6R strategy, and eco-efficiency, to illustrate corresponding strategies. Overall, the study highlights the urgent need for meticulous planning to synchronize business strategies with digitalized sustainability while recognizing the difficulty in harmonizing different stakeholders' assessments. The research findings offer valuable insights for industry professionals aiming to navigate the complexities of sustainable digitalization successfully