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In this study, the thermal treatment of two types of waste from the paper industry was investigated, paper mill sludge and sewage sludge from biological wastewater treatment plants. Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) and torrefaction were investigated as sustainable alternatives for solid biofuel production. Untreated samples and samples chemically pre-treated with alcoholic vinegar were subjected to torrefaction at 350 °C in N2 atmosphere, and the exhaust gases were analysed. HTC was performed at 250 °C with a residence time of 4 h. The feedstocks and the biochars produced were characterised by different analytical methods, and the effects of pre-treatment on fuel properties were studied. Both processes, HTC and torrefaction, showed inspiring results in the production of biofuels from paper industry wastes under the tested experimental conditions. A positive influence of pre-treatment on fuel properties (higher heating value, carbon content) of the obtained char was observed, and changes in the gas phase during torrefaction were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Rosa consists of more than 200 species. Among these Rosa damascena Mill belongs to the Damask group of roses which are known for their strong fragrance. R. damascena has been cultivated as garden rose in some west European collections but it is mainly grown for production of rose oil and rose water obtained after steam distillation of the rose flowers. It is considered that the oil rose originates from ancient Persia (today Iran) and has been later spread to Europe and Northern Africa. By the 14th century the Damask roses were already grown in West European rose collections as garden roses. Rose oil is mainly used in the perfumery and cosmetics industry as a base component of many of the modern perfumes but it also finds application in the food industry as a flavor additive. The main producers of rose oil are Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran and India. Smaller amounts of rose oil and mainly rose water are produced in the countries of Northern Africa. The price of the rose oil has been growing during the last years. The rose oil and rose flower extracts have been studied for a number of health-beneficial effects including antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity, anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties, relaxant effects on tracheal chains and anti-HIV activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work would like to bring into the attention of readers various aspects associated with the process of doctoral research. For many of the students this can represent quite a challenging experience with an increased level of complexity. The author will show his experience while enrolled in this form of education. Main ideas are based on the factors identified while planning and writing the papers associated with the research journey. Most of the works belong to the themes of the doctoral school, like economics, financial system or international affairs. The sample of analysed papers contains several works covering the field of interdisciplinary research. This concept will be approached inside the literature review to familiarise the readers with its meaning. Content of this area includes elements from economics, financial system, international affairs and environment. Novelty of the paper is represented by the personal experience of the writer. He will show the challenges encountered while performing regular and interdisciplinary research, connecting particular notions from business process management and business process improvement. Lean Six Sigma methodology will be used to sustain specific elements of the analytical representation. Moreover, the author will provide an overview on the lessons learnt, hoping this will contribute to the decrease of the research process complexity level and support publication status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal transitions involve multiple actors, changes in institutions, values and technologies, and interactions across multiple sectors and scales. Given this complexity, this paper takes on the view that the societal transitions research field would benefit from the further maturation and broader uptake of modelling approaches. This paper shows how modelling can enhance the understanding of and support stakeholders to steer societal transitions. It discusses the benefits modelling provides for studying large societal systems and elaborates on different ways models can be used for transitions studies. Two model applications are presented in some detail to illustrate the benefits. Then, limitations of modelling societal transitions are discussed, which leads to an agenda for future activities: (1) better cooperation in the development of dynamic models, (2) stronger interaction with other transition scholars and stakeholders, and (3) use of additional modelling approaches that we think are relevant to and largely unexplored in transitions studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global rise of data volume from Zettabyte to Yottabyte raises concerns about effectively managing its use and storage. One concern is dark data, which needs to be tapped and used for critical decision-making and insights generation. This phenomenon is a reality in the data economy that requires a solution through productization. The term data economy refers to the expanding economic activity centered around data collection, analysis, and sale. With the digitization of society and the exponential growth of the internet and social media, individuals, organizations, and society are continuously generating and collecting massive amounts of data. This data can be invaluable for companies and institutions to gain insights into customer behavior, market trends, and the performance of their businesses. Despite the scholarly literature that provides some insights, there remains a need for further exploration and clarification of the intersection between the data economy and productization. This study addresses these unresolved issues by thoroughly analyzing academic and industrial literature. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by extending the TTF (Task-Technology Fit) theory to conceptualize the relationship between data economy and productization. The study also proposes a comprehensive framework for countries, organizations, and institutions and offers theoretical and managerial implications. It is important to note that this study has its limitations, and future research should address these limitations and further advance the understanding in this research domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to initiate academic discussion on the European Union (EU) social taxonomy for the purpose of promoting sustainable economic activities that ultimately contribute to achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the EU. The paper examines the historical evolution of the social taxonomy concept and presents the chronological order of the regulatory advancements that have paved the way for the establishment of both the EU environmental and social taxonomies. This study emphasizes the role of the EU environmental taxonomy as the frontrunner and highlights three fundamental distinctions between taxonomies in terms of objectives, foundations, and measurability. By defining the key performance indicators applicable to entities engaged in taxonomy-aligned economic activities, the paper offers a tabulated framework to understand the core focus areas, sub-objectives, and types of substantial contributions related to each of the three social objectives outlined in the EU taxonomy. Moreover, this paper aims to emphasize the contemporary challenges and the prospective avenues for future research in the field of social taxonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review paper efforts are made to present the Impact of COVID-19 on various economic activities like production, consumption and distribution. This is known to everyone that COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease) spreadout in December 2019 from Wuhan in China and effected a lot of countries resulting in death of many. Therefore, to minimise the risk, many countries opted lockdown as a precaution to control its spread which effected the lives of ordinary people as well as the economy as a whole, GDP, Functions of Economy and a lot of activities were effected very badly. It had a huge impact on the consumption pattern of population as well as supply chains and production of various goods and services were also impacted as transportation was at halt and movement of people, products, services etc. was not possible from one place to another. There was a heavy down in employment, production, distribution and other activities as well. Hence, this paper will help the readers know the collective impact along with the sector wise effect of COVID-19 on various economic activities. For better understanding we have taken three major economic activities that is Production, Consumption and distribution. Along with these the basic introduction of COVID-19, lockdown and its impact on economy is stated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the tensions between political sovereignty and global capitalist accumulation that arise from neoliberal globalization: in the context of neoliberal globalization, the role of the state was substantially altered, and competitiveness became important to sustain economic growth, employment and wealth. However, for this purpose, the internal stabilization of the economy also has to be ensured. Competition state-ness aims to reconcile domestic and global market dynamics. This paper addresses this challenge from a Cultural Political Economy perspective, arguing that the specific way this is done results from ideas, institutional selectivities and materiality. As the supranational level gained importance during globalization, this paper uses the European competition state project as an empirical example. It uses a Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze the economic imaginaries on competition of the European socio-economic strategy, Europe 2020. The central findings are two imaginaries on competition that address different market dynamics in the neoliberal political economy: the 'sovereign entity' that promotes a well-functioning domestic market, and the 'competitive entity' that aims to increase European competitiveness to thrive on the world market. Although tensions arise between the imaginaries, it is argued in the end that three strategies based on them constitute the European competition state project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In a 2019 article published in this journal, Kyer and Maggs examined the frequency and characteristics of double-dip recessions and multi-dip recessions for 21 countries during the 1960:1 to 2014:4 period. A review of Kyer and Maggs generated a number of questions about a particular feature of their business cycle dating methodology. Specifically, they determined that a recession ends once real gross domestic product returns to or exceeds the previous peak level of real gross domestic product. To demonstrate the impact this nontraditional feature of their methodology has on their results and conclusions, this paper repeats their analysis where, in contrast to Kyer and Maggs, it is assumed that a recession ends once the economy reaches the trough quarter in a business cycle. The application of this more traditional feature of business cycle dating methodology to the same countries and sample period yields results that do not support their conclusions about either the frequency of double-dip recessions or the number of countries in their sample that experienced multi-dip recessions. This paper first shows that double-dip recessions represent just 7.2% of all recessions and, therefore, are not as common as Kyer and Maggs reported. Second, only five of the 21 countries experienced recessions with two or more additional dips in economic activity over the entire sample period. Finally, only six countries experienced a multi-dip recession during the Great Recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the value of traditional leaders in the advancement and execution of Municipal Integrated Plan (IDP) in South Africa. According to literature search institution of traditional leadership have been in place for a very a long time. To examines the value of traditional leaders in the advancement and execution of Municipal Integrated Plan (IDP) in South Africa, the paper employed the Behavioural theory of leadership. This paper used secondary data (through a literature review) to collect relevant information. It was revealed that differences between the local governance, and traditional leaders are depriving community members of the services that they should be getting from their respective municipalities. Despite the enactment of numerous constitutional laws to strengthen ties between traditional leaders and the local government, it is evident in existing literature that the lack in understanding of roles between traditional leaders and municipal councils remains a challenge. Traditional leaders are not able to participate fully in the IDP policy execution. The paper concluded by arguing that overcoming the undermining and including traditional leaders in all stages of development programs by municipalities is desirable to win the fight against poverty, unemployment, and income inequality through quality service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the matched data of China's tax survey and customs from 2007 to 2011, this paper studies the differential impact of exchange rate changes on the performance of companies by region from the perspective of factor market distortion. The results show that for import companies, the RMB appreciation significantly contributes to improving their performance and this phenomenon is more pronounced in areas with high factor market distortions. Channel tests show that the proportion of intermediate goods imported by final producers increases with regional factor market distortions. Therefore, the appreciation of the national currency is more favorable for areas with high factor market distortions (companies with high proportion of imported intermediate goods). In addition, the appreciation of the national currency will promote the production of China's upstream intermediate goods producers by expanding the output of downstream enterprises. This paper complements previous studies on the differential impact of RMB exchange rate changes on regional economic growth from a micro perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use conflicts are intensifying in Northern Sweden due to the increasing global demand for resources coupled with the green transition. In line with this, a thorough understanding of land use conflicts in the area is becoming necessary as economic activities expand and newer ones are developed. Hence, this paper aims to provide a systematic literature review of research on land use conflicts specific to Northern Sweden, focusing on various economic activities such as forestry, mining, tourism, energy sector and reindeer husbandry. Additionally, we aim to determine lessons learned and suggested ways forward based on a systematic review. We used Scopus and Web of Science on June 2023 and through descriptive statistical analysis of 33 articles, we summarized research trends and gaps. We found three main typologies of conflicts and five main themes of suggested ways forward. Recommendations agree that there should be a broader understanding of the underlying interests of the stakeholders; and there should be an inclusive, more participatory approach to discussing potential solutions, not to create an agreement but to come to an understanding. Beyond academic insights, the findings hold practical relevance for shaping effective land use policies. This paper offers valuable lessons that extend beyond the local context, informing broader discussions and policy considerations for sustainable land management in the larger Arctic setting, where similar challenges and resource demands are unfolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, policymakers and academics have shown interest in understanding how universities could drive regional innovation. Universities are not solely focusing on research and education as their primary missions but are also asked to participate in the development of their regions. This has compelled universities to forge what is called a third mission, encompassing all social and economic activities of universities. Several attempts have been made to evaluate this concept, aiming to highlight the evolving role of universities and their relevance to policy and society. In this vein, this paper showcases existing attempts that aim to measure the impact of the third mission in European universities. This study consists of a systematic literature review studying journal articles published between 2001 and 2021. The purpose of this paper is to enumerate the existing measurements of the third mission and identify the different tensions related to it. This study shows that the literature encompasses three approaches for assessing the third mission. First, some studies incorporated the third mission into the overall evaluation of university performance. Second, other investigations aimed to capture this concept as a whole. Finally, several studies evaluated individual dimensions of the third mission independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A landslide, to the west of Montemurro (a small village in Southern Italy), has recently caused damage to buildings and other infrastructures in an urbanized area, as a result the development of new economic activities has been prohibited. The landslide was discovered in the last century and has been studied since the 1990's using classical geotechnical methods, but the sliding body continues to move. In this paper, we will present the results of a study carried out using field surveys, geognostic investigations and TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) measurements in order to reconstruct the stratigraphy of the sediments involved and to further understand the geological and geomorphological context of the slope. This study is part of a larger multidisciplinary project of which the results will also be presented in this paper. The landslide (rotational slide in the upper sector, developing into a translational slide in the lower part) affects Quaternary continental clastic deposits resting on a bedrock formed by Tertiary siliciclastic sediments of the Gorgoglione Flysch. TDR measurements did not show any significant movement during the period monitored (January 2013-January 2014). Slip zone geometries were hypothesized using inclinometric measurements taken from previous studies, stratigraphic data and geomorphological interpretations of topographic scarps. Feedback from monitoring will confirm this hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper redefines hydrogen colour codes based on carbon dioxide emissions. It highlights that there are several colour codes, which disregard the carbon dioxide emitted in the hydrogen production process (e.g., electrolysis with renewable energy, steam reforming of natural gas, coal gasification, etc.). Some colours are used interchangeably for different technologies, while many colour codes do not assign a colour for all possible production pathways. Therefore, the existent framework is misleading and lacks scientific underpinning of colour labelling (e.g., green, blue, grey, black, yellow, purple, turquoise, etc.). This paper builds upon the work of Nikolaidis and Poullikkas and provides a qualitative assessment of the colour codes used to label various technologies. Based on a comparative analysis of the latest research and analysing hydrogen colour codes, this paper inquires whether there is or not, a common understanding of the hydrogen production pathways that lie behind each hydrogen "colour". This paper finds that there are major inconsistencies regarding the colours used, especially for technologies using fossil fuels as an energy source, but nuclear energy has also been found to have discrepancies in labelling. At the same time, there is only one colour used to describe a wide range of technologies using renewable energy (i.e., green). However, if carbon dioxide emissions of the corresponding production technology were visually represented using a predefined colour-code, the hydrogen produced with fossil fuels would have a less diverse colour range, than current colour palettes would suggest. Rather than being "grey" and "blue", coal, oil and gasbased hydrogen appear to be different shades of "brown" and "black". This finding illustrates that these technologies emit more carbon dioxide emissions than an initial labelling would suggest, which raises the question whether any colours of hydrogen, other than its "green" versions, is compliant with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of technological change on Indian economic growth using the Bayesian Vector Auto-Regressive (BVAR) methodology. We use a comprehensive annual time series dataset covering the period of 1980 to 2019 on real economic activity, gross fixed capital formation, and employment. Technological innovation is measured by the number of patents filed by resident Indians. Technological innovation positively impacts both economic growth and gross fixed capital formation. Our findings indicate that increasing the number of patents leads to higher investment, which drives India's economic growth. However, our results also point towards the possible negative influence of technological innovation on the aggregate employment scenario in India. Our main findings are robust to alternative identification strategies and variable transformation. The asymmetric analysis also corroborates the positive influence of patents on driving investment and economic growth in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses Pakistan Federal Foundational Learning Policy (FFLP) 2024 in light of holistic education. While enhancing the literacy abilities of children is a notable objective of this policy, this study examines policy in terms of its potential for the student’s education as a whole. In this paper, critical discourse analysis was employed by Mullet, focusing on language, the text structure, and the suggested measures of implementation of policy. This study shows that though FFLP 2024 ensures that gaps in foundational learning are filled, it might downplay other elements necessary for early childhood, namely socio-emotional development, creativity, and cultural competence. This policy gap may impose limitations on school’s curriculum and teaching strategies as it centers on quantifiable results & standardized tests. The findings drawn from the analysis of the policy have questioned its suitability for different regions and its effect on the teachers’ professionals’ autonomy. The study proposed that a balanced approach that incorporates basic skills and general goals is needed for inclusive student development. The study provides valuable suggestions for a broader strategy towards the foundational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Several empirical studies indicate that the existence of a large informal sector is a major obstacle to firms' choices of innovation strategies. This paper aims to address this issue and investigates the effect of the informal sector on the innovation of formal firms in Greece. Design/methodology/approach: Using the World Bank's Enterprise Survey data, the impact of informal competition on formal firms' innovation in Greece is investigated by testing whether formal firms use innovation as a tool to protect and sustain their competitive advantage vis-à-vis informal firms and whether overall and informal competition has an inverted-U relationship with the innovation of formal firms. The effects of bribing and other variables drawn from the empirical literature are also controlled for. Findings: The findings fill a gap in the literature regarding the effects of the informal sector on formal economic activity in Greece, by indicating that the informal sector puts pressure on formal firms to innovate, in order to differentiate their product or service and enhance their productivity and by offering learnings to help policymakers to promote innovation in Greece. Originality/value: The originality of this study is that it investigates the impact of informal competition on formal firms' innovation in Greece, a developed economy with a large informal sector. It does so by focusing on the effects that formal firms' informal practices have on their competitors' innovation activities, and the role of informal competition in creating and sustaining a competitive advantage in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the EU strives to achieve its climate goals, it is becoming increasingly crucial to understand the complex relationships between economic activity, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. In this context, our paper aims to investigate the correlation between carbon emissions, energy consumption, and economic development. To fulfill our aim, we have used Eurostat and OECD data for the EU-27 member states for a period of 13 years (2010–2022), using a linear regression as the main analysis method. Our results have shown that there is a strong correlation between demand-based and production-based CO2 emissions as well as between production-based CO2 emissions and final energy consumption, while at the same time, our findings have shown that there is no direct correlation between energy consumption and economic development, aligning our study with the neutrality hypothesis of the energy growth nexus. This paper expands the ongoing discussion on sustainable development and climate change mitigation by conducting a thorough analysis of the EU-27 countries over a span of thirteen years. The results emphasize the need for integrated strategies that address both production and consumption emissions, emphasize the vital role of energy efficiency, and raise questions about the effectiveness of increasing energy consumption to enhance economic productivity or CO2 efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro and large-sized enterprises are important elements to enhance the economic growth of any country, and even more so for developing countries such as Mexico. These enterprises highly contribute to job generation, competitiveness, and gross domestic product, factors that are important for the developing of a nation. The aim of this paper is to study the impact of human capital investments in the efficiency of the 21 economic activity subsectors for micro and large-sized enterprises in the Mexican manufacturing industry between 2009–2021. The database come from Mexico Annual Manufacturing Industry Survey. Four Data Envelopment Analysis models are developed to study the relationship between annual average working days, annual average wages, and annual average investment in training with average sales per year. Data indicate that, most of the micro-sized enterprises of the Mexican manufacturing sector do not invest in human capital training, contrary to their large-sized enterprises. The results show that investing in human capital training increase sales and wages in micro-sized enterprises of the Mexican manufacturing industry, but it is not evident in large-size enterprises of the Mexican manufacturing industry. The calculation of the economic activity subsectors efficiencies using the developed Data Envelopment Analysis models indicate that all the economic activity subsectors with scale efficiency equal to one optimally invest, and the average amount of investments in human capital training needed to increase the global and pure technical efficiencies of the others are calculated with the developed Data Envelopment Analysis models. In the three main economic activity subsectors of the Mexican manufacturing industry, a significant increase—in 83.33% of cases—in wages and salaries is seen in both micro and large-sized enterprises. Particularly, the results indicate that the Chemical industry economic activity subsectors show the highest efficiency in both micro and large-sized enterprises when the human capital training variable is present. This paper demonstrates the importance of investing in human capital to enhance the efficiency of micro and large-sized enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survey of the structure of farms is carried out by all the member states of the European Union, with agricultural holding as the statistical unit of measure. Thus, all the member states of the European Union are based on the definition of agricultural exploitation where it is mentioned that "agricultural exploitation means a single unit, both from a technical and economic point of view, with a single management, which carries out its agricultural activities on the economic territory of the EU, either as a primary activity or as a secondary activity". The purpose of the paper is to highlight the evolution and importance of studying agriculture, more specifically agricultural holdings, by performing a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the specialized literature. Thus, to achieve the proposed goal, the web of science database was accessed in order to perform a bibliometric analysis. Thus, following the application of the bibliometric analysis, it can be argued that this sector has been given considerable interest, as evidenced by the high number of articles published recently, regarding the analysis of agricultural holdings. By querying the mentioned database, 26,804 scientific articles were found after the phrase "agricultural farms". Most such papers were published by authors from the US (28.4% of the total number of papers) and China (18.7% of the total number of papers) in the Journal of agricultural and food chemistry (1.52%) and Acta horticulture (1.39%). Because this topic of agricultural holdings is vast and many countries are involved in approaching it in different ways, further studies are recommended on analyzing the evolution and importance of agricultural holdings in different countries and identifying the discrepancies between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Global Financial Crisis, interest in financial cycles has risen significantly. While much of modern macroeconomics conceives financial crises as the results of exogenous shocks, Minsky's financial instability hypothesis posits that financial cycles are endogenous to the economic system. The main contribution of this paper is to use historical macroeconomic data for the United States (1889–2014) to econometrically test for endogenous Minsky cycles: the interaction of procyclical private debt-to-income ratios and a dampening effect of private debt on economic activity. We analyze corporate debt-gross domestic product (GDP) growth cycles, which feature in Minsky's original writings, and mortgage debt-GDP growth cycles as in some recent Minsky-inspired models. We find robust evidence of endogenous corporate debt-GDP cycles over the last 125 years. These results are driven by the pre-World War II (WWII), and post-1973 periods, which had a more liberal economic policy orientation. We find no evidence of mortgage debt-GDP cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To deleverage is one of the major tasks for the supply-side structural reform in China, and to steadily deleverage in order is the key to fending off and defusing financial risks. This paper uses the economic statistics of China around 2016 to depict the "expansion-contraction" fluctuations with Chinese macroeconomy during the deleveraging. In this realistic context, it constructs a financial business cycle model based on the financial accelerator theory and attempts to use default cost changes to introduce financial shocks and understand China's macroeconomic fluctuations in the deleveraging context in the perspective of unanticipated and anticipated shocks. Results of the numerical model simulation show that before and after the deleveraging, the fluctuations of credit, leverage ratio, credit spread and other major macroeconomic variables originate not only from the changes with unanticipated default cost. Anticipated changes with default cost can similarly explain the "expansion-contraction" macroeconomic fluctuations in recent years and offer a new perspective into the fluctuations during deleveraging. Accordingly, government, when practicing deleveraging policies, is advised to take into full consideration not only the actual changes with default cost, but also anticipated factors of financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]