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The design of production plants in the form of a Cyber Physical Production System (CPPS) promises rapid adaptability to changing market requirements, high flexibility during production, robust behavior in the event of failure and offers the possibility of integrating customers into the production process. In contradiction to these advantages there are both a low penetration and a still low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of operational CPPS. This article therefore presents a production system for customized beverage bottling, consisting of industrial resources from well-known machine builders and designed as a CPPS through the use of a Multi-Agent System (MAS). The premise that all products are to be manufactured in a saleable form should clarify the claim of the CPPS to be classified as an industrial plant. Its functionality is tested through an evaluation based on two use cases with different requirements. This conceptual proof should enable the future, practice-oriented investigation of urgent questions from research and industry. As a further result, a complete test method for the development and commissioning of an CPPS, starting with the design phase and ending with a valid, reliable production system, is shown.

Fish farming is considered an important agricultural activity that is capable of ending nutritional deficiencies of the world and contributing to poverty reduction. Its proponents argue that aquaculture will meet the food security needs of millions of people in developing countries who will benefit from relatively inexpensive protein, while depleted capture fisheries are allowed to replenish. Egypt is Africa's leading aquaculture country, followed by Nigeria with similar production systems. The dominant species of fish cultured in Egypt and Nigeria are Tilapia and African catfish, respectively. The aquaculture industries in these two counties are very promising, as there is a presence of water bodies, some institutional commitment, and high demand for fish among others. Despite some gains made by the countries and the huge potential of the aquaculture sector, it is however bedeviled with constraints such as low technology adoption, inadequate supply of fingerlings, high cost of fish feed, etc. This work is an overview of the aquaculture sectors of Egypt and Nigeria, which includes the production systems, prospects, and potentials of the sector and the constraints that affect aquaculture.

During the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, universities were obligated to transform from traditional classroom teaching environments to virtual ones. This sudden transformation highlighted the issue of low e-learning system usage amongst instructors of humanity faculties in Jordan's public universities. This study empirically investigated the moderating impact of technology anxiety on the relationship between the instructor's self-efficacy and the e-learning system's actual use to contribute to solving the problem. A survey was distributed to 468 instructors to test the theoretical framework, which yielded 285 valid and complete instruments analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results showed the positive direct effect of self-efficacy on actual use. Furthermore, the level of technology anxiety moderated the relationship. Instructors with low technology anxiety showed a higher level of e-learning system actual usage than those with a high anxiety level. To improve the use of e-learning systems, top management must understand the fundamental role of compulsory training as the Covid-19 pandemic, and the instructor's confidence must be increased by providing training and support. © 2021 The Author(s). Open Access - This article is under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Most residents in developing countries suffer severe water shortage and often resort to self-supply. Unfortunately, some self-supply water sources contain disease-causing biological and chemical contaminants and require point-of-use (POU) treatment. However, recontamination and persistence of chemical contaminants occur, which defeats the aim of POU. This study aims to develop an affordable low-technology system that effectively treats whole-house water sourced from borehole and rain without recontamination. Raw borehole water (RBW) was treated with KAl(SO4)2·12H2O (8.10 mg/L), Ca(OH)2 (68.21 mg/L) and NaOCl (1.875 mg/L) in two separate tanks and thereafter filtered through 5-micron and 0.5-micron carbon filters, and a reverse osmosis system. The results showed that heterotrophic plate count (2,700 CFU/mL) and total coliform (378.00±21.25 MPN/100 mL) in RBW were reduced to zero, and total hardness was reduced by >83% after treatment and there was no recontamination. Chromium (0.05±0.002 mg/L), Cu (0.04±0.001 mg/L), Pb (0.09±0.001 mg/L), Fe (0.26±0.005 mg/L) and Mn (0.2±0.001 mg/L) in the RBW were reduced below detectable limits after treatment. The annual per capita cost of water treatment was estimated at N 4,744.44 ($9.32) at per capita consumption of 100 L/day. Our technology shows exceptional promise in providing affordable and safe water to the entire household throughout the year.

PurposeThe purpose of the study was (1) to examine the motivational composites determining consumers' continued intention to use digital ticketing via self-service technology (SST) by integrating service satisfaction and (2) to ascertain the differences between consumers according to their psychological discomfort toward technology.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a structured questionnaire, and a total of 323 were included in the analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to test motivational determinants of digital ticketing. In addition, permutation-based multi-group analysis was performed to investigate the differences between consumers with high and low technology discomfort.FindingsBoth intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are positive predictors of continued intention to use digital ticketing, but only intrinsic motivation has a positive impact on continued intention through service satisfaction. Moreover, the relationship between intrinsic motivation, service satisfaction and continued intention was stronger for consumers with high psychological discomfort than those with low psychological discomfort.Originality/valueGiven the conspicuous characteristics of the digital ticketing process for sporting events, the insights gained from the study may be of assistance to researchers and practitioners in understanding sport consumers' ticket consumption behavior and the determinants of SST usage.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is expected to significantly change our mobility patterns. However, it is still not clear who will accept this new mobility paradigm and how it will affect travellers’ behaviours. In this study, we identify a set of attitudinal and personality factors relevant for MaaS adoption based on a survey comprising 1,000 respondents in the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain). The results show strong positive attitudes towards MaaS after being validated through a structural equation model. The higher the percentage of multimodal travellers, the more they are open to “new mobilities”, the greater their technological capabilities and curiosity, and the lower their cost sensitivity, then the higher the adoption potential for MaaS. Our analysis reveals four clusters in terms of individuals’ intention to use MaaS technologies (technological car-followers, unimodal travellers, MaaS-lovers and active public-transport supporters). Motivated by a significant environmental sensibility, MaaS-lovers appear to be the most likely to reduce their private car usage in favour of alternative modes. Overall, we recognise two main barriers that can frustrate MaaS adoption: low technology affinity and low openness to sharing-mobility services. Policies that focus on these two aspects can encourage MaaS acceptance.

Although various CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) technologies are being researched and developed intensively for the purpose of lowering greenhouse gas emissions, most current technologies remain at low technology readiness levels for industrial use and are less economical compared to conventional processes. Mineral carbonation is a CO2 utilization technology with low net CO2 emissions and high CO2 reduction potential, and various commercialization studies are underway around the world. This manuscript reviews the potential of mineral carbonation as a general CCU technology and the techno-economic and environmental feasibility of a representative technology, which produces sodium bicarbonate through the saline water electrolysis and carbonation steps, and examines the potential CO2 reduction derived from the application of this technology. The future implementation of mineral carbonation technology in ocean alkalinity enhancement for sequestrating atmospheric CO2 or the production of abandoned mine backfill materials is also discussed in order to deploy the technology at much larger scales for a meaningful contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

This article presents the analyses the role of M&A transactions in the development of operational capital groups from the perspective of high and low technology sectors. Two main research questions were asked: 1. what is the role of M&A in the development and competitiveness of operational capital groups; 2. is there specificity in the role of M&A transactions of operational capital groups in high and low technology sectors? The purpose of this article is to tentatively find, based on two case studies, the specific role of mergers and acquisitions in the development of operational capital groups in low and high technology sectors. In order to initially answer the questions asked, two case studies, one each from the high-tech and low-tech sectors, were conducted. Finally, it was recommended that a larger study be conducted on operational capital groups, which could confirm the validity of the preliminary answers to the research questions asked.

The Advanced Noise Control Fan (ANCF) was utilized in the design, test, and evaluation for technical risk mitigation for many of the innovative ducted acoustic liner technologies developed by NASA over the past 20 years. The ANCF is a low-speed ducted fan test bed for measuring and understanding fan-generated aeroacoustics, duct propagation, and radiation to the farfield. It is considered a low Technology Readiness Level testbed. The international aeroacoustics research community employed the ANCF to facilitate advancement of liner concepts, liner measurement technologies, and for liner code validation. From 1994 to 2016, it was located in the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Applied Aero Propulsion Laboratory. In 2016 the ANCF was transferred to the University of Notre Dame where it is expected to continue to positively impact research in the liner area. This paper summarizes the capabilities and contributions of the ANCF to the field of liner development by documenting its history.

The location of industrial firms is an important matter of freight transport for the economical movement of goods in reducing transport costs and travel distance. This study suggests strategies for freight transport management, investigating the impact of transport infrastructure on the location choice of firms in the manufacturing industry by sector at the micro-spatial level using a time-fixed/region-random effects two-way error component model. The estimated models consider manufacturing firms classified into four sectors (i.e., high, medium-high, medium-low, and low technology). Different types of transport infrastructure variables were found to influence the location choice of firms, depending on the transport accessibility and cost-efficiency needs of each manufacturing sector. The findings presented in this paper provide evidence useful to establish geographical policy strategies towards infrastructure planning for smart growth.

SMEs were the sector most affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Among them are SMEs in Tegallega Village, Ciampel District, Karawang Regency. The problems faced are very diverse, such as decreasing demand, inaccessible additional capital, no cost to continue the business, low technology usage ability, poor marketing, lack of product innovation, and absence of records and books. The problem-solving method used was training in developing human resources in the field of entrepreneurship, mentoring home industry groups, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The results achieved in this activity were providing training to SME actors to be able to take advantage of the abundant resources, namely bananas. Banana fruit can be used as raw material because it is easy to find and the price is relatively cheap and can be processed with a variety of more innovative variations, such as banana caramel, Super Banana Chocolate Cake, and banana stick.

Older adults are increasingly becoming adopters of digital technologies, such as smartphones; however, this population remains particularly vulnerable to digital privacy and security threats. To date, most research on technology used among older adults focuses on helping individuals overcome their discomfort or lack of expertise with technology to protect them from such threats. Instead, we are interested in how communities of older adults work together to collectively manage their digital privacy and security. To do this, we surveyed 67 individuals across two older adult communities (59 older adults and eight employees or volunteers) and found that the community's collective efficacy for privacy and security was significantly correlated with the individuals' self-efficacy, power usage of technology, and their sense of community belonging. Community collective efficacy is a group's mutual belief in its ability to achieve a shared goal. Using social network analysis, we further unpacked these relationships to show that many older adults interact with others who have similar technological expertise, and closer-knit older adult communities that have low technology expertise (i.e., low power usage and self-efficacy) may increase their community collective efficacy for privacy and security by embedding facilitators (e.g., employees or volunteers) who have more technical expertise within their communities. Our work demonstrates how both peer influence and outside expertise can be leveraged to support older adults in managing their digital privacy and security.

As a major component of greenhouse gases (GHGs), excessive CO2 emissions have led to a series of environmental issues. Therefore, CO2 capture and storage (CCS) have attracted extensive attention from both fundamental and practical research communities. However, traditional adsorbents and catalysts still have many defects in CO2 capture and transformation. In recent years, nanomaterials have been considered as promising adsorbents for CO2 capture due to their high adsorption capacity, low cost and wide availability. This review article describes the main technologies used for CO2 capture, highlights the latest research status of nanomaterials for CO2 capture, and investigates the influence of surface microstructure and modification of materials on CO2 capture ability. Although many new nanomaterials and capture technologies have been developed, the high cost and the low technology scale of CO2 capture remain major obstacles. Future research should focus on designing low-cost, high-availability nanomaterials to reduce CO2 emission from large-scale power plants.

Purpose Medical school simulations are often designed for a limited number of students to maximize engagement and learning. To ensure that all first-year medical students who wished to join had an opportunity to participate, we designed a novel method for larger groups. Patients and methods We devised a low technology "Orchestra Leader's" chart approach to prominently display students' roles, chosen by lottery. During simulation, the chart was mounted on an intravenous pole and served as a group organizational tool. A course instructor prompted students using the chart to accomplish the course objectives in a logical order. Real-life cardiologists and gastroenterologists provided the students with expert subspecialty consultation. We analyzed 125 anonymous student evaluation ratings for 3 years (2017-2019) with a range of 8 to 19 students per laboratory session. Results Our 2017-2019 larger group sessions were all rated as excellent (1.26, Mean, SD ±.510) on the Likert scale where 1.0 is excellent and 5.0 is poor. There were no statistically significant differences in overall ratings among the 2017, 2018 and 2019 sessions. The subspecialists were uniformly rated as excellent. Verbatim free-text responses demonstrated resounding student appreciation for the role assignment by lottery method. Conclusion We designed a novel, "Orchestra Leader's" chart approach for accommodating larger groups in a multidisciplinary simulation laboratory using role assignment by lottery, roles depicted on an organizational chart, and expert instructor prompting. Our consistently excellent ratings suggest that our methods are useful for achieving well-rated larger group simulation laboratories.

PurposeThis paper describes the unintended and unanticipated ways an iPhone as a data collection tool created distractions during observations of five-year-old twins' digital literacy practices while in their home.Design/methodology/approachSituated in sociocultural theories of learning and development and new literacy studies, the 12-month-long case study examined young children's digital literacy practices in their homes before and during their transition into kindergarten. The article focuses on the data collection of five-year-old twins in their home with their parents, a family the author called the Skywalkers. Data sources included semistructured interviews, participant observations and informal conversations.FindingsThe mother was a low-technology user and preferred her children to engage in nondigital activities. The children were permitted 10 min every other day of “digital time.” The iPhone as a data collection tool provided them with digital access they would otherwise not have. The mother knew the focus of the study was digital engagement and that the iPhone was used for data collection (i.e. photographs and videos). Although the iPhone was intended to be used in establishing rapport and taking photographs, the children frequently asked to video record their play and therefore the iPhone became a distraction.Originality/valueGiven the prevalence of smartphones in Western society, the recruitment of a family with such low-technology use was unforeseen. As digital data collection increases in qualitative research, researchers should not assume that a smartphone is always appropriate for gathering photographic data. This is particularly important when investigating digital literacy practices of families in their homes.

Voice assistants embodied in smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home) enable voice-based interaction that does not necessarily rely on expertise with mobile or desktop computing. Hence, these voice assistants offer new opportunities to different populations, including individuals who are not interested or able to use traditional computing devices such as computers and smartphones. To understand how older adults who use technology infrequently perceive and use these voice assistants, we conducted a 3-week field deployment of the Amazon Echo Dot in the homes of seven older adults. While some types of usage dropped over the 3-week period (e.g., playing music), we observed consistent usage for finding online information. Given that much of this information was health-related, this finding emphasizes the need to revisit concerns about credibility of information with this new interaction medium. Although features to support memory (e.g., setting timers, reminders) were initially perceived as useful, the actual usage was unexpectedly low due to reliability concerns. We discuss how these findings apply to other user groups along with design implications and recommendations for future work on voice-user interfaces.

Current food system evolved in a great degree because of the development of processing and food engineering technologies: people learned to bake bread long before the advent of agriculture; salting and smoking supported nomad lifestyles; canning allowed for longer military marches; etc. Food processing technologies went through evolution and significant optimization and currently rely on minor fraction of energy comparing with initial prototypes. Emerging processing technologies (high-pressure, pulsed electric fields, ohmic heating, ultrasound) and novel food systems (cultured biomass, 3-D bioprinting, cyber-physical chains) try to challenge the existing chains by developing potentially more nutritious and sustainable food solutions. However, new food systems rely on low technology readiness levels and estimation of their potential future benefits or drawbacks is a complex task mostly due to the lack of integrated data. The research is aimed for the development of conceptual guidelines of food production system structuring as cyber-physical systems. The study indicates that cyber-physical nature of modern food is a key for the engineering of more nutritious and sustainable paths for novel food systems. Implementation of machine learning methods for the collection, integration, and analysis of data associated with biomass production and processing on different levels from molecular to global, leads to the precise analysis of food systems and estimation of upscaling benefits, as well as possible negative rebound effects associated with societal attitude. Moreover, such data-integrated assessment systems allow transparency of chains, integration of nutritional and environmental properties, and construction of personalized nutrition technologies.

This paper investigates the effect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows on wage level paid by private domestic firms in Indonesia’s manufacturing sector. The previous literature focuses on horizontal linkages only. We develop this study by examining the spillover through horizontal and vertical channels. We find that there is strong evidence of horizontal and vertical wage spillovers from foreign to local firms in Indonesian manufacturing. However, after controlling for some firm characteristics, which are technology intensity level and firm size, we find that although vertical wage spillovers exist irrespective of the firm characteristics, horizontal spillovers show different results. This spillover is not present in relatively low technology level firms.

This paper explores the experience of a sample of thirty post-graduate students of University of Ghana, Legon regarding the use of Sakai Learning Management System (LMS) in enhancing students’ inte...

This study addresses to rank the environmental performance of manufacturing sectors using Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) method which is a widely used multi-criteria decision making method for environmental management. The study focuses on 24 manufacturing sectors and 5 criteria—water usage, environmental expenditure, environmental employment, waste recover and waste density—to rank the environmental performance of the manufacturing sectors. Rankings of the manufacturing sectors are made using PROMETHEE II, which is a developed version of PROMETHEE, with three scenarios (base scenario, environmental scenario, economic scenario) obtained by different weightings of the criteria. In the analysis stage, manufacturing sectors are ranked and then environmental performance of the sectors is compared in terms of four technology levels (low technology, medium–low technology, medium–high technology and high technology) proposed by OECD. According to the results, manufacture of tobacco products is the best performing sector and manufacture of chemicals and chemical products is the worst performing sector in each scenario. Furthermore, high-technology and medium–high-technology sectors have better environmental performance than medium–low-technology and low-technology sectors in each scenario. After that, Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Aid planes were used to understand the weak and strong points of the manufacturing sectors. Better performing sectors are good at water usage, waste recover and waste density criteria, but bad at environmental expenditure and environmental employment criteria. This study closes the gap as the first study on the environmental performance of Turkish manufacturing sectors using a multi-criteria decision making method, and we hope that this study will be beneficial for the researchers in this area.

Even though there has been massive research on the impact of trade liberalization on various aspects of economic performance, its impact on trade deficits have been virtually ignored. This is partly due to the underlying theoretical framework which is based on patently unrealistic assumptions and which rules out chronic trade deficits. Within such context, the paper argues that there is no theoretical or empirical justification for postulating an automatically balancing external trade in developing countries. Using a historical case study of Ethiopia, it also shows that chronic deficits are fundamentally structural in nature and therefore cannot be reversed without bringing about structural transformation of the economy from low-skill, low technology productive structure to high-skill, high technology intensive productive structure. It also concludes that such structural transformation cannot be realized under a liberal external trade regime which forces a country to specialize based on its ‘natural’ comparative advantage.

Technologies that valorize carbon dioxide are becoming an increasingly relevant component of the portfolio of solutions necessary to mitigate and reverse climate change. Assessing the environmental and economic characteristics of these technologies early in their developmental trajectories can help technologists either efficiently accelerate emissions reductions and commercialization or realize potential infeasibility and direct resources toward better opportunities. To aid in such assessments, this article constructs a typology of carbon removal and utilization technologies and identifies specific pathways in need of early-stage life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) templates. Based on published literature and project experience, example LCA and TEA templates are developed for high-priority pathways with relatively low technology readiness levels including direct air capture, chemical synthesis, algae products, carbonated concrete, and carbonated aggregates. The templates attempt to capture the most important elements of early-stage LCA and TEA in an easily understandable and usable manner that still allows for reliable, order-of-magnitude estimations and hotspot analysis. Opportunities for other practitioners to use and build upon the templates are also discussed.

The digital transformation has driven a more assertive absorption of external information and knowledge in all economic activities, especially in the low technological intensity sector, where competition has been fierce. In this way, the use of information and knowledge can provide companies with higher performance before its competitors. Thus, this study seeks to verify the effect of absorptive capacity (ACAP) on the financial performance of Brazilian and Portuguese companies that operate in low technological intensity sectors. The study is part of initial research that addresses ACAP in sectors that do not release innovations in the market. A survey was carried out based on validated scales, but adapted to the low technology sector. Then, a new validation of the scales was carried out and a t-test was performed to check if there are differences and regression analysis to answer the hypotheses. The results showed that ACAP has an effect on financial performance, both in the Brazilian and Portuguese context, being higher in Portuguese companies. In addition, it was also shown that the two dimensions of ACAP have different influences on financial performance, when considering the two contexts. It can be concluded that ACAP can be applied in sectors of low technological intensity, as this has an influence over the financial performance of companies. RESUMO A transformação digital tem impulsionado a absorção mais assertiva de informações e conhecimentos externos em todas as atividades econômicas, especialmente no setor de baixa intensidade tecnológica, onde a concorrência tem se mostrado acirrada. Desse modo, o uso de informações e conhecimento pode proporcionar às empresas a obtenção de desempenho superior ao dos concorrentes. Assim, este estudo tem como objetivo verificar o efeito da capacidade absortiva (ACAP) no desempenho financeiro de empresas brasileiras e portuguesas que atuam em setor de baixa intensidade tecnológica. O estudo faz parte de pesquisas iniciais que abordam a ACAP em setores que não lançam inovações no mercado. Foi realizada uma survey baseada em escalas validadas, mas adaptadas ao setor de baixa intensidade tecnológica. Com isso, procedeu-se à nova validação das escalas, à realização de teste t para verificar se existem diferenças e análise de regressão para responder às hipóteses. Os resultados evidenciaram que a ACAP exerce efeito no desempenho financeiro, tanto no contexto brasileiro quanto no contexto português, sendo maior em empresas portuguesas. Além disso, também se evidenciou que as duas dimensões da ACAP exercem influências de forma diferente sobre o desempenho financeiro, quando consideramos os dois contextos. Pode-se concluir que a ACAP pode ser aplicada em setores de baixa intensidade tecnológica, pois este exerce influência sobre o desempenho financeiro das empresas.

This article analyzes the development status and components of 3D animation production, and combines the design and production points of 3D animation. The content includes scenario design, character design, modeling redesign, action design, environment design, 3D scanning production, 3D printing model, 3D Scene production, etc. By studying the causes and treatment measures of problems such as low production efficiency, low technology integration, and lack of cultural value, the purpose is to improve the rationality of 3D animation design and production results, and create conditions for the economic development of the industry.

The use of blockchain technology in the financial field can effectively break information barriers; track and audit the entire funding cycle, and help improve the transparency of fund use. It can simplify the transaction process, help reduce transaction costs and improve efficiency. However, compared with Western developed countries, the application of blockchain technology in China is still in its infancy, and its application in the financial field faces challenges such as the limitations of traditional concepts, low technology levels, and technology shortages. Research and application talents, laws and regulations are not perfect. It is necessary to innovate ideas, strengthen technology research and development, vigorously cultivate technology research and application talents, and improve relevant laws and regulations to promote the wide application of blockchain technology in the financial field. Based on this, this article studies the use of blockchain key privacy protection technologies to optimize the configuration of financial supervision equipment. This article mainly focuses on blockchain technology and its application in the financial industry, combined with an overview of blockchain technology as the main basis, and then analyzes the application of blockchain technology in the promotion of the financial industry, and makes recommendations. Use blockchain technology to better promote the development of the financial industry. Research shows that blockchain is a new application model of computers. Blockchain is second only to network technology. Mainframes and personal computers have the greatest potential and widest influence, and are essential for triggering industrial change power. Therefore, blockchain technology has great potential in the financial governance system.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is expected to significantly change mobility patterns, yet it is still not clear who will embrace this new mobility paradigm and how MaaS will impact passengers’ transportation. In the paper, we identify factors relevant for MaaS adoption based on a survey comprised of over thousand respondents in the Netherlands. We find five clusters in relation to individuals’ inclinations to adopt MaaS in the context of urban mobility. We characterize each of the clusters, allowing for the examining of different customer segments regarding MaaS. The cluster with the highest inclination for future MaaS adoption is also the largest cluster (representing one third of respondents). Individuals in this cluster have multimodal weekly mobility patterns. On the contrary, current unimodal car users are the least likely to adopt MaaS. We identify high (mobility) ownership need and low technology adoption (present in three of the five clusters) as the main barriers that can hinder MaaS adoption. Policies that directly address these two barriers can stimulate MaaS adoption.

This paper used trade data with the year 2001-2018 to construct the global manufacturing multi-layer trade network, analyzed the characteristics of the network and predicted the development trend of the network. The results show that global manufacturing trade has been on the rise and focus on the increase of trade flow; trade be more likely to cooperate with core economic or trade organization; the orientation of returning to manufacturing makes a positive impact on manufacturing trade; network accessibility and compactness are strong, and it tends to be mature. Core-periphery analysis reveals that the United States and China will be the core countries of high, medium and low technology products. The trade forecast results show that the United States and China will conduct fierce manufacturing competition, and the world will form three manufacturing trade dominant regions of North American three countries, Asia-pacific cluster and European cluster.

The design of cashew nut or cashew nut sheller uses appropriate or low technology with consideration of low cost for tool material. This pen gk acip tool will be used at Ngudi Koyo, Imogiri, Bantul, Yogyakarta. Cashew shell peeler or cippling device as a result of the design is a modification of the existing cashew shell peeler. Some parts of the existing tool are applied to several modified parts, namely the lever mechanism, picking knife, or lever knife. This paper will discuss the method of selecting a suppressor, lever and picking system on a tool using the morphological map analysis method. Morphological maps will produce alternative designs for cashew nut peeler. The selection of alternative designs will be carried out by analyzing the results of testing in a technical mechanism, material strength, and alternative design quality values. Testing of alternative technical systems mechanisms is done by comparing the mechanical systems of existing tools. The size of the tool uses the anthropometric measurements of the female operator's body, because the operators in the Ngudi Koyo UKM are all women. The tool size adjustment will provide work comfort and increase efficiency. Quality testing in addition to using standard anthropometric standards, will be tested for quality of ease of care, ease of transferring, clean, neat, simple and safe tool. K ey words : Effective technology , low technology tool, security, Design Alternative Testing

In this article, the chosen aspects of innovativeness of food industry against other branches of low technology were discussed. The analysis of innovative potential was made with the use of the following indicators: the share of innovative active enterprises incurring expenses on innovative activity and cooperating in this range and the expenditure level attributable to the enterprise incurring expenses. The innovative position was evaluated based on share indicators of: innovative enterprises (product and process innovations), introducing marketing and organization innovations as well as those sold in 2017 and new or significantly improved products introduced to the market between 2015 and 2017. It was stated that the most innovative branches, both among the subjects of the food industry and other branches of low technology were producers of tobacco and beverages. A significantly lower level of innovativeness was characterized among producers of groceries. They took 7th place among 11 branches of the low technology sector. This tendency is stable over time, as within previous years similar results of this research problem analysis were noted.

In recent literature, prospective application of life cycle assessment (LCA) at low technology readiness levels (TRL) has gained immense interest for its potential to enable development of emerging technologies with improved environmental performances. However, limited data, uncertain functionality, scale up issues and uncertainties make it very challenging for the standard LCA guidelines to evaluate emerging technologies and requires methodological advances in the current LCA framework. In this paper, we review published literature to identify major methodological challenges and key research efforts to resolve these issues with a focus on recent developments in five major areas: cross‐study comparability, data availability and quality, scale‐up issues, uncertainty and uncertainty communication, and assessment time. We also provide a number of recommendations for future research to support the evaluation of emerging technologies at low technology readiness levels: (a) the development of a consistent framework and reporting methods for LCA of emerging technologies; (b) the integration of other tools with LCA, such as multicriteria decision analysis, risk analysis, technoeconomic analysis; and (c) the development of a data repository for emerging materials, processes, and technologies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse econometrically determinants of total factor productivity (TFP) in Indian manufacturing plants with a focus on the influence of services input on productivity. Design/methodology/approach Plant-level data drawn from Annual Survey of Industries for the years 1998-1999 to 2012-2013 are used for the estimation of TFP at plant-level by applying the Levinsohn–Petrin methodology. Econometric models are estimated to explain variations in plant-level TFP. The explanatory variables used are services input intensity (split into manufacturing services purchased and other services), the share of information communication technology (ICT) assets in total fixed capital stock, the share of contract workers in total workers and the share of imported materials out of total materials used, with plant size taken as a control variable. Model estimation is done by applying the fixed effects model. Findings Econometric results indicate that services input and ICT intensity have a significant positive effect on productivity of manufacturing plants in India. Use of imported materials raises productivity, whereas the use of contract workers in place of regular workers tends to lower productivity. The impact of imported materials on TFP of manufacturing plants seems to be relatively bigger for labour-intensive, low technology industries. Originality/value Care has been taken for TFP measurement. Analysis of the impact of services input on TFP has been undertaken for Indian manufacturing using plant-level data for the first time.

Replay attack is an attempt of using pre-recorded speech samples of any target for acquiring unauthorized access to the automatic speaker verification (ASV) system. It is a low technology s...

Purpose This paper aims to review the landscape of research in pedagogy and learning that surmounts the challenges of low-tech, information-rich environments during the past decade. It also reviews the methods used, populations studied and places where such research was carried out and proposes a conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach A scoping review methodology was used to provide initial, broad insight into the field of learning in low tech environments. Findings The study found that low tech was not a barrier when it came to effectiveness of pedagogy and learning. In addition, it became apparent that active learning strategies combined with no-tech, low-tech and high-tech resources and strategies can lead to learning environments that are learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered and community-centered. Originality/value The authors propose the framework for learning in low-tech, information-rich environments, which can be used by researchers, educators, practitioners and policymakers in environments with low technology, or in those with high technology seeking to transfer expertise and technology to these areas.

This article examines the economic development of Turkey from a comparative global perspective. With the help of GDP per capita and other series, it shows that Turkey's record in economic growth and human development since 1820 has been close to world averages and a little above developing country averages. The early focus of the article is on the proximate causes—average rates of investment, below‐average rates of schooling, low rates of total productivity growth, and low technology content of production—which provide important insights into why GDP per capita increases were not any higher. For the deeper causes, the article emphasizes the role of institutions and institutional change. Turkey's formal economic institutions had been influenced by international rules since the nineteenth century, and these rules did not always support economic development. Turkey's elites also made extensive changes in formal political and economic institutions. Formal institutions were only part of the story, however. The direction of institutional change also depended on the political order and the degree of understanding between different groups and their elites. When the political system could not manage the recurring tensions and cleavages between the different elites, economic outcomes suffered.

Published: 03 August 2019 This paper investigates the heterogeneity within the group of foreign direct investors by analyzing the relation between parents' productivity, the degree of domestic competition and the characteristics of their affiliates. Our results show that there is no unique recipe. Foreign direct investors may benefit differently depending on the economic environment in which they operate. Building an original 10-year panel dataset of Italian investors, we find that larger manufacturing parents tend to have more, larger and more productive affiliates in a higher number of destinations as well as being more productive in terms of total factor productivity. Having affiliates in high income countries or in both high and low income countries is associated with a productivity premium vis-a-vis investors in low income countries. Parent sector characteristics such as technology and degree of competition are also associated with productivity in a non-monotonic way. Low income country investors are found to be relatively more productive when operating in more competitive low technology sectors, while the opposite holds true for high income country investors, which become more productive when operating in less competitive high technology sectors. Regione Autonoma Sardegna

While the inclusion of multimedia technology enables diverse learning activities in English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction, its influence on classroom interaction is under-examined. To address this gap, this comparative study examines the impact of technology use on teacher-student interaction patterns (i.e., initiation-response-feedback or IRF patterns) in technology-enhanced primary EFL classrooms in a rural school district in China. Six class videos were selected, three from teachers with high and three with low technology use respectively. Conversation analyses of these class videos revealed that technology use played a negative role in facilitating communicative classroom discourses, with high technology use teachers using more display questions and directives and facilitating less spontaneous or authentic output from students in the target language. In addition, teachers in both types of classroom provided little but almost identical amounts of corrective feedback, suggesting a minimal impact of technology on teacher feedback patterns. The findings reveal extensive teacher-centered technology use in EFL classrooms and warrant an urgent need to discuss the importance of and potential approaches to enhancing EFL teachers’ pedagogical awareness and competence in technology-assisted language instruction.

The main objective of the paper is to study the role of localisation and the urbanisation (or diversifi cation) economies in urban post-transition SEE, by constructing and analysing manufacturing specialisation and diversifi cation measures over the period 2006-2013. The second objective of the paper is to analyse differences within manufacturing industry across cities in terms of their technological complexity. Industries are mapped across cities with over 50,000 populations (98 cities in six SEE, covering 35.3% of the total SEE population), a population threshold that is in line with previous literature. The data were obtained from Bureau Van Dijk’s Amadeus fi rm-level database containing, most importantly, balance sheet data and profi t-and-loss account data for CEE. The analysis of manufacturing industry diversifi cation and specialisation in the cities is based on the relation between agglomeration economies of the Marshall-Arrow-Romer type (economies of location or specialization) and the Jacobs-Porter type (economies of urbanization or diversifi cation). Analysis results revealed that a particular specialisation pattern that would point to a homogenous system of cities throughout the region could not be confi rmed. City specialisation in manufacturing was negatively correlated to city size in SEE, but this relation has not shown particularly strong. Similarly to other countries, top-specialised cities are specialised in manufacturing closely related to natural resources such as petroleum products and tobacco, pointing to advantages arising from “fi rst nature” geography. However, diversity and specialisation are not exact opposites, as there are cities which are both diversifi ed and specialised. The results of the second part of the analysis show that medium-low technology and low technology groups of industries in manufacturing prevail in total turnover, with 36.2% and 35.0% share, respectively. City specialization in the prevailing technology group in SEE, in medium-low technology, is highest in Bulgarian, Bosnian and Herzegovinian and in Croatian cities.

This study examined the impact of use of a computer software application designed specifically for older people known as PRISM—a Personal Reminder Information and Social Management system—which was installed on a computer that was placed in the homes of adults aged 65 to 98 years, who were at risk for social isolation and had minimal or no computer skills and no computers in their homes. Participants received face-to-face training on the system in their homes over several days and a variety of measures were collected at baseline and at 12 months. A growth mixture model applied to participants’ usage of the system over the course of 12 months revealed two distinct subpopulations of users—less-frequent users and more-frequent users—who after one year of exposure to the system differed in computer proficiency, attitudes toward computers, and ratings of system usability. These two groups did not differ on computer proficiency and computer attitude measures at baseline. The more-frequent user group, however, had significantly higher fluid cognitive abilities. Additional analytical models were used to further examine the relationships among the study measures. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the importance of usability for promoting initial engagement with a system and that increased engagement with the system can instill beliefs in these older adults that they can successfully transition to other computer-based technologies and applications. The results also underscore the importance of the user-centered design approach and designing highly usable systems for older adults with low technology proficiency.

Young children with complex communication needs are often severely restricted in their ability to communicate and develop language skills. A major barrier preventing these children from accessing communication is a lack of appropriate means to communicate. The present study investigated the implementation of nonelectronic visual scene displays (VSDs) as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tool, in combination with aided modeling with preschool children with complex communication needs. A single case, multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate an intervention combining low-tech VSDs and aided modeling to increase the number of communication turns and unique semantic concepts expressed by preschool children. All children demonstrated notable increases in the number of communication turns and unique semantic concepts expressed. The findings of this study indicate preliminary positive results for a novel, low-cost AAC intervention that could be useful for preschool children to increase their participation in social communication contexts.

In this article, we discuss the research and development (R&D) as one of the key determinants that promote innovation, technological development and, indirectly, economic growth and the competitiveness of economies and businesses. International comparisons at the macroeconomic level over the past 17 years show a slow rise in the coefficient (ratios) between R&D expenditures and GDP. In the most advanced economies, the share of R&D expenditure is approaching or even exceeding 3% of GDP. Slovenia is one of the countries that did not reach the OECD average, which stood at 2.3% of GDP in 2016. In the period 2013-2017, a negative trend in R&D expenditures in Slovenia was established for various reasons (change in R&D recording, tax relief, economic conjuncture). In a very small proportion of targeted applied research and experimental development, we can search for the causes of technological backlogs in the Slovenian economy. In the future, research policy must, to a greater extent, promote interactive cooperation between enterprises, institutes, universities, and state institutions; change the structure of publicly funded research in favour of targeted applied research; increase internationalization through integration into international value chains; develop the market of innovative public procurement. R&D management in enterprises must accelerate innovation efforts not only in high technology segments, but also in the field of medium and low technology with a higher role of venture capital, a significant increase in the number of researchers in enterprises, and the use of a voucher system for research and consulting services, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises.