Search Results (49)

The untapped potential of wave energy offers another alternative to diversifying renewable energy sources and addressing climate change by reducing CO₂ emissions. However, development costs to mature the technology remain significant hurdles to adoption at scale and the technology often must compete against other marine energy renewables such as offshore wind. Here, we conduct a real option valuation that includes the uncertain market price of wholesale electricity and managerial flexibility expressed in determining future optimal decisions. We demonstrate the probability that the project’s embedded compound real option value can turn a negative net present value wave energy project to a positive expected value. This change in investment decision uses decision tree analysis, where real options are developed as decision nodes, and models the uncertainty as a risk-neutral stochastic process using chance nodes. We also show how our results are analogous to a financial out-of-the-money call option. Our results highlight the distribution of outcomes and the benefit of a staged long-term investment in wave energy systems to better understand and manage project risk, recognizing that these probabilistic results are subject to the ongoing evolution of wholesale electricity prices and the stochastic process models used here to capture their future dynamics. Lastly, we show that the near-term optimal decision is to continue to fund ongoing development of a reference architecture to a higher technology readiness level to maintain the long-term option to deploy such a renewable energy system through private investment or private–public partnerships. Full article

This article introduces systemism as a method of evaluating the expanding research agenda on the politics of migration. Systemism is a graphic method for presenting academic research concisely. It provides three methods of advancing the research agenda: elaboration, systematic synthesis, and bricolagic bridging. I employ two of these methods to follow the evolution of research on states’ migration policies from the 1990s to the 2020s, providing a critique of the research and suggesting methods for advancing our knowledge of this politically important policy issue. The article provides a short overview of systemism, and then illustrates its application through the presentation of two articles in graphic form: “No Vacancy. The Political Geography of Immigration Control in Advanced, Market Economy Countries” by Jeannette Money, and “The Migration State in the Global South: Nationalizing, Developmental, and Neoliberal Models of Migration Management”, authored by Fiona Adamson and Gerasimos Tsourapas. Elaboration is employed to expand the systemist presentation of “No Vacancy”, to communicate causal mechanisms more thoroughly. The next section employs systematic synthesis to bring together the two articles and to engage the research agenda on the politics of migration policy. The past 30 years have witnessed an expansion of the definition of migration management strategies captured by the four-fold typology proposed by Adamson and Tsourapas. However, continuing to pay attention to the domestic politics of migration management would help to illuminate variation among states within each category. Both articles acknowledge structural factors that constrain or provide opportunities for states’ migration policy choices, but neither develops a clear picture of the systemic factors that shape international mobility and the policy choices of states in the international system. The conclusions point to a continuing expansion of the research agenda along these three dimensions. Full article

In a world increasingly dependent on technology and in an era where connectivity is omnipresent, Web applications have become an essential part of our everyday life. The evolution of these applications, combined with the exponential increase in the number of users, has brought with it not only convenience but also significant challenges in terms of security. Ensuring the security of Web applications and their data is increasingly a priority for companies, although many companies lack the know-how, time, and money to do so. This research project studied and developed a system with the aim of automating the process of detecting vulnerabilities in Web applications by exploiting the benefits of the interoperability of the two forms of automation of the tool selected to carry out this analysis. The developed solution is low-cost and requires very little user intervention. In order to validate and evaluate the developed platform, experiments were carried out on applications with different types of vulnerabilities known in advance and on real applications. It is essential to guarantee the security of Web applications, and the developed system proved capable of automating the detection of vulnerability risks and returning the results in a relatively simple way for the user. Full article

While questioning the universalization, naturalization, neutralization, and idealization of sport and physical culture, this paper examines the ultimate mystification process of sport and physical culture by expanding upon two conceptual frameworks: Jules Boykoff’s celebration capitalism and Lawrence Grossberg’s affective landscape. It first analyzes the evolution of the Olympics into a corporatized, commercialized, spectacularized, and celebritized “Disneylimpics” that can consistently evoke an affective reverberation. It then introduces the idea of “affective neoliberalism” to highlight neoliberalism’s affective and ideological aspects. With Grossberg’s concept of affective landscape, this paper explores the internalization and intensification of anxiety and affective isolation within society. Additionally, the paper utilizes Karl Polanyi’s analysis in his influential book, The Great Transformation, to investigate the historical expansion of affective neoliberalism. By highlighting the 11 September 2001, attacks in the United States, it points out provocative militarization and (re)organization of the soul into a fictitious commodity, in addition to labor, land, and money, which triggers the greatest transformation. Lastly, summarizing central arguments, this paper concludes with modest suggestions, mainly focusing on two questions: (1) where are we now? and (2) how can we more effectively respond to the present context? Full article

There has been widespread interest in the concept of the metaverse in recent years. The aim of this comprehensive review paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the taxonomy, technological foundations, and historical evolution of the metaverse. The study explores both the positive and negative dimensions of the metaverse, including ethical dilemmas, using a robust analytical framework. In addition to studying the metaverse’s impact on various sectors of society and the economy, this study offers an insight into how it will develop in the coming years. A notable highlight is the exploration of the estimated revenue forecast for metaverse money-making, projecting a substantial 40 billion USD by the 2030s. Further, the paper examines cyberbullying within the metaverse, shedding light on the unique challenges it poses. The hype surrounding the metaverse has also been analyzed, as well as its implications for the broader technological landscape. Full article

The Ultimatum Game is a simplistic representation of bargaining processes occurring in social networks. In the standard version of this game, the first player, called the proposer, makes an offer on how to split a certain amount of money. If the second player, called the responder, accepts the offer, the money is divided according to the proposal; if the responder declines the offer, both players receive no money. In this article, an agent-based model is employed to evaluate the performance of five distinct strategies of playing a modified version of this game. A strategy corresponds to instructions on how a player must act as the proposer and as the responder. Here, the strategies are inspired by the following basic emotions: anger, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise. Thus, in the game, each interacting agent is a player endowed with one of these five basic emotions. In the modified version explored in this article, the spatial dimension is taken into account and the survival of the players depends on successful negotiations. Numerical simulations are performed in order to determine which basic emotion dominates the population in terms of prevalence and accumulated money. Information entropy is also computed to assess the time evolution of population diversity and money distribution. From the obtained results, a conjecture on the emergence of the sense of fairness is formulated. Full article

Repurposing is a universal mechanism for innovation, from the evolution of feathers to the invention of Velcro tape. Repurposing is particularly attractive for drug development, given that it costs more than a billion dollars and takes longer than ten years to make a new drug from scratch. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a large number of drug repurposing activities. At the same time, it has highlighted potential pitfalls, in particular when concessions are made to the target product profile. Here, we discuss the pros and cons of drug repurposing for infectious diseases and analyze different ways of repurposing. We distinguish between opportunistic and rational approaches, i.e., just saving time and money by screening compounds that are already approved versus repurposing based on a particular target that is common to different pathogens. The latter can be further distinguished into divergent and convergent: points of attack that are divergent share common ancestry (e.g., prokaryotic targets in the apicoplast of malaria parasites), whereas those that are convergent arise from a shared lifestyle (e.g., the susceptibility of bacteria, parasites, and tumor cells to antifolates due to their high rate of DNA synthesis). We illustrate how such different scenarios can be capitalized on by using examples of drugs that have been repurposed to, from, or within the field of anti-infective chemotherapy. Full article

The very slow anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) greatly limits the development of large-scale hydrogen production via water electrolysis. By replacing OER with an easier urea oxidation reaction (UOR), developing an HER/UOR coupling electrolysis system for hydrogen production could save a significant amount of energy and money. An Al-doped cobalt ferrocyanide (Al-Co₂Fe(CN)₆) nanocube array was in situ grown on nickel foam (Al-Co₂Fe(CN)₆/NF). Due to the unique nanocube array structure and regulated electronic structure of Al-Co₂Fe(CN)₆, the as-prepared Al-Co₂Fe(CN)₆/NF electrode exhibited outstanding catalytic activities and long-term stability to both UOR and HER. The Al-Co₂Fe(CN)₆/NF electrode needed potentials of 0.169 V and 1.118 V (vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode) to drive 10 mA cm⁻² for HER and UOR, respectively, in alkaline conditions. Applying the Al-Co₂Fe(CN)₆/NF to a whole-urea electrolysis system, 10 mA cm⁻² was achieved at a cell voltage of 1.357 V, which saved 11.2% electricity energy compared to that of traditional water splitting. Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the boosted UOR activity comes from Co sites with Al-doped electronic environments. This promoted and balanced the adsorption/desorption of the main intermediates in the UOR process. This work indicates that Co-based materials as efficient catalysts have great prospects for application in urea electrolysis systems and are expected to achieve low-cost and energy-saving H₂ production. Full article

The Gender Equality Index allows analyzing and measuring the progress of gender equality in the EU and, therefore, the relation between men and women in different domains, such as Health, Work or Money. Even though the European Institute for Gender Equality has created some visualizations that are useful to look at the data, this website does not manage to make graphs that allow for observing the spatiotemporal variable. This article enhances the understanding of the index with spatiotemporal visualizations, such as cartograms, heatmaps and choropleth maps, and some strategies focusing on analyzing the evolution of the countries over the years in an open-access environment. The results show how the application created may be used as an addition to the EIGE website. Full article

We propose and examine a model expressed by stochastic differential equations for the evolution of a complex system. We refer in particular to a market society, in which the state of each individual is identified by the amount of money at his/her disposal. The evolution of such a system over time is described by suitable equations that link the instantaneous changes in the probability of each state with the probable outcomes of pairwise interactions between elements of the system. In the context at hand, these pairwise interactions simply represent money exchanges, due to the sales and purchases of goods and services. In this paper, unlike the usual method in the literature, the interaction frequencies and the consequent probabilities of passing from one state to another are not considered as assigned once and for all but are supposed to be randomly variable. This choice, as also shown by several numerical simulations, seems likely to have fruitful consequences, especially for a more realistic representation of economic issues and phenomena. Full article

This article is based on the findings of a longitudinal study examining the behavior of Polish e-consumers. A series of methodically planned and executed surveys was conducted to elucidate the evolution of online consumer behavior over the past decade. The objective of this article is to diagnose changes in the behavior of selected types of e-consumers from Generations X and Y over the last decade, and link them to the concept of sustainable consumption. The 2020 study employed a sample possessing attributes similar to the 2010 research study, maintaining the sample distribution in terms of gender, education, and age. Characterizations of the identified consumer types were derived from prevalent psychographic traits, attitudes towards oneself and others, behavioral patterns, and determinants of buying behavior. Four distinct types of Polish e-consumers were identified: HQ_type (those seeking the Highest Quality products), MS_type (those intending to Save Money during shopping), LT_type (those dedicating the Least amount of Time to shopping), and DP_type (those Deriving Pleasure from the shopping experience). The identified Polish e-consumer types were subjected to a comparative analysis spanning a decade. The findings reveal significant alterations in the behavior of e-consumers representing various types, with a trend favoring sustainable consumption. Generally, Polish e-consumers are shown to demonstrate conscious and sustainable consumption behaviors, such as effective financial management, especially evident in the MS_type group. They typically purchase products within their means, avoiding expensive credits to fulfill their “needs.” Half of the HQ_type, MS_type, and LT_type e-consumers recognize the importance of budgeting and spending tracking for informed consumption, whereas the DP_type, who enjoy shopping, tend to overlook active financial management, perceiving it as a burdensome task. Over the years, a positive shift in the HQ_type’s attitude towards spending management has been observed. A significant aspect of conscious and sustainable consumption involves planned purchases. More than half of the HQ_type, MS_type, and LT_type e-consumers adhere to ready-made shopping lists, while the more impulsive DP_type frequently opts to shop in-store without any preceding planning. This research carries both theoretical and practical implications. The repeatability of the studies renders them a fundamental source of knowledge about the studied populations over time, and serves as an exclusive means of learning about changes in market phenomena and processes in a scientific manner. The findings of this article may prove valuable for e-commerce managers in devising strategies for effective sales promotion and customer communication for different types of e-consumers. Full article

The broad and extensive application of public-private partnership (PPP), as well as the divergent documented definitions and experiences, have led to a translucent perspective of PPP and strained academia and industry to reach a consensus on the major practice of this concept. Early contractor involvement (ECI), governance tools, and relational contracting are only a few of the frameworks attributed to PPP. This issue has received limited attention from researchers, despite the focus of review studies on different disciplines of PPP. Hence, this paper puts forward the idea of conducting a comprehensive review to not only shed light on the major practice of PPP but also provide a wider outlook on this concept based on the research carried out since 1979. A narrative review is initially accomplished to identify the major drivers and milestones that have contributed to the evolution of PPP. Employing bibliometric analysis in the following phase assists in conducting a multi-dimensional assessment of studies published within the last five decades. The economic and societal practices of PPP throughout its evolution path signified the dominant application of this concept as a business model. The bibliometric analysis revealed that PPP has contributed to various sectors, i.e., urban development, public infrastructure, transportation, health, and education, just to name a few. In addition, economic and organizational management of PPP was revealed as a major research stream that was accompanied by sustainable development. As a matter of fact, economic and environmental sustainability are the major cross-disciplinary elements that form an interplay between the drivers and attributes of PPP. Value for money (VfM), technology, and innovation, along with smart infrastructure (SI) and smart cities (SCs), are identified as the major directions for the future research agenda associated with PPP. Full article

The textile and fashion industry is the second industry (after aviation) that pollutes the planet the most, and it uses natural and human resources excessively and irresponsibly. Fast fashion harms the environment. Fast fashion stands for low quality, low prices, constantly updated supplies, and high consumption of natural resources and chemicals. Nowadays, however, the evolution in the fashion industry from fast and unsustainable models to sustainability and a circular economy is firmly established. Fashion industry representatives are paying more and more attention to corporate social responsibility, business ethics, the implementation of circular economy principles, and the technological transition from linear production to a circular economy. The aim of this article is to evaluate the attitude of young Lithuanian designers towards the implementation of circular economy principles in the fashion industry. A problematic question is raised: how do young Lithuanian designers perceive sustainable fashion in the context of a circular economy? A qualitative semi-structured interview was used to collect data for the empirical study. The analysis has shown that the transition of the textile and fashion industry to a circular economy is a rather complex process that requires knowledge, significant financial investment in technological change, and greater consumer purchasing power in the production of products based on a circular economy. Moreover, new brands in the fashion industry do not always have enough information to start a business in the fashion industry based on a circular economy. A qualitative study conducted in Lithuania using the interview method showed that young Lithuanian fashion designers are very positive about sustainability solutions in the fashion industry and try to link their developing fashion brand with sustainability, but this is done fragmentarily rather than consistently. Young fashion designers state that they lack the in-depth knowledge and money to develop a brand in a circular economy. In conclusion, young Lithuanian fashion designers strive to create a sustainable fashion brand and link their development activities to a circular economy in a fragmentary way. Even after the research has been conducted, the question of how to get fast fashion manufacturers to produce sustainable fashion in Lithuania remains open. Full article

The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has fostered the use of high-throughput techniques to sequence the entire severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome and track its evolution. The present study proposes a rapid and relatively less expensive sequencing protocol for 384 samples by adapting the use of an Illumina NovaSeq library to an Illumina MiSeq flow cell instrument. The SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences obtained with Illumina NovaSeq and those obtained using MiSeq instruments were compared with the objective to validate the new, modified protocol. A total of 356 (94.6%) samples yielded interpretable sequences using the modified Illumina COVIDSeq protocol, with an average coverage of 91.6%. By comparison, 357 (94.9%) samples yielded interpretable sequences with the standard COVIDSeq protocol, with an average coverage of 95.6%. Our modified COVIDSeq protocol could save 14,155 euros per run and yield results from 384 samples in 53.5 h, compared to four times 55.5 h with the standard Illumina MiSeq protocol. The modified COVIDSeq protocol thus provides high quality results comparable to those obtained with the standard COVIDSeq protocol, four times faster, while saving money. Full article

Cryptocurrencies were supposed to replace traditional payment methods when they were invented over 13 years ago, but adoption by the general consumer is still lacking, at least in the United States. Instead, crypto is often used as a speculative investment, by illicit actors, or for use cases unrelated to everyday purchases. A literature review on general adoption barriers and interviews with experts has only unearthed factors like usability, performance, and political drivers, among other barriers. Brand as an adoption barrier is mostly missing from literature, at least for cryptocurrencies. This led to the formation of a hypothesis related to crypto’s lack of adoption as a payment method. A framework is being designed based on the technology adoption model to find out if “brand” has an impact on cryptocurrency adoption, which was paradoxically designed to be brandless and not needing any institutional trust. The intent is to focus on what “Bitcoin 2.0” might look like, and to also delve further and gauge perceptions about various types of brands getting involved in the next generation of cryptocurrencies, including traditional banks, governments, technology companies, and also some of the decentralized and hybrid consortia currently vying to get consumers to use stablecoins, nation-issued cryptocurrencies, and other forms of digital instruments. While other studies had focused on trust, early adopter usability, or performance of blockchain networks, this work intends to focus on the general consumer’s perceptions about digital money, and the types of brands and evolution of this instrument liable to increase uptake. Full article