Search Results (430)

Business financing involves supplying funds or capital to initiate, expand, or maintain a business. This study investigates entrepreneurial funding in South Africa, emphasizing microloans, venture capital, and gender-sensitive grants as tools to facilitate inclusive business growth. Using a qualitative desktop research methodology, this study relies on policy documents, institutional reports, and peer-reviewed studies to assess how these funding strategies tackle access barriers for marginalized populations, specifically women, youth, and rural entrepreneurs. Guided by Access to Finance Theory, Gender Finance Theory, and Innovation Ecosystems Theory, this study indicates that microloans offer immediate funding for informal businesses but show minimal long-term effects without additional assistance. Venture capital promotes rapid innovation, yet it is predominantly based in urban regions and unattainable for underrepresented populations. Grants that address gender issues foster equity but are obstructed by institutional fragmentation and insufficient scale. The results highlight the necessity for unified financing frameworks that merge financial and non-financial assistance, facilitating scalable and inclusive business ventures. Policy suggestions involve aligning public financing tools with the National Integrated Small Enterprise Development Masterplan, integrating gender-sensitive budgeting frameworks, and utilizing digital financial platforms to enhance access. Future studies should utilize mixed-methods or longitudinal approaches to assess the ongoing developmental effects of coordinated financing models within the South African setting. Full article

Older adults, aged 65 years and older, develop and experience frailty at different rates. Yet, this heterogeneity is not well understood, nor are the factors, such as geographical residence, that influence different frailty trajectories and subsequent healthcare outcomes. We aim to identify factors that impact older adult frailty trajectories, skilled nursing facility (SNF) placement, and death. Medicare beneficiaries ≥ 65 years from the National Health and Aging Trend Study (2011–2021) with complete data using Fried’s frailty phenotype on ≥ 2 occasions (n = 6082) were included in the analysis. Rural/urban residence was defined using Office of Management and Budget criteria. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) helped identify four frailty trajectories: improving, stable, mildly worsening, and drastically worsening. Cox proportional hazard analysis and logistic regression determined the association of social determinants of health (sex, race/ethnicity, education and income level, healthcare and transportation access, and social support) on death and SNF admission, respectively. The mean age was 75.12 years (SE 0.10); 56.4% female, 18.6% (n = 1133) rural residence. In the overall sample, 1094 (23.0%) older adults were classified as robust, 3242 (53.0%) as pre-frail, and 1746 (24.0%) as frail. Urban residence did not modify the relationship between frailty trajectories and SNF placement, nor did geographic residence on death. Higher income was associated with lower odds of a worse frailty trajectory, SNF admission, and a lower hazard of death, all reaching statistical significance. Future work should examine the factors that influence older adult participation in research and the impact of standardizing the definition of geographic rurality on older adult frailty and health outcomes. Full article

Generic and consistent formulations for measurement of the backscattering cross section $\left({\sigma }_{bs}\right)$ and the volume backscattering coefficient $\left(s_v\right)$ using broadband pulse compression and narrowband echo integration are derived, for small- and finite-amplitude sound propagation. The theory applies to backscattering operation of echosounders and sonars in general, with focus on fisheries acoustics. Formally consistent mathematical relationships for broadband and narrowband operation of such instruments are established that ensure consistency with the underlying power budget equations on average-power form, bridging a gap in prior literature. The formulations give full flexibility in choice of transmit signals and reference signals for pulse compression. Generic and general criteria for quantitative consistency between broadband and narrowband operation are derived, establishing new knowledge and analysis tools. These criteria become identical for small- and finite-amplitude sound propagation. In addition to general criteria, two special cases are considered, relevant for actual operation scenarios. The criteria serve to test and evaluate the extent to which the methods used in broadband pulse compression and narrowband echo integration operating modes are correct and consistent, and to identify and reduce experienced discrepancies between such methods. These are topics of major concern for quantitative acoustic stock assessment, underlying national and international fisheries quota regulations. Full article

Brachial plexus root avulsion [BPRA] and concomitant spinal cord injury [SCI] represent devastating injuries that come with limited hope for recovery owing to the adult spinal cord’s loss of intrinsic ability to spontaneously regenerate. BPRA/SCI is an enormous public health issue the world over, and its catastrophic impact goes beyond the patient, the family, businesses, and national health budgets, draining billions of dollars annually. The rising population and economic growth have seen the incidence of SCI surging. Genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic studies have yielded loads of information on the various molecular events that precede, regulate, and support both regenerative and degenerative pathways post-SCI. Metabolomics, on the other hand, comes in as the search for a cure and the objective monitoring of SCI severity and prognosis remains on the horizon. Despite the large number of review articles on metabolomics and its application fields such as in cancer and diabetes research, there is no comprehensive review on metabolite profiling to study disease mechanisms, biomarkers, or neuroprotection in SCI. First, we present a short review on BPRA/SCI. Second, we discuss potential benefits of metabolomics as applied in BPRA/SCI cases. Next, a look at the analytical techniques that are used in metabolomics. Next, we present an overview of the studies that have used metabolomics to reveal SCI metabolic fingerprints and point out areas of further investigation. Finally, we discuss future research directions. Full article

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat that affects humans, animals, plants, the environment, societies, and economies—requiring urgent coordinated action. In May 2015, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted the Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR, urging member states to develop and implement their own National Action Plans (NAPs) using a One Health approach. Objective: Both South Africa and Eswatini have developed NAPs and are currently in the implementation phase. However, no study has explored policymakers’ perceptions regarding NAP implementation particularly concerning coordination, accountability, resourcing, regulation and ownership. Methods: This qualitative study employed a narrative approach to explore these perceptions in South Africa and Eswatini. A total of 36 key informants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data was collected between November 2018 and March 2019 and transcribed verbatim. Results: Findings revealed that while governance structures for implementing NAPs exist in South Africa and Eswatini, several critical areas require urgent attention. These include limited accountability across One Health sectors, the absence of dedicated national budgets for NAP implementation, poor intra- and inter- ministerial coordination, weak medicine regulation and enforcement, and delayed multisectoral ownership of the NAPs. Conclusions: To address AMR effectively, both countries must allocate dedicated budgets, improve multisectoral integration, and strengthen regulatory frameworks regarding antimicrobial access and use across all One Health sectors. A firm commitment from all sectors is required—not just formal endorsement of the NAPs—to ensure sustainable implementation and ownership. Full article

Rural road programs are essential for enhancing connectivity in remote areas, yet they frequently encounter schedule delays and budget overruns. This study explores the extent to which specific project characteristics influence these deviations in Colombian rural road contracts. A dataset comprising 229 projects was extracted from the national SECOP open-procurement platform and processed using the CRISP-DM protocol. Following the cleaning and coding of 14 project-level variables, statistical analyses were conducted using Spearman correlations, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and post-hoc Wilcoxon comparisons to identify significant bivariate relations I confirm I confirm I confirm hips. A Random Forest model was subsequently applied to determine the most influential multivariate predictors of cost and time deviations. In parallel, a directed content analysis of contract addenda reclassified 22 recorded deviation descriptors into ten internationally recognized categories of causality, enabling an integrated interpretation of both statistical and documentary evidence. The findings indicate that contract value, geographical region, and contractor configuration are significant determinants of cost and time performance. Additionally, project intensity and discrepancies between awarded and bid values emerged as key contributors to cost escalation. Scope changes and adverse weather conditions together accounted for 76% of all documented deviation triggers, underscoring the relevance of robust front-end planning and climate-risk considerations in rural infrastructure delivery. The findings provide information for stakeholders, policymakers, and professionals who aim to manage the risk of schedule and budget deviations in public infrastructure projects. Full article

Questions of finance and economic models are vital for congregational leaders to consider, but they are too often overlooked in research and practice. While we argue that the explicit attention to budgets and balance sheets should be a focus of both congregational researchers and religious leaders, we would also argue that these topics are embedded in congregational life as practices and cultures of giving that are likewise rooted in theologies of money. To examine the theologies of money religious leaders rely on in shaping their views of receiving, managing, and spending resources, our study analyzes the qualitative data of 82 clergy interviews from the National Study of Congregations’ Economic Practices (NSCEP). We find that the language of “stewardship” continues to dominate, and we consider how this language has both shaped and masked congregations’ current and future engagement with money matters. Full article

In the context of accelerating global climate change, the accurate quantification of forest carbon sequestration at the regional scale is of critical importance to estimate carbon budgets and formulate targeted ecological policies. This study systematically investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving mechanisms of arbor forest carbon stocks between 2016 and 2020 in Yunnan Province, China. Based on the “One Map” forest resource inventory, the continuous biomass expansion factor (CBEF) method, standard deviational ellipse (SDE) analysis, and multiple linear regression (MLR) modeling, the results showed the following. (1) Arbor forest carbon stocks steadily increased from 832.13 Mt to 938.84 Mt, and carbon density increased from 41.92 to 42.32 t C·hm⁻². Carbon stocks displayed a dual high pattern in the northwest and southwest, with lower values in the central and eastern regions. (2) The spatial centroid of carbon stocks shifted 4.8 km eastward, driven primarily by afforestation efforts in central and eastern Yunnan. (3) The MLR results revealed that precipitation and economic development were significant positive drivers, whereas temperature, elevation, and anthropogenic disturbances were major limiting factors. A negative correlation to afforestation area indicated a diminished need for new plantations as forest quality and quantity improved. These results provided a theoretical foundation for spatially differentiated carbon sequestration strategies in Yunnan, providing key insights for reinforcing ecological security in Southwest China and enhancing national carbon neutrality objectives. Full article

The real estate market significantly influences individual lives, corporate decisions, and national economic sustainability. Therefore, constructing a data-driven, interpretable real estate market prediction model is essential. It can clarify each factor’s role in housing prices and transactions, offering a scientific basis for market regulation and enterprise investment decisions. This study comprehensively measures the evolution trends of the real estate markets in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, China, from 2003 to 2022 through three dimensions. Then, various machine learning methods and interpretability methods like SHAP values are used to explore the impact of supply, demand, policies, and expectations on the real estate market of China’s first-tier cities. The results reveal the following: (1) In terms of commercial housing sales area, adequate housing supply, robust medical services, and high population density boost the sales area, while demand for small units reflects buyers’ balance between affordability and education. (2) In terms of commercial housing average sales price, growth is driven by education investment, population density, and income, with loan interest rates serving as a stabilizing tool. (3) In terms of commercial housing sales amount, educational expenditure, general public budget expenditure, and real estate development investment amount drive revenue, while the five-year loan benchmark interest rate is the primary inhibitory factor. These findings highlight the divergent impacts of supply, demand, policy, and expectation factors across different market dimensions, offering critical insights for enterprise investment strategies. Full article

The construction sector represents approximately 13% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and over 5% in Spain, employing more than one million workers. Despite its economic importance, the sector exhibits low digitalization levels and persistently high accident rates, contrasting with other industries that have successfully integrated digital technologies for safety improvement. Objective: This study evaluates the technical, operational, and regulatory feasibility of implementing digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) in occupational risk prevention (ORP) within the Spanish construction sector. It focuses on identifying applicable technologies, assessing professionals’ perceptions of their practical utility, and analyzing key implementation barriers. Methodology: A mixed-method approach was employed in four stages: (1) a systematic literature review of digital safety tools; (2) a survey of 97 construction professionals using purposive sampling and validated through pretesting (Cronbach’s α = 0.82); (3) an analysis of official accident statistics; and (4) expert consensus using the Delphi method (three rounds, 75% consensus threshold). Results: Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) applications were identified as highly beneficial for training and awareness, with 78.2% of professionals supporting their use for safety training. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and drones were highlighted as the most valued tools for risk management and site supervision. Main implementation barriers include a lack of digital skills (35%), insufficient budget (30%), and high tool costs (25%). Contribution: This study proposes a mixed-method methodological framework—quantitative and qualitative—adapted to national contexts and validated through a Delphi consensus process. The framework prioritizes key technologies and identifies targeted strategies to overcome critical implementation barriers. Full article

This study explores the governance and implementation of local labor market programs (LLMPs) in Swedish municipalities, analyzing the tension between national mandates and local policy practices. Drawing on institutional ethnography (IE), intersectionality, and emotional labor theories, we examine interviews with politicians and managers from eight municipalities. Politicians frame LLMPs as budget-driven initiatives, depoliticizing local labor market issues to comply with national policies like the January Agreement. This approach prioritizes efficiency, workfare models, and quick labor market entry, often sidelining individualized support. In contrast, managers describe their role as navigating policy constraints while addressing diverse local needs. They emphasize the challenges of aligning “one-size-fits-all” activation strategies with the realities of their participants, advocating for flexibility and adaptation within national frameworks. These contrasting perspectives reveal how LLMPs, although locally implemented, are shaped by textually mediated national policies, which influence local governance practices. Politicians focus on the need to meet national objectives, while managers struggle to reconcile these goals with participant-centered approaches. This study contributes to the understanding of how LLMPs operate within a governance framework that prioritizes efficiency over holistic support, highlighting the limitations of workfare-oriented policies and their implications for labor market integration. Full article

Background: Economic logistics in fire and rescue services is a critical determinant of operational readiness, fiscal sustainability, and resilience to large-scale emergencies. Despite its strategic importance, logistics remains under-researched in Central and Eastern European contexts, where legacy governance structures and EU-funded modernization coexist with systemic inefficiencies. This study focuses on the Slovak Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) as a case to explore how economic logistics systems can be restructured for greater performance and value. Objective: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the structure, performance, and reform potential of the logistics system supporting HaZZ, with a focus on procurement efficiency, lifecycle costing, digital integration, and alignment with EU civil protection standards. Methods: A mixed-methods design was applied, comprising the following: (1) Institutional analysis of governance, budgeting, and legal mandates based on semi-structured expert interviews with HaZZ and the Ministry of Interior officers (n = 12); (2) comparative benchmarking with Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands; (3) financial analysis of national logistics expenditures (2019–2023) using Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) principles, completed with the visualization of cost trends and procurement price variance through original heat maps and time-series graphs. Results: The key findings are as follows: (1) HaZZ operates a formally centralized but practically fragmented logistics model across 51 district units, lacking national coordination mechanisms and digital infrastructure; (2) Maintenance costs have risen by 42% between 2019 and 2023 despite increasing capital investment due to insufficient lifecycle planning and asset heterogeneity; (3) Price variance for identical equipment categories across regions exceeds 30%, highlighting the inefficiencies in decentralized procurement; (4) Slovakia lacks a national Logistics Information System (LIS), unlike peer countries which have deployed integrated digital platforms (e.g., CELIS in the Czech Republic); (5) Benchmarking reveals high-impact practices in centralized procurement, lifecycle-based contracting, regional logistics hubs, and performance accountability—particularly in Austria and the Netherlands. Impacts: Four high-impact, feasible reforms were proposed: (1) Establishment of a centralized procurement framework; (2) national LIS deployment to unify inventory and asset tracking; (3) adoption of lifecycle-based and performance-based contracting models; (4) development of regional logistics hubs using underutilized infrastructure. This study is among the first to provide an integrated economic and institutional analysis of the Fire and Rescue Service logistics in a post-socialist EU member state. It offers a structured, transferable reform roadmap grounded in comparative evidence and adapted to Slovakia’s hybrid governance model. The research bridges gaps between modernization policy, procurement law, and digital public administration in the context of emergency services. Full article

Background: The global space economy has grown remarkably, witnessing a 10-fold increase in active satellites during the last 15 years. This growth was accompanied by both the increase in geopolitical tensions feeding huge investments (the New Space Race), on the one hand, and the transformation, shifting from a domain historically dominated by government-led programs to one partially energized by commercial players and innovative business models (“New Space”), on the other hand. Objective: To assess the space economy’s current state and future prospects by considering its economic and social dimensions. Methods: Over 120 scholarly articles and “grey” literature positions (e.g., industry reports) were reviewed. The review was structured by a modified Structure–Conduct–Performance framework originally developed by industrial organization (IO) scholars. Findings: Outer space creates extremely harsh conditions for placing and operating objects in orbits, which results in high launching costs, steep reliability standards, capital intensity, and risks that are unmatched in most terrestrial industries. One of the main motivations to venture into this harsh domain was, and still is, the desire to dominate or the fear of being subjugated by others. This “original sin”, born of geopolitical rivalries, continues to cast a shadow over the space economy, channeling the majority of public space budgets into military-related programs. Moreover, many space technologies have a dual-use feature. Not surprisingly, governments are still the major source of demand, dominating midstream in the space value chain. This triad—harsh physics, great power rivalry, and a state-centric midstream—produces a specificity of the sector. In the recent two decades, new entrants (called “New Space”) have begun altering market structure, resulting in new conduct patterns focused on pursuits towards serial production, reusability, and lowering costs. Performance outcomes are mixed. While some efficiency gains are unprecedented, some doubts about market power and negative externalities arise. The assessment of the space economy’s performance is a challenge, as such, due to the blurred boundary between political objectives (supplying public goods, mitigating negative externalities) and economic optimization. Such trade-offs are becoming even more complicated considering the potential conflict between national and global perspectives. The paper offers a preliminary, descriptive study of the space economy through the lens of the modified S-C-P framework, laying basic foundations for the future, possibly more rigorous research of the increasingly important space economy. Full article

In this paper, we utilize the 2019/20 Uganda National Household Survey data to answer three related questions: (i) To what extent did out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) for health care services exceed the threshold for household financial catastrophe amidst COVID-19? (ii) What is the impoverishing effect of OOPs for health care services on household welfare? (iii) What are the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of OOPs for health care services in Uganda? Leveraging three health expenditure thresholds (10%, 25%, and 40%), we run a Tobit model for “left-censored” health expenditures and quantile regressions, and we find that among households which incur any form of health care expense, 37.7%, 33.6%, and 28.7% spend more than 10%, 25%, and 40% of their non-food expenditures on health care, respectively. Their average OOP budget share exceeds the respective thresholds by 82.9, 78.0, and 75.8 percentage points. While, on average, household expenditures on medicine increased amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, expenditures on consultations, transport, traditional doctors’ medicines, and other unbroken hospital charges were reduced during the same period. We find that the comparatively low incidence and intensity of catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs) in the pandemic period was not necessarily due to low household health spending, but due to foregone and substituted care. Precisely, considering the entire weighted sample, about 22% of Ugandans did not seek medical care during the pandemic due to a lack of funds, compared to 18.6% in the pre-pandemic period. More Ugandans substituted medical care from health facilities with herbs and home remedies. We further find that a 10% increase in OOPs reduces household food consumption expenditures by 2.6%. This modality of health care financing, where households incur CHEs, keeps people in chronic poverty. Full article

The EAT-Lancet diet outlines target consumption for specific food components but overlooks accessibility and cost issues, which may hinder adherence among vulnerable populations. This study examines the acquisition profile of EAT-Lancet diet components by food security and poverty status, using data from 57,920 households in the 2017–2018 Brazilian Household Budget Survey. Poverty and food insecurity were defined according to the World Bank per capita income cutoffs and the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, respectively. Food acquisition was classified into 15 EAT-Lancet diet components and expressed as per capita daily averages (g, % of total available energy, and % of food expenditure), by food security and poverty strata. Brazilian households were 37.9% food-insecure and 12% poor. Compared to more privileged counterparts, these households prioritized the acquisition of staples like refined cereals and legumes over most EAT-Lancet diet adequacy components, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and peanuts. While lower energy shares from moderation components were only slightly evident for red meat and dairy among food-insecure households, pronounced reductions in added sugars and vegetable oils were seen among the poor. These findings suggest that public policies should synergically address particularities of different deprivation contexts to promote sustainable diets in Brazil. Full article