Patterns of production and sustainability of cattle ranching in the state of Pará - Brazilian Amazon

The aim of this study was to analyze the production patterns present in rural properties producing cattle in the micro-regions that make up the state of Pará. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied to identify the patterns, and these data are used to evaluate correlation between the heterogeneity of rural properties and the environmental impact on the identified patterns. The theoretical contribution is based on discussions on global impacts of food production and environmental sustainability and the impacts of livestock production systems in Brazil and the Amazon. Survey data were taken from the 2017 Agricultural Census, available for the 144 municipalities in the state, and pooled into 22 micro-regions. Three patterns of rural properties were identified: the first related to conservation management practices and called transition management; the second highlights aspects associated with information technology and communication (ICT) and productivity called technical productive efficiency; the third indicates the importance of social organization and access to information called social participation. With these patterns, it was possible to develop the Traditional Performance Indicator (TPI), in which the micro-regions of São Félix do Xingu, Itaituba and Conceição do Araguaia were those with the highest values of this indicator, water protection practices are present in the properties, however, in precarious conditions, and conservation practices are rarely used. The correlation between heterogeneity, measured by the size of pasture area in each microregion, and the TPI is positive, strong and significant. In this transition context, public policies are essential to provide access to infrastructure, credit and good animal health and biotechnology practices

A comparative assessment of GSM and UMTS Networks

It is common knowledge that the transition of mobile networks from one generation to another is basically for the improvement in the network’s Quality of Service (QoS). Bearing this in mind, we will assumme that the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) will outperform the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), hence, the motivation to conduct this study in Calabar, Nigeria, for four mobile networks; MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile. With the aid of a TEMS investigation software installed in a laptop, a measurement campaign was carried out and log files collected, with focus on Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Dropped Call Rate (DCR), Handover Success Rate (HOSR), Call Setup Time (CST), network coverage and network quality. The collected data was analyzed with the aid of a TEMS discovery software. The analyzed data for each Key Performance Indicator (KPI) was compared with the minimum benchmark of the telecommunications regulatory body, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC). Result reveal that there was no outright improvement in the QoS and there was fluctuation in the QoS provided by the network operators. We therefore conclude that the network operators, either did not make accurate planning before installing their base stations or do not optimize their networks frequently and this led to poor QoS in most cases.

Spatiotemporal variations in exposure: Chagas disease in Colombia as a case study

Age-stratified serosurvey data are often used to understand spatiotemporal trends in disease incidence and exposure through estimating the Force-of-Infection (FoI). Typically, median or mean FoI estimates are used as the response variable in predictive models, often overlooking the uncertainty in estimated FoI values when fitting models and evaluating their predictive ability. To assess how this uncertainty impact predictions, we compared three approaches with three levels of uncertainty integration. We propose a performance indicator to assess how predictions reflect initial uncertainty.In Colombia, 76 serosurveys (1980–2014) conducted at municipality level provided age-stratified Chagas disease prevalence data. The yearly FoI was estimated at the serosurvey level using a time-varying catalytic model. Environmental, demographic and entomological predictors were used to fit and predict the FoI at municipality level from 1980 to 2010 across Colombia.A stratified bootstrap method was used to fit the models without temporal autocorrelation at the serosurvey level. The predictive ability of each model was evaluated to select the best-fit models within urban, rural and (Amerindian) indigenous settings. Model averaging, with the 10 best-fit models identified, was used to generate predictions.Our analysis shows a risk of overconfidence in model predictions when median estimates of FoI alone are used to fit and evaluate models, failing to account for uncertainty in FoI estimates. Our proposed methodology fully propagates uncertainty in the estimated FoI onto the generated predictions, providing realistic assessments of both central tendency and current uncertainty surrounding exposure to Chagas disease.

Challenges of Uncertainty in Sustainable Strategy Development: Reconsidering the Key Performance Indicators

The planning and development of the university strategy is closely linked to the university’s current performance, key priorities, and capabilities. A systematic literature review of factors that influence decision-making for strategy development has been applied in this research. To determine the external factors that influence strategic decision-making for universities nowadays there has been chosen a structure from the PESTLE analysis. The systematic literature review was limited to only higher education factor analysis. Based on the literature review, the authors have developed an approach for strategic direction evaluation and ongoing key performance indicator analysis. The approach is based on the Importance-Performance Matrix–IPA and developed further to include a comprehensive analysis of the strategic directions, organizational sources, and capabilities. An assessment of the university’s main strategic priorities with influencing factor analysis can be done using the developed approach adapted by the authors. It integrates the principles of resource-based strategy, key stakeholder engagement and creating shared value in the strategy development process. The adapted method was used in the 3rd generation university strategy development. The research contributes to the literature on a systematic approach development in the strategy evaluation process. This article puts emphasis on the resource-based view and key stakeholder involvement in the evaluation process.

Energy and exergy analysis of a downstream single-row air washer at different droplet diameters for air cooling application

This study proposes a downstream single-row air washer for air cooling. The theoretical energy and exergy balance models were established at different droplet diameters and verified by the experimental data. Based on the abovementioned theoretical relationship, the single performance indicator of heat exchange efficiency (HEE) and exergy efficiency was quantitatively analyzed; a comprehensive analysis method of two indicators was proposed, combining HEE and exergy efficiency, and a numerical simulation was carried out. Results show that the smaller the droplet diameter and the larger the water–air ratio, the lower the dry-bulb temperature of the outlet air and the higher the HEE and exergy flux destruction. When the droplet diameter is less than 440 μm, the droplet diameter does not affect exergy efficiency and dry-bulb temperature. When the droplet diameter is larger than 440 μm, the droplet diameter is positively correlated with the air outlet dry-bulb temperature and exergy efficiency; in contrast, the water–gas ratio is negatively correlated with the air outlet dry-bulb temperature. An engineering case reveals that when the air outlet temperature is less than 34°C, the critical water–gas ratio can be set as 2.6 (mass ratio). At this time, the HEE is more than 90%, the exergy efficiency is more than 60%, and the critical value of droplet diameter is 440 μm. The research results provide an essential theoretical basis for the optimization of engineering design calculation.

To Rebuild or to Refurbish? An Analysis of the Financial Convenience of Interventions on Urban Consolidated Contexts

In the current historical moment of post-crisis recovery, the real estate sector has a dual role: i) through the construction industry and its impacts on related economic sectors, it is called upon to be an active part of the economic recovery; ii) the enhancement of existing property assets is of primary importance in the containment of greenhouse gases and the achievement of the objectives set by the United Nations [1]. In this context, the various players involved in the real estate market have outlined the importance of being supported by assessment methodologies. That allows to point out not only the opportunities of the investment, but also the risks that may invalidate the initial forecasts, nullifying the success of the initiative. To this end, this research develops a multi-criteria Key Performance Indicator aimed at analyzing the feasibility of real estate initiatives that allows to provide a synthetic scoring on the financial sustainability of each investment and to compare different types of initiatives (e.g. new construction, demolition and reconstruction, renovation, etc.).

Energy Storage System and Its Power Electronic Interface

This chapter examines the modeling and simulation of energy storage (battery, flywheel, etc.) systems interfaced to the power grid by using power electronic device, like chopper module, Rectifier module, and filter circuits, which are essential to the load balance between supply and demand, and to eliminate harmonics and to ensure efficient, cost effective, and reliable operations. Energy storage system in power grid is the same as memory in computer system. Energy efficiency is a key performance indicator for energy storage system. The energy storage system is the most promising component to enhance the system reliability and flexibility.

Specifications of a queuing model-driven decision support system for predicting the healthcare performance indicators pertaining to the patients flow

This article has developed specifications for a new model-driven decision support system (DSS) that aids the key stakeholders of public hospitals in estimating and tracking a set of crucial performance indicators pertaining to the patients flow. The developed specifications have considered several requirements for ensuring an effective system, including tracking the performance indicator on the level of the entire patients flow system, paying attention to the dynamic change of the values of the indicator’s parameters, and considering the heterogeneity of the patients. According to these requirements, the major components of the proposed system, which include a comprehensive object-based queuing model and an object-oriented database, have been specified. In addition to these components, the system comprises the equations that produce the required predictions. From the system output perspective, these predictions act as a foundation for evaluating the performance indicators as well as developing policies for managing the patients flow in the public hospitals.