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1 – 10 of over 140000The study makes an attempt to understand the regional state of depletion of natural capital stock based on the World Bank's recent data on natural resource depletion by following…
Abstract
The study makes an attempt to understand the regional state of depletion of natural capital stock based on the World Bank's recent data on natural resource depletion by following comparative growth analysis using growth accounting method and exploratory econometric approach. The study also considers two regions namely South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa for comparative analysis. Although the extent of protected areas is increasing in different regions of the world, the extent of forest land areas is declining in different regions. The study also intends to determine the role of deforestation and land-use change, habitat fragmentation, encroachment, rapid population growth, and urbanization in explaining cross-country variations of natural resource depletion. Besides, it assesses the temporal movement of this natural resource depletion for the most vulnerable countries, namely low-income economies. Results show that the two major regions of low-income countries do exhibit depletion of natural capital stock such as agricultural land, forests, and subsoil assets in per capita terms. These results have important implications for poverty reduction and fulfillment of Sustainable development goals (SDGs) of low-income countries.
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Muhammad Tahir and Muhammad Mumtaz Khan
The MENA region is very rich in terms of natural resources. At the same time, the MENA region has also been a victim of terrorism during the last few years. This study is an…
Abstract
Purpose
The MENA region is very rich in terms of natural resources. At the same time, the MENA region has also been a victim of terrorism during the last few years. This study is an attempt to investigate whether there is any relationship between natural resources and terrorism in the MENA region.
Design/methodology/approach
We have focused on 15 resource-rich countries located in the MENA region for the period 2002–2019. We have applied appropriate econometric techniques and have also controlled for other dominant determinants of terrorism while studying the relationship between these two variables.
Findings
The results provide solid evidence in favor of the hypothesis that natural resources encourage terrorism. We find that natural resources have positively impacted terrorism. Besides, the natural resources, other factors such as per capita GDP, trade openness, political stability, domestic investment and government expenditures have negatively impacted terrorism. Moreover, the findings suggest that FDI and corruption are irrelevant in explaining terrorism while the findings regarding employment level and terrorism are unexpected. The obtained results are robust to alternative estimating methodologies.
Practical implications
The results have serious policy implications for the MENA region. The MENA region in general is suggested to devise appropriate policies regarding their huge natural resources so as to tackle the terrorism problem effectively. Similarly, paying favorable attention to trade liberalization, political stability, government expenditures, investment, rising income of the population in the presence of macroeconomic stability in the form of lower inflation would also help the MENA region to eradicate the problem of terrorism.
Originality/value
The available literature has largely ignored the role of natural resources in explaining the problem of terrorism. Therefore, this study has provided relatively new evidence regarding the determinants of terrorism.
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Abba Suganda Girsang and Bima Krisna Noveta
The purpose of this study is to provide the location of natural disasters that are poured into maps by extracting Twitter data. The Twitter text is extracted by using named entity…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide the location of natural disasters that are poured into maps by extracting Twitter data. The Twitter text is extracted by using named entity recognition (NER) with six classes hierarchy location in Indonesia. Moreover, the tweet then is classified into eight classes of natural disasters using the support vector machine (SVM). Overall, the system is able to classify tweet and mapping the position of the content tweet.
Design/methodology/approach
This research builds a model to map the geolocation of tweet data using NER. This research uses six classes of NER which is based on region Indonesia. This data is then classified into eight classes of natural disasters using the SVM.
Findings
Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed NER with six special classes based on the regional level in Indonesia is able to map the location of the disaster based on data Twitter. The results also show good performance in geocoding such as match rate, match score and match type. Moreover, with SVM, this study can also classify tweet into eight classes of types of natural disasters specifically for the Indonesian region, which originate from the tweets collected.
Research limitations/implications
This study implements in Indonesia region.
Originality/value
(a)NER with six classes is used to create a location classification model with StanfordNER and ArcGIS tools. The use of six location classes is based on the Indonesia regional which has the large area. Hence, it has many levels in its regional location, such as province, district/city, sub-district, village, road and place names. (b) SVM is used to classify natural disasters. Classification of types of natural disasters is divided into eight: floods, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, hurricanes, forest fires, droughts and volcanic eruptions.
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Wujia Zhu, Yi Lin, Guoping Du and Ningsheng Gong
The paper aims to use a third method to show that the system of natural numbers is inconsistent.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to use a third method to show that the system of natural numbers is inconsistent.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual approach is taken.
Findings
Without directly employing the concepts of potential and actual infinities, the authors show that the concept of the set N={x|n(x)}, where n(x)=def “x is a natural number” of all natural numbers is a self‐contradicting, incorrect concept.
Originality/value
The paper shows the system of natural numbers to be inconsistent.
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This paper aims to evaluate nine types of electrical energy generation options with regard to seven criteria. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to perform the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate nine types of electrical energy generation options with regard to seven criteria. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to perform the evaluation. The TOPSIS method was used to evaluate the best generation technology.
Design/methodology/approach
The options that were evaluated are the hydrogen combustion turbine, the hydrogen internal combustion engine, the hydrogen fuelled phosphoric acid fuel cell, the hydrogen fuelled solid oxide fuel cell, the natural gas fuelled phosphoric acid fuel cell, the natural gas fuelled solid oxide fuel cell, the natural gas turbine, the natural gas combined cycle and the natural gas internal combustion engine. The criteria used for the evaluation are CO2 emissions, NOX emissions, efficiency, capital cost, operation and maintenance costs, service life and produced electricity cost.
Findings
The results drawn from the analysis in technology wise are as follows: natural gas fuelled solid oxide fuel cells>natural gas combined cycle>natural gas fuelled phosphoric acid fuel cells>natural gas internal combustion engine>hydrogen fuelled solid oxide fuel cells>hydrogen internal combustion engines>hydrogen combustion turbines>hydrogen fuelled phosphoric acid fuel cells> and natural gas turbine. It shows that the natural gas fuelled solid oxide fuel cells are the best technology available among all the available technology considering the seven criteria such as service life, electricity cost, O&M costs, capital cost, NOX emissions, CO2 emissions and efficiency of the plant.
Research limitations/implications
The most dominant electricity generation technology proved to be the natural gas fuelled solid oxide fuel cells which ranked in the first place among nine alternatives. The research is helpful to evaluate the different alternatives.
Practical implications
The research is helpful to evaluate the different alternatives and can be extended in all the spares of technologies.
Originality/value
The research was the original one. Nine energy generation options were evaluated with regard to seven criteria. The energy generation options were the hydrogen combustion turbine, the hydrogen internal combustion engine, the hydrogen fuelled phosphoric acid fuel cell, the hydrogen fuelled solid oxide fuel cell, the natural gas fuelled phosphoric acid fuel cell, the natural gas fuelled solid oxide fuel cell, the natural gas turbine, the natural gas combined cycle and the natural gas internal combustion engine. The criteria used for the evaluation were efficiency, CO2 emissions, NOX emissions, capital cost, O&M costs, electricity cost and service life.
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Sang Jang Kwon and Soo Jong Kwak
In this paper, we theoretically examine the optimal hedge strategy for a natural gas company. The use of natural gas derivatives to minimize consumers' per unit cost of natural…
Abstract
In this paper, we theoretically examine the optimal hedge strategy for a natural gas company. The use of natural gas derivatives to minimize consumers' per unit cost of natural gas consumed, or to minimize the upside risk associated with extreme bills would be the strategy being considered by local distribution companies (LDCs) and regulators. The objective is, therefore, to stabilize the summer and the winter months' natural gas prices as well as to improve the level of customers' welfare. In general, during the summer injection period, April through October, utility companies purchase a certain amount of natural gas and keep in storage facilities and, hence, during the winter withdrawal months, November through March, utility companies supply natural gas at a predetermined minimal fuel cost rate to residential and commercial customers. Therefore, to manage these conflicts of interests efficiently should natural gas companies be supported by accurate forecast of the natural gas price for the winter months. Otherwise, natural gas companies will trade natural gas derivatives in order to reduce costs charged to customers. The results show that customers benefit from the use of natural gas derivatives. If the natural gas market is deregulated, the typical risk-return trade off shows that natural gas derivatives would provide the most efficient tools for utility companies to minimize the natural gas price volatilities.
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E. Dehnavi, A. Shams-Nateri and H. Khalili
This paper aims to focus on the absorption behaviour of single and binary mixtures of natural dyes on wool. Natural dyes are multi-components with different structures and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on the absorption behaviour of single and binary mixtures of natural dyes on wool. Natural dyes are multi-components with different structures and properties.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, the absorption behaviour of single and binary mixtures of natural dyes was investigated on wool fibre. Study was conducted via some natural dyes, including pomegranate peel as a yellow natural dye with tannin, weld as a yellow natural dye without tannin and madder as a red natural dye without tannin. Applied mordant was alum, which was used in the pre-mordant method. Different shades were obtained by varying dye concentration in the binary mixture. The effect of tannin on absorption behaviour of binary mixture of natural dyes was investigated by spectral reflectance and colour parameters of dyed samples measurements.
Findings
Obtained results indicate that tannin affects the absorption behaviour of natural dyes in binary mixtures.
Practical implications
Because natural dyes are multi-components with different structure and properties, the study of compatibility and absorption behaviour of natural dyes in binary mixture on wool is important in applied researches.
Originality/value
The study of compatibility and absorption behaviour of binary mixture of natural dyes on wool is novel.
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This paper aims to discuss natural capital by offering some viewpoints on the economic rationality facilitated by the concept. The paper highlights the likely performativity of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss natural capital by offering some viewpoints on the economic rationality facilitated by the concept. The paper highlights the likely performativity of the concept and, ultimately, how this may impact us.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on existing literature to develop its arguments.
Findings
The concept of natural capital may be necessary and accepted, but it is not benign and it facilitates the expansion of economic rationality to new areas. The paper uses some examples to draw out some potential implications of economic rationality that the concept of natural capital may facilitate that are morally dubious.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is a cautionary note to those who might use the concept of natural capital and offers considerations through the use of examples.
Practical implications
The practical implications of this paper are that users of capitals or natural capital frameworks should consider all the potential outcomes of applying those frameworks and whether they are desirable. In particular, it argues that the application of capital frameworks facilitates the expansion of economic decision logics to those areas that are currently not mediated in such a way and this outcome may not have favorable outcomes.
Social implications
This paper highlights how the use of the concept of natural capital could advance economic rationality to those interactions that are not classically considered economic. It argues that this advance may result in economic rationality being applied to our person-to-person (social) interactions, and, thus, the right and wrong of such interactions is measured via an economic calculation. A result one may not consider desirable but may be unavoidable through applying capitals frameworks.
Originality/value
In drawing on existing literature, the originality lies in its discussion of how natural capital is not a neutral term, its framing will likely have implications.
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The purpose of this paper is to establish groups of stakeholders who win and lose from changes in natural gas prices and to develop practical recommendations for a state regulator…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish groups of stakeholders who win and lose from changes in natural gas prices and to develop practical recommendations for a state regulator for the optimal setting natural gas prices in the domestic market through an example of Ukraine.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, to identify groups of stakeholders with gains and losses from the pricing of natural gas, the author used traditional methods of correlation and statistical regression analysis, including the ordinary least squares (OLS) method.
Findings
The main profit from natural gas remains in the extraction sector. The remaining profit is distributed among the various stakeholders. The consumers during rapidly rising gas prices have to rely on energy efficiency and switching to alternative, less costly resources. The existing system of unified natural gas price for all industrial consumers is inefficient and leads to the losses of the largest industrial sectors in Ukraine – metallurgy and chemical industry. With the help of the developed models, the author determined the critical levels of natural gas prices for these two industries.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited by data about activity of eight key manufacturing companies, four gas distribution companies, and main state gas companies from two country only.
Practical implications
Defined levels can be used by a state regulatory authority as a boundary, above which these industries will be unprofitable and their fate along with hundred thousands of workers will be questionable.
Originality/value
This is the first paper that set the critical levels of natural gas prices for two manufacturing industries in Ukraine.
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Chongbin Zhao, G.P. Steven and Y.M. Xie
Extends the evolutionary structural optimization method to the solution for the natural frequency optimization of a two‐dimensional structure with additional non‐structural lumped…
Abstract
Extends the evolutionary structural optimization method to the solution for the natural frequency optimization of a two‐dimensional structure with additional non‐structural lumped masses. Owing to the significant difference between a static optimization problem and a structural natural frequency optimization problem, five basic criteria for the evolutionary natural frequency optimization have been established. The inclusion of these criteria into the evolutionary structural optimization method makes it possible to solve structural natural frequency optimization problems for two‐dimensional structures with additional non‐structural lumped masses. Gives two examples to demonstrate the feasibility of the extended evolutionary structural optimization method when it is used to solve structural natural frequency optimization problems.
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