2050 building stock might be buildings that already exist today. A large percentage of these buildings fail today’s energy performance standards. Highly inefficient buildings delay progress toward a zero-carbon-building goal (SDGs 7 and 13) and can lead to investments in renewable energy infrastructure. The study aims to investigate how bioclimatic design strategies enhance energy efficiency in selected orthopaedic hospitals in Nigeria. The study objective includes Identifying the bioclimatic design strategies that improve energy efficiency in orthopaedic hospitals, assessing the energy efficiency requirements in an orthopaedic hospital in Nigeria and analysing the effects of bioclimatic design strategies in enhancing energy efficiency in an orthopaedic hospital in Nigeria. The study engaged a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research method. The investigators used case study research as a research design and a deductive approach as the research paradigm. The research employed a questionnaire survey for quantitative data while the in-depth Interview (IDI) guide and observation schedule for qualitative data. The findings present a relationship between bioclimatic design strategies and energy conservation practices in an orthopaedic hospital building. Therefore, implementing bioclimatic design strategies might enhance energy efficiency in hospital buildings. The result of the study revealed that bioclimatic hospital designs may cost the same amount to build but can save a great deal on energy costs. Despite the challenges, healthcare designers and owners are finding new ways to integrate bioclimatic design strategies into new healthcare construction to accelerate patient and planet healing.
In marginalized ecosystem-dependent rural communities, access to ecosystem services plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable livelihoods. This study was conducted to find out the influence of various livelihood capital components on the access mechanism for forest-based Provisioning Services (PS) in some selected villages of the Gosaba Block on the fringes of the Sundarban. The contribution of the livelihood capitals to gain access to Provisioning Services (PS) was identified using factor analysis on 160 households, selected through cluster random sampling. The sustainability levels of livelihood capitals were analyzed using the Prescott-Allen method (2001). The natural, financial, social, and physical capitals were significantly below average, while the human capital was close to average. Enhancement of human, physical, financial, and social capital, ease in issuing Biometric Fisherman cards for entering forests, flexibility in borrowing loans, and ecotourism by involving local villagers must be encouraged to enhance forest-based provisioning services in the near future.
For centuries, stem cuttings harvested from sexually mature trees have been recognized to be more difficult to root than those from juvenile shoots. This has been poorly understood and attributed to a combination of ontogenetic and physiological ageing. The recent suggestion that micro-RNA may play a key role in phase change has stimulated a re-examination of some old data that identified pre-severance light x nutrient interactions affecting the rooting ability of stem cuttings. This was linked to vigorous growth and active photosynthesis without constraint from accumulated starch. Support for the prime importance of physiological factors was also obtained when seeking to induce physiological youth in the crowns of ontogenetically mature trees by the induction of roots within the tree crown. Meanwhile, at the other end of the phase change spectrum, floral initiation occurred when the opposite set of environmental conditions prevailed so that growth was stunted, and carbohydrates accumulated in leaves and stems. A re-examination of this literature suggests that rooting ability is driven at the level of an individual leaf and internode emerging from the terminal bud affecting both morphological and physiological activity. In contrast, flowering occurs when internode elongation and assimilate mobilization were hindered. It is therefore suggested that the concepts of juvenility and ageing are not relevant to vegetative propagation and should instead be replaced by physiological and morphological ‘fitness’ to root.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are mostly presented as a means to introduce efficient procurement methods and better value for money to taxpayers. However, the complexity of the PPP mechanism, their lack of transparency, accounting rules and implicit liabilities make it often impossible to perceive the amount of public expenditure involved and the long-run impact on taxpayers, providing room for fiscal illusion, i.e., the illusion that PPPs are much less expensive than traditional public investments. This psaper, thanks to a systematic review of the literature on the EU countries experience, tries to unveil the sources of this illusion by looking at the reasons behind the PPPs’ choice, their real costs, and the sources of fiscal risks. The literature suggests that PPPs are more costly than public funding, especially when contingent liabilities are not taken into account, and are employed as mechanisms to circumvent budgetary restrictions and to spend off-balance. The paper concludes that the public sector should share more risks with private sectors by reducing the amount of guarantees, and should prevent governments from operating through a sleight of hand that deflects attention away from off-balance financing, by applying a neutral fiscal recording system.
The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between open government and municipal effectiveness State a region of the Peruvian jungle. The research followed a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design. The population comprised citizens of State in a region of the Peruvian jungle, with a sample of 625 individuals. A structured survey was employed as the data collection technique, using a validated questionnaire as the instrument. The results revealed a positive, high, and significant correlation between governance and municipal effectiveness (Spearman’s Rho = 0.813, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the dimensions of transparency, integrity, accountability, and citizen participation showed moderate to high correlations with municipal effectiveness, with accountability (Rho = 0.779) emerging as the most influential dimension. It was concluded that the principles of open government play a crucial role in shaping the perception of effective municipal management. This underscores the need to strengthen transparency, integrity, and citizen participation policies to enhance public services and foster trust in local authorities.
In the agricultural sector of Huila, particularly among SMEs in coffee, cocoa, fish, and rice subsectors, the transition to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is paramount yet challenging. This research aims to offer management guidelines to support Huila’s agricultural SMEs in their IFRS transition, underpinning the region’s aspirations for financial standardization and economic advancement. Utilizing a mixed-methods managerial approach, data was gathered from 13 representative companies using validated questionnaires, interviews, and analyzed with SPSS and ATLAS.ti. Results indicate that while there is evident progress in IFRS adoption, 12 out of 13 firms adopted IFRS, with rice leading in terms of adoption duration. While 77% found IFRS useful for financial statements, half reported insufficient staff training. The transition highlighted challenges, including asset recognition and valuation, and emphasized enhancing institutional support and IFRS training. Interviews revealed managerial commitment and expertise as significant factors. Recommendations for successful implementation include leadership involvement, continuous professional development, anticipating costs, clear accounting policies, and meticulous record-keeping. The study concludes that adopting IFRS enhances financial reporting quality, urging entities to converge their reporting practices without hesitation for improved comparability, relevance, and reliability in their financial disclosures.
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