Ukrainian Human Resource (HR) practices have multiple difficulties from economic changes combined with digital transformation and workforce instability brought on by the war in 2022. The study examines Ukrainian HR practices between 2015 and 2024, focusing on the digitalization of HR systems, talent development, staff engagement, and hiring strategies. It considers the effects of organizational size and industry type. The study combined interviews with 30 HR professionals and surveyed 150 organizations from different industry groups and sizes. Our data required both quantitative statistical tests and manual content breakdown with codes. Research has shown significant differences between Information Technology (IT) and farming firms, as 89% of IT businesses have integrated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered HR tools. In comparison, only 15% of agricultural companies have adopted them. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) showed less commitment to digital transformation and European Union (EU) requirements than large enterprises, which adopted these systems at rates of 75% and 88%, respectively. Western Ukraine first established mental health initiatives during the crisis, and Eastern Ukraine moved toward decentralized administration. Digitalization assistance for small businesses, along with EU and local human resources frameworks, should form the basis of our suggestions. This research calls for flexible people management methods to boost the Ukrainian workspace’s ability to recover from shocks.

The challenge of rural electrification has become more challenging today than ever before. Grid-connected and off-grid microgrid systems are playing a very important role in this problem. Examining each component’s ideal size, facility system reactions, and other microgrid analyses, this paper proposes the design and implementation of an off-grid hybrid microgrid in Chittagong and Faridpur with various load dispatch strategies. The hybrid microgrids with a load of 23.31 kW and the following five dispatch algorithms have been optimized: (i) load following, (ii) HOMER predictive, (iii) combined dispatch, (iv) generator order, and (v) cycle charging dispatch approach. The proposed microgrids have been optimized to reduce the net present cost, CO₂ emissions, and levelized cost of energy. All five dispatch strategies for the two microgrids have been analyzed in HOMER Pro. Power system reactions and feasibility analyses of microgrids have been performed using ETAP simulation software. For both the considered locations, the results propound that load-following is the outperforming approach, which has the lowest energy cost of $0.1728/kWh, operational cost of $2944.13, present cost of $127,528.10, and CO₂ emission of 2746 kg/year for the Chittagong microgrid and the lowest energy cost of $0.2030/kWh, operating cost of $3530.34, present cost of 149,287.30, and CO₂ emission of 3256 kg/year for the Faridpur microgrid with a steady reaction of the power system.

Against the backdrop of anti-globalization rhetoric, this paper summarizes our joint book entitled Going Beyond Aid (Lin and Wang, 2017a) and discusses the prospects for development finance in the broad context of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Based on the New Structural Economics (Lin, 2010; 2011), here we focus on China’s demonstrated comparative advantages in infrastructure, e.g. in hydropower and high-speed railways (HSR). In addition, long-term orientation (LTO) and patient capital are latent comparative advantages that many Asian economies possess, and are critical for the Belt and Road Initiative. Only if these comparative advantages are utilized can these economies cooperate to potentially achieve win-win.

Herein, we report a facile preparation of super-hydrophilic sand by coating the sand particles with cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels for enhanced water absorption and controlled water release aimed at desert agriculture. To prepare the sample, 4 wt% of aqueous PAM solution is mixed with organic cross-linkers of hydroquinone (HQ) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) in a 1:1 weight ratio and aqueous potassium chloride (KCl) solution. A specific amount of the above solution is added to the sand, well mixed, and subsequently cured at 150 °C for 8 h. The prepared super-hydrophilic sands were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) for chemical composition and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for successful polymer coating onto the sand. The water storage for the samples was studied by absorption kinetics at various temperature conditions, and extended water release was studied by water desorption kinetics. The water swelling ratio for the super-hydrophilic sand has reached a maximum of 900% (9 times its weight) at 80 °C within 1 h. The desorption kinetics of the samples showed that the water can be stored for up to a maximum of 3 days. Therefore, super-hydrophilic sand particles were successfully prepared by coating them with PAM hydrogels, which have great potential to be used in sustainable desert agriculture.

The intermittent flow cold storage heat exchanger is one of the most important components of the pulse tube expansion refrigerator based on the reverse Brayton cycle. In the experimental system, the volume and heat transfer of the helical tube play a decisive role in the stable operation of the whole experimental system. However, there are few studies on heat transfer in a helical tube under helium working medium and intermittent flow conditions. In this paper, a process and method for calculating the volume of a helical tube are proposed based on the gas vessel dynamics model. Subsequently, a three-dimensional simulation model of the helical tube was established to analyze the heat transfer process of cryogenic helium within the tube. The simulations revealed that the temperature of helium in the tube decreases to the wall temperature and does not change when the helical angle exceeds 720°. Moreover, within the mass flow rate range of 1.6 g/s to 3.2 g/s, an increase in the mass flow rate was found to enhance the heat transfer performance of the helical tube. This study provides a reference for the selection and application of a helical tube under intermittent flow conditions and also contributes to the experimental research of inter-wall heat exchanger and pulse tube expansion refrigerators.