The environmental issue of single-use plastic is extremely discussed due to waste accumulation and the consumption of non-renewable resources. This study aims to investigate the properties of bioplastic compared to petroleum-based plastic. Two stages of stretch blow molding were used to fabricate polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and bio-polyethylene terephthalate (Bio-PET) bottles. The shelf life extension of chili sauce paste stored in PET and Bio-PET containers with an oxygen scavenger at 45 ℃ in an accelerated condition was investigated. After twelve weeks, the chili sauce paste stored in the container bottle was observed. PET and Bio-PET bottles without oxygen scavengers were also determined as a control for comparison. The result showed that both PET and Bio-PET bottles with oxygen scavengers could prolong the quality of chili sauce paste similarly, meaning that PET could be replaced by Bio-PET as a chili sauce paste container. Other properties, such as thickness gauge, color, leak test, drop test, and close-open force of the container bottle, were also verified to check the product quality standard.

The state delivery of affordable and sustainable housing continues to be a complicated challenge in Africa, and there is a need to encourage private sector participation. As a result, this study examines the risks associated with private sector participation in affordable housing and supporting infrastructure investment and the strategies towards mitigating the risks from an Afrocentric perspective. The evidence from a systematic literature review was coupled with the opinion of an international expert panel to address the paper’s aim and provide recommendations for developing improved housing and supporting infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa. The review outcomes and the qualitative data from the panel discussion were analysed using thematic analysis. The results revealed that market dynamics, land supply and acquisition constraints, cost of construction materials, unsupportive policies, and technical and financial factors constitute risks to affordable housing in the region. Mitigation strategies include leveraging joint efforts, strengths, and resource bases, increasing access to land and finance for private sector participation, developing a supportive government framework to promote an enabling environment for easy access to land acquisition and development finance, local production of building materials, research and technology adoption. In line with the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030 targets and principles, reforms are required across the housing value chain, involving the private sector and community. Application of the study’s recommendations could minimise the risks of affordable housing delivery and enhance private sector participation.

Crowd humanitarian fund, otherwise termed as mutual fund, has overwhelmingly been discussed by many scholars and researchers in western countries. There is obscurity in existing literature in Islamic countries with respect to the interconnectedness between various Islamic financial concepts within the Islamic legal framework and the conceptualization of crowd humanitarian funds. The primary objective of this paper is to address this obscurity by investigating the perspectives of middle- and high-skilled workers among members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with respect to the crowd humanitarian fund. Hence, the central research question (CRQ) was formulated as follows: How do the middle and high-skilled workers perceive the generation of crowd-humanitarian funds for the purpose of helping the less privileged citizens in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries? The qualitative method was used as the methodology of the study. In order to collect data for the study, an open-ended interview was employed, and a total of 22 participants were interviewed. Three major themes were generated from the interview, namely: An overview of crowd humanitarian funds, categories of less privileged people in OIC countries, and the use of humanitarian funds for poverty reduction. The findings indicated that the traditional method of collecting funds from crowds is to assist with any humanitarian issue is still applicable in many Muslim countries. In addition, the unity in contributing to the humanitarian fund from the crowd, that is, common practice in Muslims’ culture is what Western society terms as crowdfunding. It is further revealed that there are different categories of people, such as the poor, the needy, and people with low incomes, who can benefit from crowdfunding, especially by using it for investment purposes. In addition, crowdfunding is considered an essential monetary relief to less fortunate individuals or communities in order to have a sustainable life. It can also be used for provision of social amenities such as food, shelters, clothes, hospitals, schools, and job opportunities.

I summarize the current regulatory decisions aimed at combating the debt load of the population in Russia. Further, I show that the level of delinquency of the population on loans is growing despite the regulatory measures taken. In my opinion, the basis of regulatory policy should move from de facto pushing personal bankruptcies to preventing them. I put forward a hypothesis and statistically prove the expediency of quantitative restrictions on one borrower. It is necessary to introduce reports to the credit bureaus of some types of overdue debts, which are not actually reported now. It is also necessary to change the order of debt repayment established by law, allowing the principal and current interest to be paid first, which will prevent the expansion of the debt.

Recently, Agile project management has received significant academic and industry attention from due to its advantages, such as decreased costs and time, increased effectiveness, and adaptiveness towards challenging business environments. This study primarily aims to investigate the relationship between the success factors and Agile project management methodology adoption and examine the moderating effect of perceived compatibility. The technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework and technology acceptance theories (UTAUT, IDT, and TAM) were applied as the theoretical foundation of the current study. A survey questionnaire method was employed to achieve the study objectives, while quantitative primary data were gathered using a carefully designed methodological approach focusing on Omani oil and gas industry. The PLS-SEM technique and SmartPLS software were used for hypotheses testing and data analysis. Resultantly, readiness, technology utilization, organizational factors, and perceived compatibility were the significant factors that promoted Agile methodology adoption in the oil and gas industry. Perceived compatibility moderated the relationship between success factors and Agile methodology. The findings suggested that people, technology, and organizational factors facilitate the Agile methodology under the technology acceptance theories and frameworks. Relevant stakeholders should adopt the study outcomes to improve Agile methodology adoption.

We studied the role of industry-academic collaboration (IAC) in the enhancement of educational opportunities and outcomes under the digital driven Industry 4.0 using research and development, the patenting of products/knowledge, curriculum development, and artificial intelligence as proxies for IAC. Relevant conceptual, theoretical, and empirical literature were reviewed to provide a background for this research. The investigator used mainly principal (primary) data from a sample of 230 respondents. The primary statistics were acquired through a questionnaire. The statistics were evaluated using the structural equation model (SEM) and Stata version 13.0 as the statistical software. The findings indicate that the direct total effect of Artificial intelligence (Aint) on educational opportunities (EduOp) is substantial (Coef. 0.2519916) and statistically significant (p < 0.05), implying that changes in Aint have a pronounced influence on EduOp. Additionally, considering the indirect effects through intermediate variables, Research and Development (Res_dev) and Product Patenting (Patenting) play crucial roles, exhibiting significant indirect effects on EduOp. Res_dev exhibits a negative indirect effect (Coef = −0.009969, p = 0.000) suggesting that increased research and development may dampen the impact of Aint on EduOp against a priori expectation while Patenting has a positive indirect effect (Coef = 0.146621, p = 0.000), indicating that innovation, as reflected by patenting, amplifies the effect of Aint on EduOp. Notably, Curriculum development (Curr_dev) demonstrates a remarkable positive indirect effect (Coef = 0.8079605, p = 0.000) underscoring the strong role of current development activities in enhancing the influence of Aint on EduOp. The study contributes to knowledge on the effective deployment of artificial intelligence, which has been shown to enhance educational opportunities and outcomes under the digital driven Industry 4.0 in the study area.