Research on Diversification Strategies of Terminal Operators—Evidence from Polish Seaports

In response to changes taking place in the global environment, seaport terminal operators constantly search for lines of development in their operations, choosing i.a. a strategy of diversification or specialisation. So far, the issue of applying a diversification strategy in business models used by operators of multipurpose terminals has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature on the subject. In view of the above, the purpose of this paper is to identify and hierarchize the motivations for diversification and to specify the areas of diversification strategies and corresponding measures taken by operators of multipurpose terminals. The multi-case-study method was applied to conduct the research, along with the research technique of semi-structured in-depth interviews held with representatives of five terminal operators that had been running their business activity in Polish seaports and applying a diversification strategy. As a result of the completed research study, it was possible to specify the motivations for implementing a diversification strategy, and to hierarchize them. The main motives in selecting a diversification strategy as the main business strategy among the interviewed terminal operators were safeguarding against seasonal or sporadic business cycle fluctuations, and changes taking place in maritime trade and transport. Moreover, four areas of diversification strategies pursued by the terminal operators were identified: cargo diversification, contract diversification, services diversification, and cargo flow direction diversification. The diversification measures taken by the terminal operators in the specified areas were analysed in detail. The most important areas of the diversification measures in the studied entities were cargo diversification and services diversification. A heat map was developed to present the dependencies between the motivations for diversification and the areas of diversification strategies implemented by the terminal operators. The identified specific measures taken by the terminal operators as part of the indicated diversification areas included technical and organisational measures. The diversification strategy developed by terminal operators proved to be an effective strategy in coping with the effects of economic slowdown and disruptions ensuing from the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. The results of the considerations may be of interest to seaports, transshipment terminals or other entities interested in implementation of a business activity diversification strategy. © 2023 by the authors.

School Outdoor Spaces as Urban Public Space Activators. Three Case Studies in Croatia

In this paper, the authors provide an overview of schools' outdoor spaces. A brief analysis of their historical development is followed by a study of contemporary multifunctional use of school grounds primarily based on an interaction between the community and public urban spaces. Schools' outdoor spaces have lately been comprehensively researched in light of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on teaching as well as the long-standing awareness of the importance of eco-friendly living. Architectural elements of schoolyards of the early twentieth-century Open Air Schools, created to improve children's health, and the ensuing process of evolving school outdoor spaces beyond education, are detailed with a vision of connecting schools with the surrounding built environment. Through a comparative analysis of selected case studies in Croatia, the paper presents three examples of interaction between primary school outdoor spaces and urban public spaces. This interaction is a viable future trend in school design and urban planning in view of the reduction of accessible community areas with the aim of bring education back to its origins in nature and urban public spaces. © 2023, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. All rights reserved.

Empowering the Magersaren community: technology dissemination for ground coffee added value improvement

This paper is aimed to share the community service experiences held at Boro Sumbersari hamlet which is located at 98A UB forest plot. Boro Sumbersari hamlet is inhabited by Magersaren community. The Magersaren community are farmers and forest workers who depend on forest for their livelihoods. Magersaren has been practicing agroforestry for a long time. They grow Robusta and Arabica coffee among other forest plants. Currently coffee is a favorite beverage, the number of its consumers continues to increase. Many people are interested in the ground coffee beans made by Magersaren traditionally, but it has not been widely marketed. The purpose of this community service program is to generate an alternative source of Magersaren household income, through the added value improvement of local flavored ground coffee beans they have. The added value of magersaren's ground coffee beans can be increased through product development technologies such as attractive packaging techniques and the creation of new variants ground coffe beans by adding brown sugar and powdered ginger. The execution of community service activities that have been carried out consists of: (1)program socialization;(2)focus group discussion;(3)production, packaging and management training;(4)small-business starting up;(5)program evaluation. These community service activities are held during the social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This condition becomes an obstacle to the effectiveness of program implementation. The start-up small business needs to be continuously supported in order to survive through a critical period of business development, especially under economic pressure during the pandemic.

Mantis Within a Multi Robot Team for Lunar Exploration and Construction Tasks

This paper describes key technologies for the use of the six-legged walking system Mantis in a multi robot team performing cooperative tasks for the construction of an In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) facility on the Moon. Autonomous multi robot cooperation is one of several key technologies that hold promise for In-Situ space exploration and ISRU facility construction. Therefore, the PRO-ACT (Planetary RObots deployed for Assembly and Construction Tasks) project aimed to develop a multi robot team which can act (semi-) autonomous. PRO-ACT is a European project with many partners working on space robotics technologies, the so-called building blocks. These building blocks have been implemented and extended on Mantis to cover the scope of multi-robot cooperative scenarios. To allow the different partners to execute commands without considering the robot's control framework, a communication interface was developed to provide a common and generic way to send commands and receive sensor data. It facilitates access to all robots and to their simulated counterparts. Due to the impact of COVID-19, most of the testing, including the final demonstration, was performed remotely, with robots available at the partners' premises. © 2022 IEEE.

Assessing the time use and payments of multipurpose community health workers for the various roles they play-a quantitative study of the Mitanin programme in India.

BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) are crucial human resources for health. While specialist CHWs focus on a single disease vertically, the generalist or multipurpose CHWs perform wider functions. The current study was aimed at examining the time multipurpose CHWs spend on performing their different roles. This can help in understanding the importance they attach to each role. Since CHWs in many developing countries are classified as part-time volunteers, this study also aimed to assess the adequacy of CHW payments in relation to their time use. METHODS: The study covered a well-established CHW programme in India's Chhattisgarh state. It had 71,000 multipurpose part-time CHWs known as Mitanins. Data collection involved interviews with a representative sample of 660 rural and 406 urban Mitanins. A semi-structured tool was designed and field tested. It included 26 pre-coded activities of CHWs placed under their six purposes or roles. Prompting and triangulation were used during interviews to mitigate the possibility of over-reporting of work by CHWs. The recall period was of one week. Descriptive analysis included comparison of key indicators for rural and urban Mitanins. A multi-variate linear model was used to find the determinants of CHW time-use. RESULTS: The rural and urban Mitanins respectively spent 25.3 and 34.8 h per week on their CHW work. Apart from location (urban), the total time spent was associated with size of population covered. The time-use was well balanced between roles of service-linkage, providing health education and curative care directly, COVID-19 related work and action on social determinants of health. More than half of their time-use was for unpaid tasks. Most of the cash-incentives were concentrated on service linkage role. The average payment earned by Mitanins was less than 60% of legal minimum wage. CONCLUSION: The time-use pattern of Mitanins was not dictated by cash-incentives and their solidarity with community seemed be a key motivator. To allow wide ranging CHW action like Mitanins, the population per CHW should be decided appropriately. The considerable time multipurpose CHWs spend on their work necessitates that developing countries develop policies to comply with World Health Organisation's recommendation to pay them fairly.

Multi-robot Sanitization of Railway Stations Based on Deep Q-Learning

Sanitizing railway stations is a relevant issue especially due to the recent evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this work, we propose a multi-robot approach to sanitize railway stations based on a distributed Deep Q-Learning technique. The framework relies on anonymous information from existing WiFi networks to localize passengers inside the station and to develop a map of possible risky areas to be sanitized. Starting from this map, a swarm of cleaning robots, each one endowed with a robot-specific convolutional neural network, learns how to on-line cooperate inside the station in order to maximize the sanitized area depending on the presence of the passengers. © 2021 Copyright for this paper by its authors.

Building a safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable coconut community amid COVID-19 pandemic & beyond

Relevant fields which require ample attention in the coconut sector are discussed, including: rejuvenation, replanting and plantation development;production of quality planting materials with high productivity, new propagation methods, and seed/seedling sharing;development of scientific cultivation suitable for inter/multi species crops and coordination of international research;integrated processing and value addition;awareness raising, marketing and promotion;and formation of a marketing strategy for coconut value added products.

Multi-Purpose Robotic Sensing Device for Healthcare Services

The whole world at present is under the grasp of a pandemic termed as COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines suggest that the social distancing norms are followed with contactless operations as far as possible. Therefore, the population around the world is turning towards efficient modes of operating the daily work with minimal human contact. To contain the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, it is important and suitable to deploy machinery for operating in conditions wherever social distancing is required. The multipurpose robot makes it feasible to minimize human contact and carry out operations without the risk of the spread of the virus. This chapter aims at the fabrication of a robot that can have multiple utilities and is employed in different areas as per the requirement of the user. © 2021 Scrivener Publishing LLC.

Effect of agroforestry on community wellbeing in Kyannamukaaka Sub County, Masaka

Community wellbeing is dependent on agroforestry, which provides social, economic, health and ecological benefits for man, and has proved essential in the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper purposely examines the effect of agroforestry on community wellbeing with a focus on the benefits of tree-crop interactions on community's wellbeing, and limitations to adoption of tree-crop interactions in Kyanamukaaka Sub County. The paper employs a cross-sectional survey design using qualitative data collection approaches. The paper targets 35 farmers from which 32 practicing in tree-crop interactions were determined by Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table. Respondents were purposely selected and participated in the study. Data was collected through interview, observation and documentary review. Later, it was organized, transcribed and triangulated to develop themes for interpretation, analysis and discussion. Results indicate that tree-crop interactions offer socioeconomic [food (96.9%), local herbs (100%), fodder (52.6%), raw material (62.5%), firewood and income (90.6%), employment (37.5%) and ecological (conserves soil fertility and moisture conservation (50%)), controls soil erosion runoff (59.4%), protect soil health (28.1%) and act as habitats organisms (34.4%)] benefits. Furthermore, other themes included;climate change (84.4%), land size and ownership (90.6%), inadequate competences (50%) anthropocentrism (56.2%), poor quality and high costs of farm inputs (96.9%) and diseases (93.7%) as limitations to adoption of tree-crop interactions. The paper concludes that tree-crop interactions were of benefit to the community. However, observations show that some households had no trees while the others cut trees unsustainably on their farmlands. Therefore, to increase adoption of tree-crop interactions and diversity, Kyannamukaaka Sub County and Masaka District should create awareness and build farmers' capacity in climate change resilience, underground forestry management, tree growing and energy efficient technologies.

Building a lunar infrastructure with the help of a heterogeneous (semi)autonomous multi-robot-Team

Exploring planets requires cooperative robotics technologies that make it possible to act independently of human influence. So-called multi-robot teams, consisting of different and synchronized robots, can solve problems that cannot be handled by a single robot. The PRO-ACT (Planetary RObots deployed for Assembly and Construction Tasks) project aimed to develop and demonstrate key technologies for robot collaboration in the construction of future ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization) facilities on the Moon. To this end, the following robots were used: Veles-a rover with six wheels and a 7-DoF (Degree of Freedom) arm, Mantis-a six-legged walking system, and a mobile gantry that can be used for payload manipulation or 3D printing. The project further developed existing software and hardware developed in previous space robotics projects and integrated them into the robotic systems involved. The software enables collaborative tasks such as transportation, mapping and navigation. Due to the Covid-19 situation, the final demonstration was performed remotely for defined mission scenarios. The intensive remote test campaigns provided valuable lessons learned that are directly applicable to future space missions. In addition, PRO-ACT opens a new way for multi-robot collaboration. The paper describes the developed robotic software and hardware as well as the final mission scenarios performed in lunar analogues with Mantis tested in the test field with granules in the DFKI Space Hall in Bremen, Germany, with Veles tested in Warsaw, Poland and with the mobile gantry tested in Elgoibar, Spain. In addition one mission scenario, manipulation tasks with two robotic systems, was performed with two Panda robotic arms in Toulouse, France. The paper concludes with the results of the final demonstration of the multi-robotics team. © 2021 International Astronautical Federation, IAF. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 and agricultural fire pollution in the Amazon: puzzles and solutions. (Special Section: Pandemics and sustainability.)

In the Amazon, the quick spread of COVID-19 coincides with the high level of air pollution released during the "burning season", when thousands of square kilometres are prepared for agriculture. Mitigating health consequences by constraining fire use and social interaction is hindered by the dependence of local food security on fires, of enforcement on on-the-ground surveillance and of primary care on home visits. Based on fieldwork experience, alternatives to test potential solutions to the policy puzzles are proposed, highlighting the role of smallholder mechanization and of community health workers (CHWs). It is argued that randomized control trials could be designed to assess the effectiveness of tractor scheduling workshops, grassroots-based tractor administration, mobile-health-aided data collection by CHWs and data-driven algorithms to plan their home visits. The need for researcher-practitioner collaboration for optimized targeting of on-the-ground illegal fire deterrence is also stressed. The trials and the potential solutions to be trialled are more likely to be successful whether integrated into a broader and perennial process of research and development of interventions for sustainable development of the Amazon, whose need was widely revealed by the ongoing pandemic.

The Conceptualisation and Development of a Space-Saving Multipurpose Table for Enhanced Ergonomic Performance

Foldable furniture is a trend of the modern furniture industry. However, apart from limitations attributed to multifunctionality and space saving characteristics, a complete design process documentation of foldable furniture is uncommon in furniture research. This study aims to develop a space-saving multipurpose table for improved ergonomic performance. Features and functions are extracted from research articles and patents for concept generation. The final concept is modelled using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2019. Mechanical simulations are done to confirm the structural integrity of the invention before prototyping and testing. The tests accounted for usage efficiency, space and usability. Using Minitab 19, the experimental data are analysed with t-tests. The survey data are analysed using Spearman’s correlation test via IBM SPSS Statistics version 21. Participants were able to complete tasks around 1.1–1.5 times faster with the proposed invention than with single-function furniture items. The amount of space occupied with the proposed invention was approximately 25–80% lesser than with the single-function furniture items placed together. The survey analysis demonstrated that there was a strong, positive and significant correlation between space saving effectiveness and ergonomic performance. Further developments to transition this invention to its commercialisation phase should be done to facilitate daily living domestic activities of society at large.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Contact Lens Solutions Assessed by ISO Standards.

Microbial keratitis (MK) is an eye infection caused by opportunistic bacteria or fungi, which may lead to sight-threatening corneal ulcers. These microorganisms can be introduced to the eye via improper contact lens usage or hygiene, or ineffective multipurpose solutions (MPSs) to disinfect daily wear contact lenses. Thus, the patient's choice and use of these MPSs is a known risk factor for the development of MK. It is then critical to determine the efficacy of popular MPSs against ubiquitous ocular microorganisms. Therefore, we compare the efficacy of nine major MPSs on the global market against four different microorganism species, and with four different common contact lenses. In accordance with International Standards Organization protocol 14729 and 18259, the microorganisms were inoculated into each MPS with and without contact lenses, and held for the manufacturer's disinfection time, 24 h, and 7 days after challenge with Serratia marcescens or Fusarium spp. Plates were incubated for 2-7 days and plate counts were conducted to determine the number of surviving microorganisms. The majority of MPSs demonstrated significantly higher disinfection efficacies without contact lenses. Broadly, among the microorganisms tested, the OPTI-FREE products (Puremoist, Express, and Replenish) maintained the highest disinfection efficacies at the manufacturer's stated disinfection time when paired with any contact lens, compared with other MPSs. These were followed closely by RevitaLens and renu Advanced. MPSs containing dual biocides polyquaternium-1 and myristamidopropyl dimethylamine possessed the highest disinfection efficacy against multiple ocular pathogens.

Changes in Menopausal Risk Factors in Early Postmenopausal Osteopenic Women After 13 Months of High-Intensity Exercise: The Randomized Controlled ACTLIFE-RCT.

The menopausal transition is a critical period in women's lives. Exercise might be the most promising non-pharmaceutic intervention to address the large variety of risk factors related to the pronounced estradiol decline during peri- and early-postmenopause. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an 18-month multipurpose exercise program on risk factors and symptoms related to the menopausal transition. Fifty-four women 1-5 years postmenopause with osteopenia or osteoporosis were randomly assigned 1) to a high impact weight-bearing/high-intensity/velocity resistance training group (EG: n=27) exercising three times a week or 2) to an attendance control group (CG: n=27) that performed low-intensity exercise once a week. Both groups were supplemented with cholecalciferol and calcium. The primary study endpoint was bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine (LS) and total hip, secondary outcomes were lean body mass (LBM), total and abdominal body percentage, metabolic syndrome Z-Score (MetS-Z), menopausal symptoms and muscle strength and power. Due to COVID-19, the study was stopped after 13 months. We observed significant effects for BMD-LS (EG: 0.002±.018 versus CG: -.009±0.018 mg/cm2, p=0.027) but not for BMD total hip (EG: -0.01±.016 versus CG: -.009±0.020 mg/cm2, p=0.129). LBM improved significantly in the EG and decreased in the CG (0.39±1.08 vs -0.37±1.34 kg, p=0.026). Total and abdominal body fat improved significantly in the EG and was maintained in the CG (-1.44±1.49 vs -0.02±1.55 kg, p=0.002 and -1.50±2.33 vs 0.08±2.07 kg, p=0.011). Significant effects in favor of the EG were also determined for menopausal symptoms (p=0.029), hip/leg extension strength (p<0.001) and power (p<0.001). However, changes of the MetS-Z did not differ significantly (p=0.149) between EG and CG. In summary, with minor exceptions, we demonstrated the effectiveness of a multipurpose exercise protocol dedicated to early-postmenopausal women on various risk factors and complaints related to the menopausal transition.

Ivermectin: repurposing a multipurpose drug for Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.

Ivermectin (IVM) is a robust antiparasitic drug with an excellent tolerance and safety profile. Historically it has been the drug of choice for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis global elimination programs. IVM is an oral insecticide and is a standard treatment against intestinal helminths and ectoparasites. The current humanitarian crisis in Venezuela is a regional public health threat that requires immediate action. The public health system in Venezuela has crumbled because of a 70% shortage of medicines in public hospitals, low vaccination campaigns, and the mass exodus of medical personnel. Herein we discuss the repurposing of IVM to attenuate the burden imposed by the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Venezuela, including soil-transmitted helminths, ectoparasites and, possibly, vector-borne diseases, such as malaria. In addition, novel experimental evidence has shown that IVM is active and efficacious in vitro against Chagas disease, Leishmaniases, arboviruses, and SARS-CoV-2. In crisis-hit Venezuela, all these infectious diseases are public health emergencies that have long been ignored and require immediate attention. The versatility of IVM could serve as a powerful tool to tackle the multiple overlapping endemic and emergent diseases that currently affect Venezuela. The repurposing of this multipurpose drug would be a timely therapeutic approach to help mitigate the tremendous burden of NTDs nationwide.