Search results for "challenges"
showing 10 items of 97 documents
From CO2 to dimethyl carbonate with dialkyldimethoxystannanes: the key role of monomeric species.
2011
International audience; The formation of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from CO(2) and methanol with the dimer [n-Bu(2)Sn(OCH(3))(2)](2) was investigated by experimental kinetics in support of DFT calculations. Under the reaction conditions (357-423 K, 10-20 MPa), identical initial rates are observed with three different reacting mixtures, CO(2)/toluene, supercritical CO(2), and CO(2)/methanol, and are consistent with the formation of monomeric di-n-butyltin(iv) species. An intramolecular mechanism is, therefore, proposed with an Arrhenius activation energy amounting to 104 ± 10 kJ mol(-1) for DMC synthesis. DFT calculations on the [(CH(3))(2)Sn(OCH(3))(2)](2)/CO(2) system show that the exothermi…
Diffusion of forest biorefineries in Scandinavia and North America
2012
Abstract Biomass-based energy has become a major focus of attention from a variety of directions due to the global challenges of meeting our energy needs. Bioenergy and bio-products are also currently being explored intensively in the forest cluster, as many elements that have in the past guaranteed success have largely disappeared. As the bioenergy and biorefining economies are evolving, there is a need for realistic estimates regarding the factors which affect the diffusion of forest biorefineries. This paper outlines global and national drivers for forest biorefineries in Scandinavia and North America. It explores the financial, political, technological, and ecological and raw-material r…
DESIGN THINKING MODELS IN DESIGN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
2016
Design thinking has become a paradigm that is considered to be useful in solving many problems in different areas: both in development of design projects and outside of traditional design practice. It raises the question - is design thinking understood as a universal methodology in all cases? How it is interpreted in design education? The analysis of theoretical and design related literature indicates different basic and contextual challenges facing design today: increasing scale of social, economic and industrial borders; complexity of environment and systems; requirements in all levels. As specialists and researchers in the field of design have concluded, here are multiple disconnects b…
Assessing land condition as a first step to achieving land degradation neutrality : A case study of the Republic of Srpska
2018
Abstract Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is a key voluntary and aspirational target of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 which urges countries to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. A first and critical important step in the implementation of LDN is assessing the current land condition using not only active restoration of degraded land, but also targeting land degradation drivers behind the land degradation process. In a first step to achieve these goals, countries were provided a global dataset for three sub-indicators of land degra…
Employees’ challenges and needs for reskilling when working with software robots
2022
Software robots are becoming increasingly adopted in different industries. The growing rate of automatization will affect more and more people and will result in changes in businesses of all sizes. Impacts can be observed at both the organizational and individual employee levels. A growing number of studies of software robots’ advantages and disadvantages on an organizational or industry-specific level have been carried out. However, there is limited knowledge about the employees’ perceptions of challenges and new skills needed when working with software robots. This study addresses this gap by using open-ended questionnaire responses from employees who have worked with software robots. Thi…
The influence of organic production on food quality – research findings, gaps and future challenges.
2014
After several meta-analysis studies were published, comparing the quality of food derived from organic and non-organic origin, it is still not clear if food from organic production per se can guarantee product related added-values to consumers. This paper aims to summarize the status-quo in order to identify research gaps and suggest future research challenges. Organic food is described according to a quality model already published. The influence of organic production on food quality is structured in primary production and processing. Furthermore organic food authentication is discussed. Organic food seems to contain fewer pesticide residues and statistically more of selected health relate…
Towards a business model for second-life batteries: Barriers, opportunities, uncertainties, and technologies
2023
Electric vehicles (EVs) and the recent pandemic outbreak give cities a new trend to primarily private and shared mobility with low noise and less air pollution. Crucial factors for the widespread of EVs are the electrical charging infrastructure, driving range, and the reduction of the cost of battery packets. For this reason, there is a massive effort from manufacturers, governments, and the scientific community to reduce battery costs and boost sustainable electrical production and distribution. Battery reuse is an alternative to reduce batteries’ costs and environmental impacts. Second-life batteries can be used in a wide variety of secondary applications. Second-life batteries can be co…
Mass Media And Religious Practices In The Immigrant Situation: A Challenging Developmental Psychology Encountered By The Sri Lankan Tamil Adolescents…
2015
Mass Media and Religious Practices in the immigrant situation is a challenging Developmental Psychology, encountered by the Sri Lankan Tamil Adolescents living in Palermo, South Italy. Adolescents in the modern world face a lot of challenges in the process of their growth. One of such challenges is that of the social impact of Mass Media, which manipulates and determines the individual’s decisive moments of growth. They are left with no choice but confront Mass media and personal choice of religious attitudes, and religious practices, (Cohen 2010; Kukreja 2010). The attitudes and belief-systems are built and sustained by the social structure. (Cooper and Denner 1998). In this article we adm…
Teachers' Representations on Adoptive Families and Educational Practices: New Challenges in Teachers' Preparation
2016
ABSTRACTIn Italy, as in Europe, the number of internationally adopted school-aged children is increasing. The school is the first place where they can meet their new context, enabling good achievement of the whole integration and adoption processes. The research uses a qualitative method to explore the representations and the strategies that guide the educational work of 268 teachers of eight primary schools in relation to the adoptive family. ATLAS.ti 7.0 software was used. The results show an ambivalent representation of the adoptive family, which is reflected in the contents and strategy used by teachers to address issues of adoption.
The SDGS and Human Rights Key Instruments in the Response and Recovery from the Pandemic
2022
The COVID-19 pandemic is a valuable opportunity to draw a series of important lessons that may be key to turning the tide and laying the foundations to face the new and unprecedented challenges that humanity will face in the coming years. After analysing the differences between this crisis and the two previous ones experienced in the 21st century, a series of lessons that should be considered stand out. Next, the Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights are presented as key instruments to guide the construction of a new model that leaves no one behind and increases our resilience. Finally, it concludes by collecting a series of theoretical reflections that could be used as a methodolo…