Search

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic in March 2020, the government is mandated that schools in Indonesia implement School from Home (SFH) and use online instruction. A community-based learning platform called Zedemy was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect social media with online learning environments. The use of Zedemy has yet to be prevalent among teachers and students in Indonesia, as shown by the number of participants, 329 for all courses at Zedemy in 2021. This study used the UTAUT approach to assess user interest and acceptability based on users' voluntariness in utilizing Zedemy as an online learning tool during the COVID-19 epidemic. Surveys were sent to Zedemy users who have used at least one other online learning platform. The data will next be examined using the SmartPLS 3 tool and the SEM method. The findings showed that variables such as performance expectancy, effort expectation, social influence were affecting the behavioral intention of the user, meanwhile facilitating conditions was affecting the use behavior of the user. This research also found that moderating variables may have an impact on the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A healthy diet in young children is crucial for optimal growth and development. However, many toddlers (1-3 y) consume suboptimal diets, and as a result, are at a high risk of experiencing negative health outcomes. Moreover, minimal progress has been made to improve the healthiness of retail food environments for toddlers to date despite the potential and advocacy for the issue. Objectives: To gain insight into stakeholder perceptions and opinions on the healthiness of Australian retail food environments for toddlers, as well as perspectives on the options and barriers to improve their healthiness. Methods: Qualitative, online study utilizing semi-structured individual interviews with 27 key stakeholders from food industry, academia, nongovernment organizations, public health, and government in Australia. Results: Most stakeholders agreed that retail food environments for toddlers were not health promoting. Stakeholders identified that a multifaceted approach including nutrition education and strong government mandated regulation were essential to improve the healthiness of retail food environments for toddlers. Interviews also highlighted the main perceived barriers to progress, and reasons for policy inaction in this area are the food industry and government support. Many stakeholders were concerned that child health is being undermined due to the government favoring business needs over public health. Conclusions: Stakeholders in this study overwhelmingly agreed that there is more that can and should be done to create health promoting retail food environments for toddlers in Australia. Stakeholders identified a range of strategies that can be used to improve the healthiness of toddler food environments, but advocacy efforts are being undermined due to government inaction. Stakeholders believed that strong governance is required to create equitable, sustainable healthy retail food environments for young children. Improving the healthiness of retail food environments for young children will not only reduce diet related disease across the lifespan but will help to address financial and societal costs of a poor diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pre and post pandemic food safety knowledge and behaviors were investigated. • Consumers' food safety knowledge and behaviors declined after the start of COVID-19. • Undercooked and leftover foods were perceived to be primary causes of food poisoning. • Discrepancies were observed between perceived food safety status and factual status. • Older, lower-income, lower-educated groups were more vulnerable to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic caused notable changes to the food-related habits of consumers worldwide due to their concerns about the risk of infection and the requirement to follow government mandates. To investigate the impact of the pandemic on Chinese consumers' food safety knowledge, food safety behaviors, and their most recent food poisoning experiences, we compared the results from an online survey (n = 583, Dec 2019) conducted before the pandemic was officially announced with an identical survey (n = 599, Aug 2023) conducted seven months after the Chinese government downgraded restrictions related to COVID-19. Post-pandemic there was a significant decrease in consumers' food safety knowledge and self-reported food safety behaviors and a significant increase in their self-reported experiences of food poisoning. Despite respondents stating that their food safety knowledge and behaviors had improved since the start of the pandemic, the data obtained from the two surveys and the respondents self-reporting of foodborne illness suggest that in fact their safety knowledge and behaviors had decreased. These findings highlight the need to reinforce food safety education and behaviors during times when the food system is disrupted, and consumers are focusing on what they perceive to be more immediate issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government has mandated that the nonferrous metals industry (NMI) achieve carbon peaking before 2030. Consequently, nonscientific mitigation measures, such as indiscriminate closure of production lines, have been implemented. An appropriate carbon peak pathway must be developed NMI. This study designs three carbon peaking pathways for two subsectors within the industrial chain of the NMI according to the latest industry policies and industry characteristics. Subsequently, a novel integrated dynamic assessment model is constructed in this study to evaluate the probability of carbon peaking under various pathways and choose an appropriate one. Results indicate that: (1) Under the baseline development pathway, the likelihood of meeting the target as anticipated is 61.6 % for the nonferrous metal mining and processing industry (MS) and 9.9 % for the nonferrous metal smelting and refining industry (SS). (2) The low-carbon scenario is the most suitable development path for both subsectors. Under this pathway, the likelihood of MS and SS reaching their targets on time increases to 100 % and 87.4 %, respectively. MS likely peaked in 2013, with a peak at 28 Mt. SS is projected to peak in carbon emissions by 2025, with the highest probability of peaking between 417.6 Mt and 424.5 Mt. If no fluctuations will takes place during the implementation of low-carbon policies, then the peak would occur at 423.9 Mt (3) In this pathway, the industrial value added and energy intensity have the greatest influence on the probability of missing the deadline. This study enriches prediction methods for CO 2 emissions and offers guidance to the Chinese nonferrous metal industry for effectively achieving the peak carbon target. • Three carbon peak pathways are designed according to the latest policies. • A novel dynamic forecasting model is developed for selecting the optimal pathway. • The low-carbon pathway is best suite to achieve the peak carbon target. • Need to pay more attention to the role of energy intensity in the optimal pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zimbabwe's capital city, Harare, faces severe infrastructural challenges. The city is presented with major constraints in its ability to adequately provide services for its growing population while losing essential streams of revenue required for infrastructural maintenance and development. This occurs in the context of the decentralization from the Zimbabwean national government to its cities. Cities like Harare are tasked with mandates to govern but are not provided the adequate financial means nor support to sustain their population or aging infrastructure. In this paper, we study this issue by conducting a broad literature review on decentralization and unfunded urban mandates, before narrowing our focus to decentralization and urban governance in sub-Saharan Africa. We then interrogate Harare as a case study, drawing on two rounds of interviews in 2015 and 2022 to identify key aspects of Harare's infrastructure crisis, which we tie to its unfunded mandates. We conducted 51 semi-structured expert interviews, and 4 extensive focus groups with a total of 32 people in order to revisit key themes that were prevalent during the first round of interviews. This was complemented by a review and analysis of national and city budgets and other relevant reports to demonstrate trends on revenue generation, capital expenditure and dynamics around intergovernmental fiscal transfers (IGFTs). We offer novel insights into Harare's infrastructure crisis, while also raising several urban financing and decentralization themes that are applicable from a global perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant resources, including both human and financial capital, have been dedicated to developing and delivering food handler training programs to meet government and organizational mandates. Even with the plethora of food safety–oriented training programs, there is scant empirical evidence documenting effectiveness, suggesting the need to rethink the design and delivery of food safety training for food handlers. One underlying assumption of most training programs is that food handlers engage in unsafe practices because of lack of knowledge. As a result, many training curricula are designed to improve knowledge, assuming behavior will change as knowledge increases. However, food handlers often return to the work environment and try to implement the new knowledge with minimal success. One explanation for this is that the training context and the implementation context often differ, making it difficult for the food handler to transfer what they learned into practice. Understanding the connection between knowledge, the organization, and its environment is critical to knowledge implementation. The focus of this review is to describe a six-step knowledge-sharing model. Here, knowledge sharing is broadly defined as the process of creating and then using knowledge to change a practice or behavior. Our proposed knowledge-sharing model includes six steps: generation, adaptation, dissemination, reception, adoption, and implementation. We have organized this model into two dyads: (i) transfer between researcher (i.e., knowledge generators) and educator and (ii) transfer between educator and food handler (i.e., knowledge implementers). To put into practice this proposed model for developing and delivering effective food safety training for food handlers, we have provided suggested actions that can be performed within each step of the knowledge-sharing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the 2013 China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), we study the impact of accessing better schools – a 2008 inclusive education policy through which the central government mandated urban public schools to exempt migrant children from tuition and temporary schooling fees. Whereas the non-disclosure rule regarding geographical location of CEPS sampling units precludes the control of locational characteristics, we identify the causal effect of the policy by exploiting constituent elements of CEPS's primary sampling units. Namely, we only use non-migrant rural hukou children living in counties in the nationally representative sample as the control group (the never-takers), while, in the treatment group, we only include migrant children who are currently living in China's top 120 migrant-receiving counties or city districts, and Shanghai. We also distinguish migrant children who started urban schooling before and after 2008 as separate treatment groups of always-takers and compliers , respectively. Using the Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA) approach, we find that the average treatment effect of the policy on migrant children is around 0.18 SD, as measured by a standardised cognitive test score – a large effect. We also present complementary evidence that the average treatment effect tends to be larger for municipalities and provincial capitals, consistently with the notion that the (potential) value-added of attending urban schools is higher the larger the initial gap with rural schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the state-mandated stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic as a setting to study whether political beliefs inhibit compliance with government orders. Using geolocation data sourced from smartphones, we find residents in Republican counties are less likely to completely stay at home after a state order has been implemented relative to those in Democratic counties. Debit card transaction data shows that Democrats are more likely to switch to remote spending after state orders are implemented. Heterogeneity in factors such as Covid-19 risk exposure, geography, and county characteristics do not completely rule out our findings, suggesting political beliefs are an important determinant in the effectiveness of government mandates. Political alignment with officials giving orders may partially explain these partisan differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the current situation of consensus building with fishermen regarding offshore wind farms in Japan and proposes improvements to the current institutional scheme. Interviews were conducted with fishermen and preceding operators in Akita Prefecture, Japan, where offshore wind projects are ongoing ahead of other regions. The results revealed that uncertainty remains in preceding operators' financial commitments to fishermen because there is no guarantee that the operators will be selected, which is an issue with the current institutional scheme. To address this issue, this study proposes improvements to the current institutional scheme from three perspectives. First, the Government should establish unified standards for operators' financial commitments to fishermen. Second, it should disclose the details of the commitments proposed by preceding operators engaged in consensus building. Third, it should mandate the fulfilment of the commitments by the appointed operator, regardless of whether the preceding operators were selected. These improvements can facilitate the future horizontal deployment of offshore wind farms in Japan within the existing legislative framework. • Uncertainty remains in wind operators' financial commitments to fishermen in Japan. • The Government should establish unified standards for operators' financial commitments. • The Government should disclose the details of the commitments by preceding operators. • The Government should mandate the fulfilment of operators' financial commitments. • These policy improvements can promote horizontal deployment of offshore wind farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug overdose was the leading cause of injury and death in 2013, with drug misuse and abuse causing approximately 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2011. The Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances (EPCS) program was created with the goal of decreasing rates of prescription opioid addiction, abuse, diversion, and death by making it more difficult to "doctor-shop" and alter prescriptions.Objective: In this study, we describe the opioid-prescribing patterns of emergency physicians after the introduction of the New York State EPCS mandate.Methods: We conducted a retrospective, single-center, descriptive study with a pre-/post-test design. The pre-implementation period used for comparison was April 1-July 31, 2015 and the post-implementation period was April 1-July 31, 2016. All ED discharge prescriptions for opioid medications prior to and after the initiation of New York State EPCS were identified.Results: During the pre-implementation study period, 22,221 patient visits were identified with 1366 patients receiving an opioid prescription. During the post-implementation study period, 22,405 patient visits were identified with 642 patients receiving an opioid prescription. This represented an absolute decrease of 724 (53%) opioid prescriptions (p < 0.0001), which is an absolute difference of 2.3% (95% confidence interval 2.0-2.6%).Conclusions: There was a significant decline in the overall number of opioid prescriptions after implementation of the New York EPCS mandate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1989, hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved worldwide by the widespread use of screening mammography alongside new developments in breast cancer treatment [1]. The ability of screening mammography to detect cancer early, when treatment is most effective, is optimized when it is performed in the highest quality manner and accessed by all eligible candidates. Currently, worldwide, there are over 14 guidance documents for mammographic quality [2]. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), monitor quality through a national screening program. In the United States (US), where 39 million mammograms are performed annually [3] , there is not a national screening program, but the federal government mandates minimum quality standards for the performance of mammography. Among a consortium of European countries, the European Reference Organisation for Quality Assured Breast Screening and Diagnostic Services (EUREF) promotes voluntary adherence to European mammography quality standards. Setting quality standards at national or international levels ensures the uniformity of practice and identifies substandard practices in need of improvement, ultimately maximizing the benefit of screening mammography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to understanding the territorial politics of urban growth, especially concerning the strategies and means of controlling urban expansion (transformation of natural or rural land into urban, built-up areas). We analysed the urban growth/expansion processes resulting from three consecutive periods of master plan implementation practices in a medium-sized Brazilian city (Araraquara). The goal was to quantitatively assess whether a national market-oriented housing program (MCMV) could be accountable for disparities in spatial outcomes of physical growth associated with different territorial governance arrangements during contrasting local government mandates. Although the MCMV program introduced extensive peri-urban expansion, especially towards headwater preservation areas that nowadays juxtapose social and environmental vulnerabilities in Araraquara, it was not solely responsible for the discernible spatial trends observed after 2009. These results offer insights into how changes in territorial governance arrangements can affect master plan implementation practices. • A federal housing program established broad standards conflicting to local master plans. • It turned into a major driver of urban expansion, with private developers as main promoting agents. • We question the influence of the program in master plan implementation practices. • Spatial analysis shows urban sprawl unrestricted to program, but related to local govern mandates. • Results indicate territorial governance arrangements can affect plan implementation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Measures of improving fire compliance for building claddings were identified by capturing key factors driving fire. • Required fire tests were summarised from relevant standards for evaluating the fire performance. • Performance of numerical modelling was compared to experimental data to identify strengths/limitations of modelling to simulate claddings subjected to fire. • Effect of different material types use on fire spread was summarised to identify suitable materials for non-combustible claddings. • A compliance pathway was proposed to satisfy fire requirements for cladding systems considering different building types. External claddings have been identified as a more critical component in buildings than before due to many catastrophic fire incidents that occurred in recent decades. Present-day engineers seek claddings with improved fire performance to satisfy state/government mandates against fire hazards. It is challenging to cater to the increased cladding demand using conventional materials while observing circular economic principles. As such, researchers and materials engineers have been paying more attention to identifying alternative cladding products. This challenge is further exacerbated due to the limited understanding of fire performance and compliance requirements of building claddings by practitioners. This review provides a detailed assessment of building claddings that satisfy compliance for non-combustibility. The review first summarizes the relevant experimental fire test standards and compares them to theoretical/numerical fire modelling and simulation results based on studies reported in the literature. The effect of different cladding materials on fire spread is then explored by discussing desirable material characteristics that are essential for the development of cladding systems with adequate fire performance. Finally, a compliance pathway that satisfies the fire requirements for cladding systems is discussed leading to the proposition of engineering processes and tools for assessing the suitability of cladding materials for different building types. This review paper will benefit the building and construction industries by helping practitioners understand the fire performance and compliance requirements for fire-resistant cladding materials ahead of their introduction into buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale delimiting surveys are critical for detecting pest invasions and often undertaken at different governance levels. In this study, we consider two-level hierarchical planning of surveys of harmful invasive pests including a government agency with a mandate to report the spatial extent of an invasion, and regional governments (counties) concerned about the possible threat of an outbreak. The central agency plans delimiting pest surveys across multiple administrative subdivisions. Counties could participate in these surveys if funds become available. Our goal is to find the optimal levels of cooperation between the central agency and regional governments in the form of the central agency sharing funds with regional governments in a way that benefits both it and the other entities. We propose a Stackelberg game model that finds optimal levels of collaboration between two levels of government in large-scale pest survey campaigns. We apply the model to surveillance of hemlock woolly adelgid, a harmful pest of hemlock trees in Ontario, Canada. Our solutions help anticipate the underperformance of surveys conducted by regional governments because their goals do not fully align with the central agency survey objective. The methodology can be adapted to explore governance hierarchies in other regions and political jurisdictions. • We find optimal levels of cooperation between two levels of governments in pest survey campaigns. • Our model finds optimal cost-sharing strategy between a biosecurity agency and regional governments. • We demonstrate the approach for delimiting surveys of hemlock woolly adelgid in Ontario, Canada. • The approach can be adapted to improve a governance of biosecurity projects in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential harvest of corn stover as a feedstock for biofuels to meet government mandates has raised concerns about the agronomic impacts of its removal from fields. Furthermore, in order to meet these mandates, larger quantities of stover will be required. As a result, increased attention has been placed on sustainable agronomic practices, such as cover crops. While cover crops may offer desirable benefits, adoption comes at a cost. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which cover crop costs could be compensated by additional stover removal and additional agronomic benefits from the use of cover crops. To meet the objective, we took three distinct approaches: (1) benefit-cost analysis, (2) integrated model analysis, and (3) representative farm analysis using the linear programming model PC-LP. Each approach was a different take on the same issue; however, each provided different information. First, we estimated cover crop costs and agronomic benefits and employed benefit-cost analyses, including stochastic analysis in @RISK. Second, we tested cover crops with stover removal for 24 Indiana farms using PC-LP. Cover crop costs ranged from $81.76/ha to $172.50/ha, with variability being driven by differences in the seeding rate and seed cost. Agronomic benefits included reduced erosion, which was calculated using a newly created integrated modeling system. The mean estimated reduced soil erosion with a cover crop and no residue removal was 0.72 metric tons/ha. An analysis of cover crop agronomic benefits resulted in private benefits (on-site) ranging from $91.45/ha to $192.07/ha, and $97.63/ha to $198.27/ha from society’s perspective. These benefits were highly influenced by added or scavenged nitrogen (N) from the cover crop. For sensitivity we eliminated the benefit from added N and reevaluated the results. Without the N credit, benefits ranged from $74.72/ha to $134.62/ha. Benefit-cost analyses when considering the agronomic benefits of cover crops resulted in a range of a net loss of $11.09/ha to a net benefit of $87.32/ha for the private perspective. The integrated modeling system results indicated that, on average, while holding soil erosion constant, an additional 4.01 metric tons/ha of stover could be removed if a cover crop were used. Accounting for cover crop costs and stover removal, a benefit-cost analysis suggested that at a farm-gate stover price of $66.14/metric ton, net benefits ranged from a loss of $3.78/ha to a net benefit of $86.93/ha. At a farm-gate stover price of $88.18/metric ton, mean net benefit ranged from $158.81/ha to $249.52/ha. Results from the farm model (PC-LP) indicated that cover crops, along with increased stover removal, impacted crop rotations, increased the total amount of stover harvested, and had the potential to increase farm profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the economic, political, and social turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, contrasting responses to government mandated and recommended mitigation strategies have posed many challenges for governments as they seek to persuade individuals to adhere to prevention guidelines. Much research has subsequently examined the tendency of individuals to either follow (or not) such guidelines, and yet a 'grey area' also exists wherein many rules are subject to individual interpretation. In a large study of Canadians (N = 1032, M age = 34.39, 52% female; collected April 6, 2020), we examine how social dominance orientation (SDO) as an individual difference predicts individual propensity to 'bend the rules' (i.e., engaging in behaviors that push the boundaries of adherence), finding that SDO is significantly and positively associated with greater intentions toward rule-bending behaviors. We further find that highlighting a self-oriented or in-group identity enhances the relationship between SDO and rule-bending, whereas making salient a superordinate-level identity (e.g., Canada) attenuates this effect. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. • Social dominance orientation (SDO) is associated with higher COVID-19 'rule bending'. • Identity salience moderates the effect of SDO COVID-19 'rule-bending'. • SDO is positively associated with 'rule bending' when self-oriented or in-group identities are salient. • A salient superordinate identity attenuates the effect of SDO on 'rule bending'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how addressing climate-related risks and supporting mitigation and adaptation policies fit into central bank mandates. We conduct an analysis of mandates and objectives using the IMF's Central Bank Legislation Database and compare these to sustainability-related policies central banks have adopted in practice. Out of 135 central banks, only 12% have explicit sustainability mandates, while 40% are mandated to support the government's policy priorities, which mostly include sustainability goals. However, given that climate risks can directly affect central banks' traditional core responsibilities, all institutions ought to incorporate climate-related physical and transition risks into their policy frameworks to safeguard macro-financial stability. • First systematic study of central bank mandates regarding sustainability objectives • Review of IMF Central Bank Legislation Database and sustainability-related policies • 70 out of 135 central banks have a 'direct' or 'indirect' sustainability mandate • Climate risks can directly affect central banks' traditional core responsibilities • All institutions ought to incorporate climate risks into their policy frameworks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using bio-economic modelling, this paper analyses conflicts between legal and illegal activities in the Campo-Ma'an National Park, Cameroon. We consider two different agents, a local community living near the Park - who hunt illegally to fulfil their welfare -, and a park manager who has received from the Cameroonian government the mandate to manage the wildlife found in the park. The park manager is assumed to practice an imperfect anti-poaching policy due to the persistence of poaching activities in the study area. Both agents are assumed to proceed in strategic and asymmetric interdependency where the park manager determines the anti-poaching effort and then the local people have to adjust their behaviour within a full park scheme. In a bid to reduce illegal hunting, the social planner - the Cameroonian government - then tries to implement another scheme in which the local people are allowed to hunt in the surrounding area of the park, through the establishment of community hunting zones. This park-plus-hunting scheme is an example of Integrated and Conservation Development Project. The empirical analysis is based on data drawn from different sources. Results show that the anti-poaching efforts, the wildlife stock and the harvesting rate are lesser when some hunting rights are allowed to local people as compared to what they are under full park regime. However, by recognizing some hunting rights to the local people, the share of income lost by the park is almost recovered and all poachers leave the underground to exercise in legality as hunters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how public and research view biofuel development, especially the unsynchronized views, can explain the gaps between the actual biofuel production and consumption and the government mandates in the US. Applying a comparative text mining technique, these views are explored using 9924 news articles and 57,849 research abstracts. It is found both the public and research communities respond actively to major policy and incentive programs and market conditions and the public has been closely following important research advances. However, research and practice should be coordinated to achieve economies of scale for regular and alternative biofuels. Priority is particularly needed for policy research to support legislation and enforcement and remove technical barriers to commercialization; meanwhile, greater attention is needed to prompt the commercialization of mature technologies. In addition, sentiment analysis shows positive public perceptions in general and negative perceptions primarily stemming from fraud in biofuel tax-credit programs with minor concerns on unintended negative impacts of biofuel development and policy implementation issues. This study contributes to methodology by using cutting-edge text-mining techniques to the largest and most up-to-date datasets of public news articles and research publication abstracts so as to compare public and academic views on biofuel development. This study also contributes to knowledge discovery by providing new perspectives on biofuel development, which will support policy design and identify future research directions. Image 1 • Public and academia views on biofuel development are identified and compared. • Both communities respond actively to major policy programs and market conditions. • High public interests exist with innovations in feedstocks and genetic engineering. • Policy research is needed to support legislation and enforcement. • Negative perceptions primarily stem from fraud in biofuel tax-credit programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the 2010 to 2015 crisis in Brazil's sugarcane sector, mainly caused by government mandated fuel price ceilings, the sector has entered a new growth cycle spurred by implementation of the " RenovaBio " program in 2017. The government created RenovaBio to achieve two overarching goals: increase 2028 ethanol output by roughly 53% and incrementally increase this biofuel's share in the national energy matrix to meet GHG reduction targets established at the Paris Climate Conference - COP21. The study presented in this paper addresses the expansion of mill output to meet expected future demand by 2028 through application of a mixed-integer linear optimization model to (1) determine the amount of additional sugarcane production and mill processing capacity required to meet expected 2028 Brazilian ethanol and sugar demand and (2) optimize the location of this additional capacity to minimize production and transportation costs through the multimodal transportation network. Modeling results estimate that 151,106 t of additional sugarcane processing capacity is needed to meet forecast 2028 Brazilian demand for 41,106 m³ of sugarcane ethanol and 49,106 t of sugar. Expanded mill output will require that sugarcane cultivation increase over an additional 6% of the area defined by Brazilian Sugarcane Agroecological Zoning regulations as suitable for sugarcane cultivation. Following the model's recommended optimal spatial distribution of 2028 mill processing capacity, their output can be produced and transported at a total cost of US$ 458.65/m³ of ethanol and US$ 304.27/t of sugar, slightly below 2016 minimum total costs. • Optimal location of sugarcane crushing capacity in Brazil to meet estimated 2028 demand for ethanol and sugar. • MILP model applied to investigate the best locations for greenfield sugarcane mills. • Spatial optimization of sugar and ethanol supply and interregional freight flows through the multimodal network in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vision screening (VS) regulations for public schools in Washington were recently revised to modernize procedures, to add the requirement of near VS (unfunded mandate), and to allow the alternative of instrument-based screening. We sought to assess the attitudes and practices of school nurses in Washington with regards to VS, before and after implementation of the new regulations. The added requirement for near VS without additional resources has placed an undue burden on school nurses in Washington. [Extracted from the article]

This article assesses the current mandates on conflict of interest issues as they affect the practice of community-based vascular surgery and the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries and expresses the views of a private practice vascular surgeon. Scenarios where conflict of interest may occur are presented with assessments on how these scenarios will play out if such mandates are enforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]