Business and Human Rights in Times of Global Emergencies: Comparative Perspective

This article provides an overview of the key principles of the state's fulfilmentt of the positive obligation to protect human rights from violations by business during the crisis caused by COVID 19: balancing the need to ensure public health and human rights protection; balancing the competing rights of non-state actors with taking into account the concept of the right to security as freedom from fear and freedom from want; implementation of the international human rights law requirement on restriction of human rights, including the derogation from international human rights obligations. The second part of the article is an overview of the results of a survey on the implementation by various countries around the world of the obligation to protect human rights from business violations during COVID 19. The purpose of the survey was to summarize the information about different countries obtained according to the proposed criteria to identify the main regulatory models that states use to fulfil their obligation to protect human rights from business violations in time of COVID 19

About the placing of transport coefficients under the control of the strukture of differential-difference equations

It is demonstrated the method by which the acceptable dependence on unknown function for the kinetic coefficient by non-linear differential-difference transport equation. It permits to obtain the equation under studyyesMoscow state technological university "STANKIN

Status and new developments in field portable geochemical techniques and on-site technologies for mineral exploration

International audienceThere is an ongoing need to be innovative with the way we undertake mineral exploration. Recent technological advances that have enabled successful mineral exploration include on-site or portable instruments, on-site laboratory technologies, various core scanners, and technologies for fluid analysis. Portable or field technologies such as pXRF, pXRD, pNIR-SWIR, µRaman, and LIBS, aid in obtaining chemical and mineralogical information. Spectral gamma tools, a well-known technology, recently took advantage of improved ground and airborne (drone) instruments, to complement hyperspectral imagery. Novel, groundbreaking technology Lab-at-Rig®, was developed by CSIRO, Imdex and Olympus at the Deep Exploration Technologies CRC, and is currently being retrofitted to diamond drilling. Cuttings are separated from drilling fluids in a Solid Removal Unit (SRU), producing one meter composite mud which is sub-sampled, dried and analyzed by both X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) sensors that deliver the chemistry and mineralogy of a sample, respectively. These data are automatically uploaded to a cloud-based storage platform and subjected to a range of statistical analyses with results returned to the geologist in a matter of seconds, allowing decisions to be made in near real time. At a mine site, core scanners become a useful tool to analyse meters of core as it is being drilled. Core scanners include hyperspectral and XRF systems, such as Corescan, HyLogger and Minalyzer, for example. Fluid analyses are not as common as analyses of solid materials, but there are advances in such technologies as ASV, polarography, and ion exchange electrodes aiming for analysis of commodity or environmentally important elements. With all available portable, field and on-site technologies it is now possible to collect data at the exploration site or while drilling. Certainly, field and on-site analyses cannot yet compete with laboratory analyses in terms of sensitivity, precision and accuracy due to compromises in sample preparation, instrument performance and work environment. However, field and on-site results must only achieve the level of confidence expected from the decision. Most mineral exploration decisions are based on flexible thinking rather than on a pre-set framework of investigations. One of the key benefits of real-time analyses, or short delay analyses (less than a day) is the possibility to adjust sampling plans, test hypotheses based on ongoing results, and make fast decisions on the exploration process-especially drilling and sampling. This is particularly important for remote locations, where sample logistics to the laboratory may become long and demanding

Magnetic properties of Gd_{1-x}Pr_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y} single crystals

Magnetic properties were studied for the high quality Al-free orthorhombic Gd_{1-x}Pr_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y} single crystals (0<=x<=1.0) grown by the flux method. An indication on the interaction between the Pr and Cu(2) magnetic sublattices was found for Pr123. Different signs of magnetic anisotropy were established for the Pr and Gd ions at low temperatures. It was also shown that superconductivity reported by Zou et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 (1998) 1074] for Pr123 single crystals grown by TSZF method seems to be connected with partial substitution of Ba for the Pr-sites.Comment: 2 pages (LaTeX2e), 4 EPS figures, phbauth style file included. LT22 conference paper accepted to Physica

Development of the green entrepreneurial mindset through modern entrepreneurship education

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.Entrepreneurship education programmes are slowly adapting to the circularity and sustainability movement. Business education lacks experiences in introducing sustainability and environmentally-friendly business topics into entrepreneurship study programmes. This article aims to research the inclusion of environmental and sustainability issues in the entrepreneurship education programmes in order to promote a green entrepreneurial mindset among students and acquire green business activities. The COVID-19 crisis has thrown a harsh spotlight on a range of sustainable development challenges, and the choices the community makes now in its path to recovery will shape the trajectory of sustainable development for years to come. Also, usage of digital technologies will become crucial in this green transition. The empirical research was based on the evaluation of a survey of 657 undergraduate students from the business administration sphere. The research results are of practical, social and scientific significance by exploring the green movement and its impacts on the entrepreneurship education curricula and their effects in developing a green entrepreneurial mindset of students.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Challenges of the introduction of circular business models within rural SMEs of EU

Recently the circular economy has got a lot of attention within discussions of policy makers, academics and practitioners. The circular economy proposes the treatment of environmental and climate change problems, simultaneously promising benefits for the business. The circular economy promotes the reduction of the consumption and reuse or recycling of the resources that in various aspects contradicts traditional business models that stream to linear growth of sales of their products. Yet the circular economy concept has been more discussed regarding its global scale, but there is a lack of scientific discussions about the approaches of the adoption of circular economy principles on the business level. This paper conceptualises multi-level dimensions of the circular economy and highlights challenges related to the perception of the circular economy principles in the micro business level. The conducted research shows that rural SMEs of six EU countries have rarely heard about the circular economy and even less about circular business models. While rural SMEs are more familiar with the bio and green economies forming good base for developing circular business models, they are reluctant towards introducing new business models. This paper aims to assess the level of the advancement in introduction of the circular business models among rural SMEs of EU countries. This article emphasizes the circular economy as an inseparable part of the business models of rural SMEs and rural economies of EU countries. This study has a policy implication as we suggest that the government should play an important role in promotion of circular business models in rural SMEs. The existing public support system is fragmented, and in most cases just incidentally encourage rural SMEs to adopt new circular business models. Also, the circular economy on a local level, especially in rural areas, has an important role in ensuring social wellbeing of local inhabitants. The methodological approach and research results presented in the paper can be used further developing EU support system and priorities beyond 2020.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Nonexistence results for some nonlinear elliptic and parabolic inequalities with functional parameters

We obtain results on nonexistence of nontrivial nonnegative solutions for some elliptic and parabolic inequalities with functional parameters involving the $p(x)$-Laplacian operator. The proof is based on the test function method

CIRCULAR ECONOMY DRIVEN INNOVATIONS WITHIN BUSINESS MODELS OF RURAL SMEs

The competitiveness of rural SMEs is low due to economic inefficiency and the lack of innovations. The main challenges faced by rural SMEs are the limited scale, the distance form larger sales markets, RD and business support institutions, and the lack of innovative spirit. The circular and bio-economies are shaping the rural SMEs towards the environmentally friendly and eco-efficient production, the minimization of the generation of waste and less use of natural resources. This potential of the adoption of new business models within rural SMEs is not fully observed.The aim of this research is to analyse the opportunities of rural SMEs in introducing the innovative business models driven by the circular economy. This research explores the innovative business models of rural SMEs that transform the environmental challenges in business opportunities and keep a balance with the growing consumption needs. The results of the research are of both theoretical and practical value, providing recommendations for facilitation of innovative business models within rural SMEs. The research methods: desk research, statistical analysis, a grounded theory approach, case study, primary data gathering through seven focus groups with more than 200 stakeholders from six European countries.