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Abstract: This study explores the distribution of agrowellness products and services from a sustainability perspective, focusing on consumer perceptions in Slovenia’s Eastern Cohesion Region. Utilizing an empirical approach through an online survey, the research assesses how sustainable lifestyle practices influence the frequency of agrowellness goods consumption and their perceived availability. The study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to test four hypotheses, revealing that sustainable lifestyle practices positively affect the frequency of agrowellness product usage, enhancing the perception of product availability. A critical novel contribution of the research is identifying sociodemographic factors as significant moderators of these relationships, offering more profound insights into consumer behavior. Additionally, the frequency of use mediates the link between a sustainable lifestyle and perceived availability, with gender, age, education, and the place of residence as essential moderators. The findings contribute to theory and practice, offering actionable recommendations for marketing and distribution strategies to enhance the accessibility and appeal of agrowellness products. These insights provide valuable guidance for stakeholders in agriculture, rural development, and wellness tourism, with broader implications for policy development aimed at promoting sustainable lifestyles and supporting rural economies.
Keywords: agrowellness, sustainability, consumer behavior, rural development, wellness tourism, distribution, supply chain, Slovenia
Published in DKUM: 11.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 1
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Abstract: A wealth of evidence shows that real-world networks are endowed with the small-world property, i.e., that the maximal distance between any two of their nodes scales logarithmically rather than linearly with their size. In addition, most social networks are organized so that no individual is more than six connections apart from any other, an empirical regularity known as the six degrees of separation. Why social networks have this ultrasmall-world organization, whereby the graph’s diameter is independent of the network size over several orders of magnitude, is still unknown. We show that the “six degrees of separation” is the property featured by the equilibrium state of any network where individuals weigh between their aspiration to improve their centrality and the costs incurred in forming and maintaining connections. We show, moreover, that the emergence of such a regularity is compatible with all other features, such as clustering and scale-freeness, that normally characterize the structure of social networks. Thus, our results show how simple evolutionary rules of the kind traditionally associated with human cooperation and altruism can also account for the emergence of one of the most intriguing attributes of social networks.
Keywords: degree distribution, network evolution, complex network, small-world network, social physics
Published in DKUM: 16.07.2024; Views: 111; Downloads: 10
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Abstract: We present the state of knowledge on the family Myrmeleontidae occurring in North Macedonia based on published records, museum specimens and new samples, and provide a comprehensive species list. North Macedonia represents only 3.9% of the area of the Balkan Peninsula but harbours 19 species belonging to 14 antlion genera, i.e., 61% of the peninsular fauna. We report collection localities, literature records and biological data for each species. Three species, Nemoleon poecilopterus, Neuroleon assimilis and Myrmeleon inconspicuus, are reported for the first time in North Macedonia. The genus Nemoleon Navás is also reported for the first time in the country.
Keywords: Myrmeleontidae, checklist, distribution, new records, Balkan Peninsula
Published in DKUM: 15.04.2024; Views: 225; Downloads: 5
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Abstract: The primary objective of this paper is to present a static model for calculating the temperature distribution in a photovoltaic module using the finite element method. The paper presents in more detail the theoretical background of solar radiation, heat transfer, and the finite element method. The results of the static model are evaluated using temperature measurements of a photovoltaic model, which were performed at the Institute of Energy Technology, Faculty of Energy Technology, University of Maribor. The results of the regression analysis show a good concurrence between the measured and modelled values of the temperature of the photovoltaic module, especially on days with a higher share of the direct component of solar radiation.
Keywords: photovoltaic module, temperature distribution, heat transfer, finite element method
Published in DKUM: 13.11.2023; Views: 274; Downloads: 7
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Abstract: This paper deals with photovoltaic (PV) power plant modeling and its integration into the medium-voltage distribution network. Apart from solar cells, a simulation model includes a boost converter, voltage-oriented controller and LCL filter. The main emphasis is given to the comparison of two optimization methods-particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the Ziegler-Nichols (ZN) tuning method, approaches that are used for the parameters of Proportional-Integral (PI) controllers determination. A PI controller is commonly used because of its performance, but it is limited in its effectiveness if there is a change in the parameters of the system. In our case, the aforementioned change is caused by switching the feeders of the distribution network from an open-loop to a closedloop arrangement. The simulation results have claimed the superiority of the PSO algorithm, while the classical ZN tuning method is acceptable in a limited area of operation.
Keywords: photovoltaic power plant, optimization, PI controllers, distribution system
Published in DKUM: 10.11.2023; Views: 349; Downloads: 19
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