Net-Zero Energy Buildings and Communities: Potential and the Role of Energy Storage

Net-zero energy buildings and communities, which are receiving increasing interest, and the role of energy storage in them, are described. A net-zero energy building or community is defined as one that, in an average year, produces as much energy from renewable energy as it consumes. Net-zero energy buildings and communities and the manner in which energy sustainability is facilitated by them are described and examples are given. Also, energy storage is discussed and the role and importance of energy storage as part of net-zero buildings and communities are explained. The NSERC Smart Net-zero Energy Buildings Research Network, a major Canadian research effort in smart net-zero energy buildings and communities, is described.

Sport Participation and Community Capacity Building in Disadvantaged Urban Communities

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between sport and community by examining the role played by sports participation in community engagement and community capacity building in disadvantaged urban communities.From a conceptual standpoint,the study is based on the sociological theory of the community and Community Capacity Building(CCB)theory,which provide overviews of the concept of community and community capacity and its characteristics.Four disadvantaged urban communities were investigated.Two of these communities had sports programs,while the other two did not.The online questionnaire methodology was adopted to assess the socio-demographic characteristics and community engagement of the participants(knowledge of programs and participation in community activities),and subsequently,an analysis of the online social media narratives of the community members themselves was developed to measure the characteristics of their community capacity building.We found that community engagement and community capacity values were higher in the communities with sports programs.These findings are promising and suggest that approaches based on sports participation development could be fruitful,particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Advances in Research on Synthetic Microbial Communities

The synthetic microbial community is a synthetic microbial system co-cultured with multiple species, which has the characteristics of clear composition and strong controllability. Compared with a single colony, it can achieve more complex functions and adapt to the changing environment more easily, so as to meet a wide range of needs. In this paper, the contents and concepts of microbial community and synthetic microbial community are briefly introduced, the principles that should be followed in the construction of microbial community are expounded, the methods and mathematical models used in the construction of synthetic microbial community are introduced, and the applications of synthetic microbial community in various fields are summarized. Finally, the challenges in the research of synthetic microbial communities are briefly described.

Post-war Sustainability-Driven School Buildings: A Review of the Literature

The Safe Schools Declaration of 2015 is an inter-governmental political agreement signed by several countries designed to protect the schooling of the school-aged population during armed conflicts.Yet,in countries where civil war erupted,schools were demolished.Several school-aged children were either forcibly recruited by governments or coerced by rebel groups to serve in armed fights.As a result,several children were deprived of their education and have remained suffering from deep psychological scars.The central question of the study is:What kind of sustainability-driven school buildings can be initiated in countries that are now enduring peace so that the learning environments are more comfortable and improve the well-being of the war-impacted children and school employees?After reviewing the literature,a strategic conceptual framework that incorporated the synergistic relationship between economic,social,and environmental aspects of sustainability was initiated to map out sustainable school buildings.In short,the conceptual framework proposed to construct school buildings in some of the war-affected developing countries includes assembling cost-efficiency and eco-effectiveness inputs,using renewable energy sources powered by natural sunlight,collecting rainwater in mud cisterns,reducing emissions of carbon oxides,and empowering the local community to be the main actors to design sustainable buildings during the preconstruction,construction,and post-construction stages to serve as learning spaces for the war-affected occupants and their neighborhoods.

A Critical Review of Community Resilience Building Framework: Contexts of Climate Change and Disasters in Bangladesh

The concept of community resilience in the contexts of climate change and disasters draws increasing attention and interest from practitioners and researchers in recent development discourse. This paper provides a critical review of six selected frameworks of community resilience building operationalized in Bangladesh over the span of years. In other words, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of resilience through a systematic analysis of the dimensions and indicators of community resilience frameworks. The analysis shows that comprehensive and effective community resilience frameworks should incorporate the missing components linked to fundamental elements of good governance, economic growth, environmental sustainability, social transformation, and capacity development. The paper concludes by highlighting a few other areas of grave concern that need more appropriate attention, considering the severe threats posed by climate change and natural disasters in line with sustainable development goals. Finally, this study recommends further research regarding the effectiveness of these frameworks in different climatic and disaster contexts that can lead the concept into a new dimension of community resilience and sustainability.

Youth’s Role in Peace Building:A Case Study of Gadarif State

This study in Gadarif State,Sudan,analyzes the crucial role of youth in conflict resolution and peace building efforts amidst the ongoing crisis.Findings reveal that youth,facing economic,environmental,and security challenges,actively engage in peacemaking through initiatives,emergency rooms,and cultural programs,contributing to social cohesion and combatting hate speech.Despite their willingness to build peace,they encounter obstacles like the lack of training programs,limited support,and marginalization in policy-making processes.Recommendations emphasize the necessity of empowering youth through training programs,enhancing government support,and addressing negative perceptions from older generations towards youth contributions.Conclusively,prioritizing youth issues and fostering their participation in peace building initiatives are essential for sustainable peace and social harmony in Gadarif State.

The Problems Existing in Building of Rural Community in Jilin Province and Corresponding Countermeasures

This paper analyses some problems existing in building of rural community in Jilin Province as follows:the funds for community building are short;the residents show sluggish participation in community;the infrastructure community building is backward;the organizational building of community lags behind;the operating mechanism is in chaos.Finally,corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward as follows:we should strengthen the funds guarantee of government for community building;we should reinforce the quality education for the rural residents;we should speed up the construction of rural infrastructure;we should improve organizational building of rural community.

A model of community capacity building for sustainable dengue problem solution in Southern Thailand

Dengue community capacity (DCC) is important for developing a sustainable approach to over-coming the problem of dengue. The objectives were 1) to develop and 2) evaluate a dengue community capacity building model for the leader and non-leader group in three communities selected by purposive technique. A mixed method research design was used employing both qualitative and quantitative methods with qualitative studies conducted for community capacity building model: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. DCC level was assessed by the Dengue Community Capacity Assessment Tool (DCCAT) including larval indices, and morbidity and mortality rate. To analyze the differences of the leader and non-leader’s DCC levels both pre and post-interventions in each model, the Mann-Whitney and Independent T-test were used and to analyze the difference of the DCC level among the three models (Ban Mon, Ban Nangpraya and Ban Kang), the Kruskal-Wallis Test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA were used. The findings showed that there were some differences among the three models in dengue community capacity building in terms model. The participants consisted of leader (n = 26, 24 and 28) and non-leader groups (n = 200, 215 and 176 respectively). The DCC levels of both leader and non-leader groups increased post-intervention in each model (p < 0.001) and in all three models, showing a statistically significant difference between pre and post-intervention (p < 0.001). Ban Kang model demonstrated the highest DCC levels of leader and non-leader groups, the lowest larval indices (HI, BI, and CI), and no dengue morbidity. In contrast, Ban Mon and Ban Nangpraya model showed low DCC level in both leader and non-leader groups, a high rate of larval indices and high dengue morbidity rate. However, there was no mortality rate in three areas. The conclusion indicates that the model with a high DCC level showed low risk on the dengue index both entomological and epidemiology index. The model of dengue community capacity building for dengue solution was sustainability not only needs to be maintained DCC levels but also increased dependent upon the contexts of each community.

Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind: International Law-based Principles and Approaches

Building a community with a shared future for mankind is an important guiding principle for China to address foreign affairs in this new era, and its profound connotations echo the spirit of international law. In the context of globalization, the ever-increasing common interests of the international community lay a material basis for building a community with a shared future for mankind. The doctrine of international community orientation, which is based on sovereignty and at the same time transcends sovereignty, forms an ideological basis for building a community with a shared future. Realizing international socialism and striking a balance between formalism and substantial justice is a moral prerequisite for building a community with a shared future. To reduce existing legal obstacles to international communications, the laws of all countries and regions exhibit a tendency towards legal assimilation, which is expected to be a domestic law approach to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The establishment of international legal systems and the development of international organizations have vigorously promoted and maintained world peace yet failed to bring about perpetual peace. International law should attach more importance to the facilitation of human inner peace so as to realize perpetual peace. This is a new international law-based approach to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China's peaceful rise, which is based on traditional Chinese culture and the basic principles of international law, is China's special contribution to this great cause.

The community capacity building for sustainable dengue problem solution (CCB-SDPS) model: The results from studies in community, southern region, Thailand

This paper provides an approach for sustainable dengue problem solution by the community capacity building model and the results of two studies from implementation the model in Southern region, Thailand. The conceptual framework of the CCB-SDPS model consisted of three dimensions;1) community-based (leader and non-leader in community), 2) community capacity building process, and 3) sustainable dengue problem solution (outcomes). The outcomes of studies focused on the capacity level by the DCCAT (14 domains of leader group, and 11 domains of non-leader group), dengue entomology (Larval) index, and epidemiological (morbidity and mortality) rate. The two studies were pilot study in high risk dengue areas. These studies were application of CCB-SDPS model. First study was the process of using the tool for testing the DCCAT in two communities. The results showed only three steps of using assessment tool;community preparation, assessment, and community hearing. The second study was the fully testing model in three communities. Participatory action research and mix methods;quantitative and qualitative collecting data were preparation community-based, building capacity process (assessment, plan, implement, and reassessment), and outcomes monitoring. The results of second study showed three models of the CCB-SDPS. The two studies confirmed the sustainable in after intervention of community capacity building such as increased capacity level of leader and non-leader group, deceased entomological indices (HI, BI, and CI), and non presentation of morbidity and mortality rate in during study period. These results showed the model conducing on contexts of each community such the three dimensions of the conceptual framework of the model, community-based, building capacity process, and measurement of outcomes of sustainable dengue problem solution. These experiences in Southern Thailand demonstrated the main keys to the approach of CCB-SDPS were in the use of strategies planning to initiate community capacity building towards sustained dengue problem solution.

Conversation and Community Building in Jane Austen’s Novels

In recent years,much attention from home and abroad has been paid to the role that conversation plays in building community in Jane Austen’s novels.But the interpretations are merely confined to one or two of Austen’s novels.Actually,her six novels all have embodied her devotions to conversation and community building.Through literary language,she has fully demonstrated us how to shape community through proper conversation.Only the conversation that unites both sincerity and politeness is bound to help form peaceful and warm community.

Self Organizing Communities: Enhancing Cooperation through Competition

One of the open issues in today’s networking world is efficient content retrieval, storage, and provision. Numerous studies have been carried out in order to optimize the distribution and provision of content to end users. This is emphasized in today’s mobile networks that the ubiquity of network resources is considered an expected fact. In this paper we propose an architecture that is based on node co-operation that enhances the content distribution and retrieval. The architecture consists of the formation of loosely coupled and autonomous communities among nodes that share common interests where the already existing content is shared in a “common pool”. The co-operation is enforced by the acquisition of extra bandwidth that is distributed to the most helpful members. The autonomic aspect of the communities is based on the embedded mechanisms for cluster behavior, namely, voting, where the nodes decide themselves which members should be awarded, and reporting, where misbehaving nodes are removed from the community. In this paper the different elements of the architecture will be described, together with a theoretic study of its viability, and finally a set of simulations that evaluate its performance.

Launch of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in the Republic of Congo

On 13th December,2019,the opening ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative kicked off in Brazzaville,capital of the Republic of Congo(hereinafter referred to as Congo).H.E.Ji Bingxuan,Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the Chinese Association for International Understanding,H.E.Ma Fulin,Chinese ambassador to Congo,H.E.Leon Alfred Opimbat,First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Congo attended this event,together with NGO representatives from China and Congo.

Launch of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Romania

On September 23,2019,the Silk Road Community Building Initiative was launched as part of the joint efforts by China and Romania to build the Belt and Road."The Belt and Road is an ambitious initiative that will bring prosperity to the world and a new economic impetus in Romania,"said Minister of Economy Nicolae Badalau at the launching ceremony held in the historical Ghica Palace in downtown Bucharest.He also voiced support for the ensuing cooperation at the local level.

Launch of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Tanzania

On 19th December,2019,the opening ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative was launched in Dar es Salaam.H.E.Ji Bingxuan,Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the Chinese Association for International Understanding,H.E.Wang Ke,Chinese ambassador to Tanzania,H.E.Job Ndugai,Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania attended this event,together with 150 NGO representatives from both countries.

Launch of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Xinjiang

On September 6,2019,the launching ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative for China-Pakistan(Xinjiang-Balochistan)was held in Urumqi.Aierken Tuniyazi,member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Xinjiang Uygur Regional Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Amanullah Khan Yasinzai,Governor of Balochistan,Pakistan and Liu Kaiyang,Deputy Secretary-General of China NGO Network for International Exchanges(CNIE)attended and addressed the ceremony.

The Belt and Road Initiative Advances the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

In November,2012,the idea of advocating the building of a community with a shared future for humanity was clearly proposed in the report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.In September and October,2013.

Address at the Launching Ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Romania by Mme.Xu Lyuping,Vice-President of China NGO Network for International Exchanges

Distinguished former Prime Minister Mr.Peter Roman,Distinguished Minister Mr.Niculae Badalau,Distinguished Mr.&Mrs.Bartha,Ladies and gentlemen,dear friends,It’s my great delight to attend the launching ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Romania,which is a major event to enhance the mutual understanding and trust,promote people-to-people connectivity as well as consolidate the foundation of the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Romania.

Building Harmonious Community & Innovating Social Management and Services

Communities are the basic units as well as cell of the society. Community management and service is of fundamental significance for socia harmony, and also an important part of socia management innovation. Recent years

Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind: a Chinese Scheme of Global Human Rights Governance

Sponsored by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Publicity Department of the Tianjin Municipal Committee,the symposium on building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Global Human Rights Governance starts today at Nankai University.On behalf of the China Society for Human Rights Studies,I would like to extend my warm congratulations to the conveners of conference,and