Understanding the interrelationships between land use, climate change, and regional water yield is critical for effective water resource management and ecosystem protection. However, comprehensive insights into how water yield evolves under different land use scenarios and climate change remain elusive. This study employs the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) models, Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model, and Geodetector within a unified framework to evaluate the dynamics of land use, water yield, and their relationships with various factors (meteorological, social, economic, etc.). To forecast the Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC) pattern of the Yellow River Basin by 2030, three scenarios were considered: economic development priority (Scenario1), ecological development priority(Scenario2), and cropland development priority(Scenario3). Climate change scenarios were constructed using CMIP6 data, representing low stress (SSP119), medium stress (SSP245), and high stress (SSP585) conditions. The results show the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, cropland was predominant in the Yellow River Basin, Henan Province, with significant land conversion to impervious land (construction land) and forest land; (2) Water yield changes during this period were primarily influenced by meteorological factors, with land use changes having negligible impact; (3) By 2030, the water yield of Scenario1 is highest among different land use scenarios, marginally surpassing ecological development priority by 0.5%; (4) Climate scenarios reveal significant disparities, with SSP126 yielding 67% higher water production than SSP245, driven predominantly by precipitation; (5) Geodetector analysis identifies precipitation as the most influential single factor, with significant interactions among meteorological and socio-economic factors. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and researchers in formulating land use and water resource management strategies.

Globally, groundwater is the largest distributed storage of freshwater and plays an important role in an ecosystem’s sustainability in addition to aiding human adaptation to both climatic change and variability. However, groundwater resources are dynamic and often change as a result of land usage, abstraction, as well as variation in climate. To solve these challenges, many conventional solutions, such as certain numerical techniques, have been proffered for groundwater modelling. The global evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) has enhanced the culture of data gathering for the management of groundwater resources. In addition, efficient data-driven groundwater resource management relies hugely on information relating to changes in groundwater resources as well as their availability. At the moment, some studies in the literature reveal that groundwater managers lack an efficient and real-time groundwater management system that is needed to gather the required data. Additionally, the literature reveals that the existing methods of collecting data lack the required efficiency to meet computational model requirements and meet management objectives. Unlike previous surveys, which solely focussed on particular groundwater issues related to simulation and optimisation management methods, this paper seeks to highlight the current groundwater management models as well as the IoT contributions.

Recharge is a crucial section of water balance for both surface and subsurface models in water resource assessment. However, quantifying its spatiotemporal distribution at a regional scale poses a significant challenge. Empirical and numerical modeling are the most commonly used methods at the watershed scales. However, integrated model inherently contain a vast number of unknowns and uncertainties, which can limit their accuracy and reliability. In this work, we have proposed integrated SWAT-MODFLOW and Transient Water Table Fluctuation Method (TWTFM) to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution of groundwater recharge in Anyang wa-tershed, South Korea. Since TWTFM also uses SWAT model percolation output data, calibration was performed for individual models and coupled model. The coupled model was calibrated using daily streamflow and hydraulic head. SWAT-MODFLOW model performed well during the simulation of streamflow compared SWAT model. The study output showed that the study watershed had significant groundwater recharge variations during the simulated period. A sig-nificant amount of recharge happens in the wet season. It contributes about 34% of the average annual precipitation of the region. The direct flow components (surface and lateral) showed sig-nificant contributions when the water balance components were evaluated in the region. TWTFM showed a glimpse to estimate recharge, which requires representative monitoring wells in the study region. Comprehensively, the SWAT-MODFLOW model estimated groundwater recharge with reasonable accuracy in the region.

The study aimed to analyze thoracic and lumbar erector spinae muscle activations during 3D elongation exercises in individuals with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Participants included 24 adolescents, meeting specific criteria such as a Cobb angle between 10° and 20°, and not having undergone surgical or brace treatments. EMG data were collected to evaluate muscle activations. The study found no significant interaction between exercise type and the side of the curve, but a significant main effect of exercise type on muscle activation, irrespective of Cobb angle. Different exercise types significantly affected muscle activity, with the highest activations in the TheraBand exercise, followed by manual and without equipment conditions. This suggests that exercise type significantly impacts muscle engagement in AIS patients, providing valuable insights for targeted exercise program design. The study, however, focused on short-term muscle activation, not long-term Cobb angle progression, pointing to the need for further research in this area.

Increasing groundwater levels (GWL) may become one of the most serious issues for Odessa City, Ukraine. This study investigated the spatial distribution characteristics and multifractal scaling behaviour of groundwater level/depth fluctuation for a Quaternary aquifer in Odessa City using a geostatistical approach and a Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA). These two methods were applied to monthly GWL fluctuation time series from 1970 to 2020 to monitor 72 hydrogeological wells situated in different parts of Odessa City. The spatial distribution of GWL revealed an overall trend of decline and recovery from 1970 to 2020 in the study area, except for most of the southern region, where a persistent recovery of groundwater depth was observed. The MF-DFA results suggest that the dynamics of GWL fluctuations have multifractal characteristics in the Odessa City area. In addition, both long-range correlation and fat-tail probability distribution contribute to multifractality. However, long-range correlations among fluctuations made a major contribution to the observed multifractality of the GWL fluctuations time series. The generalized Hurst exponent shows a wide range of change (0.20 < h(q) < 2.85), indicating the sensitivity of GWL fluctuations to changes in small scale factors and large-scale factors. Regarding the long range correlations of GWL depth, the Hurst exponents (q = 2) demonstrated the positive persistence of groundwater depth recovery in the southern region and the persistence of groundwater depth variation in the other regions of the study area. The dynamic changes in GWL depth in the Odessa City area may be affected by both natural structural and anthropogenic factors.

Disasters related to climate change on our water resources are on the rise in terms of scale and severity. Therefore, predicting groundwater levels (GWL) is a crucial means to aid adaptive capacity towards disasters related to climate change in our water resources. In this study Gradient Boosting (GB) regression modelling approach for GWL prediction as a function of rainfall and antecedent GWL is used. Firstly, we sought to demonstrate the effects of rainfall changes on our groundwater resources through a Mann-Kendall trend analysis. Secondly, we evaluated the relationship between the input and response variables and determined the optimal lag times between the variables using autocorrelations and cross-correlations. Lastly a predictive model was developed for eight groundwater stations in the Upper Crocodile. 50 % of the groundwater stations revealed declining trends, while 25% had no trends and the other 25% showed an increasing trend. Generally low cross-correlation maximum (CCmax) were obtained, with the highest CCmax being 0.299 at an optimal lag of 2-month. While the highest autocorrelation was 0.969 at a 1-month lag. The best groundwater predictive model had R2 and MSE of 0.66 and 0.06, respectively. The stations that generally performed better had both high autocorrelation and cross-correlation coefficients. GB model performed satisfactorily in predicting GWL for most of the stations in the study area. Therefore, GB can be used for GWL prediction in the Upper Crocodile.

The global rising demand for exploiting limited shared groundwater resources, coupled with significant water deficit, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, has led to escalating conflicts among stakeholders. As such, using Bankruptcy Theory methods can be an appropriate response to the reallocation of resources. This study introduces a novel approach to weighted Bankruptcy, where the relative importance of stakeholders is determined by their contributions to sustainable development, and the impact of their claims on the shared groundwater resources is considered. The framework is implemented in a two-level bankruptcy process including the plains and their beneficiaries (agriculture, drinking and industry). The proposed two-level weighted bankruptcy process applies to the Neyshabour-Ataiyeh-Sabzevar plains in Iran. The process is implemented for two scenarios including the Baseline scenario related to the present status of demands and the Future scenario associated with the estimated demands for the year 2041. To compare the weighted proposed method with the other weighted methods such as Proportional (WPRO), Constrained Equal Awards (WCEA), Pinile (WPIN), Talmud (WTAL), Constrained Equal Losses (WCEL), Modified Constrained Equal Losses (MWCEL), two categories including the deficit-based and resource-based approaches are considered. According to the stability analysis using the Bankruptcy Allocation Stability Index (BASI) method, among the deficit-based methods, the novel approach is chosen as the preferred method for the beneficiaries’ reallocation like the Sabzevar’s beneficiaries. Accordingly, it allocates 86.95%, 10.86% and 2.17% of the shared resource to the agricultural, drinking, and industrial demands, respectively. Among the resource-based methods, the WPIN method is selected for reallocation between the stakeholders and their beneficiaries in each level and scenario of reallocation. The novel approach offers a promising solution to the water resource reallocation problem, ensuring a more equitable and sustainable management of shared groundwater resources.

This note makes available five years of data gathered in a measurement site equipped with a micrometeorological station and two monitoring wells. Series of data of hydrological and atmospheric variables allow to estimate the flux of water across the atmosphere-land interface and to calculate the water budget, that are crucial topics in climate and environmental sciences. The measures of water-table began during 2017, one of the driest year of the whole instrumental period of climate history for the Central Mediterranean. Data from the micrometeorological station have been used to construct two more datasets of daily and monthly cumulative values of different terms of the surface water budget, from which the groundwater infiltration has been estimated. A significant decreasing trend characterizes both the data time series of piezometric heights and estimated infiltration in the considered period. All the data are collected in 2017-2022 datasets that are available in the supplementary material.

The Baltic Sea coast is one of the geographical areas of Europe most threatened by the current climate change. This issue concerns erosional processes, groundwater flows affecting sea-shore settings. Long term hydrological investigations within the western sector of the Łeba Barrier, northern Poland, based on a network of monitoring stations, coupled with the meteorology records of the past 12 years, revealed significant fluctuations in ground water fluxes from the Baltic Sea on the adjoining mainland. Groundwater resources are negatively affected by sea-level drops in the coastal areas along the southern Baltic coast. The low sea levels strengthen the effects of low precipitation and high temperatures, causing altogether the occurrence of hydrogeological drought in the coastal sandbar areas. Drought periods are characterized by lowering of water-tables in the Slowinski National Park. The obtained results have direct relevance to a long-term assessment of water resources, environmental protection of the climatically most susceptible ecosystems, as well as the tourism management of this popular visitors’ destination.

In water scarcity regions, using data-driven approaches to predict groundwater level is challenging due to limited data availability. However, these regions have substantial water needs and require cost-effective groundwater utilization strategies. In this study, we use artificial intelligence to predict groundwater levels to provide guidance for drilling shallow boreholes for subsistence irrigation. The Bilate watershed, which is located in southern Ethiopia, was selected as the study area. This is typical of areas in Africa with high demand for water and limited availability of well data. Using a non-time-series database of 75 boreholes, machine learning models including multiple linear regression, multivariate adaptive regression spline, artificial neural networks, random forest regression, and gradient boosting regression (GBR) were constructed to predict the depth to the water table. 20 independent variables were considered in the models. GBR performed the best of the approaches with an average 0.77 R-squared value on testing data. Finally, a map of predicted water levels in the Bilate watershed was created based on the best model with water levels ranging from 1.6 to 245.9 meters. With the limited set of borehole data, the results show a clear signal that can provide guidance for borehole drilling decisions for sustainable irrigation with additional implications for drinking water.

Groundwater is becoming increasingly important in the Pacific Northwest of the USA due to declining snowpack volumes and shifts in precipitation type and timing, all connected with climate change. The Upper Williamson Basin of the Klamath Watershed is a groundwater dominated watershed with massive fluctuations in year-to-year streamflow volumes over the past four decades, including the complete absence of any live flow for several years. The precise relationship between groundwater and streamflow in the basin has been difficult to assess due to a limited number of monitoring wells and significant gaps in the water level time history. To address this challenge, we use a novel imputation technique that leverages Earth observations and machine learning to impute gaps in water level records. We use these more complete datasets to compute a groundwater storage change time series for the basin. We show that groundwater storage is highly correlated to streamflow and that groundwater storage is correlated to rainfall with a three- to four-year delay that appears variable depending on groundwater storage volumes. The tools and relationships we present make it possible for water managers to estimate when streamflows will return to the basin and be more informed to support better management.

The aquifer delineation using a hydrogeophysical survey was carried out in De Aar, a small town in the eastern part of the Karoo supergroup, Northern Cape, South Africa. In this re-gion, the current approach for estimating recharge, water allocation plans, and water monitoring does not consider the existence of different types of aquifers. Instead, it assumes there is one aquifer system and therefore the area might have one value of recharge. This study aimed to delineate aquifers into unconfined and confined aquifers for estimating recharge and demonstrate the use of geophysics techniques in delineating aquifer systems. Six VES stations and seven profile lines were measured using a Wenner array configuration and ground magnetotelluric method, respectively. VES data was processed using IPI2win software while electric potential difference curve was in-terpreted together with lithological data. Four significant layers of low (0.9-8.1 Ωm), moderate (22.4-125 Ωm), and high 68-177 Ωm) resistivity values were delineated suggestive of the different lithological formations. The subsurface profile mapping using ground magentotelluric methods did not suggest groundwater accumulations below 50 m, instead supported shallow groundwater potentials boreholes. These results have provided a double layer aquifer system thereby suggesting that recharge estimation need to be carried out in two different aquifer systems to enhance water allocation plans, and water monitoring in groundwater-dependent areas similar to prevailing conditions in the current study area.

Application of aquifer delineation using hydro-geophysical techniques was conducted in De Aar, the eastern part of the Karoo region, Northern, South Africa. This study is aimed at demonstrating the use of hydrogeophycal techniques in delineating aquifer systems into unconfined and confined to estimate areas and zones likely to control ground-water recharge. An integrated hydrogeophysical approach using vertical electrical resistivity sounding (VES) and ground telluric methods was applied to delineate subsurface structures. Six VES surveys and seven profile surveys were measured using a Wenner array configuration and ground telluric method respectively. VES data was processed using IPI2win software and used to produce a 2D inference of the subsurface electrical resistivity model. The telluric passive surveys were processed through an automated in-built algorithm to generate 2D profile maps while the electric potential difference curve was interpreted with the lithological cross section constructed 2D conceptual model. The VES results showed four significant layers of low (0.9-8.1 Ωm), moderate (22.4-125 Ωm), and high 68-177 Ωm) electrical resistivity values which are suggestive of the different lithological formations. Additionally, the subsurface model from ground telluric methods supported shallow groundwater potential boreholes with the inference of fewer groundwater accumulations below 50 m. These hydrogeophysics results were compared to the drill chip lithological results and both suggested a double-layer aquifer system, which may therefore suggest that recharge estimation needs to be carried out in two different aquifers. The study therefore successfully demonstrated the use of geophysics techniques in delineating aquifer systems, thereby enhancing the identification of potential recharge areas.

The recyclable paper based on photochromic materials not only reduces the pollution in the paper manufacture process, but also reduces the pollution caused by the use of ink, which receives wide attention. In this paper, a serial of PMoA-PWA/ZnO/PVP hybrid films which had different ratio of PMoA/PWA was prepared by the ultrasonic composite method. The results indicated that the hybrid film prepared when the ratio of PMoA to PWA was 3 had the best photochromic performance. In this system, ZnO was the photosensitizer while PMoA/PWA was the chromophore. The photochromic mechanism of PMoA-PWA/ZnO/PVP hybrid film was based on the photogenerated electron transfer mechanism. ZnO generated photoelectron under the excitation of visible light, then PMoA and PWA obtained the photoelectron and produced photoreduction reaction to generate heteropolyblue. The visible light photochromic paper was prepared by loaded PMoA-PWA/ZnO/PVP hybrid film (A3) on A4 paper. Application test showed that the prepared paper had extremely stable, excellent and reversible visible light photochromic properties, whether it was printing patterns or words and could replace the ordinary paper to realize the reuse of paper.

The growing expansion of the economy and population has resulted in an increased inclination towards the utilization of groundwater resources. Conducting a geophysical survey is a widely employed method for subsurface mapping and the detection of groundwater. A geophysical study was conducted in Nanshan township, Huarong County, located in the Hunan province of the South-Central region of China. The investigation involved the utilization of a 2D Electrical Resistivity Imaging technique employing forward and inverse pole-dipole electrode array. A total of six survey lines were established, each with an electrode distance from the nearest measuring point to exceeding 800 m. The maximum current electrode separation was utilized in this setup. The spacing between the electrical resistivity sounding points was established at regular intervals. The findings from the exploration indicate the existence of multiple faults within the surveyed region. The study additionally identified two regions of structural failure, which occurred due to the convergence of faults oriented in different directions. This convergence led to the fracturing of rocks, an increase in water content, and a decrease in resistivity. The findings from the exploration were utilized in the formulation of five verification target boreholes. The results of this study offer significant insights that can inform future investigations into groundwater exploration endeavors within the region.

This paper utilizes dynamic panel threshold technology to conduct a nonlinear test on the direct effect between environmental regulation and economic fluctuations and the effect of industrial structure upgrading by taking 35 industrial sectors in China from 2003 to 2016 . The research has found that there is an inverted "U" relationship between environmental regulation and economic fluctuations, with the enhancement of environmental regulations, the economic fluctuation increases first and then decreases. The cross-terms of environmental regulation and industrial structure rationalization or industrial structure upgrading are significantly negative, which indicates that the enhancement of environmental regulation is conducive to promoting industrial structure upgrading and reducing the economic fluctuations. While the rationalization factors of industrial structure and advanced industrial structure are significantly negative, indicating that both forms of industrial structure upgrading are conducive to reducing the economic fluctuations. Environmental regulation has technical innovation thresholds for industrial structure upgrading and economic fluctuations, but there are no human capital or FDI thresholds. In the rationalization model of industrial structure, there is a nonlinear "U" relationship between environmental regulation and economic fluctuations when the proportion of scientific research expenditure is more than 1.35%. With the enhancement of environmental regulation, the economic fluctuation reduces first and then increases, and the corresponding inflection point value is 2.398% of the environmental regulation level. At the same time, the environmental regulation can indirectly reduce economic fluctuations by pushing down the industrial structure upgrades. In the advanced model of industrial structure, there is a “U” relationship between environmental regulation and economic fluctuation when the proportion of scientific research expenditure is greater than 1.26%. With continuous enhancement of environmental regulation, the economic fluctuation reduces first and then increases. The corresponding inflection point value is 1.78% of the environmental regulation level, and environmental regulation can indirectly reduce economic fluctuations by promoting the industrial structure at the same time.

We discuss some of the fundamental practical limitations of the Fluctuation-Enhanced Sensing of odors and gases. We address resolution, measurement speed, reproducibility, memory and other problems such as humidity. Various techniques and ideas are presented to overcome these problems. Circuit solutions are also discussed.

AbstractBackground: In Ethiopia, 8.6% of maternal deaths are attributed to abortion. Despite the legalization of abortion and improved accessibility of safe abortion services, almost six in 10 abortions in Ethiopia are performed outside of the health facility. Abortion considered as an indicator for various aspects of reproductive health and healthcare access within a particular region or country. Despite the significance of the problem, there is a limited understanding of the magnitude of abortion and the contributing factors in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of abortion and determinant factors among reproductive-age women in the Sidama regional state of Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 11, 2022, among 1,130 women of reproductive age. We utilized a multi-stage sampling method to select eligible women. A structured and pretested questionnaire was utilized to collect the data using Open Data Kit (ODK) mobile application. Due to the hierarchical nature of the data, a multilevel logistic regression model was applied. Variables with p-values < 0.25 on bi-variable analysis were included in a multivariable regression model. In the multivariable regression model, variables with a p-value < 0.05 were declared as statistically significant factors of abortion. Results: Nearly one-fifth (19.5%) of the women had a history of abortion. From the individual level determinates; women with formal education (AOR=0.44; 95% CI: 0.24-0.79), and planned pregnancy (AOR=0.41; 95% CI: 0.28-0.61) had lower odds of abortion. While from the community related factors; urban residence increased the odds of abortion (AOR=2.25; 95% CI: 1.20-4.20) as compared to the rural residence.Conclusion: the prevalence of abortion among reproductive age women of Northern Zone of Sidama Region was high. Education and a planned pregnancy serve as protective factors for abortion, while the risk of abortion increased among women reside in urban area. Therefore, to lower the abortion rate, it is better to implement a comprehensive approach, focusing on education, family planning, and urban-specific intervention.

A thermodynamic description of nano-porous media must handle the size- and shape-dependence of the media properties. Such dependencies are typically due to the presence of immiscible phases, contact areas and contact lines. We propose a way to obtain average densities suitable for integration on the course grained scale, applying Hill's thermodynamics for small systems to the subsystems. we argue that the average densities of the porous medium, when defined in a proper way, obey the Gibbs equation. All contributions are additive or weakly coupled. From the Gibbs equation and the balance equations, we derive the entropy production in the standard way, for transport of multi-phase fluids in a non-deformable, porous medium exposed to di¤erences in boundary pressures, temperatures, and chemical potentials. Linear relations between thermodynamic fluxes and forces follow for the control volume. Fluctuation- dissipation theorems are formulated for the first time, for the fluctuating contributions to fluxes in the porous medium. These give an added possibility for determination of porous media permeabilities. Practical possibilities are further discussed.

In the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown great potential in document-level event extraction tasks, but existing methods face challenges in the design of prompts. To address this issue, we propose an optimization strategy called "Definition-driven Document-level Event Extraction (DDEE)." By adjusting the length of the prompt and enhancing the clarity of heuristics, we have significantly improved the event extraction performance of LLMs. We used data balancing techniques to solve the long-tail effect problem, enhancing the model's generalization ability for event types. At the same time, we refined the prompt to ensure it is both concise and comprehensive, adapting to the sensitivity of LLMs to the style of prompts. In addition, the introduction of structured heuristic methods and strict limiting conditions has improved the precision of event and argument role extraction. These strategies not only solve the prompt engineering problems of LLMs in document-level event extraction but also promote the development of event extraction technology, providing new research perspectives for other tasks in the NLP field.

The water quality index (WQI) and irrigational index for groundwater were studied in the northeastern section of the Manipur Valley in northeast India. Water samples were collected in 2022 during the pre-monsoon season. To compute the water quality index for drinking water, the basic chemical parameters of total hardness, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, Ca2+, Na+, Fe, Mg2+, Mn, Cl-, and HCO3, were used. The assessment of bacteriological quality is also done, which is crucial for overall water quality evaluation, alongside physical and chemical analyze. For determining irrigation suitability, irrigational indices such as sodium absorption ratio, sodium percentage, and magnesium hazard were calculated. WQI, %Na+, SAR, magnesium hazard, permeability Index and total hardness indicate that most water samples are harmless for irrigation and drinking purpose. They have affirmative relationships indicating that these characteristics are interdependent. Approximately 25% of the Piedmont zone groundwater is found to be unfit for agricultural and drinking usage. The encrustation of gypsum, halite, and evaporation into the Disang shares accelerate the dissolution of ions in Piedmont water, resulting in quality degradation. According to Gibbs plots, Durov Scatter Plot, and Hill Piper Trilinear Diagram of water dominated the rock-weathering process, while hydro chemical facies progressed from the beginning to the intermediate stage of Chadha's graphical representation illustrates the progression of hydro chemical processes in surface water. Therefore, proper integrated water resource management and development are required for effective water resource utilization, particularly around the Piedmont zone. To prevent a water crisis, groundwater resources must be managed sustainably. The current study also concentrated on a bibliometric examination of groundwater management and access to gauge the state of the field.

An improved method for Fluctuation Enhanced Sensing (FES) is introduced. We enhanced the old binary fingerprinting method, where the fingerprint bit values were ± 1, by introducing ternary fingerprints utilizing a reference odor. In the ternary method, the fingerprint bit values are -1, 0, and +1 where the 0 value stands for the situation where the slope of the spectrum is identical to that of the reference odor. The application of the reference odor spectrum makes the fingerprint relative to the reference. This feature increases the information entropy of the fingerprints. The method is briefly illustrated by sensing bacterial odor in cow manure isolates.

This paper investigates the impact of price and real exchange rate volatility on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in a panel of 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries, observed between 1990 and 2012. Both price and exchange rate volatility series are estimated through the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model (GARCH). Our results, obtained employing the Fixed Effects estimator, confirm the theory of hysteresis and option value, in so far it is found a statistically significant negative effect of exchange rate volatility on FDI. Price volatility, instead, turns out to be positive but insignificant. Moreover, we show that human capital and trade openness are key for attracting foreign capital. From the policy perspective, our analysis suggests the importance of stabilization policies as well as the one of government credibility in promoting trade openness and human capital formation.

This study proposes a flexible and adaptable protocol for the establishment of agricultural management zones that utilises remote sensing, ground truthing (apparent electrical conductivity and soil sampling), the IRRIGOPTIMAL® system and machine learning. This protocol could contribute significantly to the rational use of inputs (water, fertilizers and pesticides) and to the further efficient development of an optimal irrigation system with variable irrigation rates. The methodology to develop this protocol was applied to olive and alfalfa plots in Heraklion (Crete, Greece) to monitor soil and crop responses for the period 2022-2024. Spatial and temporal assessment of selected soil and plant parameters (moisture, photosynthetic activity) using ground and vegetation reflectance mapping by satellites and unmanned aerial systems provides important information in both the pre- and main phases of the management zone delineation. Geophysical methods such as electromagnetic induction, applied in the main phase of management zone delineation, provide a robust technique to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of apparent electrical conductivity. The Random Forest machine learning model was found to be most suitable for predicting soil electrical conductivity based on satellite-derived salinity indices and ground electromagnetic induction. Finally, the IRRIGOPTIMAL® system provides real-time monitoring of a variety of weather and soil parameters to determine the optimal cultivation of crops based on the creation of agricultural management zones.

Introduction: One of the key strategies to achieve sustainable development goal by reduce preventable maternal deaths below 70 per 100,000 is increasing awareness about major obstetrics danger sign. Mother's awareness of obstetric danger signs in developing country is relatively low regardless of attempts trough many local and national program. It is crucial to increase women’s knowledge of obstetric danger signs through education and awareness-raising efforts. Despite its importance to reduce maternal deaths, Studies are limited only to the Northern Ethiopia. Objective: This study aimed to assess prevalence of knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors among women who delivered in the last 12 months in Sidama region, Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study from October to November, 2022. A multi-stage sampling procedure was utilized to select study participants. A structured and pretested questionnaire was utilized to collect data. A multilevel mixed-effects negative binomial regression model was used to control effects of clusters and confounders.Results: Out of 1,140 study participants, only 1,130 study participants took part in the study making a response rate of 99.12%. The overall prevalence of knowledge of obstetrics danger sign was estimated as 22.3% (95%CI: 18.7, 25.9). Government employed women (AIRR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.6), women who had access to mass media (AIRR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.25), women who had received model family training (AIRR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.25), autonomous women (AIRR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.25), women who had faced health problems during pregnancy (APR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.32) and urban women (APR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.62) were factors associated positively with knowledge of obstetrics danger sign. Conclusion: The prevalence of knowledge of obstetrics danger sign is found to be lower compared with the national average. Residence, mass-media exposure, model family planning, problem faced during pregnancy and women autonomy are the main predictors of knowledge of obstetrics danger sign. Public health policy makers should enhance health literacy at for focused on rural community. Awareness creation should be improved through mass media. Health providers should educate women during maternity health services to empower women for decision making process.

The effect of atomic and molecular microfied dynamics on spectral line shapes is under consideration. This problem is treated in the framework of the Frequency Fluctuation Model (FFM). For the first time the FFM is tested for the broadening of a spectral line by neutral particles. The usage of the FFM allows one to derive simple analytical expressions and perform fast calculations of the intensity profile. The obtained results was compared with Chen and Takeo theory (CT), which is in a good agreement with experimental data. It was demonstrated that for moderate values of temperature and density the FFM successfully describes the effect of the microfield dynamics on a spectral line shape.

The Katerini-Kolindros aquifer system (KKas) is a critical freshwater resource, essential for the local and regional economy. To understand contamination sources, groundwater flow paths, and assess the aquifer's health, an extensive dataset of 751 samples from 113 wells collected between 2010 and 2020 was analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis (MVSA) and hydrogeochemical diagrams. The prevailing water types identified were Ca-HCO₃ and Mg-HCO₃, with mixed water types resulting from various factors affecting groundwater quality. The chemistry of groundwater in the KKas is shown to be affected by ion exchange processes and to a lesser extent by reverse ion exchange processes. No indications of sea-water intrusion have been identified in the water wells monitored. On the other hand, nitrate contamination has been detected in specific water wells spatially associated with urban-type land uses and activities. It is considered that nitrate contamination originates primarily from septic tanks and urban sewage networks or secondarily from fertilization of football pitches, cemeteries or urban waste management practices.

: Fluoride toxicity has become a global public health concern, and its significant source of exposure is drinking water. This study aimed to determine groundwater fluoride level and assess its related human health risks. Its level was measured from groundwater samples using an ion-selective electrode. The total hazard index was assessed based on the chronic daily oral intake and dermal absorbed dose of groundwater fluoride. Analyses were conducted using ArcGIS and SPSS. This study reported groundwater fluoride ranged from 0.3 mg/L to 38 mg/L, with a mean annual level of 15 mg/L. Groundwater fluoride level above 5 mg/L was reported in 60 % of the water samples. Total hazard index values among sampled locations varied from 0.18 to 22.56. Half (51.5 %) of infants, 85.5 % of children, 82.5 % of adolescents, and 67.5 % of adults had a risk of developing a non-carcinogenic health effect. This study demonstrated that the fluoride level of the groundwater sources was high, and the water was not suitable for drinking, a result that is of special importance for children and adults since they are a hypersensitive subgroup of the population.

We propose and experimentally realize a scheme of the optical nonreciprocity (ONR) using degenerate two-level atoms embedded in an optical ring cavity. For the degenerate transition Fg=4→Fe=3, we first study the cavity-transmission property in different coupling field, and verify that within the strong-coupling regime, the single-dark-state peak formed by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) shows ONR. Qualitative theoretical analysis shows that the stable ground-state Zeeman coherence is necessary for intracavity EIT. However, due to the frequency degeneracy, the large Rabi frequency of counter-propagating coupling field can reduce the number of effective atoms and weaken the strong-coupling of the atom-cavity, which determines that ONR based on intracavity EIT occurs only at weaker probe intensity. Furthermore, the ONR transmission with high contrast, linewidth-narrowed and broadband is experimentally demonstrated.

The arsRBC operon encodes a 3-protein arsenic resistance system. ArsR regulates the transcription of the operon, while ArsB and ArsC are involved in exporting trivalent arsenic and reducing pentavalent arsenic respectively. Previous research in Agrobacterium tumefaciens 5A demonstrated ArsR has regulatory control over a wide range of metal related proteins and metabolic pathways. We hypothesized that ArsR has broad regulatory control in other Gram-negative bacteria and set out to test this. Here, we use differential proteomics to investigate changes caused by the presence of the arsR gene in human microbiome-relevant Escherichia coli during arsenite (AsIII) exposure. We show that ArsR has broad-ranging impacts such as the expression of TCA cycle enzymes during AsIII stress. Additionally, we found that the Isc [Fe-S] cluster and molybdenum cofactor assembly proteins are upregulated regardless of the presence of ArsR under these same conditions. An important finding from this differential proteomics analysis was the identification of response mechanisms that were strain, ArsR, and arsenic specific, providing new clarity to this complex regulon. Given the widespread occurrence of the arsRBC operon, these findings should have broad applicability across microbial genera, including sensitive environments such as the human gastrointestinal tract.

Groundwater flow and transport models are essential tools for assessing and quantifying the mi-gration of organic contaminants at polluted sites. Uncertainties in the hydrodynamic and transport parameters of the aquifer have a significant effect on model predictions. Uncertainties can be quantified with advanced sensitivity methods such as Sobol’s High Dimensional Model Reduction (HDMR) and Variogram Analysis of Response Surfaces (VARS). Here we present the application of VARS and HDMR to assess the global sensitivities of the outputs of a transient groundwater flow model of the Gállego alluvial aquifer which is located downstream the Sardas landfill in Huesca (Spain). The aquifer is subject to the tidal effects caused by the daily oscillations of the water level in the Sabiñánigo reservoir. Global sensitivities are analysed for hydraulic heads, aquifer/reservoir fluxes, groundwater Darcy velocity and hydraulic head calibration metrics. Input parameters in-clude aquifer hydraulic conductivities and specific storage, aquitard vertical hydraulic conductiv-ities, and boundary inflows and conductances. VARS, HDMR and graphical methods agree to identify the most influential parameters which for most of the outputs are the hydraulic conduc-tivities of the zones closest to the landfill, the vertical hydraulic conductivity of the most permeable zones of the aquitard, and the boundary inflow coming from the landfill. The sensitivity of heads and aquifer/reservoir fluxes with respect to specific storage change with time. The aquifer/reservoir flux when the reservoir level is high shows interactions between specific storage and aquitard conductivity. VARS and HDMR parameter rankings are similar for the most influential parameters. However, there are discrepancies for the less relevant parameters. The efficiency of VARS was demonstrated by achieving stable results with a relatively small number of simulations.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge for the whole world and it had major secondary effects on humans and environmental health. The viral infection induced, in many situations, secondary bacterial infections, especially enteric infections by destabilizing the balance of the gastrointestinal microbiota. The large-scale use of antibiotics and biocides both for curative and preventive purposes has determined an increase in bacterial resistance and at the same time the possibility of pathogenic microorganisms’ multiplication and their dissemination to natural environments. Wastewater is the main vector of faecal microorganisms that favour their dissemination into natural aquatic ecosystems. The present paper aimed to analyze the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the microbiological quality of wastewater from sewage treatment plants in Romania and its impact on receiving rivers. In order to highlight different and important areas of Romania, 3 cities from the east, center and west were selected for a microbiological evaluation of their WWTPs influent and effluent between ante-Covid-19 and Covid-19 pandemic peak period, when the Covid-19 pandemic had a direct impact on WWTPs microbial composition. Our study showed a higher contamination with fecal bacteria linked to a higher Covid-19 incidence. The increased usage of pharmaceutical compounds, at their turn, increased the number of resistant bacteria reaching the environment via WWTP effluents.

Heme is located in the active site of proteins and has diverse and important biological functions, such as electron transfer and oxygen transport and/or storage. The distortion of heme porphyrin is considered an important factor for the diverse functions of heme because it correlates with the physical properties of heme, such as oxygen affinity and redox potential. Therefore, clarification of the relationship between heme distortion and the protein environment is crucial in protein science. Here, we analyzed the fluctuation in heme distortion in the protein environment for hemoglobin and myoglobin using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum mechanical (QM) calculations. We also investigated the protein structures of hemoglobin and myoglobin stored in Protein Data Bank and found that heme is distorted along the doming mode, which correlates with its oxygen affinity, more prominently in the protein environment than in the isolated state, and the magnitude of distortion is different between hemoglobin and myoglobin. This tendency was also observed in the results of MD simulations and QM calculations. These results suggest that heme distortion is affected by its protein environment and fluctuates around its fitted conformation, leading to physical properties that are appropriate for protein functions.

In recent studies, the circulation of a (SLG) super-Lorentz-Gaussian beam in a non-turbulent ‎troposphere has been investigated and used for laser applications. This method uses the extended ‎Huygens-Fresnel integral technique and refers to the multiplication of the Gaussian beam by the ‎Lorentz function. Formulas are derived for the normal density and approximate field of the Lo-‎Rentz-Gaussian beam in a non-turbulent troposphere. The average density power and the propagation characteristics of the SLG jet in the non-turbulent troposphere are numerically represented. ‎The characteristics of the beam boundaries at atmospheric non-turbulence for the propagation ‎distance of an SLG beam in a non-turbulent troposphere are also discussed in detail. They are ‎practical in an optical communication system used in lasers.

Rollover prevention of partially-filled tank trucks is an industry teaser, with the core challenge being real-time perception and observation of the liquid state inside the tank. In order realize re-liable observation of sloshing liquid, this article firstly proposes a sloshing modeling method based on multi-degree-of-freedom pendulum model, and derives the double mass trammel pendulum model (DMTP, 2DOF) accordingly, which accurately reflects the sloshing dynamics under more pervasive working conditions. Secondly, a free surface fluctuation sensor is designed based on magnetostriction, capable of measuring the inclination and height of the liquid level inside tanks filled with hazardous chemical. Finally, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is utilized to synthesize the information of the two, establishing a credible real-time observation of the sloshing liquid. Verified through vehicle-fluid coupled co-simulation, under condition of con-secutive double lane change, observation error of the proposed method is only 25.9% that of the open-loop calculation, providing a secure guarantee for the observation of the state variables of the single pendulum model (SP) used for most kinds of anti-rollover controller.

This research work aims to develop a mathematical modeling for production-inventory systems. Two mathematical models are present: An infinite dimensional, partial differential equation (PDE), production level modeling is present and a finite dimensional system for a coupled dynamic pricing, production rate and inventory level ordinary differential equations (ODE), integrating a proper Lyapunov stability analysis of the dynamical system and simulations.

Most of existing fuzzy forecasting models partition historical training time series into fuzzy time series and build fuzzy-trend logical relationship groups to generate forecasting rules. The determination process of intervals is complex and uncertainty. In this paper, we present a novel fuzzy forecasting model based on high-order fuzzy-fluctuation trends and the fuzzy-fluctuation logical relationships of the training time series. Firstly, we compare each data with the data of its previous day in historical training time series to generate a new fluctuation trend time series(FTTS). Then, fuzzify the FTTS into fuzzy-fluctuation time series(FFTS) according to the up, equal or down range and orientation of the fluctuations. Since the relationship between historical FFTS and the fluctuation trend of future is nonlinear, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed to estimate the required parameters. Finally, use the acquired parameters to forecast the future fluctuations. In order to compare the performance of the proposed model with that of the other models, we apply the proposed method to forecast the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX) time series datasets. The experimental results and the comparison results show that the proposed method can be successfully applied in stock market forecasting or such kinds of time series. We also apply the proposed method to forecast Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index (SHSECI) to verify its effectiveness and universality.

Contamination in coastal regions attributed to fluoride and nitrate cannot be disregarded, given the substantial environmental and public health issues they present worldwide. Maintaining water quality is crucial for environmental well-being. This comprehensive study was performed to assess the spatial as well as indexical water quality, identify contamination sources, and evaluate associated health risks pertaining to nitrate and flouride in AlHassa region, KSA. The physiochemical results revealed a pervasive pollution of the overall groundwater. The dominant water type was Na-Cl, indicating saltwater intrusion and reverse ion exchange impact. Spatiotemporal variations in physicochemical properties suggest diverse hydrochemical mechanisms, with geogenic factors primarily influencing groundwater chemistry. The groundwater pollution index varied between 0.8426 and 4.7172, classifying samples as moderately to very highly polluted. Similarly, the synthetic pollution index (in the range of 0.5021-4.0715) revealed that none of the samples had excellent water quality, with various degrees of pollution categories. Nitrate Health Quotient (HQ) values indicated chronic human health risks ranging from low to severe, with newborns being the most vulnerable. Household use of nitrate-rich groundwater for showering and cleaning did not pose significant health risks. Fluoride HQ decreased with age, and children faced the highest risk of fluorosis. The Hazard Index (HI) yielded moderate to high-risk values. Nitrate risks were 1.21 times higher than fluoride risks, as per average HI assessment. All samples fell into the vulnerable category based on the Total Hazard Index (THI), with 88.89% classified as very high risk. This research provides valuable insights into groundwater quality, guiding water authorities, inhabitants, and researchers in identifying safe water sources and vulnerable human populations. The results highlight the need for appropriate treatment techniques and long-term coastal groundwater management plans.

The use of educational robotics has become increasingly popular in STEM education, offering motivating and hands-on learning experiences. This paper explores the potential of educational robotics for teaching plane curves at the university level. Specifically, it investigates the development and implementation of a LEGO SPIKE Prime robot designed to draw various central trochoids, including epicycloids and hypocycloids. The robot’s construction and programming are described, emphasizing the relationship between the robot’s physical movements and the mathematical equations of the curves it produces. The study also examines the integration of dynamic geometry software, which allows for visualization of the curves and verification of the robot’s accuracy. The paper concludes that educational robotics can serve as a valuable tool for enhancing both theoretical and practical understanding of mathematical and engineering concepts, offering a more engaging and interactive approach to learning.

Packaged water consumption has grown rapidly in urban areas of many low and middle income countries, but particularly in Ghana. However, the sources of water used by this growing packaged water industry and its implications for water resource management and transport-related environmental impacts have not been described. This study aimed to assess the spatial distribution of regulated packaged water production in Ghana, both in relation to demand and for natural mineral water, to hydrogeological characteristics. 764 addresses for premises licenced to produce packaged water from 2009-2015 were mapped and compared to regional sachet water consumption and beverage import/export data examined. We find evidence to suggest packaged water is transported shorter distances in Ghana than in developed countries. For natural mineral waters, producers should be able to address the most widespread water quality hazards (including high salinity, iron and nitrates) in aquifers used for production through reverse osmosis treatment. The study suggests there is scope to integrate beverage product and groundwater regulatory databases to support groundwater management.

High-spin states of 192Tl are populated by the heavy ion fusion-evaporation reaction 181Ta(16O, 5n)192Tl at 97 MeV beam energy. A new level scheme with eight new levels is constructed and the level spins are tentatively assigned. The negative-parity yrast band is extended up to 23^{-}\hbar. Subsequently, the systematics of signature splitting and signature inversion are discussed for the negative-parity yrast band of odd-odd Tl isotopes including 192Tl, 194Tl, 196Tl, and 198Tl. With the increase of neutron number signature inversion is found in 196,198Tl at high-spin state in these four Tl isotopes. The reason may be due to the competition between neutron-proton interaction and Coriolis force.

Even though groundwater-based irrigation has increased agricultural productivity and economic activity in the United States (US), the current rate of groundwater withdrawals from major aquifers could significantly affect the sustainability of agricultural production systems in the near future. In the major agricultural regions, producers are now facing challenges to irrigate to meet full crop water needs. There is an increasing need to strategize irrigation management under various climatic and environmental conditions to optimize water use in agriculture while optimizing crop yields. This study reviews some of the major challenges facing irrigated agriculture in the US and the potential measures to ensure the sustainability of groundwater-based irrigation. Identified challenges included diminishing quantity and quality of groundwater resources, frequent droughts, low adoption rates of precision irrigation technologies, and rising energy requirements for irrigation abstractions. Irrigation efficiency improvements, shifting to high water use efficiency crops, wastewater reuse, groundwater monitoring, availing incentives, and policy changes, were identified as promising water management strategies to ensure irrigation sustainability. The success of these strategies will depend on the uptake and adoption by the producers in the affected agricultural regions.

Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies such as anemia are considered significant public health challenges in Bangladesh, which enhancing fish consumption is a well-established food-based intervention to address these. This paper documents the establishment of community-based fish chutney production and reports the impact of its consumption on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels among targeted 150 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in rural Bangladesh. A fish chutney was developed using locally available ingredients followed by a series of laboratory tests, including nutrient composition, shelf-life and food safety. A community-based fish chutney production process was designed to: 1) supply locally available ingredients for processing; 2) establish two fish drying sites; 3) initiate a community-based production site, and 4) distribute fish chutney to PLW by six women nutrition field facilitators for one year. Then a pre- and post-intervention study was designed for a selected 150 PLW to receive 30g of fish chutney daily for 12 months. Differences in mean mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels pre- and post-consumption were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Consumption of 30g of fish-chutney resulted in significant increases of the mean values of Hb levels and MUAC among the targeted PLW.

D-dimer testing in combination with clinical assessment is commonly used to diagnose suspected DVT and pulmonary embolism. However, as D-dimer levels are physiologically higher in elderly patients, this test loses clinical specificity in the setting of geriatric patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in D-dimer levels with age and the specificity of the D-dimer test in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. 1617 elderly patients consecutively admitted to the Geriatric Emergency Care Department of the INRCA-IRCCS hospital between January 2013 and February 2014 and for whom D-dimer results were available were included. The D-dimer immunoturbidimetric assay was performed on a cs-2100i Sysmex Siemens using a conventional cut-off level of 500 µg/L. The median D-dimer level was 1200 [550-2990] µg/L FEU, and the percentage of patients with D-dimer levels below the conventional cut-off was only 22.1%. As expected, there was a significant age-related increase in D-dimer, even when sex was considered, and a significant decrease in the specificity of D-dimer assay with age. The most established use of D-dimer testing is in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Our study confirms the need for an age-adjusted cut-off for D-dimer testing in geriatric patients.

Conifer bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are major agents of natural disturbance in temperate forests of the northern hemisphere, capable of killing billions of trees in native forests. The dynamics of these insect populations are influenced by climatic variability. To understand such a relationship, it is necessary to monitor the population fluctuation of the species present over time. In this regard, the objective of the present study was to determine the species community of the genus Dendroctonus, the population fluctuation throughout the months of the year, and the effects of relative humidity, temperature, and precipitation on the fluctuation, at three sites of mixed forests in the Municipality of Bocoyna, Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. For insect monitoring, we used Lindgren funnel traps (with 8 funnels each) baited with semiochemicals. Every two weeks, and during 2 years, we collected, identified, and counted the insects. The identification of the species was based on the external morphology and characteristics of the male seminal rod. Temperature and relative humidity were measured using climate data loggers (HOBOs). We found six Dendroctonus species. We also determined the population fluctuation patterns of D. mexicanus Hopkins, D. frontalis Zimmermann, and D. brevicomis LeConte, species with the highest number of captures at each site. Additionally, the relationship between species abundance and climatic variables was determined. The variable that significantly influenced (P&lt;0.05) abundance was temperature. Relative humidity and precipitation variables did not show a significant relationship (P&gt;0.05).

Scattering of elastic waves in heterogeneous media has become one of the most important problems in the field of wave propagation due to its broad applications in seismology, natural resource exploration, ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation and biomedical ultrasound. Nevertheless, it is one of the most challenging problems because of the complicated medium inhomogeneity and the complexity of the elastodynamic equations. A widely accepted model for the propagation and scattering of elastic waves, which properly incorporates the multiple scattering phenomenon and the statistical information of the inhomogeneities is still missing. In this work, the author developed a multiple scattering model for heterogeneous elastic continua with strong property fluctuation and obtained the exact solution to the dispersion equation under the first-order smoothing approximation. The model establishes an accurate quantitative relation between the microstructural properties and the coherent wave propagation parameters and can be used for characterization or inversion of microstructures. Starting from the elastodynamic differential equations, a system of integral equation for the Green functions of the heterogeneous medium was developed by using Green’s functions of a homogeneous reference medium. After properly eliminating the singularity of the Green tensor and introducing a new set of renormalized field variables, the original integral equation is reformulated into a system of renormalized integral equations. Dyson’s equation and its first-order smoothing approximation, describing the ensemble averaged response of the heterogeneous system, are then derived with the aid of Feynman’s diagram technique. The dispersion equations for the longitudinal and transverse coherent waves are then obtained by applying Fourier transform to the Dyson equation. The exact solution to the dispersion equations are obtained numerically. To validate the new model, the results for weak-property-fluctuation materials are compared to the predictions given by an improved weak-fluctuation multiple scattering theory. It is shown that the new model is capable of giving a more robust and accurate prediction of the dispersion behavior of weak-property-fluctuation materials. Numerical results further show that the new model is still able to provide accurate results for strong-property-fluctuation materials while the weak-fluctuation model is completely failed. As applications of the new model, dispersion and attenuation curves for coherent waves in the Earth’s lithosphere, the porous and two-phase alloys, and human cortical bone are calculated. Detailed analysis shows the model can capture the major dispersion and attenuation characteristics, such as the longitudinal and transverse wave Q-factors and their ratios, existence of two propagation modes, anomalous negative dispersion, nonlinear attenuation-frequency relation, and even the disappearance of coherent waves. Additionally, it helps gain new insights into a series of longstanding problems, such as the dominant mechanism of seismic attenuation and the existence of the Mohorovičić discontinuity. This work provides a general and accurate theoretical framework for quantitative characterization of microstructures in a broad spectrum of heterogeneous materials and it is anticipated to have vital applications in seismology, ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation and biomedical ultrasound.

The fluctuation of the conditions on Lake Limboto affects people's activities around the lake. They try to survive by facing the problem of the lake, which is shallowing and narrowing. Yet the lake is predicted will be disappeared in 2030. This means that the productivity of the lake also diminishes. This article aims to analyze how the communities around the lake respond to the evolution and shocking prediction toward the lake into their daily activities. This study uses an interdisciplinary approach by integrating some fields of study to understand and solve the problems. One of the approaches involves interviewing people around the lake. Nevertheless, the base of the study is socio-cultural studies, which uses also old texts and oral literature as the support of the study. The research needs the theory of cultural studies to look at the survival and resilience of the people of lake so that they form their special daily activity. The results of the study show that some people know that there is a prediction of disappearing of the lake, but they have not anticipated it, as if this problem is only a government affair. They still live at the lake bank, try to survive and to be resilience even in poor conditions.

Background and Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative disease that is targeting continuously people of different ages, but especially the elderly population, the number of which tends to increase continuously at the global level. Apart from age, excess weight can influence the evolution of the disease, with obesity being associated with a weak inflammation stage, and an imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The present work aimed to identify specific biomarkers alike ACRP-30, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-6 in synovial fluid and correlate them with patients’ clinical data. Materials and Methods: 24 subjects with KOA and over 50 years of age are involved in the present study. All patients performed a supine X-ray at the target knee. Ultrasound was performed using an ESAOTE MyLab Omega (ESAOTE Spa, Italy) ultrasound device and a 6-19 MHz linear array transducer. Results: The obtained results highlighted a significant correlation between age and adiponectin level (p=0.0451, r=-0.412). Also, the IL-10 values are lower in cases where the intensity of the pain is more pronounced (p=0.0405, r=-0.421). In addition, analyzing the data by gender, it was observed that in the case of males, stiffness is more related to age (p=0.0079, r=0.7993), compared to women (p=0.0203, r=0.6223). In the case of women, the progression of the disease tends to increase more intensively total WOMAC score’s values (p=0.00031, r=0.8342), compared with men (p=0.0289, r=7013). Regarding interleukins and BMI, significant correlations were observed only in the case of men. Conclusions: A significant correlation between age and adiponectin, and adiponectin and IL-6, suggests that advanced age may contribute to adiponectin reduction. Comparing men with women, it was observed that men's age is more related to rigidity, and IL-6 and IL-10 are directly correlated to BMI and women seem to be more sensitive to pain and stiffness.

In the era of massive construction, damaged and aging infrastructure are becoming more common. Defects, such as cracking, spalling, etc., are main types of structural damage that widely occur. Hence, ensuring the safe operation existing infrastructure through health monitoring has emerged as an important challenge facing structural engineers. In recent years, intelligent approaches, such as data driven machine and deep learning crack detection, gradually dominate over traditional methods. Among them, the semantic segmentation using deep learning models is a process of characterization of accurate location and portrait of cracks using pixel level classification. Most available studies rely on single model knowledge to perform this task. However, it is well-known that the single model might suffer from low variance and low ability to generalize in case of data alteration. By leveraging the ensemble deep learning philosophy, a novel corporative semantic segmentation of concrete cracks method called Co-CrackSegment is proposed. Firstly, five models, namely the U-net, SegNet, DeepCrack19, DeepLabV3-ResNet50, and DeepLabV3-ResNet101 are trained to serve as core models for the ensemble model Co-CrackSegment. To build the ensemble model Co-CrackSegment, a new iterative approach based on the best evaluation metrics, namely the dice score, IoU, pixel accuracy, precision, and recall metrics is developed. Results show that the Co-CrackSegment exhibits a prominent performance compared to core models and weighted average ensemble by means of the considered best statistical metrics.

A two-stage pilot plant study has been completed that evaluated the performance of a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process for the treatment of a feedwater that consisted of a blend of nanofiltration (NF) concentrate and brackish groundwater. Membrane performance was assessed by monitoring the process operation, collecting water quality data, and documenting the blended feedwater’s impact on fouling due to a combination of, or solely caused by, plugging, scaling, microbiological, or organic means. Fluorescence and biological activity reaction tests were used to identify the types of organics and microorganisms present in the blended feedwater. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze suspended matter that collected on the surfaces of cartridge filters used in the pilot’s pretreatment system. SEM and EDS were also used to evaluate solids collected on the surfaces of 0.45-µm silver filter pads after filtering known volumes of NF concentrate and RO feedwater blends. Water quality analyses confirmed that the blended feedwater contained little to no dissolved oxygen, and the blended feedwater was absent of a significant amount of particulate matter as defined by silt density index and turbidity measurements. However, water quality results suggested that the presence of sulfate, sulfide, iron, anaerobic bacteria, and humic acid organics likely contributed to the formation of pyrite observed on some of the membrane surfaces autopsied at the conclusion of pilot operations. It was determined that first-stage membrane productivity was impacted by the location of cartridge filter pretreatment; however, second-stage productivity was maintained with no observed flux decline during the entire pilot operation’s timeline. Study results indicated that the operation of an RO process treating a blend of NF concentrate and brackish groundwater could maintain a sustainable and productive operation that provided a practical zero-discharge process operation while the dilution of RO feedwater salinity would lower overall production costs.

The aim was to evaluate the agreement between plaque detection with intraoral scanner system (IOS) and a conventional clinical method and to evaluate the inter-rater reliability for scoring 3D models with and without a disclosing agent. 14 participants were recruited from the Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University name blinded to reviewers, it is completed after the reviewing process. Participants eligible for inclusion were adults with good general health and a minimum of 20 teeth. Participants were clinically examined with plaque assessment according to the modified Quigley-Hein plaque index before and after using a disclosing agent (GC-Tri Plaque ID-Gel, GC). Before and after the application of the disclosing agent, all study participants were scanned using the IOS (TRIOS5, 3Shape TRIOS A/S). The clinical examiner and additional three examiners blinded to the clinical examination assessed plaque status on the acquired 3D models with and without disclosing agent using the same index to evaluate the inter-rater agreement. Intraclass coefficient correlation, one sample t-test and Cronbach’s α for inter-rater reliability were calculated. All methods showed moderate to strong correlations (Spearman’s rho ranging from 0.527 to 0.618) and Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.551 to 0.766. Level of agreement between con-ventional clinical registration and registration from 3D models was acceptable overall.

A power factor correction (PFC) rectifier is compulsory for any electronic circuitry connected to the electrical grid. The majority of PFCs that are utilized are based on a step-up converter that supplies high DC voltage at its output terminal. Electric vehicle battery voltage varies from a few hundred to almost a thousand volts. Thus, an additional conversion step is obligatory when designing an all-brand universal charger. This paper presents a new type of front-end versatile step up / down three voltage level PFC. The rectifier can operate in continuous conduction mode or discontinuous conduction mode. First, the rectifier’s principle of operation is described, and then an innovative rectifier is analyzed for continuous and discontinuous conduction modes. Finally, the proposed theory is experimentally validated in a multiplier-less dual loop mode at discontinuous conduction modes. It was shown that although there is no multiplier use in the control circuitry, the power factor is near unity. It was revealed that the rectifier could swing the output voltage from 50 V to 900 V while the input voltage was 230 Vrms. The innovative topology suits any standard PFC rectifier, three-level voltage supplement, and dual-stage low-voltage power supply.

Pollution, urbanization and technological advancements have posed stress on the ecosystem and its matrices. Globally, pollutants are observed in all compartments of ecological communities which affect the integrity of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Xenobiotics bioaccumulate and biomagnify across trophic levels or webs. Heavy metals have been implicated in impacts towards biodiversity and environmental declination. In Nigeria, wastes issues are a cause of concern and landfilling or are waste disposal approaches that cause deleterious effects such as depauperation of diversity and species decline, prompting the non-invasive ecotoxicological hazard assessments. Feathers were used to assess concentration levels of 13 metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Al, B, Se and Hg) using fast atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS), one-way ANOVA was used in comparing variations in mean concentrations across trophic levels, diversity indices and point count methods were used to estimate diversity and abundance. Four avian species were assessed Hirundo aethiopica (insectivore), Streptoptelia senegalensis (granivore), Turdus pelios (omnivore), and Anthus leucophrys. (insectivore). Observed concentrations of important metals like iron were high with the insectivores having the highest concentrations of iron (2.6985 ± 0.1975 ppm) and granivores having the lowest (2.0100 ± 0.3172 ppm). The insectivores had the highest concentrations for cadmium, cobalt and chromium (0.0005 ± 0.0005ppm), nickel (at 00.0012 ± 0.0017 ppm) and least was observed in the granivores (0.0003 ± 0.0006 ppm). Selenium concentrations were quite high in insectivores (0.0775 ± 0.0035 ppm) and lowest in granivores (0.0433 ± 0.0015 ppm) likewise mercury for insectivores (0.0280 ± 0.0010 ppm) and granivores (0.0213 ± 0.0015 ppm). From the study, it is apparent that landfills are sources of pollution and poor management of wastes can affect biota (causing effects such as asymmetry and bioaccumulation) and ecosystem balance. The observation of heavy metals in the feathers serve as good sentinels due to their trophic levels and could be signs for what could be yet to occur. The heavy metal concentrations were significantly different at p < 0.05.

Abstract This study delved into the application of various machine learning (ML) models for the classification of lung cancer levels. Through meticulous monitoring of parameters such as minimum child weight and learning rate, efforts were made to mitigate overfitting while optimizing model performance. The Deep Neural Network (DNN) emerged as a standout performer, showcasing robust performance across training, validation, and testing stages. Ensemble methods like voting and bagging also demonstrated promising results. However, Support Vector Machine (SVM) models with the Sigmoid kernel faced challenges in achieving satisfactory performance. Overall, the investigation sheds light on the efficacy of different ML models in lung cancer level classification and underscores the importance of parameter tuning to address overfitting concerns.

Agroforestry practices evolve with the development of basic and advanced facilities, changes in natural and artificial factors of land use change. The study aims to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and compare satisfaction levels across forest products and vegetable farming of the agroforestry community in Khost Province. Data were collected from 662 farmers and was analyzed using univariate Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) and Multivariate Analysis of Variances (MANOVA). The results found that forest and vegetable products, including fruits, berries, herbs, mushrooms, wild animals, oils, wood, honey, okra, eggplant, carrot, cucumber, pine nuts, pepper, and timber has different impact in terms of satisfaction with basic and advanced facilities, knowledge about land use and impacts, natural and artificial factors of land use change, and positive and negative impact of land use change. The limitation of the study included an absence of exogenous factors in the model such as climate change, financial conditions, market fluctuations, regulatory system, an area in which the study is selected, research design, and current condition of endogenous factors. Overall, agroforestry practices can improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities in Khost Province, Afghanistan. This study provided useful insights for policymakers and development practitioners to promote agroforestry practice adoption and improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities. Future works could explore the implications of agroforestry practices on the socioeconomic development of other dependent communities in Afghanistan.

With the rapid development of urbanization, the chemical evolution of groundwater is significantly affected by human activities. However, the driving mechanisms of groundwater chemical evolution at different stages of urbanization remain unclear, severely impacting the implementation of groundwater protection. This study investigated the driving mechanisms of groundwater chemical evolution based on the long-term series (from 1985 to 2015) of hydrochemical data from 19 groundwater monitoring sites in rapidly urbanizing areas (Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China). The results show that the concentrations of various chemical components in groundwater gradually increase with the acceleration of urbanization process, especially NO3-, which has increased from 13.7 mg/L in the primary stage of urbanization (PSU) to 65.1mg/L in the advanced stage of urbanization (ASU), exceeding the WHO drinking water standard (50mg/L), indicating that the groundwater chemistry has been significantly affected by human activities. It is interesting to find that the main hydrochemical types have changed from HCO3•SO4-Ca•Mg type water in the PSU to SO4•HCO3-Ca•Mg type water in the ASU. It is worth noting that there were obvious differences in driving factors of groundwater chemical evolution at different urbanization stages. In the PSU, the driving factors of groundwater chemical evolution were carbonate and rock salt dissolution, cation exchange, and industrial activities. However, in the intermediate stage and advanced stage, the driving factors of groundwater chemical evolution were changed to carbonate and gypsum dissolution, groundwater over-exploitation, agricultural fertilization, and domestic sewage. Based on the above conclusions, it is suggested that future groundwater management should control the amount of agricultural fertilizers, apply scientific fertilization, and prohibit the discharge of various types of non-compliant sewage, while strengthening the supervision of groundwater extraction to reduce the impact of urbanization development on the groundwater chemical evolution process.

Student-centered active learning (SCAL) shifts the focus from the teacher to the student. Implementing SCAL requires the development of new forms of assessment beyond memorization and comprehension. This paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of SCAL by analyzing student performance at different cognitive levels. In flipped classrooms, students completed tasks with varying cognitive demands. The tests measured knowledge (level 1), comprehension (level 2), application (level 3) and analysis (level 4). This approach to assessment assesses not only the acquisition of content, but also skills that are critical to a health science student's future career. The results of expository learning were compared with student-centered collaborative learning in the Anatomy and Embryology I course over three academic years. Student opinions were collected through 326 anonymous Wooclap® surveys. No differences in performance were found for low cognitive level questions. However, SCAL significantly improved performance on higher cognitive level questions that required problem solving and application of knowledge. Despite the benefits of SCAL, it requires more effort from both teachers and students. The current assessment system, which measures the quality of teaching, penalizes this effort and requires teachers to believe strongly in the effectiveness of SCAL.

.(1) Background: Groundwater resources management in dry lands, characterized by climate var-iability and population growth, is difficult. Exploration and exploitation of groundwater, due to inadequate surface water is very costly. The present study employed Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS to identify Ground-Water Potential (GWP) areas in a semi-arid region of Nigeria; (2) Methods: Land-use-land-cover, drainage density, slope, rainfall, static water level, soil media, vadose media and aquifer media were selected for GWP analysis. Parameters weights were de-termined using AHP and ranked based on their contribution to GWP by experts. The parameters were then integrated using weighted overlay tool in ArcGIS 10.5 to produce GWP map of the study area. Boreholes yield data from 245 wells were collected to determine the model accuracy and model validation; (3) Results: Results classified the study area into very high GWP (1.9%), high GWP (8.8%), moderate GWP (62%), low GWP (20.70%) and very low GWP (6.6%). Validation of the AHP model with boreholes yield data shows a correlation coefficient of 71.3% giving a good prediction; (4) Conclusions: AHP and GIS can be used to successfully map GWP areas which could serve as an exploration guide for sustainable management of groundwater resources in semi-arid areas.

The multi-stage, multi-level assembly job shop scheduling problem (MsMlAJSP) is commonly encountered in the manufacturing of complex customized products. Ensuring production efficiency while effectively improving energy utilization is a key focus in the industry. For the energy-efficient MsMlAJSP (EEMsMlAJSP), an improved imperialist competitive algorithm based on Q-learning (IICA-QL) is proposed to minimize the maximum completion time and total energy consumption. In IICA-QL, a decoding strategy with energy-efficient triggers based on problem characteristics is designed to ensure solution quality while effectively enhancing search efficiency. Additionally, an assimilation operation with operator parameter self-adaptation based on Q-learning is devised to overcome the challenge of balancing exploration and exploitation with fixed parameters, thus the convergence and diversity of the algorithmic search is enhanced. Finally, the effectiveness of the energy-efficient strategy decoding trigger mechanism and the operator parameter self-adaptation operation based on Q-learning is demonstrated through experimental results, and the effectiveness of IICA-QL for solving EEMsMlAJSP is verified by comparing with other algorithms.

It is shown that the Lambda component in the cosmological Lambda-CDM model can be conceived as vacuum energy, consisting of gravitational particles subject to Heisenberg’s energy-time uncertainty. These particles can be modelled as elementary polarisable Dirac-type dipoles (“darks”) in a fluidal space at thermodynamic equilibrium, with spins that are subject to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. Around the baryonic kernels, uniformly distributed in the universe, the spins are polarized, thereby invoking an increase of the effective gravitational strength of the kernels. It explains the dark matter effect of galaxies to the extent that a numerical value of Milgrom’s acceleration constant can be assigned by theory. Non-polarized vacuum particles beyond the baryonic kernels compose the dark energy at the cosmological level. The result is an interpretation of gravity at the quantum level in terms of quantitatively established shares in baryonic matter, dark matter and dark energy, which correspond with the values of the Lambda-CDM model.

The vibration signal of heavy gearbox presents non-stationary and nonlinear characteristics, which increases the difficulty to extract the fault feature. When the gear has a subtle fault, it may cause a perceptible change of local fluctuation rather than the large scale fluctuation. Therefore, the feature parameters extracted from local fluctuation can effectively improve the recognition performance of the gear fault. In this paper, a novel signal processing method based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is proposed to identify the gear fault of heavy gearbox. Firstly, the raw vibration signal is decomposed several mode components by VMD, which is an adaptive and non-recursive signal decomposition method. Next, the sensitive mode component is selected by a maximal indicator, which is composed of kurtosis and correlation coefficient of relative higher frequency mode components corresponding to local fluctuation of raw vibration signal. Finally, the characteristics of the double-scales feature parameters of selected sensitive mode are extracted by DFA. In addition, the position of turning point of double scales is estimated by sliding windowing algorithm. The proposed method is evaluated through its application to gear fault classification using vibration signal. The results demonstrates that the recognization rate of gear faults condition have marked improvement by proposed method than the DFA of Small Time Scale (STS-DFA) method.

The Earth's fresh water resources predominantly is groundwater that is pumped out due to rapid urbanization and aggravated by climate change. Groundwater modeling is a crucial tool for understanding aquifer systems, employing 1D, 2D, and 3D numerical models with distinct applications. One-dimensional models focus on vertical dynamics, examining aquifer properties and simulating vertical contaminant transport. Two-dimensional models extend to regional scales, considering horizontal variations and assessing groundwater-surface water interactions, making them valuable for watershed-scale studies. Three-dimensional models provide a comprehensive representation of hydrogeological systems, capturing intricate flow patterns and aiding site-specific assessments. Comparative analysis reveals model strengths and limitations, emphasizing the importance of calibration for reliable results. Case studies showcase practical applications, such as 1D models in flooding analysis and 2D models for simulating debris flows. Three-dimensional modeling proves essential for understanding complex river-aquifer exchange fluxes. Future directions call for a global groundwater platform to address data variability and technical challenges. Despite substantial investments required, the anticipated returns in scientific advancements, societal benefits, and economic gains are expected to outweigh the initial costs. This review aims in highlighting the significance of advancing all three-dimension groundwater modeling for sustainable water resource management and environmental protection.

The geological and hydrological conditions of tunnels near reservoirs are complex, and the impact of water level changes on the stability and leakage assessment of the lining structure is not considered in the current leakage evaluation. In order to construct an evaluation model for leakage level of tunnels near reservoirs, the influence of water level changes on tunnel stability and changes in environmental conditions on the leakage of tunnels were researched. Based on the AHP and extensibility theory, a hierarchical system for leakage assessment, incorporating values from nine indexes representing three aspects: geological conditions, hydrological conditions, and tunnel engineering. Numerical simulation was used to analyze the influence of water level changes. It was found that the water level change index greatly influences the displacement and stress distribution inside the tunnel structure. The leakage evaluation model was applied to the Tiebeishan Tunnel, resulting in a rating of 3, indicating medium-level leakage. Attention should be paid to water leakage in tunnels with changes in reservoir water levels. The leakage evaluation model for tunnels near reservoirs can effectively assess leakage levels under various conditions, providing a reference for safety assessments of tunnel leakage near reservoirs.

This research introduces an Intelligent Robotic Arm with Adaptive Collision Avoidance, employing real-time current fluctuation analysis for human-proximity detection. Precision and versatility in motors and actuators are given top priority in the robotic arm setup. Motor power lines are continually monitored by integrated high-precision current sensors, and a real-time data processing system separates natural fluctuations from those caused by outside influences. When a human comes into contact with the surface of the robotic arm, the system excels at detecting their closeness by identifying unique patternsin the variations of current. This sets off an adaptive collision avoidance system, which quickly flips the main power supply’s kill switch to bring the vehicle to an emergency stop. A crucial component is adaptability, as the system dynamically modifies sensitivity in response to environmental condi- tions. Comparative studies show that this approach performs better than conventional static sensing techniques. Experiments under control confirm the great precision, accuracy, and low false positive rate. The use of a failsafe technique improves system integrity by preventing false alarms and enabling recovery after an emergency

A numerical method using combined detached-eddy simulation (DES) and cavitation model considering the rotation effect is used for unsteady cavitation flow field of the centrifugal pump. Closed type pump test system was established to obtain the pump performance and pressure pulsation characteristics under different flow rates and cavitation condition, which provide boundary conditions and verification of calculations. Based on the calculation results of the unsteady flow field of the centrifugal pump cavitation, the entropy generation analysis of the flow field and the pressure fluctuation characteristics were carried out. Then the relationship between cavitation and the deterioration of the centrifugal pump performance and the generation of the unstable operation excitation force was tried to reveal. The internal energy loss is mainly concentrated in the impeller, volute, and pump cavity area, which accounts for more than 85% of the total entropy generation. The characteristic frequency of about 0.333 Strouhal Number appears at the volute tongue due to the cavitation flow spread downstream.

The interaction forces and mechanical properties of the interaction between melittin (Mel) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are considered a crucial driving force for Mel in killing Gram−negative bacteria (GNB). However, how their interaction forces are performed at the single−molecule level and the dissociation kinetic characteristics of the Mel/LPS complex remain poorly understood. In this study, the single−molecule level interaction forces between Mel and LPSs from E. coil K−12, O55:B5, O111:B4, and O128:B12 were explored using atomic force microscopy (AFM) based single−molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). Further, the AFM−based dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) and advanced analytical model were employed to investigate the kinetic characteristics of the Mel/LPSs complex dissociation. The results indicated that Mel could interact with both rough (R)−form LPS (E. coli K−12) and smooth (S)−form LPSs (E. coli O55:B5, O111:B4, O128:B12), and the S−form LPSs showed a more robust interaction with Mel than R−form LPS, and a slight difference existed in the interaction forces between Mel and diverse S−form LPSs. The Mel interacts with S−form LPSs showed greater specific and non−specific interaction forces than R−form LPS (p &lt; 0.05), as determined by AFM−based SMFS. However, there was no significant difference in the specific and non−specific interaction forces among the three S−form LPSs (p &gt; 0.05), indicating the variability of O−antigen could not affect the interaction between Mel and LPSs. The DFS result showed that the Mel/S−form LPSs complexes had a lower dissociation rate constant (koff), a shorter energy barrier width (xβ), a longer bond lifetime (τoff), and a higher height of the energy barrier (∆G), demonstrating that Mel could interact with S−form LPSs to form more stable complexes. In conclusion, this study promotes our knowledge of the interaction micromechanics and kinetics characteristics between Mel and LPS at the single−molecule level. Moreover, it can help us design and evaluate new anti−GNB drugs.

In the field of quality analysis of food and flavoring products, gas chromatography – quadrupole mass spectrometry – ion mobility spectrometry (GC-QMS-IMS) is a powerful technique for the simultaneous detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by both QMS and IMS. GC is an established technique for the separation of complex VOC-rich foods such as beverages, dairy and fruit products as well as flavorings in general. While the subsequent detection by IMS features soft ionization of fragile compounds (e.g., terpenes) with characteristic drift times, MS provides the analytes’ m/z-values for database substance identification. A limitation of the prominently used static headspace-based GC-QMS-IMS systems is the substantially higher sensitivity of IMS in comparison to full scan QMS, which results in the detection of relevant VOC only in IMS, but not in the QMS analyzer. The present study describes a new prototypic trapped-headspace (THS)-GC-QMS-IMS setup, with optimized active flow regulation, able to gain valuable data of both detectors. This ultimately allows the combination of a soft ionization with m/z values obtained from database-searchable electron ionization (EI) spectra and as such, offers a substantial advantage in fields of quality control. The new setup features aligned retention times for IMS and MS and sufficient signal intensities for QMS and IMS. The analytical setup was evaluated with a set of mango puree samples from various provenances and the data was evaluated by suitable machine learning approaches. The results demonstrate that THS-GC-QMS-IMS allows for the classification of mango purees from different cultivars and can be a promising alternative method for authenticity control of food, flavors, and beverages.

Purpose: to assess any differences on marginal bone loss between bone-level or tissue-level dental implants through a review of literature until September 2019. Materials and methods: MEDLINE, Embase and other database were searched by two independent authors. The search was limited to articles in English. Results: The search provided 1028 records and, after removing the duplicates through titles and abstracts screening, 45 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. For qualitative analysis 20 articles were included, 17 articles of them for quantitative analysis. A total of 1161 patients (mean age 54,4 years) and 2933 implants were observed, 1427 (Tissue-level) and 1506 (Bone-level). The survival rate and the success rate were more than 90%, except for 2 studies with a success rate of 88% and 86.2%. No studies reported any differences between groups in term of success and survival rates. Three studies showed that BL-implants had statistically less marginal bone loss (P< 0.05). Only one study reported statistically less marginal bone loss in TL-implants (P< 0.05). In the most part of the studies, differences between implant types in marginal bone loss were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Despite to the peri-implant tissue around transmucosal implants has been reported to be inflammation-free because of the absence of bacterial infiltration in the micro-gap between the fixture and abutment, no clinical and radiological differences were highlighted between groups from the included studies after a variable period of follow-up ranged between 1 to 5 years.

(max 200 words): The contamination of groundwater is a serious concern for ecosystems and human health. In this regard, biochar represents a promising low-cost and sustainable material for in-situ groundwater remediation. Herein, biochar waste of biomass energy production process derived from pine wood gasification at 950°C was used as active carbonaceous material in combination with different biopolymers: chitosan (CS), alginate (ALG), potato starch (PST), and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to produce BC@biopolymer composite materials. Different concentrations of biochar (0.3–1.0 g·L-1) and biopolymers (0.2–20.0 g·L-1) were tested and blending mode was used as simple and straightforward strategy to obtain BC composites. Scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), UV-Visible, infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, specific surface area (BET method), pore volume, and pore size distribution (textural parameters), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ζ-potential were used to investigate the composite chemical structure, stability, and to assess the interaction among counterparts. On optimized formulations, breakthrough tests and batch adsorption isotherms on trichloroethylene (TCE) as a model contaminant were performed to evaluate the capability of composites to be delivered through a porous medium determining the transport properties, (hydrodynamic dispersion retention percentage, and adsorption capacity). This biopolymer-modified biochar holds significant promise as a sustainable and effective solution to address various groundwater pollution challenges.

European strategic policy directions towards a sustainable blue economy have strengthened interest in maritime investments, thus increasing sectoral competition for marine space. Emerging repercussions out of such a rising interest need to be handled by Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as a means for: properly allocating marine space to diverse uses; managing conflicts and promoting synergies among them; and pursuing a multi-use perspective of this space. A critical stage of each MSP exercise is the exploration of land-based spatial/developmental directions and their current or potential repercussions in the marine environment in order for constraints but also perspectives in policy choices/maritime uses in the MSP context to be featured; and attainment of a successful coherence or coordination between land and marine spatial/developmental policies to be ensured, by analyzing Land-Sea-Interaction (LSI) and embedding it in the MSP. The latter is the focus of this paper aiming to illuminate critical issues emerging from land-based (terrestrial) policy frameworks for feeding MSP endeavors; and is accomplished in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. Towards this end, a multilevel approach is adopted, delving into diverse policy contexts at the local, regional and national/European level and aiming to attain more informed MSP decisions in the specific study region.

226Ra and 228Ra are typically monitored for groundwater and surface water compliance at legacy U mining and milling sites. Groundwater monitoring results for combined Ra (226Ra+228Ra) reported by the existing contract laboratory at a former U mine and mill Site (Wyoming, USA) have been highly variable and with increasing trends at the Site compliance and background wells since the method was changed in 2005. Sample reanalysis has indicated poor reproducibility and significant analytical error in 228Ra measurements. An interlaboratory comparison was conducted to evaluate the potential causes of the high variability and analytical error. Two different methods were used for 226Ra (M903.0 and M903.1) and 228Ra (M904.0 and Ra-05). 226Ra results were less variable compared to 228Ra, and 228Ra data from the existing laboratory were qualified as estimated with high bias due to detection of 228Ra in the field blank. Compliance with the 226Ra+228Ra groundwater standard was either met or not met, depending on which laboratory conducted the analyses. Specific laboratory techniques, rather than the analytical method, are contributing to elevated 228Ra values being reported. It was recommended that samples whose 226Ra+228Ra results exceed the Site standard in the future be reanalyzed by the existing laboratory with a sample split also being sent to an outside laboratory for confirmatory analysis.

Fluctuation theorems are a class of equalities each of which links a thermodynamic path functional such as heat and work to a state function such as entropy and free energy. Jinwoo and Tanaka [L. Jinwoo and H. Tanaka, Sci. Rep. 5, 7832 (2015)] have shown that each microstate of a fluctuating system can be regarded as an ensemble (or a 'macrostate') if we consider trajectories that reach each microstate. They have revealed that local forms of entropy and free energy are true thermodynamic potentials of each microstate, encoding heat, and work, respectively, within an ensemble of paths that reach each state. Here we show that information that is characterized by the local form of mutual information between two subsystems in a heat bath is also a true thermodynamic potential of each coupled state and encodes the entropy production of the subsystems and heat bath during a coupling process. To this end, we extend the fluctuation theorem of information exchange [T. Sagawa and M. Ueda, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 180602 (2012)] by showing that the fluctuation theorem holds even within an ensemble of paths that reach a coupled state during dynamic co-evolution of two subsystems.

Earthquakes often entail alterations in the groundwater flow regime, in the phreatic level, in the surge and loss of springs, and discharge in brooks and springs. As for the latter, there are diverse feasible mechanisms, so there is a variety of theoretical approaches to elucidate the post-earthquake effects on spring discharge. This study adopts a conceptual approach, primarily presenting various methods for estimating water released by earthquakes by calculating discharge surpluses in springs. This study delves into refined techniques rooted in groundwater hydraulics, displaying applications of analytical and simulation methodologies to quantify seismic-induced groundwater discharge in springs. Investigating springs as natural indicators, this research applies mathematical precipitation-runoff models, specifically the CREC model, for simulating hydrographs in post-earthquake scenarios. We apply analytical procedures or mathematical simulation techniques employed in groundwater hydraulics for natural aquifer recharge calculations. Firstly, we briefly describe the methods based on the analysis of depletion curves of hydrographs in spring discharge. Additionally, certain mathematical rainfall-runoff models utilized in simulating hydrographs of karstic springs, along with derived analytical approximations, are adapted for this scenario. These hydraulic calculations involve the depletion coefficient and hydrodynamic volumes of aquifers, parameters that reveal certain aspects of the relation between groundwater and earthquakes, such as: a) Acknowledging faults as the primary geological structures in transmitting pore pressures due to earthquakes. b) Clarifying mechanisms of permeability enhancement during earthquakes. c) Highlighting the substantial volumes in motion within the Earth's interior, which, for instance, could constitute a significant source for the origin of mineral deposits. The findings highlight diverse features of the complex interplay between hydrogeological and tectonic processes at challenging spatial and temporal scales.

Groundwater use for domestic and agricultural purposes is every day in rural communities. However, groundwater quality in those communities is still being determined due to the lack of water quality monitoring programs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate groundwater quality in rural communities using physiochemical parameters. Eight communities using communal boreholes were selected. Water samples were analysed for temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite as Nitrogen. The pH means ranged from 6.6 to 8.1, whereas high TDS levels of 1390 mg/L and 1470 mg/L were observed in two boreholes. Three boreholes had higher electrical conductivity. Two boreholes had elevated nitrate levels of 15 and 21.5 mg/L. The high nitrate level correlates with the pH, EC, and TDS values. Our results suggest that high nitrate levels measured in communities’ boreholes pose ill health to the community, especially children, infants, and elders. Prenatal exposure to high nitrate has been found to have acute health effects in infants. Therefore, there is a need for further longitudinal studies on health risks among vulnerable groups in these communities.

The key goal of the current study was to determine suitable areas of water pumping for drinking and agricultural harvest in Tabriz aquifer, located in East Azerbaijan province, northwest Iran. In the study area, groundwater is the key foundation of water for drinking and farming requirements. Groundwater compatibility study was conducted by analyzing Electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Chloride (Cl), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Sulfate (SO4), Total hardness (TH), Bicarbonate (HCO3), pH, carbonate (CO3) and Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) obtained from 39 wells in the period of 2003 to 2014. For this purpose, the Water Quality Index (WQI) and irrigation water quality (IWQ) index were utilized. The WQI index zoning exposed that the groundwater of the study area for drinking purposes is categorized as excellent, good and poor water. Most drinking water harvested for urban and rural areas are in the class of 'excellent water'. The results revealed that about 37 percent (296 km2) of groundwater has high compatibility, and 63 percent of the study area (495 km2) has average compatibility for agricultural purposes. The trend of IWQ and WQI indexes demonstrates that the groundwater is getting worse over the time.

Groundwater contamination by nitrate and organic chemicals (e.g. 1,4-dioxane) is a growing worldwide concern. This work presents a new approach for simultaneously treating nitrate and 1,4-dioxane, which is based on UV sensitization of nitrate and sulfite, and the production of reactive species. Specifically, water contaminated with nitrate and 1,4-dioxane is irradiated by a UV source (< 250 nm) at relatively high doses, to sensitize in-situ nitrate and generate HO•. This leads to the oxidation of 1,4-dioxane (and other organics), and the (undesired) production of nitrite as an intermediate. Subsequently, sulfite is added at an optimized time-point, and its UV sensitization produces hydrated electrons which reacts and reduces nitrite. Our results confirmed the effectivity of the proposed treatment: UV irradiation of nitrate (at > 5 mg N/L) efficiently degraded 1,4-dioxane, while producing nitrite at levels higher than 1 mg N/L (its MCL in drinking water). Adding sulfite to the process after 10 minutes of irradiation reduced the concentration of nitrite, without affecting the degradation rate of 1,4-dioxane. The treated water contained elevated levels of sulfate; albeit at much lower concentration than its MCL. Treating water contaminated with nitrate and organic chemicals (often detected concomitantly) typically requires several (expensive) treatment processes. The proposed approach may present a cost-effective alternative, employing a single system for the treatment of nitrate and organic contaminants

This paper presents an improved droop control strategy for grid-connected inverter power stability and power quality under distorted with consideration of grid fluctuation and inter-harmonics. An instantaneous frequency without PLL and amplitude of capacitor voltage feed-forward control strategy is given to power stability control, meanwhile a grid current feedback control is given by an incomplete derivation with a high-pass filter, so that the harmonics and inter-harmonics current can be suppressed. These approaches can provide both good active and reactive power dynamic response under fluctuation of frequency, and rejection ability against harmonic and inter-harmonic voltage. Based on model of inverter, the proposed control strategies are designed in detail. Simulations and experiments are present to validate the effectiveness of proposed method.

Conditions under which compositions of component systems form a well-defined system-of-systems here are formulated at a fundamental level. Statement of what defines a well-defined composition and sufficient conditions guaranteeing such a result offers insight into exemplars that can be found in special cases such as differential equation and discrete event systems. For any given global state of a composition, two requirements can be stated informally as: 1) the system can leave this state, i.e., there is at least one trajectory defined that starts from the state, and 2) the trajectory evolves over time without getting stuck at a point in time. Considered for every global state, these conditions determine whether the resultant is a well-defined system and if so, whether it is non-deterministic or deterministic. We formulate these questions within the framework of iterative specifications for mathematical system models that are shown to be behaviorally equivalent to the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) formalism. This formalization supports definitions and proofs of the afore-mentioned conditions. Implications are drawn at the fundamental level of existence where the emergence of a system from an assemblage of components can be characterized. We focus on systems with feedback coupling where existence and uniqueness of solutions is problematic.

Several Lung diseases can result in lung damage structural changes, with lung transplantation as a only therapeutic option when the disease reaches an advanced progression, unfortunately, the success of lung transplantation is limited. In this context, lung bioengineering is considered a potential therapeutic alternative and the current approach is based on the use of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of the decellularized lung. The use of undifferentiated cells to seed an ECM can be a more practical strategy for lung bioengineering but the sterilization of the organ for this recellularization process is still a challenge. In this sense, Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can emerge as a potential treatment alternative. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify if LLLT, can optimize lung recelularization with mesenchymal stem cells by cytokine modulation. For this, we decellularized lungs from C57BL/6 mice perfusing SDS 1% via pulmonary artery, sterilized with LLL (660nm, 100mW, 30s). Whole lung scaffolds were recellularized: (1) Recellularized Lung (2) Recellularized Lung + LLLT. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human tooth pulp (DPSc) were seeded into lungs and incubated for 24 hours at 37ºC, 5% CO₂, in a bioreactor-like conditions, maintaining CPAP at 20cmH2O, 90% O2, and LLL at wavelength of 808nm, 100mW, 30s. Culture medium were analyzed at 24 hours. H&amp;E, immunostaining, SEM and ELISA assay were performed. We produced viable biological scaffolds absent of DNA content, preserving glycosaminoglycans and collagen I, III and IV, fibronectin, laminin and elastin and lung structure (SEM). The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were stable during the 24 hours of culture. IFN-γ levels showed significant difference in the DPSc and DPSc+LLLT group in the 24-hour evaluation. The levels of IL-10 decreased after LLLT. These findings highlight LLLT's role in cytokine regulation and contamination prevention during lung recellularization with mesenchymal stem cells. Overall, these results demonstrated that LLLT's modulated cytokine levels and could prevent contamination during the lung recellularization process with mesenchymal stem cells, offering promise for enhanced therapeutic strategies in lung bioengineering.

Iron supplementation is associated with side effects and thus reduces the intake compliance. Because it has fewer side effects, a recent trial recommended low-iron micronutrient powder (MNP) for the prevention of anemia in Bangladeshi children exposed to a high concentration of iron from drinking groundwater. In the present study, we hypothesize that the low-iron MNP is a potential intervention to prevent childhood anemia in the low groundwater-iron settings in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bangladesh with children aged 2-5 years who drank groundwater containing a low level of iron (0-&lt;2 mg/L).The combined intake of iron was calculated from the key sources--diet, groundwater and MNPs. The intakes of iron were compared against the standard reference intake. The children’s hemoglobin was measured using a photometer. Combined intake of iron from dietary, groundwater and low-iron MNP in children was 5.8±2.0 and 6.9±2.5 mg/day comprising 193% and 169% of the Estimated Average Requirement in the 2-3 year-old and 4-5 year-old subgroups, respectively. Combined intake of bioavailable iron from dietary and groundwater sources was 0.42±0.023 and 0.22±0.019 mg/day in children exposed to groundwater concentration 0.8-&lt;2.0 mg/L and 0.0-&lt;0.8 mg/L respectively (p&lt;0.001). The mean concentration of hemoglobin in the respective groups was 12.17±0.94 mg/dl and 11.91±0.91 mg/dl (p=0.30). The combined intake of iron from dietary and groundwater sources was associated with maintenance of hemoglobin concentration at the non-anemic level in most of the children. The finding highlights the potential of low-iron MNP in controlling childhood anemia in this setting.

Variations in groundwater levels that are noticed in different parts of the world are typically the primary focus of research carried out in hydrology. The fluctuating levels of groundwater can be ascribed to several different factors, some of which include an increase in the demand for water, inappropriate irrigation practices, improper management of soil, and unregulated extraction from aquifers. It is necessary to effectively manage groundwater resources to have a trustworthy method of measuring and forecasting groundwater levels. The dynamics of groundwater are inherently uneven and difficult to understand. As a result, applying methods driven by data could potentially yield significant gains in hydrology. In this study, two data-driven models were utilized to estimate groundwater levels at a total of 4 monitoring wells located in Colorado state, USA. These models included ARIMA and ANN. The comparative analysis of the algorithms made use of a data set that had one month's worth of information from each of the years 1980 to 2019. The models were put through their paces, and the results of those tests were statistically and visually assessed. To evaluate the relative accuracy and precision of the models, the mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), and root-mean-square error (RMSE) were used. When compared to ARIMA, the analysis demonstrates that ANN can produce the most accurate forecasts of groundwater levels in Colorado state USA.

A Water demand per capita will rise in the Arab world as a result of climate change and population expansion. One of the most important aims in coping with population increase around the world is to conserve water supplies. As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia constructed Al Wajeed Water Treatment System to meet the demands of the southern population. This research aims to assess the drinking water quality produced from the AlWajeed Water Treatment System. Monthly water samples were collected (January 2018 to January 2021) from the Al Wajeed Water Treatment Framework (4sites), extending to governorates; Bishah`s distribution system (5sites) and Tathleeth`s distribution system (7sites). Water quality criteria, such as physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters, revealed that the majority of water samples collected from the Al Wajeed Water Framework and its environs are of a good quality matched the national and international standards. Few sites showed water quality criteria, such turbidity, fluoride and total coliform did not comply with national and global standards. The obtained results explained the importance of monitoring and follow-up programs for drinking water criteria. In addition, they can help the authorities and stakeholders in the sustainable development.

Groundwater contamination is an ever-growing environmental issue that has attracted much and undiminished attention for the past half century. Groundwater contamination may originate from both anthropogenic (e.g., hydrocarbons) and natural compounds (e.g., nitrate and arsenic); to tackle the removal of these contaminants, different technologies have been developed and implemented. Recently, bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have emerged as a potential treatment for groundwater contamination, with reported in situ applications that showed promising results. Nitrate and hydrocarbons (toluene, phenanthrene, benzene, BTEX and light PAHs) have been successfully removed, due to the interaction of microbial metabolism with poised electrodes, in addition to physical migration due to the electric field generated in a BES. The selection of proper BESs relies on several factors and problems, such as the complexity of groundwater and subsoil environment, scale-up issues, and energy requirements that need to be accounted for. Modeling efforts could help predict case scenarios and select a proper design and approach, while BES-based biosensing could help monitoring remediation processes. In this review, we critically analyze in situ BES applications for groundwater remediation, focusing in particular on different proposed setups, and we identify and discuss the existing research gaps in the field.

This study investigates the concentrations of physicochemical and heavy metal contaminants in the groundwater of the Middle Awash Basin, Ethiopia, to inform targeted water management strategies. A total of 32 groundwater samples were collected from 16 stations via piezometers and boreholes at the end of both the dry (June 2021) and wet (October 2021) seasons. Utilizing Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), and in situ metering, 22 physicochemical and 24 heavy metal parameters were analyzed. The data revealed significant levels of contamination; notably, sample GW11 had extraordinarily high concentrations of total dissolved solids (10,826 mg/L), strontium (908 µg/L), molybdenum (802.4 µg/L), zinc (6060 µg/L), and electrical conductivity (15,645 µS/cm), while GW12 exhibited elevated levels of aluminum (2615 µg/L), zinc (4446 µg/L), and arsenic (117.2 µg/L). Contaminants such as arsenic, vanadium, gallium, lithium, rubidium, chromium, manganese, copper, and zinc were found enriched in groundwater near Lake Beseka, influenced by agricultural runoff from sugarcane plantations and agro-industry activities. Over half of the groundwater sources were unsuitable for drinking, posing significant health risks to local communities that rely heavily on these sources due to limited access to clean surface water. The findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive groundwater management and remediation plans in the Middle Awash region to ensure safe and sustainable water use, particularly addressing the variation in contamination levels influenced by Lake Beseka. These measures are critical to protect public health and support local development in the face of ongoing environmental and anthropogenic pressures.

Neonatal mortality remains a public health concern and timely identification and prompt intervention in the delivery room could improve the outcome in neonatal morbidity and mortality. We performed a retrospective study to help us finding the profile of the high-risk newborn regarding the need for NICU admission, necessary to establish a protocol regarding the mobilization of human and material resources for the urgent management of these situations. All deliveries and neonates born in Maternity of Bihor County Emergency Clinical Hospital from Romania were reviewed, including relevant maternal, foetal and perinatal data to identify risk factors that result in birth of newborns needing resuscitation at birth between 2012-2019. The number of births showed a downward trend but around 90% of the births were on term. The incidence of neonatal emergencies is increasing, the most frequently were respiratory, sepsis and other infections, cardiovascular emergencies, and extreme prematurity. It is noted that in 2021 the incidence of these neurological emergencies increased by three times compared to previous years. The neonatal and maternal risk factors associated with admission to the NICU were mother's age over 35 years, low level of education, second/more gestation, weight under 2500 g, Apgar score under 7, premature rupture of membranes, macrosomia and mother's infectious pathology. Accurate identification of risk factors and anticipation at the birth of a high-risk neonate would result in adequate preparation and prompt resuscitation of neonates who need some level of intervention and thus, reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Under the dual background of underemployment and health inequality, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of education level on underemployed workers’ health based on CLDS2016 data. The results show that underemployment is significantly related to the decline of self-rated health, increased depression tendency, and morbidity in a certain period. The results indicate that underemployment can significantly reduce the health level of workers in the low education level group and the high education level group. However, it has no significant impact on workers’ health in the middle education level group; even if we change the measurement method of indicators and consider endogeneity, the research conclusion is still robust. Moreover, this kind of health inequality mainly comes from the difference in economic effect and leisure effect of underemployment to workers with different educational levels. This paper provides empirical support for increasing the labor protection mechanism of underemployed people and reducing the health inequality caused by educational level differences.

In Indonesia, types of meat are still identified manually due to increasing prices for beef and buf-falo ahead of Idul Fitri. Traders mix beef with pork to thwart the beef scam. Haar wavelet and GLCM, GLCM with angles of 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°, as well as matrices using contrast, correlation, energy, homogeneity, and entropy, are used in feature extraction. The following are the results of meat image classification testing using k-NN, Haar wavelet, and GLCM: The k-NN algorithm shows superiority in identifying fresh (99%), frozen (99%), and rotten (96%) meat texture images with the most fantastic accuracy results in every situation. Meanwhile, GLCM routinely provides good results, especially regarding the texture image of fresh meat (183.21) and rotten meat (115.79). However, despite delivering less throughput than k-NN and GLCM, Haar wavelets are still helpful, especially when dealing with fresh meat texture images (89,96).

Background: One challenge in implant dentistry is to reduce marginal bone resorption to avoid long-term esthetic and biological complications. Sub-gingival implant placement has been suggested as a suitable strategy. Methods: 38 healthy patients were enrolled to receive bone level (BL – Control group) or 2 mm sub-crestal (SC - Test group) conical connection, platform-switched implants. An immediate tissue level abutment was used in the Test group by following a One Time Abutment (OTA) restorative procedure. Marginal Bone Modification (MBM) was calcu-latied on standardized radiographs at surgery (T0), loading (T1), and 6 months (T2) and 12 months after loading (T3), and cathegorised in Bone Loss (BL) if the resorption occurred below the implant neck and Bone Remodeling (BR) if above. Pocket probing depth (PPD), Bleeding on probing (BoP) and Plaque Index (PI) were also collected. Results: The mean MBM in the test group after 12 months was 0.61mm, compared to 0.52mm in the control group. However, no BL was observed in the test group, as the MBM completely occurred above the implant neck as BR, whilst in the control group MBM corresponded in total to BL. The average PPD was 2.38mm in the test group and 3.04mm in the control group after 12 months, BoP 50% and 43%, PI 33% and 19.44% respectively. Conclusions: Sub-crestal conical connection, platform-switched implants could be a suitable clinical choice to avoid BL with exposure of the treated implants surfaces.

Research subjects of this study are four representative locations in the industrial complex, in the city of Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (∑16PAHs), humus and pH were determined. The main objective of the paper is to determine the concentration levels, to assess the probable sources of PAHs contamination in soil and groundwater and to determine the ecological risk. The ∑16PAHs in soil (at depths of 30 cm, 100 cm, 200 cm, 300 cm and 400 cm) ranged from 0.99 to 2.24 mg/kg, from 0.34 to 0.46, from 0.24 to 0.32, from 0.13 to 0.27 and from 0.13 to 0.47, with mean values of 1.70 mg/kg, 0.40 mg/kg, 0.28 mg/kg, 0.20 mg/kg and 0.26 mg/kg, respectively. The ∑16PAHs in groundwater ranged from 0.23 to 4.50 mg/m³, with a mean value of 1.42 mg/m³. Surface soil and groundwater are heavily contaminated. All values of ∑PAHs in soil layers were lower in the depths of the soil. Factor analysis indicates three sources of contamination, i.e. principal component (PC) PC1 (pyrogenic), PC2 (petrogenic) and PC3 (biomass), with 52.39%, 26.14% and 8.46% of the total variance, respectively. ∑PAH and PAHs indicate high ecological risk for most PAHs, which decreases with soil depth.

A complete understanding of groundwater dynamics and its interaction with surface water underthe impact of agricultural activities is vital for local agriculture, ecology, and residents of dry regions, which is not commonly recognized in arid areas. This research outlines the geochemical characteristics, recharge sources, and potential factors impacting groundwater quality in a new land reclamation located in the small basin of Abu Mina, which is part of the Western Nile Delta region.1 Thirty‑one groundwater samples and two surface water samples were collected in 2021 to represent the Pleistocene aquifer and were subjected to multivariate statistical, hydrochemical, and stable isotope analyses. Data analysis demonstrates that Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ and SO4 2– > Cl– > HCO3 – > NO3 – are the predominant cations and anions, respectively. Groundwater salinity ranged from 465.60 to 6455.18 mg/l, with slightly alkaline. Most of the water samples fall into one of three types of facies: Ca–Cl, Na–Cl, and Mixed Ca–Mg–Cl, in decreasing order. The meteoric genesis index (r2) indicates that deep meteoric water percolation dominates the Pleistocene aquifer. The aquiline diagrams, correlation matrix, and different ionic ratios indicate that evaporation, reverse ion exchange reactions, and the dissolution of carbonate and silicate minerals are the main processes governing groundwater chemistry. Factor analysis (FA) indicated that three factors explain groundwater hydrochemistry, accounting for 71.98% of the total variance. According to the rotating components matrix (F1–F3), the chemistry of the Quaternary aquifer is principally affected by evaporation, ion exchange reactions, and anthropogenic influences. Additionally, salinity increases due to the return flow of irrigation activities and mixing between old and recent water. The stable isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) indicate that the Quaternary aquifer receives groundwater recharge through the return flow of excess irrigation and canal seepage. Under desert reclamation conditions, groundwater salinization processes should be given special consideration. All groundwater samples are appropriate for agricultural irrigation based on the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Permeability Index (PI), Percent Sodium (%Na), and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC).

This paper evaluates the open and closed loop DC-DC converter operation within a DC coupling multilevel inverter architecture to obtain an infinite level stepped sinusoidal voltage. Adding a cascade controller to the DC-DC converter should reduce the settling time and increase the number of levels in the output voltage waveform, it could decrease the speed error and phase shift concerning the sinusoidal reference signal. The proposed methodology consists of implementing an experimental multilevel inverter with DC coupling, through a single-phase bridge inverter energized from a BUCK converter, trigger signals for the two converters are obtained from a control circuit based in an ATMEGA644P microcontroller, and a digital controller is also implemented to evaluate the operation of the BUCK converter in open and closed loop and observe its influence in the stepped sinusoidal output voltage. The evaluation is performed to energize a resistive load with common output voltage in multilevel inverters, that is 3, 5, 7, 11, and infinity levels. Results show that during the design stage, fast dynamic elements, like the storage capacitor, can be used to obtain a minimum THD because the settling time is sufficiently fast and the speed error remains small and there isn’t a need for a controller. A digital controller requires processing time and although in theory, it can reduce the settling time to a minimum, the processor introduces latency in the control signals generation, producing the opposite effect. Controller complexity of the digital controller must be considered because it increases processing time and influences the efficiency of the closed-loop operation.

Lower cutoff levels in screening programs have led to an increase in the proportion of detected cases with transient hypothyroidism, leading to increase of the overall incidence of primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in several countries. We have performed retrospective evaluation on the data from 251,008 (96.72%) neonates screened for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level in dried blood spot specimens taken 48 hours after birth, between 2002 and 2015, using DELFIA method. A TSH value of 15 mIU/L was used as the cutoff point until 2010 and 10 mIU/L thereafter. Primary CH was detected in 127 newborns (1/1976) of which 81.1% had permanent and 18.9% had transient CH. The incidence of primary CH was increased from 1/2489 until to 2010 to 1/1585 thereafter (p=0.131). However, the incidence of permanent CH was slightly increased (p=0.922), while the transient CH incidence had 8-fold increasing after lowering the TSH cutoff level (p<0.001). In cases with permanent CH, we observed lower frequency for thyroid dysgenesis (82.7 vs. 66.7%) and higher frequency for normal in-situ thyroid gland (17.3 vs. 33.3%), for the period with reduced TSH cutoff value. Our findings support the impact of lower TSH cutoff on the increasing incidence of congenital hypothyroidism.

A quantitative description of the second law of thermodynamics in small scale systems and over short time scales comes from various fluctuation theorems. The applicability of the transient fluctuation theorem in particular to small scale systems perturbed from an initial equilibrium steady-state distribution has been demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally in several works over the past few decades. In addition, some experimental works in the past have also made successful attempts to demonstrate the applicability of the fluctuation theorem to small scale systems evolving from a certain nonequilibrium steady-state distribution over relatively long time scales. To this end, this paper seeks to demonstrate the transient fluctuation theorem for a Brownian particle confined within a power-law trapping potential by following the trajectory of the particle that itself is translating linearly along one dimension with constant acceleration in a viscous fluid. Considered herein is an idealized version of this model, in that it is assumed that the force of the trapping potential is only felt by the translating Brownian particle confined within the trap, and that this Brownian particle moves relative to the fluid molecules that are held stationary. The results presented herein show that the transient fluctuation theorem applies not only to equilibrium steady-state distributions but also to nonequilibrium steady-state distributions of an ideal colloidal system in an accelerated frame of reference in the asymptotic (long-time) limit.

We report the results of the characterization of local Monte Carlo (MC) dynamics of an equilibrium bond fluctuation model polymer matrix (BFM), in time interval typical for MC simulations of non-linear optical phenomena in host-guest systems. The study contributes to the physical picture of the dynamical aspects of quasi-binary mosaic states characterized previously in the static regime. The polymer dynamics was studied at three temperatures (below, above and close to the glass transition), using time-dependent generalization of the static parameters which characterize local free volume and local mobility of the matrix. Those parameters play the central role in the kinetic MC model of host-guest systems. The analysis was done in terms of the probability distributions of instantaneous and time-averaged local parameters. The main result is the characterization of time scales characteristic of various local structural processes. Slowing down effects close to the glass transition are clearly marked. The approach yields an elegant geometric criterion for the glass transition temperature. A simplified quantitative physical picture of the dynamics of guest molecules dispersed in BFM matrix at low temperatures offers a starting point for stochastic modeling of host-guest systems.

Multimission satellite altimetry (e.g. ERS, Envisat, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason) data have enabled a synoptic view of ocean variations in the past decades, including sea-level rise and mesoscale circulations. Since 2016, the Sentinel-3 mission has provided better spatial and temporal sampling compared with its predecessors. The Sentinel-3 Ku/C Radar Altimeter (SRAL) is one of the synthetic aperture radar altimeters (SAR Altimeter) which is more precise in coastal and lake observations. In this study, we validate Sentinel-3 Level-2 products in Baltic Sea coastal areas and two lakes in Estonia. Moreover, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) Level-3 sea-level anomaly data and the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) reanalysis model outcomes are compared with measurements from a tide gauge network. A dense in situ water level network deployed along the coast for geodetic observation was utilised to provide ground truths for validating altimetry results. Three validation methods were used for Level-2 data: (i) collocated Sentinel-3 and GNSS ship measurements; (ii) a national geoid model (EST-GEOID2017) with sea-level anomaly correction; (iii) collocated Sentinel-3 and buoy measurements. The validations were carried out in seven Sentinel-3A/B overpasses in 2019. Our results show that the uncertainty of the Sentinel-3 Level-2 altimetry product is below decimetre level on the Estonian coast and the targeted lakes. Results from CMEMS Level-3 showed a correlation of 0.8 (RMSE 0.19 m) and 0.91 (RMSE 0.27 m) when compared against tide gauge measurements and NEMO model, respectively.

In this study, the effect of NaOCl (10–200 ppm of Cl2) on the inactivation of human norovirus (HuNV) GII.4 and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in groundwater was investigated using PMA/RT­qPCR. Initially, 4.00 log copies/μL of HuNV GII.4 or 5.50 log copies/μL of HAV were artificially inoculated in ground water. The titers of HuNV GII.4 and HAV decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing Cl2 concentrations. Ground water was treated with 10, 30, 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm of Cl2, and the viable HuNV GII.4 was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced to 3.28 (0.21 log reduction), 3.18 (0.31 log reduction), 3.01 (0.48 log reduction), 2.75 (0.74 log reduction), 2.54 (0.95 log reduction), and 2.34 (1.15 log reduction) log copies/μL, respectively. The viable HAV was also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced to 4.99 (0.23 log reduction), 4.76 (0.46 log reduction), 4.55 (0.67 log reduction), 4.21 (1.01 log reduction), 3.89 (1.33 log reduction), and 3.64 (1.58 log reduction) log copies/μL, respectively. The decimal reduction time (D-value) (1-log reduction) of HuNV GII.4 and HAV infectivity in ground water was predicted as 116.7 and 98.9 ppm of Cl2, respectively using the first-order kinetics model (HuNV GII.4 ; y = - 0.0054x + 3.3585, R2= 0.97, HAV ; y = - 0.0091x + 5.0470, R2= 0.97). The result specifically suggests that 150–200 ppm Cl2 can potentially be used for the inactivation of > 1 log copies/μL HuNV GII.4 and HAV in ground water.

Ternate Island is a volcanic island resulting from the activity of the Gamalama Volcano which is located in the northern Maluku archipelago, Indonesia. Ternate Island is famous as the only island that produces special spices and is the zero point of the world's spice route because the main producer of cloves is here. As a small island, Ternate Island has several limitations including the availability of water resources. Given the scarcity of surface water on the island of Ternate, groundwater in shallow aquifers and deep aquifers is the main source of fresh water which is important for irrigation activities, tourism, services and supporting urban and industrial infrastructure, as well as drinking water needs for people who live densely and are concentrated in the east. and the southern part of the island which is now the city of Ternate. The phenomenon of groundwater utilization in Ternate City is generally massively carried out to support economic activities in the city of Ternate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential and quality of groundwater resources which are an important part of water management on the island of Ternate by microzoning the quality of groundwater for the sustainability of the city which is famous as the world's spice city based on its groundwater potential. Determination of groundwater samples as many as 67 wells distributed on the island of Ternate, 58 well sample points were categorized as free aquifers (MA-SG) and 7 points of depressed aquifers (SB). Ternate island area of ​​102 km2 with volcanic geology in 3 rock categories. Geological distribution also affects the hydrogeological potential and groundwater quality on the island of Ternate. Piper's trilinear diagram and stiff diagram methods were adopted for the assessment of the main ion quality of groundwater and the distribution of groundwater potential was interpolated with cubic splines to obtain correlations between sample points based on basic parameters of volcanic hydrogeology. The total potential for groundwater recharge is 1,291 million m3/year, there are 5 groundwater quality zones spread among 67 sample points with 76% distribution of elements Calcium Bicarbonate (CaCO3), Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO₂), magnesium bicarbonate Mg(HCO3)2 and widely distributed on the island of ternate, while 25% magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and potassium chloride (KCL) are scattered locally on the island of ternate. On an ongoing basis the bicarbonate facies micro-zonation is hydrogeochemical with local flow interactions in volcanic deposits, where infiltration tends to be close to the groundwater sample point, while the chloride facies is a groundwater zone that is correlated with flow patterns from upstream to downstream and has interacted with magma or was intruded. seawater is characterized by high Ca and TDS.

Groundwater models serve as support tools to among others: assess water resources, evaluate management strategies, design remediation systems and optimize monitoring networks. Thus, the assimilation of information from observations into models is crucial to improve forecasts and reduce uncertainty of their results. As more information is collected routinely due to the use of automatic sensors, data loggers and real time transmission systems; groundwater modelers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of using sophisticated tools to perform model calibration in combination with sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Despite their usefulness, available approaches to perform this kind of analyses still present some challenges such as non-unique solution for the parameter estimation problem, high computational burden and a need of a deep understanding of the theoretical basis for the correct interpretation and use of their results, in particular the ones related to uncertainty analysis. We present a brief derivation of the main equations that serve as basis for this kind of analysis. We demonstrate how to use them to estimate parameters, assess the sensitivity and quantify the uncertainty of the model results using an example inspired by a real world setting. We analyze some of the main pitfalls that can occur when performing such kind of analyses and comment on practical approaches to overcome them. We also demonstrate that including groundwater flow estimations, although helpful in constraining the solution of the inverse problem as shown previously, may be difficult to apply in practice and, in some cases, may not provide enough information to significantly constrain the set of potential solutions.

Heavy metals contamination in groundwater often occurs in various industrial processes. Stud-ies have confirmed that polysulfide could reduce hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium, achieving the effect of in-situ stabilization. For other heavy metals contamination in groundwa-ter, whether polysulfide also had a stabilizing ability to achieve in-situ remediation. This re-search focused on heavy metals except for chromium that often contaminated in groundwater, including lead, nickel, zinc, copper, and cadmium to explore the feasibility of using calcium polysulfide (CaSx) as an in-situ stabilization technology for these heavy metals contamination groundwater. Results showed that CaSx had a great removal efficiency for heavy metals lead, nickel, zinc, copper, and cadmium. However, for nickel, zinc, copper and cadmium, when CaSx was added excessively, complexes would be formed, causing the result of re-dissolve and this would also reduce the removal efficiency. Since it is difficult to accurately control the dosage of agents for in-situ groundwater remediation, the concentration of re-dissolved nickel, zinc, cop-per, and cadmium may not be able to meet the groundwater control standards. CaSx had high lead removal efficiency, and it would not cause re-dissolution due to excessive CaSx dosing. CaSx can be used as an in-situ stabilization technique for lead contaminated groundwater.

This study evaluates spatial analyses of groundwater quality and environmental changes to obtain information on the groundwater contamination in the Permian Basin, Texas. Coupled with the U.S. government’s open data, these analyses can identify regions where environmental change could have potentially effected groundwater quality. A total of thirty-six wells were selected within the six counties: Andrews, Martin, Ector, Midland, Crane, and Upton. Spatial distribution maps were created for six different parameters: pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride, fluoride, nitrate, and arsenic. Total groundwater quality maps incorporate all the contaminants and denote regions of poor, medium, and optimum conditions. To identify spatial changes in groundwater quality, maps were separated into two different time intervals, 1992-2005 and 2006-2019. We found that groundwater contamination resulted primarily from the mobilization of the contaminant from natural sources or anthropogenic activities such as chemical fertilizers. Overall, groundwater quality decreased during the study period from 1992 to 2019 as population and urban growth began to develop in the Permian Basin. This study contributes on understanding of the response of groundwater quality associated with environmental change in the Permian Basin. Therefore, this research provides important information for groundwater managements in developing plans for the use of water resource in the future for Texas.