This study extends the CGAN-based MODIS cloud vertical-profile (64×64-scene, about 70km width×15km height) retrieval technique developed by Leinonen et al. (2019) [1] to construct seamless 3D cloud fields for the MODIS granules [2]. Firstly, the accuracy and spatial continuity of the Leinonen et al. [1] retrievals are statistically evaluated. Then, according to the characteristics of the retrieval error, a spatially overlapping-scene ensemble generation method and a bi-directional Ensemble Binning Probability Fusion (CGAN-BEBPF) technique are developed, which improves the CGAN retrieval accuracy and support to construct seamless 3D clouds. The CGAN-BEBPF technique involves three steps: cloud masking, intensity scaling, and optimal value selection. It ensures adequate coverage of the low reflectivity areas while preserving the high reflectivity cloud cores. The technique is applied to retrieve the 3D cloud fields of Typhoon Chaba and a multi-cell convective system. The cloud structures of the CGAN-BEBPF results are highly consistent with the ground-based radar observations. It can retrieve weak clouds at the top levels of convective storms and hurricanes that were missed by ground-based radars and fill the gaps of the ground-based radar lower-level PPI scan. Overall, CGAN-BEBPF can be automated to retrieve the rich informative 3D structures of typhoons and severe convective systems over the oceans along the MODIS swath, which certainly presents great value for improving maritime and near-shore typhoons and convection prediction and other cloud-sensitive applications.

Vernonia mespilifolia is widely used in folk medicine in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological activity of the acetone, aqueous and ethanol extracts of Vernonia mespilifolia using brine shrimp hatchability and lethality assay. The result showed hatching success in this order: aqueous extract (48.6%) > acetone extract (38.2%) > ethanol extract (26.8%). The LC₅₀ of the lethality assay were in this order: acetone extract (67.8 µg/mL) > aqueous extract (132 µg/mL) > ethanol extract (383 µg/mL). According to Meyer’s toxicity index (using brine shrimps), LC₅₀ < 1000 µg/ mL is toxic. Therefore, the results of the three solvent extracts could be said to be toxic as do have LC₅₀ < 1000 µg/ mL. However, the toxicity of the crude extracts could suggest or confer some antitumor properties, hence further in vitro, in vivo and antitumour assays are recommended to further substantiate these claims.

SOC stock (SOCS) changes caused by land use changes are still unclear, and understanding this response is essential for many environmental policies and land management practices. In this study, we investigated the temporal-spatial and vertical distribution characteristics of SOCS on the Western Sichuan Plateau (WSP) using the sparrow search algorithm-random forest regression (SSA-RFR) models with excellent model applicability and accuracy. The temporal-spatial varia-tions in the SOCS were modeled using 1080 soil samples and a set of nine environmental covariates. We analyzed the effect of land use changes on the SOCS on the WSP. The total SOCS increased by 18.03 Tg C from 1990 to 2020. The results of this study confirmed that the SOCS in the study area has increased significantly since 2010, with an increase of 27.88 Tg C compared to the total SOCS in 2010. We found that the spatial distribution of the SOCS increased from southeast to northwest, and the vertical distribution of the SOCS in the study area decreased with increasing soil depth. Forest and grassland are the main sources of SOCS, the total SOCS in the forest and grassland accounted for 37.53 and 59.39% of the total SOC pool in 2020, respectively. Expansion of the wetlands, forest, and grassland areas could increase SOCS in the study area.

The rehabilitation of abandoned mining sites is an increasingly pressing issue in the context of sustainable development. Recent research has emphasized the need for a holistic approach to the abandoned mining sites and their environmental rehabilitation. Based on field analysis, environmental assessments, satellite imagery processing and geographic information operations, this paper pushes forward the existing knowledge by doing a comprehensive assessment of abandoned mining sites in the Romanian Carpathians and by proposing innovative and sustainable rehabilitation solutions. Our findings highlight that abandoned mining sites and their surrounding territories in the Romanian mountains have significant ecological imbalances and complex socio-economic issues. The findings also suggest that by adopting innovative, integrated, and sustainability-oriented approaches, territories affected by mining can be transformed into valuable and sustainable spaces to meet human needs. We conclude by presenting the importance of innovation in ecological reconstruction and spatial-functional reintegration of mining sites in mountain areas as a useful tool in making fair decisions, both in the context of implementing appropriate development policies as well as for resilience and environmental sustainability of mining-affected mountain areas.

Today's city needs more than ever methodological devices that ensure a specific urbanism, in keeping with the complexity of relationships that occur in the urban space. Networks or systems of diverse nature must be activated to achieve a certain success of the city, even more so in its fragile central fabrics. The study is focused on the historic neighborhoods of the city of Jaén (Spain), which have a high vulnerability index. The aim is to establish a strategy to revitalize their urban and social capital and improve their articulation with the rest of the urban and territorial structure. A methodological proposal for the analysis of vulnerability factors and an urban and cartographic analysis of the public space is addressed through an interweaving of a triple network: environmental, social, and urban. For this purpose, the configuration of this overlapping network of analysis and formulation of criteria is presented, which considers the urban multiplicity and promotes new dynamics for the integrated urban regeneration of the area and for the activation of public and collective urban spaces.

The analysis of the key factors which prevent or contribute to the promotion and development of the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in order to meet the sustainability goals represents an important issue which worth being investigated, especially in the situation in which entering in bilateral relations inside this contract has a powerful meaning in achieving new climate targets, developing and improving the use of green energy, and promoting a sustainable green economy. The main goal of this research is to identify and analyze the main factors which help or pre-vent the promotion and development of a PPA, in order to meet the sustainability goals by promoting a green economy. For this research survey based on comparative analysis, questionnaires and interviews with energy experts, Spearman’s correlation matrix and IBM SPSS Statistics for Window are also used. The results suggest that although there are positive interest and an open attitude towards the PPA from both sides (sellers and buyers), but there is still place for improvement, the lack of knowledge or the insufficient measures taken so far being two of the reasons way until now in Romania we do not have a developed PPA market and the level of knowledge regarding this type of mechanism is quite low.

The aim of this work was to classify the business incubators in Spain according to the four phases of startups incubation. Taking into account that the graduation rate implies greater survival and business success of the incubated companies, they have been identified at each stage of the incubation (spread of entrepreneurship, pre-incubation, advanced incubation, and graduation). The activities that present higher impacts on the success of the incubated companies and the activities carried out by the incubator that have a greater relevance on the graduation of the companies have concretely been considered. Principal component (PC) cluster analysis have been applied. All the incubation variables were used simultaneously, reducing their number, and grouping them into factors, finally the cases were grouped according to these latent variables. Principal components analysis reduced dimensionality to 8 factors with a 74 % of explained variance. Factor 1 was positively related to pre-incubation variables, factor 2 was linked to training and collaboration variables within the entrepreneurship diffusion phase. Factor 3 called activity monitoring and control and was related to phase 3 or basic incubation variables. Clusters analysis facilitates the grouping of incubators into three clusters: Group 1 (16 % of the total), incubators with strong deficits in incubation phases 1, 2 and 3. They are small Business Incubators, often located in rural areas or cities and low graduation rate. Group 2 (30 %), business incubators with very high graduation rate, and strongly positive values in factor 1 and 2. Factor 3 although positive is susceptible to improvement. They are the largest incubators and usually located in industrial and technological parks. Group 3 (54 %) is the majority, with values close to cluster 2 and 3.

The authors argue that despite significant numbers of foreign workers present in the Russian labor market Russia remains unattractive for highly skilled foreign workers. The economic crisis the country has faced since 2014 has resulted in a further outflow of foreign nationals from OECD countries. So Russia has to look for employees among newcomers from the former Soviet states, the majority of whom come from Central Asia. Russian politics with regard to immigration is characterized by the collision between “geopolitical” and domestic policy rationales. On one hand, seeking to maximize its influence in the post-Soviet space Russia provides preferential conditions of employment for citizens of partner countries in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. On the other hand, the Kremlin is afraid to liberalize its approach to immigration and the integration of immigrants through fear of losing popularity among the electorate. The second substantial feature of Russian immigration politics is an extreme level of securitization of migration issues. The government considers these issues primarily through a policing lens. One cannot claim that the Russian state does not take any steps to liberalize “migratory regulation”; however, the effect of these measures is being vastly reduced by new restrictions. In addition, liberally designed laws do not bring the expected results due to the corrupt practices that pervade the whole of migration regulation.

Introduction: maxillary hypoplasia and mandibular asymmetry may be corrected with orthognathic surgery at the completion of growth. Many patients require segmental Le Fort I osteotomies to obtain the most stable results. Unfortunately, if Invisalign is chosen for pre-surgical preparation, ClinCheck © software does not allow for prediction when these complex surgeries are planned. The objective of this paper was to show the potential of aligners beyond its software in most complex cases like multiple-piece maxillary osteotomies in cleft and non-cleft patients. Method: Thirteen patients who underwent pre-surgical treatment with clear aligners-Invisalign (study group) were matched in terms of diagnosis, surgical procedure, and orthodontic complexity with thirteen patients treated using fixed appliances (control group). A technique based on simple superimposition was devised to enhance the software for creating a suitable occlusion for segmental pre-surgical treatments. Virtual curves following the lower arch were employed to guide the correct pre-surgical positions of the upper teeth. The amount of impressions required in both groups to achieve satisfactory pre-surgical alignment of the segmented arches was compared. Results: one or no refinement phase were needed in the Invisalign group to reach an acceptable pre-surgical occlusion while the amount of pre-surgical impressions taken in order to reach adequate coordination with fixed appliance treatment was slightly higher. The average overall treatment duration did not show a statistically significant variation between the groups. Conclusions: it appears that clear aligner could serve as an effective treatment for individuals with skeletal discrepancies, including cleft and craniofacial anomalies, necessitating segmental Le Fort I osteotomies when aided by the suggested superimposition approach during digital pre-surgical movement simulations. More sophisticated softwares will certainly be implemented in the future.

Innovation and sustainability are key elements gaining important positions in public and private organizations’ agenda in recent years. Whilst innovation drives for more productivity, efficiency and competitiveness, sustainability incorporation into the development of the organizations outlines as a counterbalance. It helps directing the innovative endeavors of the organizations towards more responsible activities in terms of environmental, economic and social impacts. To help achieve that, standardization offers valuable tools to orient organizational development efforts towards sustainability. This research aims at exploring the plausible connection between use or implementation of standards and pursuit of sustainability in an important industrial sector in Romania – food industry. The objective of the research is to determine which of the two iden-tified hypothesis can be scientifically supported using the quantitative research methods. The expected results are that more than simply following short-term objectives, companies that con-sciously use recognized standards in their activity pursue long-term sustainability.

Estimation of the worth of continuity of electricity supply is of interest of industry, authorities and research society. There are numerous methods to calculate the Customer Interruption Costs (CICs). Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. This paper approaches the problem from Distribution System Operators’ (DSOs) point of view and adopts two existing analytical models. One model is used by the Finnish Energy Market Authority and the second one was proposed by the authors at a previous study. The model suggested by the authors as an alternative to the one used by the Finnish Energy Market Authority proposes a simple and straightforward methodology which will provide credible and objective estimations by only utilizing publicly available analytical data. We made use of cost and reliability indices data of 78 DSOs in Finland from the year 2016. In addition to cost estimations, this paper highlights regional differences in CIC estimations in different parts of Finland and critically overviews the existing standard customer compensation scheme in Finland.

This paper uses the spatial analysis software GeoDa as a tool, takes GRP (Gross regional product) of Sichuan Province in 2012 and 2018 as the dependent variable, and takes the city (autonomous prefecture) factor-driven, investment-driven and innovation-driven indicators as the dependent variable to explore the impact of innovation activities on regional economic development and the spatial distribution characteristics of regional economy. Through the comparison of the global correlation and local correlation, this paper explores the crux of the regional economic polarization and unbalanced development, and puts forward some measures to solve the existing economic development problems, such as cultivating and improving the regional industrial dependence, accelerating the regional transportation accessibility and convenience, and constructing the regional collaborative innovation system, So as to achieve the strategic goal of the construction of innovative Province in Sichuan Province.

Finding a good MIMO system model also major issue in Wireless Communication system. It is facing with so many problem, one of the major problem is finding good system model in terms of capacity and transmitting antenna system. In this paper, we analyze the channel capacity of various MIMO system model with some constant SNR level and outage probability. We establish a novel idea for MIMO system models as consider as 2^N- MIMO system model and find-out change in channel capacity when different transmitting antennas with constant SNR and outage probability. The channel capacity ratio CC_R is presented here on the basis of 2^N- MIMO channel capacity model. Number of transmitted antenna presented in MIMO system is increases is well-known however paper shows change in capacity in simple form.

Youth is the essential entrepreneurial force for every country's social, political, and economic development. Urban youth make up about 34.27 percent of the population in Ethiopia. The youth unemployment crisis is one of the serious challenges that Ethiopia is facing nowadays, and it should be mentioned in the nation's public discourse. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to specify the socioeconomic and demographic factors that influence urban youth unemployment in the Somali Regional State, specifically in Jigjiga, Degahbour, Kebridahar, Gode, and Dollo Ado towns. Both primary and secondary data sources were employed. A multi-stage sampling technique has been used to select 385 sample respondents from the total population of the study. This study found that almost 63% of youth in the study area were unemployed, and a large number of unemployed youths live in Jigjiga and Dollo Ado Towns as compared to other city administrations. The econometric model's findings indicate that factors like gender, education level, work experience, access to credit, access to information, time applied for job vacancy, active job seeker, social network (network with clan elders, government officials, businessmen, and other friends), and residence in Jigjiga and Gode town have a significant association with the likelihood of youth unemployment in the Somali regional state. Therefore, this study recommends that the regional government and local city administration should develop effective policies and strategies to address the underlying causes of gender inequality, improving access and quality of education, supporting freshman graduates to find jobs, providing access to credit and job vacancies, ensuring fair and free job competition, and managing youth migration for job seeking.

This study used a two-stage network data envelopment analysis model to measure the water use efficiency of 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt in the initial water use and wastewater treatment phases from 2009 to 2019. We used the Dagum Gini coefficient to decompose the urban water use efficiency of six major urban clusters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. We also used σ convergence and β convergence types to test the convergence characteristics of urban water use efficiency of six major urban clusters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. This study found that the overall low level of water use efficiency in cities in the Yangtze River Economic Zone mainly stems from the low level of water use efficiency in the wastewater treatment stage. The 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Zone are divided into four types based on the average values of water use efficiency in the initial use and wastewater treatment phases; the highest number of cities are in the double-low category, with low average values of water use efficiency in the initial use and wastewater treatment phases. During the study period, spatial differences in urban water use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Zone narrowed, with the differences stemming mainly from hyperdensity, followed by intra- and inter-regional differences. Meanwhile, there is convergence in urban water use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt; significant β convergence in the urban agglomerations of the Yangtze River Delta, Jianghuai, middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Chengdu–Chongqing, and Central Yunnan; and insignificant β convergence in the Central Qian urban agglomeration. After considering control factors, such as industrial structure, financial development level, environmental regulation, economic development level, and science and education development level, the water use efficiency of the six major urban clusters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt converges faster, but the influence of these control factors on the water use efficiency of each urban cluster is heterogeneous. Research results have reference value for the development of improvement strategies on differentiated urban water use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

In order to ensure sustainable tourism development, it is currently becoming crucial to look into promotion of popular tourist destinations in Russia. This is due to a number of factors, including the acceptance of the credibility and importance of the concept of sustainable tourism, as well as the awareness of the necessity of taking into account a wide range of short- and long-term effects, external factors, and interdisciplinary aspects of the development of the Russian tourism industry. In the context of a local tourist destination during the economic crisis, the study aims to highlight some of the key economic elements of sustainable tourism. The decision to adopt a regional perspective is necessitated by the fact that many of the most crucial elements for the long-term sustainable development of the tourist complex are established at this level, including decision-making by businesses and authorities that are economically viable. The research focuses on the economic aspects to be considered while designing an overall strategy for the long-term development of regional tourist destinations in Russia. The authors define sustainable tourism from the viewpoint of economics. This understanding extends beyond the relatively limited framework of environmental and socioeconomic consequences of tourism development, affecting some less obvious economic aspects of a regional destination that directly relate to sustainable development.

In this study, the microbial strain was isolated from the humus soil to ferment Sophora flavescens and Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus extracts. The isolated microbial was identified as Bacillus genus by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The fermented plant extracts exhibited the antifungal effects against four types of the plant pathogens such as P. carotorum, B. cinerea, C. fructicola Sau-3, and C. gloeosporioides according to incubation time. Especially, the fermented plant extracts showed the most active activities for Colletotrichum genus to inhibit mycelium growth. Metabolite changes in fermented S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts were confirmed through LC-Q-TOF/MS. Flavonoid and peptide derivatives were improved in fermented S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts compared to their unfermented one, respectively. This study suggested that the isolated Bacillus microbial fermentation could be a valuable tool in improving the bioactivity of S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts to have potential with more environmentally-friendly antifungal agents.

Zanthoxylum armatum is an forest tree with apomixis characteristic, and RWP-RKs are plant-specific transcription factors known to regulate nitrogen response and embryonic development. However, the genome-wide analysis of RWP-RK family genes in Z.armatum is unclear. In this study, 36 ZaRWP-RK transcription factors were identified in the genome of Z.armatum, among which 15 genes were belonged to the RKD subfamily and 21 belonged to the NLP subfamily. Duplication events of ZaRWP-RK genes were mainly segmental duplication, and synteny analysis revealed close phylogenetic relationship between Z.armatum and Arabidopsis. The analysis of cis-elements indicated that ZaRWP-RK genes may be involved in the regulation of embryonic development of Z.armatum by responding to plant hormones such as abscisic acid, auxin, and gibberellin. Real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of most ZaRWP-RK genes were significantly increased from flowers to young fruits. Protein-protein interaction network analysis further revealed the potential roles of the ZaRWP-RK proteins in apomixis. Collectively, this study provide a theoretical basis for future investigations into the ZaRWP-RK genes and their regulatory mechanisms in the apomixis process of Z.armatum.

The experiences gathered during the past 30 years support the operational use of irrigation scheduling based on frequent multi-spectral image data. Currently, the operational use of dense time series of multispectral imagery at high spatial resolution makes monitoring of crop biophysical parameters feasible, capturing crop water use across the growing season, with suitable temporal and spatial resolutions. These achievements, and the availability of accurate forecasting of meteorological data, allow for precise predictions of crop water requirements with unprecedented spatial resolution. This information is greatly appreciated by the end users, i.e. professional farmers or decision-makers, and can be provided in an easy-to-use manner and in near-real-time by using the improvements achieved in web-GIS methodologies. This paper reviews the most operational and explored methods based on optical remote sensing for the assessment of crop water requirements, identifying strengths and weaknesses and proposing alternatives to advance towards full operational application of this methodology. In addition, we provide a general overview of the tools which facilitates co-creation and collaboration with stakeholders, paying special attention to these approaches based on web-GIS tools.

Extreme heat is a climate hazard that has been linked with high morbidity and mortality. The way extreme heat events are felt in the population varies depending on a variety of factors, such as age, employment status, living conditions, air-conditioning, housing conditions, habits, behaviors, and other socio-demographic parameters. To quantify and locate vulnerabilities of populations to extreme heat, we analyze socio-economic data at the NUTS3 level for the national case study of Greece and at the census tract level for the local case study of the city of Athens. The target variable for this study is defined as the average daily mortality during heatwaves per 100,000 individuals and a methodology is developed for constructing this variable, based on socio-economic data available in public databases. Independent variables were selected based on their contribution to socioeconomic vulnerability; they include the percentage of elderly, retired, unemployed, renting, living alone, residing in smaller houses, living in older houses, and immigrants from developing countries. An ensemble gradient boosted tree model was employed for this study to obtain feature importance metrics that was used to construct a composite index of socioeconomic heat vulnerability. The socioeconomic heat vulnerability index (SHVI) was calculated for each prefecture in Greece and for each census tract in the city of Athens, Greece. The unique feature of this SHVI is that it can be applied to any geographical resolution using the same methodology and produces a result that is not only quantifiable, but also allows comparison between vulnerability scores of different regions. This application aimed to map the SHVI of both prefecture and city, to examine the significance of scale, to identify vulnerability hotspots, and rank the most vulnerable areas, which are prioritized by authorities for interventions that protect public health.

A simple approach was developed to predict corn yields using the MoDerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data product from two geographically separate major corn crop production regions: Illinois, USA and Heilongjiang, China. The MOD09A1 data product, which are 8-day interval surface reflectance data, were obtained from day of the year (DOY) 89 to 337 to calculate the leaf area index (LAI). The sum of the LAI from early in the season to a given date in the season [end of DOY (EOD)] was well fitted to a logistic function and represented seasonal changes in leaf area duration (LAD). A simple phenology model was derived to estimate the dates of emergence and maturity using the logistic function parameters b1 and b2, which represented the rate of increase in LAI and the date of maximum LAI, respectively. The phenology model predicted emergence and maturity dates fairly well, with root mean square error (RMSE) values of 6.3 and 4.9 days for the validation dataset, respectively. Two simple linear regression models (YP and YF) were established using LAD as the variable to predict corn yield; the yield model (YP) used LAD from predicted emergence to maturity, and the yield model (YF) used LAD for a predetermined period from DOY 89 to a particular EOD. When state/province corn yields for the validation dataset were predicted at DOY 321, near completion of the corn harvest, the YP model performed much better than the YF model, with RMSE values of 0.68 t/ha and 0.66 t/ha for Illinois and Heilongjiang, respectively. The YP model showed a similar or better performance, even for the much earlier yield prediction at DOY 257, compared to that of the YF model. In conclusion, the phenology and yield models were developed based only on logistic changes in remote sensing-derived LAD, and predicted phenological dates and corn yields with considerable accuracy and precision for the two regions selected for this study. However, these models must be examined for spatial portability in more diverse agro-climatic regions.

Existing research lacks studies that explore the impact of government fiscal support on the high-quality development of regional economy and society from the perspective of livelihood-based infrastructure construction. The investigation in this paper explores the economic and social effects of government fiscal support behavior from the perspective of livelihood infrastructure construction. On the basis of the TOPSIS-Entropy Method, this paper constructs an evaluation indicator that closely conforms to the denotation and requirements of high-quality development and then carries out empirical regressions in combination with government expenditure on people's livelihood to verify the theoretical hypothesis, whose transmission mechanism and moderating effect are further empirically tested. The results reveal that increasing government expenditure on people's livelihoods can effectively improve regional high-quality development, but the marginal improvement degree varies with different periods and locations. The mechanism test proves that the regional consumption level plays a significant part in the mediating effect, accounting for 24.27% of the total effect. Urbanization is also the critical impetus for regional high-quality development and positively moderates the promotion effect of people's livelihood fiscal expenditure. Our study presents a theoretical basis and policy inspiration for improving residents' quality of life and welfare level and improving people's livelihood in the midst of high-quality economic development.

With the integrated development of the Internet, wireless sensor technology, cloud computing, and mobile Internet, there has been a lot of attention given to research about and applications of the Internet of Things. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of the important information technologies in the Internet of Things; it integrates multi-technology to detect and gather information in a network environment by mutual cooperation, using a variety of methods to process and analyze data, implement awareness, and perform tests. This paper mainly researches the localization algorithm of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network. Firstly, a multi-granularity region partition is proposed to divide the location region. In the range-based method, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength indicator, RSSI) is used to estimate distance. The optimal RSSI value is computed by the Gaussian fitting method. Furthermore, a Voronoi diagram is characterized by the use of dividing region. Rach anchor node is regarded as the center of each region; the whole position region is divided into several regions and the sub-region of neighboring nodes is combined into triangles while the unknown node is locked in the ultimate area. Secondly, the multi-granularity regional division and Lagrange multiplier method are used to calculate the final coordinates. Because nodes are influenced by many factors in the practical application, two kinds of positioning methods are designed: the unknown node is in the positioning unit or not. When the unknown node is on the side of the positioning unit, we use the method of vector similarity. Moreover, we use the centroid algorithm to calculate the ultimate coordinates of unknown node. When the unknown node is not on the side of the positioning unit, we establish a Lagrange equation containing the constraint condition to calculate the first coordinates. Furthermore, we use the Taylor expansion formula to correct the coordinates of the unknown node. In addition, this localization method has been validated by establishing the real environment.

Understanding the distribution in drought and floods plays an important role in disaster risk management. The present study aims to explore the trends in the standardized precipitation index and extreme precipitation days in China, as well as to estimate the economic losses they cause. We found that in the Northeast China, northern of North China and northeast of Northwest China were severely affected by drought disasters (average damaged areas were 6.44 million hectares) and the most severe drought trend was located in West China. However, in the north of East China and Central China, the northeastern of the Southwest China was severely affected by flood disasters (average damaged areas were 3.97 million hectares) and the extreme precipitation trend is increasing in the northeastern of the Southwest China. In the Yangtze River basin, there were increasing trends in terms of drought and extreme precipitation, especially in the northeastern of the Southwest China, where accompanied by severe disaster losses. By combining the trends in drought and extreme precipitation days with the distribution of damaged areas, we found that the increasing trend in droughts shifted gradually from north to south, especially in the Southwest China, and the increasing trend in extreme precipitation gradually shifted from south to north.

HIV early detection (CD4 counts ≥350 cells/μL) is correlated with higher life expectancy among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Several factors including physical, cultural, structural, and financial barriers have contributed to HIV late detection. This is the first-of-its-kind study on the regional differences in early detection of HIV within Tajikistan and any country in the Central Asia region. Utilizing Tajikistan Ministry of Health's national HIV data (N=10,700) spanning 2010 to 2023, we developed median regression models with median CD4 cell count as the outcome and as predictors: time (years), region, age, gender, and area (urban/rural status). Individuals younger than 19 years old are more likely to be detected early for HIV, whereas those older than 39 years are more prone to late detection. Given their active engagement in age-related and sexual activities, those older than 39 years face a higher risk of HIV transmission to others if diagnosed late. Therefore, they require further attention and targeted interventions. Females are detected earlier compared to their male counterparts, regardless of region of residence. Rural populations are detected earlier in most years compared to their urban counterparts. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated HIV early detection in 2021 but most regions have returned to near pre-pandemic levels of detection in 2022 and 2023. These fluctuations in early detection may signify a shift in attention and resource allocation, potentially affecting efforts to address access gaps during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are significant health inequities among different demographic and geographic groups which warrant further attention.

The pollution of the bays in Abidjan is a major concern for the Ivorian policy makers. In fact, the pollution of the bays induce high costs to the society while impacting population health dramatically. As a result, pollution reduction management of production activities has been undertaken in the Cocody Bay area. To our knowledge, no study has yet proposed a model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these pollution management strategies. A cost-effectiveness model, based on Monte Carlo simulation, was developed to assess the economic and environmental impacts of various scenarios characterized by a set of production practices, both in the short term and in the long term. The authors discuss the steps and input parameters of the model presented. The proposed model may serve as the basis for identifying an optimal production scenario defined as the scenario with the best incremental cost-effectiveness ratio considering a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold. The WTP, to be estimated based on the gross domestic product of Côte d’Ivoire, represents the opportunity costs associated with selecting the optimal scenario. The current framework can also be applied to other settings facing similar challenge.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, particularly Machine Learning algorithms, becomes increasingly ubiquitous, our abilities to understand and interpret AI and machine learning algorithms are becoming increasingly desirable. Visualization has been used as a common tool to view and understand complex machine learning processes. In this paper, we will focus on developing a general framework for the visualization of machine learning models as a scalar valued multi-dimensional function to help users understand how the models behave over different viewing spaces. We first give a formal definition of the visualization problem. Interpolation-based morphing and subspace sampling techniques are applied to generate various renderings through projections and cross-sections of the model space as 3D surfaces or heatmap images. This method will be applied to two real-world datasets and applications: the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using a human brain networks dataset and a real-world benchmark dataset for predicting home credit default risks. The visualizations show that different machine learning algorithms can behave quite differently under different conditions.

Transition-metal-free synthesis of 4-pyrones via TfOH-promoted nucleophilic addition/cyclization of diynones and water has been developed. This transformation is simple, atom economical and environmentally benign, providing rapid and efficient access to substituted 4-pyrones.

This study analyses regional development in one of the poorest provinces in China, Guizhou Province, between 2000 and 2012 using a multiscale and multi-mechanism framework. In general, regional inequality has been declining since 2000. In addition, economic development in Guizhou Province presented spatial agglomeration and club convergence, which shows how the development pattern of one core area, two-wing areas and a contiguous area at the edge of the province have been developed between 2006 and 2012. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that industrialization and investment level were the primary driving forces of regional economic disparity in Guizhou Province. The influences of marketization and decentralization on regional economic disparity were relatively weak. Investment level reinforced regional economic disparity and the development of core-periphery structure in the province. However, investment level actually weakened the regional economic disparity in Guizhou Province when the variable of time was considered. In addition, both the topography and urban–rural differentiation were the two main reasons for forming a core-periphery structure in Guizhou Province.

Our aim was to determine the secondary antibody deficiency profiles of patients in a mesoregion of São Paulo state, Brazil, focusing on infectious diseases. Demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory data were obtained from electronic files; infections were classified as organ-specific and graded as mild, moderate, life-threatening, and fatal. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) accounted for 30% of patients, nephrotic syndrome (NS) 25%; chronic lymphocyte leukemia 20%, and multiple myeloma 15%. Patients with NS were younger than those in other groups, and hypo-γ-globulinemia was detected in 94.1%, IgG <400 mg/dL in 60.0%, IgA <40 mg/dL in 55.0%, and CD19 <20 cells/mm³ in 30.0%. One hundred and one infections were found; 82.1% were classified as mild or moderate, 7.9% as life-threatening, and 1.9% as fatal. Respiratory tract infections were more prevalent (41.5%), and pneumonia accounted for 19.8%. Lower levels of infections were found in patients with NS compared with NHL (P=0.0001). Most patients progressed to hypo-γ-globulinemia and secondary antibody deficiency after treatment with immunosuppressants, and mild and moderate infections were predominant. These therapies are increasing in patients with different diseases, therefore monitoring hypo-γ-globulinemia and infections may help to identify patients at high risk for severe complications, antibiotic prophylaxis or treatment, and immunoglobulin replacement

Nowadays, the identification and characterization of grapevine cultivars resilient to climate and water stress while preserving quality traits is crucial for the wine industry. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize according to their aromatic potential 9 white and 6 red minority cultivars recently recovered from Castilla-La Mancha region (Spain), subjected at two different water deficit regimes: rainfed, with subsistence irrigation, and irrigated. For this, the varietal aromatic potential index (IPAv) and the detailed aromatic composition were analyzed by HS-SBSE-GC/MS, in extracts of two different ph. For IPAv values, red varieties did not show a clear trend with respect to irrigation. However, in white minority varieties, higher values were obtained under irrigation conditions. Thus, a clear differentiation of the minority varieties in comparison to the references was observed, primarily attributed to the content of esters and acids, in both white and red varieties. A notable contrast was observed at different pH, indicating a greater extractability of certain compounds like linalool, under more acidic conditions. This suggests that some recovered minority cultivars could be promising for cultivation in semi-arid regions with limited water, contributing to the wine sector sustainability in the future.

Violence against paramedics is increasingly recognized as an important occupational health problem, but pervasive and institutionalized underreporting hinders efforts at risk mitigation. Earlier research has shown that the organizational culture within paramedicine may contribute to underreporting and researchers have recommended involving paramedics in the development of violence prevention policies, including reporting systems. Eighteen months after the launch of a new comprehensive violence reporting system in Peel Region, Ontario, Canada, we surveyed paramedics about their willingness to report violent encounters. A total of 204 (33% of eligible) paramedics chose to participate, of whom 67% (N=137) had experienced violence since the launch of the new reporting process, with 83% (N=114) reporting the incidents at least some of the time. In choosing to report, participants cited the accessibility of the new reporting process and the desire to promote accountability among perpetrators while contributing to a safer workplace as motivating factors. Their decisions to file a report, however, could be influenced by the perceived ‘volitionality’ and severity of the violent encounters, particularly in the context of (un)supportive co-workers and supervisors. Ultimately, the participants’ belief that the report would lead to meaningful change within the service was a key driver of reporting behavior.

Achieving the dual development of rural revitalization and urbanization is an important strategic goal of China’s current modernization. Rural population and settlements are the main components of the countryside in traditional agricultural areas, and play an important role in the development of the countryside itself in terms of urban and rural land use and in the formation of urban and rural development patterns. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal changes in rural populations and settlements at the township level, as well as the degree and type of coupled development. A framework for urban–rural development relationships based on different types of coupled development is proposed, and a model of urban–rural forces is constructed to derive the spatial pattern of urban–rural development at the township level that may be formed in the future. Our study shows that the rural population and settlements in the study area are characterized by significant spatial and temporal dynamics, indicating that traditional rural areas are in a process of rapid development and change. The results of the township-level coupling measurements present four types of development in terms of the spatial pattern of urban–rural development: A-type is most likely to produce new cities or satellite towns in the Jixi–Harbin–Qiqihar area in the future; B-type is the fastest dying area in the future, located in the Harbin and Qitaihe clusters, with a tendency to merge into Harbin; C-type is the area to be focused on in the future to attract population and strictly control the growth of the rural settlement area to avoid it turning into B-type; D-type may develop regional township centers in the future in the combined area of Jiamusi City, Suihua City and Mudanjiang City. The results of the study provide experience in realizing rural revitalization according to local conditions. The new spatial pattern of urban–rural development provides an important reference for formulating land use policies, optimizing urban–rural land allocation and realizing integrated urban–rural development strategies.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate if tests used to assess core stability could be used to determine success in physiological tests applied to assess dynamic balance and agility for a young active population. Methods: Pearson's r correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between the core stability tests and the dynamic balance and agility tests. Evaluation of the tests was established using Cronbach's coefficient of variance as part of intra-rater reliability tests. An analysis of 18 active college aged students was conducted (males: n= 13, females: n= 5). The mean ± SD age for males was 19.2 years ± 3.22 years and for females was 19.4 years ± 1.14 years. Conclusion: The results indicate that there is no significant relationship between tests that assess core stability and tests conducted to assess dynamic balance in active young adults. With the exception of the abdominal flexion test, no significant relationship exists between the remaining core stability tests and agility T-Test. Core stability is not a determinant of balance and agility.

Long term Precipitation and temperature variations are one of the main determinants of climate variability of one’s area. The aim of this study is to determine trends variation in climatic elements of temperature and precipitation in the southern zone of Tigray regional state, Ethiopia. The station is assumed for the study of climatic records over southern zone of the region in detection for probable trends. The daily, monthly and annual precipitation totals and temperature observed at korem meteorological station were used for the period of 1981-2010 for Precipitation and 1985 – 2010 for minimum and maximum temperature. Summary of descriptive statistics and Mann Kendall test methods were employed for the observed data analysis to demonstrate any existence of possible trends. The main findings of the study indicated that the mean and maximum temperature had a general increasing trend; however, minimum temperature showed decreasing trend. In general annual temperature from 1985 – 2010 of the area showed a warming trend. Moreover analysis of the 30 years (1981-2010) annual precipitation showed a coefficient of variation ranging from 33.77 – 233 %. It indicated that the precipitation dissemination is not normal with large year to year variances.

Promoting green development has become an important way to optimize the ecological and economic structure and promote sustainable development. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is an important economic corridor in China, and it remains to be examined whether the implementation of environmental regulations has enhanced the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of cities. This paper calculates the green total factor productivity of 107 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt by using the super-efficient SBM model and the GML index with Chinese city panel data from 2007-2019 and measures the intensity of environmental regulations through textual analysis. The bidirectional fixed-effects model constructed in this paper suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and GTFP, which is confirmed by a series of robustness tests. Green technology innovation and advanced industrial structure play a mechanism role in this. In regions with lower levels of green technology and industrial structure, the inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and green total factor productivity is more significant. In addition, the phenomenon of GTFP rising and then falling because of environmental regulation is more obvious in cities in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and outside the urban agglomerations. Therefore, when formulating environmental regulation policies, it is necessary to balance the relationship between economic development and environmental protection and harmonize the environment and economic development of the entire Yangtze River Basin.

Cameroon introduced the malaria vaccine in its routine immunization programme on 22 January 2024, in the 42 districts out of 200, among the most at risk of malaria. A cross-sectional analysis of data on vaccine key events in the introduction roadmap and vaccine uptake during the first 30 days was conducted. In addition to available gray literature related to the introduction of the malaria vaccine, data on malaria vaccine uptake by vaccination session, collected through a digital platform, were analyzed. A total of 1,893 reports were received from 22 January 2024 to 21 February 2024 from 766 health facilities (85% of overall completeness). Two regions out of 10 recorded less than 80% of completeness. As of 21 February 2024, 13,811 children have received the first dose of the malaria vaccine, including 7,124 girls (51.6%) and 6,687 boys (48.4%). Thirty six percent of children were vaccinated through outreach sessions versus 61.5% through sessions in fixed posts. The overall monthly immunization coverage with the first dose was 37%. Early results have shown positive attitudes towards and acceptance of malaria vaccines. Suboptimal completeness of data reporting and low coverage highlight persistent gaps and challenges in vaccine rollout.

The interconnection between the objectives of territorial development and the agro-ecological transition highlights the value of past knowledge in the sustainable management of resources and agro-ecological systems. However, retrospection in rural areas presents difficulties due to a lack of data. This paper contributes to the search for such knowledge from the past by developing an interactive methodology capable of combining heterogeneous sources of information and the activation of local collective memory. Its effectiveness is based on ensuring the interoperability of information and communication in an environment simultaneously shaped by geoinformatics and 3D geo-visualizations. This virtual environment fosters participation and interactivity, supported by representations of the paleo-landscape. Furthermore, synergies were achieved between information sources and their integration into local spatial systems. The application example involved identifying a rice field that existed from the 15th to the 19th century in Thessaly, Greece. It is an interesting case because the location and organization of cultivation in combination with its spatio-temporal coordination ensures the sustainable use of natural resources. It appears that the interplay between information and communication facilitates community participation and the activation of its collective memory as a source of information that enriches the search and local intelligence.

The purpose of this article is to investigate and analyze the practices of scientific management within the County Departments of Sports and Youth (CDYS) in Romania. Conducted through a comprehensive research endeavor spanning from January to June 2022, the study utilized a standardized questionnaire as its primary instrument for data collection, distributed among CDYS directors. A notable finding from the study indicates that a significant proportion of respondents (44.9%) perceive notable disparities in the normative-functional elements governing the National Sports System in Romania compared to international standards. Moreover, the majority (51%) consistently adhere to regulatory acts, while a substantial portion (69.4%) underscore the importance of strict adherence to internal regulations in strategy formulation. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority (88.9%) acknowledge the substantial influence of available resources on strategy development, with collaboration with authorities primarily occurring through direct communication channels. Respondents prioritize multiple objectives (44.9%), affirm the necessity of various competencies (53.1%), and identify a lack of human and financial resources (59.2%) as the most significant obstacle. Notable achievements highlighted in the study include the improvement of the county's sports performance (53.1%). Respondents also believe that setting clear and realistic objectives (38.8%) is pivotal to enhancing CDYS management, while considerations in formulating strategies emphasize trends in the sports domain (42.9%) and the specific needs of the local sports community (42.9%). Overall, this research contributes to the understanding and promotion of more efficient practices in managing sports and youth departments within Romania's counties.

Paramedics are increasingly being subjected to violence, creating the potential for significant physical and psychological harm. Where a patient has a history of violent behavior, hazard flags - applied either to the individual, their residential address, or phone number - can alert paramedics to the possibility of violence, potentially reducing the risk of injury. Leveraging a novel violence reporting process embedded in the electronic patient care record, we reviewed violence reports filed over a thirteen-month period since its inception in February 2021to assess the effectiveness of hazard flagging as a potential risk mitigation strategy. Upon reviewing a report, paramedic-supervisors can generate a hazard flag if recurrent violent behavior from the patient is anticipated. In all, 502 violence reports were filed, for which paramedic-supervisors generated hazard flags in 20% of cases (n=99). In general, cases were not flagged either because the incident occurred at a location not amenable to flagging, or because the supervisors felt that a hazard flag was not warranted based on the details in the report. Hazard flagging was associated with an increased risk of violence during subsequent paramedic attendance (Odds Ratio [OR] 6.21, p

The identification of fetal cells in the blood and tissues of healthy mothers raised questions about the potential alloreactive origins of various diseases, such as autoimmunity, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. However, the extent to which alloreactivity contributes to these diseases remains unverified. This study presents a basic mathematical disease model based on the genes’ origin and immunological interactions. This model, grounded in set theory, classifies these immunological interactions based on their intrinsic, extrinsic, and allogeneic nature. Therefore, this model offers an unexpected common theoretical foundation for understanding alloreactivity, genetic diseases, and infections. Furthermore, this model provides a valuable framework for scrutinizing the role of alloreactivity in health and disease.

Entropy is a concept derived from Physics that has been used to describe natural and social systems’ structure and behaviour. Applications of the concept in the social sciences so far have been largely limited to the disciplines of economics and sociology. In the current paper the concept of entropy is applied to organizational citizenship behaviour with implications for urban organizational sustainability. A heuristic is presented for analysing personal and organizational citizenship configurations and distributions within a given workforce that can lead to corporate entropy; and for allowing prescriptive remedial steps to be taken to manage the process should entropy from this source threaten its sustainability and survival.

The Circular Bioeconomy (CBE) combines the concepts of bioeconomy and circular economy. As an alternative concept to the current fossil-based, linear economy, it de-scribes an economy based on the efficient valorization of biomass. It is regional in nature and aims to improve sustainability. An analysis of the transition process, by identifying its success criteria and assessing its impacts through the modelling of technology-specific scenarios is necessary to ensure that CBE concepts are sustainable. However, a compre-hensive consideration of regional influences on both is lacking. Based on extensive literature research and an expert survey, we (i) present a compre-hensive catalog of CBE success criteria and discuss their region-specific character and (ii) develop a methodology based on evaluation matrices that enable to match CBE technolo-gies with regions. The matrices support the evaluation of technological and regional characteristics influencing the successful CBE implementation. The results show that the success criteria "biomass resources", "technological", and "social" are perceived as highly important, and that most of the success criteria are both region- and technology-specific, highlighting the relevance of developing matrices to match them. We describe such matrices indicatively for the two broadest and most im-portant success criteria clusters “social acceptance” and “biomass supply chain”. With this, we substantiate the regional nature of CBE and raise the awareness on the importance of considering regional conditions in CBE transition processes. Furthermore, we provide practical guidance on how regional conditions can be reflected in the selection of technologies, e.g. in regional CBE technology scenarios.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a global agricultural pest that poses a threat to crop production, characterized by its refractory polyphagous nature that makes it difficult to control and may lead to damage to woody plants. However, research on its adaptability to woody plants remains limited. This study compares the feeding adaptations (survival rate, pupation time, pupation rate, weight, length, and feeding volume), protective enzyme activities, and feeding preferences of S. frugiperda on leaves of six economically significant tree species (Areca catechu, Aquilaria sinensis, Cocos nucifera, Camellia oleifera, Dalbergia odorifera and Hevea brasiliensis) and maize as a control treatment. The results indicate that A. sinensis as the most vulnerable trees in high risk, H. brasiliensis and C. nucifera presented varying degrees of susceptibility, A. catechu, C. oleifera, and D. odorifera were unsuitability for S. frugiperda. In conclusion, this report extensively explores the feeding effects of S. frugiperda on six economically important tree species, and provides insights into the feeding preferences on these plants, thereby informing the potential threat posed by S. frugiperda to economically vital trees.

Abstract: Background: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a form of non-thermal ablation that delivers pulses of high voltage electrical current between electrodes. The role of IRE in the treatment of colorectal hepatic metastases is unestablished. This study is an international ques-tionnaire survey of the use of IRE for colorectal hepatic metastases. Methods: A questionnaire addressing views on the use of IRE for colorectal liver metastases was circulated to clinicians with an interest and/or expertise in this technique. Results: 64 clinicians from 17 different countries replied to the questionnaire. Thirty-six (56%) had experience of treating patients with colorectal liver metastases with IRE. The preferred mode of delivery of IRE was percutaneous treatment under CT guidance. Thirty-three (70% respondents) used IRE exclusively for lesions in proximity to inflow or outflow structures. Twenty (43% respondents) used IRE as their sole ablative treat-ment whilst 19 (40% respondents) used IRE in combination with thermal ablation. The maximum number of lesions that could be treated by IRE was two and preferred size of lesion was

The study of precipitation amount at different time scales constitutes an important issue in climate research and risk assessment. When dealing with daily totals, a frequent but sometimes underestimated problem is at what time the observation day begins. The choice of different starting times may lead to incompatibility between stations and incorrect identification of extreme events. In this work, the problem of temporal misalignment between precipitation datasets characterized by different starting time of the observation day is analyzed. The most widely used adjustment methods (1day and uniform shift) and two methods based on reanalysis (NOAA and ERA5) are evaluated in terms of temporal alignment, precipitation statistics and percentile distributions. As test series, the precipitation amount collected from 9 a.m. local time (09 LT) on the previous day to 09 LT on the target day (9-9 datasets) of the Padua and nearby stations in the period 1993-2022 have been selected. Results show that the reanalysis-based methods, in particular ERA5, outperform the others in temporal alignment, regardless the station. But, for the periods in which reanalysis data are not available, “1day” method, which shifts the daily amount back one calendar day, and “unif” method, which distributes uniformly the daily total from a 2-day moving window surrounding the target date, can be considered valid alternatives. On the other side, concerning the precipitation statistics, the reanalysis-based methods are not the best option, as they increase the precipitation frequency and reduce the mean value over wet days, NOAA much more than ERA5. Nevertheless, the uniform method provides a larger deviation from the original daily series. The use of the series of a station nearby the target one, which is mandatory in case of missing data, gives similar or better results than applying any adjustment method to the 9-9 series. General conclusions can hardly be drawn as they depend on the method and station. For the Padua dataset, the analysis was repeated at monthly and seasonal resolution. In general, the adjustment series show the most relevant changes in the precipitation statistics in summer and less temporal alignment with the original series in summer and autumn, the two seasons mainly affected by heavy rains in Padua. Finally, the percentiles distribution, analyzed for all the methods and stations, indicates that any adjustment method underestimates the percentile values, except ERA5. Only Legnaro, the station most correlated with Padua, gives results like ERA5.

This study investigates the impacts of climate change policies on businesses across various sectors, aiming to understand how these regulations affect operational, financial, and strategic aspects of business management. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data was collected from 500 businesses through surveys and interviews, encompassing a wide range of industries, sizes, and geographic locations. The findings reveal a complex landscape where 30% of businesses report positive impacts, primarily in the renewable energy and technology sectors, citing increased demand for green products and improvements in energy efficiency. Conversely, 45% of businesses, especially from manufacturing and agriculture, experience negative impacts, including increased operational costs and regulatory compliance challenges. Notwithstanding, a significant majority of businesses are committed to enhancing their sustainability practices, viewing climate change policies as an opportunity for innovation and long-term growth. The study highlights the nuanced effects of climate change policies, emphasizing the need for sector-specific support measures to alleviate financial and operational burdens on negatively impacted businesses. Moreover, it points to a broader shift towards sustainability within the business community, suggesting that climate policies, despite their varied impacts, are driving significant changes in business strategies towards environmental stewardship.

Climate change is a major development challenge to Ethiopia. Unless adaptation measures are widely implemented, climate change can set back development efforts and achievements by years. Recognizing this, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and civil society organizations have since recently been making considerable efforts to tackle the climate change problem. This paper documents the experience of CARE International in Ethiopia in facilitating bottom-up approaches to promote community-led disaster risk management and climate change adaptation planning through a participator scenario planning (PSP) methodology. PSP is a coordinated approach which leverages a variety of stakeholders' skills and mandates to explore potential climate change risks and their impacts, and then develop locally relevant and shared adaptation action plans that support livelihoods, social capital and ecosystem resilience. The approach has facilitated timely access to and communication of seasonal climate advisories which in turn is empowering communities to take advantage of opportunities that climate presents, which is a key part of adapting to climate change. The institutionalization of the approach by district and regional disaster prevention and food security coordination offices in the southern pastoral regions of Ethiopia encouraged integration of PSP into community livelihood adaptation and local government development planning, hence continuity of the process. Sustainability is expected to be fully achieved when local government planning processes recognize the importance of and provides resources for the participation of meteorological services and community forecasting experts to help refine plans on a seasonal basis, and for systems for dissemination of advisories. Key words: Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Adaptation, Pastoralism, Ethiopia,

In the present work the problem of the attenuation of longitudinal sound oscillations in a conducting medium are considered. The proposed approach is based on the dynamic interaction of electron gas with the lattice vibrations. This interaction is manifested in the modification of kinetic equation for electrons. The process is accompanied by generation of an electric field.

This study explores optimizing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite constellation scheduling for multi-imaging missions in densely targeted areas using an in-house developed Modified Dynamic Programming (MDP) algorithm. By employing Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) to define the mission planning problem, the research aims to maximize observation of high-value targets within restricted planning horizons. Numerical simulations, covering a wide range of target numbers and satellite configurations, reveal the MDP algorithm’s superior mission allocation efficiency, enhanced success rates, and reduced revisit times, compared to the Greedy algorithm. The findings underscore the MDP algorithm’s improved operational efficiency and planning robustness for complex imaging tasks, demonstrating significant advancements over traditional approaches.

Most empirical work on sources of economic growth for different countries lack country-specific empirical evidence to guide policy choices in individual developing countries and previous studies of factor productivity tend to focus on the entire economy or a single sector. In this study, we use the recently developed growth accounting tools to explicitly determine the sources of economic growth at both national and sectoral levels in Zambia between 1970 and 2013. We use data from World Development Indicators and Zambia’s Central Statistical Office. On average, total factor productivity (TFP) contributes about 5.7% to economic growth. Sectoral analysis shows that agriculture contributes the least to GDP and that within each sector; factors that contribute to growth differ. Structural transformation has been slow and contributed to the observed inefficiency. We outline the implications of the observed growth and provide recommendations.

This study investigates the land surface temperature (LST) distribution from thermal infrared data for analyzing the characteristics of surface coverage using the Vegetation-Impervious-Soil (VIS) approach. A set of ten images, obtained from Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper, between 2001 and 2010, were used to study the urban environmental conditions of 47 neighborhoods of Porto Alegre city, Brazil. Porto Alegre has had the smallest population growth rate of all 27 state capitals in the last two decades in Brazil, with an increase of 11.55% in inhabitants from 1,263 million in 1991 to 1,409 million in 2010. We applied the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) theory in order to test the influence of the economically-related scenario on the spatial nature of social-environmental arrangement of the city at neighborhood scale. Our results suggest that the economically-related scenario exerts a non-negligible influence on the physically driven characteristics of the urban environmental conditions as predicted by EKC theory. The linear inverse correlation R2 between household income (HI) and LST is 0.36 and has shown to be comparable to all other studied variables. Future research may investigate the relation between other economically-related indicators to specific land surface characteristics.

The EASY-NET network program (NET-2016-02364191 - Effectiveness of Audit and Feedback (A&F) strategies to improve health practice and equity in various clinical and organizational set-tings), piloted a new and more structured A&F strategy. This study compared the effectiveness of the new strategy versus the periodic publication of indicators alone in improving the appropri-ateness and timeliness of emergency health interventions in patients with Acute Miocardial In-farction (AMI) and ischemic stroke in the Lazio Region. Efficacy was evaluated according to a prospective quasi-experimental design of pre-post (2021-2022) intervention type with control group. The exposed are hospitals in the Lazio Region where professional teams voluntarily par-ticipated in the intervention. The control group is involved only in the usual reporting activities. Effectiveness analysis was conducted at the patient level. Regional health information systems were used to calculate process and outcome indicators. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed with Difference In Difference models, comparing pre-post intervention periods between exposures and controls. Estimates were calculated in terms of the difference in percentage points (pp) between absolute risks. Sixteen facilities for the IMA pathway and 13 for the stroke pathway joined the intervention. The intervention reduced the proportion of 30-days readmissions after a hospitalization for ischemic stroke by 0.54 pp in the exposed patients with a significant difference of -3.80 pp (IC95% -6.57; -1.03; 5453 patients, 63.7% cases) in the exposed compared to controls. There were no statistically significant differences attributable to the implemented A&F interven-tion in the other indicators considered. The results show, for the first time in Italy, the impact of A&F interventions in an emergency setting using aggregated data from hospitals involved in the Lazio Region emergency network.

Densely urbanized areas, with a low percentage of green vegetation, are highly exposed to Heat Waves (HW) which nowadays are increasing in terms of frequency and intensity also in the middle-latitude regions, due to ongoing Climate Change (CC). Their negative effects may combine with those of the UHI (Urban Heat Island), a local phenomenon where air temperatures in the compact built up cores of towns increase more than those in the surrounding rural areas, with significant impact on the quality of urban environment, on citizens health and energy consumption and transport, as it has occurred in the summer of 2003 on France and Italian central-northern areas. In this context this work aims at designing and developing a methodology based on aero-spatial remote sensing (EO) at medium-high resolution and most recent GIS techniques, for the extensive characterization of the urban fabric response to these climatic impacts related to the temperature within the general framework of supporting local and national strategies and policies of adaptation to CC. Due to its extension and variety of built-up typologies, the municipality of Rome was selected as test area for the methodology development and validation. First of all, we started by operating through photointerpretation of cartography at detailed scale (CTR 1: 5000) on a reference area consisting of a transect of about 5x20 km, extending from the downtown to the suburbs and including all the built-up classes of interest. The reference built-up vulnerability classes found inside the transect were then exploited as training areas to classify the entire territory of Rome municipality. To this end, the satellite EO HR (High Resolution) multispectral data, provided by the Landsat sensors were used within a on purpose developed "supervised" classification procedure, based on data mining and “object-classification” techniques. The classification results were then exploited for implementing a calibration method, based on a typical UHI temperature distribution, derived from MODIS satellite sensor LST (Land Surface Temperature) data of the summer 2003, to obtain an analytical expression of the vulnerability model, previously introduced on a semi-empirical basis.

This work compared the performance of three methods for constructing a regional ensemble prediction system (EPS) for wind speed forecasts: dynamical downscaling, breeding of growth modes (BGM), and blending method. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used to downscale the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) EPS. In addition, as the BGM method needs observation data for generating scaling factors, an alternative method for generating scaling factors was proposed to eliminate dependence on observation data. One-month tests between October 1st and October 30th, 2020, were implemented to evaluate the performance of three methods in the Gansu province of China. The results demonstrate that the blending method outperforms the other two methods. Furthermore, the difference in performance is evident mainly in early forecast lead time and becomes negligible as forecast time increases.

Globalization, knowledge economy, information technology advancements, and the rise of learning societies contribute to the concept of a learning city. The study examines the economic indicators of Yazd city, Iran, in the context of learning city development. A descriptive-analytical approach with a survey method and cluster sampling was employed. Data analysis involved Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, single-sample T-test, simple linear regression, and Kendall's W test. The normality test confirmed data normality. The T-test indicated that experts perceived the current state of most variables in Yazd as undesirable. Regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between the economic index and independent variables. Kendall's W test prioritized areas based on economic indicators, with the top 7 and bottom 5 areas identified for focused interventions. The study emphasizes the need to prioritize areas within Yazd based on their economic indicators. This prioritization informs strategies for enhancing social and legal aspects of Yazd's transformation into a learning city. Further research should explore effective methods to cultivate a full-fledged learning environment in the city.

ABSTRACT This study focused for socio-economic benefit of Western shoreline of Lake Ziway ecosystem. The data collected from two woredas they are Adami Tulu Jidu Kombolch (ATJK) and Dugda woreda of fishermen and small scale irrigation users. Lake Ziway great importance food and water for both groups of respondents and additionally sources of raw material, energy, cultivation, organic fertilizers, genetic and medicinal plants. Lake Ziway also has a major economic benefit for both groups of respondents. The sampled fishermen cached mean amount of 2,524Kg per year with minimum and maximum amount of fish 504Kg and 16,800Kg per year respectively and with this fish catching they got average income of 51,398 Birr ($2,570) per year with range of 7,200 Birr ($360) and 288,000 Birr ($14,400) per year. As like of fishermen small scale irrigation also got economic benefit with their production of cereal crops, fruits and vegetables. They produce in average 13.47Quintal of cereal crop and 69.56Quintal of fruits and vegetables per year and they got average income of 7,727 Birr ($386) and with range of 13,714 Birr ($686) per year respectively. this incurred that wetland ecosystem has a lot of socio-economic benefit for the people live near by specially for developing countries like Ethiopia they are more dependent on natural ecosystem like of Lake Ziway. Because of its high importance, we have to protect and conserve and use sustainably of Lake Ziway and similar wetland ecosystems. Key Words: Wetland ecosystem service; Lake Ziway; Socioeconomic benefit; Fishermen; Small scale irrigation users

The concept of economic self-reliance, widely known by Thai people as the philosophy of sufficiency economy, has been widely promoted in rural Thai societies. By practicing this philosophy, it is expected that the citizens’ quality of life and local environments could be sustainably improved. This study aims to explore the contribution of the community practices of the sufficiency economy philosophy to rural villagers’ quality of life improvement, and to investigate potential factors that determine the trust of villagers in the philosophy. With the purpose to propose strategies which could enhance trust and promote villagers’ practices of the philosophy, the study investigated influences of three relevant factors on trust towards the philosophy. Those factors included factors related to cognitive-based trust, factors related to emotional-based trust, and factors related to demographic characteristics. Questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews with community leaders and local villagers were conducted in the Ban Jamrung community, in Thailand’s Rayong province. The results of the statistical analysis revealed that the residents who applied the sufficiency economy philosophy in their daily lives experienced a relatively better quality of life. Additionally, it was found that trust in the philosophy could be predicted more by rational factors than by emotional factors. These findings could be utilized to develop strategies to maintain and enhance the trust of the people in the philosophy of sufficiency economy.

Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) form in polar regions typically between 15 and 25 km, when the local temperature is sufficiently low. PSCs play an important role in the ozone chemistry and the dehydration and denitrification of the stratosphere. Lidars with a depolarization channel may be used to detect and classify different classes of PSCs. The main PSC classes are water ice, nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) and supercooled ternary solutions (STS), the latter being liquid droplets consisting of water, nitric acid and sulphuric acid. PSCs have been observed at the lidar observatory at Concordia Station from 2014 on. The harsh environmental conditions at Concordia during winter render successful lidar operation difficult. In order to facilitate the operation of the observatory several measures have been put in place to achieve an almost complete remote control of the system. PSC occurrence is strongly correlated with local temperatures and is affected by dynamics, as the PSC coverage during the observation season shows.

The study delves into the multifaceted landscape of human-macaque conflict within temple ecosystems, with a specific focus on Bonnet Macaques. In the context of intertwined religious, cultural, and social values, understanding public attitudes towards these commensal species becomes pivotal. The research aims to decipher the socio-economic factors that shape perceptions of human-monkey conflict within temples and to explore public attitudes within sacred groves. To achieve these objectives, a comprehensive questionnaire was administered through household interviews to 100 residents living within both a 1 sq. km and a 2 sq. km radius of the study area, ensuring direct participant interaction. The survey, taking approximately 40 minutes per participant, examined six variables, including occupation, religion, and annual income. The data collected was analysed using SPSS ver. 24 software, employing the chi-square test of independence to explore associations between categorical variables. The findings revealed that occupation and religion emerged as influential factors in shaping perceptions of Bonnet Macaques as problematic. While annual income hinted at significance, age, education, and knowledge of Kysannur Forest Disease (KFD) did not significantly impact Bonnet Macaque perception. Interestingly, age emerged as a significant factor influencing the perception of the monkeys' religious significance, whereas only education and religious affiliation impacted feeding practices towards the monkeys. Surprisingly, other demographic variables such as age, gender, occupation, and income showed no significant influence on monkey feeding practices. These results underscore the intricate interplay of socioeconomic, cultural, and religious factors in shaping public attitudes and behaviours towards Bonnet Macaques. The study further sheds light on the impact of education and religious affiliation on feeding practices, emphasizing the need for nuanced conservation strategies. Recognizing these complexities is crucial for developing culturally sensitive conservation efforts. By acknowledging the influential factors identified in this research, conservation strategies can be tailored to specific communities, fostering harmonious coexistence between humans and Bonnet Macaques in temple ecosystems. This nuanced approach ensures that conservation efforts are not only effective but also respectful of the diverse socio-cultural contexts within which they are implemented.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive care unit (ICU) round checklist, FAST HUGS BID (Feeding, Analgesia, Sedation, Thromboembolic prophylaxis, Head-of-bed elevation, Ulcer prophylaxis, Glycemic control, Spontaneous breathing trial, Bowel regimen, Indwelling catheter removal, and De-escalation of antibiotics) in improving clinical outcomes for patients with severe trauma. Patients admitted to our trauma ICU between 2016 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. We divided the participants into two groups: before (before-FD, 2016-2017) and after (after-FD, 2019-2020) the checklist's implementation. We compared patient characteristics and clinical outcomes, including ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) and in-hospital mortality. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier curves and multivariable logistic regression models, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify independent factors associated with ICU and hospital LOS. Compared with the before-FD group, the after-FD group had significantly lower in-hospital mortality and complication rates, shorter ICU and hospital LOS, and reduced duration of mechanical ventilation. revealed that the checklist's implementation was a significant independent factor in reducing ICU and hospital LOS and in-hospital mortality. In this before/after study, we observed that the FAST HUGS BID checklist implementation was associated with decreased ICU and hospital LOS and in-hospital mortality.

Iterated games, in which the same economic interaction is repeatedly played between the same agents, are an important framework for understanding the effectiveness of strategic choices over time. To date very little work has applied information theory to the information sets used by agents in order to decide what action to take next in such strategic situations. This article looks at the mutual information between previous game states and an agent's next action by introducing two new classes of games: ’invertible games’ and ‘cyclical games'. By explicitly expanding out the mutual information between past states and the next action we show under what circumstances these expressions can be simplified. These information measures are then applied to the Traveler's Dilemma game and the Prisoner's Dilemma game, the Prisoner's Dilemma being invertible, to illustrate their use. In the Prisoner's Dilemma a novel connection is made between the computational principles of logic gates and both the structure of games and the agents' decision strategies. This approach is applied to the cyclical game Matching Pennies to analyse the foundations of a behavioural ambiguity between two well studied strategies: ‘Tit-for-Tat' and ’Win-Stay, Lose-Switch'.

The mineralogical indices, e.g., Quartz Index (QI), Carbonate Index (CI), Mafic Index (MI) for ASTER multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) data have been applied to various geological materials. The indices are proved to be robust in extracting geological information at the local scale. Considering the relatively narrow spatial coverage of each ASTER scene compared to LANDSAT, many scenes are needed when mosaicking the images to be mapped at regional scales. We develop a system to search ASTER data for a target area given the vast and expanding ASTER data archive. The data is then conditioned, prioritized, and the indices are calculated before finally mosaicking the imagery. The maps of the indices covering the very wide region of the central Tibetan Plateau are produced with this system. The characteristic features of the indices relating to their geology in the study area are analyzed and discussed. Many interesting lithological and structural information that are not currently well understood in the central Tibetan Plateau, the highest and most extensive plateau in the world, with an average elevation of over 4,500 meters above sea level, for example, distributions of the mafic-ultramafic rocks along the suture zones, the quarzitic and marine sedimentology accreted to the Eurasian continent and sulfate layers related to the Tethys and neo-Tethys geological setting can be retrieved from the processed ASTER images.

Agriculture contributes towards South African economy, but this sector is highly vulnerable to risks imposed by climate change. Smallholder maize farmers are specifically susceptible to climate change impacts. Maize crop plays a crucial role in the country's food security as it is considered a stable food for households and source of feed for livestock. The study aimed to analyze the socio-economic factors influencing smallholder maize farmers’ willingness to adopt climate-smart agriculture. It was conducted in three different areas due to their specific agro-ecological zones. Multipurpose research design was used to gather data, and multistage random sampling to choose the study areas. Subsequently, 209 purposively selected farmers were interviewed face-to-face using structured questionnaires and focus discussion groups. Descriptive statistics and Double-hurdle regression model were used to analyze the data. Descriptive results indicated that 81%, 67%, and 63% farmers were willing to adopt CSA in Ga-Makanye, Gabaza, and Giyani, respectively. Empirical results from the first and second hurdles of the regression analysis showed that farmers’ education, crop diversification, information about CSA positively influenced the decision to adopt CSA while household size and agricultural experience negatively influenced the decision to adopt CSA. It is recommended that the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development should provide CSA workshops and educational programs to farmers to enhance their knowledge and decision-making processes regarding adaptation strategies.

Reservoirs created by damming rivers significantly modify the environment and problems may arise: the storage of nutrients and organic matter in reservoirs often leads to decreased water quality due to eutrophication. Reservoirs built on lowland rivers are exposed to significant nutrient loads, often leading to eutrophication. In this article, the Sulejów Reservoir, in Central Poland, was the subject of the research, which focused on the use of Sentinel-2 remote sensing data to detect phytoplankton blooms, and on understanding the pattern of wind-driven surface currents using the CCHE2D model (a depth-averaged hydrodynamic model). The calculation of the total phosphorus load has shown that the reservoir mainly acts as nutrient storage. Still, during the low flow and intensive phytoplankton bloom, it can be a source of nutrients. The distribution of phytoplankton bloom on the Sulejów Reservoir was documented using eight Sentinel-2 satellite images from the vegetation season of 2020 and the Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCl). Coupling remote sensing data and numerical modelling helps to interpret the hydrodynamic model results and understand nutrients and sediment dynamics within the reservoir. Hydrodynamic modelling combined with remote sensing data can be a valuable tool for selecting appropriate locations for water quality measurements at monitoring stations.

Recent years' global shocks (e.g., the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic) and environmental shocks - such as natural disasters - have heightened the vulnerability of developing countries to future shocks, and can compromise their development prospects. International institutions and researchers have advocated that the strengthening of productive capacities in these countries would help them enhance the resilience of their economies to shocks, and promote sustainable development. The present paper has examined the effect of productive capacities on economic growth and economic growth volatility in developing countries, in particular when they face a high level of structural economic vulnerability. The analysis covers 117 developing countries over the period 2000-2018. It shows that productive capacities do not only promote economic growth, but also reduce economic growth volatility. On the other hand, structural economic vulnerability reduces economic growth, in particular when it exceeds a certain level, and induces greater volatility of economic growth. Interestingly, the findings suggest that productive capacities promote economic growth and reduce economic growth volatility in countries that face a high degree of structural economic vulnerability. These findings support the recommendation by international institutions and researchers that if they were to enhance the resilience of their economies to shocks, and promote sustainable economic growth, developing countries (in particular the poorest ones) should strengthen their productive capacities.

This work reviews three frameworks for responding to economic disruption: risk mitigation, systemic recovery, and economic resilience. Specifically, by reviewing extant literature in economics, communication, and other disciplines, we argue that current approaches to understanding resilience in economics largely fail to address ongoing and emergent disruptions to the economic and social world. In response to these issues, we work to synthesize economic frameworks and the communication theory of resilience to forward a new way of examining the overlapping questions of economic resilience related to metatheoretical commitments, analytic contexts, and implications for theory, method, and practice.

The application of smartphone-based color evaluation of passive sampling devices for gases has only been sparsely reported. The present review aims to compile available publications with respect to the configuration of the passive samplers, conditions of smartphone photographing, analytical procedure for color detection and quantification (including calibration processes), and their application to different target gases. The performance of the methods - whenever available - is presented regarding the analytical specifications selectivity, sensitivity, and limit of detection in comparison with other color evaluation methods of passive samplers. Practical aspects like requirements of instrumentation and ease of use will be outlined in view of the potential employment in education and citizen science projects. In one section of the review the inconsistent terminology of passive and diffusive sampling is discussed in order to clarify the distinction of information obtained from the uptake of the passive samplers between gas-phase concentration and the accumulated deposition flux of gaseous analytes. Colorimetric gas sensors are included in the review when applied in passive sampling configurations and evaluation is performed with smartphone-based color evaluation. Differences in the analytical procedures employed after the passive sampling step and prior to the detection of the colored compounds are also presented.

This research investigates entrepreneurial attitudes among 415 students in the academic sports domain. Utilizing a 15-item questionnaire, participants were categorized into four groups based on their sports background: individual and team sports with competitive history, amateur athletes, and non-practitioners. The questionnaire exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.755). Statistical analysis using the Chi-Square Test of Homogeneity across criteria such as gender, competitive sports involvement, type of competitive sports, and engagement in amateur sports revealed significant differences in nine out of 60 comparisons. Furthermore, this study employs an explanatory approach to elucidate the distinctions among athletes, amateur, and non-athlete students in academic sports programs regarding assumption of responsibilities, proactive initiative, determination to establish their own businesses, perception of the comfort zone, and the perception of post-sports career adaptation. Additionally, a gender comparison is conducted concerning the perception of business risk, comfort and security in a stable workplace, and the applicability of sports-oriented approaches in business. These results provide valuable insights into how sports backgrounds shape entrepreneurial perspectives, thereby contributing to the development of customized entrepreneurial programs. Moreover, the study seeks to offer a nuanced comprehension of the diverse factors influencing the entrepreneurial attitudes and perceptions of students in sports academic programs.

The adoption of environmental conservation agriculture (ECA) in Nepal is aligned with the country's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, as ECA practices have been proven to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nepal's agricultural sector faces numerous challenges, including labor shortages, climate change impacts, and the necessity for environmentally friendly farming methods, making the adoption of ECA practices even more crucial. This paper thus explored farmer perspectives on the sustainability of ECA practices in Namobuddha municipality, Nepal, which is renowned as a leading hub of organic farming. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, together with key informant interviews and onsite observations. By analyzing various farmer perspectives, the study presents an analytical framework that highlights the economic, environmental, and social pillars of ECA's sustainability. The findings underscore the significance of economic viability for farmers, as damages to crops and farm products negatively drive their perception of ECA sustainability. Conversely, factors such as increased agriculture-related income, favorable prices, and sustainable productivity positively shape farmers' perceptions. In terms of environmental sustainability, farmers prioritize enhancing the local and global environment, viewing their farming methods as climate-smart and actively working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The study emphasizes the importance of strategic communication to effectively convey the benefits of ECA to rural communities. Overall, this research contributes to filling the knowledge gap concerning farmers' perceptions of ECA sustainability. The insights gained from this study have the potential to inform policy decisions and promote the widespread adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices in Nepal.

This paper examines the transformation of the Ukrainian stock market by analyzing daily returns from the PFTS stock index spanning 1995-2022. Segmented into sub-periods, it tests the hypothesis that the market's efficiency has grown over time. Various data properties, including persistence, volatility, normality, and resistance to anomalies, are explored using different statistical techniques and methods. Volatility, indicated by standard deviation, exhibits a general decreasing trend, suggesting a shift towards a more efficient market. Returns show no significant differences across sub-periods, except for 2005-2007. R/S analysis indicates the decrease of persistence in the market: a trend towards increased efficiency. Normality tests support a normal distribution of daily returns throughout sub-periods. An analysis of anomalies reveals the market's resilience to day-of-the-week effects, with no specific trends observed. The results suggest the absence of serious changes in data properties in the Ukrainian stock market over the time, means evolutionary processes over 25 years can’t be clearly observed. Reforms and changes have had limited impact, justifying continued reform for the market's evolution.

Dirofilariosis is an infectious disease caused by species of the Dirofilaria genus. It is manifested by the appearance of a subcutaneous swelling, especially in the eye region. We present the case of a 29-year-old patient that accused facial asymmetry in the right genian region. Following clinical and paraclinical evaluations, the diagnosis of parasitic cyst was established in the context of dirofilariosis with Dirofilaria repens (D. repens). Treatment consisted of surgical excision of the formation associated with prophylactic antibiotic medication. Macroscopic analysis of the excision piece revealed a structure that contains a cystic cavity and a filamentous form with a length of approximately 10 mM and a diameter of 1 mM. This is the first case of dirofilariosis located in the genian region reported in Romania. The overview of this pathology is important to raise awareness among physicians about its presence and its clinical variations.

The main purpose of this work was to tests of form and size of fatigue wear of the top layer of oil gear pump wheel (3PW-BPF-24). The object of tests was operated during a determined number of hours at strictly controlled operational and environmental parameters. A microscope of focal differentiation by Alicona InfiniteFocus G4 (with Focus-Variation optical measuring technology) was used for an identification, measurement and description of noticed superficial defects, which resulted from the fatigue process of the top layer and an earlier thermochemical treatment. The work was finished with an analysis of obtained results (based on the analysis of 3D scans) and conclusions concerning about optimization of the thermal treatment. Taking into consideration the presented results (suggestions) in the technology of improving strength properties of gear wheels (of this type oil pumps) may render it possible to obtain an appropriate fatigue endurance of the top layer, i.e. a minimization of observed superficial defects.

The economic, social and environmental benefits generated by the use of urban public transportation infrastructure constitute a complex dynamic urban public transportation infrastructure utilization benefit system. This paper evaluates the coupling coordination among these three benefits taking four Chinese autonomous municipalities as an example. These four cities have large-scale urban public transportation infrastructures but their utilization has many serious problems. The basic function of urban public transportation infrastructure has not been fully played in these cities. Whether the different benefits of urban public transportation infrastructure have been developed in harmony or not is unclear. We analyzed the coordinated development among three benefits by constructing coupling coordination degree model and used Gini coefficient to study the difference of coordinated development among three benefits of four cities. The result shows that the levels of coordinated development among three benefits of urban public transportation infrastructure were lower in these four cities and have positive correlation with it of urban public transportation infrastructure utilization benefit. Raising the level of urban public transportation infrastructure utilization benefit is the most crucial solution of promoting the coordinated development among three benefits.

Ammonium sulfate has been utilized in agriculture; however, there is a dearth of research on its application in maize cultivation subsequent to the implementation of nitrification inhibitors or coating. This study aims to analyze the impacts of various combinations of ammonium sulfate fertilizers on soil nutrients, plant nutrient uptake, yield, and fertilizer utilization efficiency in maize cultivation to ascertain the optimal and stabilized disposal method for ammonium sulfate. A completely randomized design was employed with five treatments (AU, the control using urea; AS, treatment using ammonium sulfate; ASN, treatment using ammonium sulfate with a nitrification inhibitor; ASG, treatment using oil-coated ammonium sulfate; ASD, treatment using oil-humic acid-coated ammonium sulfate). Results showed that: (1) Compared with AU and AS, ASN, ASG and ASD decreased the leaching rates of TN, NH4+-N and NO3-N to the 10-20 cm soil layer, and more residual N was obtained in 0-10 cm soil layer. The first-order kinetic equation Nt=N0(1-e-kt) can better fit the process of nitrogen accumulation and release, and the N release rate constant is AU>CK>AS>ASH>ASN>ASD; (2) Compared with AU and AS treatments, the plant dry weight, grain dry weight, spike width, spike length, and yields of maize increased by 8.85-11.08%, 12.98-14.15%, 2.95-3.52%, 5.50-5.65%, and 43.21-51.10% under ASG treatment respectively. The impact of effective spike number on maize yield was found to be significant, as demonstrated by the path analysis conducted in this study. Furthermore, the accumulation levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium within above-ground plants significantly increased under the ASG treatment compared to the AU and AS treatments. The partial productivity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased by 1.43-1.51-fold under ASG treatment, while grain nitrogen balance, grain phosphorus balance, and grain potassium balance increased by 1.41-1.58-fold, 1.51-1.95-fold, and 1.15-l.96-fold respectively. The oil-coated ammonium sulfate, therefore, exhibited the optimal slow-release effect of nutrients, thereby achieving superior performance in enhancing maize production and efficiency.

In the dynamic interplay between people and their physical environments, the Global South stands as a mosaic undergoing a multitude of transformative influences in architecture and urbanism where examining social sustainability becomes imperative. While prevailing attention remains on environmental and economic sustainability, this study addresses a persistent gap in the urban literature by focusing on the dynamic and manifold nature of social sustainability. Positioning itself within the context of sustainable development, the study links the pursuit of social aspects of sustainability with selected unique urban contexts from the Global South. Five cases that include Alexandria (Egypt), Tripoli (Libya), Basra (Iraq), Lilongwe (Malawi), and Accra (Ghana) are discussed through multi-layered investigations that involve attitude surveys, interviews, focus groups, participatory systematic observations, and behavioral mapping, engaging directly with inhabitants and stakeholders. Uncovering people-place narratives in the identified contexts, the cases are developed into five knowledge typologies that serve as practical tools for planning and design decision-making, policy formulation, and academic discourse. Discussions are conceived to demonstrate the transformative role people-place narratives play in fostering a more sustainable and equitable urban future. Conclusions are drawn to offer practical insights for stakeholders involved in various capacities in shaping the urban landscape of the Global South.

This article examines evolution of trans-regional Ethio-Djibouti railway corridor and its impact on urbanization. Exploratory and descriptive research methods were employed to examine the impact of this railway corridor. Case study also applied to examine eight selected intermediate cities. The article points out that, the Ethio-Djibouti railway corridor conceived different kinds of linear urban centers ranging from small towns to intermediate cities around stations. Those urban centers have been attracting industries along their fringes that leads to rural urban continuum ribbon urbanization. As the old railway line deteriorated, these linear urban centers on the railway corridor had also been declining from time to time. In 2011 new project was started to construct the Ethi-Djibouti standard gauge railway parallel to the old railway line. This new standard gauge railway infrastructure adopts ‘peripheral station’ development approach, which provides a room for width expansion for station based urban centers. It also attracts industries in a form of special economic zones, which causes for labour migration from rural and nearby small urban centers that caused rural-urban continuum of ribbon settlement; strengthen trade gate way for the landlocked Ethiopia that caused trans-regional integration.

The digital transformation of healthcare is advancing, leading to an increasing availability of clinical data for research. Perioperative big data initiatives were established to monitor treatment quality and benchmark outcomes. However, big data analyzes have long exceeded the status of pure quality surveillance instruments. Large retrospective studies nowadays often represent the first approach to new questions in clinical research and pave the way for more expensive and resource intensive prospective trials. As a consequence, utilization of big data in acute pain and regional anesthesia research considerably increased over the last decade. Multicentric clinical registries and administrative databases (e.g., healthcare claims databases) have collected millions of cases until today, on which basis several important research questions were approached. In acute pain research, big data was used to assess postoperative pain outcomes, opioid utilization, and the efficiency of multimodal pain management strategies. In regional anesthesia, adverse events and potential benefits of regional anesthesia on postoperative morbidity and mortality were evaluated. This article provides a narrative review on the growing importance of big data for research in acute postoperative pain and regional anesthesia.

Synanthropic flora (weeds, spontaneously developed plants) are plants that accompany humans, appearing as a result of anthropopressure as well as after its cessation. The potential of synanthropic flora in shaping green areas usually brings many measurable benefits that depend on land management in cities. The study aimed to determine the preferences and attitudes of adults towards synanthropic flora in settlement units. The article presents survey results from 447 city residents. The obtained results were statistically analyzed using the k-means clustering method to identify segments of respondents with similar attitudes and preferences toward synanthropic flora. Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to determine statistical differences in the demographic variables among the analyzed clusters of respondents. Additionally, multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the opinions and attitudes towards synanthropic flora, that may influence their greater acceptance in the vicinity of residential areas. The results obtained in multiple regression allow for the statement that the respondent’s evaluation of the level of support for the introduction of more synanthropic vegetation into urban greenery (Yw) grows with the increase of acceptance of synanthropic plants occurrence in surroundings. Respondents’ opinions on the subject of the presence of synanthropic plants were studied using such variables concerning: synanthropic vegetation found in turfgrasses has a positive impact on the visual attractiveness of a site (X1), synanthropic plant communities present themselves better than others (X2), presence of synanthropic vegetation in an estate improves the quality of life in that location (X3), introduction of synanthropic flora into estate arrangements is a positive (X4), support for the use of synanthropic flora for educational purposes - as elements of playgrounds or in the form of environmental workshops (X5). Residents’ acceptance of synanthropic flora in green areas is at a relatively high level.

Residual sugars (RS) in wine are the sugars that remain in a wine after fermentation is complete. In some wine styles, such as semi-dry wines, the accurate measurement of the RS concentration is critical for both qualitative and legislative reasons. Brix, measured by a simple refractometer, can give a good estimation of the RS concentration in the must, but during fermentation, the presence of alcohol leads to inaccurate sugar measurements. In order to measure the RS accurately, other more precise techniques are used, most of which are expensive or require professional skills. Therefore, novel approaches for rapid, easy, and practical measurements for estimating the sugar content were suggested over the years. However, most of these methods do not supply an actual measurement of RS but rather give brix values, and those that measure RS involve special equipment, which is less relevant for small wineries. This study suggests a novel model for predicting and controlling the wine's residual sugar. The data the model uses is the initial brix of the must before fermentation and its density during fermentation. The model was created by measuring actual residual sugars during the fermentation of natural and synthetic musts, with various degrees of initial brix levels, while simultaneously measuring their densities and correlating the two measurements. Linear regression between the residual sugar of the wine and its density was obtained for all treatments and repetitions (i.e., different values of must initial brix) with R² values above 0.97. Using the model, one can calculate (before commencing the fermentation) the density values at which the fermentation will reach a particular desired residual sugar value for a specific initial brix level; the model is applicable for the fermentation conditions used in this work, i.e., brix levels of 18-27˚Bx, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (fx-33 and fx-10) in common conditions of fermentation regarding temperature and aeration.

This study examines the effectiveness of a comprehensive psychomotor development program combined with adapted football training for adolescents diagnosed with intellectual disabilities in Romania. Twelve participants, with a mean age of 17.42 years underwent a carefully designed intervention program spanning 36 weeks. The program aimed to enhance fundamental movement skills, integrate these skills into specialized football training, and culminate in a Unified 7-a-side Football Match. Results indicate significant improvements in psychomotor skills, including static and dynamic balance, pulse processing speed, and identified stimuli. Moreover, the intervention positively impacted social interaction among participants. Statistical analysis, employing Pearson Correlation Analysis and Paired Samples t-Test (One-Sample), compared assessments. Results revealed significant differences between pre- and post-intervention measurements, providing robust evidence of the program's efficacy. The positive correlations between physical parameters and social interaction highlight the interconnectedness between physical fitness and social engagement. Our findings suggest that improvements in physical abilities may contribute to increased social interaction among children with intellectual disabilities, underscoring the holistic nature of our intervention, which addresses multiple dimensions of development simultaneously. The findings underscore the holistic benefits of integrating psychomotor development and adapted football programs for adolescents with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing the importance of promoting inclusive physical activities for their overall well-being.

Zero-emission trucks for regional and long haul missions are an option for fossil-free freight. The viability of such powertrains and system solutions was studied conceptually in project ESCALATE for trucks with GVW of 40 tonnes and beyond through various prime mover combinations. The study covers battery and fuel cell power sources with different degrees of battery electric as well as H2 and fuel cell operation. As a design basis, two different missions with a single-charge/H2 refill were analysed. The first mission was the VECTO long haul profile repeated up to 750 km, whereas the second was a real 520 km on-road mission in Finland. Based on the simulated energy consumption on the driving cycle, on-board energy demand was estimated, and the initial single-charge operational scenarios were analysed with five different power source topologies. The traction motors of the tractor were dimensioned so that a secondary mission of GVW up to 76 tons on a shorter route can be operated. Based on the powertrain and vehicle model, various infrastructure options for charging and H2 refuelling strategy as well as various operative scenarios with indicative total cost of ownership (TCO) were analysed.

The objectives of the study were to determine the spatial rate of CO₂ flux (Net Ecosystem Exchange) and soil moisture in a wetland ecosystem applying Sentinel-1 IW (Interferometric Wide) data of VH (Vertical Transmit/Horizontal Receive—cross polarization) and VV (Vertical Transmit/Vertical Receive—like polarization) polarization. In-situ measurements of carbon flux, soil moisture, and LAI (Leaf Area Index) were carried out over the Biebrza Wetland in north-eastern Poland. The impact of soil moisture and LAI on backscattering coefficient (σ°) calculated from Sentinel-1 data showed that LAI dominates the influence on σ° when soil moisture is low. The models for soil moisture have been derived for wetland vegetation habitat types applying VH polarization (R² = 0.70 to 0.76). The vegetation habitats: reeds, sedge-moss, sedges, grass-herbs, and grass were classified using combined one Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) and three TerraSAR-X (TSX) ScanSAR VV data. The model for the assessment of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) has been developed based on the assumption that soil moisture and biomass represented by LAI have an influence on it. The σ° VH and σ° VV describe soil moisture and LAI, and have been the input to the NEE model. The model, created for classified habitats, is as follows: NEE = f (σ° Sentinel-1 VH, σ° Sentinel-1 VV). Reasonably good predictions of NEE have been achieved for classified habitats (R² = 0.51 to 0.58). The developed model has been used for mapping spatial and temporal distribution of NEE over Biebrza wetland habitat types. Eventually, emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere (NEE positive) has been noted when soil moisture (SM) and biomass were low. This study demonstrates the importance of the capability of Sentinel-1 microwave data to calculate soil moisture and estimate NEE with all-weather acquisition conditions, offering an important advantage for frequent wetlands monitoring.

Extant research pays little attention to migrant workers’ skill accumulation/upgrading from the perspective of the labor supply. This paper takes China as an example to explore the factors influencing skill accumulation of rural-urban migrant workers (RUMWs), with a purpose to discover how to sustain or reshape regional competitive advantage through improving RUMWs’ skill accumulation. Structured questionnaire surveys were adopted for data collection in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province and Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province located in the Yangtze River Delta in the east of China. 900 questionnaires were issued and 491 effective questionnaires were recovered totally. This paper takes a perspective of global production networks, and gets a broad viewpoint containing intra-firm coordination, inter-firm partnership and extra-firm bargaining with non-firm actors, beyond what the extant literature on laborers’ human capital focuses on. The finding indicates that firms’ skill-oriented preference, which concerns about employees’ skills and innovation ability and stimulates them to learn initiatively, have a significant influence on RUMWs’ skill accumulation. In terms of collective efficiency based on co-competitive relationship between local firms, the more intensive interactions are, the more opportunities of skill accumulation RUMWs get. The accessibility of local institutions and favorable policies benefit RUMWs’ skill accumulation. Besides, the place itself, as a synthesized space of labor-management relations inside a firm and inter-organization relations, exerts an influence on and cause the regional differences in RUMWs’ skill accumulation.

.Maize cultivation in Thailand faces challenges owing to climate change and soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. This highlights the importance of comparing maize soil with paddy soil in terms of the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient availability, as they influence SOC content. Soil samples from Chiang Mai province, primarily Fluvisol, were collected for the cultivation of paddy rice and maize, analysed for carbon fractions and chemical properties, and categorised into layers. Comparative analysis revealed that maize soils had lower levels of labile carbon components and organic carbon than paddy soils (P

Market turbulence with fiscal investment influences has altered IT infrastructure performance as business pursue extravagant new technology adoption. Yet, few studies have examined how shareware solution goes beyond Medium Size Enterprise that pushes efficiency and sustainability. This PLS-SEM integrated with dual primary compilation approach lessens shallow perceptions coupled with outlooks that streamline each phenomenal activity that is worthy of the necessity for competitive innovation. This unified model was applied to sampling respondents and analyzed using an ordinal regression relationship that generates a robust association that triggers the hypothesis acceptance. The adopting of BOINC shareware mesh network towards unified processing designs that were employed to build the yield by promising financial possibility using coordinated interworks hence improved group accomplishment and establishing greater esteem. This paper showcases a flexible inner IT infrastructure alongside the economic uncertainty with the framework advancement for Exostructure as a Service. Associated theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

The Novel Coronavirus Disease (nCOVID) has grabed the whole world recently since its origin in Wuhan city of China. There is very dire consequences the whole world is going through because of nCOVID. The unprecedented nCOVID and associated consequences pushed the public health system in the crisis. Undoubtedly, it has affected almost all countries of the world. Nevertheless, hardly a few country it has spared from its dire consequences in terms social and economical losses. However, it is worth of observing that some of the positive consequences are also results of this pandemic. Consequently, this paper discusses the pros and cons of the pandemic from various perspective such as social and economical impacts on human lives and livelihoods.

Accurate detection and state analysis of traffic flows are essential for effectively reconstructing traffic flows and reducing the risk of severe injury and fatality. For this reason, several studies on resolving traffic problems have proposed the use of crowdsourcing, in which drivers provide real-time traffic information using mobile devices, to monitor traffic conditions. Using data collected via crowdsourcing for traffic event detection has advantages in terms of improved accuracy and reduced time cost in collecting relevant data. In this paper, we propose a technique that employs crowdsourcing to collect traffic-related data and uses these data to detect events that influence traffic. The proposed technique uses various machine-learning methods to more accurately identify events and find accurate location information. Therefore, it is able to resolve problems typically encountered with conventionally provided location information, such as broadly defined locations or inaccurate location information. The proposed technique has advantages in terms of reducing time and cost while increasing accuracy. Its validity and effectiveness were also demonstrated through various performance evaluations.

This study was conducted to investigate the status of regional linkage in tourism development in in the Midlands and Northern Mountains of Vietnam. The data was collected from a survey of 755 people, including officials from State management bodies in charge of tourism, officials and staffs at tourism resorts, tourism firms, tourism scientists and tourists. In addition, we conducted 10 group discussions, interviewed 30 State tourism agency officials and tourism firms in the Midland and Mountainous provinces of Vietnam. The results show that tourism development in Vietnam in general and the Northwest region in particular is extremely fragmented, not yet forming a regional linkage; Regional and national tourism development programs are just formalistic. The main cause of the situation is the limited regional integration policy in Vietnam, the lack of appropriate regional governance mechanisms and inactive participation of the private sector in regional integration. Based on the findings, we propose a tourism sector linkage model; besides, policy implications are given for fulfilling the linkage policy in the Midlands and Northern Mountains area.

In this study, data analysis methods from ecology were applied to litter surveys to evaluate patterns among urban litter items found in two types of streets in England (High Streets and Central Business Districts). Results indicate that sites characterised as a High Street (predominantly leisure activities such as shopping and dining) contained lower densities, less variety, yet featured items with higher potential for environmental contamination than sites categorised as Central Business District (identified by high numbers of professional workers and transport links). Although litter were significantly different between sites, the litter community structure was not. Our results suggest that litter typologies and associated activities can lead to specific knowledge of key influential items in a site and inform future evidence based and sustainable mitigation systems.

Air pollution knows no boundaries, which means for a city or a region to attain clean air standards, must not only look at the emission sources within its own administrative boundary, but also at sources in the immediate vicinity and those originating from long-range transport. And there is a limit to how much area can be explored to evaluate, govern, and manage as designated airsheds for cities and larger regions. This paper discusses the need from an official airshed framework for India’s air quality management, urban airsheds designated for India’s 131 non-attainment cities under the national clean air programme, and proposes climatically and geographically appropriate regional airsheds to support long-term planning. Between 28 states, eight union territories, 36 meteorological sub-regional divisions, and six regional meteorological departments, establishing the proposed 15 regional airsheds for integrated and collaborative air quality management across India is a unique opportunity.

The goal of our study was to examine the effect of regional characteristics of living environment on individual a priori and a posteriori dietary patterns of the Russian population. For the analysis, we used cross-sectional data from the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Regions of the Russian Federation study of 2013-2014. The sample included 18,054 men and women 25-64 years of age from 12 regions. Based on the frequency of consumption of basic foods, four a posteriori empirical dietary patterns (EDPs), along with an a priori cardioprotective dietary pattern (CPDP) were identified. To describe the regional living environment, 5 regional indices were used. The adherence to the meat-based EDP was directly associated with deterioration of social living conditions and the more northerly location of the region of residence. The probability of CPDP increased with deterioration of social living conditions, an aggravation of demographic crisis, higher industrial development of the region, as well as with a decline in the economic development of the region, income and economic inequality of the population. We detected some gender-dependent differences in associations. The revealed patterns reflect the national dietary preferences of Russians, and regional indices characterize the effect of living environment.

The detection of seismic events at regional and teleseismic distances is critical to Nuclear Treaty Monitoring. Traditionally, detecting regional and teleseismic events has required the use of an expensive multi-instrument seismic array; however in this work, we present DeepPick, a novel seismic detection algorithm capable of array-like performance from a single trace. We achieve this directly, by training our single-trace detector against labeled events from an array catalog, and by utilizing a deep temporal convolutional neural network. The training data consists of all arrivals in the International Seismological Centre Catalog for seven seismic arrays over a five year window from 1 Jan 2010 to 1 Jan 2015, yielding a total training set of 608,362 detections. The test set consists of the same seven arrays over a one year window from 1 Jan 2015 to 1 Jan 2016. We report our results by training the algorithm on six of the arrays and testing it on the seventh, so as to demonstrate the transportability and generalization of the technique to new stations. Detection performance against this test set is outstanding. Fixing a type-I error rate of 1%, the algorithm achieves an overall recall rate of 73% on the 141,095 array beam picks in the test set, yielding 102,394 correct detections. This is more than 4 times the 23,259 detections found in the analyst-reviewed single-trace catalogs over the same period, and represents an 8dB improvement in detector sensitivity over current methods. These results demonstrate the potential of our algorithm to significantly enhance the effectiveness of the global treaty monitoring network.

This study examines the performance of the Indian Monsoon Data Assimilation and Analy-sis (IMDAA) in predicting five extremely severe cyclonic storms (ESCS) over the Bay of Bengal. The Advanced Research version of the WRF (ARW) model is utilized for this analysis over the last two decades. The initial and lateral boundary conditions are derived from the IMDAA datasets with a horizontal resolution of 0.12° × 0.12°. Five ESCSs from the past two decades are considered: Sidr 2007, Phailin 2013, Hudhud 2014, Fani 2019, and Amphan 2020. The model is integrated up to 96 hours using double nested domains of 12 km and 4 km. Model performance is evaluated using the 4 km results, compared with available observational datasets, including the best-fit data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, and Doppler Weather Radar (DWR). The results indicate that IMDAA provides accurate forecasts for ESCSs Fani, Hudhud, and Sidr in terms of track, intensity, and mean sea level pressure, aligning well with IMD observational datasets. However, Sidr's track deviates more from the observations. The calculated mean absolute maximum sustained wind speed errors range from 8.4 m/s to 10.6 m/s from day-1 to day-4, while mean track errors range from 114 km to 496 km during the same period. Statistical analysis, including bias, mean error, and standard deviation, underscores the significance of ESCS prediction. The discussion also covers rainfall prediction, maximum reflectivity, and the associated structure of the storms.

The potential effect of implementing environmental regulations on economic growth is a controversial issue for a long time. As portrayed by Porter hypothesis, environmental regulations may impact on economic growth by reconstructing the economic structure. A number of previous literature proved the connections between the above three parties. With the intention of exploring the nature of this mechanism, it is important to understand the internal inter-relation of the three parties, requiring data from a large economy experiencing the transition in economic structure. By constructing a panel containing data from 30 Chinese provinces over 10 years (2008-2019), this paper investigate the dynamic inter-relation of the three parties by introducing PVAR model with Granger Test. Results reveal that environmental regulations give a “U” shaped impact to economic growth. In return, economic growth promotes the development of economy with a weakening strength. In addition, results also support the hypothesis that economic structure is the intermediate of economic growth and environmental regulations. There is a rooftop for the effect of economic structure to environmental regulations. The rooftop may signify the best optimization of primary structure.

Huge amounts of wastes are generated during shrimp processing, representing approximately 65% of the initial shrimp weight, which can become an environmental problem when accumulated. Residues such as shrimp shells can be processed to obtain value-added products such as chitin, chitosan, astaxanthin, and a nitrogenous extract under the biorefinery concept. In this work, the economic evaluation and the techno-economic sensibility analysis for a mass integrated biorefinery based on shrimp were developed to determine the economic feasibility of the project and to identify the critical techno-economic variables that affect the profitability of the process. The results showed that a biorefinery for the annual processing of 4,113.09 tons of fresh shrimp in Colombia is profitable, with a return on investment percentage (%ROI) equal to 65.88% and a net present value (NPV) of 10.40 MM USD. The process supports decreases of up to 28% in capacity of production and increases of 12% and 11% in the cost of raw materials and variable operating costs without incurring losses, respectively. However, the decrease over 500 USD/t in the shrimp meat selling price is not supported, thus it is mainly recommended to increase the selling price of this product.

Abstract: Field studies with large-stemmed plants Artemisia dubia (wormwood) have been carried out at Vėžaičiai Branch LAMMC since 2018. According to three years of experimental results, annual dry matter (DM) yield varied from 7.94 to 10.14 t ha-1. Growing conditions, nitrogen ap-plication level and harvesting time had significant impacts on Artemisia dubia productivity. This article presents the results of research on preparation and use of Artemisia dubia biomass for en-ergy conversion and evaluation of technological-technical and environmental parameters of these plants utilization for solid biofuel. For experiments were used 6 variants of Artemisia dubia samples, which were grown in 2021: plants were cut three times and two fertilization options were used: (1) no fertilization and (2) fertilization with 180 kg ha-1 of nitrogen fertilizer. These harvested plants were chopped, milled and were pressed into the pellets. The physi-cal-mechanical characteristics (mоisture content, density and strength) of Artemisia dubia pellets were investigated. During this study, it was found that the density in dry mass (DM) of pellets ranged from 1119.86 to 1192.44 kg m-3. The pellet moisture content ranged from 8.80 to 10.49%. After testing of pellet strength, it was found that the pellets which were made from plant bio-mass PK-1-1, were the most resistant to compression, they withstood 560.36 N of pressure. Dry fuel lower heating value (LHV) of pellets was sufficiently high and was very close to pine saw-dust pellets, it varied from 17.46±0.25 MJ kg-1 to 18.14±0.28 MJ kg-1. The ash content of burned pellets ranged from 3.62±0.02% to 6.47±0.09%. Emissions of harmful pollutants – CO2, CO, NOx and unburnt hydrocarbons (CxHy) did not exceed the maximum permissible levels. Summariz-ing the results of investigated properties, cоmbustion and emissiоns of Artemisia dubia pellets, it can be concluded that this biofuel can be used for production of pressed biofuel and it is charac-terized by sufficient high quality, efficient combustion and permissible emissions to the envi-ronment.

Background: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) is a complicated disease that affects millions of people all over the world. Previous studies have shown that PASC impacts 10% of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients of which 50-70% are hospitalized. It has also been shown that 10-12% of those vaccinated against COVID-19 were affected with PASC and its complications. The severity and the later development of PASC symptoms is positively associated with the early intensity of the infection. Results: The generated health complications caused by PASC involve a vast variety of organ systems. Patients affected by PASC have been diagnosed with neuropsychiatric and neurological symptoms. Cardiovascular system also has been involved and several diseases such as myocarditis, pericarditis, and coronary artery diseases were reported. Chronic hematological problems such as thrombotic endothelialitis and hypercoagulability were described as a condition that could increase the risk of clotting disorders and coagulopathy in PASC patients. Chest pain, breathlessness, and cough in PASC patients were associated with respiratory system in long COVID-19 causing respiratory distress syndrome. The observed immune complications were notable, involving several diseases. Renal system also was impacted and result in raising the risk of diseases such as thrombotic issues, fibrosis, and sepsis. Endocrine gland malfunction can lead to diabetes, thyroiditis, and male infertility. Symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite and taste were also among reported observations due to several gastrointestinal disorders. Skin abnormalities might be an indication of infection and long-term implications such as persistent cutaneous complaints were linked to PASC. Conclusions: Long COVID is a multidimensional syndrome with considerable public health implications, affecting several physiological systems and demanding thorough medical therapy as well as more study to address its underlying causes and long-term effects.

The bioindicator potential of seagrass ecosystems in coastal trace metal monitoring is low for tropical island ecosystems. This study evaluated the bioindicator potential of six seagrass species exposed to anthropogenic trace metal pollution in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) of India. Sediment and seagrass biomass, samples were analyzed for trace metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) from four locations of ANI exposed to anthropogenic contamination. Geo accumulation Index values indicated moderate trace metal contamination in seagrass sediment. Seagrass trace metal accumulation from sediment was both species-specific and location- specific for ANI. Small seagrass species such as H. ovalis, H. beccarii and H. uninervis accumulated the maximum concentration of six trace metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) in their tissues compared to big seagrass species like T. hemprichii and E. acoroides of ANI. This study indicates leaves of small seagrass and roots of big seagrass species can serve as short- and long-term bioindicators respectively, of coastal trace metal contamination in tropical islands of ANI.

Historic expeditions are events that are flavored by exploratory, scientific, military or geographic characteristics. Such events are often documented in literature, journey notes or personal diaries. A typical historic expedition involves multiple site visits and their descriptions contain spatiotemporal and attributive contexts. Expeditions involve movements in space that can be represented by triplet features (location, time and description). However, such features are implicit and innate parts of textual documents. Extracting the geospatial information from these documents requires understanding the contextualized entities in the text. To this end, we developed a semi-automated framework that has multiple Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing components to extract the spatiotemporal information from a two-volumes historic expedition gazetteer. Our framework has three basic components, namely, the Text Preprocessor, the Gazetteer Processing Machine and the JAPE (Java Annotation Pattern Engine) Transducer. We used the Brazilian Ornithological Gazetteer as an experimental dataset and extracted the spatial and temporal entities from entries that refer to three expeditioners’ site visits and mapped the trajectory of each expedition using the extracted information. Finally, one of the mapped trajectories was manually compared with a historical reference map of that expedition to assess the reliability of our framework. The reference map was manually prepared in previous research work by others.