Dynamic systems which underly controlled systems are expected to increase in complexity as robots, devices, and connected networks become more intelligent. While classical stable systems converge to a stable point (a sink), another type of stability is to consider a stable path rather than a single point. Such stable paths can be made of saddles which draw in trajectories from certain regions, and then push the trajectory toward the next saddle point. These are chains of saddles are called stable heteroclinic channels (SHCs), and can be used in robotic control to represent time sequences. While we have previously shown that each saddle is visualizable as a trajectory waypoint in phase space, how to increase the fidelity of the trajectory was unclear. In this paper, we hypothesized that the waypoints can be individually modified to locally vary fidelity. Specifically, we expected that increasing the saddle value (ratio of saddle eigenvalues) causes the trajectory to slow to more closely approach a particular saddle. Combined with other parameters that control speed and magnitude, a system expressed with an SHC can be modified locally, point by point, without disrupting the rest of the path, supporting their use in motion primitives. However, even more complex trajectory shape modifications are possible. While some combinations can enable a trajectory to better reach into corners, other combinations can rotate, distort and round the trajectory in the region of a corner. In our example, modifying select saddle values produced a 32% decrease in the trajectory error of a complex trajectory produced using this system. This is an effect not visible in previous 1D studies, that can lead to different learnable and tunable representations of dynamic systems.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

From October 28 to November 05, 2013, we conducted a termite sampling in 3 protected sites in The Gambia (West Africa). Termites sampling is carried out in 100 m x 2 m transects repeated 3 times in each site. A total of 33 species of termites have been recorded. Of the 33 species, 22 are new to The Gambia. Additionnal measurements are given for several collected termite species. Euchilotermes arcuata Silvestri is elevated to the rank of species.

Candida (C.) infections represent a serious health risk for people affected by inflammatory bowel disease. An important fungal virulence factor is the capacity to form biofilms on the colonized surface of the host. This research study aimed to determine the effect of C. tropicalis and C. albicans co-infection on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Colitis severity was evaluated using histology and colonoscopy. Mice were mono-inoculated with C. albicans, C. tropicalis or co-challenged with both species. Mice were administered 3% DSS to induce acute colitis. Biofilm activity was assessed using (2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl] 2H-tetrazoliumhydroxide (XTT) assay. Abundance of C. albicans in the colon tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Co-challenged mice showed decreased colitis severity compared to mono-inoculated mice. The XTT assay demonstrated a marked decrease of C. albicans biofilm production in a C. albicans culture incubated with C. tropicalis supernatant. Immunohistochemical staining showed that C. albicans was more abundant in the mucosa of C. albicans mono-inoculated mice compared to the co-inoculated group. These data indicate an antagonistic microbial interaction between the two Candida species, where C. tropicalis may produce molecules capable of limiting the ability of C. albicans to adhere to the host intestinal surface leading to a reduction in biofilm formation.

Environmental estrogen pollution and estrogen effects on the female reproduction system are well-recognized scientifically. Among the estrogens, 17 β-estradiol is a priority in environmental estrogen pollution, and it is also a major contributor to estrogen which regulates the female reproduction system. 17 β-estradiol is carcinogen and has a tumor promotion effect relating to breast cancer, lung cancer and others. It also affects the psychological well-being such as depression, fatigue and others. Thus, a simple method of detection of 17 β-estradiol will be important for both environmental estrogen pollution and women’s health care. This study demonstrates a simple-use, cost effective 17 β-estradiol biosensor system which can be used for both environment and women’s health care applications. The bio-recognition mechanism is based on the influence of the redox couple, K₃Fe (CN) ₆/K₄Fe (CN) ₆ by the interaction between 17 β-estradiol antigen and its α-receptor (ER- α; α-estrogen antibody). The transduction mechanism is an electrochemical analytical technique, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The levels of 17 β-estradiol antigen studied was between 2.25 pg/mL to 2,250 pg/mL, Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), tap water from the Cleveland regional water district, and simulate urine were used as the test media covering the potential application areas for 17 β-estradiol detection. An interference study by testosterone which has a similar chemical structure and molecular weight as those of 17 β-estradiol was carried out, and this 17 β-estradiol biosensor showed excellent specificity without any interference by similar chemicals.

By introducing environmental mediator, for avoiding randomness in selecting indicators and subjectivity in deciding interaction path coefficients to reveal interaction mechanism among forest industry, ecology and environmental capacity, structural Pressure–State–Impact–Response (PSIR) and quantitative Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are utilized with data on thirty–one provinces of China. We can find that: (i) forest industry has a negative influence on ecology, whereas ecology has a positive influence on industry; (ii) the destructive influence that industry has on ecology is much greater than the positive effect ecology has on industry; and (iii) environmental capacity plays a partial mediating role between industry and ecology. According to these results we can conclude that: (i) forest industry and ecology are not in a symbiotic relationship and have not reached a level of ecological security; (ii) the interaction between industry and ecology is in a period of transition from antagonistic to beneficial; and (iii) industry dominates ecology. However, we prospect the following advice: (i) methods of forest industry should be changed; (ii) new modes of industrial integration and circular economy should be developed; and (iii) the ability of the environment to sustain itself should be enhanced. The level of forest ecological security to discuss the symbiotic mechanism of industry and ecology will propose to be measured in future.

Wood is poised to become a material of choice for future construction. When appropriately managed, it is a renewable material with unique mechanical properties. Beyond its inherent sustainability, the use of wood has a crucial role in addressing climate change concerns due a significantly lower energy consumption and emissions during manufacturing and transportation, while simultaneously acting as a carbon sink. Thus, there has been a growing demand for hardwoods for structural applications, including Castanea sativa Mill., the focal point of this investigation. Albeit in a limited capacity, Eurocode 5-2 offers friction coefficients for softwoods, but it falls short for hardwoods which it is a gap to bridge with this research. These coefficients play a critical role in numerical simulations involving friction, enabling the optimization of joints and, by extension, the overall structural integrity. Test samples were evaluated at 18% moisture content, which is typical of Service Class 2, for various orientations of timber-to-timber and timber-to-steel friction. Considering previous friction coefficients at 12% moisture content, the linear variation was evaluated at an intermediate value of 15%. The results provide an experimental database for numerical simulations and highlight the influence of moisture content on the coefficients, which increase linearly along moisture percentages.

This study evaluated batch fermentation modes, namely, separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), Quasi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (Q-SSF), and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), and fermentation conditions, i.e., enzyme and yeast loadings, nutrient supplementation and sterilization, on high titer bioethanol production from SPORL-pretreated Douglas-fir forest residue without detoxification. The result indicated Q-SSF and SSF were obviously superior to SHF operation in terms of ethanol yield. The enzyme loading showed a strong positive correlation between enzyme loading and the ethanol yield. The nutrient supplementation and sterility was not necessary for ethanol production from SPORL-pretreated Douglas-fir. The yeast loading showed no significant influence on the ethanol yield for typical SSF conditions. The terminal ethanol titer of 43.2 g/L, or 75.1% theoretical based on glucose, mannose, and xylose theoretical was achieved when SSF was conducted at the condition of following: whole slurry solids loading of 15%, enzyme loading of 20 FPU/g glucan, 1.8 g/kg (wet) yeast loading, without nutrition supplementation and sterilization, at 38°C, on shake flask at 150 rpm for 96h. It is believed that with mechanical mixing, enzyme loading can be substantially reduced with affect ethanol yield by using a long fermentation time.

The necessity for precise and current data concerning the dynamics of land cover change in Indonesia is crucial for efforts to reduce natural vegetation cover due to agricultural expansion. The functionality of monitoring systems that incorporate Terra-MODIS is currently compromised by the limited availability of data for the immediate future. This study seeks to assess the potential of VIIRS satellite imagery in developing an early warning system for monitoring vegetation cover change in Indonesia. The Normalized Differential Open Area Index (NDOAI) computed from the 8-day’ VIIRS data was employed to detect changes in vegetation cover based on pixel-by-pixel subtraction in the NDOAI data time series. Evaluating the pixel-level accuracy of change detection is complicated due to the fact that we evaluate a change map at a coarser resolution than the Landsat-based reference map. The results revealed that increasing the threshold percentage is associated with improved accuracy. In change detection, there is often a trade-off between accuracy and sensitivity. A threshold that is too low may result in false positives, while a threshold that is too high may lead to missed changes. This study demonstrates that when a threshold value of less than 20% is applied, Landsat can identify vegetation cover changes at an earlier stage. Conversely, when a threshold value greater than 20% is employed, VIIRS will detect the change 4.5 days earlier than Landsat. Additionally, VIIRS is capable of detecting changes 25.4 days and 54.8 days faster than Landsat, respectively, when using thresholds of 40% and 75%.

A botnical survey was conducted in Kaptai reserve forests under Rangamati district in Bangladesh to study the flora of Karnaphuli range from May 2015 to October 2018. The survey was accompanied by a collection of voucher specimens enumerates 464 plant species belonging to 334 genera under 117 families from the forest range. The survey has confirmed 31 threatened forest species from this area along with many near threatened plant species.

A botnical survey was conducted in Kaptai reserve forests under Rangamati district in Bangladesh to study the flora of Karnaphuli range from May 2015 to October 2018. The survey was accompanied by a collection of voucher specimens enumerates 464 plant species belonging to 334 genera under 117 families from the forest range. The survey has confirmed 31 threatened forest species from this area along with many near threatened plant species.

The construction industry has a notable negative impact on the environment; thus, the promotion of the use of timber structures is an alternative to mitigate its effects. The research develops an artificial intelligence-based decision approach in the calculation of timber structures focused on the enhancement of the sustainability of roof structures. Based on the optimization carried out through genetic algorithms and the framework established in Eurocode 5, a general set of equations has been proposed for a laminated timber roof structure. The tool, which determines the most suitable roof structure for each strength class of laminated timber, allows for the determination of the dimensions of beams and purlins and their respective separations in order to minimize wood consumption. The ultimate goal is to offer multiple solutions regarding strength classes and structural designs in order to foster informed sustainable choices that promote efficient use of resources in construction.

Understanding morphological and genetic diversity of forest trees is essential to facilitate their conservation, sustainable management and genetic improvement for addressing the economic and environmental demands and challenges. We have examined variation in morphometric seed and pod traits and seed germination of multipurpose and widely distributed forest tree Albizia lebbek (Indian siris) from 12 provenances covering the species’ range in northern India and its relationships with bioclimatic factors. Highly significant inter-provenance variation was observed in seed size (seed length (SL), seed width (SW), SW/SL, SL×SW), seed mass (1000 seed weight), pod size (pod length (PL), pod width (PW), PW/PL), seed germination, number of seeds per pod, and insect infected seeds (IIS). The provenance effect contributed a major portion to the total phenotypic variance. Morphometric variation in all traits except for IIS was not clinal related to longitude, latitude, altitude or rainfall. There was an indication of the presence of ecotypic variation. IIS showed clinal variation with significant negative correlation with latitude. Most seed size and pod size traits showed positive correlations with several temperature bioclimatic factors and negative correlations with several precipitation bioclimatic factors. Our results have significance for genetic improvement, population genetics and genomics studies and conservation and sustainable management of A. lebbek genetic resources.

Background: The effect of COVID-19 infection, versus the indirect effect of the pandemic on body composition remains unclear. This study investigates long-term changes in body composition in COVID–19 survivors compared to a contemporary control group. Method: This is a prospective study involving adults who had a pre-pandemic whole-body DXA scan (DXA#1) performed between 2017 and 2019. Participants were asked to return for a repeat whole-body DXA scan (DXA#2) after the pandemic. Detailed data were collected including medical and COVID history. Inflammation markers and fasting lipids were measured. For those participants who had a COVID-19 infection between the 2 DXAs, DXA#2 was acquired at least one year after COVID-19 infection. Results: Overall, 160 adults were enrolled; 32.5% females, 51.8% non-white, with mean age of 43.2 years. Half (n=80) of the participants had documented COVID infection between their 2 DXA scans (COVID+ group), and the other half never had COVID. COVID-negative participants had an increase in annualized trunk fat (g) [922.5 vs. 159.7; P=0.01], total fat (g) [1564.3 vs. 199.9; P=0.2], and LBM (g) [974.9 vs. -64.5; P=0.0002], when compared to COVID+ group. However, among the COVID+ group, no differences were seen in annualized trunk fat, total fat mass, or LBM between those with PASC and without (p>0.05). Conclusion: During the pandemic, both COVID-19-survivors and COVID-negative groups exhibited increases in weight, and total and trunk fat, likely associated with pandemic-linked lifestyle modifications. However, only COVID-19-survivors had a decline in lean body mass over the same period, regardless of PASC symptoms.

Remote sensing/GIS techniques are a versatile tool for x-raying serial forest structural changes in retrospect. It would be impossible to evaluate past occurrences and changes in forest extents in past decades at Effan Forest Reserve without non-conventional means. Therefore, we adopted remote sensing technology using Landsat images to evaluate land-use change and degradation rates in the area with a view to ascertaining causal factors for possible minimization of forest degradation in Effan Forest Reserve. Land-use/land-cover changes were analyzed using USGS-Landsat TM and ETM images of 1987, 2002, 2014 and 2019. Field-data were collected using handheld GPS receiver and spatial statistical analyses were conducted using the ground control points (GCPs). For inventory data, a systematic sampling technique was adopted using ten 1.05 km-transects at 500 m intervals. A total of 50 sample plots of 50 × 50 m were used. All tree species with Dbh ≥10 cm were enumerated. Nineteen tree species in ten families were encountered with Vitellaria paradoxa as the most-frequently occurring species in the area. IUCN-listed endangered Pterocarpus erinaceus, hitherto abundant in the area, was rarely encountered during the survey, while Vitellaria paradoxa is gradually shrinking, going the relative abundance in the area. The result further showed that primary and secondary forests decreased considerably by 258.03 ha (46.72%) and 9.18 ha (3.63%), respectively, with a total forest loss of 50.3% in 32 years (8.4 hayr-1, 1.6% per annum). While forest plantation size doubled by 369.72 ha within the period. This is worrisome as the remaining fragmented forests appeared to be on the decline, except the riparian vegetation, due to inaccessibility to the riparian by loggers. It thus appeared that forest protection approaches were ineffective. Increased protection efforts could save this forest reserve, and the concerned authority should consider a focused-enrichment planting involving indigenous species for ecosystem-repair.

Mangrove plant seedling cultivation is crucial for the protection, management and restoration of mangrove ecosystem. In this study, we focused on Kandelia obovata, a typical mangrove, and evaluated nursery cultivation with different combinations of three salinity levels (S1: 0 ppt, S2: 10 ppt, and S3: 20 ppt), three genealogies (EZD, JX, and YZ), and five growth media (M1: 100% loess, M2: 100% sandy, M3: 50% loess + 50% sandy, M4: 40% loess + 40% sandy + 20% peat, and M5: 40% loess + 40% sandy + 20% coir), by measuring the growth parameters such as mortality rate, seedling height, diameter, and biomass partition. These growth indexes were significantly affected by salinity and medium, and genealogies also had significant effects on mortality rate and biomass accumulation. S2 or S3 both had lower mortality and higher growth indexes than S1. M1 was the medium that increased seedlings height, diameter and biomass the most and had the lowest death rate. EZD and JX were also higher levels than YZ in these indicators, but the difference between them was not obvious. S3, M1, and EZD consistently performed well in fuzzy evaluation and quality assessment. Furthermore, combinations involving these treatments also produced highly favorable results. These results furnish both a theoretical and practical foundation for advancing nursery cultivation techniques and germplasm breeding of K. obovata in mangroves.

Following the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), with the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as its guiding treaty, the European Union (EU) has just reached an agreement on an EU Nature Restoration Regulation. This study carries out a systematic cross-walk between the restoration regulation and the KM-GBF, focusing on their implications for forest ecosystems. This paper identifies areas of alignment, divergence, and potential gaps related to habitat restoration, species protection, climate resilience, and the sustainable use of natural resources. The methodology adopts a grounded approach, starting with the 23 targets outlined in the KM-GBF and proceeding to the 28 articles set out in the restoration regulation. The results highlight the need for better alignment between the KM-GBF, the restoration regulation, and other forest-relevant EU policy instruments. The study stresses the need for a coherent and integrated EU policy approach that can address the diverse challenges and policy objectives facing forests. It concludes that amendments to the restoration regulation have significantly diluted its potential impact, limiting the EU Members States accountability and ability to meet KM-GBF goals and targets. It further stresses the need for strategies that can reconcile divergent EU policy pathways, support forest management and restoration efforts, while aligning with global biodiversity objectives.

Interrelationships between traditional dental variables are becoming more evident in far reaching aspects of life such as psychosocial interaction, self-esteem, overall health and even occupational performance. This study compares quality of life (QoL) in postmenopausal women (PMW) with poor oral health (POH) with QoL in PMW with good oral health. 200 randomly recruited PMW received a dental evaluation and completed Utian Quality of Life Survey. The participants were divided into POH and healthy groups based on dental exam. Mean scores were calculated for each QoL item, domain and the overall summary score. For each of the four parameters for periodontitis diagnosis, periodontitis patients’ QoL outcomes were compared to those of healthy patients using T-test with threshold of significance at p<0.05. QoL in all fields measured were significantly poorer in the POH compared to the healthy patients, occupational (19.95±5.35vs. 27.56±6.13), health (18.02±8.23 vs. 26.59 ±6.45), emotional (15.68±10.22vs. 21.15±9.15), sexual (6.2±5.98vs. 10.02±5.35), and total score (60.21±25.85 vs. 84.26±22.35). This study finds that PMW with POH, report significantly poorer quality of life. Clinicians caring for PMW should be aware of that oral health impacts QoL and make appropriate referral decisions for patients’ dental care. Keywords: Quality of Life, Oral Health, Post-menopause, Women

In many previous studies, the conclusions for the effects of disturbance and environmental gradients on the diversity was remain controversial due to exclusions of trait-based diversity in their methodology. This study hypothesized trait-based indices are more likely to show monotonic and predictable relations than traditional based species diversity to guide effective restoration of tree species diversity against environmental change and anthropogenic factors. This study therefore, was initiated to access trait based functional diversity of Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve (YCFBR), Southwest Ethiopia. Data was collected from 90 proportionally distributed plots along disturbance levels from core, buffer and transitional zones. For functional trait diversity estimation, traits relevant to plant-life strategy, competition and response to disturbances and climate change were selected. Multiple regression model was used to test the response of species diversity and functional diversity to disturbance and environmental gradients. The result revealed that, anthropogenic disturbance and elevational gradients are the most important factors influencing functional diversity in the YCFBR. Overall this study demonstrates that, trait based functional diversity is useful to predict adaptation potentials of species in heterogeneous environments. Species with low specific leaf area &amp; selective seed mass is recommended for the restoration of disturbed ecosystem.

Bone/fracture healing is a complex process with different steps and four basic tissue layers being affected: cortical bone, periosteum, fascial tissue surrounding the fracture, and bone marrow. Stem cells and their derivatives, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, skeletal stem cells, and multipotent stem cells, can function to artificially introduce highly regenerative cells into decrepit biological tissues and augment the healing process at the tissue level. Stem cells are molecularly and functionally indistinguishable from standard human tissues. The widespread appeal of stem cell therapy lies in its potential benefits as a therapeutic technology that, if harnessed, can be applied in clinical settings. This review aims to establish the molecular pathophysiology of bone healing, the current stem cell interventions that disrupt or augment the bone healing process, and finally, consider the future direction/therapeutic options related to stem cells and bone healing.

Understanding the dynamics of Organic Carbon mineralization is fundamental in forecasting biosphere to atmosphere Net Carbon Ecosystem Exchange (NEE). With this perspective, we developed 3D-CMCC-PSM, a new version of the hybrid Process Based Model 3D‐CMCC FEM where also heterotrophic respiration (R_h) is explicitly simulated. The aim was to quantify NEE as a forward problem, by subtracting Ecosystem Respiration (R_eco) to Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). To do so, we developed a simplification of the Soil Carbon dynamics routine proposed in DNDC [1]. The method calculates decomposition as a function of soil moisture, temperature, state of the organic compartments, and relative abundance of microbial pools. Given the pulse dynamics of soil respiration, we introduced modifications in some of the principal constitutive relations involved in phenology and littering sub-routines. We quantified the model structure related uncertainty in NEE, by running our training simulations over 1000 random parameter-sets extracted from parameters distributions expected from literature. 3D-CMCC-PSM predictability was tested on independent time series for 6 Fluxnet sites. The model resulted in daily and monthly estimations highly consistent with the observed time series. It showed lower predictability in Mediterranean ecosystems, suggesting that it may need further improvements in addressing evapotranspiration and water dynamics.

Forests are increasingly becoming fragmented and declining due to natural causes and human-induced activities. The latter creates an imbalance which put the survival of vulnerable species such as those of avifauna at risk. Honeyeaters are group of birds common in Fiji, with certain species strictly confined to specific habitats. This study is an attempt to compare the abundance and foraging behaviours of three sympatric honeyeaters namely Kikau wattled honeyeater, Orange-breasted myzomela and Giant honeyeater at two contradicted sites (USP campus and Colo-i-Suva Forest Reserve). The survey was carried out using point count method along three different transect routes of approximately 2 Km on each study sites . A higher species diversity and abundance was observed in Colo-i-Suva Forest Reserve than in USP campus. Kikau wattled honeyeater are more populated at USP campus due to adequate nectar-producing plants. Whereas both Orange-breasted myzomela (highly adaptable bird species) and Giant honeyeater (forest specifics) are frequent in Colo-i-Suva Forest Reserve. All exhibited a wider range of foraging techniques across forest vertical strata and plant species, except for Giant honeyeater (not observed). The statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference (p < 0.05) in abundance as well as between the number of honeyeater species in both sites across the forest vertical strata. However, there is no significant difference in the foraging behaviour and the number of honeyeaters found foraging on diverse plant species (p > 0.05).

Dental anxiety (DA) negatively affects patients’ oral and overall health. This study explored attitudes and clinical practices of licensed Ohio general dentists who treat patients with DA. Methods: An anonymous self-administered mail survey was sent to 500 general dentists licensed and practicing in Ohio. Responses to 21 pre-coded questions were analyzed. Frequencies were examined; cross-tabs, Chi-Square, and Fischer’s Exact Test were calculated for statements according to dentists’ gender. Alpha was set at p = 0.05. Results: Nearly all respondents treated anxious patients; males were more likely to find it challenging than females. Dentists were most familiar with distraction, although half found nitrous oxide to be an effective tool. Female dentists were more likely than males to be familiar with anxiolytics and find them effective. Conclusion: Overall, Ohio general dentists are most familiar with using distraction and nitrous oxide during appointments for anxious patients. Gender differences exist in attitudes towards anxiolytic use for patients with DA. Practice Implications: By identifying techniques that are comfortable for patient and practitioner, oral health disparities associated with DA may be reduced.

Retrospective information about the climate system and plant ecophysiology are key inputs in climate and Earth system modelling. Dendrochronology provides such information with large spatiotemporal coverage, and stable carbon isotope (¹³C/¹²C) analysis across tree-ring series is among the most advanced dendrochronological tools. For the past seventy years, this analysis was performed on whole molecules, and, to this day, ¹³C/¹²C variation is attributed to ¹³C discrimination during CO₂ diffusion into leaves and assimilation by rubisco. By contrast, ¹³C discrimination by post-rubisco processes is presumed constant. Here, recently reported results on the first dataset of intramolecular ¹³C discrimination in tree rings were synthesised by variance component analysis. The emerging picture is not consistent with the classical (DR-discrimination-centred) concepts and practices of carbon-isotope dendrochronology. Specifically, leaf and stem post-rubisco discrimination each account for more variation in the data than diffusion-rubisco discrimination, i.e., post-rubisco discrimination is not constant. Furthermore, diffusion-rubisco discrimination is used widely as proxy of leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), a key determinant in the responses of global biogeochemical cycles to climate change. However, since diffusion-rubisco discrimination is a small component of the total data variance, whole-molecule analysis yields confounded iWUE estimates, yet intramolecular analysis will likely offer solutions. Lastly, all currently observed ¹³C/¹²C-climate relationships are attributed to diffusion-rubisco discrimination. However, here, relationships with temperature and radiation derive from leaf-level post-rubisco discrimination while relationships with precipitation derive from stem-level post-rubisco discrimination. That said, advances in mass spectrometry may soon make intramolecular ¹³C/¹²C analysis broadly available taking carbon-isotope dendrochronology to the next level.

Accurate detection of forest restoration sites using deep learning is crucial for effective ecosystem management, optimizing reforestation efforts, and ensuring environmental sustainability. While various deep learning-based systems have been developed for this purpose, the influence of different neural network architectures on model performance during the identification of forest restoration sites remains underexplored. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the optimal methodology for extracting and classifying candidate sites for forest restoration based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), specialized for image recognition. Four categories—arable land, road and barren, quarry, and forest—were defined as candidate sites for forest restoration. A dataset comprising 17,043 samples was divided into training (11,929) and validation (5,114) sets at a ratio of 7:3 for model learning. Model accuracy was evaluated using pixel accuracy (PA) and mean intersection over union (mean IoU). The Resnet152-U-Net model demonstrated a pixel accuracy of 95.2% and a mean IoU of 61.3%, indicating excellent performance in extracting candidate sites for forest restoration. This approach offers spatial and temporal advantages over conventional field surveys or aerial image-based assessments, potentially serving as valuable data for selecting future forest restoration sites.

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 search of DNA polymorphisms useful for the genetic improvement of dairy farm animals lasts more than 40 years with relevant findings in cattle for milk traits, where the best combination of alleles for dairy processing have been found in casein genes and in the DGAT1. Nowadays, similar results are not reached yet in river buffaloes despite advanced genomic technologies and accurate phenotype records are available. The aim of the present study was to investigate and validate in a larger buffalo population the effect on six milk traits of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the CSN1S1, CSN3, SCD and LPL genes, previously reported to be associated with or affect dairy traits in smaller populations often belonging to one farm. A total of 800 buffaloes were genotyped. Daily milk yield (dMY, kg), protein yield (dPY, kg) and fat yields (dFY, kg), fat and protein contents (dFP, % and dPP, %), somatic cell count (SCC, 103cell/ml) and urea (mg/dl) were individually recorded in each month for the whole lactation from 2010 to 2021. A total of 15,742 individual milk test day records (2,496 lactations) were available on 680 buffalo cows with 3.6±1.7 parity (from 1 to 13) and 6.1±1.2 test day records per lactation on average. Three out four SNP in CSN1S1, CSN3 and LPL were associated with at least one of analyzed traits. In particular, the CSN1S1 (AJ005430:c.578C&gt;T) gave favorable associations with all yield traits (dMY, p=0.022; dPY, p=0.014 ; dFY, p=0.029) and SCS (p=0.032), whereas the CSN3 (HQ677596: c.536C&gt;T) positively associated with SCS (p=0.005) and milk urea (p=0.04). Favorable effect on dMY (p=0.028), dFP (p=0.027) and dPP (p=0.050) were observed for the LPL. Conversely, SCD did not show any association with milk traits. This is the first example of confirmation study carried out in the Mediterranean river buffalo for genes of economic interest in dairy field and it represents a very important indication for the preselection of young bulls destined to breeding programs in the view of a more sustainable dairy production.

The Puuc Biocultural State Reserve (PBSR is an unique model for tropical dry forest conservation in Mexico. Preserving forest biodiversity and carbon within the PBSR depends on the mainte-nance of low impact productive activities coordinated by multiple communal and private land-owners. In this study, we used state-of-the-art remote sensing data to investigate past spatial patterns in forest clearing dynamics and its relation to forest carbon density and forest plant species richness and diversity in the context of the forest conservation goals of the PBSR. We used a Landsat-based continuous change detection product for the 2000-2021 period and compared it to carbon density and tree species richness models generated from ALOS-2 PALSAR 2 imagery and national scale forest inventory data. The estimated error-adjusted area of detected annual forest clearings from the year 2000 until the year 2021 was 230,511 ha in total (+19,979 ha). The analysis of annual forest clearing frequency and area suggests that although forest clearing was significantly more intensive outside of the PBSR than within the PBSR during the entire 2000-2021 period, there is no evidence suggesting that the frequency and magnitude of forest clearing has changed over the years after the creation of the PBSR in 2011. An emergent hotspot analysis shows, however, that high spatiotemporal clustering of forest clearing events (hotspots) during the 2012-2021 pe-riod was less common than prior to 2011 and these more recent hotspots have been confined to areas outside the PBSR. After comparing forest clearing events to carbon density and tree species richness models, results show that land owners outside the PBSR often clear forests with lower carbon density and species diversity than land owners inside the PBSR. This suggests that, compared to land owners outside the PBSR, land owners within the PBSR might be practicing longer fallow periods allowing forests to attain higher carbon density and tree species richness and hence better soil nutrient recovery after land abandonment. In conclusion, our results show that the PBSR effectively acted as a stabilizing forest management scheme during the 2012-2021 period minimizing the impact of productive activities by lowering the frequency of forest clearing events and preserving late secondary forests within the PBSR. We recommend the continuation of efforts for providing alternative optimal field data collection strategies and modeling techniques to spatially predict key tropical forest attributes. The combination of these models with contin-uous change detection datasets will allow to reveal underlying ecological processes and generate information better adapted to forest governance scales.

Forests constitute a key component of the Earth system but the sustainability of the forest reserves in the semi-arid zone is a real concern since its vegetation is very sensitive to the climate fluctuation. The understanding of the mechanisms for the interaction vegetation-climate is poorly studied in the context of African Sahel. In this study, the characteristics of the vegetation response to the fluctuations of precipitation and temperature is determined for the forest reserve of Fina. Rainfall estimates, air temperature and NDVI are used to establish the lag correlations between fluctuations of vegetation and climate variables at both seasonal and interannual bases. Results shows increasing tendency of NDVI started from the 1990s coinciding the recovery of the rainfall from the 1980s drought and the obtained correlation(r=0.66) is statistically significant (pvalue<0.01). The strongest responses of vegetation to rainfall and temperature fluctuations were found after 30 and 15 days, respectively. Moreover, at shorter time lag (e.g. 15 days) more pronounced vegetation responses to both rainfall and temperature were found in agricultural dominated land while at longer time lag (e.g. 30 days) stronger response was observed in Bare dominated land. The vegetation response to the climate fluctuation is modulated by the land use/cover dynamics. Keywords: NDVI, Rainfall, Air temperature, vegetation response, Fina Forest Reserve, Mali.

Sixteen crossbred rabbits (New Zealand white x Thai native breed) were randomly divided into two groups of eight to determine the effects of daily oral administration of crude extracts from the butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) from weaning (at 35 days) to slaughter (at 90 days). Effects on phagocytic activity of blood polymorphoneuclear leukocytes, serum biochemistry, meat quality, muscular lipid peroxidation, apparent digestibility, and gut histology were studied. The results revealed that the phagocytic function of circulating leukocytes (75 and 90 days) and alveolar macrophages (90 days) did not differ between the two groups. At slaughter, treated rabbits had lower blood urea nitrogen concentrations and higher liver weight than control rabbits (p &lt; 0.05). After chilling at 4°C for 24 hours, lower meat pH and alteration of meat color (a brighter, less yellow, Hue angle and color saturation) were observed in the treated group (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, lipid peroxidation (measured at 3, 5 and 7 storage days) in the meat of treated rabbits was lower than in controls (p &lt; 0.05). Apparent digestibility (analyzed at 46 days for four days) revealed improved organic matter and ether extracts in the treated group (p &lt; 0.05), whereas gut histology was unaffected. In conclusion, butterfly pea extract supplementation did not affect phagocytic function but led to a modification in meat color, delayed lipid peroxidation, and improved digestibility.

The Himalaya is well known for high diversity and ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants. However, not all areas of the Himalayas are well studied. In particular, studies on ethnobotanical uses of plants from the Eastern Himalayas are rare and lacking for many tribes. Past studies primarily focused on listing plants name and their traditional medicinal uses. However, studies on traditional ethnopharmacological practices on medicine preparation had not yet been reported in published literature from the Eastern Himalaya. In this study, we are reporting the first time ethnopharmacological used 24 medicines, their procedures of preparation and listed 53 plant species used for those medicines for Monpa tribe. Such documentations had not yet been done for other tribes in India. Our research demonstrates the urgent need to documents traditional medicine preparation procedures from the local healers before rapid cultural modernization forgets them in transforming country like India. This study should motivate national and international researchers to do more works on ethnopharmacology and bioprospecting.

Despite of being an exceptionally biodiversity rich country, the forest coverage of Bangladesh is declining at an alarming rate. Declaration and management of protected areas in this regard is one of the efforts from government side to tackle the loss of biodiversity. The limited numbers of forest-protected areas (FPA), established to conserve the dwindling forest biodiversity of the country with high pressure on them for timber, non-timber forest products, and fuelwood - makes their management challenging. Moreover, most of the FPAs of the country declared only in the recent decades with very limited infrastructure, manpower and policy support for monitoring and governance. Some people-centred approaches for the management of FPAs and alternative livelihood and income generation subsidies although made available through a few project interventions, their number are still inadequate and performance remains less than satisfactory. This chapter provides a critical review of the FPAs of Bangladesh looking at their role in biodiversity conservation, management challenges, and key lessons from previous management interventions with recommendations for the future. It has been revealed that the FPA system of Bangladesh still poorly represents the diverse forest ecosystems with relatively small forest size and lack of corridors for the movement of wildlife. There are ample opportunities to render co-management of FPAs an effective strategy to minimize the conflicts in FPAs management in the country. It is, however, important to ensure the access of local forest-dependent people to different alternative income generating options that may adequately support their livelihoods.

Background: Although the link between environmental lead exposure and several patterns of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been reported, its association with silent myocardial infarc-tion (SMI) has not been explored. We aimed to assess the association between blood lead levels (BLL) and risk of SMI. Methods: This analysis included 7283 (mean age 56.1±2.52 years, 52.5% women) participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who were free of clinical CVD. Ascertainment of BLL done using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. SMI defined as ECG evidence of MI without history of MI. Multivariable lo-gistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between SMI and BLL. Results: SMI was detected in 120 participants corresponding to an unweighted prevalence of 1.65%. Par-ticipants with higher levels of BLL had higher prevalence of SMI (0.4%, 0.9%, and 2.4% across BLL tertiles; p-value

Understory plants are important components of forest ecosystem productivity and diversity. Compared to biomass models of overstory canopy trees, few are available for understory saplings and shrubs and therefore their roles in estimation of forest carbon pools are often ignored. In this study, we harvested 24 understory species including 4 saplings, 9 tree-like shrubs and 11 typical shrubs in coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest in northeastern China and developed the best fit allometric equations of above- and below-ground and total biomass by species-specific or multispecies using morphological measurements of basal diameter, height and crown area as independent variables. The result showed that single basal diameter, height or crown area had good explanatory power for both species-specific and multispecies (p<0.001). The best-fit models included only basal diameter in sapling and tree-like shrubs, and combinations of crown area, height, and basal diameter in typical shrubs. The logarithmic model was most desired among the 4 model forms of linear, quadratic, multiple linear and logarithmic, for species-specific and multispecies. The models we developed should help the estimation of forest ecosystem carbon stocks, especially for belowground component, and provide tools for quantification of individual species biomass of understory plants.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is an important deciduous species in western U.S. forests. Existing maps of aspen distribution are based on Landsat imagery and often miss small stands (&lt;0.09 ha or 30 m²), which rapidly regrow when managed or following disturbance. In this study, we present methods for deriving a new regional map of aspen forests using one year of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery in Google Earth Engine. We assessed the annual phenology of aspen in the Southern Rockies and leveraged the frequent temporal resolution of S1 and S2 to create ecologically relevant seasonal composites. Additionally, we derived spectral indices and radar textural features targeting the canopy structure, moisture, and chlorophyll content. Using spatial block cross-validation and Random Forests, we assessed the accuracy of different scenarios and selected the best performing set of features for classification. Comparisons were then made with existing landcover products across the study region. The resulting map improves on existing landcover products in both accuracy (average F1-score = 93.1%) and detection of smaller forest patches. These methods enable accurate mapping at spatial and temporal scales relevant to forest management for one of the most widely distributed tree species in North America.

The criteria of “Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability” as well as a high "overall quality index” are used to register the Italian modern varieties to the national register. Differently, local conservation varieties can be certified under different EU Directives having, as overall objective, the preservation of biodiversity and the containment of genetic erosion. In recent years, products derived from an-cient grains are perceived to be healthier and more sustainable by consumer, especially in Italy, with consequent higher market prices. Ancient tetraploid wheat varieties registered in the national reg-ister of conservation varieties are 28, 24 of which are Sicilian. They are supposed to have a wide genetic variability compared to modern ones, making them vulnerable of fraud because they are difficult to trace. It is therefore important to have tools able to discriminate the autochthonous Si-cilian varieties. This can be done by gluten proteins composition, which also gives information on the technological properties of derived products. Fifty-one accessions belonging to 22 ancient va-rieties of Sicilian tetraploid (mostly durum) wheat were analyzed. Although a wide intra-accession and intra-varietal variability was assessed, the gliadin pattern of bulks of seeds belonging to each variety was discriminatory. Moreover, differences in technological attitudes were found between landraces. This paves the way to use gluten protein patterns for traceability allowing local farmers and producers to valorize their products and assure consumers about the transparency of the entire supply chain.

The article presents a model for optimizing biomass supply chains using the linear programming framework integrated with a Geographic Information System. Based on the distance from a given type of biomass resource, its calorific value, price, and transportation costs, the model identifies the optimal source of biomass, allowing it to cover the demand for the required total energy value with the lowest possible costs. The case study includes the Połaniec power plant in southeastern Poland and potential sources of forest biomass and agricultural straw within 100 km of the plant. Unit costs of biomass varied depending on biomass availability and energy demands. For energy demand on the level of 1 PJ yearly, the lowest unit costs of biomass (4.08 €/MJ) were when all kinds of biomass were available, and the highest (5.47 €/MJ) was when only stacked wood was available. As energy demand increased, unit costs increased, and the ability to meet this demand with just one type of biomass decreased. The energy biomass sector can utilize the model to benefit both biomass producers and their final buyers.

The wellness economy has developed rapidly recently, particularly in wellness tourism. Wellness tourism transforms sustainable strategy through the availability of extended multi-actor engagement in service innovation to further the tourism experience. Therefore, when operating a wellness tourism destination, it is necessary to encourage multi-actor engagement in service innovation to achieve sustainable development. This paper introduces a mixed research method with the SWOT-AHP-QSPM, as it qualitatively analyzes the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats, constructs an evaluation index system, conducts quantitative analysis using the analytic hierarchy process, determines the index weight and weighted score, and calculate the sustainable development strategy, which is appropriate for wellness development of Chongqing Tea Mountain and Bamboo Forest National Forest Park. Purposive field surveys and personal interviews were conducted in Chongqing forest tourism destinations, involving 356 effective respondents. The research reveals that multi-actor engagement significantly enhances sustainable development. These findings bridge service innovation knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights for forest tourism destination management and sustainable policy strategies to elevate multi-actor engagement in forest sites.

Human activities (e.g., exploitation, utilization, and conservation) exert substantial impact on forest ecological functions (FEF). The human influence on FEF significantly varies across developmental stages, which are attributed to the temporal and spatial in nature. This study evaluates some notable FEF indices (FEFI) in the 448 counties within the Yellow River basin (YRB) using panel data from the Seventh to Ninth National Forest Inventory. Data analysis involves employing the residual trends, geographical and temporal weighted regression. Results indicate that, firstly, the overall forest ecological function in the YRB is moderate to inferior, with superior FEF in counties endowed with more natural forest resources. Afforestation demonstrates a short-term improvement, but its effectiveness diminishes over time. Secondly, the positive spatial correlation is stronger among counties, characterized by both high-high and low-low agglomeration effects. Scattered planting, simple stand structure, and concentrated harvesting of forests at the identical stand ages hinder the formation of complex and large-scale FEF agglomerations. Thirdly, significant spatial-temporal differences exist in the impact of human activities on FEF. In the upper reaches of the basin, increased vegetation coverage through agricultural and forestry production benefited FEF, however, some over-exploitation of forests and grasslands is observed there. In the middle reaches, the economic development, expanding population and the greening activities help to improve FEF effectively, but excessive water using in agricultural production brought more difficulties to FEF improvement. In the lower reaches of the basin, improved wastelands and forest protection positively influence FEF. This study recommends that county governments should prioritize forest management with multi-species and multi-layered complex forests. Each county should define its position in regional development and ecological protection, considering the potential impacts on neighboring regions. This holistic approach promotes more effective integrated regional management.

The forest regeneration phase in Sweden commonly involves mechanical soil preparation followed by planting of Scots pine or Norway spruce seedlings. The prepared soil offers planting positions with different properties, including decreased damage by pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.). Nitrogen fertilization can be applied at the time of planting to aid establishment of the seedlings. In this study we compared the effect of organic nitrogen-fertilization for different planting positions, and seedling sizes on early survival and growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings. The main planting positions were capped mound, hinge, and mineral soil. Seedlings planted close to organic material were categorized as “low quality positions”, since proximity to organic material increase pine weevil attraction. Higher mortality rates related to pine weevil damage were recorded for seedlings planted in the low-quality positions, regardless of seedling size or N-fertilization. Pine weevil attack rates increased with increasing seedling size. Growth was in general lowest in mineral soil positions. The effect of organic N-fertilization on growth was positive for spruce regardless of planting positions and seedling size, while depending on planting position and seedling size for pine, indicating that effects of organic N-fertilization depend on seedling species, -size and planting position.

Ambrosia trifida is a kind of malignant invasive plant, which has very high reproductive and en-vironmental adaptability. Through strong resource acquisition ability and allelopathy, it could inhibit the growth and reproduction of surrounding plants, destroy the stability of an invasive ecosystem. It is very important to predict the change of suitable distribution area of Ambrosia trifida with climate change before implementing scientific control measures. Based on 106 Ambrosia trifida distribution data and 14 environmental data, the optimal parameter combination (RM = 0.1, FC = LQ) was obtained by using the MaxEnt model optimized by Kuenm package, the potential suit-able areas of Ambrosia trifida in Northeast China under three different climate scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5) with different emission intensities in the future (2050,2070) were predicted. The changes of Ambrosia trifida suitable area in Northeast China under three climate scenarios were compared, and the relationship between the change of suitable area and emission intensity was analyzed. In general, the suitable area of Ambrosia trifida in Northeast China will expand gradually in the future, and the area of its highly suitable area will also increase with the increasing emission intensity, which is unfavorable to the control of Ambrosia trifida.

Conventional monitoring relies on "in vivo" (non-destructive) measurements of aboveground organ traits (such as stems, branches, and leaves) to analyze plantation growth trends and assess the effectiveness of management practices like watering and fertilization. This study reveals the necessity of “ex vivo” (destructive) approaches, post-excavation, to ensure fully reliable monitoring of plantation performance, including belowground organ growth and development trends. We showcase the effectiveness of dendrometric analysis, which measures the annual ring width in the secondary xylem (wood) of the taproot and stem. Monitoring above- and belowground organ growth trends allow for the exploration of similarities and differences in how different tree organs respond to internal and external factors. Such monitoring is especially crucial for assessing plantation performance in challenging climates, such as those found in arid and semi-arid lands.

(1) Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has existed in some form for decades, but recent rapid advances in a subset called machine learning (ML) — and more specifically deep learning (DL), a neural network-based approach — have made headlines for the potential to revolutionize and automate multiple large sectors of society, including scientific research and the healthcare field. Furthermore, large language models (LLMs) — which are built on DL — could lead to a more seamless, natural interaction between humans and computers. (2) Methods: We reviewed numerous publications on this subject from recent years. (3) Results: We found these studies collectively show that AI is positively disrupting both biomedical research and medical practice, such as optical imaging in surgery guidance. (4) Conclusions: However, we recommend caution in over-reliance on AI in the laboratory or the clinic due to anticipated risks and current limitations.

This paper aims to build up a preference function to evaluate the public benefits of the type of agricultural farming, biodiversity, water provisions, land use type, ecotourism modes, and a monetary attribute (environmental trust fund and willingness to contribute) associated with an ecosystem service and land use program in a forest park. This study used the choice experiments to build a random utility model, analyze the average preference for the above land use attributes based on the conditional logit and used a latent class model to test the resident’s heterogeneous preferences for land use planning in the forest park. We also estimated the welfare derived from various land use programs. The empirical result had shown that: (1) increasing organic farming area, maintaining the status quo of species biodiversity, increasing the surface water provision, increasing the area of custom flora, increasing the wetland area, and setting up an integrated framework for ecotourism increase the public’s preference for the land use program; (2) we found that farmer and non-farmer haven’t the same land use preferences; (3) the ecotourism development program incorporating biodiversity, organic farming, ethnobotany, and wetland area with integrated ecotourism are more preferred than other land use program scenarios.

This paper explores the capability of various machine learning algorithms, including Random Forests and advanced gradient boosting techniques such as XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost, to predict customer churn in the telecommunications sector. For this analysis, a dataset available to the public was employed. The performance of these algorithms was assessed using recognized metrics, including Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F1-score, and the Receiver Operating Characteristic Area Under Curve (ROC AUC). These metrics were evaluated at different phases: subsequent to data preprocessing and feature selection; following the application of SMOTE and ADASYN sampling methods; and after conducting hyperparameter tuning on the data that had been adjusted by SMOTE and ADASYN. The outcomes underscore the notable efficiency of upsampling techniques such as SMOTE and ADASYN in addressing the imbalance inherent in customer churn prediction. Notably, the application of random grid search for hyperparameter optimization did not significantly alter the results, which remained comparatively unchanged. The algorithms' performance post- ADASYN application marginally surpassed that observed after SMOTE application. Remarkably, LightGBM achieved an exceptional F1-score of 89% and an ROC AUC of 95% subsequent to the ADASYN sampling technique. This underlines the effectiveness of advanced boosting algorithms and upsampling methods like SMOTE and ADASYN in navigating the complexities of imbalanced datasets and intricate feature interdependencies.

52 years have passed since President Nixon launched the "War on Cancer". The goals outlined by the President were not achieved because cancer treatment applied such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy have not fully met expectations. We suggest a new chemotherapeutic strategy: disrupting the communication between cancer cells and their microenvironment by chemical means. Immunological synapses that form between cancer cells and immune or other stromal cells provide an attractive target for this approach. Synapses form ligand-receptor clusters within interface of the interacting cells. Despite their differences, synapses share common properties: intercellular protein clusters; the proximity of these proteins; and their cooperative interaction making a synapse an unified functional unit. Synapses provide the limited space for the focused intercellular exchange of signaling molecules and particles. Therefore, destruction of synapses is expected to cause collapse of various tumor types. Additionally, the clustered arrangement of synapse components offers opportunities to increase treatment safety by reducing the concentration of cell impermeable agents used, to enhance its specificity applying cross-linking reagents, thus restricting modifications of surface-exposed molecules. By attaching a cleavable cell permeable toxic agent to a crosslinker should further enhance a killing potential in treating cancer. The proposed approach promises to be simple, universal, and less expensive than existing cancer therapy methods.

The Australian tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) is home to approximately 18 percent of the nation’s total vascular plant species. Over the past century, human activity and industrial development have caused global climate changes, posing a severe and irreversible danger to the entire land-based ecosystem, and WTWHA is no exception. The current average annual temperature of WTWHA in FNQ is 24 °C. However, in the coming years (by 2030), the average annual temperature increase is estimated to be between 0.5 and 1.4 °C compared to the climate observed between 1986 and 2005. Looking further ahead to 2070, the anticipated temperature rise is projected to be between 1.0 and 3.2 °C, with the exact range depending on future emissions. We identified 84 plant species endemic to the WTWHA in FNQ, which are already experiencing climate change threats. Few of these plants are used in herbal medicines. This study comprehensively reviewed metabolomics studies conducted on these 84 plant species until now toward understanding their physiological and metabolomics responses to global climate change. This review also discusses: i) recent developments in plant metabolomics studies that can be applied to study and understand the interactions of wet tropical plants with climatic stress, ii) medicinal plants and isolated phytochemicals with structural diversity, and iii) reported biological activities of crude extracts and isolated compounds.

Grasping the spatial and temporal patterns of forest fires, along with the key factors that drive them and the ability to forecast such events accurately, is essential for the successful management of forests. In China's southern region, forest fires significantly endanger the ecological system, public safety, and economic well-being. Through the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and LightGBM (Light Gradient Boosting Machine) model, this study investigates the determinants of fire incidents and formulates a predictive model for forest fire occurrences, alongside a zoning strategy, within the Central-South area. The results indicate: (i) Spatially, fire points exhibit significant clustering and autocorrelation characteristics; (ii) The Central-South Forest Fire Prediction Model shows exceptional accuracy, reliability, and predictive power, with high performance metrics across training and validation sets, including over 85% accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores, along with AUC values above 89%, underscoring its efficacy in forecasting forest fires and distinguishing between fire events; (iii) Throughout the year, forest fire risks in the Central-South region of China vary by region and season, with risk spikes from March to May in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Hainan. From June to August, localized risks are observed in Heyuan and Huangshi, while from September to November, an increase in risk is noted in Guangdong (Meizhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan), Guangxi (Nanning, Hezhou, Yulin), and Hunan (Binzhou, Yongzhou, Hengyang) due to cooler, drier conditions and leaf litter accumulation. From December to February, the risk continues in specific areas across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Hubei.

The prevention, mitigation and treatment of movement impairments, ideally, requires early diagnosis or identification. As the human movement system has physiological and functional redundancy, movement limitations do not promptly arise at the onset of physical decline. A such, prediction of movement limitations is complex: it is unclear how much decline can be tolerated before movement limitations start. Currently, the term ‘homeostatic reserve’ or ‘physiological reserve’ is used to refer to the redundancy of the human biological system, but these terms do not describe the redundancy in the muscle architecture of the human body. The result of functional redundancy is compensation. Although compensation is an early predictor of movement limitations, clear definitions are lacking and the topic is underexposed in literature. The aim of this article is to provide a definition of compensation and emphasize its importance. Compensation is defined as an alteration in the movement trajectory and/or altering muscle recruitment to complete a movement task. Compensation for capacity is the result of a lack in neuromusculoskeletal reserve, where reserve is defined as the difference between the capacity (physiological abilities of the neuromusculoskeletal system) and the task demand. Compensation for movement objectives is a result of a shift in weighting of movement objectives, reflecting changing priorities. Studying compensation in biomechanics requires altered protocols in experimental set-ups, musculoskeletal models that are not reliant on prescribed movement, and inclusion of alternative movement objectives in optimal control theory.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD), caused by a virus within the Poxviridae family and Capripoxvirus genus, induces nodular skin lesions in cattle, spreading through direct contact and insect vectors, significantly affecting global cattle farming. Despite available vaccines, their effectiveness is limited by poor bioavailability and adverse effects. Our study aimed to identify potential inhibitors targeting LSD-associated DNA polymerase protein, selecting LSDV039 for further investigation through comprehensive analysis and computational methods. Virtual screening revealed rhein and taxifolin as potent binders among 380 phytocompounds, with respective affinities of -8.965 and -7.195 kcal/mol. Canagliflozin and tepotinib exhibited strong affinities (-9.858 and -8.856 kcal/mol) among 718 FDA-approved antiviral drugs. Molecular dynamics simulations of canagliflozin, tepotinib, rhein, and taxifolin highlighted taxifolin's superior stability and binding energy. Rhein displayed compactness in RMSD and RMSF but fluctuations in Rg and SASA, while canagliflozin demonstrated stability compared to tepotinib. The study highlights the promising potential of repurposed drugs and phytocompounds as LSD therapeutics. However, extensive validation through in-vitro, in-vivo, and clinical trials is crucial for their practical application.

Good governance in natural resource management (NRM) is one of the most challenging issues in developing countries that often inappropriately embedded in national policies and political agendas. It is, in fact, even more important for countries like Bangladesh with exceptionally high pressure and dependence on its natural resources for sustaining rural livelihoods. Globally, nowadays, good governance is considered as one of the key factor for achieving the goal of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. Bangladesh, of late has responded to that global zeal by involving local communities in the management of country’s declining forest and other natural resources. The colonial legacy of the forestry sector of Bangladesh was planned and, managed as interim projects through donors’ prescriptions. Thus, institutions, management processes and conservation outcomes were problematic. The conventional approach adopted by colonial and post-colonial regimes for forest management also proved to be inefficient due to its top-down management system. The absolute dependency on donor support, and their prescription sometimes worsened the situation both ecologically and socially. Global, regional and local trends supported the need for a different dimension in the governance paradigms. The introduction of a pluralistic approach, known as co-management in protected areas (PAs) is an example of an attempt whereby shared governance mechanism are implemented to attain the desired goals of conservation that will also address the livelihoods and aspirations of communities living in and around PAs of the country. However, in designing future forest and PA regimes the concern of the external aid support and attached conditions remain a reality that needs to be addressed. Adequate attention should be given to our vanishing biodiversity, culture and community livelihoods through devising an appropriate governance mechanism recognizing and supporting local rights, access and participation in the environmental management. It is now time to mainstream the adhoc nature of governance according to our national conservation strategy and policy frameworks in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the Bangladesh NRM sector addressing the human and community right of people in the specific context of forest protected areas management.

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) aims to achieve its purpose by working across multiple sectors and involving multi-level actors in reducing deforestation and forest degradation in tropical countries. By contrast, the European Union (EU) Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and its Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) focus on forestry and functions at bilateral state level. The FLEGT Action Plan specifically aims to tackle illegal logging, legalise timber production and trade improve forest governance in countries exporting tropical timber to the EU. Since illegal logging is just one driver of deforestation and forest degeneration, and legalisation of logging does not necessarily reduce deforestation and forest degradation, the two instruments differ in scale and scope. However, by addressing the causes of deforestation and forest degradation and their underlying governance issues, the EU FLEGT and REDD+ share many functional linkages at higher levels of forest policy and forest governance. The contribution and participation of civil society organisations (CSOs) and other actors is imperative to both processes. Our study is based on a survey of key actors (national and international) in REDD+ and FLEGT VPA processes in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Our analysis was guided by the theoretical perspectives of the policy arrangement approach and examination of two specific dimensions of this approach, namely resources and rules of the game. This paper argues that participation of CSOs in both processes is crucial as it facilitates and nurtures the very much needed cooperation between other national and international actors. The paper also argues that participation of CSOs feeds valuable information and knowledge into REDD+ and FLEGT VPA processes, thus contributing to increased legitimacy, justice and transparency.

Purpose of review The forest industry has deployed ICTs to improve productivity of forest supply chains. In this sense, digitalization of data flows significantly impacts wood supply chains, from forest to mills, which must react flexibly to market fluctuations of forest products. The goal of this study was to conduct a literature review on data flow implementations in management systems of wood supply chains and to evaluate their applicability in supply chains to analyze the opportunities for improving them in practice. Recent findings We utilized the ScienceDirect database, Scopus and Web of Science in order to document data flows in systems and actual applications. Due to ongoing outsourcing, the wood procurement chains, and the wood supply chains were identified in the forest industry. Several different technologies can be implemented also in wood supply chains to digitalize the data flow depending on the specific needs of organizations. In this regard, digitalization of Big Data causes significant changes in elements of supply models that should be integrated and standardized in the optimization and simulation systems. Summary A modelling guide is suggested for accurate dynamic solution of problems of forest logistics. Then, the opportunities in digitalization for connecting different data flows, technologies, and stakeholders are discussed thoroughly. We conclude that data-driven dynamic optimization, and locally implemented digitalization contributes to wood supply modeling in the establishment of standards for cloud-based platforms at time-related and sequential measures which will ensure successful forest logistics through the planning and the monitoring of wood supply chains.

A brief technical and economic insight into producing the water-soluble yellow colorant limocitrol 3-O-6”-[3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl)])-β-D-glucopyranoside from waste lemon peel via simple solid-liquid extraction in aqueous ethanol or via hydrodynamic cavitation of waste lemon peel in water, shows that the biocolorant can be obtained at affordable cost. Coupled to the simplicity and sustainability of the extraction processes suggested, the high chemical and physical stability of this polymethoxylated flavanol and the health benefits of citrus flavonoids, support industrialization of this new bioeconomy production.

Ovarian endometriomas have a negative impact on a patient’s reproductive potential and likely cause a reduction in ovarian reserve. The most commonly employed ovarian reserve parameters are anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and antral follicular count (AFC). Surgical management options of endometrioma include cystectomy, ablative methods, ethanol sclerotherapy and combined techniques. The optimal surgical approach remains a matter of debate. Our review aimed to summarize the literature on the impact of surgical management of endometrioma on AMH, AFC and fertility outcomes. Cystectomy may reduce recurrence rates and increase chances of spontaneous conception. However, a post-operative reduction in AMH is to be anticipated, albeit there is evidence of recovery during follow-up. The reduction in ovarian reserve is likely multi-factorial. Cystectomy does not appear to significantly reduce, and may even increase, AFC. Ablative methods achieve an ovarian tissue-sparing effect and improved ovarian reserve, compared to cystectomy, has been demonstrated. A single study reported on AMH and AFC post- sclerotherapy and both were significantly reduced. AMH levels may be useful in predicting the chances of conception post-operatively. None of the aforementioned approaches has clearly demonstrated a superiority in terms of overall chances of conception. Surgical management of endometrioma may, overall, improve probability of pregnancy. Evidence on its value before medically-assisted reproduction (MAR) is conflicting, however, a combination of surgery followed by MAR may achieve the optimal fertility outcome. In view of the complexity of available evidence, individualisation of care, combined with optimal surgical technique, is highly recommended.

(1) Background. Cognitive impairment in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been studied in relation to some clinical variables (e.g., motor disability and disease duration) and lifestyle fac-tors such as Cognitive Reserve (CR). However, only very few studies have considered the interac-tion of clinical variables and cognitive reserve in preserving the integrity of the neuropsychologi-cal profile. In this paper, we hypothesised that a higher level of CR might predict good cognitive efficiency by modulating the clinical outcome of the disease. (2) Methods. A sample of 100 partic-ipants with MS (age range 30-74), was recruited and assessed remotely with a questionnaire to measure CR and a cognitive screening test. Data were analysed through Generalized Additive Models. (3) Results. We found that the model analysing the interaction between CR and disease duration, and between CR and motor disability was able to explain a significant percentage of cognitive performance. In particular, higher levels of CR predicted better cognitive performance despite long disease duration, unless the motor disability was severe. (4) Conclusion. This study highlights the crucial role of CR in modulating cognitive efficiency in people with MS.

“Pecorino” is a typical semi-hard cheese obtained with raw or heat-treated sheep milk using procedures to valorize the raw material's chemical and microbiological properties. In the present study, using a high throughput method of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we assessed the evolution of the microbiome composition from milk to Pecorino cheese in artisanal processes using milk from Comisana and Lacaune sheep breeds. The comparative analysis of the bacterial com-munity composition revealed significant differences in the presence and abundance of specific taxa in the milk microbiome of the Comisana and Lacaune breeds. NGS analysis also revealed differences in the curd microbiome related to dairy farming practices, which have a relevant effect on the final structure of the Pecorino-cheese microbiome.

This research presents a comprehensive framework for efficiently generating forest fire datasets from Google Earth Engine data sources. The primary contribution of this work lies in providing a methodology to swiftly extract forest fire factors without the need for permissions or access to private datasets, rendering the dataset openly accessible and shared without barriers. Furthermore, given that the remote sensing data used is a global dataset, it can be applied in any region without restrictions. In this study, Peninsular Malaysia is chosen as a case study to demonstrate the framework's effectiveness. The generated dataset includes essential variables including the climate and environment, landcover, topography, and anthropogenic factors facilitating the analysis of fire occurrences. The methodology empowers data scientists, enabling them to leverage their analytical skills on the extracted dataset without requiring specialized remote sensing knowledge. Additionally, this study also showcases the adoption of large language models, specifically GPT-4 with the Noteable plugin, as a tool for conducting preliminary analyses on the generated dataset. Sample analyses reveal that several key features, including the KBDI, LST, PDSI, climate water deficit, and precipitation, significantly impact forest fire occurrences in Peninsular Malaysia. Despite the successful application of the GPT-4 with Noteable plugin, certain limitations and challenges are identified, highlighting the necessity for further validation of the tool's applicability and limitations. This study encourages future research to (1) adopt the proposed framework in other regions, (2) explore more detailed analyses encompassing all variables, and (3) leverage machine learning for advanced forecasting.

Cognitive reserve is the adaptability of cognitive processes in the face of brain aging and pathology. This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq) in a healthy Lebanese sample. CRIq assesses cognitive reserve through three domains: education, working activity, and leisure time. Statistical measures, including descriptive and regression analysis along with structural equation modeling, were utilized to investigate the convergent and discriminant validity of CRIq, incorporating fluid intelligence (Gf) and measures of cognitive function, long-term memory encoding and retrieval (Glr), and processing speed (Gs). Results from 174 participants revealed that the activities assessed by CRIq-Arabic were comparable to the original CRIq study, with slight cultural differences. The internal consistency of CRIq-Arabic was good (Cronbach's α = 0.88), indicating reliability. Convergent validity was confirmed, with moderate to high loadings on the cognitive reserve latent construct. Discriminant validity was supported as correlations between cognitive reserve variables and non-target constructs (Gf, Glr, Gs) were less than 1. The findings provide an initial psychometric validation of the CRIq-Arabic. Further research in clinical samples is needed to enhance its utility in neuropsychological practice.

(1) Background: The proportion of fully mechanized harvesting systems in Austria is constantly increasing especially because of the technological development of the machines, which allows them to drive on increasingly steep terrain. This leads to additional challenges and potential hazards for the operators, which may also cause higher stress levels. The purpose of this study is to develop and debate a new set of methodologies for determining time and space resolved psychophysiology data to analyze stressful and non-stressful work situations for harvester and forwarder operators; (2) Methods: we suggest a study protocol to analyze a) tasks performed by the driver, b) environmental factors, like slope gradient, c) the psychophysiological response of experts during these tasks, and d) evaluate the worker´s subjective stress and fatigue before and after a harvest operation. (3) Results: Within this manuscript we present a study protocol based on quantitative and qualitative methods, like time and space resolved psychophysiology, questionnaires, qualitative interviews, as well as video and sensor-based analysis of environmental and machine data. The first results from real measurements of a forwarder driver are presented; (4) Conclusions: This multimodal research protocol serves to explore the relationship between stress, fatigue, and performed tasks. Through our quantitative and qualitative methodology, researchers can improve the health and safety of forest workers at work, improve their productivity and reduce damage to remaining trees.

Members of the genus Armillaria are widespread forest pathogens against which effective protection has not yet been developed. Due to their longevity and the creation of large-scale cloning of Armillaria individuals, the use of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against these pathogens could be an effective alternative. This work describes the screening of double-stranded RNA banding patterns as a first approach for potential virus discovery and the use of stranded total RNA-seq for viral detection and characterization in Armillaria spp. collected in the Czech Republic. A total of five single-stranded RNA viruses were detected in Armillaria ostoyae and A. cepistipes, including the first virus of the family Tymoviridae found infecting a member the genus Armillaria and four viruses belonging to the recently described virus group "ambiviruses" with circular ambisense genome organization. Both hammerhead (HHRz) and hairpin (HpRz) ribozymes were detected in all the ambiviricot sequences. Armillaria viruses were compared by phylogenetic analysis and confirmed their specific host by direct RT-PCR, which showed the occurrence of interspecies transmission.

Forest ecosystems make a greater contribution to carbon (C) stocks than any other terrestrial ecosystem. To understand the role of regional forest ecosystems in global climate change and carbon exchange, forest C stock and its spatial distribution within the small (2,300 km2) Liuxihe River basin were analyzed to determine the different contributors to the C stock. Forest C stocks were quantified by measuring the biomass of trees, understory vegetation, litter and roots, as well as soil organic C, using data from field samples and laboratory experiments. The results showed that forests stored 38.04 Tg C in the entire basin, with secondary and planted forests accounting for 89.82% and 10.18%, respectively, of the stored C. Five types of forests, a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, a subtropical coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, a subtropical coniferous forest, a timber forest, and a non-wood forest, stored 257.55 ± 15.01, 218.92 ± 9.59, 195.24 ± 18.29, 177.42 ± 17.55, and 117.86 ± 6.04 Mg C ha−1, respectively. In the forest ecosystem C stocks of the basin, soils averagely contribute about 73.78%, not including root underground biomass. It provides a comprehensive method for forest ecosystem carbon investigation and forest management in small basin scale.

Background. The treatment of coronary stenosis relies on invasive high risk surgical assessment to generate the fractional flow reserve diagnostics index, a ratio of distal to proximal pressures in respect of coronary atherosclerotic plaque causing stenosis. Non-invasive methods are therefore a need of the times. This study proposes an extensible mathematical description of the coronary vasculature that permits rapid estimation of the coronary fractional flow reserve. Methods. By adapting an existing closed loop model of human coronary blood flow, the effects of large vessel stenosis and microvascular disease on fractional flow reserve were quantified. Several simula-tions generated flow and pressure information which was used to compute fractional flow re-serve under a spectrum of conditions including focal stenosis, diffuse stenosis, and microvascular disease. Sensitivity analysis stratified the influence of model parameters on the index. The model was simulated as coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations and numerically solved us-ing an implicit higher order method. Results. Large vessel stenosis affected fractional flow re-serve. The model predicts that the presence, rather than severity, of microvascular disease affect coronary flow deleteriously. Sensitivity analysis revealed that heart rate may not affect the index. Conclusions. The model provides a computationally inexpensive instrument for future in silico coronary blood flow investigations as well as clinical-imaging decision making. A combination of focal and diffuse stenosis appears to be essential in reducing the index. In addition to pressure measurements in the large epicardial vessels, diagnosis of microvascular disease is essential. The independence of the index with respect to heart rate suggests that computationally inexpensive steady state simulations may provide sufficient information to reliably compute the index.

A new type of artificial block is proposed by modifying the traditional block. Based on the physical model experiment, the wave reflection and run-up characteristics of the new ecological blocks under regular waves were examined, and the influence of the height of the "planting trough" border on the hydrodynamic properties was analyzed. The results indicate that the wave reflection and run-up would decrease with a decrease in the breakwater slope. As wave height increases, wave run-up increases, and the reflection coefficient falls. Wave reflection and run-up increase with an increasing wave period. The relative depth of the water has a smaller impact on the wave reflection than the wave run-up. The reflection coefficient of the new ecological blocks is consistently lower than that of the conventional and continues to decrease as the border of the "planting trough" is raised. The raised borders prevent water loss in the trough, resulting in no significant improvement in the wave run-up performance of the new blocks. The reflection coefficient and the relative run-up R/H gradually increase with the average wave breaking parameter ξ increase. The crude permeability coefficients for the new blocks, New Heights 1 and New Heights 2, are 0.53, 0.53, and 0.54, respectively.

In this paper, we present a comprehensive 4D study of the early stage of plastic deformation in a polycrystalline binary AlLi alloy. The entire microstructure is mapped with X-ray diffraction contrast tomography and a set of bulk grains is further studied via X-ray topotomography during mechanical loading. The observed contrast is analyzed with respect to the slip system activation and the evolution of the orientation spread is measured as a function of applied strain. The experimental observations are augmented by the mechanical response predicted by crystal plasticity finite element simulations to analyze the onset of plasticity in details. Simulation results show a general agreement of the individual slip system activation during loading and that comparison with experiments at the length scale of the grains may be used to fine tune the constitutive model parameters.

Approximately 20% of the world's population resides in coastal areas at risk of rising sea levels due to climate change. This could lead to severe weather events and ecological impact on critical infrastructure. To combat the effects of water-based environmental forces on the land, hard engineering methods such as seawalls have been utilized. However, a more sustainable solution is emerging in nature-based engineering, which involves growing vegetation. This approach can help extend the lifespan of existing technology and provide climate change adaptation and resilience for coastal and riverine communities. The following paper will review seaweed farms as an advanced nature-based mitigation approach. The paper also outlines the findings of experiments at RWTH Aachen University's hydraulic laboratory. These tests involved using seaweed as a natural solution to dampen waves in a model system to test a hypothesis. One result involving a system with two lines of seaweed revealed 15 percent wave damping. Using seaweed as a nature-based solution, a gentle engineering approach to designing future vegetated protection systems can extend the design life of existing coastal infrastructure. This can also provide protection against climate-induced sea level rise, promote coastal risk mitigation, restore ecosystems, and foster blue bio-economic development.

Successful fertilization treatments targeted to improve stand productivity while reducing operational complexities and cost depend on a clear understanding of soil nutrient availability under varying environmental conditions. Soil nutrient data collected from 154 forest sites throughout the Inland Northwest, USA were analyzed to examine soil nutrient characteristics on different geologic soil parent materials and to rank soil fertility. Results show that soil parent material explains significant differences in soil nutrient availability. Soils developed from volcanic rocks have the highest CEC and are relatively high in P, K, S, Mg, Cu, Ca, and B, but generally poor in N. Forest soils developed from plutonic rocks exhibit the lowest CEC and are low in N, S, K, Mg, Cu, and Ca, but higher in P. Some soils located on mixed glacial till are low only in K, Cu, Mg, and Ca, but many glacial soils are relatively rich in other nutrients, albeit the second lowest CEC. Soils developed from metasedimentary and sedimentary rocks are among those with lowest soil nutrient availability for P and B. Sulfur was found to have the highest concentrations in metasedimentary influenced soils and the least in sedimentary derived soils. Our results should be useful in designing site-specific fertilizer and nutrient management prescriptions for forest stands growing on soils developed from these major geologies within the Inland Northwest region of the United States.

CO2, CH4 and CO are the most critical atmospheric gases in terms of their impact on the radiative system, air quality and health. This work provides information on the direction of source areas and potential sources of emissions and shows many aspects of these gases by a statistical analysis using bivariate polar diagrams and local weather conditions (e.g., temperature, wind speed and wind direction) recorded at the Lamto station (LTO, 6°31N and 5°02W) in Côte d’Ivoire over the 2014-2018 period. The results show that the main regions contributing to the high concentrations of CH4 (> 1925 ppb) and CO2 (> 420 ppm) in the GSS, GSP, PSS and PSP seasons are the North and Northwest sectors of Lamto. In these directions, CH4 and CO2 concentrations are associated with wind speeds less than 6 m.s-1, due to the influences of local sources as emissions resulting from the degradation of organic matter submerged during the impoundment of the Taabo dam, and/nor human activities linked to the practice of intensive agriculture. In addition, the high concentrations of CO (> 350 ppb) are observed in GSS in the North, North-West, North-East and East sectors for wind speeds less than or equal to 9 m.s-1, due to the influences of both local and distant sources. The correlation coefficients between CH4 and CO, and between CH4 and CO2 are positive and significant in all sectors. However, those calculated between CO2 and CO have showed both low and high values in all seasons.

In recent research, a growing body of empirical evidence, suggests that prosocial impact at work can play a significant role in enhancing creativity and innovativeness. Drawing from Self Determination Theory, we hypothesized that basic psychological needs and benevolence satisfaction could serve as a mediating factor in the relation between employees perceived social impact and innovative work behavior and creativity, thus illuminating the manner in which contentment of psychological needs fosters inventive proclivities within the organizational milieu. Results from a study in Greece and Canada (N=528) showed that both perceived social impact and prosocial motivation are positively associated with innovative work behavior and creativity while autonomy and competence satisfaction mediate the relation between perceived social impact and the work outcomes examined within this study. Moreover, prosocial motivation was found to moderate the relation between benevolence satisfaction and innovativeness. Findings extend prior research on the role of prosociality on creative behavior at work and provide supporting evidence for the organizations that encourage and support employees’ initiatives to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Organic fertilizer application in agricultural land is known to improve soil microbial processes, fertility, and yield. In particular, stable changes in soil chemical composition through multi-year fertilization of organic fertilizers are thought to cause changes in the microbial community. Here, the effects of oil cake amendments (OC) on soil bacterial diversity, community profile and enzyme activity were evaluated and compared to those amended with chemical fertilizer (NPK). The comparison of diversity indices between OC and NPK amended soils shows that application of oil cake has increased microbial diversity potentially with an increase in the number of different microbial groups. The ordination plot distinguished and clustered both treatments showing differential effects of soils chemical factors on the microbial communities of each treatment. Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Bacteriodetes were significantly abundant in OC amended soil than in the NPK received soil, indicating alterations in community structure, composition, and diversity con-current to the changes in pH, Ca and Mg contents of the soil. These shifts in bacterial community structure and composition could also be observed from the phylum to the genus level in both NPK and OC amended soils partially explained by differences in soil chemical factors. The OC soil compared to the NPK amended soil also contain significantly higher abundance of predicted genes corresponding to enzymes related to biogeochemical cycling, decomposition and plant growth promotion. Collectively, these results support the use of an unconventional organic fertilizer positively altering bacterial populations in jujube orchards. The application of oil cake-based organic fertilizer improved microbial diversity and enhanced potential ecosystem functions related to bio-geochemical cycles, mineralization and plant growth promotion.

We propose a model for medium-term hydropower scheduling (MTHS) with variable head and uncertainty in inflow, reserve capacity, and energy price. With an increase of intermittent energy sources in the generation mix, it is expected that a flexible hydropower producer can obtain added profits by participating in other markets than just the energy market. To capture this added potential the hydropower system should be modeled with a higher level of details. In this context, we apply an algorithm based on stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) to solve the nonconvex MTHS problem, and show that the use of Strengthened Benders (SB) cuts to represent the expected future profit (EFP) function provide accurate scheduling results for slightly nonconvex problems. A method to visualize the EFP function in a dynamic programming setting is provided, serving as a useful tool for a priori inspection of the EFP shape and its nonconvexity.

This paper explores the effect of climate change on the regression of the Argan tree (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) woodland, focusing on the Argan Biosphere Reserve and especially in the Souss plain (Western Morocco). Rainfall and temperature data of four sites within the Argan Biosphere Reserve were analyzed over the last 60 years to assess any climatic change. Regression curves applied to the dataset showed an important decrease in rainfall (18 to 26 %) in the four locations as well as an increase in temperature (1 to 2 °C). These changes may have a detrimental effect on the Argan woodland although human factors have been reported to be the main factor of its regression. It can therefore be concluded that the reduction in rainfall and the increase in temperature should now be considered as factors of Argan woodland regression.

Power system decentralization has been an emerging topic for the past decade in an effort to improve power quality and environment protection via increased integration of renewable energy sources. Towards these objectives, decentralized microgrids have been proposed and thoroughly investigated in terms of technical capabilities and economic performance. In fact, the planning and actual operation of small-scale, decentralized microgrids has started in countries such as Canada, Japan, USA, UK and other countries. It is expected that the research in this area will progress and eventually take over the existing paradigm of large-scale power generation in the future. These small-size decentralized microgrids could be connected with nearby microgrids under normal operating conditions, but under special events, such as natural or man-made disasters, they would be disconnected and run in islanded mode. Under such high impact – low probability events, the microgrid must have resiliency to successfully re-connect with other microgrids and the main grid. In this paper, an Energy Management System (EMS) for a microgrid having a resiliency function, allowing to operate under islanded mode after an accident, is proposed. The proposed tool, called Resilient Energy Management System (ResEMS), aims at procuring reserve power into the microgrid’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) effectively, by importing it from the nearby connected power system. The accident is assumed to be a predictable natural disaster, which means that the accident occurrence time, duration and level of damage can be estimated. The proposed ResEMS has been applied to a microgrid comprising of a BESS, a diesel generator and several photovoltaic devices. The simulation results verify its beneficial operation.

To understand how the thinning strategies impacts on wood quality and quantity for different purposes is of interest, considering that the management of plantations is carried out with parameters that have yet to be validated for different growth conditions. This work evaluated contrasting thinning regimes applied early at two moments of the crop cycle. With an initial population of 840 trees.ha-1, two thinning with populations ranging from 700 to 400, and from 400 to 100 trees.ha-1 were applied at 1.5 and 7.3 years, respectively. Growth analyses were carried out from the ages of 1.5 to 20.8 years considering: total height, diameter at breast height, individual volume, total and commercial volume per hectare, mean annual increase and current annual increase. At final age, contrasting populations of 100, 250 and 400 trees.ha-1 were sampled to assess wood density, and mechanical properties (bending and compression on small scale clear samples). The values of individual growth and wood properties are related to a Stand Density Index to understand the effect of competition on those values. The results allow us to identify the thinning schemes that record the most significant individual and per-hectare growth (both in thinning and clear felling) and the optimal harvest time under specific growth conditions. We assessed the proportions of commercial logs for sawmill and pulp uses, providing valuable inputs for a subsequent economic analysis of thinning regimes seeking for the most convenient combination of wood products. Wood's physical and mechanical properties assessed were barely affected by contrasting levels of competition between trees, therefore the decision of the silvicultural system to implement will depend on production and economic criteria.

Forest ecosystems provide diverse services and values that contribute to human well-being. Although high proportion of species is still undiscovered, tropical forests alone are thought to host more than 50% of the world’s biodiversity. Beyond supporting via direct use of products like timber, fiber and biomass energy, they play an important role in providing a wide range of ecosystem services such as regulating water flow and quality, water purification, improving infiltration, fresh water, erosion control, carbon sequestration and sedimentation control. They are one of the important parts of terrestrial and the largest carbon pool, occupying an integral position in the global carbon cycle. However, these days, deterioration of nature and forest biodiversity is a severe danger to the global environment. This will be accompanied by increased strains on food supply, causing increased pressure on already delicate ecological systems. Thus, better forest management strategies are necessary for managing forests sustainably. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the existing forest management approaches and their associated benefits and challenges. Multidisciplinary approaches are needed to achieve sustainable management of forests. These can be accomplished if suitable forest management innovations are put in place. Various technologies can also be adopted through applying different forest assessment tools like remote sensing using light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR) in forest management. Harnessing such technologies will definitely result in providing increased socio-economy as well as improved environmental sustainability. However, the speed of transformation depends much on level of commitment of stakeholders including policy makers. As a result, this review is intended to explore existing forest management innovations which are suitable both ecologically as well as socio-economically. This shows that while there is a lot to be improved, there are already developed forest management innovations that are already in use including PFM and MFM, which helps to achieve SFM.

Keywords: Forest management; sustainability; FSC; PEFC; research; market share

One of the challenges in the healthcare sector is making accurate forecasts across insurance years for claims reserve. The state-of-the-art envisages various methods for estimating the claims reserve but without being applied to systems that do not present huge variability and heterogeneity, such as the healthcare sector. The methodology is based on generalized linear models using the Overdispersed Poisson distribution as shown in the state-of-the-art. In this context, we developed a method to estimate the parameters of the quasi-likelihood function using a Gauss-Newton algorithm optimized through a genetic algorithm. The genetic algorithm plays a crucial role in glimpsing the position of the global minimum to ensure a correct convergence of the Gauss-Newton method, where the choice of the initial guess is fundamental. The proposed methodology has been entirely developed using MATLAB and has been applied to estimate the claims reserve in the healthcare system of the Tuscany Region in Italy, as case study. The results obtained were validated by comparing them with the state-of-the-art by measuring the confidence intervals of the Overdispersed Poisson distribution parameters. Therefore local healthcare authorities could use the proposed and improved methodology to allocate the resources dedicated to healthcare and global management.

The traditional practice of harvesting and processing raw date palm sap is not only culturally significant but also an essential nutritional source in South Asia. Yet, the potential for bacterial or viral contamination from animals and environmental sources during its collection remains a real and insufficiently studied risk. Implementing improved food safety measures and collection techniques could mitigate the risk of these infections. Additionally, the adoption of advanced food analytical methods has the potential to identify pathogens and uncover the natural bacterial diversity of these products. The advancement of NGS technologies, particularly nanopore sequencing, offers rapid and highly mobile capabilities. In this study, we employed nanopore sequencing for bacterial metabarcoding of a set of raw date palm sap samples collected without protective coverage against animals in Bangladesh in 2021. We identified several bacterial species with importance in the natural fermentation of the product and demonstrated the feasibility of this NGS method in the surveillance of raw palm sap products. We revealed two fermentation directions dominated by either Leuconostoc species or Lactococcus species in these products at the first 6 hours from harvest along with opportunistic human pathogens in the background, represented with low abundance. Plant pathogens, bacteria with the potential for opportunistic human infections and the sequences of the Exiguobacterium genus were also described and their potential role is discussed.

Wetland ecosystems provide valuable services to human beings, but they are also among the most threatened ecosystems in the world (1). Sixteen ecosystem services are identified through the South African Water Research Commission's Wet-Health Tool (2). This study sought to establish which of these ecosystem services are highly ranked/rated by the community members living in the Soutpansberg area in South Africa. This area is a strategic water source/watershed. The area is rich in biodiversity and is also experiencing competing administrative jurisdictions: the local traditional leadership and the municipal council. This study also sought to determine the influence of age, education status, employment status, and family income, among other demographic factors, on how people view the importance of services derived from wetlands. It also sought to establish whether people in urban settings view the ecosys-tem services obtained from wetlands similarly to people in rural settings. A literature review was conducted to understand the wetland ecosystem services and how communities benefit from these services. A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data for the current study, which was circulated among the villagers around the wetlands, particularly those living close to the wetlands. One hundred and sixteen responses from the study were recorded. Food for livestock was ranked the greatest benefit or service derived from the wetlands rated by 82% of the participants, followed by the provision of cultivated foods at 60%, provision of water for human use at 58%, provision of harvestable resources at 42% and erosion control at 38% completes the top 5 ranked ecosystem services in the area. The study concluded that the participants living in rural areas had greater awareness of wetlands' ecosystem services than their urban counterparts.

The antimicrobial properties of the new strains of microorganisms isolated from natural sources of various ecological niches in the Moscow Region and the Republic of Tatarstan were studied. An antifungal activity of isolates was established in a test culture of toxin-producing microscopic fungi that cause various plant diseases: Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium spp. and Candida albicans. Of the 46 studied microorganisms, 4 isolates (Bacillus subtilis, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, Lactobacillus plantarum and Streptomyces spp.) showed an ability to produce biologically active metabolites with a pronounced antimicrobial potential. This is promising in the growth and protection of the Scots pine, pedunculate oak and small-leaved linden forest crops from diseases caused by fungi Lophodermium pinastri Chev. and Microsphaera alphitoides stimulation. Based on selected isolates, a Bacterial product LRV composition has been developed. A Scots pine, pedunculate oak and small-leaved linden seedlings single and double foliar treatment with Bacterial product LRV at a concentration of 10 ml/l led to an increase in the growth of an above-ground part by 31.8, 51.9 and 25.4 %, respectively, and an underground part – by 25.0, 37.2 and 25.7 %, respectively, compared with the control. The weight of seedling at the end of the study exceeded the control variant by an average of 26.0, 44.0 and 78.0 %, respectively. A use of a plant protection Bacterial product LRV did not have a significant effect on a powdery mildew and Schütte disease damage to forest crops. A Biogeosystem Technique methodology has been developed to improve a long-term forest growing.

Accurately assessing forest structure and maintaining up-to-date information about forest structure is crucial for various forest planning efforts, including the development of reliable forest plans and assessments of the sustainable management of natural resources. Field measurements traditionally applied to acquire forest inventory information (e.g., basal area, tree volume, and aboveground biomass) are labor-intensive and time-consuming. To address this limitation, remote sensing tech-nology has been widely applied in modeling efforts to help estimate forest inventory information. Among various remotely sensed data, LiDAR can potentially help describe forest structure. This study was conducted to estimate and map forest inventory information across the Talladega Na-tional Forest by employing ALS-derived data and aerial photography. The quality of predictive models was evaluated to determine whether additional remotely sensed data can help improve forest structure estimates. Additionally, the quality of general predictive models was compared to that of species-group models. This study confirms that quality level 2 LiDAR data was sufficient for developing adequate predictive models (R2adj. ranging between 0.71 and 0.82) when compared to the predictive models based on LiDAR and aerial imagery. Additionally, this study suggests that species-group predictive models were of higher quality than general predictive models. Lastly, landscape-level maps were created from the predictive models, and these may be helpful to plan-ners, forest managers, and landowners in their management efforts.

ABSTRACT"In the realm of the industrial complex, a pressing concern lies in optimizing resource utilization and enhancing energy efficiency. This critical issue finds strong support from a variety of government programs, strategies, and regulatory documents. To effectively tackle this challenge and revolutionize petrochemical production, it is imperative to establish and develop innovative mechanisms. One such mechanism involves harnessing the power of automation and advanced Industry 4.0 technologies to streamline production processes. By doing so, we can unlock the full potential of these systems, driving operational efficiency, conserving valuable reserves, and propelling innovation within the petrochemical industry."The article delves into an in-depth analysis of the prominent trends in the application of the "Industry 4.0" concept within the petrochemical industry. It sheds light on the various factors that impact the efficiency of organizing production systems. Additionally, the article identifies the primary avenues that drive the advancement and enhancement of production organization practices. Moreover, the article explores the fundamental tools employed for process improvements and highlights the significance of process automation in petrochemical plants. By examining these key aspects, it aims to provide valuable insights and recommendations for leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies to optimize production processes in the petrochemical industry..The study focuses on examining and evaluating various systems and technologies that contribute to the optimization of production processes within the petrochemical industry. Specifically, it delves into the implementation and benefits of the just-in-time system, the 5S system for workplace rationalization, as well as different information systems including ERP systems and CALS-technologies. By exploring these systems and technologies, the article aims to identify the advantages of automating production processes within the petrochemical complex. This analysis will unveil the potential benefits such as improved efficiency, reduced waste, enhanced productivity, streamlined operations, and increased overall competitiveness. Through this research, we aim to shed light on the value of these automation solutions and their impact on driving the petrochemical industry towards greater success.

Background: The AWaRe tool was set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote the rational use of antimicrobials. Indeed, this tool classifies antibiotics into four groups, Access, Watch, Reserve and not-recommended antibiotics. In Republic Democratic of Congo, data on antibiotic dispensing (prescribing) by health professionals according to the AWaRe classification are scarce. In this research work, we aimed to explore antibiotic dispensing pattern from health professionals according to the WHO AWaRe classification to strengthen the national antimicrobial resistance plan. Methods: For this purpose, a survey was conducted from July to December 2022 in the district of Tshangu in Kinshasa. From randomly selected drugstores, drug-sellers were interviewed and randomly selected customers attending those drugstores were included in the study for medical prescriptions collection. The prescribed antibiotics were classified into the Access, Watch, Reserve and not recommended antibiotics group and by antibiotics number by prescription among pharmacies surveyed. Results: Of 400 medical prescriptions collected, 301 (75.25%) contained antibiotics. Of 301 prescriptions containing antibiotics, 164 (164/301; 54.5%) contained one antibiotic, 117 (117/301; 38.9%) two antibiotics, 15 (15/301; 5%) three antibiotics and 5 (5/301; 1.6%) 4 antibiotics. Out of the total of 463 antibiotics prescribed, 169 (169/463; 36.5%) were from the Access group, 200 (200/463; 43.2%) from the Watch group and 94 (94/463; 20.3%) from not recommended antibiotics group, respectively. Based on the anatomical, therapeutic and chemical (ATC) classification, it can be seen that third generation cephalosporins contained 34.33% of the prescribed antibiotics, followed by penicillins 17.17%, macrolides 7.63%, aminoglycosides 7. 36% and Imidazoles 7.36%, thus accounting approximately for 74% of the classes of antibiotics prescribed. Of the 463 antibiotics prescribed, the most frequently prescribed antibiotics were Ceftriaxone (21.38%), Amoxicillin (11.01%), Gentamycin (5.61%), Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (5 .61%), Azithromycin (4.97%) and Metronidazole (4.75%), thus accounting for approximately 54% of all antibiotics prescribed. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of strict implementation of the national plan to combat antimicrobial resistance and the need to train health workers in the correct application of the WHO AWaRe classification.

Ecosystem physical structure, defined by the quantity and spatial distribution of biomass, influences a range of ecosystem functions. Remote sensing tools permit the non-destructive characterization of canopy and root features, potentially providing opportunities to link above- and belowground structure at fine spatial resolution in functionally meaningful ways. To test this possibility, we employed ground-based portable canopy lidar (PCL) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) along co-located transects in forested sites spanning multiple stages of ecosystem development and, consequently, of structural complexity. We examined canopy and root structural data for coherence at multiple spatial scales ≤ 10 m within each site using wavelet analysis. Forest sites varied substantially in vertical canopy and root structure, with leaf area index and root mass more evenly distributed by height and depth, respectively, as forests aged. In all sites, above- and belowground structure, characterized as mean maximum canopy height and root mass, exhibited significant coherence at a scale of 3.5-4 meters, and results suggest that the scale of coherence may increase with stand age. Our findings demonstrate that canopy and root structure are linked at characteristic spatial scales, which provides the basis to optimize scales of observation. Our study highlights the potential, and limitations, for fusing lidar and radar technologies to quantitatively couple above- and belowground ecosystem structure.

The wood-based panel industry is experiencing an excessive accumulation of solid residues from the production of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) panels and moldings. It is possible to create new MDF products with acceptable physical and mechanical properties by revaluing MDF residues. Additionally, those products’ thermal properties can be improved by incorporating phase change materials (PCMs). This study aims to develop a wood-based fiberboard made of MDF residues, capable of storing thermal energy. Two types of PCMs, two PCM ratios, and two types of adhesives were used to produce eight different types of panels. The vertical density profile, thickness swelling, water absorption, internal bond (IB), and static bending properties – modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) – were determined for each panel type. The specific heat of the panels was also determined. The results show the panels’ densities were greater than 700 kg/m3. Thickness swelling in water improved by 23% compared to the reference value of the control panel PCMs after PCM incorporation. The highest IB value was 1.30 MPa, which is almost three times the minimum required by regulation standards. The incorporation of PCMs reduced the panels’ bending properties compared to the properties of the control panels. Even though the values obtained are sufficient to comply with the minimum values set out in ANSI standard A208.2 with a MOE value of 2072.4 MPa and the values obtained are sufficient to comply with the minimum standards with a MOE value of 2072.4 MPa and a MOR value of 16.4 MPa. When microencapsulated PCM is used, the specific heat of the panels is increased by more than 100% over that of the control panels. This study develops a feasible alternative for using MDF residues: to create fiberboard that is capable of storing thermal energy and has adequate physical and mechanical properties.

This paper formulates a new strategy for participatory forest management consisting of encouraging public participation as long as it increases empathy among participants. The strategy requires the homogeneous representation of the opinion of a participant (i.e. to determine how they assess a forest plan and identify the best one). Utility assessments are prepared for participants through pair-comparisons between meaningful points in the territory and from value functions based on forest indicators. The best plan is designed by applying combinatorial optimization algorithms to the utility of a participant. The calculating of empathy -of one participant relative to another - is based on the equivalence of their respective utilities when the current forest plan is modified. This involves calculating the opinions that are due to systematic changes in the collective plan for those participants that each participant supposes will affect the utility of the other participants. Calculating empathy also requires knowing the interactions among participants, which have been incorporated through agent-based simulation models. Application of the above methodology has confirmed the association between increases in empathy and convergence of opinions in different scenarios: well and medium-informed participants and with and without interaction among them, which verifies the proposed strategy. In addition, this strategy is easily integrated into available information systems and its outcomes show advantages over current participatory applications.

The goal of this study was to analyze the forest degradation in the Reserve for San Rafael National Park, Paraguay, during the period 2005-2019. This Reserve is one of the most important forest remnants of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest Ecoregion. A multitemporal analysis of degradation was carried out due to the occurrence of three disturbances: forest fires, a twister and illicit crops, using the Continuous Degradation Detection (CODED) algorithm, for which 3 factors were considered: variations due to pixel in the NDFI index values before, during and after every disturbance registered. In this context, the phenomenon with the greatest impact in terms of magnitude of degradation were the forest fires of 2005, being that year at the same time, the one that reported the highest degradation values. Secondly, there are the illicit crops established until the first semester of 2019, and lastly, the twister that occurred in 2017. Our findings demonstrate that CODED algorithm can detect multi-temporal degradation events in a Subtropical Broadleaf Forest, and the post-disturbance regeneration process after every disturbance tends to occur immediately. The response in terms of degradation-regeneration is highly variable, depending of the nature and severity of each disturbance and the vegetation recovery dynamics.

The seasonal and vertical spatial variation characteristics of total N, NH4+—N and NO3-—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest at different stand ages were studied. The results showed that: (1) NH4+ —N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest was positively correlated with sample date, soil NO3-—N and forest age (P <0.05), and negatively correlated with soil depth (P < 0.01). NO3-—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest was negatively correlated with sample date and forest age (P < 0.05), and significantly negatively correlated with soil depth (P < 0.01); (2) the content of NH4+—N is greater than that of NO3-—N in each soil layer of Picea mongolica forest at three forest ages. The correlation analysis showed which had an impact on the content of NH4+—N and NO3-—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest. The content was lower in February and November, and higher in May and August；(3) The contents of total N, NH4+—N and NO3-—N in the soil of Picea mongolica forest in the three forest ages increased with the depth of soil layer (0-50cm), and showed an overall downward trend. The contents of NH4+—N in the soil layer of young forest (0-10cm, 10-20cm and 20-30cm, 30-40cm and 40-50cm) were significantly different (P＜0.05), and the contents of NO3-—N were also significantly different (P＜0.05), while their contents of middle-aged forest and near mature forest increased with the depth of soil layer, There was no significant difference in the content of NH4+—N; (4) The content of NH4+—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest generally showed the following change trend near mature forest > middle-aged forest > young forest. The change trend of soil NO3-—N content is consistent with that of the content of NH4+—N in the soil in Picea mongolica forest.

In this study a method for predicting the preferred pleasantness induced by different forest environments, represented by virtual photographs, was proposed and evaluated using a novel Anti-Environmental Forest Experience Scale psychometric test. The evaluation questionnaire contained twenty-one items divided into four different subscales. The factor structure was assessed in two separate samples collected online (sample 1: N = 254, sample 2: N = 280). The internal validity of the four subscales was confirmed using an exploratory factor analysis. Discriminant validity was tested and confirmed using the Amoebic Self Scale (Spatial-Symbolic domain). Concurrent validity was confirmed using the Connectedness to Nature Scale. Predictive validity was based on assessment of pleasantness induced by nine different photographs (control – urban landscapes, forest landscapes, dense forest landscapes), with subscales differently correlated with the level of pleasantness assessed for each photograph. This evaluation instrument is appropriate for predicting preferred pleasantness induced by different forest environments.

The Limpopo estuary mangrove forest covers about 928 ha, however 382 ha remain intact and 546 ha were degraded after the 2000 floods. Mangrove replanting campaigns have been carried out at the site. This article aims to evaluate the structure and carbon pool of aboveground and belowground living biomass and soil carbon in natural and replanted mangrove forests (2016, 2014 and 2010). The methodology consisted of selecting 40 strata where structural data were collected. Living biomass above and below ground and soil carbon was obtained based on the methodology described by Kauffman and Donato (2012). The results showed that A. marina was the most observed species in all study areas. The carbon reserve of living biomass above and below ground in the natural forest was 67.9±100.9 MgCha -1 and 65.0±77.1MgC ha -1 , respectively; and in the planted forests (2016, 2014, 2010) it was 1.1±0.5MgCha-1 and 2.1±1.0MgCha-1, 1.8±1.0MgCha-1 and 3.6±2.0MgCha-1, 3.7±2.0MgCha-1 and 5.3±2.5MgCha-1 . Soil carbon reserve was 229.4±119.4 MgCha-1 in natural forest and 230.3±134.8 MgCha-1 , 234.8±132.7MgC ha-1, 229.4±119.4 MgCha-1 in planted forests (2016, 2014, 2010). The total carbon reserve in the natural forest was 362.3 MgCha-1 and in the planted forestsn(2016, 2014, 2010) it was 233.5 MgCha-1 , 240.2 MgCha-1, 246.4 MgCha-1. Natural and restored forests had similar anoumts of soil carbon, which reinforces the idea that soil is a stabel carbon pool. Morever, restored forests failed to store the same amount of live biomass (an carbon), which supports the idea that it is better to prevent habitat degradation than to restore it.

According to this study, approximately half of Africa's forests are utilized primarily or partially for the production of wood and non-wood commodities. Aims to evaluate Africa's forestry and forest products, namely Wood Forest Products (WFPs) and Non-wood Forest Products (NWFPs) in the sixteen (16) West African countries. While adhering to the following guidelines: wood extraction and preparation, analyzing wood primarily used as an energy source in Africa, identifying non-wood forest products in Africa, the state of export, trade, and customs procedures in West Africa, and examining the role of forests and forest stakeholders in Africa's low-carbon economy transition. An exploratory literature review of selected wood forest products and non-wood forest products (plants and animals) in West Africa identifying the country, the natural land area with the natural habitat issues of the forest, the species most harvested and traded in the West African sub-region. The study reemphasized some government legislation, policies, and market trade failures and limitations while also stating that trees may help in the low-carbon revolution through interventions aimed at maintaining, improving, and restoring natural capital have demonstrated that high environmental requirements of sustainable forest management (SFM) may be met in both natural and planted forests. The study identified a systematic assessment of the most common forest products (wood and non-wood forest products) considering the available data on the national forest reserves of the selected countries in West Africa. The study also revealed the need for biodiversity conservation of the available forest reserves to help mitigate the impact of global warming targeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 13- Climate Action. Which is focused on integrating climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning signs into the national policies, improving forest planning and management education, awareness-raising, and institutional capacity within the sub-region.

Black spot disease is associated with the breakdown of chitin by chitinolytic bacteria resulting in extensive black lesions across the body of crustaceans. Black spot is prevalent across most fished crustaceans worldwide. Severely infected individuals are rejected from the fishery resulting in financial loss to both fisher’s and seafood export and processing companies. Ecologically, populations with high infection rates may have increased mortalities resulting in fewer individuals surviving the population. The prevalence and severity of shell disease in the edible crab, Cancer pagurus, of various size classes, was assessed via scaled images taken from crabs sampled within the Berwickshire Marine Reserve, UK. A total of 22.4% of individuals across all size groups were found to contain black spot lesions. Male crabs were more commonly affected (26.21%), with more body parts showing lesions and a greater overall blackspot coverage (1.75%) than females (16.43% and 1% respectively). Crabs under the MLS (140mm) showed a significantly higher black spot coverage, but size did not significantly affect infection rates. Carapace and chelae were the most commonly affected areas. Compared to previous studies the Berwickshire Marine Reserve has a relatively low prevalence of black spot disease in Cancer pagurus.

The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to water policy-makers and the evaluation of the application of economic instruments such as price and other factors affecting demand, they contribute to improved decision-making around water management in the Biosphere Reserve El Vizcaino, Mexico. It was estimated a dynamic function with average price specification and other price perception specification. The findings show that consumers react to average price perceived and not the marginal price; long-run price elasticity is higher than short-run and both elasticities are inelastic. Elasticities inelastic with rising prices generate high incomes to improve water planning, supply quality and expand service coverage. The results suggest that the level of knowledge of users on the price is key to take into account restructuring rates in a scenario where the consumer has asymmetric information and themselves achieve goals of economic efficiency, social equity and environmental sustainability.

In healthy ageing, capacity declines in the neural, muscular, and skeletal systems, and each system decline has its effect on the execution of complex motor tasks. This decline in capacity can result in the inability to stand up (sit-to-stand, sit-to-walk), which is a key movement for independence. The mechanisms leading to mobility limitations or inabilities are complex, overlapping, and interdependent and the complementary fields of biomechanics, motor control, and physiology need to be combined to understand these mechanisms. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current knowledge of age-related compensation in standing up and to consider the limitations of these results when analysing standing up in daily life using the Capacity, Reserve, Movement Objectives, and Compensation (CaReMoOC) framework that combines biomechanics, motor control, and physiology. A literature search was performed in the search engine Scopus, using the keywords and their synonyms: strateg*(approach, technique, way) AND, sit-to-walk OR sit-to-stand OR rise (raise, arise, stand, stand-up) AND chair (seat). Inclusion criteria were: biomechanics or motor control on sit-to-stand or sit-to-walk in healthy and/or frail adults (<60y) and elderly (>60y), and/or osteoarthritis patients as a specific case of ageing related decline. The review shows that movement compensations in standing up manifest as changes in planned trajectory (Compensation by Selection) and in muscle recruitment (Compensation by Reorganisation). However, as most studies in the literature typically use standardized experimental protocols where movement compensation is restricted, these studies cannot be directly translated to functional tasks, such as the mobility of the elderly in their homes, communities, and clinic. Compensation must be included in future studies in order to facilitate clinical translation. Specifically, future studies in the standing up task should 1) determine the effect of varying arm use strategies (e.g., armrests, knees, chair, cane) on trunk and both lower limb and upper limb joint loading, 2) analyse control strategies in elderly people, 3) determine the biomechanical implications of asymmetry, and 4) incorporate assessments of age-related physical and neural decline as well as changes in psychological priorities.

Cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among all complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obese patients. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC) is characterized by changes in cardiac morphology with declines in both systolic and diastolic functions. No rodent models fully captured phenotypes of DC. The ZDSD rat, a new generation of T2D rat model with intact leptin signaling features with slow onset of diabetes and obesity, which closely mimics the development of the disease in patients. Age-matched male ZDSD and SD rats were monitored for blood pressure, glucose and cardiac function using echocardiography. Animals were also challenged with 1 mg/kg dobutamine for the assessment of cardiac reserve. ZDSD rats developed hypertension from age of 18 weeks with blood pressure significantly higher than controls. At resting state, ZDSD rats showed biphasic changes in left ventricular posterior wall thickness and cavity volume. Concomitantly, both ejection fraction (EF) and transmitral E/A ratio of LV declined at 34 weeks old. Upon treatment with dobutamine, ZDSD lost cardiac contractility. Therefore, ZDSD rats may serve as a suitable preclinical model to study potential therapeutic approaches to treat cardiomyopathy with presence of metabolic syndromes.

In its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Brazil committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and restoring its forests. This study examines the challenges of fulfilling these commitments in Brazilian Amazonia. We carry out a detailed assessment of the current status of land tenure in the region and its relation to deforestation. After dealing with conflicts and overlaps between data from various sources, we produce a new map of public and private land tenure in Amazonia. Combining this map with Brazil's official data on deforestation, we find out how much natural vegetation has been preserved in each public or private area. The result is used to estimate how much deforestation is illegal. We also establish how much deforestation is associated with each land tenure type. Our results show that most deforestation inside rural properties is done by a few landowners, a finding that has important consequences for law enforcement. We then assess the challenges for reforestation in detail. To do so, we consider how much forest needs to be rehabilitated according to Brazil's Forest Code. Our analysis provides a comprehensive appraisal of the potential opportunity costs for forest restoration in the biome, considering farm size and land use. This analysis provides insights into targeted land use policies that can meet Brazil’s forest restoration goals.

Forest health is dependent on the variability of microorganisms interacting with the host tree/holobiont. Symbiotic microbiota and pathogens engage in a permanent interplay, which influences the host. Thanks to the development of NGS technologies, a vast amount of genetic information on the virosphere of temperate forests has been gained the last seven years. To estimate the qualitative/quantitative impact of NGS in forest virology, we have summarized viruses affecting major tree/shrub species and their fungal associates, including fungal plant pathogens, mutualists and saprotrophs. The contribution of NGS methods is extremely significant for forest virology. Reviewed data about viral presence in holobionts, allowed us to address the role of the virome in the holobionts. Genetic variation is a crucial aspect in hologenome, significantly reinforced by horizontal gene transfer among all interacting actors. Through virus-virus interplays synergistic or antagonistic relations may evolve, which may drastically affect the health of the holobiont. Novel insights of these interplays may allow practical applications for forest plant protection based on endophytes and mycovirus biocontrol agents. The current analysis is conceived in light of the prospect that novel viruses may initiate an emergent infectious disease and that measures for avoidance of future outbreaks in forests should be considered.

As many as 20-25% of the population experiences harm in outpatient settings, yet these locations are underrepresented in the literature compared to hospitals. We examined results from the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The survey administered in 2012 gathered perceptions from 23,679 individuals in 934 unique medical offices. We examined associations of organizational patient safety climate composites on frequency of safety and quality issues, overall quality score, and safety rating. We found organizational patient safety composites are all positively and significantly associated with a higher overall quality score and patient safety rating, and fewer safety and quality issues. Office processes and standardization appeared to have the most consistent influence on perceived quality outcomes. Our results indicate it may be advantageous for medical offices to improve on the factors that contribute to positive safety climate.

As the largest carbon pool on Earth, forest ecosystems are essential to maintaining carbon sink balance. However, accurately estimating the carbon sequestration and carbon storage of forest resources remains an urgent issue to address. Plot investigation, model estimation, and machine learning are examples of current approaches. Nevertheless, because of variables such as regional characteristics and plot size, large-scale and extensive region estimates are comparatively scarce. This study, which focuses on Tianzhu County, aims to comprehensively analyze and estimate the Net Primary Productivity (NPP), carbon storage, and carbon density of the forest ecosystem in this area by integrating data from forest resource inventory and the CASA model. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The main vegetation types in Tianzhu County include coniferous forests, broad-leaved forests, mixed forests, and shrub forests; (2) Accordin g to the CASA model calculations, the annual cumulative NPP in Tianzhu County in 2020 ranges from a maximum of 249.63 gC/m² to a minimum of 3.40 gC/m², with the forest NPP amounting to 134,674.65 tons of carbon. Based on MODIS observation data, the forest’s NPP is 171,728.32 tons of carbon, with a maximum of 325.36 gC/m² and a minimum of 0.02 gC/m²; (3) At the pixel scale, the carbon storage of forests in Tianzhu County is 361,700 tons. Specifically, 46,500 tons of carbon are stored in coniferous forests, 1,100 tons in broad-leaved forests, 500 tons in mixed forests, and 313,600 tons in shrub forests.

The Operational Remote Sensing (ORS) program leverages Landsat and MODIS data to detect forest disturbances across the conterminous United States (CONUS). The ORS program was initiated in 2014 as a collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service Geospatial Technology and Applications Center (GTAC) and the Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team (FHAAST). The goal of the ORS program is to supplement the Insect and Disease Survey (IDS) and MODIS Real-Time Forest Disturbance (RTFD) programs with imagery-derived forest disturbance data that can be used to augment traditional IDS data. We developed three algorithms and produced ORS forest change products using both Landsat and MODIS data. These were assessed over Southern New England and the Rio Grande National Forest. Reference data were acquired using TimeSync to conduct an independent accuracy assessment of IDS, RTFD, and ORS products. Overall accuracy for all products ranged from 77.64% to 93.51% (kappa 0.09–0.59) in the Southern New England study area and 59.57% to 79.57% (kappa 0.09–0.45) in the Rio Grande National Forest study area. In general, ORS products met or exceeded the overall accuracy and kappa of IDS and RTFD products. This demonstrates the current implementation of ORS is sufficient to provide data to augment IDS data.