Plastic contamination of small dimensions (

To clarify effects of weathered coal humic acid on water-stable aggregates and pore characteristics of reclaimed cambisol, this research analyzed the evolution characteristics of soil aggregates and pores. Effects of different humic acid dosages (0, 1%, 3%, and 5% by weight) and application period (1 year, 2 years, and 3 years) on soil aggregates and organic carbon components in soil water-stable aggregates were investigated. The results showed that water-stable macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) had the highest content in the first year; but in the third year, water-stable microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) had the highest content, and silt and clay (<0.053 mm) were at a maximum. In the third year of 5% treatment, mean weight and geometric mean diameters were the largest, soil structure was the most stable, and TOC and water-stable microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) in soil had the highest proportions. For 5% treatment, the majority of irregular pores were independent in the first year, and number of pores decreased in the second year, but average pore volume increased, forming robust connected pores. In the third year, the number of elongated and irregular pores increased. In the third year of 5% treatment, most pores were irregular and of size >100 μm, and soil structure was the most stable.

The Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) scanner is an easy and portable Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition device. Its main output is a 3D point cloud covering the scanned scene. Regarding the importance of accuracy in the survey domain, this paper aims to assess the accuracy of two SLAM scanners: the NavVis VLX and the BLK2GO Scanner. This assessment is conducted for both outdoor and indoor environments. In this context, two types of reference data are used: the Total Station (TS) and the static scanner Z+F Imager 5016. To carry out the assessment, four comparisons are tested: cloud to cloud, cloud to mesh, mesh to mesh, and edge detection board assessment. However, the results of the assessments confirm that the accuracy of indoor SLAM scanner measurements (5 mm) is greater than that of outdoor ones (between 10 mm and 60 mm). Moreover, the comparison of cloud to cloud provides the best accuracy regarding direct accuracy measurement without manipulations. Finally, based on the high accuracy, scanning speed, flexibility, and the accuracy differences between tested cases, it is confirmed that SLAM scanners are effective tools for data acquisition.

Wearable technology has been proposed as a potential tool to change the way of human life, such as the smart bracelet and the Google Glass. In the wearable technology, the inertial sensor has great significance in tracking the object movements. The paper focused on detecting the movements of user’s finger based on the inertial sensor to give the control signals. Firstly, the attitude matrix, which represented the transformation relation of carrier coordinate system and the navigation coordinate system, was obtained. Secondly, the attitude matrix was expressed based on the quaternions. Thirdly, the finger gesture was processed by the attitude matrix to get the attitude angle. Finally, the robot was controlled by attitude angle to make the moving action. The experimental results showed the detection of the finger movement is effective.

The Upper Hunter Valley is a major coal mining area containing approximately 40% of the currently identified total coal reserves in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Due to the ongoing increase of mining activities, PM10 (air-borne particle with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometres) pollution has become a major air quality concern in local communities. This paper summarises the spatial and temporal variability modes of PM10 pollution in the region, based on long-term multi-site monitoring data and the application of the rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) and wavelet analysis techniques. RPCA identified two distinct air quality clusters/subregions in the valley, one in the west/northwest, the other in the southeast. Wavelet analysis revealed the annual cycle to be most persistent temporal mode of PM10 variability in both subregions, with intermittent signals observed at time scales of around 120, 30~90 and under 30 days. How these variation modes are related to the effects of local PM10 emissions and the influence of meteorology at different time scales deserves further attention in future work. The findings will be used in air quality reporting and forecasting in NSW. The methodology and results can also be useful for air quality research in similar regions elsewhere.

The Upper Hunter Valley is a major coal mining area in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Due to the ongoing increase of mining activities, PM10 (air-borne particle with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometres) pollution has become a major air quality concern in local communities. The early part of this study identified two air quality subregions in the valley. This paper aims to provide a holistic summarisation of the relationships between elevated PM10 pollution in two subregions and the local- and synoptic-scale meteorological conditions for spring and summer, when PM10 pollution is relatively high. A catalogue of twelve synoptic types and a set of six local meteorological patterns have been quantitatively derived and linked to each other using the self-organising map (SOM) technique. The complex meteorology-air pollution relationships have been visualised/interpretated on the SOM planes for two representative locations. It was found that the influence of local meteorological patterns differed significantly for mean PM10 levels vs the occurrence of elevated pollution events and between air quality subregions. In contrast, synoptic types showed generally similar relationships with mean vs elevated PM10 pollution in the valley. Two local meteorological patterns, the hot-dry-northwesterly wind conditions and the hot-dry-calm conditions, were found most PM10 pollution conducive in the valley when combined with a set of synoptic counterparts. These synoptic types are featured with the influence of eastward migrating continental high pressure system and westerly troughs, or a ridge extending northwest towards coastal northern NSW or southern Queensland from the Tasman Sea. The method and results can be used in air quality research for other locations of NSW, or similar regions elsewhere.

As Li-ion batteries use is spreading, incidents in large energy storage systems (stationary storage containers, …) or in large-scale cell and battery storages (warehouse, recyclers, …), often leading to fire, are occurring on regular basis. Water remains one of the most efficient fire extinguishing agents for tackling those battery incidents and large quantities are usually necessary. Since bat-teries contains various potentially harmful components (metals and their oxides or salts, sol-vents…) and that thermal runway induced battery incidents are accompanied with complex and potentially multistage fume emissions (containing both gas and particles) the potential impact of fire run-off water on the environment should be considered and assessed carefully. The tests presented in this paper focus on the analysis of the composition of run-off waters used to spray NMC Li-ion modules under thermal runaway. It highlights that waters used for fire-fighting are susceptible to contain many metals, including Ni, Mn, Co, Li and Al mixed with other carbonaceous species (soot, tarballs) and sometimes undecomposed solvents used in the elec-trolyte. Extra-polation of pollutant concentrations compared with PNEC values showed that, for large scale incidents, run-off water could be potentially hazardous to the environment.

This research critically examines the dichotomies in urban public space and discussions on city evolution over the past two centuries. The original discourse identified amplifies the importance that inclusivity needs to address issues deeper than physical accessibility. The growing diversity and changes seen in urban public open spaces are followed throughout history along a timeline of important socio-political and planning injectors in the Western world. These public spaces are the important spine connecting all the private and semi-private parts of the city. Urban public spaces have seen population changes due to globalisation, resulting in mobility and changes due to the different needs of its diverse user base. In this paper, a rigorous quasi-chronological investigation is presented. Firstly, the context of the evolution of space is established. Secondly, a closer focus on inclusion research provides a thorough analysis of the utopian city plans, the development of Haussmann's Paris and the later plans of the Centrist and the Decentrist. Thirdly, a critical and analytical understanding of the effect these precursors have had on the city's public spaces, and the hierarchies it established in a nuanced manner are made explicit. The culmination of this research process is the identification of outcomes associated with inclusivity. Findings are established across three significant themes—a) Understanding public space as social space, b) Components of inclusivity, and c) Values of inclusivity including accessibility, sense of place, conviviality and resilience. Key insights and guidance for inclusivity as a key constituent of social sustainability are the unique contribution.

This review delves into the growing field of flexible and stretchable strain sensors utilized in human gait analysis, focusing on determining knee bending angle and muscle activities when a human subject walks. Recent advancements have enabled these sensors to accurately capture biomechanical parameters while accommodating the body's natural movements. We examine the principles underlying these sensors' design and fabrication techniques, emphasizing their flexibility, stretchability, and biocompatibility for seamless integration into wearable systems. Through critical evaluation of existing methodologies, we assess the reliability and validity of these sensors in quantifying gait parameters. Furthermore, we discuss this technology's clinical and research implications, highlighting its potential in personalized rehabilitation and sports performance optimization. We provide an overview of flexible strain sensors and their application for analyzing human walking gait, especially for observing walking gait in rehabilitation programs. First, we present the basic working principles of various flexible strain sensors. Second, by the application of flexible strain sensors as walking gait monitoring. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities in this research area are discussed. By synthesizing current knowledge and outlining future directions, this review aims to provide insights for researchers and practitioners seeking to leverage flexible and stretchable strain sensors for comprehensive human gait analysis.

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

Coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) has emerged as the predominant causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in young children. Since the declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic, the incidence of infectious diseases, including HFMD, has decreased markedly. When social mitigation was relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, re-emergence of HFMD was observed in Gwangju, South Korea, and seasonal characteristics of the disease appeared to have changed. To investigate the molecular characteristics of enterovirus (EV) associated with HFMD during 2022, 277 specimens were collected. Children aged under 5 years accounted for the majority of affected individuals. EV detection and genotyping were performed using real-time RT-PCR and nested RT-PCR followed by sequence analysis. EV detection rate was found to be 82.3%, and the main genotype identified was CV-A6. Sixteen CV-A6 samples were selected for whole genome sequencing. According to phylogenetic analysis, all CV-A6 strains from this study belonged to the sub-genotype D3 clade based on VP1 sequences. Analysis of 3D polymerase phylogeny showed that only the recombinant RF-A group was identified. In conclusion, circulating EV types should be continuously monitored to understand pathogen emergence and evolution during the post-pandemic era.

Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao, L.) represents an important market that gained relevance and became an esteemed commodity thanks to cocoa powder, chocolate, and other related products. This work has analyzed 59 cocoa powder samples from the European market. Three distinct subgroups were identified: organic or conventional, alkalized or not alkalized, and raw or roasted processing. The impact of the technological process was evaluated on the pH, color, and compositional traits, as content of biogenic amines and salsolinol. The phenolic fraction was also investigated trough both common and emerging methods. Results depict that the influence of the agronomical practices (organic/conventional) did not affect significatively (p<0.05) the composition of cocoa powders; similarly, the roasting process was not discriminative for the compounds traced. On the other hand, the alkalinization process greatly impacted on color, and pH, no matter of cocoa provenience, obtention, or other processes, also resulting reducing the phenolic fraction of treated samples. Principal components analysis confirmed that the alkali process acts on pH, color, and phenolic composition, but not on other bioactives molecules (BAs and salsolinol). All samples resulted safe while alkalized powders have a great reduction in beneficial biocompounds. A novel strategy could be to emphasize non-alkalized powders in the label, to meet the demand for more beneficial products.

Wounds are an increasing global concern, mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle, frequently associated to the occidental way of life. The current prevalence of obesity in western societies, leading to an increase in type II diabetes, and an elderly population, are also a key factor associated to the problem of wounds healing. Therefore, it stands essential to find wound dressing systems allowing reestablishing the skin integrity in the shortest possible time and with the lowest cost, avoiding further damage and promoting patients´ well-being. Wounds can be classified into acute or chronic, depending essentially on the duration of the healing process, which is associated with. It depends on the extent and depth of wound, localization, level of infection and on the patient health status. For each kind of wound and respective healing stage there is a more suitable dressing. The aim of this review was to focus on the possible wound dressing management, aiming the more adequate healing approach for each kind of wound.

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

There is no doubt that seagrass beds constitute one of the most productive ecosystems in shallow coastal waters. Despite this, picoplankton in seagrass ecosystems has received relatively little attention. The purpose of this study was to compare picoplankton growth and mortality rates between seagrass and unvegetated habitats using chamber incubations. We tested two main hypotheses: (i) incubation with seagrass would result in higher bacterial growth rates due to increased DOM release from seagrass photosynthesis, and (ii) Synechococcus spp. would be lower in the presence of seagrass due to competition for inorganic nutrients. Our results showed bacterial growth rates of 2.31 and 2.44 d–1 without and with seagrass, respectively. In seagrass chambers, bacterial growth was higher than that in non-seagrass chambers, suggesting that organic carbon coming from the seagrass community may support bacterial production. Furthermore, we observed a negative Synechococcus spp. growth rate (-0.9 d–1) in the seagrass treatment, likely reflecting nutrient competition with the seagrass. Small-scale chambers proved to be a useful tool for studying the factors controlling spatial and temporal patterns of picoplankton across different habitats. Furthermore, future studies should examine picoplankton growth over a wider range of spatial scales in seagrass beds and adjacent unvegetated sediment.

In our study, we assessed the effects of verbenone, the most widely studied bark beetle aggregation inhibitor, on saproxylic beetles of a Mediterranean pine forest in Tuscany. Verbenone pouches were devised in the laboratory and then applied to Ips sexdentatus pheromone traps so that catches could be compared to those of traps with just the bait. The trial was carried out in spring-summer 2023, collecting insect catches every two weeks. A total of 9440 beetles were collected, belonging to 32 different families and 57 species. About 80% of captures were bark beetles, mainly Orthotomicus erosus. Beetle predators accounted for about 17% of the captures, with a total of 12 species. Some of these predator species had never been studied yet in relation to verbenone effects, like other saproxylic beetles recorded in this study. A significant reduction of captures was recorded for some beetles (e.g. I. sexdentatus and O. erosus), for other species no differences emerged, and in some cases captures increased significantly when verbenone was present in the traps (i.e.. Hylurgus ligniperda, Corticeus pini, Aulonium ruficorne). The diversity of caught saproxylic beetles increased significantly in verbenone traps, highlighting possible implications of the use of verbenone when managing bark beetle outbreaks.

Highly diverse agroecosystems are increasingly of interest as the realization of farms' invaluable ecosystem services grows. Simultaneously there has been an increased use of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) in remote sensing as drones offer a finer spatial resolution and faster revisit rate than traditional satellites. With the combined utility of UAS and the attention on agroecosystems, there exists an opportunity to assess UAS practicality in highly biodiverse settings.  In this study, we utilized UAS to collect fine-resolution 10-band multispectral imagery of coffee agroecosystems in Puerto Rico. We created land cover maps through a pixel-based supervised classification of each farm and assembled accuracy assessments for each classification. To bolster our understanding of the classifications, we interviewed farmers to understand their thoughts on how these maps may be best used to support their land management. The average overall accuracy (53.9%), though relatively low, was expected for such a diverse landscape with fine-resolution data. After sharing imagery and land cover classifications with farmers, we found that while the prints were often a point of pride or curiosity for farmers, integrating the maps into farm management was perceived as impractical. These findings highlight that while remote sensing of diverse agroecosystems may provide a detailed way of estimating land cover classes and ecosystem services for researchers and government agencies for example these maps may be of limited use to land managers without additional interpretation.

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.

Oilseed plants of the Brassicaceae plant family are cultivated for food, feed and industrial purposes on large-scale in Europe. This review gives an overview of current market-oriented applications of new genomic techniques (NGTs) in relevant Brassicaceae oilseed crops based on a literature survey. In this respect, changes in oil quality, yield, growth and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress are goals in oilseed rape (B. napus) and camelina (C. sativa). Environmental risk assessment scenarios are developed for specific NGT applications in Brassicaceae oilseed crops with either a changed oil composition or with fitness related traits. In case of a changed oil composition an increase or decrease of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) demonstrates risks for health and survival of pollinators. In case of fitness related traits other risks were identified, i. e. an increased risk of spread and persistence of NGT plants. Furthermore, there are indications for potential disturbance of interactions with the environment, involving signalling pathways and reaction to stress conditions. It is shown that for a comprehensive risk assessment the technological potential of NGTs, the plants’ biology and the scale of releases have to be considered in combination. Therefore, the release of NGT plants into the environment for agricultural purposes will require risk assessment and monitoring of single traits as well as of combinatorial and long-term cumulative effects. In addition, risk management should develop concepts and measures to control and potentially restrict the scale of releases. This is especially relevant for NGT Brassicaceae in Europe which is a centre of diversity of this plant family.

Measuring the impact of land use regulation on the land market involves identifying and classifying relevant impact factors related to the land market. The objective of this study was to identify land market impact factors in the context of the introduction of land use regulation in Nepal. A desktop review was carried out to identify preliminary set of impact factors, which were reclassified through intuitive analysis based on the degree of thematic closeness. Perspective-based impact factors were identified through the qualitative analysis of primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with the Nepalese land market stakeholders. These independently derived impact factors were compared with the desktop literature review impact factors resulting in fourteen land market impact factors across four dimensions, including transaction cost, valuation, mortgage availability, taxation, and compensation across the economic dimension; lot size, subdivision restrictions, and coordination across the institutional dimension; awareness, expectation and proximity across the social dimension; and risk reduction, quality of residential land, and suitability of zoning classification across the environmental dimension. There was significant overlap and commonality across factors identified from both the literature review and semi-structured interviews. The land market impact factors determined in the study may be adapted and generalized across other countries and could be utilized to better understand the impacts of land policy decisions on urban planning and development. Further research is recommended on the process to operationalize the use of these factors to quantify the impact of land use regulation on different land markets.

Dynamic time history analysis is a powerful and effective method to study the seismic response of tunnels, the dynamic time history to analyze the seismic response of the tunnel in the typical subway in this paper. The analysis results show that the overall levelling of the tunnel will not affect the tunnel too much, and the seismic response of the tunnel is mainly related to the relative displacement of the ground around the tunnel. The analysis results show that the internal force of the tunnel and the tunnel inclination have a good linear relationship, and the tunnel inclination can be used to measure the magnitude of the seismic response of the tunnel.

The morphological aspects of urban growth on wetlands in Africa are under-researched. Using the Densu Delta Ramsar site in Accra, Ghana, as a case study, this paper analyses the morphological patterns and drivers of urban growth and its impact on wetlands. Data were obtained through remote-sensing, ground truthing and limited key informant interviews. The analysis combined land use/land cover, building coverage and multiple regression techniques, with the aid of GIS and STATA software. The findings reveal that urban growth at the Ramsar site follows discernible spatial patterns consistent with the spreading pancake, village magnet and ribbon development models. However, the primary force behind these patterns is growing demand for land to meet housing needs, aided by the failure of state institutions to perform their land use control and wetland protection functions. To achieve sustainable urban development, there is an urgent need to ensure effective wetland management by enforcing existing land use, development control and wetland protection measures. This calls for the strengthening, resourcing and closer collaboration between the various state agencies responsible for urban planning and wetland management. There is also the need to engage and sensitise political leaders to increase their commitment to implementing wetland protection and pro-environmental policies.

Climate change has altered the frequency and severity of extreme weather, which can affect vegetation condition and habitat quality for wildlife. Declines in vegetation productivity during droughts and heatwaves can negatively impact animals that depend on vegetation for water and nutrition. The ability to detect such effects on habitat suitability can reveal refugia, which can be prioritised for protection to improve threatened species conservation. We used the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) to look at relationships between vegetation productivity and the presence of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in potential habitat throughout much of their range. Using a large, long-term koala presence dataset, we tested the hypothesis that locations where koalas had been observed would exhibit higher NDVI values than a random, representative sample from the same vegetation group (i.e. woodlands, open forests or tall open forests). We also identified the minimum NDVI threshold at which koalas occurred across time for each vegetation group and compared these to the minimum NDVI values observed across potential koala habitat before and during the millennium drought; one of the worst recorded in Australia. Additionally, we investigated whether vegetation above the minimum NDVI thresholds was significantly closer to perennial water than unsuitable vegetation. We found that koalas tend to occur at locations exhibiting higher NDVI than average for all vegetation groups. We also found that 49% of all vegetation groups maintained a minimum NDVI above the koalas’ NDVI threshold before drought, equating to 190,227 km2, which declined to 166,746 km2 during drought (a 12% reduction). We also found that unsuitable vegetation tended to occur farther from perennial water than suitable vegetation for some vegetation groups. Areas that remained above the NDVI thresholds during the drought should be considered potential refugia for populations during an event of similar magnitude and could indicate future core habitat extent.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of breast (females), prostate, testicular and thyroid cancer in the Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCSs), served by cancer registries, where the presence of endocrine disruptors (EDs), reported to be linked to these tumors, was documented. Evidence of carcinogenicity of EDs present in NPCs was assessed based on evaluation by international scientific institutions/committees. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) were computed for each NPCS and cancer site with reference to the time window 1996-2005. Excess incidence of one or more cancer site at study was found in twelve out of fourteen NPCSs. Significantly increased SIRs were found for breast cancer in eight NPCSs, for prostate cancer in six, for thyroid cancer (both gender) in four and for testicular cancer in two. Non significantly increased SIRs were found in five NPCSs for testicular cancer and in two for thyroid cancer (males). Even if increased incidence of one or more cancer sites at study were found in several NPCSs, the ecological study design and the multifactorial etiology of the considered tumors do not allow reaching conclusions in terms of causal links with environmental contamination. In light of the observation of some excesses in SIRs, continuing epidemiological surveillance is warranted.

Fisheries and bottom seawater data were collected in July in 2022 and 2023 from 15 sampling stations in the Huanghe River Estuary and adjacent seas in China. The patterns of functional alpha- and beta-diversity of fish communities in this area and their relationship with environmental factors were studied using trait-based analysis. Five functional classifications, which included 16 functional traits, four functional alpha-diversity indices (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and community-weighted mean), three functional beta-diversity indices (functional beta-diversity and its turnover and nestedness components), and 14 bottom environmental factors were considered. The dominant traits of fish communities were: benthivorous feeding habits, small and front-facing mouths, high trophic level, demersal, anguilliform, low growth coefficient, medium resilience, low vulnerability, and adapted to warm temperate conditions. The dominant migration traits and types of fish eggs varied by year, and fish abundance was the main factor affecting the dominant traits of the communities. The results of multiple regression on distance matrices and variance partitioning analysis indicated that ammonia nitrogen content, total phosphorus content, and pH were the main environmental factors that affected fish functional diversity. The N/P ratio had an upward control effect on fish functional diversity. Our findings also revealed that high pH gradients and distant geographical distances can inhibit trait turnover in fish communities.

The carbonyl iron particles were dispersed in a polychloroprene rubber (CR) matrix under an external magnetic field for practical application as microwave absorption composites film. The film prepared under external magnetic field with a thickness of only 0.54 mm showed least reflection loss of -15.98 dB and the reflection loss value less than -10.0 dB over the frequency range of 11.4~14.8 GHz. In comparison with the microwave absorption properties of calculation by transmission line theory based on the tested relative complex permittivity and permeability and film prepared by general route without external magnetic field, the film made with external magnetic field exhibited more excellent microwave absorption properties, strongly depending on the increment of anisotropy and rearrangement of magnetic particles. The results indicated the composite film made under external magnetic field have excellent microwave absorption properties, which suggest that the composites thin film could be used as a thinner and lighter microwave absorber.

Metabolites present in the hemolymph of honey bees play a crucial role in modulating the metamorphic process within the species. However, the precise alterations in metabolite composition, along with the associated variances and regulatory pathways implicated during the larvae-to-pupae metamorphosis of honey bees, remain incompletely elucidated. In this investigation, we gathered hemolymph samples from honey bee larvae at three distinct physiological stages-feeding, prepupal, and pupae and subjected them to metabolite analysis utilizing the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. Employing principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), we identified significant differential metabolites and conducted a metabolic pathway analysis on those differentially up-regulated during the prepupal and pupae stages. Notably, metabolites up-regulated in the hemolymph of prepupal stage larvae primarily governed glucose metabolism and fat digestion and absorption, while those in pupae stage larvae were involved in regulating chitin and lipopolysaccharide precursor formation, as well as the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. These findings bear significant implications for advancing our comprehension of the metamorphic processes in honey bees.

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%.

The utilization of natural waxes to form oleogels has emerged as a new and efficient technique for structuring liquid edible oil into solid-like structures for diverse food applications. The objective of this study was to investigate the interaction between sunflower wax (SW) and monoglycerides (MGs) in olive oil oleogels and to assess their physical characteristics and storage stability. To achieve this, pure SW and a combination of SW with MGs in a 1:1 ratio were examined within a total concentration range of 6-12% w/w. The formed oleogels were characterized based on their microstructure, melting and crystallization properties, textural characteristics, and oxidative stability during storage. All the oleogels were shelf-stable, and as the concentration increased, the hardness of the oleogels also increased. The crystals of SW oleogels were long needle-like, while the combination of SW and MGs led to the formation of crystal aggregates and rosette-like crystals. The differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR showed that the addition of MGs led to different crystal structures. The oxidation results revealed that oleogels had low peroxide and TBARS values throughout the 28-day storage. These results provide useful insights about the utilization of SW and MGs oleogels for potential applications in the food industry.

Understanding the dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) change in today's context of rapid urbanization is critical for sustainable urban planning and environmental conservation. Therefore, the research aim is to understand the LULC changes in Chattogram Metropolitan Area and to assess the policy implications of these changes for sustainable urban development. Through a comparative analysis of LULC maps for two periods (1997–2007; 2007–2017), we investigated the transformation of a detailed planning zone before and after detailed area plan (DAP) approval. Using a mixed-method approach integrating quantitative data with policy analysis, we elucidated the impacts of urbanization trends on local ecosystems—specifically the conversion of forest cover and waterscape use. The findings reveal a significant conversion of forested and waterscape areas to urban and peri-urban landscapes, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable planning interventions that focus on these peri-urban areas. The study further critiques the DAP's effectiveness, revealing a disconnect between regional policy implementation and local outcomes. This research proposes a validated, scalable framework for urban master plans that adapts to the complex socio-ecological contexts of rapidly urbanizing regions.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) landscapes are valued for their biodiversity, water retention, fire mitigation, aesthetics, and recreation opportunities. Across North America, some aspen populations are experiencing population declines as they face uninhibited ungulate browsing, drought, fire suppression, insects, disease, and inappropriate management. Increased human development and recreational use within aspen landscapes can serve as additive stressors, though there is a dearth of literature examining these elements. At a popular recreational area in Utah, USA, identifying the cause of apparent decline within a larger aspen community is complicated by development upstream and recreation-related activities. We sought to: 1) assess the overall condition of the aspen at the site, 2) understand key variables that influence aspen conditions, and 3) elucidate how aspen fitness varies across the site. We collected data from forty-five plots using established aspen sampling methods, including ungulate presence, tree characteristics, soil chemistry, and environmental descriptors. Results suggest that a combination of higher levels of browsing and elevated soil sodium may be causing premature mortality and limiting aspen recruitment in a portion of the study area. These findings will inform future management at this site, as well as similar recreational forest settings experiencing compound stressors.

Wildfires have always been a part of the history of Mediterranean forests. However, forest regeneration after a wildfire is not certain. It depends on many factors, some of which may be influenced by land management activities. Failure of regeneration will cause a regime shift in the ecosystem, reducing the provision of ecosystem services and ultimately leading to desertification. How can we increase Mediterranean forests’ resilience to fire? To answer this question, we did a literature review, investigating chains of processes that allow forests to regenerate (which we label “regeneration mechanisms”), and assessed the impact of selected management practices documented in the WOCAT database on the regeneration mechanisms. We identified three distinct regeneration mechanisms that enable Mediterranean forests to recover, as well as the time frame before and after a fire in which they are at work, and factors that can hinder or support resilience. The three regeneration mechanisms enabling a forest to regenerate after a fire consist of regeneration (1) from a seed bank; (2) from resprouting individuals; and (3) from unburned plants that escaped the fire. Management practices were grouped into four categories: (1) fuel breaks, (2) fuel management, (3) afforestation, and (4) mulching. We assessed how and under what conditions land management modifies the ecosystem’s resilience. The results show that land management influences resilience by interacting with resilience mechanisms before and after the fire, and not just by modifying the fire regime. Our analysis demonstrates a need for adaptive – i.e. context- and time-specific – management strategies.

Pelagic stingray (Pteroplatytrygon violacea) is the only species of stingray (Dasyatidae) that utilizes both pelagic and demersal habitats. It is the main bycatch species in pelagic longline fisheries targeting bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Lions. In the Mediterranean Sea, their stock structure, behavioural ecology and movements are unknown. For the first time in the Mediterranean, 17 individuals (39 to 60 cm disc width) were tagged with pop-up satellite archival transmitting tags using a novel method of tag attachment, to investigate horizontal and vertical movements. The tags were attached for between two and 60 days. Between the months of July and October, pelagic stingray occupied a temperature range of 12.5 to 26.6°C, and a depth range extending from the surface to 480 m. Monthly trends in catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of pelagic stingray peaked in August and decreased by late autumn. Pelagic stingray may aggregate on the continental shelf during summer, and move southwards in early autumn, and this movement pattern is considered in relation to the reproductive cycle and overwintering. Future work and options for bycatch mitigation are discussed.

Modular steel buildings (MSBs) interlocking inter-module connections (IMCs) have piqued researchers’ interest. However, the existing literature has not yet studied the optimisation of its plate thicknesses. This paper, therefore, focuses on optimising interlocking (IMCs) plate thickness in (MSBs), leveraging previous experimental and numerical simulation methodologies. Various numerical models for four MSBs interlocking (IMCs) with plate thicknesses (4 mm, 6 mm, 10 mm, and 12 mm) were developed under compression loading conditions. The study’s novelty lay in its comprehensive parametric analysis, which evaluated the slip phenomenon in (MSBs) connections and introduced a slip prediction model validated against empirical data. Further innovative machine learning approach was utilised to predict slip values based on applied force through a random forest regression model trained using the 'Treebagger' function. Sensitivity analysis and comparisons with alternative methods were utilised to underscore the reliability and applicability of the findings. The results showed that 11.03 mm was the optimal plate thickness for interlocking (IMCs) in modular steel buildings, with up to 8.08% reduced material costs. Increasing plate thickness boosts its deformation resistance by up to 50.75%. ‘TreeBagger’ random forest for anomaly detection and machine learning improves slip prediction up to 7% at higher force levels.

Although vitamin D deficiency has been correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there are few data on the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH) D) and atherogenic indices predictive of CVD. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of vitamin D status with lipid profile and atherogenic indices in adult women in Morocco. Three hundred healthy women, aged 18 to 50 years, from Meknes were included. Fasting 25(OH) D and lipid concentrations were determined using a one-step electrochemiluminescence-based immunoassay and an enzymatic method, respectively. Atherogenic indices (Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), non-HDL cholesterol (Non-HDL-C), Atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli risk indices I and II (CRI-I and II), and CHOLIndex (CI)) were calculated using conventional lipid parameters. Logistic regression models and operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were used to assess the relationship of the variables and estimate the threshold of 25(OH) D levels associated with high atherogenic indices. 25(OH) D below 20 ng/ml was significantly associated with an enhanced risk of hypertriglyceridemia and elevated values of AIP, AC, Non-HDL-C, and CRI-I with an OR (95% CI) of 4.904 (1.856-12.959); 3.637(2.149-6.158); 3.589(1.673-7.700); 2.074(1.215-3.540), and 2.481(1.481-4.123), respectively. According to ROC analysis, the likelihood of hypertriglyceridemia and high values of AIP, AC, Non-HDL-C, and CRI-I were associated with 25(OH)D thresholds ≤15.15 ng/ml, ≤ 17.5 ng/ml, ≤ 19.8 ng/ml, ≤ 20.1 ng/ml and ≤ 19.5 ng/ml, respectively, all p < 0.01. Based on atherogenic indices, this study indicates that vitamin D below 20 ng/ml may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adult women. Additional health efforts are needed to raise awareness among women and healthcare providers in preventing and controlling cardiovascular risk factors.

In this systematic review, the PRISMA method was applied to examine publications from the last two decades that have investigated the noxious gaseous emissions from dairy barns. The aim was to analyse the outcomes from literature studies estimating the quantities of polluting gases produced in dairy barns, with specific focus on ammonia (NH₃) emissions. The review also explores proposed methods to reduce the associated effects through mitigation strategies. Estimation of NH₃ emissions is significantly influenced by the complex interactions among several factors, including animal management practices, such as controlling animal behavioral activities; manure management, like utilising practices for floor manure removal; the type of structure housing the animals, whether it is naturally or mechanically ventilated; and environmental conditions, such as the effects of temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and ventilation rate on NH₃ release in the barn. These influential components have been considered by researchers, identifying targeted mitigation strategies. Despite growing attention to the issue, gaps in the scientific literature were identified and discussed, particularly regarding the analysis of mitigation strategies and their long-term impacts (i.e., environmental, economic and productivity-wise).

Lignin is insoluble in water, limiting its use in the synthesis of adhesives. Therefore, in order to increase the amount of lignin raw materials used in the synthesis of adhesives, a kind of aminated lignin compounds was prepared through lignin amination reaction, and conducting structural analysis in this paper. The particle size of the amino lignin is about 100 nm, with the weight average molecular weight of 57,627 g/mol and a water solubility of 0.45g/100ml. The reaction mechanisms were proposed that the phenolic hydroxyl groups of lignin react with ammonia molecules, and thereby successfully introducing amino groups to generate the aminated lignin compounds. Therefore, this article enriches the scientific theory of lignin reactions and provides reference for the widespread application of lignin raw materials in the field of adhesives.

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

In mesoscale eddies, chemical properties and biological composition are different from those in surrounding water, due to their unique physical processes. It is unclear how physical-biological coupling occurs in warm-core eddies, particularly since no study has examined the relationship between bacteria and viruses. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of anticyclonic warm eddy on the relationship between bacterial and viral abundances as well as viral activity (viral production) in different depths. In the core of warm eddy, bacterial abundance (0.48 to 2.82 ×105 cells mL−1) fluctuated less than that of the outside eddy (1.12 to 7.03×105 cells mL−1). In particular, there was four-folds higher of viral-bacterial abundance ratio (VBR) estimated within the eddy below DCM than the outside eddy. We suggest that prevailing physical forces with downwelling at the center of the anticyclonic warm eddy, viruses can also be transmitted into the deep ocean directly through adsorption on particulate organic matter during sinking. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the interaction between bacterial and viral communities and their ecological mechanism within the warm eddy.

The study aimed to evaluate for the first time the degree of contamination of soil and crops with major and trace elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, F, Na, Mg, Si, P, Cl, Fe, Al) in agricultural lands situated in the Lower Danube Basin, Galati and Braila counties (SE Romania), impacted by the steel industry. Soil samples from two depths (0–5 cm and 5–30 cm), as well as leaves and seeds of wheat, corn, and sunflower, were collected from 11 different sites. Along with elemental and mineralogical analysis, performed by HR-CS AAS, PIGE, SEM-EDX and ATR-FTIR, the soil pH, texture, organic matter, electric conductivity and CaCO3 content were investigated. The results showed that the levels of Cr (83.270–383.100 mg kg-1), Cu (17.110–68.151 mg kg-1), Ni (30.157–55.656 mg kg-1), and F (319–544 mg kg-1) in soil exceeded the Romanian regulations for sensitive use of the land. The pollution indices (Igeo, EF, PI, PERI) indicate that the soil is moderate to highly contaminated with Cr, Ni and Cu, while CSI and mERMQ indices suggested a relatively low risk for metal contamination. The concentrations of elements in plant tissues and bioaccumulation factors (BFs) show the soil-plant relation and health risk, but also the elemental selectivity of vegetal compartments. Thus, the results showed that wheat plants tend to exclude the bioaccumulation of certain elements in their tissues, while for Zn and Cu, the bioaccumulation pattern is different. In the case of corn, most BFs were below 1, indicating limited phytoaccumulation capacity. However, exceptions were observed for Cd, Zn, and Cu. Sunflower BFs indicate higher bioconcentration of Cu, Cd, and Zn in both the leaves and seeds compared to other elements. Chromium (Cr) contributes to non-carcinogenic dermal contact and ingestion hazards, with children being more susceptible to the adverse effects of this contaminant.

The influence of short term water absorption on the mechanical properties of halloysite nanotubes-multi layer graphene reinforced polyester hybrid nanocomposites has been investigated. The addition of nano-fillers significantly increased the flexural strength; tensile strength and impact strength in dry and wet conditions. After short term water exposure; the maximum microhardness; tensile; flexural and impact toughness values were observed at 0.1 wt% MLG. The microhardness increased up to 50.3%; tensile strength increased up to 40% and flexural strength increased up to 44%. Compared to dry samples; the fracture toughness and surface roughness of all types of produced nanocomposites were increased that may be attributed to plasticization effect. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the main failure mechanism is caused by the weakening of nano-filler-matrix interface induced by water absorption. It was further observed that synergistic effects were not effective at concentration of 0.1 wt% to produce considerable improvement in mechanical properties of produced hybrid nanocomposites.

This study explores the current landscape of social value (SV) research in the construction industry, analyzing global trends and identifying future research directions. Using bibliometric analysis, research published in Elsevier Scopus database from 2013 to 2023 was extracted using the keywords "social value" AND "construction industry." Results indicate a focus on social value indicators, socioeconomic impacts, project management, innovative practices, and cross-sector collaborations. The study also reveals a lack of attention to SV in African countries' construction sectors. By highlighting research areas and identifying gaps, this study contributes to academic literature, suggesting the need for guidelines, particularly in developing countries, and advocating for further research on SV in the built environment and strategies for global social value creation.

Spectral characteristics of CDOM in water column are a key parameter for bio-optical modeling. Knowledge of CDOM optical properties and spatial discrepancy based on the relationship between water quality and spectral parameters in Yinma River watershed with in situ data collected highly-polluted waters are exhibited in this study. Seasonal field data sets collected over a period of 2 months in 2015 in Yinma River Watershed. Based on the comprehensive index method, the riverine waters showed serious contamination, especially the COD, Fe, Mn, Hg and DO were out of range contamination warning. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total suspended matter (TSM) with prominent non-homogenizing were significantly high in the riverine waters, but chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) was opposite. Ternary phase diagram showed that non-algal paritcles absorption played an important role in total non-water light absorption (>50%) in most sampling locations, and mean contribution of CDOM were 13% and 22% in summer and autumn respectively. Analysis of ratio of absorption at 250-365 nm (E_250:365) and spectral slope (S_275-295) indicated that CDOM had higher aromaticity and molecular weight in autumn than in summer, is consistent with the results of water quality and relative contribution. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the environmental variables OSM had a strong correlation with CDOM absorption, followed by heavy metal, e.g., Mn, Hg and Cr⁶⁺. However, for the specific UV absorbance (SUVA₂₅₄), the seasonal values showed opposite results compared with the reported literature. The potential reasons were the more UDOM (uncolored Dissolved Organic Matter) from human source (wastewater effluent) existed in waters. Terrigenous inputs simultaneously are in relation to the a_CDOM(440)-DOC relationship with the correlation coefficient was 0.90 in summer (2-tailed, p<0.01), and 0.58 in autumn (2-tailed, p<0.05). Spatial distribution of CDOM parameters exhibited that the downstream regions focused on dry land have high CDOM molecular weight and aromatic hydrocarbon. Partial sampling locations around the cities or countries generally showed abnormal values due to terrigenous inputs. As a bio-optical model parameter, spectral characteristic of CDOM is helpful in adjusting the derived algorithms in highly-polluted environments. The study on organic carbon and pollutants in highly-polluted waters had an important contribution to global carbon balance estimation and water environment protection.

Volcanic activity essentially consists of the transfer of heat from the Earth’ interior to the surface. The precise signature of this heat transfer relates directly to the processes underway at and within a particular volcano and this can be observed, at a safe distance, remotely, using infrared sensors that are present on Earth-orbiting satellites. For over 50 years, scientists have perfected this art using sensors intended for other purposes, and they are now in a position to determine the particular sort of activity that characterizes different volcanoes. This review will describe the theoretical basis of the discipline and then discuss the sensors available for the task and the history of their use. Challenges and opportunities for future development in the discipline are then discussed.

Microplastic pollution (MP) in marine environments around the globe is severe and enough precautions have not been taken so far for its prevention. The focus of this study is to quantify MPs from beach sediment and seawater samples and to identify their distribution and types along the western coast of Sri Lanka from the Kelani River estuary to the Mahaoya estuary. Nine sites along this 42 km stretch were selected and random sampling was employed to collect a minimum of 8 sediment samples from each site between October and December 2021. Water samples were also collected, parallel to the sediments, from the ocean surface. FTIR analysis revealed that most of the MPs found were polyethylene(PE), polypropylene(PP), polystyrene(PS), polyethylene terephthalate(PET), and phenol formaldehyde resin. The mean abundance of MPs varied from 2.0 ± 0.6 items/L to 161.0 ± 15.7 items/L in water samples and, from 3.0 ± 0.3 items/m2 to 656.0 ± 34.5 items/m2 in sediment samples. The MPs found were identified in different shapes as fragments (80.2%), pellets (14.9%), fibers (2.7%) and foams (2.5%). Analysis revealed that the beach sediments were contaminated with PS, phenol formaldehyde resin, PET, PP and PE, while surface seawater is dominated by phenol formaldehyde resin, PS, PP and PE.

The construction sector of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), valued at USD 152 billion and employing 2.54 million people by 2023, is crucial to its economy. However, it faces challenges such as delays, disputes, and cost overruns. This study aims to address these issues by implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the KSA, based on an extensive literature review highlighting the role and significance of BIM in mitigating construction claims. BIM improves collaboration, communication, and data integration among stakeholders. Hence, this study proposes a comprehensive BIM package framework comprising Revit Architecture, Microsoft Project, and Cost-X to reduce claims effectively. Validated through a KSA claims case study with a USD 1,870,000 claims value and 360-day delay, the BIM package significantly reduced the claims value to USD 188,000 and saved 275 days. Interview sessions were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the BIM package; 95% favored the use of BIM, 86% supported NEC4 contract adoption alongside BIM, 100% acknowledged BIM's potential in reducing design errors, 95% were confident in the case study's accuracy, and 82% were satisfied with data accuracy. This study confirms that BIM is an effective approach for minimizing construction claims in the KSA.

This review paper presents a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge on the contamination of water systems by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs, organic contaminants characterized by two or more fused aromatic rings, are notably problematic due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and significant health risks. The review commences with an examination of various sources of PAHs in aquatic environments, encompassing both anthropogenic activities, such as industrial discharges, urban runoff, and oil spills, and natural phenomena including volcanic eruptions and wildfires. Subsequently, the discussion shifts to the distribution patterns of PAHs within different aquatic ecosystems, with an analysis of factors that influence their transport. Considerable focus is placed on the entry mechanisms of PAHs into water systems and their interactions with diverse environmental matrices. Additionally, the ecotoxicological effects of PAHs on aquatic life are scrutinized, with particular emphasis on molecular, individual, and ecosystemic impacts. This includes an exploration of PAH bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms and their potential mutagenic and carcinogenic consequences. The review further addresses the challenges associated with detecting and quantifying PAHs in aquatic settings, reflecting on the advancements in analytical methodologies and the complexities introduced by their varied physicochemical properties. The paper concludes with a summary of existing regulatory frameworks and guidelines governing PAH contamination in water systems, underscoring the imperative for global collaboration in the monitoring and management of PAH pollution.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries, with notable advantages in safety, energy density, and longevity, yet the environmental implications of their lifecycle, from manufacturing to disposal, remain a critical concern. This review paper examines the environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life management of SSBs, starting with the extraction and processing of raw materials which highlights significant natural resource consumption, energy use, and emissions. A comparative analysis with traditional battery manufacturing underscores the environmental hazards of novel materials specific to SSBs. The review also assesses the operational environmental impact of SSBs by evaluating their energy efficiency and carbon footprint in comparison to conventional batteries, followed by an exploration of end-of-life challenges including disposal risks, regulatory frameworks, and the shortcomings of existing waste management practices. A significant focus is placed on recycling and reuse strategies, reviewing current methodologies like mechanical, pyrometallurgical, and hydrometallurgical processes, along with emerging technologies that aim to overcome recycling barriers, while also analyzing the economic and technological challenges of these processes. Additionally, real-world case studies are presented, serving as benchmarks for best practices and highlighting lessons learned in the field. In conclusion, the paper identifies research gaps and future directions for reducing the environmental footprint of SSBs, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to advance sustainable SSB technologies and contribute to balancing technological advancements with environmental stewardship, thereby supporting the transition to a more sustainable energy future.

The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between body condition score (BCS) and body carcass fat (BCF) of ewes at two key stages of the production cycle. Data were collected from 88 Coopworth ewes including BCS measurements manually evaluated by the farm manager, BCF measurements determined by computerized tomography (CT) and body parameter measurements automatically determined by an image processing application. Artificial neural network (ANN) statistical analysis method was used to develop a relationship between the body parameters and the BCF with an r2=0.96 and RMSE=1.01 using all top and side variables.

Background: The control of energy metabolism is fundamental for cell growth and function, and anomalies are implicated in complex diseases and ageing. It is important for cells to carefully tune metabolic pathways to optimize their function in response to different nutrient or physiological conditions. Metabolism in yeast cells can be easily manipulated by supplying different carbon sources: on glucose yeast rapidly proliferates by fermentation, analogous to tumour cells growing by aerobic glycolysis, whereas on non-fermentable carbon sources metabolism shifts towards respiration. Results: We screened deletion libraries of fission yeast to identify over 200 genes required for respiratory growth. The growth medium and auxotrophic mutants strongly influenced respiratory metabolism. Most genes uncovered in the mutant screens have not been implicated in respiration in budding yeast. We applied gene expression profiling approaches to compare steady-state fermentative and respiratory growth and to analyse the dynamic adaptation to respiratory growth. The transcript levels of most genes functioning in key energy metabolism pathways were coherently tuned, reflecting anticipated differences in metabolic flows between fermenting and respiring cells. We show that the acetyl-CoA synthase, rather than the citrate lyase, is essential for acetyl-CoA synthesis in fission yeast. We also investigated the transcriptional response to mitochondrial damage by genetic or chemical perturbations, defining a retrograde response that involves the concerted regulation of distinct groups of nuclear genes that may avert harm from mitochondrial malfunction. Conclusions: These systematic and targeted analyses provide a rich framework of the genetic and regulatory basis of fundamental metabolic states to guide future studies on energy metabolism in fission yeast and beyond. Our study pinpoints weaknesses of commonly used auxotroph mutants for investigating energy metabolism. As a model for cellular energy regulation, fission yeast provides an attractive and complementary system to budding yeast.

Polyalcohol liquefaction can be done by acid or basic catalysis producing polyols with different properties. This study compared the mechanical properties of foams produced using polyols from liquefied Cytisus scoparius obtained by acid and basic catalysis and using two different foam catalysts. The differences were monitored using FTIR analysis. Acid-catalyzed liquefaction yielded 95.1 %, with the resultant polyol having an OH index of 1081 mg KOH/g while basic catalysis yielded 82.5 %, with a similar OH index of 1070 mg KOH/g. Generally, compressive strength with dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) ranged from 16 - 31 kPa (acid-liquefied polyol) and 12 -21 kPa (base-liquefied polyol), while with stannous octoate (TIN), it ranged from 17 - 42 kPa (acid) and 29 - 68 kPa (base). Increasing water content generally decreased the compressive modulus and strength of foams. Higher water content led to a higher absorption at 1670 cm-1 in the FTIR spectrum due to the formation of urea. Higher isocyanate indices generally improved compressive strength, but high amounts led to unreacted isocyanate that could be seen by a higher absorption at 2265 cm-1 and 3290 cm-1. DBTL was shown to be the best foam catalyst due to higher trimer conversion seen in the spectra by a higher absorption at 1410 cm-1. Acid and base-derived polyols lead to different polyurethane foams with different FTIR spectra, particularly with a higher absorption at 1670 cm-1 for foams from acid-derived liquefaction.

The decarbonization of the built environment, both in new construction and renovation, is crucial to mitigate its relevant impact on climate change and achieve the Paris agreement goals. This study presents a systematic LCA-based methodology to assess the whole life carbon emissions of buildings, applied to a proposal for the regeneration of one of Milan’s disused railway yards. As an entry for the 2020 Reinventing Cities competition, Scalo Lambrate is a project for a mainly residential neighborhood with a public park. Strategies to reduce carbon emissions deriving both from the operational energy and construction and maintenance were evaluated and their effects compared to a reference scenario over a time horizon of 100 years. The results show that, while the opportunities to reduce carbon emissions during the use phase are somehow limited due to the already stringent performance requirements for new builds, the use of fast-growing biogenic materials for construction materials, even if mixed with more traditional ones, can provide a significant reduction of the global warming potential over the whole life cycle, with a reduction of 70% over the baseline. The remaining emissions can be offset with afforestation initiatives that, however, must be assessed against land use issues.

(1) Background: A simple approach to map irrigated landcover has been introduced by using measures derived from optical spectral range as an alternative to thermal range. It has been demonstrated that substituting surface temperature (Ts, ‘thermal approach’) with SWIR transformed reflectance (STR, ‘optical approach’) to detect surface moisture is feasible with comparable results. (2) Methods: Using an iterative thresholding procedure to minimize within-class variance, the bilevel segmentation of variables derived from Landsat-8 representing surface moisture and vegetation cover was achieved for the 2020-21 summer for a key irrigation district in Australia. (3) Results: The results of irrigated landcover by optical approach found to be comparable with those by thermal approach. The classification accuracy was assessed using water delivery records at farm level. Though the overall accuracy is high in both cases, the optical approach (97.6%) performed slightly better than the thermal approach (93.9%). (4) Conclusions: The feasibility of using STR to map irrigated landcover has been confirmed by a high-level overall accuracy assessment. This has broader implications in terms of irrigated landcover assessment, as the use of satellite imagery in these applications may not necessarily be limited to microwave or thermal sensors.

Timely and accurate acquisition of information on distribution of the crop planting structure in Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu Province, one of the most important agricultural areas in western China, is crucial for promoting fine management of agriculture and ensuring food security. In this study, the Object-Based Image Classification (OBIC), the Random Forest (RF) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models were employed to classify the crop planting structure of four representative test areas in Qingyang City in a precise manner. Firstly, different optimal segmentation scales for various crops were selected using the Estimation of Scale Parameter 2 (ESP2) tool and the Ratio of Mean Difference to Neighbors(ABS) to Standard Deviation (RMAS)model. The images were then segmented through multiresolution segmentation combined with the Canny Edge Detection algorithm. Secondly, the L1 regularized logistic regression model was utilized to select and optimize 39 spatial feature factors including spectral, textural, geometric, and index features, in conjunction with phenological factors. Lastly, under the multi-level classification framework, the Random Forest (RF) classifier and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model, combined with object-based multiresolution segmentation, was used to classify the crop planting structure. The findings show that: Thanks to the Canny Edge Detection algorithm, we can obtain a more complete boundary of the segmented objects and improve the separability. The optimal segmentation scales for corn, vegetables, and buckwheat were found to be 55, 70, and 35, respectively, while wheat and apple had optimal segmentation scales of 65. In addition to phenological characteristics, the number of selected spatial features for corn, vegetables, buckwheat, wheat, and apple were 9, 7, 16, 12, and 10, respectively. The CNN model demonstrated high consistency with the RF model in the classification results, but the accuracy of RF model is higher than that of CNN model on the whole. The overall accuracy of classification using RF model in four test areas registered 91.93%, 94.92%, 89.37% and 90.68%, respectively. This paper introduced crop phenological factors, effectively improving the extraction precision of shattered agricultural planting structure in the Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu Province. Its findings have important application value in crop monitoring, management, food security and other related fields.

Measurement of Globe temperature is essential for investigating thermal comfort in street canyon. Globe thermometer is the most common instrument used to measure globe temperature (GT), however its application in scale models is still uncertain and not thoroughly investigated as of today. Therefore, this study is explicitly conducted to investigate globe thermometer measurements and proposed an improvised customization of the globe thermometer size to enhance reliability in scale models. The experiments were carried out outdoors using a typical street canyon model (scale 1:100) with East-West street orientation. The experiment presented a comparison between a low solar reflective street canyon (albedo of 0.4) and a high solar reflective canyon (albedo of 0.6) in terms of surface temperatures, heat flux and globe temperature. Furthermore, this study also investigated the influence of solar orientation on the globe temperature using both experimental using scale models and microclimatic modelling using ENVI-met. It is observed that although the surface temperatures are lower with high solar reflective canyon compared to that with low solar reflective canyon, GT is higher in high reflective canyon during daytime, which could be due to combined effect of direct radiation and shortwave reflection. However, for hours after the sun set, GT becomes lower (up to 1°C) in the case of high reflective canyon compared to low reflective canyon.

Indoor environmental comfort is fundamental to human health as people spend 90% of their time indoors. This aspect is even more crucial in hospitals, where the concept of health is closely linked to well-being, ethics, and environmental aspects. Emerging methodologies and technologies such as Digital Twin, Building Information Modeling, the Internet of Things, sensing technologies, and data analytics offer new opportunities to ensure healthier environments and more efficient building management. This paper provides an assessment of how digitalization can support decision-making processes related to maintaining high levels of indoor environmental comfort in hospital settings, particularly by analyzing how real-time data processing and the application of machine learning can promote proactive interventions in these facilities. The methodological approach was based on four phases: defining the objectives of the digital twin, identifying the input data to build and feed the digital model, defining the KPIs to evaluate the system's correct functioning, and identifying the enabling technologies to be integrated into the system to achieve the set goal. The result is a digital twin for managing the operating room and its related services, with the aim of guiding decisions based on accurate data and improving operational efficiency, levels of environmental comfort, and safety regarding the diffusion of medical gases.

Antimony (Sb) has gained significance as a critical raw material (CRM) within the European Union (EU) due to its strategic importance in various industrial sectors, particularly in the textile industry for flame retardants and as a component of Sb-based semiconductor materials. Moreover, Sb is emerging as a potential alternative for anodes used in lithium-ion batteries, a key element in the Energy transition. This study focused on exploring the feasibility of identifying and quantifying Sb mineralizations through the spectral signature of soils using reflectance spectroscopy, a non-invasive remote sensing technique, and by employing deep learning algorithms such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Common signal preprocessing techniques were applied to the spectral data, and the soils were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Despite achieving high R-squared values, the study faces a significant challenge of generalization of the model to new data. Despite the limitations, this study provides valuable insights into potential strategies for future research in this field.

Existing research indicates that mineralization of Carlin-type gold deposit is related to geological structures, but current studies mostly focus on the qualitative association, and lack quantitative analysis of the relationship between mineralization and structural features, which limits the potential for predictive mineral exploration. In this study, the Nibao Carlin-type gold deposit was selected as the research area to conduct three-dimensional geological modeling, spatial analysis, and three-dimensional prospectivity modeling. Spatial analysis revealed that the majority of gold ore bodies are situated near the main fault, with gold mineralization primarily occurring within a spatial range of approximately -80 meters to 20 meters from the main fault plane. This spatial distribution predominantly aligns in a SW-NE direction. Spatial characteristic extraction of fault slope indicators suggests that the slope angles are conducive to the migration and accumulation of ore-forming hydrothermal fluids, with ore body metal content rapidly increasing within an angle range of approximately 20° to 60°. The shape analysis of the mainfault indicates that the principal spaces of mineralization enrichment are within -10m to 20m of the fault plane undulations, where gold resources are concentrated in a relatively flat area. However, the degree of mineralization is more pronounced in the protruding sections than in the depressed areas. The areas with significant dip changes in faults display higher variations in orebody attitudes, with mineralization noticeably weaker in areas where the fault steepness changes markedly. Ore-bearing units exhibit significantly higher grades within the -17° to 3° interval of fault steepness transition. This interval also sees a rapid accumulation of gold resources. The Nibao gold mine's mineralization is derived from deep, ore-bearing hydrothermal fluids ascending along major fractures, precipitating, and accumulating in favorable ore-hosting spaces (faults, anticline cores) and lithological combinations (sedimentary tuffs, tuffs). Three deep potential gold targets were identified, highlighting the deep western edge of the F1 fault and the deep southeast-trending lower plate as prospective areas for future exploration. This study underscores the effectiveness of 3D prospective modeling as an indispensable tool for elucidating the spatial distribution of fault-controlled Carlin-type gold deposits and their tectonic determinants.

Flooding, exacerbated by climate change, poses a significant threat to certain areas, increasing in frequency and severity. In response, the construction of supplementary dams has emerged as a reliable solution for flood management. This study employs a Remote Sensing (RS) approach integrated with GIS to assess the feasibility of constructing a supplementary dam near Linville, Brisbane, Australia, with the aim of mit-igating floods and preventing overtopping failure at the Wivenhoe Dam. Using QGIS software and a 25-meter resolution DEM from the Queensland Spatial Catalogue ‘QSpatial’ website, four potential dam sites were analysed, considering cross-sections, watershed characteristics, and water volume calculations. Systematic selection criteria were applied to identify the most optimal option based on dam wall di-mensions, volume-to-area, and volume-to-cost ratios. The selected option was further assessed against predefined criteria, yielding one optimal choice. The study provides insights into the feasibility and ef-fectiveness of supplementary dam construction for flood mitigation in the region, with recommendations for future research and implementation.

Pea shoots is a popular vegetable in certain regions of the world due to their unique taste and abundance of health-promoting phytochemicals. The perishable nature and susceptibility of root rot of pea shoots necessitate a new soilless production system located close to the market. This study compared the growth of pea shoots using various cultivation methods in LED plant factory. The results showed that early topping (4 days after transplanting, ET) promoted early harvest compared to later topping (20 days after transplanting, LT) and increased the number of harvested shoots by extending the harvest time to 2.8 times, ultimately resulting in a substantial yield improvement. Moreover, the yield of ET with lower planting density (72 plants m-2, ET-LD) was 8.7% higher than ET with higher planting density (126 plants m-2, ET-HD). Particularly, the average fresh weight of individual pea shoots under ET-LD exceeded that of ET-HD by 48.9%. It is advisable to consider adopting ET-LD for the cultivation of pea shoots in LED plant factory. Based on ET-LD, the yield, nutritional quality, and light use efficiency of pea shoots were further explored at different stages under three levels of light intensity (50, 100, 150 μmol m-2 s-1). Contrasted against the light intensity of 50 μmol m-2 s-1, the average fresh weight per pea shoots, number of harvested, and total fresh yield under light intensity of 150 μmol m-2 s-1 treatment increased by 60.2%, 62.8%, and 165.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the fresh weight per pea shoots, photosynthetic capacity, soluble sugar and vitamin C levels in leaves, as well as light use efficiency and photon yield, initially increased and then decreased with the extension of the planting period. Among these, soluble sugar, LUE, and PY started to decrease after reaching the maximum value at 60-70 days after transplanting. In conclusion, light intensity of 150 μmol m-2 s-1 with a photoperiod of 16 h d-1 using LEDs, combined with early topping within a planting period of 60-70 days, proves to be suitable for the hydroponic production of pea shoots in LED plant factory.

Studies have demonstrated the critical role that safety plays in preserving favourable working conditions in the construction industry, which is necessary to accomplish goals. The aim of this research was to inform stakeholders in the construction industry in developing nations about the value of safety and possible strategies for influencing their opinions regarding safety protocols. The importance of safety to the construction sector, which is crucial to the advancement of the country, has also been emphasized. However, due to a lack of adequate safety understanding among stakeholders in the construction sector, the construction industry is characterized by a great deal of instability and hazard. To determine what factors, affect productive working conditions in the construction production, this study examined safety. A conceptual framework for safe working conditions in the construction sector was developed by considering several aspects, including the person dimension, environment factor, safety behaviour, organization features, technology, and incentives. It is now imperative to bring in these dimensions to improve the safe working conditions in the construction industry, particularly in the developing countries. By putting these safety factors into practice, the construction industry can reduce safety risks, lower the number of accidents and fatalities, cut expenses related to subpar safety performance, safeguard the reputation of construction companies, boost employee morale and satisfaction with their work, enhanced employee retention, reduced absenteeism, and enhanced sustainability goals. Additionally, the proposed conceptual framework is assured to be new and to be widely accepted in the developing nations. Based on this assumption the conceptual framework is designed.

Digital Twin (DT) technology is a pivotal innovation within the built environment industry, facilitating digital transformation through advanced data integration and analytics. DTs have demonstrated significant benefits in building design, construction, and asset management, including optimizing lifecycle energy use, enhancing operational efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and improving user adaptability. By integrating real-time data from IoT sensors with advanced analytics, DTs provide dynamic and actionable insights for better decision-making and resource management. Despite these promising benefits, several challenges impede the widespread adoption of DT technology, such as technological integration, data consistency, organisational adaptation, and cybersecurity concerns. Addressing these challenges requires inter-disciplinary collaboration, standardization of data formats, and the development of universal design and development platforms for DTs. This paper provides a comprehensive review of DT definitions, applications, capabilities, and challenges within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. This paper provides important insights for researchers and professionals, helping them gain a more comprehensive and detailed view of DT. The findings also demonstrate the significant impact that DTs can have on this sector, contributing to advancing DT implementations and promoting sustainable and efficient building management practices. Ultimately, DT technology is set to revolutionize the AEC industries by enabling autonomous, data-driven decision-making and optimizing building operations for enhanced productivity and performance.

Bearing component damage contributes significantly to rotating machinery failures. It is vital for the rotor-bearing system to be in good condition to ensure proper functioning of the machine. Over recent decades, extensive research has been devoted to the condition monitoring of rotational machinery, with a particular focus on bearing health. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of recent advancements in intelligent condition monitoring technologies for rolling element bearings. Fundamental monitoring strategies are introduced, covering various sensing, signal processing, and feature extraction techniques for detecting defects in rolling element bearings. While vibration-based monitoring remains prevalent, alternative sensor types are also explored, offering complementary diagnostic capabilities or detecting different defect types compared to accelerometers alone. Signal processing and feature extraction techniques, including time domain, frequency domain, and time-frequency domain analysis, are discussed for their ability to provide diverse perspectives for signal representation, revealing unique insights relevant to condition monitoring. Special attention is given to information fusion methodologies and the application of intelligent algorithms. Multisensor systems, whether homogeneous or heterogeneous, integrated with information fusion techniques, hold promise in enhancing accuracy and reliability by overcoming limitations associated with single sensor monitoring. Furthermore, the adoption of AI techniques, such as machine learning and metaheuristic optimisation, has led to significant advancements in condition monitoring, yielding successful outcomes in various studies. Finally, avenues for further advancements to improve monitoring accuracy and reliability are identified, offering insights into future research directions.

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are receiving more and more attention as they involve simple design, cope better with turbulence and are insensitive to wind direction which has a huge impact on the cost since the yaw mechanism is not needed. However, VAWTs still suffer from low conversion efficiency. As a results tremendous efforts are exerted to improve its efficiency which mainly focus on two methods regardless of whether the study is a CFD simulation or a field test or lab test experiment. An active approach which involves the modification of the rotor itself such as the blade design, angle, trailing and leading edges, inner blades, chord thickness, contra-rotating rotor, etc. While the second approach involves passive techniques where the flow is directed to optimally face the downwind rotor by mounting a guiding vane such as a diffuser or other shapes at the upwind position of the rotor. Among all techniques undertaken, the CRWT rotor technique seems to be the most effective with an output even comparable to that of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT), while the Savonius rotor received more attention compared to other designs of VAWTs. Apart from technological issues, it was also suggested that geographical issues such as proper site siting of the wind turbine rotor at a particular location where a uniform flow could be guaranteed is of paramount importance to ensure an effective conversion capacity of wind turbines.

Researchers have explored primary colour-geometric shape associations since Kandinsky's correspondence theory. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding interior colour applications on surface shapes. To address this gap, an online study was employed to gather data with one hundred participants who were asked to choose their preferred colours for shapes on bedroom walls with follow-up questions on the colour-shape semantic associations, their preference of colours and shapes on bedroom walls independently in addition to their favourite colour, their favourite shape, and colour-shape pairs without interior context. The results revealed that colour-shape preferences in interiors differ from those found in psychology studies, other colour applications on bedroom walls, and other preferences, indicating that colour preference is context-dependent. Interestingly, the most popular colour for surface shapes on bedroom walls is purple, followed by brown and blue. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing colour charts for bedroom applications for professionals in the industry, their clients/users, and future studies.

Managing Water, Energy, and Food (WEF) resources within socio-environmental systems demands innovative strategies that provide decision-makers with actionable insights. This article explores the challenges and potential solutions of employing Focus Maps and choremes as a novel approach for assessing anthropogenic impacts and enhancing the visualization of the WEF Nexus in specific geographic areas. By integrating geospatial data, multi-criteria analysis, and involving stakeholders, our research aims to develop Choreomatic Focus Maps (CFMs) that offer a comprehensive spatial representation of the WEF Nexus, facilitating better-informed decision-making at the community level. Our current work outlines visualization of WEF Nexus, as an initial stages of creating CFMs through a detailed step-by-step process. This includes identifying the main drivers for WEF nexus, such as anthropogenic activities and their distribution, evaluating environmental factors, linking anthropogenic impact with environmental indicators over time, and conducting on-site validation. Our focus is on advancing through these crucial steps, particularly emphasizing field validation within the Local Decision-Makers Tools, visualized here by using Focus Maps. This phase is vital for ensuring our approach is grounded in reality and meets the needs of the communities within the Danube Delta region. By doing so, we aim to provide a visual summary of the WEF Nexus that not only captures the complexity of this fragile ecosystem but also incorporates local insights and priorities, identifying key areas where human activities have significant impacts.

Salinity, resulting from climate change and excessive mineral fertilization, burdens farmers and negatively impacts soil and water ecosystems in the Northeastern Nile Delta. Organic and biological approaches are crucial for addressing these issues. This study examined the effects of individual and combined inoculations with cyanobacteria, yeast, and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), with or without K-humate, on enhancing salinity tolerance, increasing yield, and improving crop quality of wheat and faba bean. The aim was to reduce NPK mineral fertilizer application rates to 25% of recommended doses. An economic evaluation was also conducted. In a preliminary laboratory experiment, the interactive effects of these microbiomes on the production of plant antioxidant enzymes and soil enzymes were investigated under salinity stress. Results showed that co-inoculation, especially with K-humate, yielded superior outcomes compared to individual inoculations. The laboratory experiment findings were confirmed by a field trial conducted in saline-alkaline soil in the Northeastern Nile Delta region. The study found that the integrated inoculation of cyanobacteria, yeast, and mycorrhizae with K-humate, along with 25% mineral NPK fertilization enhanced microbial activity, including AMF colonization, spore density, and total bacteria, cyanobacteria, and yeast counts in the plant rhizosphere. It also increased soil enzyme activity, improving soil fertility compared to individual or mineral control treatments. This integration resulted in wheat yields of 2.77 tons/ha and faba bean yields of 4.75 tons/ha. Crop quality improved, with higher levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and protein in wheat grains and faba bean seeds. Microbiomes inoculation increased potassium uptake over sodium, enhancing the potassium/sodium ratio and salt stress tolerance. This approach reduces reliance on costly mineral fertilizers by up to 75%, enabling economically viable cultivation in marginal lands. These sustainable practices optimize resource utilization, maximize economic efficiency, and preserve natural resources.

Over the last two decades, a considerable amount of equipment has been acquired (spreaders, seeders, sprayers, among others) to respond to the challenges of Precision Agriculture (PA) concept. Most of this equipment has been purchased at a high cost. However, many of them, despite still being functional and equipped with sensors, actuators, and electronic processing units capable of adjusting to variations in speed, have become obsolete in terms of communication, and incompatible with new monitoring and control systems based on the “Isobus” protocol. This work aims to present a solution for updating the control system (“Ferticontrol”) of a “Vicon RS-EDW” spreader with variable rate application (VRA), making it compatible with the “InCommand” system from “Ag Leader”. The solution includes low-cost “Arduino” and “Raspberry Pi” microcontrollers and open-source software. The development shows that it is possible to implement a solution that is accessible to farmers in general. It also provides a niche business opportunity for young researchers to set up small technology-based enterprises associated with universities and research centers. These partnerships guarantee permanent innovation and represent a decisive step towards modern, technological, competitive, and sustainable agriculture.

The analysis and simulation of water quality in distribution networks is a complex issue of great concern today. The analysis of the evolution of water age, as a simple indicator of water quality in the network, is of great interest in both design and operation phases. Understanding the factors that have the strongest influence on water quality is key to developing adequate strategies aimed at preserving it. This paper firstly analyses the factors with biggest influence in the tanks water age, to support the selection of the most appropriate configuration from the point of view of water quality during design phases. Then, the main considerations when modelling tanks following the different mixing models considered in Epanet have been presented. Also, a real tank behaviour has been characterised through field measurements and Epanet simulations in order to determine the best fitted mixing model.

Outdoor exercise is beneficial for psychophysical well-being. Limited studies have compared outdoor and virtual reality (VR) indoor physical activities, especially in coastal settings. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of outdoor coastal walking and indoor walking in a VR simulation with a similar environment on physiological and psychological variables in healthy adults. Twenty-six subjects (14M and 12F; age 25.2 ± 2.5 years) voluntarily participated in this crossover randomized controlled and counterbalanced study and were allocated under three conditions: VR indoor walking (INVR), outdoor walking (OUT) and standard indoor walking (IN). IN and INVR conditions were performed on a treadmill (speed 4.5 Km/h) and the OUT was per-formed on a seaside pedestrian road. The same outdoor environment was displayed in the visor during the INVR. Heart rate (HRmean/max), Physical Activity Enjoyment (PACES-It) and State of Mindfulness for Physical Activity (SMS-PA) were assessed at the end of each condition. The OUT condition showed significantly greater PACES-It scores and HRmean than IN and INVR (p<0.001) and greater SMS-PA scores and HRmax than IN (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). No significant dif-ferences were found between OUT and INVR regarding HRmax and SMS-PA scores (p>0.05). Findings suggest that physical activity in an immersive technology may lead to physiological loads comparable to the outdoor environment. OUT is more enjoyable than IN and INVR but exhibits a mindfulness response comparable to INVR. Therefore, INVR could be an alternative to OUT for those who cannot engage in outdoor activities for various reasons.

A pivotal strategy in decarbonizing the transport sector is by transitioning from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to electric vehicles (EVs), especially if they are charged with renewable energy. To provide an incentive to the common populace to switch to EVs, cities should set up - or enable or even encourage the private sector to do so - electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) at multiple and suitably accessible locations. This paper aims to present a digitaltwin-enabled methodology study for selecting the most suitable possible locations to establish EVCS with consideration of the low voltage (LV) network operation in terms of power losses, active and reactive power in EV charging demand and the effect of the EVCS on the transformers, based on examples in Newcastle upon Tyne (England, UK). It also evaluates the most suitable type of charger that could be installed at these locations by studying the estimated traffic, cost and impact of the EVCS on the power grid, both at peak and off hours. This paper demonstrates how digitaltwin technologies, such as the web-based tool AutoDesign by Northern Powergrid and EA Technology and open source Pandapower can be used for identifying the most viable and cost-effective locations to connect EVCSs to a Distribution Network Operators (DNO)’s LV network. The results of the analysis indicate that with the installation of the most suitable type of EVCS in a particular location, the local power grid would not be significantly affected at any hour of the day.

This paper introduces a novel method for accurately calculating the upper biomass of single trees using Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data. The proposed algorithm involves classifying the tree point cloud into two distinct ones: the trunk point cloud and the crown point cloud. Each part is then processed using specific techniques to create a 3D model and determine its volume. The trunk point cloud is segmented based on individual stems, with each stem further divided into slices that are modeled as cylinders. On the other hand, the crown point cloud is analyzed by calculating its footprint and gravity center. The footprint is further divided into angular sectors, with each being used to create a rotating surface around the vertical line passing through the gravity center. All models are represented in a matrix format, simplifying the process of minimizing and calculating the tree’s upper biomass, consisting of crown biomass and trunk biomass. To validate the proposed approach, both terrestrial and airborne datasets are utilized. A comparison with existing algorithms in the literature confirms the effectiveness of the new method. The study shows that the proposed algorithm achieves an average fit between 0.01 m and 0.49 m for individual trees.

In this study, the causal-effect between carbon dioxide emissions and forestry production and trade was investigated in Ghana by employing a data spanning from 1961 to 2014 by using the VECM and ARDL model. Evidence of the long-run equilibrium relationship in the VECM shows that, a 1% increase in veneer sheet production reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 1.47% in the long-run. There was evidence of a bidirectional causality between carbon dioxide emissions and veneer sheet production, carbon dioxide emissions and wood charcoal production, and a unidirectional causality running from carbon dioxide emissions to wood fuel production and plywood production to carbon dioxide emissions. Evidence from the long-run equilibrium relationship in the ARDL model shows that; a 1% increase in plywood production will increase carbon dioxide emissions by 0.17% in the long-run, a 1% increase in sawnwood production will increase carbon dioxide emissions by 0.17% in the long-run, a 1% increase in wood charcoal production will increase carbon dioxide emissions by 0.36% in the long-run and a 1% increase in wood fuel production will increase carbon dioxide emissions by 0.37% in the long-run.

In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the Kenya case of multivariate causality of carbon dioxide emissions by employing a time series data spanning from 1961-2011 using the ARDL method of cointegration analysis. The long-run elasticities show that, a 1% increase in financial development increases carbon dioxide emissions by 0.28%, a 1% increase in GDP per capita increases carbon dioxide emissions by 1.32% and a 1% increase in urbanization decreases carbon dioxide emissions by 1.14%. There was a unidirectional causality running from financial development, food production index, GDP per capita, industrialization and urbanization to carbon dioxide emissions. The innovation accounting shows that 20% of future shocks in carbon dioxide emissions are due to fluctuations in financial development, 9% of future shocks in financial development are due to fluctuations urbanization and 22% of future shocks in food production index are due to fluctuations in carbon dioxide emissions.

There is a need to find methods to intensify the anaerobic digestion process. One possibility is the use of pre-treatment techniques. Many laboratory tests confirm their effectiveness, but in most cases, there is no verification work carried out on industrial plants. The aim of the research carried out under laboratory conditions and on a large scale was to determine the technological and energy efficiency of the use of hydrodynamic cavitation in the pre-treatment of a waste mixture from dairy farms. It has been shown that hydrodynamic cavitation significantly increases the concentration of organic compounds in the dissolved phase. In the most effective variants, the increase in the content of these indicators was over 90% for both COD and TOC. The degree of solubilisation achieved was 49±2.6% for COD and almost 52±4.4% for TOC. Under laboratory conditions, the highest effects of anaerobic digestion were achieved after 10 minutes of pre-treatment. The amount of biogas was on average 367±18 mL/gCOD and the amount of methane 233±13 mL/gCOD. Further large-scale optimisation trials showed that after 8 minutes of hydrodynamic cavitation, the biogas yield was 327±8 L/kgCOD with a CH4 content of 62.9±1.9%. With this variant, the net energy yield was 66.4±2.6 kWh/day, a value that was 13.9% higher than the original variant with 10 minutes of disintegration and 3.1% higher than the variant without pre-treatment.

Improper disposal of waste plastic has caused serious ecological and environmental pollution problems. Transforming plastics into high value-added chemicals can not only achieve efficient recycling of waste plastics, but also an effective way to control white pollution. The catalyst selectively breaks the C-C bond of polyolefin plastic under heat treatment and converts it into liquid fuel, thus realizing sustainable recycling of plastics and has a good development prospect. This review provides a detailed overview of the current development of catalytic pyrolysis, catalytic hydrolysis, solvent decomposition and supercritical hydrothermal liquefaction for cracking plastics to make fuel oil. The reaction mechanism, influencing factors and promoting effects of catalysts in various degradation technologies are analyzed and summarized and the latest proposed tandem reaction for degrading plastics is briefly introduced. Finally, some optimization paths of waste plastic pyrolysis to fuel oil technology are proposed: synergies between mixed raw materials, in-depth exploration of catalysts, design and manufacture of reactors that match the pyrolysis technology. All these are important research directions for promoting the industrialization of plastic pyrolysis to fuel oil.

The Tibetan Plateau(TP) is known as ‘the water tower of Asian’, its precipitation variation play an important role in the eco-hydrological processes and water resources regimes. based on the monthly mean precipitation data of 65 meteorological stations over the Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding areas from 1961-2015,variations, trends and temporal-spatial distribution were analyzed, furthermore, the possible reasons were also discussed preliminarily. The main results are summarized as follows: the annual mean precipitation in the TP is 465.54mm during 1961-2015, among four seasons, the precipitation in summer accounts for 60.1% of the annual precipitation, the precipitation in summer half year (May.- Oct.) accounts for 91.0% while that in winter half year (Nov.- Apr.) only accounts for 9.0%; During 1961-2015, the annual precipitation variability is 0.45mm/a and the seasonal precipitation variability is 0.31mm/a, 0.13mm/a, -0.04mm/a and 0.04mm/a in spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively on the TP; The spatial distribution of precipitation can be summarized as decreasing from southeast to northwest in the TP, the trend of precipitation is decreasing with the increase of altitude, but the correlation is not significant. The rising of air temperature and land cover changes may cause the precipitation by changing the hydrologic cycle and energy budget, furthermore, different pattern of atmospheric circulation can also influence on precipitation variability in different regions.

1) Landsat operational land imager (OLI) data and consequent laboratory measurements were used to predict Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration and the trophic states for an inland lake within the East Kolkata Wetland, India; 2) The most suitable band ratio was identified by performing Pearson correlation analysis between Chl-a concentrations and possible OLI band and band ratios from the study points; 3) The results showed highest correlation coefficient from the band ratio OLI5/OLI4 with an R value of 0.85. The prediction model was then developed by applying regression analysis between the band ratio OLI5/OLI4 and Chl-a concentration of the study points. The reflectance ratios of the validation points were given as input on the prediction model and the model output was considered as predicted Chl-a values of the validation points to check the efficiency of the prediction model. The regression model between laboratory-derived Chl-a value and model-fitted Chl-a value of the validation points revealed a high correlation with an R² value of 0.78. Trophic State Index (TSI) of the lake was also calculated from laboratory-derived Chl-a value and model-fitted Chl-a value of the validation points. The study presented a high correlation of TSI determined from predicted data with TSI from laboratory reference data (R = 0.88). The TSI values of the lake ranged from 65 to 75 which indicate that the lake is appeared to be eutrophic to hypereutrophic conditions. 4) This empirical study showed that Landsat 8 OLI imagery can be effectively applied to estimate Chl-a levels and trophic states for inland lakes.

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a portable IoT station. Communication and data synchronization issues in several installations are addressed here, making possible a detailed analysis of the entire system during its operation. The system proposed is interpreted as an additional tool which can be utilized in several applications, where the system operator requires a synchronized data stream, combining multiple communication protocols into one single time stamp. The hardware selected for the portable IoT station complies with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) industrial standards. A short discussion regarding interface customization shows how easily the hardware can be modified so that it is integrated with almost any system. A Programmable Logic Controller enables the Node-Red to be utilized. This open-source programming tool employs flows to define operations for each global variable nominated in the Modbus register. Two applications are presented and discussed in this paper, each application has a distinct methodology utilized to publish and visualize the acquired data. The portable IoT Station is highly customizable, consisting of a modular structure and providing the best platform for future research and development of dedicated algorithms.

By repeated unloading and loading of the excavation dynamic and static loads, repeated train dynamic and static loads of multi-factors, the underpass tunnel, cross tunnel engineering influence area rock layer, the existing tunnel structure of the three constitutes a multifaceted structure, multi-factor interaction system. Existing tunnels into the prediction theory model of the new tunnel excavation process of dynamic and static loads, dynamic and static loads of existing tunnels are mostly analyzed individually, the results of synergistic analysis needs to be improved. Based on the theory of the current layer method, the paper comprehensively considers the stiffness of the existing tunnel, the stiffness of the new tunnel, the excavation method load and the existing tunnel load, coupled with Peck's empirical formula, the theoretical model of deformation prediction for excavation of a two-lane highway tunnel under the tunnel through the existing railroad is proposed, and verified and optimized by numerical calculations and monitoring data, which proves the applicability and reliability of the theoretical model in the similar strata and the project promotion.

The rock joint fissure slope in cold regions is prone to deformation and failure problems such as relaxation, tension and collapse under freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles. Based on the ideology of clean production and promoting the structural integrity of geotechnical projects in cold areas, this study designed and prepared aeolian-sand (AS) to replace part of river sand as a filling mortar material by taking advantage of the low cost and easy availability of AS. Investigations were carried out to determine the impact of varying proportions of AS in mortar on the microstructure and shear properties of the mortar-rock interface under F-T cycles. Therefore, F-T cycle testing, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) testing and shear testing were carried out on grout with different proportions of AS. The results show that the right proportion of AS replacement could enhance the shear deformation resistance and F-T resistance of the mortar-rock interface, and 30% proportion is the optimal proportion. By increasing of F-T cycles, the three types of specimens showed different degrees of particle spalling, shedding and cracking. The slurry-rock interface layer in the A (0%) group exhibited the most severe F-T deterioration, while the B (15%) group showed a lesser degree, and the C (30%) group performed the best. T2 spectrum curve and total spectrum area change law from the microscopic point of view to verify the 30% AS proportion mortar-rock interface F-T resistance is the strongest, followed by 15% AS proportion mortar, the weakest is ordinary mortar. The degradation of the mortar-rock bond is primarily due to the conversion of solid to liquid phases and the movement of internal water caused by fluctuating temperatures. The extent of F-T deterioration in the slurry-rock interface layer is greatly affected by the varying proportions of AS. The shear strength and shear stiffness of specific proportion of AS decreased with the increase of F-T cycles. For same F-T cycles, the shear strength and shear stiffness of group C (30%) were the highest, followed by group B (15%) and group A (0%). The grout material not only reinforces the F-T joint fissure slope, but also reduces the cost of grout reinforcement and promotes the clean production of geotechnical structures.

The research on the excavation mechanical properties of underpass tunnels has already had certain results, but fewer of them consider the effects of dynamic and static loads on the excavation mechanical properties of underground tunnels at the same time, especially the lack of research cases of double-line highway tunnels with angled underpasses of existing railway tunnels. In this paper, based on the tunnel project of the new double-line Shiqian Highway Tunnel passing under the Hurong Railway at an oblique angle, the mechanical parameters of the rock body in the cross-tunneling area under the influence of static and dynamic load coupling are obtained by using the disturbance quantification coefficients and the Hoek-Brown criterion based on the method of over-advanced geological prediction and the investigation of the surrounding rock on the palisade face, and the engineering-scale finite element model is constructed and the mechanical characteristics of the excavation in the tunnel of the double-lane highway tunnel passing under the existing railroad under the influence of the static and dynamic loads are analyzed. The results show that: the new tunnel rock movement law for the top of the arch sinking, bottom plate bulging, side wall to move outward, the height and width of the arch and bottom plate arch with the tunnel excavation and increase, the side wall rock displacement effect is smaller; left and right lines of the tunnel disturbed area of the rule of change is similar; the existing tunnel bottom plate displacement is more than the top plate and the left and right side walls by the excavation of the time step influence is larger. Typical profile displacement is mainly determined by the distance from the excavation surface; the new tunnel in the four types of calculation conditions of the rock disturbance angle is the same; the existing tunnel roof and side wall Von Mises stress extreme occurs in the tunnel structure, the bottom plate there are pressure relief and pressure-bearing areas; based on the displacement control criteria, the recommended upper and lower step blasting method.

Alternative fertilizations are essential to minimize the deteriorating effects of chemical fertilizers on soil and water quality/health. Accordingly, the present work investigated the effects of combined organic-inorganic fertilization (COIF) on wheat and rice yields, soil nutrients, and soil Cd accumulation. Hence, seven different treatments were set up: control (CK); conventional fertilization (CF); optimized fertilization (OF); organic fertilizer replacing 25% (T1) and 50% (T2) of OF; and organic nitrogen (N) replacing 25% (M1) and 50% (M2) of OF-N. Overall, significant increases occurred in the yields of COIF crops. Compared with the CF, the highest wheat and rice yields happened in M1 treatment (approximately by18.5%) (P &lt; 0.05). COIF slightly alleviated soil acidification, and improved the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the study soils. Besides, COIF treatments significantly increased the contents of total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium by 6.35 to 16.9 %, 3.17 to 10.9 %, 5.53 to 28.7 %, and 2.6 to 12 %, respectively (P &lt;0.05). Nevertheless, negligible increases took place in Cd content of COIF soils compared with the CK. Altogether, our results concluded on 25% replacement of OF-N by organic N (M1) to effectively improve the fertility/ecological sustainability of the study soils.

Gait variability (GV) is a crucial measure of inconsistency of muscular activities or body seg-mental movements during repeated tasks. Hence, GV might serve as a relevant and sensitive measure to quantify adjustments of walking control. However, has not been clarified whether GV is associated with walking speed to exploit effective better coordination level. Fourteen male stu-dents (age 22.4 ± 2.7 years, body mass 74.9 ± 6.8 kg, body height 1.78 ± 0.05 m) took part in this study. After three days of walking 1 km each day at a self-selected speed (SS) on asphalt with Apple Watch S. 7 (AppleTM), the participants were randomly evaluated on a treadmill at three different walking speed intensities for 10 minutes each one, at SS-20% / SS+20% of SS, with 5 minutes of passive recovery in-between. Heart rate (HR) was monitored beat-to beat and nor-malized as HR%MAX, while the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) (CR-10) was asked after each trial. Kinematic analysis was performed assessing the Contact Time (CT), Swing Time (ST), Stride Length (SL), Stride Cycle (SC) and Gait Variability as Phase Coordination Index (PCI). RPE and HR increased with higher walking speed (P = 0.005 and P = 0.035, respectively). CT and SC decreased as the speed increased (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.013, respectively), while ST remained un-changed (P = 0.277). SL increased with higher walking speed (P = 0.0001). Conversely, PCI was 3.81 ± 0.88 % (high variability) at 3.96 ± 0.47 km·h-1, 2.64 ± 0.75 % (low variability) at SS (4.94 ± 0.58 km·h-1), 3.36 ± 1.09 % (high variability) at 5.94 ± 0.70 km·h-1 (P = 0.001). These results indi-cate that while the metabolic demand and kinematics variables changing linearly with increasing speed, the most effective GV was observed at SS. Therefore, SS could be a new methodological approach to choose the individual walking speed, normalize the speed intensity, and avoid a gait pattern alteration.

Climate change is challenging the agricultural sector worldwide. The pressure exerted by the altered thermal conditions drives the zonal shift for various cultivations. This study presents the multiyear analysis of the Growing Degree Days (GDD) index over the Northern Mediterranean Basin (NMB), focused on the high-value vine cultivation derived from the E-OBS dataset. To handle this extensive environmental dataset, R-language scripts and packages were applied, along with the capabilities of the GIS software. The investigated time period spans from 1969 to 2018, and the performed analysis indicates a broad shift/expansion in areas of GDD exceeding 2000 heat units. The extracted results specify the viticultural areas where the GDD index surpasses the suitable values for vine cultivation, owing to the increase of the thermal stress risk. In addition to mapping areas with GDD ≥ 2000, spatial calculations of the surface of areas meeting this criterion per country in the study area were made. In the northern parts of the NMB, the rise of the GDD index values indicates the establishment of vine plantations in the future.

The Double U-pipe ground heat exchanger, recognized for its straightforward process, cost-effectiveness, high heat exchange efficiency, and low thermal resistance, stands as the predominant ground heat exchanger type in today's shallow geothermal energy development and utilization. Recent years have seen significant research into the heat transfer influencing factors and heat exchange performance of Double U-pipe ground heat ex-changers via experimental testing methods. Yet, studies integrating numerical simulation with in-situ testing have been less frequent. Drawing on the cylindrical heat source model theory and the outcomes of regional in-situ thermal response tests, this paper develops a Double U-pipe ground heat transfer model by establishing physical, mathematical, and heat transfer geometric models. It assesses the impact of varying inlet temperatures, flow rates, and initial ground temperatures on heat exchange efficiency under heating conditions. The results validate the precision of the double U-pipe ground heat exchanger model based on in-situ testing. They show that enhancing the temperature differential between the inlet and initial temperatures, elevating the initial ground temperature, and moderately increasing the flow rate can boost the system's heat exchange efficiency.

The objective of this study was to determine how application with dolomitic limestone and grazing type (continuous or deferred) affect sheep grazing location and feed preference when the pasture growth rate is maximum. A 4ha field was divided into 4 plots: P1 and P2- without application of dolomitic limestone, continuous (CG) and deferred grazing (DG), respectively; P3 and P4- with application of dolomitic limestone, DG (1AUE), and CG (2.4 AUE), respectively. In DG, animals were placed and removed from the plots depending on the height of the pasture. In each plot, 12 georeferenced sampling points were identified. Throughout the pasture's vegetative cycle (autumn, winter, spring, and early summer) several measurements of pasture height and cut were carried out. From the beginning of March to the beginning of June, animal behavior was observed, by trained observers, through binoculars on six dates. Animals' activity grazing and location was recorded. The results show that: (i) the application of dolomitic limestone combined with CG provided higher values of pasture height; (ii) there were no significant differences in pasture quality between treatments; (iii) Deferred grazing led to 50% more sheep grazing days than continuous grazing; (iv) there were no significant differences in soil compaction between CG and DG; (v) the type of grazing and the treatment with dolomitic limestone did not seem to change the grazing pattern between treatments. This work contributes to understanding the relationships between different types of grazing in dryland pastures, with and without application of dolomitic limestone, and preferred grazing locations for sheep. This work could help agricultural managers make more informed decisions with the aim of promoting the sustainable intensification of livestock production in the Montado ecosystem.

The production and consumption of plastic bottled water have several negative environmental impacts worldwide. The EU countries have adopted strategies and programs to reduce single-use plastics (e.g. PET bottles). A critical aspect of designing effective policies is understanding consumer behaviour. To identify barriers and motivations for consuming tap and bottled water, we conducted a questionnaire survey among 3,411 respondents in the Czech Republic in 2022. The methods used include estimation using the Generalized Ordered Logit. The results reveal that young people appear to be moderate consumers of bottled water and heavy consumers of tap water. Bottled water consumption was more likely to be lower among people with higher education, while tap water consumption was lower among people with lower incomes. The factors that appear to have the most significant influence on bottled and tap water consumption are taste perception, health concerns and habit. Health concerns about tap water and the unpleasant taste of tap water influence higher consumption of bottled water and vice versa. People with a strong habit of drinking tap water are less likely to consume bottled water. The constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior were statistically significant. The results can guide decision-makers by promoting the availability of tap water in public places in conjunction with a campaign targeting taste perception and health and promoting the habit of drinking tap water.

A method for estimating river water surface elevation (WSE) from Landsat imagery using the river inundation area - water surface elevation (RIA-WSE) rating curve constructed from the U.S. Geological Survey Topobathymetric Elevation Model (TEM) data was developed and tested at six gauging stations along the upper Mississippi River. The Otsu's automatic threshold selection algorithm was employed for the image classification and estimation of inundation areas within each pre-defined polygon around each gauging station. In addition to the commonly used green-band based water indices, Landsat 8 and 9 OLI's ultra-blue, blue, and red band-based water indices were also tested in this study, which resulted in twenty different water indices: NDWIv (Normalized Difference Water Index), MNDWI1v and MNDWI2v (Modified Normalized Difference Water Index), AWEIsv (Automatic Water Extraction Index with shadow), and AWEInsv (AWEI without shadow), where v represents the visible light band used in the water index. At each station, about 60-80 Landsat 8 or 9 images during 2013-2023 were used for assessing the performances of the twenty water indices through comparing the estimated WSEs with the measured WSEs. Results showed that the ultra-blue or red band-based AWEIs yielded the most accurate estimations of WSEs among the twenty tested water indices.

The long-term use of fertilizers and pesticides in conventional cultivation has resulted in a decrease in soil productivity and vegetable yields in greenhouses. However, only a limited number of studies have explored the impacts of organic cultivation on greenhouse soil. Specifically, there is a scarcity of research examining the alterations in soil aggregate mediated organic carbon and microbial communities, which are known to enhance soil productivity. This study investigated the properties of soil aggregates, including the levels of organic carbon fractions, microbial community, and enzyme activity with the three aggregate classes microaggregates (&lt;0.25 mm), small macroaggregates (2-0.25 mm) and large macroaggregates (&gt;2 mm). These investigations were conducted under three different cultivation methods in a greenhouse: conventional cultivation (CC), integrated cultivation (IC), and organic cultivation (OC) in greenhouse. The results showed that (1) OC and IC promoted the formation of small macro-aggregates and enhanced aggregate stability compared to CC, (2) SOC in the three size fractions of OC increased by 98.99%-92.06% compared to CC; EOC increased by 98.47%-117.59%; POC increased by 138.59%-208.70%; MBC increased by 104.71%-230.61%; DOC increased by 21.93%-40.90%, respectively; (3) Organic cultivation significantly increased enzyme activity in all three particle size aggregates and increased the relative abundance of bacteria in micro-aggregates as well as the relative abundance of fungi in small macro-aggregates. Structural equation model (SEM) analysis revealed that organic farming practices fostered the development of smaller macro-aggregates, elevated microbial and enzyme activities within soil aggregates, and facilitated the conversion of soil nutrients and carbon sequestration. consequently, this led to an increase in soil organic carbon content and improved vegetable yield in greenhouse environments. In conclusion, the soil carbon content and vegetable yield are enhanced through long-term organic cultivation in greenhouses, primarily by increasing the proportion of small macro-aggregates.

One of the main challenges of cultured meat is reducing the costs of production, often described as scaling. The main components of the cultivation process include: cells, media, scaffolds and bioreactors. This work presents an alternative to current stainless steel or glass bioreactors and uses food-grade plant-based scaffolds. Bioreactors must be sterile and leak-free to maintain a proper environment for cell growth. Thermoplastic films are a popular material for constructing these fluidic systems, but traditional methods of welding these film are expensive and do not allow rapid prototyping resulting in high research and development costs for companies. In this study, a laser welding method was developed to join thermoplastic films in a way that prevents contamination and leaks, affording effective macro-fluidics fabrication. This technique was tested using polyethylene (PET) films and a laser cutter operating with settings calibrated for the material to be welded or cut. The laser welding method was found to produce strong, leak-free seals in PET films with minimal heat-induced damage to the films. The ability to design fluidics, chambers and ports of various size. Using this method afforded the incorporation of plant-based scaffolds from food-grade plants (Rice). The laser welding method developed in this study provides a reliable, contamination-free method for the rapid fabrication of fluidic systems for cell cultivation. This technique has the potential to be compatible with a vast range of cell types and scaffolds and to be widely adopted in tissue engineering for regenerative medicine and food applications such as cultured meat.

Air pollution is a critical issue impacting urban environments, leading to severe health problems and environmental degradation. This comprehensive review examines the potential of green systems—specifically green walls, active green walls, and urban greenery systems—to mitigate atmospheric pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide (CO2). By systematically analyzing 44 recent studies, the review highlights the pollutant capture efficiency of various green technologies and plant species in both indoor and outdoor settings. Active green walls, particularly those utilizing plant species such as Chlorophytum comosum and Sansevieria trifasciata, were found to be highly effective, with VOC reduction efficiencies up to 96.34%, PM reductions by 65.42%, and CO2 reduction rates reaching 4.8% under optimal conditions. The review identifies key strengths in current research, including diverse experimental setups and the use of sophisticated measurement techniques, but also notes significant limitations such as variability in experimental conditions and a lack of long-term performance data. The study underscores the importance of proper maintenance to sustain green systems' efficacy and highlights the potential issue of pollutant resuspension, which remains under-researched. Practical implications for urban planning are discussed, advocating for the integration of effective green systems into urban infrastructure to enhance air quality and public health. Recommendations for future research include the need for standardized metrics, long-term studies, economic feasibility analyses, and real-world validation of simulation models to better understand and optimize green systems for urban air pollution mitigation.

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis are widely distributed in the Yangtze River basin and its related lakes. They are an important economic fish species and are a famous cultured species known as the "Four Famous Domestic Fishes" in China. Currently, with the fishing ban in the Yangtze River basin, fishing for H. nobilis in natural water bodies of the Yangtze River basin has been completely prohibited. In order to identify the sources of H. nobilis appearing in the market, further control and accountability, it is necessary to trace the sources of H. nobilis in the Yangtze River basin and its related water bodies. Therefore, this study identified and traced different sources of H. nobilis through muscle element fingerprint analysis (EFA). The results show that H. nobilis from different stations have characteristic element compositions. The characteristic element of H. nobilis from Wuhan (WH) is Pb, which is significantly higher than that in other stations; the characteristic element from Anqing (AQ) is Hg, which is significantly higher than that in other stations; and the characteristic element from Taihu (TH) is Al, which is significantly higher than that in other water areas. Multivariate analysis selected different spatial distribution patterns of 4 discriminant elements ratios (Pb/Ca, Cr/Ca, Na/Ca, Al/Ca) in the muscle of H. nobilis in the Yangtze River basin and its related lakes. The study suggests that the screened discriminative elements can be used to visually distinguish different sources of H. nobilis, and to quickly trace and verify the origin of newly emerging samples. Therefore, the use of selected discriminant element fingerprint features to trace the origin of new samples has been proven to be feasible. By further discriminating and verifying the muscle element fingerprints of new samples, the discrimination rate is high. Therefore, Multivariate analysis for muscle element fingerprint can be used for origin traceability of samples of unknown origin in market supervision.

The variation of aerosols, especially dust aerosol, in time and space plays an important role in climate forcing studies. Aerosols can effectively reduce land surface longwave emission and re-emit energy at a colder temperature, making estimation of downwelling surface longwave radiation (DSLR) with satellite data difficult. Using the latest atmospheric radiative transfer code (MODTRAN 5.0), we simulate the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and DSLR under different land surface and atmospheric profile conditions. The results show that dust aerosol has an obvious “warming” effect to longwave radiation compared with other aerosols, that aerosol longwave radiative forcing (ALRF) increased with increasing aerosol optical depth (AOD), and that the atmospheric water vapor content (WVC) is critical to the understanding of ALRF. A method is proposed to improve the accuracy of DSLR estimation from satellite data for the skies under heavy dust aerosols. The AOD and atmospheric WVC under cloud-free conditions with a relatively simple satellite-based radiation model that yields the high accurate DSLR under heavy dust aerosol are used explicitly as model input to reduce the effects of dust aerosol on the estimation of DSLR. Validations of the proposed model with satellites data and field measurements show that it estimates the DSLR accurately under heavy dust aerosol skies. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) are 20.4 W/M² and 24.2 W/M² for Terra and Aqua satellites, respectively, at the Yingke site, and the biases are 2.7 W/M² and 9.6 W/M², respectively. For the Arvaikheer site, the RMSEs are 23.2 W/M² and 19.8 W/M² for Terra and Aqua, respectively, and the biases are 7.8 W/M² and 10.5 W/M², respectively. The proposed method is especially applicable to acquire relatively high accurate DSLR under heavy dust aerosol using MODIS data with available WVC and AOD data.

Heavy metal pollution poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health worldwide. In response to this pressing issue, bioremediation has emerged as a promising approach for mitigating contamination. This paper adopts a bibliographic method to explore the key techniques and applications of bioremediation. Furthermore, we delve into the most prominent threats to human environmental health and the corresponding remediation methods. Additionally, we discuss the future trajectory of bioremediation research, with a particular focus on the integration of big data and machine learning technologies. These advanced methodologies hold great potential for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of environmental remediation efforts in the face of escalating pollution challenges.

Monitoring the status and dynamics of desertification is one of the most important parts of combating desertification. In this study, 30m high-resolution information on land desertification and restoration in the HRB was extracted from the land cover database. The results indicate that land desertification coexists with land restoration in the HRB. At different periods, the area of land restoration is much larger than the area of land desertification in the HRB, and the HRB has been in a process of land restoration. Upstream of the HRB, there is a continuing trend of increasing land desertification associated with overgrazing in a context where climate change favors desertification reversal. In the middle and lower reaches, although both climate variability and human activities favor land desertification, the process of land desertification in the middle and lower reaches is still being reversed and land restoration dominates. The implementation of the Eco-Environmental Protection Project and desertification control measures, especially the EWDP, is contributing to the reversal of desertification in the middle and lower reaches of the HRB. However, the EWDP has indirectly led to the lowering of the water table in the middle reaches, resulting in local vegetation degradation. Therefore, there is therefore an urgent need to transform the economic structure of the middle reaches to cope with water scarcity and land desertification.

Lake sediment records are of great importance for understanding the evolution of watershed environments. Various studies have been carried out to constrain the depositional ages of lake sediments and examine their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, aiming to construct historical vegetation, environment and climate patterns in Chinese lake watersheds. In this study, we obtained relevant literature on lake sediment records by searching the key word 'age-depth' from the databases – Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, the largest Chinese academic database). We analyzed the literature based on its type (published in a Chinese/English journal or as a Master’s/PhD thesis), period of publication, journal (if published in a journal), key authors, study area, dating scale, and main aims. The results suggest that the lakes in the plateau regions are the most popular research topic typically covering 100–200 years (short-term) and 500–30,000 years (long-term). The literature focuses on a wide range of topics, from past environmental evolution in the watershed to lake ecology, and provides a solid foundation for better understanding regional climate change and the preservation of lake environments and ecosystems. In the future, resulting data from environmental reconstruction with lake sediments will be needed to integrate with emerging information processing technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and meta-analysis), to disentangle the complex interplay between Earth surface processes and global climate change; furthermore, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration will deepen our comprehension of man-land relationship and promote the sustainable management of lake ecosystems in the context of global climate change.

The genetic development of commercial broiler led to body misconfiguration and consequent walking disabilities, mainly at the slaughter age. The present study aimed to identify broiler locomotion ability using image analysis automatically. A total of 40 broiler 40 d-old were placed to walk on a specially built runway, and their locomotion was recorded. An image segmentation algorithm was developed, and the coordinates of the bird's center of mass were extracted from the segmented images for each frame analyzed, and the Unrest Index (UI) was applied. We calculated the center of mass's movement of the broiler walking's lateral images, therefore, capturing the bird's displacement speed in the onward direction. Results indicated that broiler speed on the runway tends to decrease with the increase of the gait score. The locomotion did not differ between males or females. The proposed algorithm was efficient if predicting the broiler gait score based on their displacement speed.

In recent decades, as eutrophication in inland and coastal waters (ICWs) has increased due to anthropogenic activities and global warming, so has the need for timely monitoring. Compared with traditional sampling and laboratory analysis methods, satellite remote sensing technology can provide macro-scale, low-cost, and near real-time water quality monitoring services. The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), integrated onboard the Communication Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) from the Republic of Korea, was the first geostationary ocean color observation satellite and was operational from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2021. Over ten years, GOCI has observed oceans, coastal waters, and inland waters within its 2,500 km×2,500 km target area centered on the Korean Peninsula. The most attractive feature of GOCI, compared with other commonly used watercolor sensors, was its high temporal resolution (1h, eight times daily from 0 UTC to 7 UTC), providing the opportunity to monitor the quality of ICWs, where optical properties can change rapidly throughout the day. This systematic review aims to comprehensively review GOCI features and applications in ICWs, analyzing progress in atmospheric correction algorithms and water quality monitoring. Analyzing 123 articles from the Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) through a bibliometric quantitative approach, we examined GOCI’s strength and performance with different processing methods. These articles reveal that GOCI played an essential role in monitoring the ecological health of ICWs in its observation area in East Asia. GOCI has led the way to a new era of geostationary ocean satellites, providing new technical means for monitoring water quality in oceans, coastal zones, and inland lakes. We also discuss the challenges encountered by geostationary satellites in monitoring water quality and provide suggestions for improvements.

This paper describes the first results of an Image Recognition Based Location (IRBL) for mobile application focusing on the procedure to generate a Database of range images (RGB-D). In an indoor environment, to estimate the camera position and orientation, a prior spatial knowledge of the surrounding is needed. In order to achieve this objective a complete 3D survey of two different environment (Bangbae metro station of Seoul and E.T.R.I. building in Daejeon – Republic of Korea) was performed using LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) instrument and the obtained scans were processed in order to obtain a spatial model of the environments. From this, two databases of reference images were generated using a specific software realized by the Geomatics group of Politecnico di Torino (ScanToRGBDImage). This tool allow to generate synthetically different RGB-D images) centered in the each scan position in the environment. Later, the external parameters (X, Y, Z, ω, φ, κ) and the range information extracted from the DB images retrieved, are used as reference information for pose estimation of a set of acquired mobile pictures in the IRBL procedure. In this paper the survey operations, the approach for generating the RGB-D images and the IRB strategy are reported. Finally the analysis of the results and the validation test are described.