Incense is essential in religious ceremonies, even in relatively new religious movements such as New Age and Neopaganism. These garner little attention from ethnobotanists, although they trigger an international trade in wild-harvested plants. In this paper, we studied the botanical ingredients of smudge sticks (dried plant bundles burned for purification) in the Netherlands, and people’s motivations to use them posing the following questions: what plant species are included in smudge sticks? what are they used for? and are exotic plants preferred over native Dutch plant species? We visited online and physical shops in Dutch cities, acquiring a total of 29 different smudge sticks containing at least 15 species. We held semi-structured interviews with 11 users, vendors, and herbal experts, and collected data from 33 questionnaires. Salvia apiana L. was most frequently found, along with North American species of the genus Artemisia. The rise of the New Age movement resulted in North American ritual plant species being easily available in (online) shops and it being used for personal protection and cleansing. Despite its commercial demand there is no data regarding the pressure on wild populations, therefore, we call for the need to monitor the harvesting of these species in the wild.

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%.

Climate change poses a serious threat to the ancient Magnoliaceae family, particularly for the endangered Yulania trees. Until now, little is known about the suitable geographical range of Yulania zenii, and about how it responds to past and future climate scenarios. Here, we first employed ten models from Biomod2 to preliminarily simulate its potential distribution in China and selected MaxEnt for final modeling. The results showed that among the key environmental factors influencing its distribution, the top three factors were Bio2 (Mean diurnal range), Bio15 (Precipitation seasonality of variation coefficient) and Elevation. Its current suitable distribution were primarily concentrated in southern Anhui, central Hubei, eastern Hunan, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangxi, and northern Zhejiang. The total suitable area of Yulania zenii was 14.68 × 104 km2, only taking 1.53% of China's total territory, which is larger than known. During the Last Interglacial and Middle Holocene, its suitable habitats were larger than currently, exhibiting a relatively continuous distribution. Under various future climate scenarios, its suitable habitats may averagely decrease by 20.26% compared with the current, and these habitats become more fragmented. Collectively, the centroid of Yulania zenii is expected to migrate towards the southeast in the future. Therefore, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that climate change takes an adverse effect on this species in distribution from the past to current till future. Our study can contribute to the conservation and management of Yulania zenii in China, and can provide reference for other endangered Yulania species of this country under the condition of climate change.

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.

More than 20 years after the discovery of the first anelloviruses (AVs), they still remain a mysterious group of viruses. To date, there is no clear understanding of their impact on the host organism, although information is emerging about their participation in various pathologies. However, it is well known that AVs are an important component of the human virome. In the current study we assessed the abundance of AVs in viromes from four nasal and pharyngeal samples from children with respiratory symptoms using a metagenomic approach. It is worth noting that three patients had known respiratory viruses and one did not have any. Regarding AVs, they were detected in all samples, namely Torque teno mini virus (TTMV). The greatest abundance and diversity of AVs (Torque teno virus (TTV), TTMV and Torque teno midi virus (TTMDV)) were shown in a diseased patient with an absence of respiratory viruses, which may indicate the potential involvement of AVs in the maintenance of respiratory symptoms. An activated immune system to combat the main pathogens, against the background of which the number of AVs decreases, is discussed as a possible reason for the reduced diversity of anellome in other patients. We also compared the results of the metagenomic approach and qPCR for major respiratory viruses, which were in agreement. In addition, metagenomic sequencing made it possible to obtain additional data on viral genomes in order to establish their taxonomic identification and characterize individual viral profiles in patients from the Siberian part of Russia.

Biodiversity has become an issue of global anxiety over the past decades due to its rapid decline worldwide. Bangladesh as one of the most densely populated countries in the world is no more exception. The country, although, was once very rich in biodiversity, during the last few decades as a consequence of the rapid reduction in forest area, urbanisation, habitat modification, unsustainable natural resources use and collection and overall climate change it has decreased alarmingly. Of late, the government, as a signatory of various regional and international conservation treaties, has taken various initiatives to improve country’s dwindling biodiversity. This paper reviews the present situation of biodiversity in Bangladesh, management trends and major causes of biodiversity loss. A separate statutory body is fundamental to ensure conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits arisen from biodiversity in the country.

In forests, the microbial populations living in the soil can directly affect the carbon decomposed by the surface plants, and promote carbon storage and stability. In this study, 3 plots of 25.82 m×25.82 m were set up in 5 stand types, respectively. Soil samples were collected from 0~20 cm, 20~40 cm and 40~60 cm layers. Soil microbial composition, organic carbon component, pH, water content, bulk density, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other physicochemical indexes and correlations were determined, and the correlations between soil carbon components and soil microbial functional modules in different mixed modes were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) The SOC of the same soil layer varied significantly, which also showed significant differences on the composition of soil bacteria and fungal microbial communities. Moreover, the bacterial community was more sensitive to the vegetation change environment, and the fungal community structure was more resistant to the influence of soil environment changes. (2) Fun_mod 1,6 and Bac_mod 7 were the microbial functional modules that played a decisive role in the process of soil carbon pool change, and the diversity and composition of bacterial community had more positive effects on soil organic carbon than that of fungal community. (3) Linear fitting and RDA results showed that POC in soil had the strongest correlation with SOC content, indicating that soil microorganisms affected the storage and stability of soil carbon mainly by regulating the conversion of surface plants (carbon sources) into POC. The soil environment of different mixed modes has different effects on soil carbon accumulation. Soil microorganisms affect soil carbon storage and stability mainly by regulating the conversion of surface plants (carbon sources) into POC forms.

The mechanism of sex determination and differentiation in animals remains a central focus of reproductive and developmental biology research, and the regulation of sex differentiation in amphioxus remains poorly understood. Cytochrome P450 Family 19 Subfamily A member 1 (CYP19A1) is a crucial sex differentiation gene that catalyzes the conversion of androgens into estrogens. In this study, we identified two aromatase-like genes in amphioxus: cyp19-like1 and cyp19-like2. Cyp19-like1 is more primitive and may represent the ancestral form of cyp19 in zebrafish and other vertebrates. Cyp19-like2, on the other hand, is likely the result of gene duplication within am-phioxus suggesting its potential role as a key gene in sex differentiation. To gain further insights into the expression patterns of these two aromatase-like, we examined their expression in different gonad tissues and during different stages of gonad development. While the expression patterns of the two genes differ in gonad tissues, both are highly expressed in the gonad primordium and are primarily localized to microsomal membrane systems. However, as development proceeds, their expression levels decrease significantly. This study enhances our understanding of sex dif-ferentiation mechanisms in amphioxus and provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of sex determination mechanisms in vertebrates.

Mangrove forests provide a wide range of goods and services that sustain communities around the world. This paper explores utilization patterns of extractable mangrove resources by communities within the proposed Kenya – Tanzania Transboundary Conservation Area (TBCA). Some 152 household surveys and 12 Nominal Group Technique discussions were carried out. At least 16 direct use products were reported to be extracted from the mangroves, with 90% of households found to use mangrove products. Changing patterns of mangrove use in the areas and accessibility point towards unsustainable utilization and promote illegal activities. Overharvesting of mangrove wood products was reported to be the major threat facing the forests. Patterns of mangrove use in the study site reveal a high level of mangrove-dependence by communities for their livelihood. There is a need to address the problems of open access through capacity building and awareness creation, development and implementation of harvest plans as well as introduction of alternative livelihood options to the communities in the area.

We generalize the point information gain (PIG) and derived quantities, i.e., point information gain entropy (PIE) and point information gain entropy density (PIED), for the case of the Rényi entropy and simulate the behavior of PIG for typical distributions. We also use these methods for the analysis of multidimensional datasets. We demonstrate the main properties of PIE/PIED spectra for the real data on the example of several images, and discuss further possible utilizations in other fields of data processing.

The protection and regulation of international trade of Australia’s native species is legislated by its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999. In response to overwhelming evidence that the Act is ineffective at protecting biodiversity, the Australian Government is currently reforming its environmental laws. One problematic component of the Act is in cases where threatened species interact with multiple regulatory and management frameworks, such as commercially fished marine species that are traded as seafood. Here, we analyzed international seafood trade data and found that Australia exports four threatened fish species listed under the Act and additional species acknowledged as globally threatened. In light of our analysis, we have three recommendations for Australia’s new environmental legislation: 1) apply the same precautions to commercially harvested species as to other threatened species; 2) review the status of all threatened species annually; and 3) assess species listed on global conservation conventions. These recommendations will help ensure that Australia’s marine biodiversity is protected, despite its commercial value.

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

This paper examines the marketing mix of rattan canes businesses, with a focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Rattan cane enterprises rely on both domestic and international sources for raw materials, and the market is largely unorganized, with individual-level operations dominating the industry. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the marketing mix in relation to the 7Ps framework, which includes price, product, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence. A simple random sampling method was employed to select participants from rattan processing enterprises. A questionnaire survey was then conducted among 46 rattan entrepreneurs, representing a total of 66 enterprises, including rattan processing industries, rattan traders, and Community Forest User Groups. The findings of the study indicate that, among the seven Ps, place and process are relatively stronger aspects of service delivery, while price and people are considered moderate. However, product, promotion, and physical evidence are identified as weak areas in terms of service delivery within the rattan business. It is concluded that rattan processing industries continue to rely on traditional tools and technologies, which has resulted in a lack of competitiveness in penetrating both national and international markets. Furthermore, poorly segmented distribution channels have hindered their sales efforts, while limited promotional activities have restricted awareness of their products among potential customers. In conclusion, the study highlights the need for rattan businesses to modernize their operations and adopt more effective marketing strategies in order to enhance their competitiveness and expand their market reach.

Abstract: Dispersal strategies of a species can affect its invasion success. Investigation into the dispersal strategies of invasive species in relation to different factors helps our understanding of the invasion mechanisms and provides knowledge for population management and invasion evaluation. Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an invasive species, which is native to Europe but now cosmopolitan. Here, we examined the effects of age and density on dispersal in mated females. Our results show that older females with more eggs were more likely to disperse and moved longer distances than younger ones with fewer eggs. Older females spread most of their eggs out of the natal habitats and over longer distances, which reduced competition and increased offspring fitness. Females significantly increased dispersal probability and distance with the increase of population density to avoid crowding. The synchronization of dispersal and reproduction, along with the positive density-dependent dispersal strategy, may facilitate habitat colonization and invasion speed of T. ludeni.

Amuyo Ponds (AP) are a group of three hydrothermal lagoons located at 3,700 m above sea level, in a pre-Andean setting at the Atacama Desert. Each pond shows a conspicuous green, red, or yellow coloration, and discharge waters rich in arsenic and boron into the Caritaya River (Camarones Basin, Arica and Parinacota Region, in northern Chile). Microorganisms at these ponds are subjected to harsh environmental conditions, and microbial composition and diversity in Amuyo Ponds sediments are unknown. Then, microbial life colonizing AP sediments was explored by metagenomics analyses. This approach showed a highly diverse microbial life dominated by members of the Bacterial Domain (nearly 800 bacterial genome sequences) and includes sequences associated to Archaea, Eukarya, and viruses. We also report putative functional capabilities related to virulence and defense genes, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Thirteen bacterial and fourteen virus metagenome-assembled genomes were reconstructed and are here informed. This work expands our knowledge on the richness of microorganisms in AP and open further studies on the ecology and genomics of this striking Andean geosite.

Biodiversity plays an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of the earth. The study of traditional knowledge related to biological resources is a hot issue in the field of international biodiversity conservation. Xishuangbanna is a key area of biodiversity and a cultural hotspot of international significance. According to the Technical Regulation for Classification, Investigation, and Inventory of Traditional Knowledge Relating to Biological Diversity issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, we investigated and catalogued the traditional knowledge related to biodiversity of the Jino people who have lived in Xishuangbanna for generations, and collected 490 entries of traditional knowledge related to biodiversity of the Jino people. Drawing on the traditional knowledge diversity index calculation method proposed by Wang Guoping, the overall traditional knowledge α-diversity index of the Jino people is 0.63, indicating that the richness of the traditional knowledge of the Jinuo people is relatively high. The traditional culture related to biodiversity, the traditional knowledge related to agricultural genetic resources, and the traditional technology related to the sustainable utilization of biological resources are relatively rich and diverse. The diversity index is 0.86, 0.82 and 0.79 respectively. In addition, Xishuangbanna has invested a lot of energy in biodiversity protection, including the establishment of nature reserves, botanical gardens, zoos, ecological tea gardens and other species reserves, the promulgation of laws and policies related to biodiversity protection, and has achieved remarkable results in in-situ protection and ex-situ protection. On the basis of analyzing the progress and achievements of biodiversity conservation in Xishuangbanna, this study points out that Xishuangbanna faces challenges such as the loss of traditional knowledge, insufficient conservation efforts, and great changes in land use, and puts forward corresponding suggestions.

The backwater lowland habitats of large rivers, like the Mississippi River in North America, present complex often inaccessible environments for traditional capture-based fish biodiversity sampling. Our knowledge of the assemblages of fishes that occupy such habitats are often incomplete, and this can compromise management efforts. We employed environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding methods to sample a Mississippi River bottom wetland system to assess ichthyofaunal diversity, and assemblage structure across habitat types, and we compared our results to capture-based survey records for the same habitats. We collected water samples in spring and fall of 2022 from slough, ditch, shallow lake and bayou habitats that varied in depth, vegetation, seasonal variability, and connectivity to the Mississippi River channel. We detected a diverse array of fish species that included 51 taxa. Nearly all species previously documented in the habitats were detected by eDNA metabarcoding, and we increased the number of documented species by more than a third. Most of the species were ubiquitous across the range of habitats, but there was also substantial assemblage structure, with some species exhibiting clear habitat specificity. Fall sampling was limited to the deeper bayou habitats where seasonal variation between spring and fall was minimal. eDNA metabarcode sampling was demonstrated to be effective at detecting invasive species as well as uncommon species, which included several species of conservation concern.

The term “conservation,” as it relates to biodiversity in a Western context, has a storied past and as conservation science and societal values have evolved, consensus over its precise meaning has remained elusive. The broad scope of contemporary definitions hampers effective communication during a period of environmental crisis and is troublesome for any derivative concept which aims to empirically quantify the efforts of the conservation sector. This presents an avoidable hindrance to the systematic planning of the conservation field. To help remedy this situation, we provide an outcome separation framework that is based on the expected degree of separation between an action’s proximate outcome, from its intended, ultimate outcome for a habitat and/or species. Framing a definition of conservation through this lens of outcome separation allows for conservation-related actions to be clearly categorized into one of three discrete tiers: primary, secondary, and tertiary. A distillation of this tiered framework also provides a new definition of biodiversity conservation that is more rigorous and adaptable to future conceptual evolutions of the field.

A model of a single-server queuing-inventory system (QIS) with catastrophes and a finite waiting room for consumer customers (c-customers) has been developed. When a catastrophe occurs, all inventory in the system's warehouse is destroyed, but c-customers in the system are still waiting for restocking. In addition to c-customers, negative customers (n-customers) are also taken into account, which displaces one c-customers (if any). The policy (?, ?) is used to replenish stocks. If upon arrival of the c-customer the inventory level is zero, then according to Bernoulli’s scheme this c-customer is either lost or joining the queue. The mathematical model of the studied QIS is constructed in the form of a two-dimensional continuous-time Markov chain (2D CTMC). Exact and approximate methods for calculating the steady-state probabilities of constructed 2D CTMCs are developed and closed-form expressions are derived for calculating the performance measures. The results of numerical experiments are presented, demonstrating the high accuracy of the developed approximate formulas, as well as the behavior of performance indicators depending on the reorder point. In addition, an optimization problem is solved to obtain the optimal reorder point to minimize the expected total cost.

The food system, the most important driver of planetary transformation, is in a deep crisis. Therefore, seeking a sustainable and socially-fair transition pathway becomes an issue of utmost priority for our own survival. The consideration of food as a commodity, a social construct that played a central role in driving this crisis, remains the uncontested narrative to lead the different transition pathways what seems rather contradictory. By exploring the normative values in the transition landscape, this paper seeks to understand how relevant is the hegemonic narrative of “food as commodity” and its alternative of “food as commons” to determine transition trajectories and food policy beliefs. Applying the Multi-level Perspective framework and developing the ill-studied “agency in transition”, this research enquired food-related professionals that belong to an online community of practice (N=95) on valuation of food dimensions and agency in food transitions to check whether the valuation of food is relevant to explain personal stances in transition. Results suggest the socially-constructed view of food as commodity is positively correlated to the gradual reforming attitude, whereas food as commons is positively correlated to the counter-hegemonic transformers regardless the self-defined position in the transition landscape (regime or niches). At personal level, there are multiple loci of resistance with counter-hegemonic attitudes in varied institutions of the regime and the innovative niches, many of them holding this discourse of food as commons. Conversely, alter-hegemonic attitudes are not positively correlated to this alternative discourse and they may inadvertently or purportedly reinforce the ‘‘neoliberal narrative’’. Food as commons, a different narrative whose rationale is explained in the paper, seems to be a relevant framework that could enrich the multiple transformative constituencies that challenge the industrial food system and therefore facilitate the convergence of movements that reject the commodification of food.

Urban lakes, especially those of natural origin, provide ecosystem services, recreation being one of the most important and highly valued by the city dwellers. Fulfilling the needs of city residents to relax and have contact with nature has become a priority in urbanized areas and has been proved to positively affect people’s health and well-being. The recreational potential of water bodies was identified to be most important aspect of ecosystem services to the residents of the neighboring areas. An assessment of recreational ecosystem services (RES) provisioning to society based on the real time spent by the citizens and housing values in the rural-urban gradient revealed that the economic benefits of lakes differ in urbanized, suburban and rural landscapes. The growth of cities has led to an increased population density in the surroundings of ecologically valuable areas, resulting in higher pressure from visitors seeking recreational areas. Along with urbanization, the impoverishment of ecosystem functions takes place, limiting their capability to provide ecosystem services. In this work provisioning of recreational ecosystem services of 28 floodplain lakes located along the urban-rural gradient of the Warsaw agglomeration was assessed. The relationship between the ecological value of the water bodies, measured using naturalness indices, and the recreational ecosystem services they can provide was assessed. The results showed that the floodplain lakes located along the urban-rural gradient are of a great importance to the citizens due to their recreational potential. The provisioning of recreational ecosystem services is poorly connected with the ecological characteristics of the floodplain lakes. Only hemeroby, was significantly correlated with provisioning, and there was no relationship with factors such as naturalness of vegetation or water quality, demonstrating that public preference was not generally influenced by high ecological quality. These data should be available to potential buyers and be integrated in spatial planning management plans in order to shape future housing policy.

Invasive species are non-native organisms that are introduced to a particular environment with a potential to spread from the place of introduction and cause biodiversity loss. This research was done in Gullele Botanical Garden with the objective of advancing management strategies for invasive and potentially invasive species by examining their abundance, distribution, impacts. Proportional number of plots with a size of 10m by 10m was laid at each land use types to collect vegetation and environmental data. The impact rank was analysed as a data frame using the R-statics packages, which shows the lower and higher impact rate ranges for the sampled land use types. ArcGIS was used to map the spatial distributions of each species. A total of 2550 individuals from 12 families comprising 16 invasive and potentially invasive species have been recorded in 40 sample plots across all sampled land use types. The highest species abundance appeared near the roadside among the sampled plots. Acacia decurrens, Cyathula uncinulata, and Acacia melanoxylon were the three most predominant species, had a substantial contribution to the high impact on the native species. Either intentionally by planting for their advantageous qualities or unintentionally associated with other seeds or other vectors, invasive and potentially invasive species were introduced into the garden. Although there are various techniques to control invasive species, mechanical controlling mechanisms like hand-weeding, uprooting, cutting, and rehabilitation with native species, along with regular monitoring, are highly recommended for the current challenge in the garden.

Biodiversity loss and nature degradation are pressing issues with huge impacts on our society and economy. Businesses, investors, and regulators focus on corporate efforts to support biodiversity and nature positive actions. This review provides a comprehensive overview about the importance of biodiversity in businesses, the materiality of biodiversity and the role of mandatory and non-mandatory regulations on corporate environmental reporting and sustainability disclosure frameworks. The review also discusses descriptive information on the evolution of sustainability frameworks with a comparison of most prominent sustainability frameworks with a key focus on the materiality approach and biodiversity-related disclosure recommendations. Further, we provide suggestions for more holistic approaches to improve the future sustainability frameworks focusing on the biodiversity impact while showing the necessity of more focus on the decision-making paradigm. Further research on measuring biodiversity impact and innovative trends in sustainability reporting are required to better reflect nature-positive outcomes in corporate sector businesses.

A burgeoning body of scholarship identifies and discusses botanic gardens as increasingly important centres of biodiversity conservation and sustainability. Notwithstanding the high quality and richness of this literature, it encompasses relatively autonomous fields of expertise that are neither designed nor expected to promote cross-disciplinary, integrative, accounts of botanic gardens as institutions of conservation and sustainability. Bridging key aspects of the botanic garden literature, this article brings into conversation historical accounts with contemporary scholarship on the matter. In so doing, it unveils dilemmas and challenges faced by botanic gardens as they grapple with their historic legacies, but also renew their relevance in nurturing sustainable socio-environmental futures. The article proceeds by covering three focal points. First, it summarizes the scholarly literature on the history of botanic gardens. Second, it presents accounts of current scientific and biodiversity conservation endeavours as reflexive engagements with their historical legacies. Third, it addresses the recent emergence of socio-cultural missions at botanic gardens as a significant step beyond their historical focus on plants and plant ecosystems.

(1) Background: Plasmodium vivax causes the largest malaria burden in Brazil, and chloroquine resistance poses a challenge to eliminating malaria by 2035. Illegal mining in the Roraima Yanomami indigenous territory can lead to the introduction of resistant parasites. This study aimed to investigate mutations in the pvcrt-o and pvmdr-1 genes to determine their potential as predictors of P. vivax chloroquine-resistant phenotypes. (2) Methods: Samples were collected in two health centers of Boa Vista. A questionnaire was completed, and blood was drawn from each patient. Then, DNA extraction, PCR, amplicon purification, and DNA sequencing were performed. After alignment with the Sal-1, the amplified fragment was analyzed. Patients infected with the mutant parasites were queried in the Surveillance Information System. (3) Results: 98% (157/164) of participants were from illegal mining areas. The pvcrt-o was sequenced in 151 samples, and the K10 insertion was identified in 13% of them. The pvmdr1 was sequenced in 80 samples: the MYF haplotype (958M) was detected in 92% of them, the TYF in 8%, while MYL was absent. No cases of recrudescence, hospitalization, or death were found. (4) Conclusions: Mutations in the pvcrt-o and pvmdr-1 genes have no potential to predict chloroquine resistance in P. vivax.

Buckwheat is important not only as a crop that improves soil quality and reduces erosion, but its excellent nutritional profile for usage in functional foods. This study aimed to investigate how long-term storage (3, 6, and 9 months) affects Novosadska variety buckwheat's chemical, nutritional, and antioxidative properties, phenolic acids and bioflavonoids profiles. Standard traditional methods were used for quality determinations, and instrumental (spectrophotometry, reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography) for antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds determination. One-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s HSD post-hoc were performed for statistical data processing. Throughout the storage period, proximate composition and starch content significantly decreased (p<0.05), while total carbohydrates, β-glucan, and energy value significantly increased (p<0.05). Significant decrease in pH and alcoholic acidity of 0.55 pH units, and 0.33% DM, were observed. Total phenol content and antioxidant activity decrease to 5.57 mg GAE/g DM TPC, 22.20 μmol Fe2+/g DM FRAP and 8.12 μmol TE/g DM DPPH, during the storage (p<0.05). Of fifteen phytochemical compounds, gallic, p-coumaric, trans-cinnamic acids, and epicatechin were in high abundance, with a notable decrease in epicatechin (38%). To the authors' knowledge, dihydrocaffeic and phloretic acids, daidzein, naringin, and naringenin were quantified in buckwheat flour for the first time. Easy adaptability to the environment, ability to attract various insects, speedy short-season growing plant for food, many nutritional and health benefits, gives buckwheat potential to be sustainable and biodiversity-friendly crops.

This study explores the intricacies of supplier relationships and inventory optimization within high-technology industries, offering a comprehensive analysis of the strategic imperatives and operational challenges faced by firms in these sectors. By adopting a qualitative research methodology involving semi-structured interviews with supply chain professionals and documentary analysis, the study provides in-depth insights into the evolving dynamics of supply chain management. Findings reveal a marked shift towards collaborative and strategic supplier relationships, characterized by trust, transparency, and joint innovation initiatives. These partnerships are essential for enhancing operational efficiency, driving product development, and navigating market uncertainties. Additionally, the research underscores the critical role of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, in optimizing inventory levels and improving supply chain visibility. The integration of these technologies facilitates precise demand forecasting and proactive inventory management, thereby reducing costs and enhancing service levels. However, the study also highlights significant challenges, including geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain disruptions, and cultural barriers, which necessitate robust risk management strategies and adaptive supply chain practices. Strategic implications for organizational leaders and policymakers include the need to invest in supplier development, embrace digital transformation, and enhance risk management frameworks to build resilient and agile supply chains. This study contributes valuable insights into the complex interplay between supplier relationships, inventory optimization, and technological integration in high-technology industries, offering actionable recommendations for practitioners and researchers seeking to drive innovation and maintain competitiveness in a dynamic global marketplace.

Vocational interest inventories are widely used by career counselors to help individuals to make career choices. The most common approach to assess vocational interests is based on verbal or textual stimuli. However, some of them are based on pictorials to overcome reading limits and provide additional information about the working environment and the activities related to a particular job. This article aims to present two studies on the development and first validation of the Multilingual Iconographic Professional Interest Inventory (MIPII) on two samples, one composed of 792 high-school students, and one composed of 366 middle school students. The inventory aimed to assesses the vocational interests of people over 19 areas by illustrations representing 95 jobs, five for each one, combined with their title in six different languages (Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French and Italian in this order). Both illustrations and titles are provided separately in the male and female version on the same page.

Heavy metals are dangerous contaminants constituting a threat to human health because they persist in soils and are easily transferred into the food chain, causing damages to human health. Among heavy metals, nickel appears to be one of the most dangerous responsible for different disorders. Public health protection requires nickel detection in environment and food chains; a simple, rapid and sensitive method to detect nickel contamination is represented by biosensors. In this paper we report the setup of a whole-cell based system, in which protoplasts, obtained from Nicotiana tabacum leaves, were used as transducers to detect the presence of heavy metal ions and, in particular, nickel ions. Protoplasts were genetically modified with a plasmid containing the GFP reporter gene under the promoter region of a sunflower small HSP gene control. By this device the presence of heavy metal ions was detected. Thus, the possibility to use this whole-cell system as a novel tool to detect the presence of nickel ions in food matrices was assessed.

Extensive green roofs provide for many ecosystem services in urban environments. The efficacy of these services is influenced by the substrate characteristics and vegetational composition. Despite their key role in plant performance and productivity, or their contribution to nitrogen fixation or carbon sequestration, green roof microbial communities have received little attention so far. Here, we investigated whether microbial communities in extensive green roof substrates contain a core community, as well as whether they are affected by green roof plant diversity. Eleven green roofs, planted either with a mixture of grasses, wildflowers and succulents (Sedum spp.), or solely species of Sedum, were seasonally sampled to investigate prokaryotic and fungal communities via metabarcoding. Although Sedum-herbs-grasses roofs contained more plant species, we observed no discriminant microbial communities between both roof types, likely due to sharing the same substrate textures and the vegetational layers that became more similar throughout time. Examining key microbial taxa revealed that most taxa are also dominant phylotypes in soils across different biomes. Many bacterial core taxa are capable of nitrogen fixation and most fungal key taxa are stress-tolerant saprotrophs, endophytes, or both. Microbial community composition further revealed high similarities with aerial samples taken in urban environments. Considering the extreme edaphic conditions that periodically arise in green roof substrates, further investigation is warranted to determine the extent to which the dynamic and intriguing microbial communities are influenced by the aeromicrobiome.

The preservation of biodiversity has become a major concern in contemporary society. It is essential to understand teachers' representations of biodiversity to effectively guide educational efforts because of the significant role of education in raising awareness and promoting sustainable behavior. Through a survey of a sample of 118 teachers, we adopted a mixed-method approach combining both a closed questionnaire and interviews. We used these methods to explore teachers' representations of the concept of biodiversity as an integral part of the school curriculum, as well as to gather their views on certain features of its teaching. The results state that the majority of teachers perceive biodiversity as a whole and in its most complex relationships. During their professional experience, they have developed a biocentric and anthropocentric conception of biodiversity. This study provides valuable information to guide future pedagogical practices and educational policies in sustainable education.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can transfer diverse RNA cargo for intercellular signalling. EV-associated RNAs have been found in diverse fungi and were proposed to be relevant for pathogenesis in animal hosts. In plant-pathogen interactions, small RNAs are exchanged in a cross-kingdom RNAi warfare and EVs were considered to be a delivery mechanism. To extend the search for EV-associated molecules involved in plants-pathogen communication, we have characterised the repertoire of EV-associated mRNAs secreted by the maize smut pathogen, Ustilago maydis. For this initial survey, EVs were isolated from axenic filamentous cultures that mimic infectious hyphae. The EV-associated RNAs were resistant to degradation by RNases and the presence of intact mRNAs was evident. The set of mRNAs enriched inside EVs relative to the fungal cells are functionally distinct from those that are depleted from EVs, particularly overrepresented in metabolic enzyme activities. Intriguingly, mRNAs of some known effectors and other proteins linked to virulence were found in EVs. Furthermore, several mRNAs enriched in EVs are also upregulated during infection, suggesting that EV-associated mRNAs may participate in plant-pathogen interaction.

This article presents the analysis of the allocation of important plant areas (IPA), which urgently identifies the most valuable sites for protecting plant objects. The study is based on a comprehensive inventory of the species composition of plants in the flora of the Western Karatau Ridge and the Mangyshlak Peninsula (arid regions)- key sites Akmysh, Samal, and Kogez, considered standard and the best preserved with natural vegetation cover. The flora of these critical sites was analysed using a combination of field surveys, herbarium studies, and a literature review. The results revealed a rich biodiversity, with 104 species from 82 genera and 33 families. Most species belong to 9 families, making up 60.6% of the total taxa. By the nature of life forms, perennial herbaceous plants dominate in all key sites (30 species, 50.0%). The eco-phylogenetic spectrum showed that a significant share of the flora of the studied IPAs is made up of xerophytes (21 species, 35%) and xeromesophytes (9 species, 15%); desert and mountain-steppe species prevail (53.0%). Rare, endangered and Red Book species account for 10-21.3% of those growing in the region. Regarding economic value, fodder, ornamental, honey, medicinal and food species dominate. The Shannon, Simpson, and Jaccard indices assessed alpha-beta and gamma diversity. The index showed that biodiversity in the Samal and Kogez sites is higher and more evenly distributed compared to the Akmysh site. The Whittaker, Harrison and Cody indices confirm significant differences in the species composition between the sites. In light of these compelling results, a clear and urgent call to action is proposed to allocate these areas to the IPA category, a crucial step towards ensuring the long-term existence of natural biocenoses.

Protected and conserved areas are a key area-based strategy to address the biodiversity and climate change crises. Fundamental to understand their performance over time are indicators. The Digital Observatory for Protected Areas (DOPA) was born in 2013 as a set of open access web services and applications to be used to assess, monitor, and report on protected and conserved areas. For over a decade it has delivered over 50 indicators to support policy processes, national and regional governments, and practitioners. DOPA has also developed a versatile and efficient back-end approach that is widely applicable in other area-based conservation contexts. Here, we describe the methods and workflows behind DOPA´s back end and provide examples of policy relevant questions it can answer. We discuss key advantages and limitations of this systematic and replicable approach and explore the use of this back-end architecture to inform progress in area-based conservation targets for the following decades. This approach, embedded in multiple services provided by the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity of the European Commission (KCBD), can also support the implementation and monitoring of area-based targets of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at international, regional, and national levels.

DNA barcoding has emerged as a powerful tool in the field of taxonomy, transforming the way we identify and classify species. This review article aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the advancements in DNA barcoding techniques, their applications, and their impact on taxonomy and biodiversity studies. We will explore the evolution of DNA barcoding, the development of standardized barcode regions, and the challenges and limitations associated with this methodology. Additionally, we will delve into the diverse range of taxonomic groups for which DNA barcoding has been applied, highlighting key case studies and their contributions to our understanding of biodiversity. Furthermore, we will discuss the integration of DNA barcoding with other molecular and bioinformatic approaches, such as metabarcoding and machine learning, to enhance species identification and biodiversity assessment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on how DNA barcoding is reshaping the field of taxonomy and its implications for conservation, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

Despite several decades’ effort to detect and identify phytoplasmas (Tenericutes: Mollicutes) using PCR and Sanger sequencing focusing on diseased plants, knowledge of phytoplasma biodiversity and vector associations remains highly incomplete. To improve protocols for documenting phyto-plasma diversity and ecology, we used DNA extracted from phloem-feeding insects and com-pared traditional Sanger sequencing with a next-generation sequencing method, Anchored Hy-brid Enrichment (AHE) for detecting and characterizing phytoplasmas. Among 22 of 180 leaf-hopper samples that initially tested positive for phytoplasmas using qPCR, AHE yielded phyto-plasma 16Sr sequences for 20 (19 complete and 1 partial sequence) while Sanger sequencing yield-ed sequences for 16 (11 complete and 5 partial). AHE yielded phytoplasma sequences for an addi-tional 7 samples (3 complete and 4 partial) that did not meet the qPCR threshold for phytoplasma positivity or yielded non-phytoplasma sequences using Sanger sequencing. This suggests that AHE is more efficient for obtaining phytoplasma sequences. Twenty-three samples with sufficient data were classified into eight 16Sr subgroups (16SrI-B, I-F, I-AO, III-U, V-C, IX-J, XI-C, XXXVII-A), three new subgroups (designated as 16SrVI-L, XV-D, XI-G) and three possible new groups. Our results suggest that screening phloem-feeding insects using qPCR and AHE sequencing may be the most efficient method for discovering new phytoplasmas.

We evaluated progress towards animal biodiversity research in Georgia, a key area in the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot. By reviewing recently (1990-2018) published articles in all areas of animal diversity research, we unmasked the trends in biodiversity inventory, ecological and biogeographical studies, and conservation issues in Georgia. We concluded that species inventory and biodiversity research in Georgia has significantly increased during the last ten years, however the rate and extent of investigation is far from satisfactory. Major gaps remain in all branches of animal diversity research in Georgia, and consequently existing knowledge is inadequate to address modern challenges related to species and ecosystem conservation. We urge local governmental authorities and international scientific societies to support development of stronger research facilities and cultivate interest in biodiversity inventory and research in Georgia as an important step towards maintaining globally important biodiversity in the Caucasus.

We discuss two queueing-inventory systems with catastrophes in the warehouse. Catastrophes occur according to Poisson process and upon arrival of a catastrophe all inventory in the system is instantly destroyed. But consumer customers in the system (in the server or in the buffer) continue still waiting for the replenishment of the stock. The arrivals of the consumer customers follow a Markovian Arrival Process (MAP) and they can be queued in an infinite buffer. Service time of a consumer customer follows a phase-type distribution. The system receives negative customers whose have Poisson flows to service facility and upon arrival of a negative customer one consumer customer is pushed out from the system, if any. One of two replenishment policies can be used in the system: either (s,S) or (s,Q). If upon arrival of the consumer customer, the inventory level is zero, then according to the Bernoulli scheme, this customer is either lost (lost sale scheme) or join the queue (backorder sale scheme). The system is formulated by a four-dimensional continuous-time Markov chain. Steady state distribution is obtained using the matrix-geometric method. A comprehensive numerical study is performed on the performance measures under various replenishment policies. Finally, an optimization study is presented.

Flax fiber appears as a suitable feedstock in the endeavor of deploying a sustainable biobased economy. Its environmental performance as reinforcement in composite materials has been studied in previous Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). However, these studies only present a coarse Life cycle Inventory (LCI) and often fail to detail all processes of the supply chain or to represent the co-products. This paper aims to bridge this gap and provide data for future LCAs on flax fiber production and transformation.The study focuses on the impacts of producing a bio-based reinforcement material (a fabric product for non-aesthetic purposes) with a system expansion perspective. The functional unit is defined as the production of 2400 m² flax-based technical textile per year, this corresponds to one hectare of cultivated land. The geographical scope considers that the production occurs in France and that some manufacturing process are outsourced in China. A Sensitivity Analysis was carried out to assess the influence of the electricity mix in the various countries involved in the manufacturing cycle.A detailed life cycle inventory for flax fiber production and transformation was built and the environmental performance of a flax technical textile was assessed as a cradle-to-gate LCA. The fate of co-products was documented and was shown to contribute to the reduction of the generated environmental impacts. Through a cradle-to-gate LCA, a broader understanding of the environmental performance of a flax-based technical textile was presented by including the valorization of co-products and a wider set of analyzed impact categories, going therefore beyond the existing state-of-the-art. Results show agricultural activities and electricity production to be the biggest contributors to the environmental impacts of flax technical textile; contributions due to land use changes were minor in comparison. Very specifically for this case study, a sensibility analysis showed the influence of an all-French production to be more efficient from an environmental point of view.

Abstract: Landslide is a frequent natural hazard in Chittagong Hilly Areas (CHA), Bangladesh, which causes the loss of lives and damage to the economy. Despite that, an official landslide inventory is still lacking in this area. In this paper, we present a landslide inventory of this area prepared using the visual interpretation of Google Earth images (Google Earth Mapping), field mapping, and literature search. We mapped 730 landslides that occurred from 2001 to 2017. Different landslide attributes, including type, size, distribution, state, water content, future risk, and causes, are presented in the dataset. In this area, slide and flow were the two dominant types of landslides. Among five districts (Bandarban, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Khagrachari and Rangamati), most (54.93%) of the landslides occurred in Chittagong and Rangamati districts. About 45.09% of the landslides were small (<100 m2) in size while the maximum size of the detected landslides was 85201.6 m2. This dataset will help to understand the characteristics of landslides in CHA and provide useful guidance for policy implementation.

The human proteome is composed from diverse and heterogeneous gene products/proteoforms. Previously, we have been discussing the main technical aspects in developing for inventory of human proteoforms that would be visually attractive, clear, and easy to search (Naryzhny S. J. Proteomics 2018, S1874-3919(18) 30220-3). Here, we present our first draft of the database of proteoforms that is based on this discussion. The database principles and structure are described. The database is called “2DE-pattern” as it contains multiple isoform-centric patterns of proteoforms separated according to 2DE principles.

The preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) involves a variety of chemical and physical methods. These methods use toxic and environmentally harmful chemicals. Consequently, the synthesis of AuNPs using green chemistry has been under investigation to develop eco-friendly nanoparticles. One method to achieve this is the use of plant-derived phytochemicals capable of reducing gold ions to produce AuNPs. The aim of this study was to implement a facile microtitre-plate method to screen a large number of aqueous plant extracts to determine the optimum concentration (OC) to bio-synthesize the AuNPs. Several AuNPs of different sizes and shapes were successfully synthesized and characterized from seventeen South African plants. The characterization was done using Ultra Violet-Visible Spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. We also studied the effects of temperature on the synthesis of the nanoparticles and measured its effect on the particle size of the synthesized AuNPs and the data showed that changes in temperatures affect the size and dispersity of the generated AuNPs. Further, some of the synthesized AuNPs were stable upon incubation with different biological solutions in vitro.

The study examines projected changes in dry- and wet-spell probabilities in West Africa using a Markov chain approach. Four simulations of regional climate models from the CORDEX-Africa program were used to analyze projected changes in intraseasonal variability. The results show an increase in the probability of having a dry day, a dry day preceding a wet day and a dry day preceding a dry day, and a decrease in the probability of wet days in the Sahel region under anthropogenic forcing scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The decrease in wet days is stronger in the far future and under the RCP8.5 scenario (up to -30%). The study also finds that the probability of consecutive dry days (lasting at least 7 days and 10 days) is expected to increase in the Western Sahel, the Central Sahel, and the Sudanian Area under both scenarios, with stronger increases in the RCP8.5 scenario. In contrast, the decrease is expected over the Guinea Coast, with the changes more important under the RCP4.5. These changes in dry- and wet-spell probabilities are important for water management decisions and risk reduction in the energy and agricultural sectors. The study also highlights the need for decision-makers to implement mitigation and adaptation policies to minimize the adverse effects of climate change.

(1) Background: The study presents an assessment of the psychometric properties of the Polish version the Short Schema Mode Inventory (SMI) adaptation. (2) Methods: First, the original version of the scale was translated. Subsequently, a validity and reliability study was conducted on a sample of 240 patients and 400 non-patients. In particular: the factor structure of the inventory was checked, internal reliability and intercorrelations between subscales were tested, differences between the clinical and non-clinical groups in terms of the severity of each factor were examined, and construct validity was assessed by comparing the association of results with external variables. (3) Results: The results did not conclusively confirm the 14-factor structure postulated in the original scale. Nevertheless, relatively the best fit indices were obtained for such a model. Internal reliability for the 14 subscales was in the acceptable to excellent range. Correlations between subscales took moderate to high values. The existence of differences between the clinical and non-clinical groups and the construct validity were confirmed. (4) Conclusions: The psychometric evaluation performed is mostly similar to the results obtained for other adaptations, and the results entitle the inventory to be used for research and clinical purposes with the knowledge of its limitations.

Background: Healthcare attention is sometimes considered purely technical, but communication has proven to be closely related to clinical results and patient satisfaction. Therefore, evaluation of communication in the scope of healthcare is a priority. The purpose of this study was to validate and adapt, if necessary, the Spanish version of the Communication Styles Inventory (CSI) in a sample of nursing professionals. (2) Methods: The sample was made up of 2313 nursing professionals selected at random from various medical centers in Spain, and is therefore a sample actively employed at the time data were acquired. We started out from the Communication Style Inventory, a questionnaire for evaluating the predominance of certain individual communication behaviors on six scales (expressiveness, preciseness, verbal aggressiveness, questioningness, emotionality and impression manipulativeness). (3) Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the model proposed showed god fit indices. The reliability of the model shown by the Cronbach’s alpha of α=.81 was adequate, and so was single-level and aggregate consistency. Finally, in the analysis of variance by type of contract, configural, metric and scalar invariance was acceptable, but not strict invariance. (4) Conclusions: This instrument progresses in measuring non-technical attributes, such as communication styles, in nursing personnel.

Global change and human activities are altering biodiversity at an unprecedented rate worldwide, leading to sharp declines in global biodiversity and other ecological issues. Over the past 30 years, ecologists have increasingly focused on the question of whether and how the ongoing loss of biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning. This interest has led to the emergence of the field of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) as a major research area in ecology. However, historically, researchers have predominantly focused on individual ecosystem functions, neglecting the capacity of ecosystems to provide multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously, known as ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). This article reviews advances in EMF research, including the selection of functional indicators in EMF studies, different dimensions of biodiversity, the impacts of microbial diversity and biotic interactions on EMF, and drivers of EMF such as non-biological factors. By comprehensively analyzing the overall effects of aboveground biodiversity, belowground biodiversity, and non-biological factors on EMF, the study emphasizes the need to enhance research and application of ecosystem multiserviceability (EMS) approaches.

This paper proposes a novel formulation of the fuzzy newsvendor problem for inventory management applications. This new formulation allows the use of any profit function. A new credibility estimation is proposed to explore the neighborhood around the most impactful demand scenarios. Further, a simulation procedure was designed for the different demand scenarios, which allows the comparison of the proposed approach with probabilistic demand curves. The fuzzy newsvendor problem is solved using a modified genetic algorithm (GA), where an initialization mechanism with null values is proposed. The new formulation of the fuzzy newsvendor problem together with the modified GA have shown to improve the average profit up to 55% in problems with low-budget scenarios.

Urbanization degrades natural habitats and creates new urban ecosystems, like domestic gardens. The plant composition of these gardens varies with socio-economic factors and urban planning levels. However, the diversity and impact of introduced species are often poorly assessed, causing potential ecological imbalances, particularly in Lubumbashi (DR Congo). The objective was to analyze the spatial structure, plant diversity, propagation strategies, and ecological functions of domestic gardens. Three distinct neighborhoods were selected: planned, unplanned and residential neighborhood. 20 avenues (with 5 plots per avenue) were chosen to represent the diversity within each neighborhood, and stratified random sampling of plots was conducted to analyze gardening practices. Gardens were classified into types, and their vegetation was evaluated based on species origin and ecological impact. The analysis of domestic gardens in Lubumbashi reveals significant variations across different neighborhood types. Residential neighborhoods exhibit larger average garden sizes (315.1 m²), higher species richness (22 species), and larger plot sizes (1032 m²) compared to unplanned and planned neighborhoods, where garden areas and species richness are notably lower. Rectangular gardens dominate in unplanned areas, while planned neighborhoods feature more intentional landscaping elements, such as flowerbeds and hedges. The use of gardens for food production is prominent in planned areas (40.7%), whereas residential neighborhoods prioritize ornamentation (51.4%). The study identifies 232 species across 68 families, with a predominance of exotic species (80%) in all neighborhoods, particularly in unplanned areas (82.25%). The data reveals that Mangifera indica and Persea americana are abundant in all neighborhoods, illustrating their adaptability to different urban contexts. Herbaceous species are most common, followed by woody plants, with vines being sparse. Species dispersal is primarily driven by human activities (anthropochory), accounting for over 85% in all neighborhoods. These findings highlight the strong human influence on the composition and structure of domestic gardens in Lubumbashi, emphasizing the dominance of exotic species and the importance of anthropogenic factors in shaping urban green spaces. Urban policies should incorporate strategies to minimize the negative impacts of exotic species on native flora.

Rich biodiversity is one of the Philippines’ greatest assets. Unfortunately, there is a continuous decline in the diversity of flora and fauna across the world. This calls for the need to educate people, especially younger generations, to value and protect biodiversity and natural resources. The study aimed to assess the students’ extent of knowledge and identify their perspectives towards biodiversity and its protection and conservation. A total of 268 randomly selected students at Aurora State College of Technology Zabali Campus were involved in the study. Survey questionnaires were used to obtain data and information which were subjected to statistical tests. The students had a moderate knowledge level on biodiversity with a mean score of 6.65 out of 10 items (SD = 1.50). Their perspective on biodiversity was leaning toward its protection and conservation, with a mean score of 7.2 out of 10 items (SD = 1.29). Factors affecting the students’ knowledge were gender (p = .003) and academic department (p = 0.003). Females and those associated with the Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences and Department of Industrial technology were found to have more knowledge than the others. Males, on the other hand, were found to have a more positive perspective towards biodiversity. Knowledge and perspective had a weak correlation with r = 0.39. Students were not well-aware, but were in support of the Philippines’ biodiversity-related laws, which could help shape their mindset and actions towards biodiversity conservation and protection. As an implication, the college administration must revisit the curricula of all degree programs and ensure that students from each degree program are environmentally educated, emphasizing biodiversity conservation.

Background: There has been a lack of tools to identify listening difficulties in school settings for both hearing and hearing-impaired Italian students. Thus, the present study aimed to realize cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Listening Inventory for Education-Revised for Italian students (LIFE-R-ITA). Methods: Following the validation of two forward-backward translations by a multidisciplinary committee, the content validation for the LIFE-R-ITA was performed by pre-testing six implanted children (8-18 years old). After minor cross-cultural adaptations, normative data were collected from a sample of 223 hearing students enrolled in different school settings and educational degrees. Results: For the LIFE-R-ITA, hearing students showed an average score of 72.26% (SD=11.93), reflecting some listening difficulties. The subscales (LIFE total, LIFE class, and LIFE social) indicated good internal consistency. All items were shown to be relevant. Most challenging situations happened when listening in large rooms, especially when other students made noise. LIFE social scores were significantly worse than those of LIFE class (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: The LIFE-R-ITA may support teachers and clinicians in assessing students’ self-perception of listening at school. Such understanding may help students overcome their listening difficulties, by planning and selecting the most effective strategies among classroom interventions.

In this paper we present the exploration of indoor positioning technologies for UAVs, and navigation techniques for path planning and obstacle avoidance. The objective is to perform warehouse inventory tasks using a drone to search for barcodes or markers to identify the objects. For the indoor positioning techniques, we employ Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), AprilTag fiducial markers, and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). These algorithms encompass global positioning, local positioning, and pre-mapping positioning, comparing the merits and drawbacks of various techniques and trajectories. In UAV navigation, we combine SLAM-based RTAB-Map indoor mapping and navigation path planning of the ROS for indoor environments. This system enables precise drone positioning indoors and utilizes global and local path planners to generate flight paths that avoid dynamic, static, unknown, and known obstacles, demonstrating high practicality and feasibility. To achieve the warehouse inventory inspection, a reinforcement learning approach is proposed to recognize the markers by adjusting the UAV's viewpoint. We address several main problems in inventory management, including efficiently planning paths while ensuring a certain level of detection rate. Two reinforcement learning techniques, AC (Actor-Critic) and PPO (Proximal Policy Optimization), are implemented based on AprilTag identification. Testing is performed in both simulated and real-world environments, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated.Code is available at https://github.com/kellen080/Navigation and https://github.com/kellen080/Indoor\_Positioning.

This article deals with a finite-source stock-dependent stochastic inventory system with heterogeneous servers and retrial facility. The system can store up to S number of items, and the lifetime of each item follows an exponential distribution. The primary customers arrive in a finite waiting hall from a finite source and get service from the multi-channel (c-heterogeneous servers). The customer’s arrival rate depends on the present stock level. Those customers who arrive while the waiting hall is full enter into the finite orbit. Also, customers in the waiting hall can become impatient and enter the orbit. The (s,Q) ordering policy is adopted for the replenishment of stocks. In the steady state, the joint probability distribution of a number of items in the inventory, busy servers, customers in the waiting hall, and orbit is computed. The comparative numerical analysis of heterogeneous and homogeneous servers on the expected total cost, the average number of customers in the waiting hall and orbit, the fraction of successful retrial rate, and the average impatient customer rate are also carried out.

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

The possibility of abrupt transitions threatens to poise ecosystems into irreversibly degraded states. Recently, it has been proposed the use of engineered microbiomes in endangered ecosystems to prevent them to cross tipping points and avoid collapse. Potential targets for such interventions include some of the most prominent life-support systems in the biosphere: drylands and coral reefs. Since engineering can require the introduction of microorganisms not present in resident communities, how can we weight the potential outcomes? One way is to use general models of species interactions where the "synthetic" strain is incorporated into a standard multispecies model. Here we follow this approach by modelling a resource-consumer community where one of the species is a modified one that acts by preserving some key resource. We show how the indirect effect of damping the decay of shared resources results in biodiversity increase, and last but not less, the successful incorporation of the synthetic within the ecological network. Further extensions and implications for future restoration and terraformation strategies are discussed.

Due to a lack of knowledge about arthropod biodiversity in Egyptian organic agro-ecosystems; the study aimed to introduce information on the diversity, richness, and distribution of insect and mite species in two organic agro-ecosystems, also, to investigate the impact of plant-arthropod interactions. Samples collected from two organic farms, i) Shampoliah farm, Fayoum (GCS 29°21'07.4"N 30°44'17.8"E), and ii) SEKEM farm, Sharkia (GCS 18 30°22'56.1"N 31°39'17.4"E). Results shown 39 species recorded in Shampoliah farm, and 35 species in SEKEM of mite, insect, medicinal, and weed species. When 14 species shared among two sites. Study has measured the H', D and 1/D indices within each location, and the similarity/dissimilarity between locations. The study hypothesized the possible plant-arthropod interactions that explain why diversity differs from an ecosystem to another; due to; plant size, plant morphological characters, soil fertilization, plant nutritional content, and the prey-predator interactions. The added hypothesis; is to show that the importance of natural habitat is supporting natural enemies and distribution of arthropods, which could vary dramatically with the type of pest species, IPM, and landscape type considered.

Sago (Metroxylon spp.) is an important crop in Maluku. This study aims to identify the biodiversity of sago palm and understorey vegetation around sago clumps in Maluku. The research was carried out in six sago area from September 2015 to October 2016. The Sago Plant identification was carried out through the growth phase of sago, i.e. seedlings, saplings, weaning, trunks, and ripening. Vegetation observation was done in radius 100 m2 surrounding sago clumps. The result shows that Metroxylon rumphii Mart type. (Tuni sago), M. sagus Rottb. (Molat sago) and M. Silvester Mart. (Ihur Sago) dominates sago palms area in Seram and Ambon Islands, Maluku. There are significant morphological differences between the types of sago, especially in stem height, midrib width, leaf midrib colour, number of thorns, and flower stalk length, as well as the difference of carbohydrate content. Understorey vegetation of each observation sites diverse consist of 15 families and 20 species. The families that dominate the vegetation under the sago palms are Araceae, Thelypteridaceae, and Athyriaceae. The types of plants from Araceae are taro types and broadleaf, while those from the Thelypteridaceae and Athyriaceae families are types of ferns.

The destruction of natural habitat for cropland and pastures represents a major threat to global biodiversity. Despite widespread societal concern about biodiversity loss associated with food production, consumers access to quantitative estimates of the impact of crop production on the world’s species has been very limited compared to assessments of other environmental variables such as greenhouse gas emissions or water use. Here, we present a consistent dataset of the biodiversity footprints of pastures and 175 individual crops at country level. The data were generated by combining maps of the global distribution of agricultural areas in the year 2000 with spatially explicit estimates of the biodiversity loss associated with the conversion of natural habitat to farmland. Estimates were derived for three common alternative measures of biodiversity – species richness, threatened species richness, and range rarity – of the world’s mammals, birds, and amphibians. Our dataset provides important quantitative information for food consumers and policy makers, allowing them to take evidence-based decisions to reduce the biodiversity footprint of global food production.

Hyperspectral images are an important tool to assess ecosystem biodiversity both on terrestrial and benthic habitats. To obtain more precise analysis of biodiversity indicators that agree with indicators obtained using field data, analysis of spectral diversity calculated from images have to be validated with field based diversity estimates. The plant species richness is one of the most important indicators of biodiversity. This indicator can be measured in hyperspectral images considering the Spectral Variation Hypothesis (SVH) which states that the spectral heterogeneity is related to spatial heterogeneity and thus to species richness. The goal of this research is to capture spectral heterogeneity from hyperspectral images for a terrestrial neo tropical forest site using Vector Quantization (VQ) method and then use the result for prediction of plant species richness. The results are compared with that of Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering (HAC). The validation of the process index is done calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient between the Shannon entropy from actual field data and the Shannon entropy computed in the images. Terrestrial dry forest and marine coastal hyperspectral images with different resolutions have been used for spectral diversity feature validation.

This study investigates the role of sustainable inventory management within supply chains, exploring strategies, benefits, challenges, and implications for organizations. Through qualitative research involving semi-structured interviews with supply chain professionals from diverse industries, key themes emerged. Sustainable practices such as green logistics, waste minimization, and ethical sourcing were identified as critical strategies to reduce environmental impact and enhance operational efficiency. Technological advancements, including AI, IoT, and blockchain, facilitate real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and transparency, supporting data-driven decision-making in inventory management. Benefits include cost reduction, improved brand reputation, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation, positioning organizations favorably in a competitive landscape shaped by environmental regulations and consumer expectations. Challenges such as cost constraints, regulatory complexities, and organizational inertia necessitate strategic investments, collaborative efforts, and leadership commitment to overcome. The study underscores the importance of integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations into supply chain practices to foster sustainability and resilience. Looking forward, the study advocates for a holistic approach to sustainable supply chain management, emphasizing innovation, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building. By aligning organizational values with societal expectations and regulatory frameworks, businesses can navigate complexities, drive positive environmental and social impacts, and achieve sustainable growth. This research contributes insights into current practices and future directions for sustainable inventory management, informing strategies that balance profitability with environmental stewardship and societal responsibility.

Purpose Prospective life cycle assessment (pLCA) is a key method for providing environmental decision support for future technologies. The specific technology under study is often modeled by the practitioner (the so-called foreground system), whereas data for supply chains are sourced from life cycle inventory databases (the so-called background system). Within pLCA, it is paramount to consider possible future developments for both foreground and background systems to avoid a temporal mismatch between the specific technology under study and the wider economy, which could lead to incorrect conclusions. Therefore, and given the importance of future-oriented environmental decision support, efforts to develop prospective life cycle inventory (pLCI) databases have recently increased. However, there is still much to be improved to realize the widespread use of these databases and to have a stronger real-world effect on how future technology is designed. Methods This paper summarizes recent developments and structures the information chain behind pLCI databases. We then discuss conditions for the broad application of pLCI databases, and we propose priorities and ways forward to overcome existing challenges to foster the use of pLCI databases. Results The conditions are scientific integrity, usefulness to LCA practitioners, accessibility, usability, interpretability, and a continuous improvement process in which core stakeholders coordinate efforts to streamline the generation, sharing, and use of pLCI databases. Conclusions Priority should be given to installing a continuous process to improve the coverage and consistency of pLCI databases, to improve related guidance and documentation, and to remove practical barriers relating to the access and usability of pLCI databases in LCA software.

This research investigates Haifa ports emissions’ contribution to the existing daily emission inventory level in the area. This research based on developed full bottom-up model framework that looks at the single vessel daily voyage through its port call stages. The main data sources for vessels movements used in this research are the Israel Navy`s movements log and Israel Administration of Shipping and Ports’ (ASP) operational vessel movements and cargo log. The Fuel Consumption (FC) data and Sulfur Content (SC) levels are based on an official Israel ASP survey data. Observation years in this research are 2010 - 2018 with focus on the Ocean-Going Vessels (OGV) type only. The results show that the vessel fleet calling at Israel ports is mainly vessels that have a lower engine Tier grade (i.e., Tier 0 and 1) which is considered a heavy contributor to Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) pollutant. The study recommends on an additional cost charged (selective tariff) to reflect the external social cost linked to the single vessel air pollution combined with supportive technological infrastructure and economic incentive tools (e.g. electric subsidy) to attract or influence vessel owners to assign vessels equipped with new engine Tier grades for calls at Israeli ports.

This study introduces a remote sensing application using satellite imagery to survey a network-scale aggregate stockpile inventory. First, a real scale aggregate quarry site was surveyed using a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (sUAV) to produce digital terrain models that enabled analysis of aggregate pile geometry. Second, a lab experiment was designed and performed to validate the applicability of close-range Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry for measuring aggregate piles' physical properties such as volume and density. The other part of the lab experiment delved into direct measurement of aggregate density under varying compaction efforts. These experimental results, in conjunction with some simplifying assumptions, enabled the calculation of aggregate stockpile volumes and estimated weights from satellite imagery. We estimated that an inventory of 4.4 and 1.1 million metric tons of crushed aggregates and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), respectively, stockpiled in Washington State for asphalt production in 2017. The merit of producing such database was further showcased in an example on the economic and environmental impacts of material transportation. We approximated that hauling aggregates from quarry plants to construction sites within Washington State incurs a cost of about $50 thousand to over $4 million, consumes about 0.25 to 20 TJ of energy, and emits 20 to over 1,500 tons of CO₂-eq per asphalt plant annually.

Biodiversity loss poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human well-being globally, with Nigeria no exception. This article delves into the architectural implications of biodiversity loss in Nigeria, exploring the multifaceted factors contributing to this phenomenon and its ramifications for architectural practice. The discussion encompasses the adverse impacts of deforestation, pollution, and climate change on Nigeria's rich biodiversity and the challenges and opportunities they present for architects. Through examining case studies and examples, the article highlights innovative architectural projects that address biodiversity loss while promoting sustainable design principles. Moreover, it elucidates the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between architects, biologists, and policymakers in developing effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. Ultimately, this article underscores the urgent need for architects to integrate biodiversity conservation into their practices and advocates for policy interventions that prioritise the preservation of Nigeria's natural heritage.

Germplasm is a valuable natural resource in plant diversity that is crucial for its potential use. It provides knowledge about a species genetic composition. Germplasm protection strategies are not just planting hope threatened with extinction, they preserve medicinal and other essential plants on which survival rests. The successful use of genetic plant resources necessitates diligent collection, storage, analysis, documentation, and germplasm exchange. Slow growth cultures, cryopreservation, pollen and DNA banks, botanic gardens, genetic reserves and farmer’s fields are few conservation techniques. However, usage of an in vitro procedure with any chance of genetic instability leads to the destruction of the entire substance. Improved understanding of basic regeneration biology would, in turn, undoubtedly increase the capacity to regenerate plants from in vitro harvested explants, thus expanding selection possibilities. Germplasm conservation seeks to conserve endangered and vulnerable plant species worldwide for future proliferation and development; it is also the bedrock of agricultural production.

Increased anthropogenic pressure on forest resources leads to deforestation and forest degradation, significantly limiting the regeneration capacity of native woody species and consequently the restoration of miombo woodlands in anthropized habitats within the rural area of Lubumbashi. This study assessed the diversity and natural regeneration capacity of miombo species through floristic inventories in three different habitats (unexploited forests, degraded forests, and post-cultivation fallows). The results reveal that for the adult’s stratum unexploited and degraded forests exhibit higher dendrometric (density, mean square diameter, basal area) and floristic parameter (taxa, genera, families) values compared to post-cultivation fallows. Furthermore, the regeneration of miombo woody species is higher in degraded forests (21 taxa; 105 juveniles/plot). However, regarding the sapling’s stratum (1 cm ≤ dbh &lt; 10 cm), the three habitats display nearly similar situations. Additionally, the floristic composition and diversity of unexploited and degraded forests show a significantly higher similarity (76.50%) among them compared to these habitats and the post-cultivation fallows (56.00%). These findings indicate that miombo woodlands have the potential to regenerate and maintain floristic diversity. To sustain this natural regeneration capacity of miombo woody species and promote the restoration of forest mass and its floristic diversity, it is imperative to determine the rotation period after habitat exploitation and regulate anthropogenic activities and late bush fires, particularly in anthropized habitats at the village level.

Mounting evidence supports the connections between exposure to environment types––such as green spaces and biodiversity––and human health. However, the mechanistic links that connect biodiversity (the variety of life) and human health, plus the level of supporting evidence, are less clear. Here, we undertook a scoping review to map the links between biodiversity and human health and summarise the levels of associated evidence using an established weight of evidence framework. Distinct from other reviews, we provide additional context regarding the environment-microbiome-health axis, evaluate the environmental buffering pathway (e.g., biodiversity impacts on air pollution), and draw upon expert opinion to provide case studies on three underrepresented linkages. The case studies include (1) biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples’ health, (2) biodiversity and urban social equity, and (3) biodiversity and COVID-19. We observed a moderate level of evidence to support the environmental microbiota-human health pathway and a moderate-high level of evidence to support broader nature pathways (e.g., green space) to various health outcomes, from stress reduction to enhanced wellbeing and improved social cohesion. However, studies of broader nature pathways did not typically include specific biodiversity metrics, indicating clear research gaps. Further research is required to understand the connections and causative pathways between biodiversity (e.g., using metrics such as taxonomy, diversity/richness, structure, and function) and health outcomes. There are well-established frameworks to assess the effects of broad classifications of nature on human health. These can assist future research in linking biodiversity metrics to human health outcomes. Our case studies on underrepresented linkages highlight the roles of biodiversity and its loss on urban lived experiences, infectious diseases, and Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and livelihoods. More research and awareness of these socioecological interconnections are needed.

The influenza virus has been the primary cause of the pandemic, posing a constant threat to human society. Due to its genetic evolution and continuous outbreak, antiviral research currently focuses on exploring a novel lead agent. A comprehensive antiviral screening discovered a marine bacterium whose extract exerted excellent efficacy against influenza viruses. Parerythrobacter sp. M20A3S10, a novel strain under the family Erythrobacteraceae, could produce carotenoids exhibiting antiviral and anticancer activity by enhancing the cellular immune system. Post-treatment of M20A3S10 extract showed outstanding therapeutic indexes: against influenza virus A/PR8 (H1N1) [selectivity index (SI) = 24.0], A/Wisconsin/15/2009 (H3N2) (SI = 30.1) and B/Florida/78/2015 (SI = 38.2). Comparably, the effectiveness was demonstrated against Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus type 2 (DENV2) with an SI of 22.5 and 24.1, respectively, namely broad-spectrum activity. Of note, the antiviral responses resulted from the common replication mechanism between IAV, ZIKV, and DENV2. The stimulation of apoptosis-mediated cellular immunity prevented the viral release and protected the host, suggesting that switching from necroptosis to apoptosis is a novel antiviral target. Although the specific compound affecting the antiviral activity was not identified, its promising efficacy with broad activity will contribute to developing a strategy for preventing future pandemics.

The increase in ecosystem biodiversity can be perceived as one of the universal processes converting energy into information across a wide range of living systems. This study delves into the dynamics of living systems, highlighting the distinction between ex-post adaptation, typically associated with natural selection, and its proactive counterpart, ex-ante adaptability. Through coalescence experiments using synthetic ecosystems, we (i) quantified an ecosystem stability, (ii) identified correlations between species richness and the stability, (iii) proposed a mechanism for increasing biodiversity through moderate inter-ecosystem interactions, and (iv) inferred that the information carrier of ecosystems is species composition, or merged genomic information. Additionally, we observed that (v) changes in ecosystems are constrained to a low-dimensional state space, with three distinct alteration trajectories—fluctuations, rapid environmental responses, and long-term changes—converging into this state space in common. These findings suggest that daily fluctuations may predict broader ecosystem changes. Our experimental insights, coupled with an exploration of living systems' information dynamics from an ecosystem perspective, enhance our predictive capabilities for natural ecosystem behavior, providing a universal framework for understanding a broad spectrum of living systems.

The western Himalayan region is a biodiversity hotspot. Although many of the flora and fauna are documented, there are very few studies of the fungal diversity. Here, we present the statistical analyses of the specimen collections from the past 150 years of data in the fungarium of the Forest Research Institute. We found that the host tree species, pine, oak, deodar, and spruce, had very high Shannon diversity (SD) and species richness (SR), while Dalbergia and Rhododendron showed moderate to low SD, SR; Sal, although found at lower altitudes has high SD, SR. Among the fungal families, the highest SD, SR was found in Polyporaceae. Hymenochaetaceae, Peniophoraceae, Coleosporiaceae, and Stereaceae also showed SD with moderate SR. Fomitopsidaceae, Cronartiaceae, Ganodermataceae, and Thelephoraceae have low species diversity and species. Thelesporaceae are distributed above 2000 m altitude, and Ganodermateceae and Hymenochaetaceae have broader ranges, namely 0 - 3500 m and 0 - 5000 m, respectively. The Polyporaceae show diverse variations in species distribution, occurring between 0 and 4500 m; Colesporaceae and Cronartiaceae around 2000 m; and, Stereaceae, Meruliaceae, Peniophoraceae, and Fomitopsidaceae occur between 1700 and 1800 m, with all Stereaceae and Fomitopsidaceae having different distribution ranges up to 5000 m. We found that areas with relatively low rainfall had lower species richness, and vice versa, and high solar radiation also negatively impacted fungal density and SR. Similar studies must be undertaken in other parts of the Himalayas, and the importance of fungi in ethnobotanical needs to be understood for ensuring sustainable use.

Measuring the status and trends of biodiversity is critical for making informed decisions about the conservation, management or restoration of species, habitats and ecosystems. Defining the reference state against which status and change are measured is essential. Typically, reference states describe historical conditions, yet historical conditions are challenging to quantify, may be difficult to falsify, and may no longer be an attainable target in a contemporary ecosystem. We have constructed a conceptual framework to help inform thinking and discussion around the philosophical underpinnings of reference states and guide their application. We characterise currently recognised historical reference states and describe them as Pre-Human, Indigenous Cultural, Pre-Intensification and Hybrid-Historical. We extend the conceptual framework to include contemporary reference states as an alternative theoretical perspective. The contemporary reference state framework is a major conceptual shift that focuses on current ecological patterns and identifies areas with higher biodiversity values, regardless of the disturbance history. The specific context for which we design the contemporary conceptual frame is underpinned by an overarching goal—to maximise biodiversity conservation and restoration outcomes in existing ecosystems. The contemporary reference state framework can account for the inherent differences in the diversity of biodiversity values (e.g., species richness, habitat complexity) across spatial scales, communities and ecosystems. In contrast to historical reference states, contemporary references states are measurable and falsifiable. This ‘road map of reference states’ offers perspective needed to define and assess the status and trends in biodiversity and habitats. Our framework for contemporary reference states provides a tractable way for policy-makers and practitioners to navigate biodiversity assessments to maximise conservation and restoration outcomes in contemporary ecosystems. We illustrate how to define a contemporary reference state using an example from south-eastern Australia.

This qualitative study explores the role of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) in optimizing inventory within the context of e-commerce. Through semi-structured interviews with e-commerce managers and supply chain experts, the study investigates the strategies, challenges, and outcomes associated with SRM practices. Key findings highlight the critical importance of strategic partnerships with suppliers, emphasizing trust, transparency, and goal alignment as foundational elements for effective SRM. Participants underscored the transformative impact of technological advancements, including advanced analytics and blockchain technology, in enhancing supply chain visibility, optimizing inventory levels, and improving operational agility. However, the study also identifies challenges in SRM implementation, such as cultural differences, regulatory compliance, and geographical distances, which require proactive management strategies. Innovation emerges as a key driver of competitive advantage in e-commerce, facilitated through collaborative R&D initiatives and co-innovation with suppliers. Strategic alignment with organizational goals is crucial for integrating SRM practices with broader business objectives, including operational efficiency and risk mitigation. Recommendations include adopting integrated SRM strategies that leverage technological innovations while maintaining a focus on relationship-building and sustainability. Enhanced supplier performance monitoring, proactive risk management, and the integration of sustainable practices are proposed to strengthen supplier relationships and enhance supply chain resilience. By addressing these insights, e-commerce firms can optimize inventory management, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth in the digital economy.

We propose a new estimator for creating expansion factors for survey plots in the USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis program. This is a regularized version of the raking estimator widely used in sample surveys. The regularized raking method differs from other predictive modeling methods for integrating survey and ancillary data in that it produces a single set of expansion factors that can have general purpose use to produce small area estimates and wall-to-wall maps of any plot characteristic. This method also differs from other more widely used survey techniques, such of GREG estimation, in that it is guaranteed to produce positive expansion factors. We extend the previous method here to include cross-validation, and provide a comparison to expansion factors between the regularized raking and ridge GREG survey calibration.

Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a primary contributor to the entanglement of numerous marine species. Utilizing digital media platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram we conducted an assessment of the detrimental effects of ALDFG and plastic litter, on the biodiversity of Italy's marine ecosystem. Our investigation revealed that plastic litter has adverse consequences on various forms of marine life, including reptiles, mammals, birds, fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, along different Italian geographical sub-areas. Several records of interaction between plastic and endangered and vulnerable marine species have been described. Our reports even highlight the impact on marine turtles, mainly on Caretta caretta. This is the first report of entangled with fishing nets in Cetorhinus maximus, Oblada melanura, Serranus scriba, Homarus gammarus, Octopus vulgaris, and Phoenicopterus roseus. Furthermore, we identified that ghost nets have repercussions for endangered and vulnerable marine species. This update sheds light on the ongoing adverse effects of ghost nets on the Italian marine ecosystem, yet it is crucial to acknowledge that the true extent of the problem remains underestimated.

This article delves into the pivotal role that biodiversity of soil microbes plays in bolstering tree health and overall agroecosystem productivity. With the advent of regenerative agricultural practices, there has been a resurgence of interest in understanding the complex interactions between soil microbiota and plant roots, particularly through processes like rhizophagy. Rhizophagy, the digestion of living root cells by soil microorganisms, stands out as a fundamental mechanism in nutrient cycling and overall tree vitality. By examining the impact of enhanced microbial diversity on tree health, we shed light on the practical applications, such as the utilization of the BEAM Inoculant product, which has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in augmenting soil health and, consequently, tree Vigor

Many tropical invasive species have allelopathic effects that contribute to their success in native plant communities. Pyrolyzed biomass (“biochar”) can sorb toxic compounds, including allelochemicals produced by invasive plants, potentially reducing their inhibitory effects on native species. Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum) is among the most important allelopathic invasive species in tropical islands and recognized as the most serious invasive species threat in the global biodiversity hotspot of Mauritius. We investigated the effects of additions of locally produced biochar on native tree species in a field experiment conducted in areas invaded by strawberry guava within Mauritius’ largest national park. Growth and survivorship of native tree species were monitored over 2 ½ years in plots subjected to four treatments: non-weeded, weeded, weeded + 25 t/ha biochar and weeded + 50 t/ha biochar. Native tree growth and survivorship were strongly suppressed by strawberry guava. Biochar treatments dramatically increased native tree performance, with more than a doubling in growth, and substantially increased native tree survivorship and species diversity, while suppressing strawberry guava regeneration, consistent with growth-promoting properties and sorption of allelochemicals. We conclude that biochars, including “sustainable biochars” produced from locally accessible biomass using low-tech pyrolysis systems, have considerable potential to counteract effects of allelopathic invaders and increase the capacity for native species regeneration in tropical island ecosystems.

Governance is one of the most essential instruments for environmental management. Biodiversity is in the core field of environmental governance. Yet environmental authorities are persistently challenged the loss of biodiversity as a very important global issue for several years due to high dependent exposure to risks. The study attempts to relook at the key governance tools that strengthen policies towards managing biodiversity within and around the national park’s survey in Moulvibazar district. The study showed that biodiversity related legislation amended was the highest in Bangladesh for the period of 2010 to 2016. The growth of policy instruments maximized at but in low environmental governance services within the same period. The study assessed that the existing environmental policy instrument is inadequate and sluggish for effective conservation, compared with several others governance tools and various performances are still below par. Governance knowledge is indispensable for biodiversity management but such knowledge is poorly identified. These results reflect the importance of effective governance for transparency that the State provides. The research is to represent a dynamic and adaptable framework that can be applied for collective governance relevant to policy integration, participation and enforcement in order to foster environmental conservation sustainability.

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

The presence and localization of plant metabolites are indicative of physiological processes, e.g., under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Further, the chemical composition of plant parts is related to their quality as food or for medicinal applications. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has become a popular analytical technique for exploring and visualizing the spatial distribution of plant molecules within a tissue. This review provides a summary of mass spectrometry methods used for mapping and identifying metabolites in plant tissues. We present the benefits and the disadvantages of both vacuum and ambient ionization methods, considering direct and indirect approaches. Finally, we discuss the current limitations in annotating and identifying molecules and perspectives for future investigations.

Biodiversity conservation is a key factor in meeting sustainable development goals. This is even more important in cities, where green spaces are becoming increasingly scarce. This study analyzes the Kinshasa's proliferating ornamental plant nurseries, known as informal horticultural sites (IHS). The analysis focused on characterizing the profile of horticulturists, their production conditions and the ornamental species produced. Fifteen IHSs were sampled using the "snowball" technique, and 178 horticulturists were surveyed. Based on the socio-professional profile of the horticulturists, five groups of IHS are distinguished after a hierarchical classification on principal components. We found that IHSs exclusively employed men, most of whom were new to the trade, from all levels of education, and most of whom ranged from 19 to 45 years old. Production conditions are relatively similar from one site to another. However, all IHS are characterized by permanent land insecurity, the use of phytosanitary products, plant conditioning methods that are not very diversified and calibrated to growers' investment capacities, and diversified seed acquisition methods. A total of 139 ornamental species, most of them exotic, were identified. Of these, 37% are phanerophytes and 24% are considered potentially invasive. We suggest ways of professionalizing the activity and protecting the urban environment.

The high incidence of psychopathologies recorded in today's human society, correlated with the high percentages of biodiversity loss, point to the need for an interdisciplinary approach of the scientific fields under study – Neurosciences and Biodiversity Conservation. Thus, our approach here pre-sents, in a synergistic manner, the significant correlation between mental health and the increased values of biodiversity in the ecosystems located in the immediate vicinity, especially those located in the middle of cities. Our approach aims to emphasize the importance of biodiversity conservation in the context of preserving mental health and general well-being. There are a series of recent ex-perimental demonstrations that outline the influence of natural elements on the human psyche and implicitly the effects of nature in the prevention and reduction of stress, anxiety and depression. And beyond the cognitive barriers of humanity in relating to the surrounding biodiversity must lie the desire to know the values of biodiversity and the absolute importance of its conservation. The sustainable relationship between man and living nature, seen as a complex of biodiversity, is dealt with by a branch of science called Human Ecology. Therefore, this study emphasizes the crucial need to know and respect the connection between man and nature, based, since time immemorial, on biophilia. And with the regression of ignorance and the correlated approach of several scientific fields, some at the intersection of humanities and natural sciences, one can observe the progress of preserving the dynamic balance within the ecosystems and implicitly the preservation of mental health and human well-being.

There is a sustained rise in incidence of cancer and toxicity related to chemicals exerting enormous burden to public health and biodiversity. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mong such contaminants, precisely the sixteen-priority characterized by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Therefore, this review is aimed at further elaboration about the 16 USEPA characterized PAHs and threat portend to public health and biodiversity. PAHs are a class of very stable organic pollutants produced most commonly, by incomplete combustion of fossil fuel and are formed when complex organic substances are exposed to heat. PAHs in great amount due to build up over time by bioaccumulation can be perilous: to human beings of all age and levels, aquatic organisms, amphibians and reptiles. The soil like the aquatic environment contains substantial quantity of PAHs since, atmospheric PAHs sediments on the soil due to dry and wet deposition, terrestrial organism are impacted if the soil is saturated with PAHs. Therefore, PAHs are a great source of trepidation for food safety, public health and biodiversity sustenance. Hence, tackling the spade of the menacing ubiquity of PAHs becomes necessary from its sources by encouragement of alternatives to petroleum fuels for machines and vehicles.

Questions: Elevation, biodiversity, and forest structure are commonly correlated, but their relationships near the positive extremes of biodiversity and elevation are unclear. We asked 1) How does forest structure vary with elevation in a high biodiversity, high topographic complexity region? 2) Does forest structure predict vascular plant biodiversity? 3) Is plant biodiversity more strongly related to elevation or to forest structure? Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USAMethods: We used terrestrial LiDAR scanning (TLS) to characterize vegetation structure in 12 forest plots. We combined two new canopy structural complexity metrics with traditional TLS-derived forest structural metrics and vascular plant biodiversity data to investigate correlations among forest structure metrics, biodiversity, and elevation. Results: Forest structure varied widely across plots spanning the elevational range of GRSM. Our new measures of canopy density (Depth) and structural complexity (σDepth) were sensitive to structural variations and effectively summarized horizontal and vertical dimensions of structural complexity. Vascular plant biodiversity was negatively correlated with elevation, and more strongly positively correlated with vegetation structure variables. Conclusions: The strong correlations we observed between canopy structural complexity and biodiversity suggest that structural complexity metrics could be used to assay plant biodiversity over large areas in concert with airborne and spaceborne platforms.

Digital transformation is revolutionizing inventory management practices within supply chains, offering unprecedented opportunities and challenges for businesses worldwide. This study explores the impact of digital technologies on inventory management, focusing on the adoption of IoT sensors, RFID tags, AI-driven analytics, and cloud-based systems. Through a qualitative research approach encompassing interviews with industry professionals and secondary data analysis, the study examines key themes including enhanced inventory visibility, improved accuracy, advanced demand forecasting, and streamlined supply chain collaboration. Findings reveal that digital technologies significantly enhance inventory visibility by providing real-time tracking and data integration capabilities. This facilitates accurate inventory monitoring and decision-making, reducing errors and optimizing inventory levels to meet fluctuating demand effectively. AI-driven analytics and machine learning models emerge as pivotal tools for predictive demand forecasting, enabling businesses to anticipate market trends and adjust inventory strategies accordingly. Additionally, cloud-based systems and electronic data interchange (EDI) foster improved communication and coordination among supply chain partners, enhancing overall operational efficiency. Despite these benefits, challenges such as system integration complexities, high implementation costs, data quality management, cybersecurity risks, and regulatory compliance issues are prevalent. Successful adoption of digital inventory management solutions requires strategic planning, investment in technology infrastructure, and organizational readiness to navigate these challenges effectively. This study contributes to the understanding of how digital transformation reshapes inventory management practices, offering insights for researchers and practitioners alike to leverage digital technologies for enhanced supply chain performance and competitive advantage

The aim of this paper is to examine the beneficial impact of feedback information in the dynamics of production-inventory control systems. Two production-inventory control system models are analyzed: APIOBPCS and 2APIOBPCS models. The simulation-based experiment designs were conducted by using the state-space equations of the two models. The bullwhip effect as measured by the variance ratio between the order rate and the consumption rate, and inventory responsiveness as measured by the Integral of Absolute Error between the actual and the target levels of inventory, are two metrics used to evaluate the performance of the production-inventory control system in response to a random customer demand. To ensure that both models work under optimal performance, multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is employed to address the problem of tuning the controller’s parameters. The simulation results show the 2APIOBPCS model outperforms the APIOBPCS model at achieving the desired bullwhip effect and being able to provide better inventory responsiveness. The improvement in the inventory responsiveness becomes more significant when the system operates under mismatched lead time and/or an initial condition.

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

DNA barcoding has emerged as a transformative tool in the realm of biodiversity assessment, facilitating rapid and precise species identification. This review article delves into the evolving landscape of DNA barcoding, with a particular focus on the emergence of mini-barcodes and alternative genes as innovative approaches. Traditional DNA barcoding, anchored in the COI gene, has significantly advanced our understanding of species diversity; however, inherent challenges persist, especially when dealing with degraded samples or taxonomic groups where COI falls short. The introduction of mini-barcodes, characterized by their reduced sequence length, has revolutionized DNA barcoding by expanding its applicability. We explore the utility of mini-barcodes in various scenarios, ranging from DNA extraction from ancient or fragmented specimens to in-field identification using portable sequencing technologies. Case studies and practical insights into their effectiveness are presented, emphasizing their role in overcoming traditional limitations. Alternative genes, a complementary facet of DNA barcoding, offer a novel avenue for enhancing taxonomic resolution and accuracy. This review showcases instances where researchers have harnessed alternative genes to overcome COI's constraints, particularly in diverse taxonomic groups, such as fungi, plants, and microorganisms. The selection of these genes is discussed, along with their potential to uncover hidden biodiversity and improve species delimitation. Examining the broader implications of mini-barcodes and alternative genes, we unveil their pivotal roles in advancing conservation efforts, forensic science, and citizen science initiatives. The adaptable nature of these approaches empowers a diverse range of stakeholders, from scientists conducting critical research to concerned citizens contributing to our collective understanding of the natural world. Looking ahead, we envision an exciting future for DNA barcoding, as these innovations continue to evolve. Integration with cutting-edge sequencing technologies, data analysis methods, and the harnessing of big data hold immense potential. Nonetheless, challenges related to standardization, scalability, and data sharing persist.

The ongoing exponential growth of human population poses a risk to sustainable development goals (SDGs). Unless we understand the drivers of this growth and inform policy development accordingly, SDGs would remain a dream. One of the old theories of population growth known as the Malthusian theory predicts that resource availability drives population growth to a certain time when population growth outrun resource availability, leading to all sort of crises known as Malthusian crisis. Although the link between economic growth and population has been widely investigated while testing the theory, little is known about environmental and social factors po-tentially driving population growth. Here, because of various crises of our time recalling the Malthusian crisis, we revisited the theory by fitting structural equation models to environmental, social and economic data collected over 30-year period in South Africa. None of the social varia-bles tested predicts population growth. Instead, we found that biodiversity (species protection index) correlates positively with population growth. Biodiversity provides various resources through ecosystem goods and services to human, thus supporting population growth as pre-dicted in the Malthusian theory. However, we also found that this population growth may lead to conservation conflict as we found that biodiversity habitat (wetland area) correlates negatively with population growth, thus raising the compromising effect of population growth on life on earth. What’s more, we found a significant link between economic growth measured as GDP and population growth, further supporting the Malthusian prediction. Overall, our study re-affirms the value of biodiversity to human and suggests that the Malthusian theory should continuously be tested with predictors other than economic.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognised for their potential to address both the climate and biodiversity crises. These outcomes are interdependent, and both rely on the capacity of NbS to support and enhance the health of an ecosystem: its biodiversity, the condition of its abiotic and biotic elements, and its capacity to function normally despite environmental change. However, while understanding of ecosystem health outcomes of nature-based interventions for climate change mitigation is growing, the outcomes of those implemented for adaptation remain poorly understood with evidence scattered across multiple disciplines. To address this, we conducted a systematic review of the outcomes of 109 nature-based interventions for climate change adaptation using 33 indicators of ecosystem health across eight broad categories (e.g. diversity, biomass, ecosystem functioning and population dynamics). We showed that 88% of interventions with positive outcomes for climate change adaptation also reported measurable benefits for ecosystem health. We also showed that interventions were associated with a 67% average increase in local species richness. All eight studies that reported benefits in terms of both climate change mitigation and adaptation also supported ecosystem health, leading to a triple win. However, there were also trade-offs, mainly for forest management and creation of novel ecosystems such as monoculture plantations of non-native species. Our review highlights two major limitations of research to date. First, only a limited selection of metrics are used to assess ecosystem health and these rarely include key aspects such as functional diversity and habitat connectivity. Second, taxonomic coverage is poor: 67% of outcomes assessed only plants and 57% did not distinguish between native and non-native species. Future research addressing these issues will allow the design and adaptive management of NbS to support healthy and resilient ecosystems, and thereby enhance their effectiveness for meeting both climate and biodiversity targets.

Global climate change requires urgent solutions. Ambitious tree-planting initiatives, many already underway, aim to sequester enormous quantities of carbon, partly compensating for the anthropogenic CO₂ emissions that are a major cause of rising global temperatures. However, poorly planned and executed tree-planting could actually increase CO₂ emissions and have long-term, deleterious impacts on biodiversity, landscapes and livelihoods. Here, we highlight the main environmental risks of large-scale tree planting and propose ten golden rules, based on some of the most recent ecological research, to implement forest ecosystem restoration that maximizes rates of both carbon sequestration and biodiversity recovery, while simultaneously improving livelihoods. These are: i) Protect existing forest first; ii) Work together (involving all stakeholders); iii) Maximize biodiversity recovery to meet multiple goals; iv) Select appropriate areas; v) Use natural regeneration wherever possible; vi) Select species to maximise biodiversity; vii) Use resilient plant material (with appropriate genetic variability and provenance); viii) Plan ahead for infrastructure, capacity and seed supply; ix) Learn by doing (using an adaptive management approach); and x) Make it pay (ensuring the economic sustainability of the project). We focus on the design of long-term strategies to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and support livelihood needs. We emphasize the role of local communities and their dependence on benefits from successful reforestation programmes that restore ecosystem functioning and deliver a diverse range of forest products and services. While there is no simple and universal recipe for forest restoration, it is now crucial to build on the public and private interest in this topic to ensure interventions provide effective, long-term carbon sinks and maximise benefits for biodiversity and people.

The Baculoviridae, a family of insect-specific large DNA viruses, is widely used in both biotechnology and biological control. Its applied value stems from millions of years of evolution influenced by interactions with their hosts and the environment. To understand how ecological interactions, have shaped baculovirus diversification, we reconstructed a robust molecular phylogeny using 217 complete genomes and ~580 isolates for which at least one of four lepidopteran core genes was available. We then used a phylogenetic-concept-based approach (mPTP) to delimit 165 baculovirus species, including 38 species derived from new genetic data. Phylogenetic optimization of ecological characters revealed a general pattern of host conservatism punctuated by occasional shifts between closely related hosts and major shifts between lepidopteran superfamilies. Moreover, we found significant phylogenetic conservatism between baculoviruses and the type of plant growth (woody or herbaceous) associated with their insect hosts. In addition, we found that colonization of new ecological niches sometimes led to viral radiation. These macroevolutionary patterns show that besides selection during the infection process, baculovirus diversification was influenced by tritrophic interactions, explained by their persistence on plants and interactions in the midgut during horizontal transmission. This complete eco-evolutionary framework highlights the potential innovations that could still be harnessed from the diversity of baculoviruses.

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

Researchers have asserted that, as patients rely on external powerful sources to control their disorders, in addition to their own internal powers and virtues, examining their coping mechanisms can lead to a better understanding of the initiation and progression of chronic diseases and uncover potential opportunities to balance and enhance their psycho-spiritual well-being and possibly their treatment and recovery. This review serves as a user’s manual for investigators who choose to use the CSI-SF to conduct their research on coping behaviors. The CSI-SF that measures four coping strategies based on 16 items was first assessed using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohort in 2007. The reliability and construct validity of the CSI-SF was also later assessed among hemodialysis patients across 13 countries. In this study, the CSI-SF was assessed to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring coping strategies. The CSI-SF serves the purpose of developing an inner voice that can assist with understanding how people cope with everyday life. The information gathered from administration of the CSI-SF can inform investigators about environmental cues and triggers that can also impact individual health.

This article deals with the queueing-inventory system, composed of c junior servers, a senior server, two finite waiting halls, and an infinite orbit. On occasion, junior servers encounter challenges during customer service. In these instances, they approach the senior server for guidance in resolving the issue. Suppose the senior server is engaged with another junior server. The approaching junior servers await their turn in a finite waiting area with a capacity of c for consultation. Concerning this, we study the performance of junior servers approaching the senior server in the retrial queueing-inventory model with the two finite waiting halls dedicated to the primary customers and the junior servers for consultation. We formulate a level-dependent QBD process and solve its steady-state probability vector using Neuts and Rao’s truncation method. The stability condition of the system is derived, and the R matrix is computed. Optimum total cost has been obtained, and sensitivity analyses, which include expected total cost, waiting time of customers in waiting hall and orbit, number of busy servers, and fraction of successful retrial rate of the model, are done numerically.

The mathematical modelling of reverse logistics inventory systems ignores that returned items may arrive out of sequence, i.e. with different number of remanufacturing times. Moreover, such modelling assumes that the retuned items may retain the same quality upon recovery regardless of how many times they have been previously remanufactured. This paper develops a new mathematical expression of the percentage of retuned items that can be remanufactured a finite number of times. The proposed expression is modelled as a function of the expected number of times an item can be remanufactured on its life cycle and the number of times an item can be technologically (or optimally) remanufactured based on its quality upon recovery. The model developed in this paper considers joint production and remanufacturing options. The return rate is a varying demand dependent rate, which is a decision variable with demand, product deterioration, manufacturing and remanufacturing rates being arbitrary functions of time. The model considers the initial inventory of returned items in the mathematical formulation, which enables decision makers to adjust all functions and input parameters for subsequent cycles. Illustrative examples indicate that dependent purchasing price of recovery items and the incorporation of remanufacturing investment cost significantly impact on the optimal remanufacturing policy.

Spontaneity and its connections to mental health and wellbeing are a central issue in both theory and practice of psychodrama, and the specialized literature sometimes even associates the presence of pathology to a lack of spontaneity. This paper describes spontaneity in Moreno's theory, its assessment, its association with other measures and concepts, and scientific advances in the field. Specifically, we present results obtained with the English and Portuguese-language versions concerning its assessment. The main purpose of this work was to study the spontaneity measure (SAI-R) in a 3 first-order factors version for a Portuguese sample of 719 subjects, divided into two independent samples. The participants were aged 18 to 69. The mean age of participants was 28.5 years (SD = 7.51), and ages ranged between 18 and 69 years. Data was collected through an online platform of a Portuguese market research company. The results revealed that the 3-factor model has acceptable validity when items 1 (“Creative”) and 7 (“Euphoric”), confirming the composite reliability, the convergent validity, but not the discriminant validity. Through multigroup analysis, the model showed to be stable. Notwithstanding the need for complementary studies, including clinical samples, the SAI-R is a short and valid instrument in clinical and non-clinical contexts when evaluating spontaneity.

Wildfires generate large amounts of atmospheric pollutants yearly. The development of an emissions inventory for this activity is a challenge today, mainly to perform modeling of air quality. There are free available databases with historical information about this source. The main goal of this study was to process the results of biomass burning emissions for the year 2014 from the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS). The pollutants studied were the black carbon, the organic carbon, fine and coarse particulate matter, respectively. The inputs were pre-formatted to enter to the simulation software of the emission inventory. In this case, the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) was used and the values obtained in various cities were analyzed. As a result, the spatial distribution of the forest fire emissions in the Southern Hemisphere was achieved, with the polar stereographic projection. The highest emissions were located in the African continent, followed by the northern region of Australia. Future air quality modeling at a local level could apply the results and the methodology of this study. The biomass burning emissions could add a better performance of the results and more knowledge on the effect of this source.

This study aimed to translate and validate the Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory (GNCI) in Greek, analyze the genomic knowledge of nurses in Crete, Greece, and explore potential factors that could affect it. This cross-sectional study included 324 nurses from public hospitals and primary care units between July and December 2022. The GNCI is a 31-item questionnaire that evaluates genomic nursing concepts, but it has not been translated and validated in Greek. The translation process included independent forward translations, reconciliation, and back-translation. To evaluate internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha was used, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine the fit of the model. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the associations between the demographic variables and GNCI scores. The internal consistency of the GNCI was acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.622). The CFA indicated that the one-factor model had an adequate fit (SRMR = 0.076, CD = 0.677, CFI = 0.744). The mean GNCI score was moderate (0.35±0.14). Regression analysis suggested that only gender could affect GNCI scores, with female nurses scoring higher than male nurses (p&gt;0.001). In conclusion, the Greek version of the GNCI is a reliable tool for assessing genomic knowledge among Greek nurses.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the Earth's surface temperature to rise. The main GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). Human activities are increasing GHG concentrations rapidly, which is causing global climate change. Global climate change is increasing environmental and public health problems. To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, identify where the emissions are coming from, develop a plan to reduce them, and then implement and monitor the plan to ensure that emissions are actually reduced. Anthropogenic global climate change has large and increasingly adverse economic effects. Cities emit the most GHGs due to fossil fuel burning and power usage. The four major GHG emitters are energy, transportation, waste management, and urban land use sectors. Organizations should prepare action plans to lower their GHG emissions and stop the worst consequences of climate change. These action plans require companies and local authorities to submit their GHG emissions reports on a yearly basis. A GHG emissions management system includes several processes and tools created by organizations to understand, measure, monitor, report, and validate their GHG emissions. Two of the most widely adapted frameworks for GHG inventory reporting are ISO 14064 and the GHG Protocol. This review paper aims to identify some of the key points of GHG inventory preparation and mitigation strategies.

Ambitious biodiversity goals to protect 30% or more of the Earth’s surface by 2030 (30x30) require strategic near-term targets. To define areas that must be protected to prevent the most likely and imminent extinctions, we propose Conservation Imperatives—16,825 unprotected sites harboring rare and threatened species and spanning ~164 Mha of the terrestrial realm. We estimate that protecting the Conservation Imperatives would cost approximately US$169 billion [90% probability: $146 — $228 billion]. Globally, 38% of the 16,825 sites are either adjacent to or within 2.5 km of an existing protected area, potentially reducing land acquisition and management costs. These sites should be prioritized for conservation action over the next five years as part of a broader strategy to expand the global protected area network. The expansion of global protected areas between 2018–2023 incorporated only 7% of sites harboring range-limited and threatened species, highlighting a renewed urgency to conserve these habitats. Permanently protecting only 0.74% of land found in the tropics, where Conservation Imperatives are concentrated, could prevent the majority of predicted near-term extinctions once adequately resourced. We estimate this cost to be US$29 billion to US$46 billion per year over the next five years. Multiple approaches will be required to meet long-term protection goals: providing rights and title to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) conserving traditional lands, government designation of new protected areas on federal and state lands, and land purchase or long-term leasing of privately held lands.

Leclère et al.¹ have outlined the possibility of a biodiversity transition for the 21^st century, a line of thinking equivalent to the Forest Transition theory and what it says about forest cover globally². The authors use a suite of global models to explore the impacts on global biodiversity of interventions on land-use, consumption and production patterns. They outline six strategies that have the potential to stop the downfall of global terrestrial biodiversity by 2050 and redress it to a pre-1970 level by 2100. Although robust, sophisticated and well-illustrated, the conclusions of this paper cannot alone be used to frame a post-2020 biodiversity strategy.