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

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

The rescue, digitisation, quality control, preservation and utilization of long and high quality meteorological and climate records, particularly related to historical marine data, are crucial for advancing our understanding of the Earth's climate system. In combination with land and air measurements, the historical marine records serve as foundational pillars in linking present and past weather and climate information, offering essential insights into natural climate variability, extreme events in marine areas, baseline data for assessing current changes, and inputs for en-hancing predictive climate models and reanalyses. This paper provides an overview of marine data rescue activities covering the past centuries, presents and highlights several ongoing projects across the world and how the data are used in an integrative and international framework. Current and future continuous efforts in data rescue, digitisation, quality control and the de-velopment of temporally high resolution meteorological and climatological observations from the Sea, will greatly help to further complete our understanding and knowledge of the Earth system including extremes, as well as improving the quality of reanalysis.

The history of health records (later also called medical records), including ones regarding individual patients, is thousands of years old. It finds it roots in the first ancient civilisations. Up until the 19^th century the records’ purpose was mainly an educational one. In the 19^th and 20^th century they started becoming significant in other roles as well, including those not strictly limited to medicine. In particular, to account for medical procedures, insurance proceeds or legal action. Currently we are living in a revolutionary era when it comes to health records, in which their character has changed from a “paper-based” to an electronic one. This paper presents the development of health records from the ancient to modern times, mainly in Europe and North America. Other cultures and civilisations, including China and India, are not discussed. An analysis of available sources was conducted, inter alia digital versions of manuscripts up to hundreds of years old. The analysis was based on PubMed and Google Scholar (several key words, all the available sources). Sources published in non-international languages (e.g. Dutch) were also investigated. Overall, approximately 600 articles were analysed, 158 of which were used and cited in this paper. The conclusions drawn from the analysis are as follows: (1) Health records, priorly used mostly for educational purposes, for about 100 years now have acquired a fully formal status. (2) We are currently facing the most revolutionary changes regarding the transformation of paper-based records into electronic ones. (3) The consequences of this process include systematic applications of solutions within the area of e-health, which allow us to make medical services more flexible, improve the health of individual patients and entire populations and potentially limit expenditure. (4) In the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, introducing electronic health records could be beneficial in terms of limiting the potential sources of contamination (physical copies of health records), saving time and resources, and improving the network of communication between medical centres.

Medical records contain many terms which are difficult to process. Our aim in this study is to allow the visual exploration of the information in medical databases where the texts presents a large number of syntactic variations and abbreviations, through an interface which facilitates content identification, navigation and information retrieval. We propose the use of multi-term tag clouds as content representation tools and as assistants for the browsing and querying tasks. The tag cloud generation is achieved through a novelty mathematical method that allows related terms to remain grouped together within the tags To evaluate this proposal, we have used a database with 24,481 records. 23 expert users in the medical field were tasked to complete a survey to evaluate the generated tag clouds properties and we obtained a precision of 0.990, a recall of 0.870 and a F1score of 0.904 in the evaluation of the tag cloud as an information retrieval tool. The main contribution of this approach is that we automatically generate a visual interface over the text capable of capturing the semantics of the information and facilitating access to medical records.

A U.S. government health agency conducted epidemiological studies to evaluate whether exposures to drinking water contaminated with volatile organic compounds at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were associated with increased health risks to children and adults. These health studies required knowledge of contaminant concentrations in drinking water—at monthly intervals—delivered to family housing, barracks, and other facilities within the study area. Because concentration data were limited or unavailable during much of the period of contamination (1950s–1985), the historical reconstruction process was used to quantify estimates of monthly mean contaminant-specific concentrations. This paper integrates many efforts, reports, and papers into a synthesis of the overall approach to, and results from, a drinking-water historical reconstruction study. Results show that at the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant (WTP) reconstructed (simulated) tetrachloroethylene (PCE) concentrations reached a maximum monthly average value of 183 micrograms per liter (ug/L) compared to a one-time maximum measured value of 215 ug/L and exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 5 ug/L during the period November 1957–February 1987. At the Hadnot Point WTP, reconstructed trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations reached a maximum monthly average value of 783 ug/L compared to a one-time maximum measured value of 1,400 ug/L during the period August 1953–December 1984. The Hadnot Point WTP also provided contaminated drinking water to the Holcomb Boulevard housing area continuously prior to June 1972, when the Holcomb Boulevard WTP came on line (maximum reconstructed TCE concentration of 32 ug/L) and intermittently during the period June 1972–February 1985 (maximum reconstructed TCE concentration of 66 ug/L). Applying the historical reconstruction process to quantify contaminant-specific monthly drinking-water concentrations is advantageous for epidemiological studies when compared to using the classical exposed versus unexposed approach.

Cartoons in the era of digital media are among the most prevalent medium of entertainment for the children, parents also encourage them to view such contents to engage the children which make an area need to be explained exhaustively by adopting new approaches. There are lot of studies in the past conducted to explain the impacts of the cartoons on the children however, it is remarkable fact that there is lack of the studies in the literature which directly address the observation about the above mentioned impacts in view of the teacher’s. This study deals with the educational, emotional, behavioral and Religious etc. impacts of cartoons on kids in view of teachers of the primary schools as they are considered as the one who can observer these impacts in a profound way. of the of Multan. Different areas of impacts have been analyzed in this study by using survey technique and analysis is conducted and presented in the teacher’s views in this study to examine what they feel that how cartoons are effecting the personalities of the children.

The latest developments in digital humanities have increasingly enabled the construction of large data sets which can easily be accessed and used. These data sets often contain indirect localisation information, such as historical addresses. Historical geocoding is the process of transforming the indirect localisation information to direct localisation that can be placed on a map, which enables spatial analysis and cross-referencing. Many efficient geocoders exist for current addresses, but they do not deal with temporal information and are usually based on a strict hierarchy (country, city, street, house number, etc.) that is hard, if not impossible, to use with historical data. Indeed, historical data are full of uncertainties (temporal, textual, positional accuracy, confidence in historical sources) that can not be ignored or entirely resolved. We propose an open source, open data, extensible solution for geocoding that is based on gazetteers composed of geohistorical objects extracted from historical topographical maps. Once the gazetteers are available, geocoding an historical address is a matter of finding the geohistorical object in the gazetteers that is the best match to the historical address searched by the user. The matching criteria are customisable and include several dimensions (fuzzy string, fuzzy temporal, level of detail, positional accuracy). As the goal is to facilitate historical work, we also propose web-based user interfaces that help geocode (one address or batch mode) and display over current or historical topographical maps, so that geocoding results can be checked and collaboratively edited. The system has been tested on the city of Paris, France, for the 19th and the 20th centuries. It shows high response rates and is fast enough to be used interactively.

The region of Eastern Europe & Turkey contributed to the SISAL (Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and AnaLysis) global database with stable carbon- and oxygen isotope time-series from 18 entities from 14 cave systems. The currently available oldest record from this region is the ABA-2 flowstone record (Abaliget Cave; Hungary) reaching back to MIS 6. The temporal distribution of the compiled 18 entities points out a ~20-kyr-long period, centering around 100 ka, lacking speleothem stable isotope record in the region. The regional subset of SISAL_v1 records displays a continuous coverage for the past ~90 kyr for both δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, with a mean temporal resolution of ~12 yr for the Holocene, and >50 yr for the pre-Holocene period. The highest temporal resolution both for the Holocene and the pre-Holocene was achieved in the So-1 record (Sofular Cave; Turkey). Assessing the data, an important split was found regarding the climatic interpretation of speleothem δ¹⁸O. While the oxygen isotope composition of more continental formations is thought to reflect mainly temperature variations and changes in moisture transport trajectories, it may strongly reflect fluctuations of precipitation amount in the southern part of the region. Variations of δ¹³C primarily interpreted as humidity changes reflecting dry/wet periods across the region. Elevation gradients from three non-overlapping time periods from the region - for the last 5kyr - indicated systematically prevailing elevational gradients around -0.26‰ 100m^-1 in δ¹⁸O. The regional comparison of SISAL_v1 speleothem δ¹⁸O and the temporal distribution of coarsely crystalline cryogenic cave carbonate occurrences back to 45ka does not appear to confirm the finding that occurrence of the latter coincides with the warming from stadial to interstadial conditions.

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

In recent years, many libraries and archives have started digitizing their collections thus making maps by Indigenous peoples more easily available for scholars to study. While a number of these maps were discussed by G. Malcolm Lewis in the History of Cartography series (volume 2, book 3, Chapter 4: 1984), more have since been found and disseminated. These maps are critical in understanding the historic and current land tenure of Indigenous groups. Further, Indigenous claims to land can be seen in their connections via toponymy. European concepts of territory and political boundaries did not coincide with First Nation/American Indian views resulting in the mistaken view that Natives did not have formal concepts of their territories. Further, Tribes/First Nations with cross-border territory have special jurisdictional problems. This paper will illustrate how many Native residents were very spatially cognizant of their own lands, as well as neighboring nations’ lands, overlaps between groups, hunting territories, populations, and trade networks. Currently, the Sinixt First Nation provides a perfect example of how an Aboriginal people are inputting and using a GIS representation of their territory with proper toponymy and use areas.

Ever since the virus was discovered in the 80s of the 19th century, plant viruses had a great impression within the field of plant pathology. In this book we trace the growth in the research on plant viruses beginning from traditional era (1882-1900) in which a new pathogen was discovered other than fungi and bacteria, later known as virus; biological era (1900-2000) in which the mode of spread and relationship of the virus with its vector was understood; biochemical/biophysical era (1930-1968) that marked the basis of virus purification and chemical characterization; molecular era of plant virology (1943-1995) in which establishment, progression & transmission of plant viruses was described within the host at molecular details ; era of viral molecular genetics (1980–2000), in which a significant role was played by the plant virologists to understand the position and function of genes, methods of viral gene cloning, gene silencing and other viral genome associated properties ; era of plant viral diagnostics (1980 – 2021) which led to rapid, specific and sensitive detection of plant viruses.

Viral variant analysis is a bedrock of the disease surveillance. When combined with temporospatial analysis variant analysis can further the knowledge of disease spread in a study area. This paper suggests a method to perform the analysis in an operational setting which will allow for real-time surveillance of viral variants and allow local public health professionals to rapidly respond to changes in the evolution of the disease. This method includes three main subprocesses: preprocessing, analysis, and rendering. This method can be performed across multiple software platforms. A use case is given in which it was found that this method helped a hospital system understand the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Northeast, Ohio.

This article reports a protocol on the application of Amp-TB2 (single-amphibole ther-mobarometry; [1]) based on detailed electron microprobe analyses performed on homogeneous natural standards and synthetic glasses, and amphibole crystals (mostly phenocrysts) of volcanic products erupted by Bezymianny volcano during its activity through time. The application of this protocol is facilitated by a new version of the model (Amp-TB2.1.xlsx) including an equation to identify heterogeneous domains (disequilibrium; not suitable for thermobarometric constraints) and homogenous (equilibrium) zones within amphibole crystals, which can be used to quantify the physico-chemical parameters (i.e., pressure, P; temperature, T; volatile content in the melt, H2Omelt; oxygen fugacity, fO2) of “steady-state” magmatic crystallization. Application examples of the protocol, showing detailed core-rim microprobe data and physico-chemical parameter variations in representative amphibole phenocrysts of Bezymianny are also reported. The depth (and P) estimated by Amp-TB2.1 for this volcano are compared to seismic tomography results. Amp-TB2.1 results mainly shows (1) that Bezymianny is characterized by a very dynamic feeding system where the magma is stored at shallow crustal levels before recent activity periods characterized by climatic events and (2) that the pre-eruptive depth of magma storage generally increases with the age of the investigated products.

This literature review was aimed to identifying the opportunistic bacterial pathogens that can be transmitted by contaminated food and represent a current threat for patients particularly suscep-tible to infections because of underlying conditions or predisposing factors. The analysis was focused on recent case or outbreak reports, and systematic reviews published in years 2019 - 2023 and resulted in sorting 24 bacterial groups comprising genera or species able to cause a variety of systemic or invasive infections if ingested with food or drinking water. These included both bacteria known to cause mild infections in immunocompetent persons and bacteria considered innocuous that are used in food fermentation or as probiotics. No recent cases from dietary routes were reported for bacteria of critical importance as nosocomial pathogens and widely occurring in food products, primarily, Acinetobacter baumanii and Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, the very first sources of their introduction in the clinical environment still need to be estab-lished. In many instances, risky dietary habits such as eating raw fish, seafood, raw meat, unpasteurized milk and derived products or the lack of control on fermentation processes led to the reported illnesses, pointing out to the necessity to improve the hygiene of production and consumer’s awareness of risks.

Seven human coronaviruses (hCoVs) are known to infect humans. The most recent one, SARS-CoV-2, was isolated and identified in January 2020 from a patient presenting with severe respiratory illness in Wuhan, China. Even though viral coinfections have the potential to influence the resultant disease pattern in the host, very few studies have looked at the disease outcomes in patients infected with both HIV and hCoVs. Groups are now reporting that even though HIV-positive patients can be infected with hCoVs, the likelihood of developing severe CoV-related diseases in these patients is often similar to what is seen in the general population. This review aimed to summarize the current knowledge of coinfections reported for HIV and hCoVs. Moreover, based on the available data, this review aimed to theorize why HIV-positive patients do not frequently develop severe CoV-related diseases.

A Global Historical Megatsunami Catalog (GHMCat) is presented, including all the events documented to date. The oldest event is from 1674 the Santorini event, ~3600 BP, is considered a particular case, and the most recent is from 2020. Although there is no formal definition of the term megatsunami, it is usually associated to the maximum height or runup reached by the waves when hitting the coast. Here we adopt this criterion and define a megatsunami when the wave reaches a height of 40 m or more. The catalog is initially based on tsunamis that meet this condition from the two existing Global Historical Tsunami Databases (GHTDs). Then, each of the events have been researched for its available references including earliest in order to verify the data, mainly on the maximum height of the waves and their causes. After a comprehensive review of published or on-line literature on historical tsunamis, including regional and local catalogs, papers, books, studies, reports and other available references, some of the oldest events have been ruled out. On the other hand, the literature review has also led to include in the catalog some new megatsunamis not included in the GHTDs. The global catalog contains 37 events from 1674 to 2023, 11 of which are either not included in the GHTDs or included with (erroneous) wave heights <40 m. All of them are described and characterized as far as can be gathered within the limitations of the scope of a global catalog and the available information on each historical case. The analysis of recorded historical megatsunamis shows that virtually all have been originated by large landslides, most of them subaerial landslides, with an unusual frequency of events in certain glaciated areas of Alaska and Norway, mainly in the first decades of the 20th century. In contrast, it is worth noting the small number of megatsunamis caused by submarine landslides or associated with volcanic explosions.

The cannabis plant has been known for millennia for its properties such as textile fiber, food, recreational and medicinal use. Since the origin of its domestication in Asia, cannabis has been transported to the rest of the continents by merchants, nomads, settlers, and slaves, who have also carried with them valuable knowledge about its uses. Its medical use was one of the major contributions of this plant in the various civilizations through which it passed. This article aims to understand its origins, dissemination, and medical use over the years to the present day.

Amid the covid-19 pandemic, other diseases, including viruses, are still acting to the detriment of their seasonality and risk factors for contagion. For this reason, it is interesting to know the degree of impact of other viruses, mainly respiratory, in which they have similar symptoms, in diagnoses for contamination by the new coronavirus based on epidemiological surveys, via epidemiological weeks, in Brazil. To what extent there may be a hypothesis of confusion of contaminated data, harming the health system, with regard to the need for intensive care units and control of viruses, and negatively or positively implying in the control or uncontrolling of viruses in general.

History learning is often regarded as something that is considered unimportant and boring to be taught in the modern era like now. The existence of history learning itself is still important enough to be studied in the 21st century with all its benefits and uses. One of the uses of history is as a reasoning education. The research questions are how do we take advantage of history learning as reasoning and critical thinking education in the 21st century and how the usage of new media can make historical learning looks more interesting. The method used in this article is literature review with data obtained and analyzed from several journals and research results related to history learning and reasoning education, especially forms of critical thinking in the 21st century. From the results of the research, it was found that there was a link between learning history and its relation as a form of critical thinking in the 21st century, in several ways, such as teaching history based on historical thinking, and the usage of new media in history learning.

Historical city textures are living history embodying public open spaces of former civilizations, their landscapes and traditional life cultures, carrying them to the present and giving them life. The squares, which form the public open spaces, have been important meeting centers in the social lives of people. City furniture are the important elements in these public open spaces, reflecting the identity of the city and improving quality of life. City furniture improve the reflection of cultural value in historical city textures and their usability. The walled city center, where the historical city texture of Nicosia lies, has a very rich historical texture with the cultural heritage of various civilizations in the history of Cyprus. Public open spaces within the texture, which have acquired the quality of squares with their functions throughout the social history of Nicosia, are still important social spaces for the people of the city. This study analyzed Asmaaltı and Selimiye Squares, two important spaces of the walled city, through examining the city furniture in terms of their material, shape, and functionality, and their conformity with the historical texture. Their deficiencies and nonconformities with the historical texture were identified accordingly. In consideration with such examples, city furniture in historical city textures were assessed for their conformity with the texture characteristics, architectural styles, social, cultural, and economical characteristics, and relevant recommendations are presented respectively.

Tarihi kent dokuları, eski uygarlıkların kamusal açık alanlarını, peyzajlarını ve geleneksel yaşam kültürlerini bünyesinde barındıran, günümüze taşıyan ve yaşatan yaşayan bir tarihtir. Kamusal açık alanları oluşturan meydanlar, insanların sosyal yaşamlarında önemli buluşma merkezleri olmuştur. Kent mobilyaları bu kamusal açık alanlarda kentin kimliğini yansıtan ve yaşam kalitesini artıran önemli unsurlardır. Kent mobilyaları, kültürel değerlerin tarihi kent dokularına yansımasını ve kullanılabilirliğini artırır. Lefkoşa'nın tarihi kent dokusunun yattığı Suriçi kent merkezi, Kıbrıs tarihindeki çeşitli uygarlıkların kültürel mirası ile oldukça zengin bir tarihi dokuya sahiptir. Doku içinde kamusal açık alanlar, Lefkoşa'nın sosyal tarihi boyunca işlevleriyle meydan niteliği kazanan meydanlar, kent insanı için halen önemli sosyal mekanlardır. Bu çalışmada, Suriçi kentin iki önemli mekanı olan Asmaaltı ve Selimiye Meydanları, kent mobilyaları malzeme, biçim, işlevsellik ve tarihi dokuya uygunluk açısından incelenerek incelenmiştir. Buna göre eksiklikleri ve tarihi dokuya uymayanları tespit edilmiştir. Bu örnekler ışığında tarihi kent dokularındaki kent mobilyalarının doku özellikleri, mimari üsluplar, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik özelliklerle uygunluğu değerlendirilmiş ve öneriler sunulmuştur. kentliler için hala önemli sosyal mekanlardır. Bu çalışmada, Suriçi kentin iki önemli mekanı olan Asmaaltı ve Selimiye Meydanları, kent mobilyaları malzeme, biçim, işlevsellik ve tarihi dokuya uygunluk açısından incelenerek incelenmiştir. Buna göre eksiklikleri ve tarihi dokuya uymayanları tespit edilmiştir. Bu örnekler ışığında tarihi kent dokularındaki kent mobilyalarının doku özellikleri, mimari üsluplar, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik özelliklerle uygunluğu değerlendirilmiş ve öneriler sunulmuştur. kentliler için hala önemli sosyal mekanlardır. Bu çalışmada, Suriçi kentin iki önemli mekanı olan Asmaaltı ve Selimiye Meydanları, kent mobilyaları malzeme, biçim, işlevsellik ve tarihi dokuya uygunluk açısından incelenerek incelenmiştir. Buna göre eksiklikleri ve tarihi dokuya uymayanları tespit edilmiştir. Bu örnekler ışığında tarihi kent dokularındaki kent mobilyalarının doku özellikleri, mimari üsluplar, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik özelliklerle uygunluğu değerlendirilmiş ve öneriler sunulmuştur. ve tarihi dokuya uygunluğu. Buna göre eksiklikleri ve tarihi dokuya uymayanları tespit edilmiştir. Bu örnekler ışığında tarihi kent dokularındaki kent mobilyalarının doku özellikleri, mimari üsluplar, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik özelliklerle uygunluğu değerlendirilmiş ve öneriler sunulmuştur. ve tarihi dokuya uygunluğu. Buna göre eksiklikleri ve tarihi dokuya uymayanları tespit edilmiştir. Bu örnekler ışığında tarihi kent dokularındaki kent mobilyalarının doku özellikleri, mimari üsluplar, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik özelliklerle uygunluğu değerlendirilmiş ve öneriler sunulmuştur.

In Mozambique, the aflatoxin research started in 1960’s and has been carried through apparently unrelated efforts according to opportunities. However, there was a major trend divided in early epidemiological studies and recent agricultural research. Early investigators found strong correlation between aflatoxin contamination and primary liver cancer. Since then, there have been efforts to analyze the extent of contamination, especially in groundnuts and maize. More recent investigation and intervention aimed mostly to reduce the level of contamination enough to allow such commodities to gain acceptance in the international market. The current status of knowledge is still marginal but the increasing involvement of local authorities, academia and international organizations seems promising.

The location of Israel at the junction of three continents leads to a unique faunal combination of Palearctic and Afrotropic zoogeographic origins. Following systematic revisions over the past sixty years and the discovery of new species, the only available key to the pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) of Israel (Beier 1963) has become outdated. We provide here an up-to-date checklist of the pseudoscorpion species of Israel including distribution maps, and the first illustrated identification key of the Israeli fauna based on morphological characters. Prior to our study this fauna comprised twelve families, 26 genera and 52 morphospecies, including several “subspecies”. We increase this number and list 61 pseudoscorpion morphospecies that belong to 28 genera and fourteen families. Most species are Palearctic and Mediterranean, and only a few are Afrotropic. Two families new to Israel are reported here for the first time: Syarinidae and Cheiridiidae. Both families are cosmopolitan and have representatives in the Mediterranean region. The putative new species are presented here at a genus level and will be described separately elsewhere.

Financial markets require a great deal of decision making from the investors and market makers. One metric that can help ease the process of decision making is investment risk which can be measured in two parts; systematic risk and idiosyncratic risk. Clear understanding of the volatilities in each risk component can be a powerful signal in recognizing the right assets to maximize the investment returns. In this paper, we focus on the idiosyncratic volatility values and pre-calculate the idiosyncratic volatility values for 31,198 members of NYSE, Amex and Nasdaq markets for the trades occurring between January 1963 and December 2019. Utilizing a subset of dataset, limited to Nasdaq100 index, we consider the application of machine learning techniques in predicting the idiosyncratic volatility values using the raw trade data to explore a data extension option for the future market trade records that have not yet occurred. We offer a deep learning based regression model and compare it with traditional tree-based methods on a small subset of our per-calculated idiosyncratic volatility dataset. Our analytical results show that the performance of the deep learning techniques is much more robust in comparison to that of the traditional tree-based baselines.

Nanocelluloses have gained significant attention in recent years due to singular properties (good biocompatibility, high optical transparency and mechanical strength, large specific surface area and good film-forming ability) and wide-ranging applications (paper, food packaging, textiles, electronics and biomedical). This article is a comprehensive review of nanocelluloses from the preparation methods to their applications in conservation and restoration of historical paper documents. The novelty lies in the information collected about nanocelluloses as renewable, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials in the field of preservation of cultural heritage as an alternative to conventional methods. Several studies have demonstrated that nanocelluloses, with or without other particles, impart to the paper documents excellent optical and mechanical properties, very good stability against temperature and humidity aging, stronger antibacterial and antifungal activity, high protection to UV light and do not require additional adhesive.

Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives and include trans-retinoic acid, isotretinoin, tamibarotene, and bexarotene, all of which are currently available for clinical use. The clinical development of retinoid therapy for neuroblastoma has a history spanning more than four decades. The most promising agent is isotretinoin, which can contribute to improving event-free survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma by approximately 10 % when administered over six months as maintenance therapy. Although isotretinoin is regarded as an essential component in the standard clinical management of high-risk neuroblastoma, its use for this purpose in the US and EU is off-label. To promote isotretinoin use in Japan as a treatment for neuroblastoma, our clinical research team is planning to launch an investigator-initiated, registration-directed clinical trial. The present review article discusses the basic science behind retinoid therapy, pre-clinical / clinical evidence on neuroblastoma, the concept of the proposed clinical trial, and prospects for this therapy.

What if oxygenic photosynthesis is a primordial process with roots at the origin of life? What would the impact of this change in perspective be on our understanding of the early Earth and of the emergence and diversification of life? In here, I will examine some of the historical context of the study of the evolution of photosynthesis, which led to the consolidation of the current notion that the origin of anoxygenic photosynthesis occurred before the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis. I will show with a few examples how the mainstream view on the evolution of photosynthesis traces back to Oparin’s ‘primordial soup’ scenario for the origin of life, fuelled by the century-old perception that oxygenic photosynthesis is a plant rather than a bacterial trait. However, it has become more evident than ever before that the mainstream view is not supported by the evolution of the photosystems. In other words, the origin of biological water oxidation appears to be the seed from where photosynthesis sprout. Somewhat troubling and contrary to all predictions that derive from the mainstream view, photosystem II—the water-splitting and oxygen-evolving enzyme—shows features that are better explained if photochemical reaction centres originated during the establishment of oxygenic photosynthesis. An urgent revision of the evolution of photosynthesis procured to be free from biases of interpretations and presuppositions is strongly encouraged from all angles of the Life and Earth Sciences.

History is part of the social sciences or humanities. In history, it studies events in the past which also determine what happens in the present and the future. With history, we can find out events and incidents in the past by reading books or by watching movies. Historical science provides many benefits for all circles. However, in this 21st century, which is a modern era, history is less desirable among millennials for various reasons. The purpose of writing this paper, the first is to find out what are the benefits of historical science in this millennial era, the second is to find out whether history is in demand or not among millennials, then what is the benefit of history in this millennial era. The third is to find a solution related to historical science learning so as not to be boring while maintaining its benefits. This research is to solve a common problem among millennials, namely whether millennials are interested in studying history and what can increase millennial interest in studying history. Researchers collect data to compile this paper with a qualitative method, which is to collect the latest journals for reference between 2019 and 2021 which are related to the urgency of 21st-century history for millennials. In addition, the researchers also looks for the latest data related to interest in studying historical science which is used to find out whether history is in demand or not among millennials. Thus, this research can find out what causes millennials to be less interested in history and find a solution, namely by using film media to increase millennial interest. This article is very useful in providing information about the urgency of learning history in the 21st century so that readers can use this article as material to conduct further research on this matter. As for this research, it has limitations, namely this research is only limited to millennials in relation to the urgency of historical science.

A remarkable, unquestioned assumption in studies measuring the association between national average Intellectual Quotients (IQ) and Gross Domestic Products (GDP) per capita is that a supposedly immutable genetic factor (IQ) may be correlated with a markedly fluctuant one (the wealth of nations). Using historical GDP per capita data produced by the Maddison project, we find that, over history, the (Pearson productmoment) correlation coefficient (r) between average IQ and GDP per capita is highly variable and ranges from strong negative values to strong positive values. The correlation between national IQ and GDP per capita is thus a snapshot of the world order at some point in time, and historical data allow us to identify several other eras. Moreover, global GDP at any point in time is never difficult to predict in the first place. We show that arbitrary ad-hoc scores based on a country’s continental location present a more significant correlation with contemporary GDP per capita. We conclude this paper by a call to clarify the purpose of IQ studies in Macroeconomics and for the consideration of GDP as a time-series in this line of research.

Based on comprehensible non-parametric methods, estimates of crucial parameters that characterise the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the German epidemic are presented. Where appropriate, the estimates for Germany are compared with the results for seven other countries (FR, IT, US, UK, ES, CH, BR) to get an idea of the breadth of applicability and a relational understanding. Thereby, only prevalence data of daily reported new counts of diagnosed cases and fatalities provided by the Johns Hopkins University are used. Drawing on uncertain a priori knowledge is avoided. Specifically, we present estimates resulting from delay-time correlations for the duration from diagnosis to death being 13 days for Germany and Switzerland. The delay-time correlation applied to time series from other countries exhibit less pronounced peaks suggesting high variabilities for the corresponding time-to-death durations. With respect to the German data, the two time series of new cases and fatalities exhibit a strong coherence within the frequency range of interest, which backs our findings. Furthermore, based on the knowledge of this time lag between diagnoses and deaths, properly delayed asymptotic as well as instantaneous fatality-case ratios are calculated having superiority compared to the commonly published case-fatality rate. The temporal median of the instantaneous fatality-case ratio with proper delay of 13-days between cases and deaths for Germany turns out to be 0.02. Time courses of asymptotic fatality-case ratios are presented for other countries which substantially differ during the first half of the pandemic, however, converge to a narrow range with standard deviation 0.57% and mean 2.4%. Additionally, the time courses of instantaneous fatality-case ratios with optimal delay for the 8 exemplarily chosen countries are calculated and compared by means of the temporal medians. Similarly to the asymptotic fatality-case ratios, the differences are much smaller than expected from mass media reports. The basic reproduction number, R₀, for Germany is estimated to be between 2.4 and 3.4. The uncertainty stems from uncertain knowledge of the generation time. A delay autocorrelation shows resonances at about 4 days and 7 days, where the latter resonance is at least partially attributable to the sampling process with weekly periodicity. The calculation of the basic reproduction number is based on an evaluation of cumulative numbers of cases yielding time-dependent doubling times as an intermediate step. This allows to infer to the reproduction number during the early phase of onset of the epidemic. In a second approach, the instantaneous reproduction number is derived from the incident (counts of new) cases and allows, in contrast to the first version, to infer to the temporal behaviour of the reproduction number during the later epidemic course. The time course of the reproduction number is compared to an alternative control measure given by the per capita growth, which largely confirms the conclusions drawn from the reproduction number. To conclude, by avoiding complicated parametric models we provide insights into basic features of the COVID-19 epidemic in an utmost transparent and comprehensible way. The perhaps most striking insight is that the fatality-case ratios do not differ between countries as much as previously suspected.

Background Increasingly, healthcare organizations are using technology for the efficient management of data. The aim of this study was to compare the data quality of digital records with the quality of the corresponding paper-based records by using data quality assessment framework. Methodology We conducted a desk review of paper-based and digital records over the study duration from April 2016 to July 2016 at six enrolled TB clinics. We input all data fields of the patient treatment (TB01) card into a spreadsheet-based template to undertake a field-to-field comparison of the shared fields between TB01 and digital data. Findings A total of 117 TB01 cards were prepared at six enrolled sites, whereas just 50% of the records (n=59; 59 out of 117 TB01 cards) were digitized. There were 1,239 comparable data fields, out of which 65% (n=803) were correctly matched between paper based and digital records. However, 35% of the data fields (n=436) had anomalies, either in paper-based records or in digital records. 1.9 data quality issues were calculated per digital patient record, whereas it was 2.1 issues per record for paper-based record. Based on the analysis of valid data quality issues, it was found that there were more data quality issues in paper-based records (n=123) than in digital records (n=110). Conclusion There were fewer data quality issues in digital records as compared to the corresponding paper-based records. Greater use of mobile data capture and continued use of the data quality assessment framework can deliver more meaningful information for decision making.

Monochromatic documents claim for much less computer bandwidth for network transmission and storage space than their color or even grayscale equivalent. The binarization of historical documents is far more complex than recent ones as paper aging, color, texture, translucidity, stains, back-to-front interference, kind and color of ink used in handwritting, printing process, digitalization process, etc. are some of the factors that affect binarization. This article presents a new binarization algorithm for historical documents. The new global filter proposed is performed in four steps: filtering the image using a bilateral filter, splitting image into the RGB components, decision-making for each RGB channel based on an adaptive binarization method inspired by Otsu's method with a choice of the threshold level, and classification of the binarized images to decide which of the RGB components best preserved the document information in the foreground. The quantitative and qualitative assessment made with 21 binarization algorithms in three sets of “real world” documents showed very good results.

Tiny by physical size, the State of Israel retains some of the world’s most important cultural treasures, along with many other great cultural institutions. Archeological treasures have yielded much information as far as biblical history and have been well adapted to a Zionist narrative by both the Jewish press and international news organizations, such as the New York Times whose archives are replete with reports of Jewish history being dug up by the Jewish people. Once the State of Israel gained independence in 1948, the course was set for the development of historical museums whose discourse would reflect the most significant events in Jewish history, most especially the Holocaust and the state of constant warfare that continues to imbue the cultural consciousness of its citizens. In this paper we outline, through categorization, the various historical museums, which are currently operating. Furthermore, this article hopes to shed some light upon the cultural sensibilities conveyed through these institutions.

A distinction is made between data rescue (i.e., copying, digitizing and archiving) and data recovery that implies deciphering, interpreting and transforming early instrumental readings and their metadata to obtain high-quality datasets in modern units. This requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes: palaeography and knowledge of Latin and other languages to read the handwritten logs and additional documents; history of science to interpret the original text, data e metadata within the cultural frame of the 17th, 18th and early 19th century; physics and technology to recognize bias of early instruments or calibrations, or to correct for observational bias; astronomy to calculate and transform the original time in canonical hours that started from twilight. The liquid-in-glass thermometer was invented in 1641 and the earliest temperature records started in 1654. Since then, different types of thermometers were invented, based on the thermal expansion of air or selected thermometric liquids with deviation from linearity. Reference points, thermometric scales, calibration methodologies were not comparable, and not always adequately described. Thermometers had various locations and exposures, e.g., indoor, outdoor, on windows, gardens or roofs, facing different directions. Readings were made only one or a few times a day, not necessarily respecting a precise time schedule: this bias is analysed for the most popular combinations of reading times. The time was based on sundials and local Sun, but the hours were counted starting from twilight. In 1789-90 Italy changed system and all cities counted hours from their lower culmination (i.e., local midnight), so that every city had its local time; in 1866, all the Italian cities followed the local time of Rome; in 1893, the whole Italy adopted the present-day system, based on the Coordinated Universal Time and the time zones. In 1873, when the International Meteorological Committee (IMO) was founded, later transformed in World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a standardization of instruments and observational protocols was established, and all data became fully comparable. In the early instrumental period, from 1654 to 1873, the comparison, correction and homogenization of records is quite difficult, mainly because of the scarcity or even absence of metadata. This paper deals about this confused situation, discussing the main problems, but also the methodologies to recognize missing metadata, distinguish indoor from outdoor readings; correct and transform early datasets in unknown or arbitrary units into modern units; finally, in which cases it is possible to reach the quality level required by WMO. The focus is to explain the methodology needed to recover early instrumental records, i.e., the operations that should be performed to interpret, correct, and transform the original raw data into a high-quality dataset of temperature, usable for climate studies.

How to achieve sustainable development and protection of historical district is a worthwhile research topic. As a vital way to update urban space, tourism development in historical district is an effective solution to redistribute urban functions and increase urban vitality. This paper takes the Insadong in South Korea as a case to carry out the evaluation of tourist satisfaction in historical districts. The research finds that: 1) The tourist satisfaction evaluation of Insadong includes 6 dimensions in total, namely “Embodiment of historical elements”, “The blend of tradition and modernity”, Industry distribution and type", "Consumer demand", "Street layout and function", "Landscaping". The most satisfying for tourists is "Landscaping", and the most dissatisfying is "Street layout and function". 2) “The blend of tradition and modernity” has the highest weight while “Industry distribution and type” has the lowest one in the analysis of influencing factors on overall satisfaction. 3) The analysis of the common factor weight and the common factor satisfaction shows that “The blend of tradition and modernity” and “Street layout and function” are the parts that need to be improved. “Consumer demand” also has a lot of room for promotion. The research results will benefit to enhance the tourist experiences of historical district and provide theoretical basis and practical experience reference for effective protection and sustainable development of historical district.

A large amount of data is produced every day by stakeholders of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, in particular airline operators, airports, and air navigation service provider (ANSP). Most data is kept private for many reasons, including commercial and security concerns. More than data, shared information is precious, as it leverages intelligent decision-making support tools designed to smooth daily operations. We present a framework to detect, identify and characterise anomalies in past aircraft trajectory data. It is based on an open source of ADS-B based aircraft trajectories, and extracted information can benefit a wide range of stakeholders: Air Traffic Control (ATC) training centres could play more realistic simulations; ANSP may improve capacity indicators; academics improve safety models and risk estimations; and commercial stakeholders, like airlines and airports, may use such information to improve short-term predictions and optimise their operations. The technique is based on autoencoding artificial neural networks applied on flows of trajectories, which provide a useful reading grid associating cluster analysis with quantified level of abnormality. In particular, we find that the highest anomaly scores correspond to poor weather conditions, whereas anomalies with a lower score relate to ATC tactical actions.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment, defined as an interdisciplinary assessment and development of an overall plan of treatment and follow-up, has become a fundamental part of clinical geriatric care. Since the 1970s, the Veterans Administration has encouraged the development of geriatric evaluation and management programs. Evolution of geriatric evaluation and management has occurred over time and many VA medical centers have transferred inpatient geriatric evaluation programs to long-term care Community Living Centers (CLC) and outpatient settings. Availability of resources and trained personnel across the continuum of care as well as administrative facilitation of collaboration between care components are critical to the efficient utilization of geriatric services. Facilities may need to prioritize their resources and utilize the most effective and relevant elements of geriatric evaluation and management according to patient population needs, available space, resources, and institutional priorities.

Historically, Physalis physalis massive stranding events have been infrequent and poorly documented. However, their occurrence can have significant impacts on human health and the stability of coastal ecosystems. In this study we analyze the largest P. physalis stranding event historically recorded affected Cuba’s northwestern coast in December 2022. We counted all colonies during the massive event along ~ 3 km coast, within a 5 m stripe. Density, dimorphic form (left/right-handed), and colony size were quantified using 0.25 m2 quadrat placed every 50 m, 10 m from shoreline. Eighty-five people were stung, with 38 having strong allergic reactions, resulting in a health risk. Over ten thousand colonies were recorded, with the highest mean colony density (29.3 per m2) ever reported. The massive stranding coincided with the lowest Arctic Oscillation index (-2.59) in the past 11 years during December, likely linked to climate change. This led to the emergence of northeasterly winds reaching speeds of up to 24 km/h. Wind direction and speed, coupled with the dominance of left-handed colonies (71.4%), suggest the Sargasso Sea as the possible source of the bloom. The high prevalence of juvenile P. physalis colonies (68 %) likely aligns with the autumn breeding season in the northern hemisphere. The potential causes of P. physalis blooms are still poorly understood. Systematic monitoring of the distribution and abundance of this species should be a research priority considering the potential risk to human health and that the blooms could become more frequent and affect other areas in the Atlantic, given climate change and increasing eutrophication of the oceans.

The long-term resilience of Pyrenean forests in the face of historical anthropogenic clearing remains largely unknown. The palynological study of the varved sediments from a mid-elevation (1027 m) karstic lake provides a high-resolution record of three major century-scale deforestation/recovery (DR) cycles that occurred in the last two millennia, during Roman, Medieval and Modern times. Each DR cycle is characterized considering three different levels: overall forest trends, by forest type and by individual taxa. Overall, the studied forests exhibited high resilience, as they recovered almost completely after each deforestation event (bulk resilience). The critical point of no return (tipping point) beyond which forests would have irreversibly disappeared from the region was never reached, even after deforestation magnitudes above 60%. The different forest types identified (conifer, sclerophyll and deciduous) persisted over time, showing similar heterogeneous patterns with minor spatial reorganizations (mosaic resilience). Individually, the main forest taxa underwent minor variations in their relative abundances, always within the same attraction domains (community resilience). The high levels of resilience documented in these Pyrenean forests are attributed to the action of metapopulation and metacommunity processes and mechanisms in a highly dynamic patchy environment. Conservation actions should be focused on the maintenance of these spatial patterns and the associated ecological dynamics.

This article aims to examine the concept of historical thinking by looking at the development of historical learning from colonialism to reformation, as well as some examples of innovations in history learning through technology media. The development of history learning in Indonesia has a long story from the colonialism era to the reformation that changed from time to time. However, changes and reforms in the education system do not make students more interested in history. The 21st century, known as the digital century, makes students' attention more focused on the present and the development of the times. Therefore, there are many innovations that are in line with technological media to support and maintain history learning in this era. The question from this research is how is history learning not favored by students when technological innovations to support this learning have developed? By using the literature review method and a qualitative approach, this article provides a new perspective through existing data. Because innovation cannot run effectively before it is accompanied by historical thinking, so the results of the research are historical thinking must be instilled from the start to support innovations that develop and attract students' interest. Based on the study, it is recommended that have historical thinking to further optimize technology develops innovation more effectively and ask for more interest in history. Keywords: 21st Century, Historical Development, Paradigm

We assemble a set of methodologies using theories in variationist linguistic and GIScience, and tools used in historical GIS to analyse spatial variation in Japanese dialectal lexicon. Based on historical dialect atlas data, we calculate a linguistic distance matrix across survey localities. The linguistic variation expressed through this distance is contrasted with several distance based measurements utilised to estimate the potential of language contact across Japan historically and at present. Besides, administrative boundaries are tested for their separation effect. Aggregate association measures within linguistic variation can challenge previous notions of dialect area formation. Depending on local geographies in spatial subsets, great circle distance, travel distance and travel times explain a similar proportion of the variance in dialectal variation despite the limitations of the latter two. While they explain the majority, two further contact estimations have lower explanatory power: least cost paths implemented to model contact before the industrial revolution, based on DEM and seafaring, and a linguistic influence index based on the law of gravity. Historical domain boundaries and present day prefecture boundaries are found to have a substantial effect on dialectal variation. However, the interplay of boundaries and distance is yet to be identified. We claim that a similar methodology can address spatial variation in other digital humanities, given a similar spatial and attribute granularity.

The healthcare domain is increasingly adopting IoT and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, generating vast volumes of healthcare data. This shift is driven by the growing need of delivering the right information to the right individuals, at the right time. The latter underscores the importance of adopting a comprehensive strategy for efficiently collecting, utilizing, and analyzing health-related data to not only enhance overall healthcare management but also for the provision of timely and personalized prevention strategies. The latter is of highest importance especially in scenarios where lack of effective treatments or poor survival rates (such in pancreatic cancer) renders typical healthcare strategies ineffective. In this article, we introduce an innovative and integrated platform that is specifically designed and developed for accessing, processing, and analyzing data in challenging healthcare scenarios, such as dealing with pancreatic cancer. This platform, called iHelp, combines multidisciplinary technologies and provides healthcare professionals reliable risk modelling, analysis, and prediction techniques so that individuals (at risk of developing pancreatic cancer) can be provided with timely, reliable, and personalized prevention and intervention measures. A key innovation in the iHelp platform is the standardized data management approach called Holistic Health Records (HHRs) that facilitate the capturing of all health determinants in a standardized and well-structured way for processing towards the provision of health risk detection and personalized healthcare decision support. In the development of iHelp platform, the HHRs are evaluated through different real-world healthcare datasets, including datasets coming from hospital systems, data from wearables, questionnaires, and mobile applications.

Farming systems prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa are exposed and vulnerable to climate change due to their high dependence on rainfall. However, most studies have only estimated the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity at a regional or national level. We add to this literature by focussing on the sub-national impacts. This study uses 30 years (1981–2011) of yield and weather data in Zambia and applies the Just and Pope model to determine how rainfall and temperature affect yield and yield variability of maize and beans at the national and subnational levels. Results show a negative impact of temperature rise on yield and a positive impact of rainfall rise on yield, above the current mean levels. These results differ by agro-ecological region. Worst-case-scenario predicted impacts using HadGEM-ES2 global circulation model show that major yield decreases (25% for maize and 34% for beans) by 2050 will be in region II and will be driven mainly by temperature increase offsetting the positive gains from rainfall increase. The model mainly under-predicts yield for maize and overpredicts yield for beans. These findings call for agro-ecological region-specific adaptation strategies and well-planned policy interventions to make agriculture more resilient to climate change.

Lead-210 from natural atmospheric fallout is widely used in multidisciplinary studies to date recent sediments. Some of the ²¹⁰Pb-based dating models can produce historical records of sediment accumulation rates (SAR) and initial activity concentrations ( ). The former have been profusely used to track past changes in the sedimentary conditions. Both physical magnitudes are differently affected by model errors (those arising for the partial or null accomplishment of some model assumptions). This work is aimed at assessing the effects on SAR and of model errors in the CRS, CS, PLUM and TERESA dating models, due to random variability in ²¹⁰Pb fluxes, which is a usual sedimentary condition. Synthetic cores are used as virtual laboratories for this goal. Independently of the model choice, SARs are largely affected by model errors, resulting in some large and spurious deviations from the true values. This questions their general use for tracking past environmental changes. are less sensitive to model errors and their trends of change with time may reflect real changes in sedimentary conditions, as it is shown with some real cores from varved sediments.

Forest vegetation plays a key role in the cycling of mercury (Hg) and organic matter (OM) in terrestrial ecosystems. Litterfall has been indicated as the major transport vector of atmospheric Hg to forest soils, which is eventually transported and stored in the sediments of forest lakes. Hence, it is important to understand how changes in forest vegetation affect Hg in soil and its biogeochemical cycling in lake systems. We investigated the pollen records and the geochemical compositions of sediments from two lakes (Schurmsee and Glaswaldsee) in the Black Forest (Germany) to evaluate whether long-term shifts in forest vegetation induced by climate or land use influenced Hg accumulation in the lakes. We were particularly interested to determine whether coniferous forests were associated with a larger export of Hg to aquatic systems than deciduous forests. Principal components analysis followed by principal component regression enabled us to describe the evolution of the weight of the latent processes determining the accumulation of Hg over time. Our results emphasize that the in-lake uptake of Hg during warm climate periods, soil erosion after deforestation and emissions from mining and other human activities triggered changes in Hg accumulation during the Holocene stronger than the changes caused by forest vegetation alone.

The classification of kidney tumors has undergone a remarkable evolution since the early 19th century, reflecting advances in medical science and technology. This historical overview traces the development of renal tumor classification, beginning with early clinical observations and macroscopic descriptions to the integration of molecular diagnostics in contemporary classifications. The establishment of international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) facilitated collaboration and standardization in tumor classification, leading to refined classifications and standardized nomenclature. Advancements in histological and molecular studies, particularly genetic analyses, revolutionized the understanding of renal cell carcinomas, enabling precise categorization based on molecular characteristics. The journey from rudimentary classifications to sophisticated systems based on detailed histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular criteria underscores the continuous evolution of kidney tumor classification. This article provides a comprehensive overview of this evolution, highlighting the contributions of scholars and the impact of technological advancements on our understanding and management of kidney tumors.

Aymaraism, as a socio-cultural phenomenon, has given rise to components and elements of representativeness in the population of the Andes. However, the dialectic component of the Aymara as a nation is annulled by fundamental historiographical elements that underlie this process of identification. The empirical analysis of the historical data leads us to conclude that the Aymara language and culture contain ambiguous elements that cannot be defined according to the dialectical interpretation and the current narrative. Thus, the analysis of the cultural, linguistic and social elements of this population from the Early Horizon period to the present confirms the historical distortion towards a narrative component of origin and presence in the territory of the Qullasuyu, in the current geographical area of the Collao. In order to understand this phenomenon, this work promotes the complementarity of the analysis through the use of ethnoarchaeological and documentary elements in order to clarify the origin, synthesis and development of the Aymara from a historical perspective, leaving aside the dialectical component of the present.

40 years of cloud observations are available globally from satellites allowing derivation of climate data records (CDRs) for climate change studies. The aim of this study is to investigate how stable these cloud CDRs are and whether they qualify stability requirements recommended by the WMO’s Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). We also investigate robust trends in global total cloud amount (CA) and cloud top temperature (CTT) that are significant and common across all CDRs. The latest versions of four global cloud CDRs, namely CLARA-A3, ESA Cloud CCI, PATMOS-x and ISCCP-HGM, are analysed. This assessment finds that all three AVHRR based cloud CDRs satisfy even the strictest GCOS stability requirements for CA and CTT when averaged globally. While CLARA-A3 is most stable in global averages, PATMOS-x offers the most stable CDR spatially. While we find these results highly encouraging, there however remain large spatial differences in the stability of and across the CDRs. All four CDRs continue to agree on the statistically significant decrease in global cloud amount over the last four decades, although this decrease is now weaker compared to the previous assessments. This decreasing trend is stabilizing or even reversing in the last two decades; the latter is seen also in MODIS-Aqua and CALIPSO GEWEX datasets. Statistically significant trends in CTT are observed in global averages in the AVHRR-based CDRs, but the spatial agreement in the sign and the magnitude of the trends is weaker compared to those in CA. We also present maps of Common Stability Coverage and Common Trend Coverage that could provide a valuable metric to carry out an ensemble-based analysis of the CDRs.

We report new findings of live specimens of Nassarius persicus (Martens, 1874) and N. tadjallii Moolenbeek, 2007, extending their range to the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, India. The known distribution of both species was limited: N. persicus was distributed in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Karachi, Pakistan; N. tadjallii was reported from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. We also provide comprehensive taxonomic descriptions of both species, along with additional morphological and ecological information.

This study reports new records of eight species of Cicadellini (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Cicadellinae), all potential vectors of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. 1987, which causes citrus variegated chlorosis. The sharpshooters were captured using a sweeping net in citrus orchards across seven municipalities in Amazonas State, Brazil. This research addresses the lack of information on sharpshooter occurrence in the Amazonas region, emphasizing the need for further investigations in this area.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an electronic system for managing drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in the Kyrgyz Republic. This was a cohort study using programmatic data. The study included patients registered on the paper-based system in 2019 and the electronic system between June 2021 and May 2022. Data was taken from 302 individuals from the electronic system for completeness and concordance in comparison with the paper-based system. The study showed that for most variables the completeness and concordance was 85.3%-93.0% and was lowest for non-mandatory fields such as medication side effects (26.8% vs 13.6%). No significant difference was observed in time taken from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment initiation between the two systems. However, the electronic system had a significantly higher percentage of patients who initiated treatment on the same day of diagnosis (80.3% vs. 57.1%). The proportion with successful outcomes was similar in both groups, but the electronic system had a significantly lower proportion of patients with outcomes that were not evaluated or recorded (4.8% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.001). The study highlights the potential advantages of implementing an electronic TB register system for improving records. We advocate for similar studies in other regions in Kyrgyz Republic.

There is little information about moisture changes in different altitudinal belts in mountainous regions of the Southern Russian Far East. We present ecological-taxonomic composition of the diatom flora, the botanical composition of peat of small mountain lake/mire complexes located in the Central Sikhote-Alin within large landslides on the paleovolcano slopes are identified. Frequent changes in diatom assemblages and peat-forming plants indicate unstable hydroclimatic conditions with varying degrees of watering and dry condition up to complete overgrowth of the lakes. Frequent change of sphagnum mosses with different trophic preferences was established. The chronology is based on 11 radiocarbon dates. Accumulation rates reached up to 1.9 mm/year, the temporal resolution for the reconstructions is up to 30–40 years. The tendencies of lake evolution depended on different-scale hydroclimatic changes for the last 4400 yr. The most detailed data for the last 2600 yr were obtained from the Nizhnee Lake sequence, more sensitive to climatic changes. The main reason for the change in the hydrological regime of the lakes was variations in precipitation during short-term climatic changes. The sediment record moisture fluctuations are relatively well correlated with regional patterns reflecting summer monsoon intensity and cyclogenesis activity.

A temporary monitoring system was installed on the 175-years-old historical Széchenyi chain bridge under its reconstruction process. The bridge is in the downtown area of the capital city of Hungary and plays a significant role in city life of Budapest. Six-month-long measurements were conducted during the reconstruction process of the bridge, yielding crucial insights into the structural behaviour of the historical structure. Measurement results were evaluated; the findings encompass the rotation capacity of pins between chain elements, and structural response to temperature changes. This information helped the decision-making of designers and construction company during the reconstruction made between 2021 and 2023. For instance, daily temperature fluctuations result in increased bending moments in the chain elements, rising up to 158% compared to the values observed during a proof load test in 2018. Furthermore, the measurements reveal an approximate 42% increase in normal forces compared to the proof load test, which highlights the high sensitivity of chain bridges to temperature fluctuations, where geometric stiffness plays a crucial role. Reconstruction, reducing self-weight, notably intensifies the impact on normal forces and bending moments. These outcomes strongly emphasize the dominance of dead load and self-weight in the case of chain bridges.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) was considered a minor crop in the Canadian prairies until recently, but its potential for cultivation is increasing due to its positive environmental impact and economic value. This review provides a historical summary of faba bean improvement in western Canada. Although traditional breeding methods have proved useful, in the last decade faba bean improvement has benefited from advances in genetics, biochemistry and molecular breeding tools. The overall breeding goal is to develop high yielding germplasm with improved agronomic characteristics that will be of economic value to the emerging faba bean sectors, including the plant protein industry. To maximize value and acceptance by producers, processors and the food industry as a source of protein and dietary fibre, future faba bean varieties need to be high-yielding, have diverse seed size classes, disease resistance, genetically low vicine-convicine concentration, and have wider adaptation to different agro-ecological zones of Canada. The experiences over the last 40 years of faba bean improvement in western Canada may be useful to other breeding programs globally located in regions with similar agroecology. In the past 10–15 years, faba bean genetic development in Canada has benefited greatly from research and development interactions with most of the faba bean research programs in northern Europe.

Nowadays the preservation and restoration of historical building needs to be faced in accordance with a novel sensibility regarding environment to preserve the future generations. In this context, the scientific community is focusing on novel and sustainable materials and techniques allowing durability and mechanical performances and at the same time compatibility with the existing heritage. Alkali activated materials represent a great challenge to produce new materials starting from the existing ones with reducing consumption, emission of greenhouse gases and environmental impact. This study deals with the valorization of waste materials coming from demolition and construction activities in the manufacture of geocomposites suitable for restoration and conservation of historical heritage. In particular, waste from tuff sawing and brick grinding were used as raw materials, then the geopolymeric samples produced were characterized from physical-chemical and mechanical point of view in order to investigate their performance and evaluate their suitability as materials for historical buildings recovery. Brick waste based geocomposites resulted to be more compact than the tuff-based ones as showed by the higher density values and the lower values of open porosity and water absorption and as further confirmed by the trend of the mechanical performance. Moreover, experimental data showed that physical and mechanical properties of both bricks and tuff waste-based geocomposites, even with different waste content, are compatible with existing building materials and to all the traditional repairing products.

This article presents the results of the study on the elements and spaces that likes and dislikes’ historical urban landscape of Ibarra's city, Ecuador, based on the analysis of the urban image. This research aims to propose an objective way to intervene a historical landscape based on the opinion of the people who frequent the place. Our hypothesis is that the characteristics (age, gender, educational level, and frequency of visits) of the interviewees condition their judgment on liking and disliking. It is proposed to know which of these characteristics condition the judgment. The methodology has two parts: a descriptive statistical analysis with graphs and frequencies used to map each point on the maps, and a logistic regression model to study the relationships between liking and disliking with interviewee characteristics. As results, (1) it has been possible to obtain those elements or spaces that are liked and disliked in proportion graphs and in planimetry. (2) Explanatory analysis of liking and disliking through the logistic regression model and inference to study significant characteristics. It emphasizes that "frequency of visits" is the significant characteristic for the elements and spaces that dislike. It's concluded that the study carried out provides objective tools to obtain the opinion of people and it's useful seen it in planimetry. Also, could be establish priorities to urban authorities about improve and intervention on elements or spaces that people judge because they are liking or disliking.

This work examines drought and wet events based on Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) over Kenya from 1981 to 2016. Spatiotemporal analysis of dry and wet events is conducted for 3 and 12-month SPEI. The drought incidences were observed during the period 1984, 1987, 2000, 2006, 2009, 2015, and 2016 for SPEI-3 whilst the SPEI-12 demonstrated the manifestation of drought during the year 2000 and 2006. SPEI clearly shows that the wettest period, 1997 and 1998 that coincide with the El Nino event in both time steps. SPEI -3 shows a reduction in moderate drought events while severe and extreme cases were on increase towards the end of the twentieth century. Conversely, SPEI-12 depicts an overall increase in severe drought occurrence over the study location with observed intensity of -1.54 and cumulative frequency of 64 months during the study period. The trend of wet events is upwards in the western and central highlands while the rest of the regions show increase in dry events during the study period. Moreover, moderate dry/wet events predominate whilst extreme events occur least frequent across all grid cells. It is apparent that the study area experiences mild extreme dry events in both categories although moderately severe dry events dominate most parts of the study area. High intensity and frequency of drought is noted in SPEI-3 while least occurrences of extreme events are recorded in SPEI-12. Although drought event prevails across the study area, there is evidence of extreme flood conditions over the recent decades. These findings form a good basis for next step of research that will look at projection of droughts over the study area based on regional climate models.

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a metaheuristic global optimization paradigm that has gained prominence in the last two decades due to its ease of application in unsupervised, complex multidimensional problems which cannot be solved using traditional deterministic algorithms. The canonical particle swarm optimizer is based on the flocking behavior and social co-operation of birds and fish schools and draws heavily from the evolutionary behavior of these organisms. This paper serves to provide a thorough survey of the PSO algorithm with special emphasis on the development, deployment and improvements of its most basic as well as some of the very recent state–of-the-art implementations. Concepts and directions on choosing the inertia weight, constriction factor, cognition and social weights and perspectives on convergence, parallelization, elitism, niching and discrete optimization as well as neighborhood topologies are outlined. Hybridization attempts with other evolutionary and swarm paradigms in selected applications are covered and an up-to-date review is put forward for the interested reader.

Here we report recent evidence of the presence of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in the Mercure-Lao River valley, an area of great ecological interest situated in South Italy for which the last otter reports referred to spraints collected in 2002. This work contains information and a selection of photographs of otter footprints and spraints found from October 2005 to January 2019, and photographs of both a cub and an adult otter from the Mercure-Lao River area.

Variance-driven decomposition based on the singular spectrum analysis of the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) dD, CO2 and CH4 records allowed a novel quantitative structural interpretation of all glacial/interglacial cycles and glacial terminations of the last 800 kyr. This bottom-up approach used the response components of EPICA stacked records to reconstruct the envelope of the thermal response through a physical interference model. The aim was to improve the understanding regarding the features of intensity, amplitude, and asymmetry of 73 marine isotope stages (MIS) and seven terminations. The Antarctic stack record can be described by a variance-weighted interference model of ten thermal waves of different origins (mid-term oscillation, orbitals and suborbitals) that stochastically interfere at a given time according to their relative differences in frequency, intensity, and polarity. Interglacial/glacial stages resulted from constructive interference and bipolar amplification of warming/cooling responses, respectively. The low intensity MISs (including 90% of substages) and the unbiased-dated terminations fell in the low interference regions where dominant destructive patterns minimise the thermal envelope. The positive skewness of the EPICA stack resulted from the constructive interference with a strong bias in the warming direction, especially after the Mid-Brunhes Event. Duration analysis of short eccentricity hemicycles exhibited an intrinsic unexpectedly prolonged mean cooling in the nominal solution (5.8 kyr) and its EPICA response as well (8.6 kyr), along with an interference-induced asymmetry (21.1 kyr). The overall effect resulted in the saw-tooth shape of glacial cycles which is heavily induced by interference and related to the intermediate feedback mechanisms controlled by short eccentricity.

Historical legacy of Eastern European and Balkans’ health systems was mutually interdependent and shaped by local socioeconomic circumstances. Three distinctive systems of risk sharing and health financing to develop since the late XIX century were the Bismarck, Beveridge, and Semashko systems. Modern day healthcare systems in these countries are challenged by population ageing, accelerated innovation in medical technology, growing purchasing power and rising demand for healthcare services. Supply side changes contribute to demand side efficiency bottlenecks in financing, driving the costs of the already expensive medical care up. All of the nations have a large share of citizens experiencing difficulty with affordability and access to medical care, particularly in rural and remote areas. Network of Health technology assessment agencies have mushroomed over the past three decades. Principles of health economics theory and cost-effective resource allocation are slowly gaining ground in governing authorities’ mindset and decision-making process. For many years to come, pharmaceuticals and medical services will remain dependent on out-of-pocket spending. Currently accelerating and spreading 4.0 Industrial Revolution, together with the Belt and Road Initiative, are likely to substantially impact the further economic development of this vast region. Post-Pandemic ‘Green’ Recovery strategies adopted by many of the Eastern European governments shall also make this transition towards sustainable development more difficult and challenging given the large dependency of all these economies upon traditional carbon fuels.

Gyroscopes are fascinating instruments with a history of about 200 years. When J.G.F. Bohnenberger presented his machine to his students in 1810 at the University of Tuebingen, Germany, nobody could have foreseen that this fascinating development would be used for complex orientation and positioning. At the University of Stuttgart, Germany, a collection of 160 exhibits is available and in transition for a sustainable future. Here, the systems are digitized in 2D, 2.5D and 3D and are made available for a world-wide community using OpenAccess platforms. The technologies being used are Computed Tomography, Computer Vision, Endoscopy and Photogrammetry. The workflows for combining voxel representations and colored point clouds are described, to create Digital Twins of the tangible assets. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed und work for near future is outlined in this new and challenging field of Tech Heritage digitization.

The chemical industry is an integral part of the world economy and a substantial income source for developing countries. However, existing regulations or the enforcement of these regulations, on controlling atmospheric pollutants sometimes may be insufficient, leading to the deterioration of surrounding ecosystems and to a quality decrease of the atmospheric environment. Previous works in this domain fail to generate executable solutions for inspection agencies due to practical challenges. In addressing these challenges, we introduce a so-called Chemical Plant Environment Protection Game (CPEP) to generate reasonable schedules of high-accuracy air quality monitoring stations for inspection agencies. First, Stackelberg Security Games (SSGs) are incorporated together with source estimation methods into this research. Second, high-accuracy air quality monitoring stations as well as gas sensors are modeled into the CPEP. Third, simplified data analysis on the regularly discharging of chemical plants is utilized to construct the CPEP. Finally, an illustrative case study is used to investigate the effectiveness of the CPEP Game, and a realistic case study is conducted to illustrate how the models and algorithms being proposed in this paper, work. Results show that playing a CPEP Game can reduce operational costs of high-accuracy air quality monitoring stations; moreover, playing the game leads to more compliance from the chemical plants towards the inspection agencies.

How many different writers authored the huge number of texts attributed to Galen of Pergamum (129~216 AD), medical doctor and philosopher, a giant in the history of medicine? To find out which texts were his and which ones were written by others is known as the “Galenic Question”. We propose a “solution” to it through a multidisciplinary approach based: (a) on historical research and (b) on a mathematical analysis of the Greek texts. The historical approach has considered historical independent sources and anachronisms. The mathematical approach has been based on a mathematical theory concerning deep–language variables, rarely consciously controlled by any author, therefore capable of giving indications on similarity of texts, with little or no bias. The multidisciplinary approach has convinced us that at least three authors wrote the texts attributed to Galen. The first two very likely were real historical persons: (a) a certain Galen living between the end of the I century BC and the second half of the I century AD; (b) the historical Galen of Pergamum (II–III centuries AD) and (c) several unknown authors hiding under the name Galen, but surely living after Galen of Pergamum’s death.

This paper examines the transformative journey of Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents from copilots to integral coworkers within diverse sectors. Beginning with a foundational overview, we delve into the historical evolution of AI agents, highlighting key technological milestones and the shift from simple automated tools to sophisticated decision-making systems capable of learning and adapting over time. We explore the capabilities of AI agents, including problem-solving, predictive analytics, and automation, and their applications across healthcare, business, and education, showcasing their role in diagnostics, customer service, and personalized learning, among other areas. We also address the integration of AI agents in the workplace, presenting strategies for collaboration between humans and AI, and outline the challenges and ethical considerations that accompany the development and deployment of AI technologies. A comprehensive tutorial provides insight into the development process of AI agents, emphasizing goal definition, data handling, algorithm selection, and ethical guidelines. We also consider the pathway towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and the societal and ethical implications of widespread AI integration, proposing strategies for equitable and ethical AI use.

During the MoDeCo2000 scientific and research project on mortars used in the territory of the Roman Danube Limes in Serbia, the biggest challenge was the quest for the provenance of used raw materials. The area where the largest city in the province of Moesia Superior developed, with millennial continuity of land use and settlement, was selected as a case study for deeper research. The material and immaterial values of Roman Viminacium have survived in the later life of the landscape, through the preserved building remains and artifacts, secondary use of building materials, but also toponyms, customs, and stories. Recycling of materials is commonly recognised in the modern age as the industrial processing of existing products in order to obtain raw materials and later prepare new products, representing one of the basic elements of sustainability. However, people throughout history have always used what they had at hand and the building remains were reused, but also recycled for new constructions. In this study we follow the presence of the specific material we call natural brick in the historical Viminacium landscape, focusing on Roman construction and specifically its potential use in lime mortars, connecting humanistic and natural sciences.

This article discusses an international scientific expedition to Greenland that researched geography, geodesy, botany, and glaciology of the area. The results here focus on the geodetic and glaciological results obtained with the eBee drone in the eastern part of Greenland at the front of the Knud Rasmussen glacier. From two overflights nearby the glacier front, it was possible to obtain the speed of the glacier flow and the distribution of velocities in the glacier stream. The results correlate with other measurement methods and this technology has been shown as feasible. Of course, there are more accurate and long-term options or devices for monitoring the flow of glaciers. In this case of short-term visits to the site, the possibility of using a drone is interesting and the results show not only the flow speed of the glacier, but also the shape and structure from a height of up to 200m. The second part of the paper focuses on the analysis of modern satellite images of the Knud Rasmussen glacier from Google Earth (Landsat series 1984-2016) and a comparison with historical aerial images from 1932-1933. Experimentally, historical images were processed photogrammetrically into a 3D model.

A checklist of parasitic cymothoids from Malaysian waters is presented based on available literature and material collected from 2010 to 2020. Most of the collected specimens were recorded from waters of Terengganu, east coast of Peninsular Malaysia (facing South China Sea), whereas literature records were represented from Sarawak, along the Miri coast of northwest Borneo. The checklist comprises 18 species under 10 genera, seven of which are new records from Malaysia, which includes Anilocra nemipteri Bruce, 1987; Ceratothoa barracuda Martin, Bruce and Nowak, 2015; Ceratothoa carinata (Bianconi, 1869); Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979; Elthusa sigani Bruce, 1990; Joryma engraulidis (Barnard, 1936) and Renocila richardsonae Williams and Bunkley-Williams, 1992. Eight new host records are based on collected specimens: Anilocra nemipteri was dorsally attached on Nemipterus nemurus (Bleeker 1857), Nemipterus nematophorus (Bleeker 1854), Nemipterus tambuloides (Bleeker 1853), and Nemipterus thosaporni Russell 1991 (family Nemipteridae); Ceratothoa carinata was found in the buccal cavity of Decapterus macrosoma Bleeker 1851 (family Carangidae); Cymothoa eremita (Brunnich, 1783) was attached in the buccal cavity of Nemipterus tambuloides and Nemipterus furcosus (Valenciennes 1830); Elthusa sigani was found attached on Pterois russelli Bennett 1831 (family Scorpaenidae); and Renocila richardsonae was attached on the caudal fin of Upeneus japonicus (Houttuyn 1782) (family Mullidae). All cymothoid species listed here are known to have a Central Indo Pacific distribution, with some ranging as far as the western Indian Ocean. The cymothoid-host association is here listed from 28 fish families, with the most common reported from Carangidae (pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, scads), Engraulidae (anchovies) and Leiognathidae (ponyfishes, slipmouths). This paper is the first comprehensive treatment to update both verified literature data and deposited specimens, with a key for the family Cymothoidae in Malaysian waters.

Biobanks linked to electronic health records provide a rich data resource for health-related research. With the establishment of large-scale infrastructure, the availability and utility of data from biobanks has dramatically increased over time. As more researchers become interested in using biobank data to explore a diverse spectrum of scientific questions, resources guiding the data access, design, and analysis of biobank-based studies will be crucial. The first aim of this review is to characterize the types of biobanks that are discussed in the recent literature and provide detailed descriptions of specific biobanks including their location, size, data access, data linkages and more. The development and accessibility of large-scale biorepositories provide the opportunity to accelerate agnostic searches, new discoveries, and hypothesis-generating studies of disease-treatment, disease-exposure and disease-gene associations. Rather than spending time and money designing and implementing a single study with pre-defined objectives, researchers can use biobanks’ existing data-rich resources to answer scientific questions as quickly as they can analyze them. While the data are becoming increasingly available, additional thought is needed to address issues related to the design of such studies and analysis of these data. In the second aim of this review, we discuss statistical issues related to biobank research in general including study design, sampling strategy, phenotype identification, and missing data. These issues are illustrated using data from the Michigan Genomics Initiative, UK Biobank, and Genes for Good. We summarize the current body of statistical literature aimed at addressing some of these challenges and discuss some of the standing open problems in this area. This work serves to complement and extend recent reviews about biobank-based research and aims to provide a resource catalog with statistical and practical guidance to researchers pursuing biobank-based research.

(1) Background: This paper investigates the epidemiological risk related to temperature before and during COVID-19 in Italy; (2) Methods: Deaths in 2015-2019 and temperatures were correlated. Excess and COVID-19 deaths were examined to estimate the relationships with temperatures; (3) Results: Annual deaths were higher during the cold months (+45,000, SD = 4,700, S = 21). The scenario worsened during COVID-19. Mortality was higher during minimum temperature periods, although the curve moderately rose in the warmest months (r = -0.75, 95% CI = [-0.87; -0.56], S = 23). COVID-19 deaths showed a decreasing seasonality. Monthly excess deaths during COVID-19 were high (+4,200, IQR = [2,800; 8,000], S = 28) with a doubt of seasonality. COVID-19 mortality was correlated with regional latitude (r = 0.86, 95% CI = [0.68; 0.94], S = 20). Discrepancies between COVID-19 and excess deaths were found. The exposed population was subject to aging; (4) Conclusions: The epidemiological risk in Italy is seasonal and geographically dependent. Low and very high temperatures can lead to mortality peaks. Therefore, COVID-19 and any other epidemiological risk must be evaluated in light of this evidence. Health systems need to be strengthened during cold and extremely hot periods. Future research should investigate these phenomena at the causal level.

This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of retrofitting techniques aimed at enhancing the seismic resilience of seismically vulnerable historical buildings. Recognizing the dual objectives of structural safety and architectural preservation, this research evaluates and compares several advanced retrofitting methods, including base isolation, strengthening of masonry, steel bracing systems, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wrapping, and damping devices. Each technique is critically assessed based on its effectiveness in mitigating seismic risks, its compatibility with historical architectural features, and its applicability to various building types. Base isolation is highlighted for its ability to decouple buildings from ground motion, thereby significantly reducing seismic forces and protecting architectural integrity. Strengthening of masonry through the use of fiber-reinforced polymers and steel elements enhances the ductility and strength of masonry walls, making them more resilient to seismic forces. Steel bracing systems are shown to provide essential lateral support, particularly in timber-framed structures, improving overall stability and reducing deformation during earthquakes. FRP wrapping is identified as a versatile technique that strengthens structural elements without compromising aesthetic value, making it suitable for reinforcing concrete and masonry components. Damping devices, including viscous dampers and tuned mass dampers, are discussed for their ability to dissipate seismic energy and control structural vibrations, offering a minimally invasive solution that preserves historical aesthetics. The study also addresses several challenges and research gaps associated with these retrofitting techniques, such as ensuring architectural compatibility, assessing long-term material performance, optimizing cost-effectiveness, and navigating complex regulatory frameworks. By advancing knowledge in these areas, the research aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in the development of retrofitting solutions. Ultimately, this study contributes to the ongoing efforts to safeguard historical buildings against seismic hazards. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and best practices in structural engineering and architectural conservation, stakeholders can develop sustainable, cost-effective, and culturally sensitive retrofitting strategies that protect valuable cultural heritage for future generations.

The paper highlights the performance of the seismic isolation devices, installed on retrofitted buildings in reducing the seismic response when subjected to earthquakes. Two buildings from the beginning of the XX-th century in Bucharest are chosen from many more, monitored over the city area. We discuss the response of these base-seismic isolated structures, relying on good quality data acquired from the recent strong earthquake (03.11.2022, MW = 5.0). Elastic response spectra computed from recordings at two levels of each structure are used, placed under and right above the isolating layer. At one building the existence of previous recordings and the particularity of the sensors allow a comparison with other two relatively recent medium intensity earthquakes. The assessment is carried out in terms of maximum acceleration amax, measured at certain levels in each structure, spectral acceleration amplitude SAmax and spectral-peak corresponding period. We find that the base-isolation methodology is effective in reducing the response of the building right above the isolating layer, an observation valid for both structures, all components of the recordings, and spectral acceleration values. Moreover, the outcomes from the modal evaluation performed prior to rehabilitation and seismic isolation process are presented, by pointing out a higher newly acquired fundamental period of the isolated structures.

Oncology has emerged as a crucial field of study and treatment in the domain of medicine. Computed tomography has gained widespread adoption as a radiological modality for the identification and characterisation of pathologies, particularly in oncology, enabling precise identification of affected organs and tissues. However, achieving accurate liver segmentation in computed tomography scans remains a challenge due to the presence of artefacts and the varying densities of soft tissues and adjacent organs. This paper compares artificial intelligence algorithms and traditional medical image processing techniques to assist radiologists in liver segmentation on computed tomography scans, and evaluates their accuracy and efficiency. It is noteworthy that although studies have been conducted on liver segmentation in computed tomography scans, they often lack an intuitive and visual component that allows healthcare professionals to manipulate and observe the results obtained, thereby limiting interaction with the outcomes. From the literature review, challenges such as under-segmentation, over-segmentation, and poor boundary detection, as well as the selection of methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of liver segmentation in computed tomography scanners, are highlighted as needs to be addressed. The importance of future research in understanding the essential features for the study, generating more datasets, improving segmentation efficiency, and developing lightweight artificial intelligence frameworks for liver segmentation is outlined.

Open bidding is widely used in Sinopec's material procurement due to its advantages of openness, transparency, and cost savings. However, there have been many complaints about collusive bidding in recent years. Collusive bidding will pose significant challenges to fair competition and increase project costs for material procurement. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an analysis model to identify and prevent the collusive bidding. In this paper, we propose a statistical model for identifying collusive bidding using the coefficient of variation cv, the ratio of high to low average quotation rP and the deviation rate of quotation δ as indicators, based on the statistics of the historical quotations for material A. Through a case study of the framework agreement bidding for material B, we identified the collusion behavior of bidders effectively, thereby verifying the applicability of this statistical model.

The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has brought with it an increase in the use of digital platforms and an exponential increase in the number of scientific papers worldwide. The purpose of this study is to show a global overview of the digital transformation from 1975 to the present (2021). The main collection of the Web of Science database was used to retrieve global scientific production on digital transformation. Bibliometric indicators of production, visibility, impact, and collaboration were analyzed to assess research progress on the topic. The results show that digital transformation is a construct of recent development, increasingly relevant and transdisciplinary, with a clear growth after the declaration of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The role that Colombia will play in terms of food supply in the coming years has generated a discussion on the agricultural practices implemented, specifically in the use of pesticides. Therefore, this article aims to provide a comprehensive and complete review of the status of pesticide use in the agricultural sector, highlighting the agri-food industry in Colombia. Currently, the use of pesticides has intensified throughout the world, generating a call for attention by governmental entities in terms of regulation. Colombia for the year 2019 presented a rate of use of 7.8 kg/ha of pesticides, placing it among the twenty countries with the highest rate. On the other hand, the quantities and economic benefits of exports and imports are growing steadily. Several organizations have focused their efforts on determining the health consequences that people exposed to chronic and/or acute intoxication may suffer. This has led to cases of cytogenetic, neurocognitive and physical effects, prompting governmental organizations to regulate the use of pesticides. Finally, the need to design pesticide management and handling systems that respond to the needs of producers and the sector, integrating international food safety guidelines, is identified.

Prevention of obstetric trauma from damage to the pelvic floor is not always possible and sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) may be necessary later in life. Sacral nerve stimulation has been a promising innovation in the management of moderate to severe faecal incontinence and following sphincter repair failure. Although the indication spectrum for SNS is expanding, the success of neuromodulation for constipation is limited. Adverse events of SNS requiring re-intervention are not common but a long-term successful outcome may depend on interventions for maintenance of the device.

India bears the highest burden of global dog-mediated human rabies deaths. Despite this, rabies is not notifiable in India, and continues to be underprioritized in public health discussions. This review examines the historical treatment of rabies in British India, a disease which has received relatively less attention in the literature on Indian medical history. Human and animal rabies was widespread in British India and treatment of bite victims imposed a major financial burden on the colonial Government of India. It subsequently became a driver of Pasteurism in India and globally and a key component of British colonial scientific enterprise. Efforts to combat rabies led to the establishment of a wide network of research institutes in India and important breakthroughs in development of rabies vaccines. As a result of these efforts, rabies no longer posed a significant threat to the British and it declined in administrative and public health priorities in India towards the end of colonial rule; a decline that has yet to be reversed in modern-day India. The review also highlights features of the administrative, scientific and societal approaches to dealing with this disease in British India which persist to this day.

During the last decade, Bangladesh has been experienced a significant climatic anomalies which lead to an increase in magnitude and frequency of various climate relate extreme events. Climate scientists substantiate that global temperature and precipitation pattern is expected to change, which may result in consequential impact on agriculture, livelihood, and ecosystem. Bangladesh is therefore likely to face substantial challenges in the coming decades. In order to adequately understand this complex, dynamic phenomena, Analyzing historical Climate change scenarios as well as projecting its future trends is a great concern for researcher. This study aims to analyzes/ historical climatic data from (1901-2020), and predict future temperature and precipitation patterns in Bangladesh using CMIP6 data. Data used in this study (Observed data is from CRU TS 4.05 and future data is from CMIP6) have been acquired from WorldClim v2.1. Various methods including correlation, regression, standard deviation, correlation matrix, percentiles, cell statistics, and IDW interpolation were performed to analyze the trends, variability and spatial patterns of temperature and rainfall. This study revealed that Over the historical study period (1901-2020) Bangladesh has been experienced a significant warming trend with an average increase in temperature 2°C and with annual decline of the total precipitation 607.26 mm along with a shift towards drier conditions despite weak correlation with hotter years. Projected climate models represents that Bangladesh minimum temperature is expected to increase from 1°C to 4.4°C as well as maximum temperatures from 1°C to 4.1°C by 2100. Moreover, projected precipitation is expected to increase by 480.38 mm, with the biggest rises during monsoon months. Regional variations in temperature and precipitation are again expected, with the Southeast (SE) likely experiencing the most significant warming and the Northeast (NE) seeing the most substantial increase in precipitation.

Collecting and recording physiological parameters and forwarding this data via telemedicine or remote surveys may significantly increase the health and safety of people working under extreme environmental conditions, like firefighters, mountain rescuers, disaster control employees, military personnel, etc. First, ruggedized systems, as small, lightweight, and flexible as possible, are needed to optimize the goal of increasing occupational health and safety of persons at risk and maximizing their performance during missions. Previous systems could only record a very limited number of parameters, and a few could forward the data online to return information to the user. Therefore, in order to record several meaningful, valid, and reliable physiological parameters synchronized, an extension of existing systems is required. This review highlights this problem and gives an overview of the historical development. The actual status of the systems available was listed and described comparatively. In the end, a proven, promising, and innovative solution is presented that can solve the problem and allow people to work more safely in extreme environments, which may represent the future.

Women's leadership continues to be a critical issue in today's society. Women face significant challenges in leadership, including limited representation in high-level positions and persistent gender-based discrimination. Many factors, including personal experiences, education, work experiences, and the influence of role models, influence women's leadership paths. This study explores how historical and contemporary role models help guide women's leadership choices. Specifically, we seek to understand the role of historical and contemporary role models in shaping women's perceptions of leadership and influencing their career aspirations.The study uses a qualitative research design to explore the experiences of women leaders in different industries. The participants were selected using purposive sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in the data, and the results were presented using descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis.The study findings reveal that historical and contemporary role models significantly shape women's perceptions of leadership and influence their career aspirations. Women who have had access to role models in their personal lives or through media exposure are more confident in their ability to lead. They are more likely to pursue leadership positions. Historical role models provide women with tangible examples of what is possible regardingwomen's leadership. Studying role models from diverse backgrounds is essential in inspiring women from diverse backgrounds to pursue leadership roles.The study findings have significant implications for women's leadership development. They suggest efforts to increase the representation of women in leadership positions should focus on providing access to diverse role models. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of media representation of women leaders, as exposure to role models through media can help overcome barriers to access to role models in personal and professional networks.In conclusion, the study provides important insights into the influence of historical and contemporary role models on women's leadership paths. The study underscores the importance of role models in inspiring and guiding women's leadership journeys and the need for diverse and inclusive representation of women leaders in media and personal and professional networks. The findings provide practical recommendations for women's leadership development initiatives and future research.

The sedimentary characteristics of the special interlayer contained in the section of the Sparking Lake dam revealed by the 8.8 Jiuzhaigou earthquake in 2017 are obviously different from the tufa in the dam body, and they are considered to be prehistoric flood relics. Based on the study of the particulate matter from the 8.8 Jiuzhaigou earthquake, this paper combines comparative petrographic, mineralogical, geochemical and chronological studies of the special interbedded sediments of the Sparking Lake dam with other genetic samples to obtain homology information and genetic links, as well as to explore the tufa depositional dynamics and earthquake disaster subsidence. The palaeoseismic benefit in the discontinuity layer is explored, and the palaeoseismic information embedded in the profiles is extracted, providing a new idea to reconstruct the palaeoseismic events in the tufa deposition sequence. According to X-ray diffraction, laser particle size analysis and scanning electron microscope experiments, the particulate matter in the Jiuzhaigou mountains has its own specific mineralogical characteristics. The mineral composition of the particulate matter is basically calcite. The particle size is large, and the single particle is mostly angular and subangular. The fracture morphology observed under the single particle microscope is uneven, showing the characteristics of dust caused by earthquake disasters. Geochemical analysis data show that the provenance of various types of particles in the same area is stable, indicating the homology of terrestrial carbonate sedimentation in the karst system. Combined with mineralogy and grain size morphology, the interbedded particles in the tufa depositional profile have the potential application of palaeoseismic archives to record extreme seismic events. The palaeoseismic date was inferred from the chronological data of special interlayered sediments in the tufa dam body. Therefore, the tufa bedding can be related to the palaeoearthquake, and the special interlayer of the tufa section can be used to reconstruct palaeoearthquakes.

The Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is extensively used to calculate the runoff from rainfall over a large catchment over the world. Slope is an important criterion for runoff but a very few attempts have been made to evaluate the effect of slope on the CN with runoff potential. The objective of this paper is to summarise the historical review on the effects of slope on CN and runoff potential in various regions by the hydrologists. This paper also depicts that how the various researchers proved the importance of consideration of slope for CN and runoff estimation. In addition, paper highlights the key features of research in future like to classify the watersheds on slope based CN, accurate Antecedent Moisture Condition (AMC) and proper initial abstraction in the various regions etc. Considering these parameters an accurate runoff estimation can be predicted and managed properly in the urban watersheds.

A gas-hydrate method of CO₂ gas storage is one of the modern technology for reducing it emissions into the atmosphere. The breakup of gas bubbles by a shock wave is an actual area of scientific and technological research. However, it is little known that such research began in the late 1950s in the USSR. The article presents the main discoveries related to the destruction of gas bubbles in a liquid under the influence of a shock wave, made more than 60 years ago. Looking back: study the past to understand the present.

In the Post-Colonial period, the influence of media complexity in the transition to civilian rule and in shaping and consolidating democracy is self-evident in one hand and the post-colonial period the media have continued to watch and shout at misrule and governance in Nigeria. This paper examined how the Nigerian mass media mirrored the Nigerian political landscape using their major functions such as surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission, status conferral, enforcement of cultural norms and values, education, information and narcotizing dysfunctional role. This study was conducted as a longitudinal non-empirical study that relied on secondary data to examine how the mass media showcase political activities in Nigeria from the pre-colonial era through the independent era till date (2023). In this historical account, the researchers examined all media forms which include print, broadcast and new/social media such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram. The study showed that the mass media have played a critical role in shaping the political system in Nigeria. The findings which stemmed mainly from secondary data also showed that the Nigerian mass media have shown great interest in the Nigerian political system and as well exposed some unethical dealings in the political structure, raised consciousness, empowered the vulnerable, and acted as the mouthpiece of the oppressed on the one hand and on the other hand have played to the gallery. The researchers conclude that Nigerian mass media have effectively mirrored the Nigerian political system, particularly in the age of social media.

Documenting prehistoric and historical hemp retting for fiber extraction is important in the study of human uses of this iconic plant and its cultural implications. In paleoecology, hemp retting is usually inferred from indirect proxies, notably anomalously high percentages of Cannabis pollen in lake sediments, but some recent studies have also used specific molecular biomarkers (cannabinol, Cannabis DNA) as a more straightforward evidence. Here we provide direct evidence of hemp retting by identifying phylogenetic signatures (16S rRNA genes) from pectinolytic bacteria actually responsible for the fermentation process that separates the fiber from the stalk, namely Bacillus, Clostridium, Escherichia, Massilia, Methylobacterium, Pseusomonas, Rhizobium and Rhodobacter. These analyses have been performed in the sediments from an Iberian lake previously considered as an important hemp retting site during the last five centuries, on the basis of Cannabis pollen abundances. The good match between biomarker and pollen evidence, in the context of the recent historical development of hemp industry in Spain, can be useful to interpret paleoecological records from other similar lakes in the way toward a more regional view on the introduction, spreading, uses and associated cultural connotations of Cannabis in the Iberian Peninsula within European and Mediterranean contexts.

Poverty is one of the indexes that can see how a country succeeds in development. In Indonesia, the poverty rate is high as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic increases over time. Therefore, a solution is embraced in the form of government policies in tackling poverty in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to analyze the poverty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.What is the current state of poverty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia? and what are the previous government policies that have succeeded in reducing poverty in Indonesia? The method used in this study is the literature review method based on the results of critical analysis of journal articles that are relevant to the topic of discussion. The results showed that three government policies have succeeded in lowering the poverty level in Indonesia, namely the PKH program policy, the zakat policy as an indicator of poverty reduction, and the Bank Wakaf Mikro policy. Therefore, this study focuses on the policy as a study for government policy in lowering poverty levels due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Historical maps constitute unique sources of retrospective geographic information. Recently, several map archives containing map series covering large spatial and temporal extents have been systematically scanned and made available to the public. The geographic information contained in such data archives allows extending geospatial analysis retrospectively beyond the era of digital cartography. However, given the large data volumes of such archives and the low graphical quality of older map sheets, the processes to extract geographic information need to be automated to the highest degree possible. In order to understand the salient characteristics, data quality variation, and potential challenges in large-scale information extraction tasks, preparatory analytical steps are required to efficiently assess spatio-temporal coverage, approximate map content, and spatial accuracy of such georeferenced map archives across different cartographic scales. Such preparatory steps are often neglected or ignored in the map processing literature but represent highly critical phases that lay the foundation for any subsequent computational analysis and recognition. In this contribution we demonstrate how such preparatory analyses can be conducted using classical analytical and cartographic techniques as well as visual-analytical data mining tools originating from machine learning and data science, exemplified for the United States Geological Survey topographic map and Sanborn fire insurance map archives.

School-museum relations have gained considerable attention in the academic literature in recent decades. However, there still needs to be more research on their role in enhancing science education. This work reports the outcomes of the recovery, study, and valorization of the 18th-century geo-mineralogical collection belonging to the Collegio Nazareno, now housed at the Istituto San Giuseppe Calasanzio in Rome. The project consisted of four phases: 1) the securing of more than 1720 specimens; 2) their cataloging using the Italian national catalographic standards for the mineralogical and petrological heritage; 3) the establishment of new exhibit and storage areas; 4) the development of a self-instructive exhibition itinerary. The project, which was participated by the students enrolled in the fourth and fifth high school classes, revealed fascinating and unique specimens such as the ones collected by prominent Italian naturalists –e.g., Scipione Breislak (1750–1826) and Carlo Giuseppe Gismondi (1762–1824) – or those comprising the mineralogical collection donated by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741–1740) to the Mineralogical Cabinet of the Collegio Nazareno in 1785. This work thus offers significant insights into the importance of natural history school museums as useful (and oft-forgotten) learning tools in science education.

This paper investigates the physical/virtual dynamics when constructing an immersive environ-ment for medieval courtyard houses in Historic Cairo. Using a VR Lab at a university campus, the paper analyzes a courtyard that symbolizes social resilience and community bonding at the newly rehabilitated Bayt Yakan. The courtyard is reconstructed as a Mixed Object through 3D documentation and scanning the space to develop a photogrammetry and VR experience. The results show that the sense of presence is perceived through a combination of factors and juxta-positions of the real and the virtual including: 1) architectural aesthetics, 2) intangible elements and 3) socio-cultural activities in space. Based on the pilot case study, the paper concludes with proposing a “Geospatial Framework for Immersive Environments and Social Sustainability” that is transdisciplinary, pluralistic and expansive in nature to encompass the multiple narratives of the contested past, and overlay the material and immaterial sustainable features embedded in historical contexts, where the Mixed Reality paradigm becomes an enabler for multiple voices, tools and mediums.

Abstract: Spatially explicit, fine-grained datasets describing historical urban extents are rarely available prior to the era of operational remote sensing. However, such data are necessary to better understand long-term urbanization and land development processes and for the assessment of coupled nature-human systems, e.g., the dynamics of the wildland-urban interface. Herein, we propose a framework that jointly uses remote sensing derived human settlement data (i.e., the Global Human Settlement Layer, GHSL) and scanned, georeferenced historical maps to automatically generate historical urban extents for the early 20th century. By applying unsupervised color segmentation to the historical maps, spatially constrained to the urban extents derived from the GHSL, our approach generates historical settlement extents for seamless integration with the multi-temporal GHSL. We apply our method to study areas in countries across four continents, and evaluate our approach for two U.S. study sites against historical settlement extents derived from the Historical Settlement Data Compilation for the US, HISDAC-US, achieving Area-under-the-Curve values >0.9. Our results are largely in agreement with model-based urban areas from the HYDE database, and demonstrate that the integration of remote sensing derived observations and historical cartographic data sources opens up new, promising avenues for assessing urbanization, and long-term land cover change in countries where historical maps are available.

In this modern era, continuous change is the first step in forming a new structure between theory and practice. The idea of ​​a juggernaut is very relevant to the theory of structuration with current conditions in the 21st century, where technology becomes a reference that can crush anyone who is not responsive to its power. This technology takes one path and takes many roles from various fields: economic, social, political, legal, and educational. This 21st century is marked by great momentum for changes in human behavior and civilization, namely the industrial revolution 4.0 and the arrival of Covid-19, which have changed many social structures and human activities. This makes history a means of connecting the problems in the 21st century with past events. By using a descriptive qualitative method, this paper will reveal how technological developments are very influential on educational and political developments and what are the challenges faced based on historical perspective?. In this case, the study aims to discuss the history and challenges of Indonesia's education system and government system in the 21st century and give a solution. The data used are from 2 books, 14 journal articles, and 4 websites with a span of 2019-2021. The research results are expected to be used as a further study in the face of the development of the modern era in the fields of education and government. This study also has limitations, namely only on the face of the development of the modern era in the fields of education and government.

An eruption of volcano is related to the past volcanic and tectonic seismicity. Recently, on November 29, 2020, a 1423 m Mount Ile Lewotolok in Lembata Island has erupted. In here, this paper aimed to assess the volcanic and tectonic seismicity as determinant factor and precursor of recent Mt Ile Lewotolok eruption. The assessment shows that Mt Ile Lewotolok volcanic activities were characterized by both tectonic and deep volcanic seismicity. Since 2010, mean tectonic quake magnitudes of M 4.133 (95%CI:M 3.205-5.062) have occurred at mean depth of 13.500 km (95%CI:8.201-18.799 km) within a distance of 3-4 km from the summit. Tectonic quake has occurred frequently in southwest of Ile Lewotolok and this has contributed to the past eruptions in 2012 and 2017. Recent eruption has been influenced by deep volcanic seismicity rather than local tectonic. Based on November 2020 record, mean of deep volcanic seismicity frequency was 2.190 events/day (95%CI:1.136-3.243 events/day km) that has outnumbered (t_test=2.665, P=0.013) the events of local tectonic quakes (mean 0.621 events/day; 95%CI:0.142-1.099events/day). Prior to the eruption there was significant increase of deep volcanic seismicity (P=0.023) while local tectonic quake was not showing an increasing trend (P=0.764). This result confirms that the deep volcanic seismicity frequency is a precursor that may trigger the eruption and deep volcanic seismicity data can be used as indicator of volcanic activities.

Two welcome extensions of evolutionary thinking have come to prominence over the last thirty years: the so-called “extended evolutionary synthesis” (EES) and debate about biological kinds and individuals. These two agendas have, however, remained orthogonal to one another. The EES has mostly restricted itself to widening the explanations of adaptation offered by the preceding “modern evolutionary synthesis” by including additional mechanisms of inheritance and variation; while discussion of biological kinds has turned toward philosophical questions of essential vs. contingent properties of life forms and realist vs. epistemological approaches to categorization and classification. Here we attempt to broaden the explanatory scope of evolutionary theory by linking these two agendas. We expand on the mechanistic orientation of the EES, using new understandings of networked systems of components in order to engage the distinct intellectual challenge of the origination of historical kinds. With this phrase we designate a subset of natural kinds that acquires, through evolutionary processes, a quasi-independent lineage-history. Such kinds emerge in both biology and culture, and we enlarge the limited number of historical kinds that have thus far been recognized in evolutionary biology in a series of paradigmatic exemplars, from genes and cell types to rituals and music. For each exemplar we discern specific mechanisms by which it arose and persists; comparing these, we suggest a general unity in the ways in which diverse historical kinds originate.

Land engineering is a specific new academic discipline in China. Although the undergraduate major of land engineering was officially approved and established lately since 2017, the birth of land engineering as an academic discipline dates back 40 years ago. It has passed through four development stages: the incubation stage in 1978-1985, the initial stage in 1986-1997, the growth stage in 1998-2011, and the expanding stage from 2012 to present. However, land engineering as an academic discipline remains immature and seriously lags behind practice. There are still no unified academic community and broad academic consensus. After a historical overview of the four development stages, this study gave a strategic consideration to five key questions. We argue that the study object of the discipline is land engineering activity, which is defined as the artificial transformation of a land complex combined by various natural and human elements. The uniqueness of the discipline is rooted in its ability to study the comprehensive and integrated reorganization or rebuilding of various elements of land as a complex, with the theory of land complex reconstruction being the core theory. The discipline of land engineering is based on land pure science and land technology, and is one basis of land management. It consists of two modules (rural land engineering and urban land engineering), five secondary disciplines of each module (land development, land rearrangement, land improvement, land protection, and land remediation), and more than 30 research directions. Various technologies are only instrumental but not essential components of land engineering as an academic discipline.

Since its inception, evolutionary theory has experienced a number of extensions. The most important of these took the forms of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis (MES), embracing genetics and population biology in the early 20^th century, and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) of the last thirty years, embracing, among other factors, non-genetic forms of inheritance. While we appreciate the motivation for this recent extension, we argue that it does not go far enough, since it restricts itself to widening explanations of adaptation by adding mechanisms of inheritance and variation. A more thoroughgoing extension is needed, one that widens the explanatory scope of evolutionary theory. In addition to adaptation and its various mechanisms, evolutionary theory must recognize as a distinct intellectual challenge the origin of what we call “historical kinds.” Under historical kinds we include any process that acquires a quasi-independent and traceable lineage-history in biological and cultural evolution. We develop the notion of a historical kind in a series of paradigmatic exemplars, from genes and homologues to rituals and music, and we propose a preliminary characterization.

Background: Relatively little is known and inconclusive about social inequality in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among teenagers in the United States. This study aims to investigate whether there is a social disparity in HPV vaccination among teenagers and if so, whether it can differ by the source of teen vaccination information (parental reports and provider records). 
Methods: We used the data from the 2019 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen; 42,668 teenagers, aged 13-17) including parental reported vaccination status. Among them, 18,877 teenagers had adequate provider reported vaccination records. Two socioeconomic status (SES) measures were used: mother’s education and annual family income. Multivariate logistic analyses were conducted. 
Results: False negatives of parental reports against provider records were more than two times higher (p < 0.001) in low SES teens than in high SES teens. In both SES measures, the proportion of HPV unvaccinated teenagers were lowest in the highest SES level in analyses with parental reports. However, it was the opposite in analyses with provider records. Interestingly, regardless of vaccination information source, the HPV unvaccinated rate was highest in the middle SES teens (>12 years, non-college graduates; and above poverty level, but not > $75K). 
Conclusion: A significant social inequality in HPV vaccination among teenagers exists in the United States. The pattern of social inequality in HPV vaccination can be distorted when only parent reported vaccination information is used.

Haemosporidian parasites, including Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon, are intracellular parasites found in the blood and tissues of birds worldwide. The prevalence of these parasites varies depending on bird species and habitats. Humidity, influenced by water availability, is one of the factors affecting their prevalence. In this study, we collected 145 blood samples from wild songbirds in the western region of Iran from April to November 2021-2022. Blood smears were prepared using the push-slide method and stained with Giemsa. The stained smears were examined under a light microscope. Among the seven songbird families sampled, blood parasites were detected in 31 individuals from five families. Of these, 23 individuals (15.86%) were from humid areas, while 8 individuals (5.51%) were from dry areas. The highest infection rates were observed in the Paridae (9.65%) and Motacilliidae (4.82%) families, while the lowest infection rates were found in the Corvidae (1.37%) and Acrocephalidae (1.37%) families. We recorded two new hosts for Leucocytozoon spp. (Motacilla flava and Acrocephalus melanopogon) for the first time in the world and four new host records (Motacilla flava, Pica pica, Acrocephalus melanopogon, and Acrocephalus agricola) for blood parasites in the west of Iran. Our findings highlight the high prevalence of avian blood parasites in songbirds inhabiting humid areas, suggesting that these environments provide suitable conditions for the growth and reproduction of invertebrate hosts.

This study challenges the prevailing belief in the necessity of complex models for accurate forecasting by demonstrating the effectiveness of parsimonious econometric models, namely ARCH(1) and GARCH(1,1), over deep learning robust approaches, such as LSTM and 1D-CNN neural networks, in modeling historical volatility within pre-emerging stock markets, specifically the Moroccan and Bahraini stock markets. The findings suggest reevaluating the balance between model complexity and predictive accuracy. Future research directions include investigating the potential existence of threshold effects in market capitalization for optimal model performance. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of volatility dynamics and enhances forecasting models’ effectiveness in diverse market conditions.