The WASP-Index is computed over Iberia for three monthly timescales in 1961-2020, based on an observational gridded precipitation dataset (E-OBS), and in 2021-2070, based on bias-corrected precipitation generated by a six-member climate model ensemble from EURO-CORDEX, under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The WASP performance in identifying extremely dry or wet events, reported by the EM-DAT disaster database, is assessed for 1961–2020. An overall good agreement between the WASP spatial patterns and the EM-DAT records is found. The areolar mean values revealed an upward trend in the frequency of occurrence of intermediate-to-severe dry events over Iberia, which will be strengthened in the future, particularly for the 12m-WASP intermediate dry events under RCP8.5. Besides, the number of 3m-WASP intermediate-to-severe wet events is projected to increase, mostly the severest events under RCP4.5, but no evidence was found for an increase in the number of more persistent (12m-WASP) wet events under both RCPs. Despite important spatial heterogeneities, an increase(decrease) of the intensity, duration, and frequency of occurrence of the 12m-WASP intermediate-to-severe dry(wet) events is found under both scenarios, mainly in the southernmost regions of Iberia, thus becoming more exposed to prolonged and severe droughts in the future, corroborating the results from previous studies.

The International Roughness Index (IRI) is the standard scale for evaluating road roughness in many countries in the world. The Taipei City government actively promotes a Road Smoothing Project and plans to complete the rehabilitation of the main and minor roads within its jurisdiction. This study aims to detect the road surface roughness in Taipei City and recommend appropriate IRI thresholds for road rehabilitation. A total of 171 asphalt concrete pavement sections in Taipei City with a total length of 803.49 km were analyzed and compared by IRI. The longitudinal profile of the detected road sections was measured using an inertial profiler. The statistical analysis showed that the IRI value prior to road leveling was mainly distributed between 5 and 8 m/km, while the IRI value after road leveling was mainly distributed between 3 and 4.5 m/km. This confirms that the implementation of the Road Smoothing Project has a significant effect on improving road smoothness. Moreover, based on the analysis results, it is recommended that the IRI threshold value for road rehabilitation in Taipei City be set at 4.50 m/km.

Bio-surfactants are surface-active molecules which are produced by the wide range of microbes including bacteria, fungi, and yeast. This study was conducted to identify bio-surfactants by Bacillus subtilis combined with use of cheap substrates and industrial wastes (Mustard cake, Whey and Soya cake) which are found locally in Nepal. Bacillus subtilis, one of the most potential bio-surfactants producer; was isolated from soil sample of hydrocarbon contaminated site. Isolates were grown in a Minimal Salt Media (MSM) with 10% (v/v) mustard oil cake, whey and soya cake separately. The presence and potential of surfactant was determined by the oil spreading technique, emulsification index (%E24) and surface tension measurement. It was revealed that the surface tensions of cell free extract were 54.41, 60.02 and 56.64 mN/m for from mustard cake, whey and soya cake respectively as compared to distilled water (72.09) at 25oC. The emulsification index values are was found to be highest in engine oil from the bio-surfactant extracted from mustard cake, soya cake and whey respectively. Similarly, mustard oil showed the lowest value of emulsification index. The highest emulsification activity was shown in mustard oil i.e. 1.13 from the cell free extract from mustard oil and lowest in engine oil i.e., 0.07, by the extract from soya cake medium, when measured in spectrophotometer at 540 nm. In conclusion, strain of Bacillus subtilis was found to be the potential surface active agent producers on the mustard oil cake, which can be useful medium for various environmental, food and industrial processes.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) formula has been developed by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet and published in 1840 [1] as a law of nature and society, based on statistics about the weight and height of the population of that time, the first part of the 19^th century. He called it “social physics”. From then, for nearly two centuries, the BMI had been the most important formula describing the normal relations and ratio of weight to the square of the height for humans. The problem arises if the BMI formula, developed in the first part of the 19^th century is still good today when the type of work people perform is very different? In modern times, most people are less muscular than at the time when the BMI was developed because they do not work physically as heavy as at that time. In many cases, the Body Mass index can predict mortality, morbidity and illness but not always, for example cases such as (a) the obesity paradox for some cardiovascular problems and (b) the U shape mortality paradox as well as (c) false positive obesity diagnostic in regard to people who are strong and muscular, have low body fat percentage but are classified as obese by the BMI and (d) cases where BMI is normal but people have an “obese metabolism” (e) BMI normal but high fat percentage. The objective is to develop a formula good for all body types, a formula that makes the difference between fat and non-fat body weight such as muscle and body frame and quantifies the effect of strength and fitness, which BMI does not. Another objective is to develop a formula to predict the health risks and fitness status of people, better than BMI. The first generalizations of BMI using anthropometric metrics could be found in [2], where I discuss and analyze many formulae, developed, tested, and simulated by me, using similar new methods, accounting for body shape, physical shape and body function, making the difference between muscle mass and fat, fat and non fat body weight. Nearly all formulae and methods developed and proposed in this new model are new, never published before. Many experiments published before, in highly cited papers show that grip strength and muscle strength is a predictor of health, mortality, morbidity, endocrine and metabolic disease outside the BMI and anthropometric measures. The purpose of my formula is to explain the outcome of those experiments and create a formula which predicts these experiments [21-41].

Remote sensing has been used as an important tool for disaster monitoring and disaster scope extraction, especially for the analysis of spatial and temporal disaster patterns of large-scale and long-duration series. Based on the Google Earth Engine cloud platform, this study used MODIS vegetation index products with 250-m spatial resolution synthesized over 16 days from the period 2005–2019 to develop a rapid and effective method for monitoring disasters across a wide spatiotemporal range. Three types of disaster monitoring and scope extraction models are proposed: the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) median time standardization model (R_{NDVI_TM(i)}), the NDVI median phenology standardization model (R_{NDVI_AM(i)(j)}), and the NDVI median spatiotemporal standardization model (R_{NDVI_ZM(i)(j)}). The optimal disaster extraction threshold for each model in different time phases was determined using Otsu’s method, and the extraction results were verified by medium-resolution images and ground-measured data of the same or quasi-same period. Finally, the disaster scope of cultivated land in Heilongjiang Province from 2010–2019 was extracted, and the spatial and temporal patterns of the disasters were analyzed based on meteorological data. This analysis revealed that the three aforementioned models exhibited high disaster monitoring and range extraction capabilities, with verification accuracies of 97.46%, 96.90%, and 96.67% for R_{NDVI_TM(i)}, R_{NDVI_AM(i)}, and _(j)R_{NDVI_ZM(i)(j)}, respectively. The spatial and temporal disaster distributions were found to be consistent with the disasters of the insured plots and the meteorological data across the entire province. Moreover, different monitoring and extraction methods were used for different disasters, among which wind hazard and insect disasters often required a delay of 16 days prior to observation. Each model also displayed various sensitivities and were applicable to different disasters. Compared with other techniques, the proposed method is fast and easy to implement. This new approach can be applied to numerous types of disaster monitoring as well as large-scale agricultural disaster monitoring and can easily be applied to other research areas. This study presents a novel method for large-scale agricultural disaster monitoring.

The aim of this study was to introduce a new activity-based balance index by using accelerometer data. Twenty-seven junior soccer players from the Iranian premier league were selected. Four functional tests, consisting of one leg stance, dynamic Y balance, running and dribbling tests, were conducted to assess the players’ balance, activity and skill. During these four tests, besides their relative scores, the acceleration of their body center was also recorded. Activity-based balance index (ABI) was calculated using these acceleration data. The results showed positive correlations between ABI and both static and dynamic balance scores. Additionally, negative correlations were found between ABI and dribbling scores, which demonstrate the agility required for this skill. It seems that this new index achieves the evaluation of both the balance and the skill level of soccer players. Perhaps this is a new way of talent identification and also a re-development of balance tests from traditional to modern.

Recent studies of the difficulties faced by smallholder farmers in many developing countries have echoed their disconnection with formal markets. These limitations have been attributed to a number of factors including stringent quality and volume requirements, among others. While smallholder farmers seek access to formal markets, the existing alternatives through which they sell their produce remain obscure. Using an interview of market outlets and selected smallholder farmers in the area, the study applied a crop marketing index to examine the outlets currently used by farmers and the volume of potatoes sold in each. Findings indicate that smallholder farmers on average sold sixty-eight percent of their produce. The outlet mostly used by farmers was street vendors because the large supermarkets sold potatoes supplied from external sources. It would be helpful for smallholder farmers to aggregate their produce through producer and marketing cooperatives, to better engage with these formal market outlets.

Nutrient estimation in forest ecosystems through satellite images allows us to obtain accurate data, starting with data transformation from forest stands and the existing relationship with the spectral information of the image through modeling. The objective of the study was to quantify and validate the content of C, N, H in aboveground tree biomass in managed stands using spatial modeling and satellite images. This study was conducted during 2017-2018 in managed forest stands in San Juan Lachao, Oaxaca, Mexico. Fifteen 400 m2 experimental sites were selectively established, using a completely randomized experimental design of five silvicultural treatments with three replications. As part of data preprocessing, normality and homogeneity of variances assumptions were checked using the Shapiro-Wilk and Bartlett tests, respectively. From the pixels, data of the average of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) that surrounded the sampling sites were contrasted against the data obtained from forest inventory and the regression models to estimate C, N, H and biomass were generated. Models were validated by NDVI. With the models we estimated 0.95 t ha-1 biomass, which contains between 0.61 and 0.63 of C, 0.44-0.46 of N and 0.24 of H. The models generated had coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.85 to 0.87, which are significant parameters (p ≤ 0.0001). These results confirm that the use of Sentinel satellite images in the estimation of these elements in forest ecosystems based on the relationship between data inventory and the NDVI is highly reliable.

This study aims to assess the spatiotemporal characteristics of meteorological droughts in Bangladesh during 1981–2015 using the Effective Drought Index (EDI). Monthly precipitation data for 36 years (1980-2015) obtained from 27 metrological stations, were used in this study. The EDI performance was evaluated for four sub-regions over the country through comparisons with historical drought records identified at the regional scale. Analysis at a regional level showed that EDI could reasonably detect the drought years/events during the study period. The study also revealed that the overall drought severity had increased during the past 35 y; the most significant increasing trend was observed in the central region. The characteristics (severity and duration) of drought were also analysed in terms of spatiotemporal evolution of the frequency of drought events. It was found that the western and central regions of the country are comparatively more vulnerable to drought. Moreover, the southwestern region is more prone to extreme drought, whereas the central region is more prone to severe droughts. In addition, the central region was more prone to extra-long-term droughts, while the coastal areas in the southwestern as well as in the central and north-western region were more prone to long-term droughts. The frequency of droughts in all categories significantly increased during the last quinquennial period (2011 to 2015). The seasonal analysis showed that the north-western areas were prone to extreme droughts during the Kharif (wet) and Rabi (dry) seasons. The central and northern regions were affected by recurring severe droughts in all cropping seasons. Further, the most significant increasing trend of the drought-affected area was observed within the central region, especially during the pre-monsoon (March-May) season. The results of this study can aid policymakers in the development of drought mitigation strategies in the future.

The urban mangrove of the Vitória Bay, Espírito Santo, Southern Brazil suffers from anthropogenic impacts, which interfere in the foliar spectral response of its species. Identifying the spectral behavior of these species and creating regression models to indirectly obtain structure data like the Leaf Area Index (LAI) are powerful environmental monitoring tools. In this study, LAI was obtained in 32 plots distributed in four stations. In situ LAI regression analysis with the SAVI resulted in significant positive relationships (r² = 0.58). Forest variability regarding the degree of maturity and structural heterogeneity and LAI influenced the adjustment of vegetation indices (VIs). The highest regression values were obtained for the homogeneous field data, represented by R. mangle plots, which also had higher LAI values. The same field data were correlated with SAVI of a RapidEye image for comparison purposes. The results showed that, images obtained by a UAV have higher spatial resolution than the Rapideye image, and therefore had a greater influence of the background. Another point is that the statistical analysis of the field data with the IVs obtained from the RapidEye image did not present high regression coefficient (r² = 0.7), suggesting that the use of VIs applied to the study of urban mangroves needs to be better evaluated, observing the factors that influence the leaf spectral response.

Background: Ultrasound measurement of dynamic changes in inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and collapsibility index (CI) evaluates to estimate the fluid responsiveness and intravascular volume status. We conducted a analysis to quantify the sonographic measurement of IVC diameter changes in adult patients at preoperative and postoperative period. Methods: Ultrasonography was performed on 72 patients scheduled for surgery with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I to III. Quantitative assessments of the end-expiration (D_min), end-inspiration (D_max) and CI at preoperative and postoperative period were compared in a prospective, observational study. The patients received intravenous fluid according to standard protocol regimes peroperatively. The cutt-off value of dIVC 40% was accepted as hypovolemia. Results: Ultrasonography of IVC measurement was unsuccessful in 12.5% of patients and 63 patients remained for analyses. The mean age was 43.29 ± 17.22 (range 18 - 86) years. The average diameter of the D_min, D_max and dIVC at preoperative and postoperative were 1.99 ± 0.31 vs. 2.05 ± 0.29 cm, 1.72 ± 0.33 vs. 1.74 ± 0.32 cm, 14.0 ± 9.60 % vs. 15.14 ± 11.18 %, respectively (p<0.05). Using a threshold dIVC of 40%, one patient preoperatively and 5 postoperatively were hypovolemic (p<0.05). CI was also positively associated preoperatively and postoperatively (regression coefficient = 0.438, p<0.01). Conclusion: The diameter of IVC did not change preoperatively and postoperatively in adult patients with standard fluid regimens. The parameters of the IVC diameter increased postoperatively according to preoperative period.

Human adaptive responses to climate change occur at the local level, where climatic variability is experienced. Therefore analyzing vulnerability at the local level is important in planning effective adaptation options in a semi-arid environment. This study was conducted to assess vulnerability of Maasai pastoralist communities in Kajiado County, Kenya to climate change by generating vulnerability index for the communities. Data was collected using questionnaires that were administered to 305 households in the five different administrative wards (Oloosirkon/Sholinke, Kitengela, Kapetui North, Kenyawa-Poka and Ilmaroro) in Kajiado East. Vulnerability was measured as the net effect of adaptive capacity, sensitivity and exposure to climate change. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to assign weights to the vulnerability indicators used for the study and also to calculate the household vulnerability index. A vulnerability map was produced using the GIS software package ArcGIS 10.2. Results showed that gender of household head, age of household head, educational level, access to extension agents, herd size, livestock diversity and access to credit facility influenced vulnerability of the Maasai pastoralists to climate change in Kajiado East. The result showed that the most vulnerable communities with the highest negative vulnerability index value are Ilpolosat (-2.31), Oloosirikon (-2.22), Lenihani (-2.05), Konza (-1.81) and Oloshaiki (-1.53). The communities with the highest positive vulnerability index values were Kekayaya (4.02), Kepiro (3.47), Omoyi (2.81), Esilanke (2.23), Kisaju (2.16) and Olmerui (2.15). We conclude that provision of basic amenities such as good roads and electricity; access to extension agents, access to credit facilities and herd mobility will reduce vulnerability of Maasai pastoralists in Kajiado east to climate change and variability.

Crystallization behavior of hexadecane (C₁₆H₃₄), octadecane (C₁₈H₃₈), eicosane (C₂₀H₄₂), and docosane (C₂₂H₄₆) dispersions of similar mean droplet diameter (x_50.2 ≈ 15 µm) was investigated in quiescent systems and compared to crystallization under mechanical stress. In quiescent systems, the required supercooling decreased with increasing chain length of the alkanes to initiate crystallization. Crystallization of alkane dispersions under mechanical stress resulted in similar onset crystallization supercooling, as during quiescent crystallization. Increase of mechanical stress did not affect the onset crystallization supercooling within alkane dispersions.

In 2013, the CMA at the İstanbul Stock Exchange increased the weight assigned to the Board of Directors component of its Corporate Governance Index to 35% from the previous 25%. Interpreting this as a recognition of the increasing vital role of the board, this study seeks to enhance the work of Abdıoğlu and Kılıç (2015) by putting more focus on the role of women in the boards and the effect of the busy chairman as well as the presence of outside directors on the effectivity of the Board. (The general business structure is associated with family owned groups and holdings which results into a network of intertwined board membership and cases of multiple directorship where, one board chairman can hold the same position or any directorship in as many as ten firmshence the busy chairman). I employ a different method of evaluating performance (EVA) together with the accounting measures of ROE and ROA (as opposed to the overused Tobin’s Q), which I regress against the Board Index to be created. The focus is on firms on the BIST 100 index (excluding financial) between 2009 and 2013. The results reveal that the BINDEX has a significant and positive relationship with firm performance as measured by EVA. A second model reveals no relationship between the BINDEX and firm ROA, similar to the results of Kiliç and Abdioğlu (2015). ROA however has a positive relationship with the proportion of female directors in the board, as earlier reported by LückerathRovers (2013). Another model using ROE as the proxy for performance registers a significant negative relationship with the index. The contradiction obtained in the results from these three models underscore the importance choosing the right methods when estimating the performance of a firm.

Increased exposure to artificial light at night can affect human health including disruption of melatonin production and circadian rhythms and extend to increased risks of hormonal cancers and other serious diseases. In addition, multiple negative impacts on fauna and flora are well documented, and it is a matter of fact that artificial light at night is a nuisance for ground-based astronomy. These impacts are frequently linked to the colour of the light or more specifically to its spectral content. Artificial light at night is often mapped by using space borne sensors, but most of them are panchromatic and thus insensitive to the colour. In this paper, we suggest a method that allows high resolution mapping of the Artificial light at night by using ground-based measurements with the LANcube system. The device separates the light detected in four bands (Red, Green, Blue, and Clear) and provides this information for six faces of a cube. We found relationships between the LANcube’s colour ratios and 1- the Melatonin Suppression Index, 2- the StarLight Index and 3- the Induced Photosynthesis Index. We show how such relationships combined with data acquisition from a LANcube positioned on the top of a car can be used to produce spectral indices maps of a whole city in a few hours.

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of s-FLT-1 and PlGF concentrations in women in the first trimester of pregnancy on the pulsatility index of the ductus venosus and the right and left uterine arteries. Methods: A total of 108 pregnant women in their first trimester were included in the study, with 87 assigned to the experimental group and 21 to the control group. Ultrasound examination were performed to measure the uterine artery pulsatility index, resistance index, ductus venosus pulsatility index, and blood sampling levels of biomarkers such as b-HCG; PAPP-A; s-FLT-1 and PlGF. Results: There was a significant negative relationship between PAPP-A concentration and the risk of fetal growth restriction, and a significant negative relationship between PlGF concentration and the risk of preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction in women in their first trimester of pregnancy. There was also a significant positive relationship between sFLT-1/PLGF ratio and the risk of developing preeclampsia. No significant relationships were found between the concentrations of biomarkers beta-HCG, PAPP-A, sFLT-1, PlGF, and any of the parameters PIUARt, PIUALt, Mean uterine arteries, and DVPI. Summary: In conclusion, this study did not find conclusive evidence to support the hypothesis that beta-HCG, PAPP-A, s-FLT-1, and PlGF concentrations in women in the first trimester of pregnancy have a significant effect on the Pulsatility Index of the ductus venosus and the Right and left Uterine Arteries. Further research is needed to investigate these potential associations.

To understand the physiological basis of tolerance to combined stresses to low phosphorus (P) and drought in mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek), a core set of 100 accessions were evaluated in hydroponics at sufficient (250 μM) and low (3 μM) P, and exposed to drought (dehydration) stress. The principal component analysis and ranking of accessions based on relative values revealed that IC280489, EC397142, IC76415, IC333090, IC507340 and IC121316 performed superior while IC119005, IC73401, IC488526 and IC325853 performed poorly in all treatments. Selected accessions were evaluated in soil under control (sufficient P, irrigated), low P (without P, irrigated), drought (sufficient P, withholding irrigation) and combined stress (low P, withholding irrigation). Under combined stress, a significant reduction in gas exchange traits (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, instantaneous water use efficiency), P uptake in seed and shoot was observed under combined stress as compared to individual stresses. Among accessions, IC488526 was most sensitive while IC333090 and IC507340 exhibited tolerance to individual or combined stress. The water balance and low P adaptation traits like membrane stability index, relative water content, specific leaf weight, organic acid exudation, biomass, grain yield and P uptake can be used as physiological markers to evaluate for agronomic performance. Accessions with considerable resilience to low P and drought stress can be either used as ‘donors’ in Vigna breeding program or cultivated in areas with limited P and water availability or both.

Introduction: Biliary Atresia (BA) is a common cause of neonatal cholestatic jaundice which, if recognized and treated early, can be life-saving for the infant. If the liver biopsy suggests the presence of BA, exploratory laparotomy is then carried out to confirm the diagnosis, along with the Kasai procedure to provide drainage to the bile secreted by the liver. The purpose of this study is to get a deep dive into all the various imaging modalities that can diagnose BA more effectively and with absolute certitude, thus helping prevent several children from a grave prognosis.Methodology: For the collection of the data, a search was done by two individuals using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases for all relevant literature. Each qualifying paper was evaluated independently by two reviewers. Each article was analyzed for the number of patients, their age, procedure modality, complexity of ethology, and incidence of the pre-decided complications. The statistical software packages RevMan (Review Manager, version 5.3), SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20), Google Sheets, and Excel in Stata 14 were used to perform the statistical analyses. The data was obtained and entered into analytic software.Results: A total of 39 studies with 3,679 subjects were selected for the study, out of which 7 studies showed sensitivity above or equal to 95%, and an astounding 14 studies showed specificity above 95%. The value of True Positive (TP) was 1280, that of True Negative (TN) was 1817, that of False Positive (FP) was 239, and that of False Negative (FN) was 343. With a confidence interval of 95%, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were calculated. The sensitivity of Ultrasonography for Biliary Atresia is 0.79, with a CI of 95% in a range of 0.77 to 0.81. The specificity of Ultrasonography for Biliary Atresia is 0.88, with a CI of 95% in a range of 0.87 to 0.90. Conclusion: Even though several radiological techniques at present help to detect BA, USG of the abdomen proves to be an effective diagnostic and a modest screening test for the detection of BA.

Recent climate change and water pollution has affected algal diversity resulting in emergence of more tolerant species. They can be the indicators of water quality, pollution and seasonal changes. Present study revealed the green algal diversity and distribution pattern according to water parameters and season in the Lucknow City, India. The water sample were collected from seven sites within Lucknow and outskirts. The occurrence of a total of 36 taxa of green algae belonging to 11 genera are recorded. It has been observed that less polluted water is dominated by Spirogyra; where conductivity, TDS and salinity of water were low. Whereas the more polluted water was dominated by desmids. Dominance index was found highest in site 4 (0.61), where only three taxa were identified; whereas the lowest (0.13) was measured in site 1, where nine taxa were identified. This study also recorded several algal taxa for the first time from Lucknow.

Refractive index measurements have been an important task for a long time because that index plays an essential role in describing the optical properties of a material. Many methods have been developed to perform that task. Some of them use interferometry to achieve high precision, however these configurations are complicated. Some measure the critical angle using simple structures, but the accuracy is not satisfactory because it is difficult to judge the exact critical angle with intensity variations. Here we propose several new schemes based on measuring the polarization change in the total internal reflection. The proposed method has the merits of simple structure and easy incident angle determination that gives the maximum phase change. Additionally, it is possible to find the material dispersion by measuring the wavelength dependence of the polarization ellipticity. Some useful formulas relating the refractive index with the maximum phase change are obtained. This work can provide valuable alternatives for index measurement.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is a vital leguminous crop known for its rich nutritional profile, includ-ing high protein and oil content, making it a valuable resource in global agriculture and human nutrition. In Pakistan due to regulatory issues non-GMO soybean is grown therefore, the universal herbicide control method is not applicable. Similarly, for other crops, specific herbicides are avail-able but for soybean no crop specific herbicide is present. A comprehensive study was conducted over two growing seasons, in 2022 and 2023, at Agronomic Research Farm University of Agri-culture Faisalabad. The research involved 16 different treatments, including both six pre-emergence and eight post-emergence herbicides as well as a control group and weedy check. Findings of this study showed that critical importance of weed management in soybean cultiva-tion, as unchecked weed infestation can lead to substantial yield losses. Among the pre-emergence herbicide S-Metolachlor + Pendimethalin performed best and showed higher plant height (54.33 cm & 53.67 cm), 100 grain weight (11.57 g & 12 g), seed yield plant-1 (13.07 g and 12.87 g), lower Susceptibility Index (10%), higher weed control percentage (91.21% & 95.65%) higher weed con-trol efficiency (92.02% & 93.43%), herbicide efficiency index (27.54% & 32.48%) and lower weed index (18.16% & 21.70%) during 2022 and 2023 respectively. However, in post emergence herbi-cide the Fluizefop-p-butyl is most effective herbicide due to less crop injury 10% Susceptibility In-dex, higher plant height (42.67 cm & 44 cm), whole plant weight (93.33 g & 95 g), 100-grain weight (11.40 g & 11.77 g), seed yield plant-1 (12.87 g & 13.13 g), higher weed control percentage (91.12% & 91.03%) higher weed control efficiency (89.73% & 92.36%, herbicide efficiency index (21.18% & 30.41%) and lower weed index (19.42% & 20.08%) in both 2022 and 2023 respectively. Notably, herbicides such as S-Metolachlor + Atrazine + Mesotrione, Topramezone, Mesosulfu-ron-methyl + Iodosulfuron-methyl sodium and Mesotrione + Atrazine led to complete plant mor-tality, resulting lethal to soybean. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that screened the best suitable herbicides with less plant injury, and higher efficiency index. So, it is recom-mended that the application of S-Metolachlor + Pendimethalin as PRE and Fluizefop-p-butyl as POST showed the least injury and best weed control results with higher grain yield.

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between climate policy uncertainty (CPU), clean energy (ENERGY), carbon emission allowance prices (CARBON), and Bitcoin returns (BTC) for the period from August 2012 to August 2022. The empirical analysis strategies utilized in this study included the Fourier Bootstrap ARDL long-term coefficient estimator, Fourier Granger Causality, and Fourier Toda Yamamoto Causality methods. Following the confirmation of cointegration among the variables, we observed a positive relationship between BTC and CARBON, a positive relationship between BTC and CPU, and a negative relationship between BTC and ENERGY. In terms of causal associations, we identified one-way causality running from CARBON to BTC, BTC to CPU, and BTC to the ENERGY variable. The study underscores the potential benefits and revenue opportunities for investors seeking diversified investment strategies in light of climate change concerns. Furthermore, it suggests actionable strategies for policymakers, such as implementing carbon taxes and educational campaigns, to foster a transition towards clean energy sources within the cryptocurrency mining sector and thereby mitigate environmental impacts.

Electrochemical methods are used for the treatment of both municipal and industrial wastewater, either independently or in conjunction with biological methods. This conjunction is used for pretreatment or posttreatment of biologically treated wastewater. In our work, we focused on the combination of these processes, where pre-electrolysis was used to produce dissolved iron before the activation process. Electrolysis was also directly introduced into the activation using either iron or carbon electrodes. The surface of one iron electrode was 32.2 cm2, the applied voltage was 21 V, and the supplied current was 270 mA. The surface of one carbon electrode was 7.54 cm2, the supplied current was 82.5 mA, and the applied voltage was 21 V. From laboratory research on the treatment of synthetic municipal wastewater using a combination of electrolysis and activation processes, it resulted that the use of iron electrodes increased the efficiency of phosphorus removal compared to its precipitation with iron salts. The electrolysis had a positive effect on the sedimentation properties of sludge and the destruction of filamentous microorganisms. Electrolysis negatively affected the respiration rates of activated sludge and the efficiency of denitrification. However, it did not have a negative impact on the nitrification activity of the sludge.

Both natural and anthropogenic factors can cause long-term and irreversible damage to the environment, in particular to the soil. To solve several environmental problems, it is important to study the seasonal changes in the concentration of macro- and trace elements in soil samples and to identify the factors that regulate the concentration of chemical elements in soil and their toxicity This study employs an innovative integrated methodology to detect alterations in the concentrations of certain chemical elements in soil samples from various regions of Armenia throughout the current agricultural seasons. Elemental analysis of soil samples is carried out using a portable XRF analyzer with direct X-ray exposure. The clastogenicity of the soil-plant system was evaluated using Tradescantia (clone 02). A pollution index based on the established Clark concentration for chemical elements was calculated. Trace elements exhibited a higher pollution index than those in other groups. The genotoxic analysis of soils from the study sites revealed a significant increase in soil clastogenicity, beginning in autumn and peaking in the spring season. During the subsequent summer sampling season, all genotoxicity evaluation criteria for the materials under study notably decreased. The results analysis revealed positive and negative correlations among all chemical elements in the soil samples from all sites during the experimental cycle, with varying degrees of significance.

Level index was introduced in 2017 for rooted trees which is a component of Gini index. In the origin, Gini index is a tool for economical investigations but Balaji and Mahmoud defined the graph theoretical applications of this index for statistical analysis of graphs. Level index is an important component of Gini index. In this paper we define a new graph polynomial which is called level polynomial and calculate the level polynomial of some classes of trees. We obtain some interesting relations between the level polynomials and some integer sequences.

Accurate and robust methods are needed to monitor crop growth and predict grain yield and quality in breeding programs under variable agrometeorological conditions. Field experiments were conducted during two successive cropping seasons (2021, 2022) at four trial locations (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway). The focus was on assessment of grain yield (GY), grain protein content (GPC), and UAV-derived NDVI measured at different plant growth stages. Performance and stability of 16 selected spring wheat genotypes were assessed under two N application rates (75, 150 kg N ha−1) and over contrasted agrometeorological conditions were assessed, and the quantitative relationships between agronomic traits and UAV-derived variables were figured out. None of the traits were subject to a significant (p&lt;0.05) genotype by nitrogen interaction. High-yielding and high-protein genotypes were detected with high WAASB stability, specifically under high and low N rates. This study highlights the significant effect of NDVI analysis on growth stages GS55 and GS75 as key linear predictors, especially in the context of spring wheat GY. However, the effect of these indices depends on the specific growing conditions in the respective locations, thus limiting their universal utility.

When lighting photographic scenes, light sources are often coupled with light-shaping attachments to alter the original light. While the colour rendering properties of the light sources are known, the effect of the added modifiers has not yet been fully investigated. In this research, the effects of light-shaping attachments such as snoot, beauty dish and a range of softboxes on the colour rendering index of the original light sources are investigated using a series of spectrophotometric measurements. The results outline the effects of each light-shaping attachment and provide guidance on the usability of the modifiers used when it comes to accurate colour rendering.

The BP neural network and PSO algorithm are applied into analyzing the reliability of long-span Concrete Filled Steel Tubular (CFST) arch bridges. Firstly, using BP neural network to fit the structural performance function. And then the PSO method was used to calculate the reliability index. A long-span Concrete Filled Steel Tubular arch bridges reliability indices were calculated whether considering the geometric nonlinearity or not. The calculation and analysis results showed that the BP neural network and PSO algorithm compensated the deficiency of the traditional reliability analysis methods, improved the calculation accuracy, provided a new thought and means for the research on the reliability of long-span bridge structure, and well applied to the reliability analysis of long-span Concrete Filled Steel Tubular arch bridges. Additionally, the reliability analysis of long-span Concrete Filled Steel Tubular arch bridges on service limit state must consider the geometric nonlinearity effect, or the results will tend to be unsafe.

This work uses a new approach to investigate the Riemann hypothesis, drawing conclusions about its trueness. It is based on the more general method presented in a very recent publication, by the same author, showing in detail how to approach that very well-known and interesting problem. This is achieved by means of the theory of dynamical systems (Poincaré index associated to equilibria of 2-dimensional systems) and the study of the zeros of the Dirichlet eta function, defined by a Dirichlet series. By using the well-known fact that the zeros of the eta function include all zeros of the Riemann zeta function in the (open) critical strip, excluded the critical line, ((0,1/2) ∪ (1/2,1)) × (−∞,∞), the development proceeds using only the eta function. In addition, the open and simply connected region (1/2,1) × (0,∞) is used along the text, taking into account the symmetries of zeros of the functions under analysis in the critical strip. The basic line of proof is to find the mathematical expression for the Poincaré index of the vector field associated to the eta function, assuming the existence of a zero of the eta function outside the critical line (in (1/2,1) × (0,∞)), and investigating the resulting unfoldings. Eventually, an inconsistency occurs and the proof ends by contradiction.

Droughts are a common occurrence in various climates and are primarily caused by a prolonged decrease in rainfall. Several factors contribute to droughts, including temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, rainfall timing, amount, and intensity during the growing season. The objective of this study is to establish a new index, named soil moisture and evapotranspiration revealed drought index (SERDI), for displaying dry and wet conditions based on combining both soil moisture and evapotranspiration (Penman-Monteith) to improve drought early warning and its severity globally. For validation of the SERDI with other indices such as LST, VHI, NDVI, and NDWI, different ways used such as R-square, RMSE, MAPE, and P-value to estimate the accuracy, variability of data, the forecast conditions, and how the significance of data. The results showed that the low RMSE and high r² were found between SERDI with LST and VHI. In contrast, the low R- square and high RMSE were between SERDI with NDVI and NDWI in most of the semi-arid areas. Furthermore, most of the semi-arid areas from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Israel experienced moderate and severe dry conditions, except some parts of these regions had normal conditions in Iran and Syria. The SERDI analysis revealed a strong correlation between (LST) and a moderate correlation with (VHI) across all study areas. However, the relationship between other indices, like (NDWI) and (NDVI), varied depending on the regions. To conclude, SERDI can be used globally for detecting drought based on soil moisture and evapotranspiration.

Modern imaging strategies are paramount to studying living systems such as cells, bacteria, and fungi and their response to pathogens, toxicants, and nanomaterials as modulated by exposure and environmental factors. The need to understand the processes and mechanisms of damage, healing and cell survivability of living systems continues to motivate the development of alternative imaging strategies. Of particular interest is the use of label-free techniques that minimize interference of biological processes by foreign marking substances and reduce intense light exposure and potential photo-toxicity effects. This review focus on the potential synergic capabilities of atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a well-developed and robust imaging strategy with demonstrated applications to unravel intimate details in biomedical applications, with the label-free, fast, and enduring Holotomographic Microscopy (HT) strategy. We first review the operating principles that form the basis for the complementary details provided by these techniques regarding the surface and internal information provided by HT and AFM is essential and complimentary for the development of several biomedical areas studying the interaction mechanisms of nanomaterials with living organisms. First, AFM can provide superb resolution on surface morphology and biomechanical characterization. Second, the quantitative phase capabilities of HT enable superb modeling and quantification of the volume, surface area, protein content, and mass density of the main components of cells and microorganisms, including morphology of cells in microbiological systems. These capabilities result from directly quantifying refractive index changes without requiring fluorescent markers or chemicals. As such, HT is ideally suited for long-term monitoring of living organisms in conditions close to their natural settings. We present a case-based review of the principal uses of both techniques and their essential contributions to nanomedicine and nanotoxicology, emphasizing cancer and infectious disease control. The synergic impact of the sequential use of these complementary strategies provides a clear drive for adopting these techniques as interdependent fundamental tools.

Red color conversion materials have often been used in conventional white LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to enhance the insufficient deep red component and thus improve the color rendering property. Quantum dots (QDs) are one of the candidates due to their flexibility in controlling the emission wavelength, which is attributed to the quantum confinement effect. Two types of remote QD components, i.e., QD films and QD caps, were prepared and applied to conventional white LED illumination to improve the color rendering properties. Thanks to the red component near 630 nm caused by the QD components, the color rendering indices(CRIs) of both Ra and R9 could be increased to over 95. It was found that both the diffusing nature of the reflector and the light recycling process in the vertical cavity between the bottom reflector and the top optical films play important roles in improving the color conversion efficiency of remote QD components. The present study showed that the proper application of remote QDs combined with a suitable optical cavity can control the correlated color temperature of the illumination over a wide range, thus realizing different color appearances of white LED illumination. In addition, a high CRI of over 95 could be achieved due to sufficient excitation from fewer QDs due to the strong optical cavity effect.

BRICS-Plus (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and 30 other countries) is a group of 35 countries with emerging economies making up more than half of the world’s population. We explored epidemiological trends of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality attributable to modifiable risk factors and its association with period and birth cohort effects and sociodemographic index (SDI) across BRICS-Plus by using joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort (APC) modeling from 1990 to 2019. Between 1990 and 2019, the all-ages CVD deaths increased by 85.2% (6.1 million to 11.3 million) across BRICS-Plus. The CVD ASMR attributable to dietary risks and smoking significantly decreased across BRIC-Plus countries, with some exceptions. However, four-fifth of BRIC-Plus countries observed a remarkable increasing trend of high body mass-index (BMI)-related CVD deaths in particular among younger adults (25-49 years). Early birth cohorts and individuals aged greater than 50 years showed a higher risk of CVD mortality. Both China-ASEAN FTA and Mercosur regions stand out for their successful sociodemographic transition, with a significant reduction in CVD mortality over the study period. Singapore and Brazil achieved great progress in CVD mortality reduction and the other BRICS-Plus countries should follow their lead in adopting public health policies and initiatives into practice.

Chronic stress in dairy cattle industry has negative impacts on animal health, productivity, and welfare. It has been confirmed that cortisol transfers to milk and resists the high temperature during milk processing. This study evaluated the relationship between milk cortisol concentration (MCC) in commercial milk products and the temperature-humidity index (THI) at time of milk production. Eleven commercially produced pasteurized and sterilized milk products, purchased in Chuncheon, Korea, with production dates ranging from July to October 2021 were analyzed. The MCC was extracted using diethyl ether and analyzed using enzyme immunoassay. Average THI values based on microclimate data provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration were 77±0.8, 75±1.4, 69±1.4, and 58±1.8, in July, August, September, and October, respectively. The average MCC levels were 211.9±95.1, 173.5±63.8, 109.6±53.2, and 106.7±33.7 pg/mL in July, August, September, and October, respectively. MCC in July was higher than in August, September and October (p<0.05), while it was lower in September and October than in August (p<0.05). Significant variations in MCC were observed in commercial milk products across the four production months (p<0.05), except for two milk products. Overall, monitoring cortisol residue in commercial dairy milk products can be an alternative indicator of stress in dairy cattle of farms.

Currently, the design of the concrete mix is an important part of the environmental problem. In front of this question, engineers face a major challenge that is addressed in two ways. On one hand, how do they use its component materials to improve its mechanical properties, on the other hand how do they use less polluting materials? Hence, in an environmental and economical view, laboratory tests were carried out on samples of concrete reinforced with smooth steel fiber extracted from the waste tires, in order to assess its impact and to prove its mechanical feasibility for these purposes. Consequently, laboratory results have shown satisfactory improvement in the behavior of concrete under compression loads in the elastic stage and an increase in ductility and toughness of the matrix in the plastic stage. Besides, taking into account the discontinuity and the structural disturbances observed during the loading of samples in the post-elastic state, a method has been proposed to calculate "the effective toughness and toughness Index of fiber concrete; on the other hand, this method has helped to better optimize length and slenderness of fibers for better use of this recycled material

Introduction: Due to the great development of digital technology, through CAD (Computer - Aided Design) and CAM (Computer - Aided Manufacturing) systems, digital models could be used in orthodontic treatment planning decision-making, as there are numerous studies in the literature that support the validity of measurements of digital models of anterior teeth and the total coefficient of Bolton analysis. The aim of the study was to compare the average length value of the current upper and lower arches with that of a hypothetical nickel-titanium wire and the accuracy of the Bolton index measurement. In the present study, 138 dental casts were analyzed using Ortho3Shape software. Using the Ortho3Shape software, it was possible to measure the real and ideal lower arch lengths and, with regard to Bolton analysis, the values of the anterior and total Bolton coefficients. By comparing the values obtained with those of the study by A. Anand Kumar et al. using CBCT and plaster casts, the reliability of the measurements obtained with such CAD/CAM orthodontic software was evaluated. Considering the validity of digital measurements demonstrated by the studies and systematic reviews in the literature, it can be stated that CAD/CAM digital models can be a viable alternative to plaster models in the coming years, as they can facilitate model preservation and retrieval. For future studies and research, it would be preferable to use intra-oral scanners (IOS) in order to ensure greater accuracy, requiring only one step and ensuring a better outcome for the patient.

The fractal dimension of geomagnetic variations at the Baigazan magnetic station at Russian Altay for 2011-2013 was calculated using the Higuchi method. The daily variation of Higuchi Fractal Dimension (HFD) for the D,H,Z-components of the geomagnetic field has been investigated, its contribution to the variability of HFD is from 30 to 40 percent of the total variance. A correlation analysis of the fractal dimension of the variations of the D,H,Z-components with Auroral Electrojet (AE) index and solar wind characteristics was carried out. A negative correlations with logarithms of AE-index, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength and solar wind velocity were found. About 25 percent of the fractal dimension variance is controlled by the variability of these characteristics. Pair and partial correlation coefficients for these parameters were calculated for every month of 2011-2013.

In the Yucatán Peninsula, anthropogenic activities such as urbanization and final dispose of solid and wastewaters critically impact aquatic systems. Here, we evaluated the anthropogenic-related environmental alteration of Lake La Sabana, located in the northern limit of one of the main cities of the Mexican Caribbean. We evaluate lake water quality using physical, chemical, and microbiological indicators, and heavy metals in surficial sediments and fish tissue to evaluate the potential environmental risk. Multivariate analyses reveal that environmental conditions in La Sabana are spatial and temporal heterogeneous. Medium to bad water quality was determined within basins by the NSFWQI, related with the degree of anthropogenic influence. The center-south zones display critical microbiological values largely exceeding national standards. Heavy metals in sediments (Zn&gt;Hg) and fish tissue (Hg) were relatively low, but Hg concentration threat the ecological environment. Incipient wastewater treatment and final dispose in La Sabana is the main responsible of changes in the trophic status and nutrients availability, which in turn may have promoted changes in the biological structure and aquatic plant invasions. Lake La Sabana can be considered a model of the potential sequential effects of the anthropogenic alterations in oligotrophic karts tropical aquatic systems in Yucatán Peninsula.

In the present paper, we investigate the impact of the timescale factor on the quality of life index behavior on specific time intervals characterized by the presence of socio-economic, political, and/or health severe movements such as pandemics and crises. We essentially aim to show that effectively the quality of life measuring based on a single index in the existing studies may be described more adequately by a variable index due to the social, political, economic, and also healthy environment. The variability discovered is expressed by the existence and the estimation of a multi-index instead of a single one relatively to many factors. Our focus is mainly on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life. Our model is applied empirically to a sample corresponding to Saudi Arabia as a case of study during the period from January 1990 to December 2021 as the main period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample is based on social media conversations and texts discussing and describing the satisfaction with the quality of life. The study confirms effectively that the role of the timescale factor is more described when considering a multi-index rather than measurement on the whole time interval.

Introduction Kasai procedure in children with biliary atresia (BA) is associated with several complications in the short-term. The Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) is a validated metric in adult surgery for the analysis of complication and morbidity in surgical patients. We aimed to analyze the CCI for the first time in BA infants and to corelate its association with the outcome. Material and Methods Retrospective review of medical records of infants with type III BA undergoing Kasai procedure between January 2011 and December 2021 at our institution. All unexpected events were ranked according to the Clavien-Dindo classification and the CCI per patient was subsequently calculated. Clavien-Dindo grades, individual events, the CCI and the total event number per patient were correlated with the one- and two-year outcome post Kasai. Results 131 events were identified in 101 patients (range 0 – 11 per patient). Forty-four Grade I (33.6%), 67 Grade II (51.1%), 18 Grade III (13.7%) and two sentinel events [> Grade IV] (1.5%) were documented according to Clavien-Dindo, including one death in a cardiac-associated BA patient. None of the complications correlated significantly with a poor outcome. Sixty-three (62.4%) CCI were calculated (range 0 – 100). The mean CCI during the in-patient treatment post Kasai, was significantly higher in patients with a poorer outcome compared to patients with native liver survival at one- and two-year follow-up (22.7 21.7 vs 13.2 18.1; p=0.02). Conclusion Not the severity of complications, but the accumulation of numerous events related to Kasai procedure are associated with a poorer outcome. Therefore, the CCI is an excellent instrument for the postoperative morbidity assessment of BA patients.

Background: Affective states play a role in dietary behaviors. Yet, little research has studied within-subjects associations between affect and diet during pregnancy. We examined the acute bidirectional relationships between affect and food intake and moderation by pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in low-income, Hispanic pregnant women using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Methods: Women (N=57) completed four days of EMA during their first trimester. Women responded to five random prompts per day about their current affect and past two-hour food intake. Results: Higher positive affect (PA) or lower negative affect (NA) predicted greater likelihood of fruit/vegetable consumption in the next two hours in women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI and lower likelihood in women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI. Higher PA predicted less likelihood of fast food consumption in the next two hours in women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI and slightly higher likelihood in women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI. Women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI had higher PA when they reported consuming chips/fries in the past two hours, and women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI had lower PA when they reported consumption of chips/fries in the past two hours. Conclusions: Results showed differential relationships between affect and food intake as a function of pre-pregnancy BMI.

This study seeks to measure the degree of agglomeration of educational quality in Colombia, based on the non-socialization of the population that exhibits low educational quality, with the population that exhibits high educational quality, and thus determine how such agglomeration affects the phenomenon of academic segregation. To this end, we perform a spatial analysis of the educational quality in Colombia and of variables that may influence to the phenomenon of educational agglomeration. The level of agglomeration in educational quality in Colombia is demonstrated by the calculation of the Moran’s Index, in which a result of 0.62 was obtained. High educational quality is concentrated in the Andean region, while low educational quality is agglomerated in the periphery of the country, in areas such as the Pacific region. A spatial regression model was carried out to measure the dependence of municipalities on their neighbors, and to determine the main socio-economic factors affecting the phenomenon of educational agglomeration in Colombia, finding that living conditions, unsatisfied basic needs and fiscal transparency have all an impact on the educational quality of the municipalities. It is also found that the number of homicides in the municipalities does not seem to have a significant relationship with education.

Tillage has been reported to induce seasonal changes of organic carbon (Сmicro) and nitrogen (Nmicro) in biomass of microorganisms. Soil microorganisms execute such ecosystem functions as: it is an immediate sink of labile biophil elements; it is an agent of a conversion, catalysis and synthesis of humus substances; it transforms soil contaminants into non-hazardous wastes; it participates in soil aggregation and pedogenesis as a whole. However, the seasonal turnover of microorganisms on arable lands in temperate ecosystems has not been investigated on a relevant level. Hence, we aimed to study the dynamics of such soil microbial biomass patterns as: Сmicro, Nmicro, microbial index (MI = (Сmicro/CTOC)·100, %) and CO2-C emission on the background of 9 years of tillage and 22 years of abandoned (Ab) and fallow (F) usage. Our study was conducted on a long-term experimental site on a Mollisol in the northeast China. The maximum Сmicro and Nmicro content was found: at the beginning of the growing season – in 0-10-; in mid-July – in 20-40 cm layers, while the minimum – in August-October. The Сmicro content ranged from 577.79- and 381.79 mg-1 kg-1 under Ab in spring to 229.53- and 272.86 mg-1 kg-1 in autumn under CT (conventional tillage) and F in 0-10- and 10-20 cm layers, respectively. The amplitude of Nmicro content changes was several times lower comparatively to Сmicro. The smallest quartile range (IQR0.25-0.75) of such changes was under: no-till (NT) and Ab in 0-10-, NT and F – in 10-20- and CT - in 20-40 cm layers. The widest Сmicro : Nmicro ratio was found at F and CT – in 0-20- and CT and rotational tillage (Rot) – in 20-40 cm layers. MI dynamics resembled the trends of Сmicro and Nmicro and changed from 0.72  0.168- tо 2.00  0,030 %. The highest part of Сmicro in CTOC was at Ab (1.82  1.85 %) and NT (1.66  1.52 %) – in 0-10-; Ab (1.23  1.27 %) and NT (1.29  1.32 %) – in 10-20- and – Ab (1.19  1.09 %) and F (1.11  1.077 %) – in 20-40 cm layers, correspondingly. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient between Сmicro and CTOC increased from the upper 0-10- to the lower 20-40 cm layer, it was "strong" and "high" between Сmicro and CTOC. Different use of Mollisol affected the amplitude of Сmicro and Nmicro seasonal changes, but it didn’t change their trend. Our results suggest the key role of Ab and NT technologies in Сmicro accumulation in total organic carbon (TOC).

Rice production in the Tonle Sap basin is one of the main drivers for economic and social development in Cambodia. The Tonle Sap basin has experienced many different forms of disasters while more attention has been drawn to drought disaster. The objective of this study is to assess the impacts of drought on agriculture and food security through a case study of the Baribo basin, a sub-basin of Tonle Sap basin, Cambodia. Ground observations and satellite-based products were used for drought assessment from 1985 to 2008 which was the period with relatively good data quality. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standard Vegetation Index (SVI) were selected for meteorological and agricultural droughts assessment, correspondingly. Both SPI and SVI consistently suggested that drought is a major natural hazard causing food insecurity in the target basin. The highest drought intensity (DI) and severity (DS) occurred between 1993-1994 and the longest drought duration (DD) occurred between 2002 and 2006. The most severe damage to rice production was in 2004, affecting about 46% of the total cultivated area. The analysis showed that drought duration had a strong relationship with the affected area growing rice as well as food insecurity in the Tonle Sap basin.

Using two metal insulated metal waveguides (MIM) and five resonator (a quadrilateral cavity and three rings with different dimensions), we design a plasmonic refractive index sensor. Using the time domain finite difference method, we examine and analyze the sensor performance (numerical analysis) and using the transmission line model method, we theoretically examine the performance of the sensor By summarizing these two methods and calculating the sensitivity coefficient S, quality coefficient Q and figure of merit (FOM), a plasmonic sensor with good performance is obtained. Using the supermods of the resonators, we will achieve a stable wavelength spectrum and a suitable and stable sensitivity coefficient spectrum. Challenges and changes that occur in different modes of this sensor will lead to a balanced and relatively good structure. This designed sensor can be useful in the development of integrated optical circuits.

In this paper, a plasmonic refractive index sensor based on metal insulated metal waveguide (MIM) with three rings and a resonant cavity is first proposed and numerically evaluated. Next, we add four teeth to the sensor structure. We study and simulate the resonant wavelengths and refractive index of resonators using the time difference finite difference method. Given that the sensor and the conduction characteristics of plasmonic waves are influenced by the structure parameters,Therefore, by changing the refractive index and changing the dimensions and coordinates of the cavity and rims, we can change the passage coefficient in the resonant modes and measure the sensor performance. As a result, we obtain the sensitivity coefficient, the figure of merit (FOM) and the quality factor Q of the sensor. We modulate the resonance wavelength FWHM using the generated modes and reach a sensitivity of 2166 nm / RIU. These plasmonic sensors with a simple framework and balanced performance and high optical resolution can be used to measure the refractive index in the medical, chemical and food industries.

The lordosis of the haemal part of the vertebral column is a frequent abnormality in reared fish. Haemal lordosis develops during the late larval and early juvenile period, mainly due to the high swimming activity of the fish in the rearing tanks. In the present study we examined whether haemal lordosis recovers during the growth of European sea bass. Furthermore, we aimed to develop simple morphometric indices (PrAn1 and PrAn2) that could link the severity of lordosis at the juvenile stage with fish morphological quality at harvesting. At 111 days post-hatching (dph, 53±4 mm standard length, SL), 600 seabass juveniles with lordotic (L, 200 fish) or normal (N, 400 fish) external morphology were selected and introduced in a common tank. At 150 dph (75±7 mm SL), 350 fish were randomly selected, pit-tagged and transferred in a sea cage for on-growing up to 502 dph (234±16 mm SL). The morphological examination of the fish at 150 and 502 dph revealed that the 60% (46 out of 77) of L juveniles turned into normal phenotype by the end of on-growing period. Interestingly, 56% of the fish with recovered external morphology (N-Rec) presented either a completely normal vertebral column (31%) or minor abnormalities of individual vertebrae (25%). Following the results of geometric morphometric analysis, the differences in the body shape between N-Rec and N fish were not significant (p&gt;0.05, canonical variate analysis). The examined morphometric indices were effective in discriminating the normal fish from the 58% (PrAn1) to 65% (PrAn2) of lordotic juveniles. Results are discussed with respect to the mechanism of lordosis recovery, as well as to their application for the quality control and cull out of the abnormal fish in the commercial hatcheries.

In this study, we seek to analyze and numerically evaluate a plasmonic sensor. To form the sensor structure, we use several amplifiers, such as two rings attached to each other and a cavity, as well as two metal insulating metal waveguides (MIM). At the beginning of this simulation, we must examine the resonant wavelengths and the refractive index of the resonators using the finite difference time domain method. By changing the refractive index and changing the dimensions of the cavity and the rims, we seek to investigate the sensor performance and the conduction characteristics of the plasmonics and to obtain the effect of these parameters. To evaluate the sensor performance, we calculate the three factors of sensitivity coefficient S, quality factor Q and figure of merit (FOM), here we reach the sensitivity of 987.6 nm / RIU. Such a plasmonic sensor with a simple framework and high optical resolution can be very useful for sensor systems on optical circuits.

A typical white-light light-emitting diode (LED) can achieve a sunlight-like spectral profile in the visible spectrum by means of using an optical filter, with an inverted transmission profile to the white LED, fabricated using a deposition coating process. The unfiltered white LED generates white light by mixing light emitted by a blue LED (450 nm) with emission from the yellow phosphorescence excited by the blue light and differs significantly from the characteristics of the full-spectrum natural light. In this study, the spectral characteristics of the filtered LED light can be improved to reach a general color rendering index value (Ra) of 95.6 at the D65.

To investigate this suitability of Black Mustard (Brassica Nigra L.) and Camelina (Camelina Sativa L.) for pulp manufacturing the nitrate-alkaline method was used. The non-wood plants were characterized by chemical analysis, especially lignin, cellulose, ash, extractives and alpha-, beta-, gamma-cellulose. The pulp was cooked in 6% nitric acid and then underwent the extraction by 5% sodium-hydroxide and neutralized by 1% acetic acid. The cooked pulp was characterized by delignification degree – Kappa number. The laboratory sheets were made from this cooked pulp and they were characterized by tensile index, breaking length, smoothness and compared with commonly available papers.

In the study of materials and macromolecules by first-principle methods, the bond order is a useful tool to represent molecules, bulk materials and interfaces in terms of simple chemical concepts. Despite the availability of several methods to compute the bond order, most applications have been limited to small systems because a high spatial resolution of the wave function and an all-electron representation of the electron density are typically required. Both limitations are critical for large-scale atomistic calculations, even within approximate density-functional theory (DFT) approaches. In this work we describe our methodology to quickly compute delocalization indices for all atomic pairs, while keeping the same representation of the wave function used in most compute-intensive DFT calculations on high-performance computing equipments. We describe our implementation into a post-processing tool, designed to work with Quantum ESPRESSO, a popular open-source DFT package. In this way we recover a description in terms of covalent bonds from a representation of wave function containing no explicit information about atomic types and positions.

The reconstruction of land use practices in hyper arid Saharan Africa is often hampered by the accuracy of the available tools and by unconscious biases that see these areas as marginal and inhospitable. Considered for a long time the living space of pastoral mobile communities, new research is showing of agriculture might have been more important in these areas than previously thought. In this paper, after a review of present-day land use strategies in Saharan Africa, we show how ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological data can offer us a different point of view and help in better defining land use and food production strategies in this area. Ultimately, these insights can be integrated into the ongoing effort of reconstructing past land use globally.

This paper focuses on the physical attributes of land that intrinsically limit land use and possibly affect land values. In particular, we investigate if the slope of a land does decrease its price and investigate the role of land slope in forming more reliable constant-quality land price indices and aggregate house price indices. We find that, while land slopes do decrease the land price per unit, they have a small effect on the quality-adjusted land price indices in selected neighborhoods in Auckland, New Zealand, where sloped terrain is common.

This paper examines the spatial and temporal distribution of all COVID-19 cases from January to June 2020 against the underlying distribution of population in the United States. It is found that, as time passes, COVID-19 cases become a power law with cut-off, resembling the underlying spatial distribution of populations. The power law implies that many states and counties have a low number of cases, while only a few highly populated states and counties have a high number of cases. To further differentiate patterns between the underlying populations and COVID-19 cases, we derived their inherent hierarchy characterized by the ht-index. We found that the ht-index of COVID-19 cases persistently approaches that of the populations; that is, 5 and 7 at the state and county levels, respectively. Mapping the ht-index of COVID-19 cases against that of populations provides new insights into the development of the pandemic in the United States.

Temperature-index modeling is used to determine the magnitude of temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range required to maintain steady-state mass balances of six reconstructed glaciers at their extent during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM), dated at ~21 ka. Assuming no significant differences in precipitation compared to modern values, mean annual temperatures in the region were on average 8.8 +0.5/–0.8 °C cooler than they are today. Allowing for modest increases or decreases in precipitation, required temperature depressions only differ by ± 0.2 °C. Temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range are consistent, although slightly greater, with those determined in other ranges in Colorado using similar approaches. The estimates presented here are, however, substantially less than those suggested by several downscaled simulations of global LGM climate, that might be due to the need for improved calibration of such downscalings, or the models from which they are derived. Our estimates of LGM temperature depression are considerably greater than that previously determined in the study area and those in two other ranges in Colorado derived using different methodologies, the latter being most likely responsible for the discrepancies.

The present paper aims to increase knowlodge of the methods of resistance estimating of concrete in situ by means of non-destructive tests used to integrate the quantitative results from cylindrical specimens (core). The results of experimental investigations carried out on concrete conglomerate samples of a school building are shown. The experimental campaign then will be presented like a case study, conducted on a series of concrete beams and pillars of an existing building. The distructive tests on cores were conducted at the Civil Structures Laboratory of the Engineering Department of the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli". The expression obtained through the calibration procedure of the values of non-destructive tests with those provided by the core drills allowed to estimate the average values of the compressive strength of the concrete. It is highlighted how this result was achieved with a very limited core number provided that they are extracted in selected points and that there was a proportionality link with the resistances obtained from non distructive tests.

This research describes numerical methods to analyze the absolute transport demand of cyclists and then to quantify the road network weaknesses of a city with the aim to identify infrastructure improvements in favor of cyclists. The methods are based on a combination of bicycle counts and map-matched GPS traces and are demonstrated with the city of Bologna, Italy: the dataset is based on approximately 27,500 GPS traces from cyclists, recorded over a period of one month on a volunteer basis using a smartphone application. A first method estimates absolute, city-wide bicycle flows, by scaling map-matched bicycle flows of the entire network to manual and instrumental bicycle counts of the main bikeways of the city. As there is a good correlation between the two sources of flow data, the absolute bike-flows on the entire network have been correctly estimated. A second method describes a novel link-deviation index, which quantifies for each network edge the total deviation generated for cyclists in terms of extra distances traveled with respect to the shortest possible route. The deviations are accepted by cyclists either to avoid unpleasant road attributes along the shortest route or to experience more favorable road attributes along the chosen route. The link deviation index indicates the planner which road links are contributing most to the total deviation of all cyclists – in this way, repelling and attracting road attributes for cyclists can be identified. This is why the deviation index is of practical help to prioritize bike infrastructure construction on individual road network links.

Relationships between drought and fire danger indices are examined to 1) incorporate fire risk information into the National Integrated Drought Information System California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System and 2) provide a baseline analysis for application of drought indices into a fire risk management framework. We analyzed four drought indices that incorporate precipitation and evaporative demand (E₀) and three fire indices that reflect fuel moisture and potential fire intensity. Seasonally averaged fire danger indices were most strongly correlated to multi-scalar drought indices that use E₀ (the Evaporative Demand Drought Index [EDDI] and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index [SPEI]) at approximately annual time scales that reflect buildup of antecedent drought conditions. Results indicate that EDDI and SPEI can inform seasonal fire potential outlooks at the beginning of summer. An E₀ decomposition case study of conditions prior to the Tubbs Fire in Northern California indicate high E₀ (97th percentile) driven predominantly by low humidity signaled increased fire potential several days before the start of the fire. Initial use of EDDI by fire management groups during summer and fall 2018 highlights several value-added applications, including seasonal fire potential outlooks, funding fire severity level requests, and assessing set-up conditions prior to large, explosive fire cases.

Groundwater plays a pivotal role as the largest potable water sources in Bangladesh. However, the quality of the groundwater faces challenges due to xenobiotic compounds in it. Excess amount of arsenic (As) has already been found in groundwater in many parts of Bangladesh. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the water quality and associated human health risk in central Bangladesh. A total of 99 groundwater samples from the central part of Bangladesh were analyzed to assess human health risk due to high level of nitrate (NO3-) and other trace elements i.e. arsenic (As), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn). It was found that NO3- concentration (253.17 mg/L) in the groundwater samples exceeds the recommended guideline value by the WHO (50 mg/L). Moreover, this study area also characterized with elevated concentration of As (19.44 µg/L), Fe (811.35 µg/L), and Mn (455.18 µg/L) in the groundwater. Non-carcinogenic human health risk was calculated by justifying HQ (Hazard Quotient) and HI (Hazard Index) and attributed potential conjunctive human health risks due to NO3-, As, Fe and Mn in the study area. Moreover, high carcinogenic risk was found due to As contamination in the groundwater samples in the study area.

The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) of the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) increases the chance of acquiring images with greater clarity at eight times a day and is equipped with spectral bands suitable for monitoring crop yield with a moderate spatial resolution. The objectives of this study were to classify nationwide paddy fields and to project rice (Oryza sativa) yield and production using the grid-based GRAMI-rice model and GOCI satellite products over South Korea from 2011 to 2014. Solar insolation and temperatures were obtained from COMS and the Korea local analysis and prediction system for model inputs, respectively. The paddy fields and transplanting dates were estimated using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance and land cover products. The crop model was calibrated using observed yield data in 11 counties and was applied to 62 counties in South Korea. The overall accuracies of the detected paddy fields ranged from 89.5 to 90.2%. The simulated rice yields statistically agreed with observed yields, with root-mean-square errors of 0.219 to 0.451 ton ha-1 and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.241 to 0.733 in four years, respectively. According to paired t-tests (α = 0.05), the simulated and observed rice yields were not significantly different. These results demonstrate the possible development of a crop information delivery system that can classify land cover, simulate crop yield, and monitor regional crop production on a national scale.

This paper proposes a new non-radial biennial Luenberger energy and environmental performance index (EEPI) to measure the EEP change in various Chinese cities. The sources of EEP change, in terms of technical efficiency change and technological change, are examined by Luenberger EEPI. The contributions from specific undesirable outputs and energy inputs to the EEP change are identified by means of the non-radial efficiency measure. The proposed approach is applied to evaluate the EEP of the industrial sector in 283 cities in China over 2010-2014. Factors influencing the emission abatement potential are investigated by employing geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We find that 1) changes in EEP can be attributed to technological progress but that technological progress slows down across the study period; 2) the soot emission performance experiences a downtrend among four specific sub-performances in line with the truth that severe haze happened frequently in China; 3) the best performers begin to move from the coastal to inland cities with the less resource consumption and higher ecological equality; 4) cities with the strongest positive effect in regards to pollution intensity on emission abatement potential are located in the areas around the Bohai Gulf, where air pollution is particularly severe.

Today, due to recent developments in technology, children devote plenty of time for screen viewing. However, its harmful effects are not yet clear. The purpose of present study was to examine the associations among screen viewing and sleep duration, and body mass index (BMI) in under-five years old children. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 322 under-five healthy children that were selected using multistage stratified cluster sampling method in 2017. The data that were gathered by time-use diary method were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman correlation tests, multiple linear regression analysis, one-way ANCOVA, two-way ANCOVA. There was a negative correlation between screen time and sleep duration (rs = -0.42, p = 0.00), positive correlation between screen time and BMI (rs = 0.38, p = 0.00) and sleep duration negatively correlated with BMI (rs = -0.22, p = 0.00). screen viewing was a predictive factor for both sleep duration (β = -0.26, p = 0.00) and BMI (β = -0.26, p = 0.00). screen viewing had a significant impact on sleep duration (4, 314) = 5.02, P = 0.001) and BMI (F (4, 314) = 1.16, P=0.298). Results of this study indicated that screen viewing is related to sleep duration and BMI in under-five children. furthermore, screen time has an impact on sleep duration and BMI scores of children. findings of our study suggest that sleep duration negatively is associated with BMI in under-five-year-old children.

This research work is concerned in the exergy analysis of the continuous-convection drying of onion. The influence of temperature and air flow rate was studied in terms of exergy parameters. The energy and exergy balances were carried out taking into account the onion drying chamber. Its behaviour was analysed based on exergy efficiency, exergy loss rate, exergetic improvement potential rate and sustainability index. The exergy loss rates increase with the temperature and air flow rate augmentation. Exergy loss rate is augmented at higher drying air temperatures and flow rates because the overall heat transfer coefficient increase. On the other hand, the exergy efficiency increases with the air flow rate augmentation. This behavior is due to the energy utilization was improved because the most amount of supplied energy was utilized for the moisture evaporation. However, the exergy efficiency decreases with the temperature augmentation due to the free moisture is less, then, the moisture begins diffusing from the internal structure to the surface. The exergetic improvement potential rate values show that the onion drying process presents a high potential to improve the exergy efficiency. The sustainability index of the drying chamber varied from 1.9 to 5.1. To reduce the environmental impact of the process, the parameters must be modified in order to ameliorate the exergy efficiency of the process.

Using DCC-GARCH and EGARCH model, this paper finds that since 1990, the relationship between crude oil prices and the US dollar index is time-varying, demonstrating a process of “very weak correlation—negative correlation—enhanced negative correlation—weakening negative correlation”, but the existing research does not provide enough reasonable explanation. Therefore, this paper proposed a “key mediating factors” hypothesis which points out that whether there is a common “key mediating factor” is important source of the time-varying relationship between two assets. We argue that market trend and financial market sentiment undertook the role of “key mediating factor” during the period of “2002 to the financial crisis” and “financial crisis to 2013”, while other periods lack the “key mediating factors”.

Significant changes have occurred at Arabian Gulf Coast of Saudi Arabia over the last three decades. The area of mangrove was reduced by about 55%. Thus the economic, social, and environmental value of mangroves must be assessed over short -to long-term scales and employ these assessments for the awareness rising at local communities. This study provides a preliminary assessment of the risks on mangrove vegetation; it will provide database to mitigate the tremendous pressures due to coastal development and urban activities. The effects of human development on the mangrove plant cover in Eastern Region of KSA were recognised, during 2013 to 2016. The mean variations of physio-chemical characteristics in water and sediment were recorded. With regard to water analyses including; nitrogen, phosphorus, TSS, TDS, BOD, and turbidity were evaluated. On the other hand, for sediment: TDS, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphate and total organic carbon were assessed. Moreover, the growth parameters: plant height, and size index, of Avicennia marina were recorded and estimated. It is concluded that human impact and urban developments have exerted drastic effects on the coastal ecosystems and its environments.

As Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Network (HWSN) fulfill the requirements of researchers in the design of real life application to resolve the issues of unattended problem. But, the main constraint face by researchers is energy source available with sensor nodes. To prolong the life of sensor nodes and hence HWSN, it is necessary to design energy efficient operational schemes. One of the most suitable routing scheme is clustering approach, which improves stability and hence enhances performance parameters of HWSN. A novel solution proposed in this article is to design energy efficient clustering protocol for HWSN, to enhance performance parameters by EECPEP-HWSN. Propose protocol is designed with three level nodes namely normal, advance and super node respectively. In clustering process, for selection of cluster head we consider three parameters available with sensor node at run time, i.e., initial energy, hop count and residual energy. This protocol enhance the energy efficiency of HWSN, it improves performance parameters in the form of enhance energy remain in the network, force to enhance stability period, prolong lifetime and hence higher throughput. It is been found that proposed protocol outperforms than LEACH, DEEC and SEP with about 188, 150 and 141 percent respectively.

In the paper the verification of forecasts of precipitation conditions measured by the standardized precipitation index SPI is presented. For the verification of categorical forecasts a contingency table was used. Standard verification measures were used for the SPI value forecast. The 30 day SPI moved every 10 days by 10 days was calculated in 2013-2015 from April to September on the basis of precipitation data from 35 meteorological stations in Poland. Predictions of the 30 day SPI were created in which precipitation was forecasted in the next 10 days (the SPI 10-day forecast) and 20 days (the SPI 20-day forecast). Both for the 10 and 20 days, the forecasts were skewed towards drier categories at the expense of wet categories. There was a good agreement between observed and 10-day forecast categories of precipitation. Less agreement is obtained for 20-day forecasts – these forecasts evidently “over-dry” the assessment of precipitation anomalies. The 10-day SPI value forecast accuracy is acceptable, whereas for the 20-day forecast is unsatisfactory. Both for the SPI categorical and the SPI value forecast, the 10-day SPI forecast is reliable and the 20-day forecast should be accepted with reservation and used with caution.

The construction of different roads, such as freeways, highways, major roads or minor roads must be accompanied by constant monitoring and evaluation of service delivery. Pavements are generally assessed by engineers in terms of the smoothness, surface condition, structural condition and surface safety. Pavement assessment is often conducted using the qualitative indices such as international roughness index (IRI), pavement condition index (PCI), structural condition index (SCI) and skid resistance value (SRV), which are used for smoothness assessment, surface condition assessment, structural condition assessment, and surface safety assessment, respectively. In this paper, Tehran-Qom Freeway in Iran has been selected as the case study and its smoothness and pavement surface conditions are assessed. At 2-km intervals, a 100-meter sample unit is selected in the slow-speed lane (totally, 118 sample units). In these sample units, the PCI is calculated after a visual inspection of the pavement and the recording of distresses. Then, in each sample unit, the average IRI is computed. The purpose of this study is to provide a method for estimating PCI based on IRI. The proposed theory was developed by Random Forest (RF), and Random Forest optimized by Genetic Algorithm (RF-GA) methods and these methods were validated using correlation coefficient (CC), scattered index (SI), and Willmott’s index of agreement (WI) criteria. The proposed method reduces costs, saves time and eliminates the safety risks.

Previous studies separately addressed the impact of urban expansion on vegetation cover and thermal conditions, as well as its effect on moisture and drought indicators, using geospatial techniques. Some studies, such as those by Malah et al. (2021) and Niu and Li (2020), focused on assessing urban environmental quality using an environmental quality index without considering urban expansion. Meanwhile, other studies, like those conducted by Indrawati et al. (2020), primarily focused on evaluating urban environ-ments using an integrated environmental index consisting of four indicators (greenness, moisture, drought, and cumulative clustering). The study by Zhu et al. (2019) applied the same integrated environmental index (IEI) and, by comparing it with temperature, re-vealed a negative correlation illustrating the effects of the environmental index on land surface temperature (LST). These two studies could be utilized to construct an index assessing the environmental condition in Riyadh. This is the case in the present study, where the addition of a temperature indicator due to the hot desert nature of the study area created the Urban Environmental Thermal Index to evaluate the urban en-vironment and provide results suitable to this region. It is expected that the present study will align with the findings of previous relevant studies, showing a negative im-pact of urban expansion on urban environmental components.

In the Vietnamese Mekong delta, soil quality and crop yield are steadily declining under rice monocultures with three crops per year. The objective of this study was to evaluate the medium-term effects of rotating rice with upland crops and adding organic amendments on rice yield and relate it to soil quality. A field trial with split-plot design including two factors and three replicates was carried out from 2017 to 2020, over the course of nine consecutive cropping seasons. Crop rotations and organic amendments were applied as main-plot and subplot factors, respectively. The rotations were: 1) rice–rice–rice (R–R–R), 2) soybean–rice–rice (So–R–R), and 3) sesame–rice–rice (Se–R–R), while organic amendment treatments included: i) no amendment (NO-AM); ii) compost of rice straw and cow manure (RS+CM), and iii) sugarcane compost (SGC); the composts were applied at a rate of 2.0 t ha-1. The rotation cycle started with the so-called spring–summer (SS), followed by summer–autumn (SA) and ended with the winter–spring (WS) season. Rice yield significantly (P &lt; 0.05) increased by organic amendments after nine growing seasons (2019–2020 WS), with an increment of 5.1% for RS+CM (7.07 ton/ha) and 6.1% for SGC (7.14 ton/ha). Contrary to our expectation, rotations with upland crops did not significantly increase rice yield. Rice yield significantly and positively correlated with an integrated soil quality index SQI (r = 0.86) for the topsoil (0–15 cm), but not for the subsoil (15–30 cm). The increased availability of soil nutrients (Si and marginally also P) and improved soil physical properties probably induced by organic amendments, along with other soil properties under study, cumulatively attributed to enhanced rice yield. Use of a SQI involving several soil quality indicators enables to overall quantify the importance of soil fertility for rice yield versus other factors and it provides an effective means of quantifying the integrated effect of improved management. Moreover, integrating a wide range of soil quality indicators in a SQI ensures its applicability across diverse settings, including different crop rotations and various soil types.

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

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

Groundwater represents a pivotal asset in conserving natural water reservoirs for potable consumption, irrigation, and diverse industrial uses. Nevertheless, human activities intertwined with industry and agriculture contribute significantly to groundwater contamination, highlighting the critical necessity to appraise water quality for safe drinking and effective irrigation. This research primarily focused on employing the Water Quality Index (WQI) to gauge water's appropriateness for these purposes. However, the generation of an accurate WQI can prove time-intensive owing to potential errors in sub-index calculations. In response to this challenge, an artificial intelligence (AI) forecasting model was devised, aiming to streamline the process while mitigating errors. The study collected 422 data samples from Mirpurkash, a city nestled in the province of Sindh, for a comprehensive exploration of the region's WQI attributes. Furthermore, the study probed into unraveling the interdependencies amidst variables in the physiochemical analysis of water. Diverse machine learning classifiers were employed for WQI prediction, with findings revealing that random forest and gradient boosting eclipsed other algorithms, achieving an accuracy rate of 99%. In close pursuit were SVM and XGBoost, registering accuracy scores of approximately 95% and 93%, respectively, while KNN and Decision Trees garnered accuracy rates of 88% and 87%, respectively. In addition to WQI prediction, the study conducted an uncertainty analysis of the models using the R-factor, providing insights into the reliability and consistency of predictions. This dual approach, combining accurate WQI prediction with uncertainty assessment, contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of water quality in Mirpurkash and enhances the reliability of decision-making processes related to groundwater utilization

Static voltage stability has become one of the significant risks faced by large-scale renewable energy integration. However, traditional methods for static voltage stability analysis are often overly complex. This paper constructs an equivalent impedance model for renewable energy integrated distribution power systems, proposing a static voltage analysis method for renewable energy integrated distribution power systems based on impedance model index. This method has been verified to be applicable not only to renewable energy single-infeed system but also to multi-infeed system. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted on the influence of the integration capacity, location of renewable energy, and the topology of networks on impedance model index, indicating that a higher impedance model index corresponds to greater static voltage stability margins in the system. Hence, during the planning of renewable energy integration, the plan with the highest impedance model index should be selected. Finally, the accuracy of the analysis methods and conclusions in this paper was validated based on the IEEE 14-node system.

In this study, various diamine monomers were used to synthesize aramid polymer films via a low-temperature solution condensation reaction with diacid chloride. For diamines with relatively high basicity, the reaction system became opaque because amine salt formation inhibited polymer synthesis. Meanwhile, low-basicity diamines with strong electron-withdrawing groups, such as CF3 and sulfone, were smoothly polymerized without amine salt formation to provide highly viscous solutions. The acid byproduct HCl generated during polymerization was removed by adding propylene oxide to the reaction vessel and converting the acid into highly volatile inert substances. The resulting solutions were used as varnishes without any additional purification, and polymer films with an excellent appearance were easily obtained through a conventional casting and convection drying process. The films neither tore nor broke when pulled or bent by hand; furthermore, even when heated up to 400°C, they did not decompose or melt. Moreover, polymers prepared from 2,2-bis (trifluoromethyl) benzidine (TFMB) and bis (4-aminophenyl) sulfone (pAPS) did not exhibit glass transition until decomposition. The prepared polymer films showed a high elastic modulus of more than 4.1 GPa and a high tensile strength of more than 52 MPa. In particular, TFMB-, pAPS-, and 2,2-bis (4-aminophenyl) hexafluoropropane-based polymer films were colorless and transparent, with very high light transmittances of 95%, 96%, and 91%, respectively, at 420 nm and low yellow indexes of 2.4, 1.9, and 4.3, respectively.

The Topographic Ruggedness Index (TRI) is one of the essential measurement in topographic analysis, as well as in explaining biodiversity and geo-diversity. This study demonstrate how to utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to generate TRI for Nyanga District using Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Though the TRI strongly depends on a local scale slope derived from an average adjacent neighbor slope algorithm, and selection of different lag distances in the computation of spatial variability, the measurement demonstrated that areas of higher altitude have higher ruggedness index. The TRI model was generated by computing focal statistics to determine focal sum of DEM and of DEM ². The final TRI was computed using Math Algebra (Raster Calculator) to generate layers of different ruggedness suitable for topographic and biodiversity analysis. The algorithm presented could also be used for smaller areas with high quality data and corrected DEMs. Despite widespread adoption, ruggedness metrics require thorough testing using both artificial landscapes and real world applications.

Saudi Arabia is a prominent producers of dates, with 1.6 million tons annually. There is a need to evaluate physical properties and quality of fruits non-destructively and then be modeled and predicted throughout the storage period. The aim of the current study was to generate a quality index (Qi) and Near-infrared spectra (NIR) models non-destructively to predict properties of Barhi dates fruits including objective and sensory evaluations. The engineering properties of Barhi dates were measured and modeled with quality index (Qi) based on NIR of fresh Barhi fruits (hardness, color, TSS, pH, and sensory evaluations) and during storage in cold, ambient, and controlled at-mosphere (CA) for up to four months. The prediction of Qi is non- destructively based on NIR utilizing PLSR and ANN data analysis. The results showed that the Qi generated corresponds with high precision to the characteristics of the examined fruits through the duration of the storage period with R2 of 0.96. The NIR spectrum proves to be an efficient method to evaluate the Barhi fruits' quality index. where ANN was found to be more suitable than PLSR analysis. Thus, NIR can be utilized to accurately predict the Qi of fruits quality effectively throughout the handling, processing, transporting, storage, and retail sector supply chain.

The construction industry is notable contributors to atmospheric dust particulate emissions. The particulate matter (PM) produced in construction processes contains a range of chemically hazardous substances, posing significant health risks (HR) to individuals. The occupational health hazards research in construction has become a focal point of interest internationally. Initiated in the early 2000s, there has been a growing demand within the construction research community for the creation of a unified PM database that encapsulates a wide array of construction activities. Previous studies have endeavored to establish a PM database for various construction contexts, yet they have fallen short in thoroughly addressing the diversity of construction materials and the levels of toxic substances (TS) within the PM. This study validates the proof of value that HR associated with construction processes can be measured using PM and TS datasets generated from various work processes using a variety of construction materials. This was accomplished through a semi-automated Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based plugin, which streamlines the assessment of occupational HR in construction projects alongside ongoing work processes. To validate the practicality of the Health Risk Index (HRI) determination via this BIM plugin, a case study on a real renovation project was executed. This system provides construction supervisors with a tool to visually assess the HR of daily operations, thereby facilitating the adoption of preemptive measures to protect the health of construction workers.

In the present work, a study has been carried out on the contamination of heavy metals in urban dust deposited on the roads of the city of Cartagena (Spain), in order to know the content of metals such as Ni, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu. Likewise, the possible relationship of the concentration of heavy metals with the color of the sample, level of magnetism and traffic density was studied. Contamination was evaluated using several indices such as contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geoacumulation index (Igeo), pollutant load index (PLI) and ecological risk index (RI). A total of 88 samples were taken in the urban area of Cartagena, and the metals were determined by acid digestion and measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentration of heavy metals in urban dust from Cartagena was Zn (672 mg/kg) &gt; Cu (248.9 mg/kg) &gt; Pb (227 mg/kg) &gt; Cr (82.7 mg/kg) &gt; Ni (47.7 mg/kg) &gt; Cd (4.1 mg/kg). Contamination levels were high in Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu, according to environmental indices. A correlation was found between magnetism and metal concentration, which was repeated for all metals except Cd. Dark-colored samples contained higher metal concentrations than light-colored samples. Meanwhile, streets with medium and low traffic intensity were found to have higher concentrations of heavy metals. This study's objective was to identify pollution hotspots caused by heavy metals in dust in the urban ecosystem of Cartagena city.

Abstract: Important variables that affect the quality and functionality of sperm and may affect male reproductive health and fertility include telomere length, mitochondrial content, and the ratio of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA (nDNA). The purpose of this study was to look at the connections between these three sperm characteristics and how they might affect a woman's ability to conceive. Methods: Data were collected from 82 men who underwent IVF/ICSI at the University Hospital of Ioannina's IVF Unit in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Evaluations included sperm morphology, sperm count, sperm motility, and participant history. To address this, males of reproductive age who were categorized into three body mass index (ΒΜΙ) groups—normal, overweight, and obese—had their sperm samples tested. Results: Our findings indicate a negative correlation between relative telomere length and ΒΜΙ for both the normal and overweight groups. Conversely, a positive correlation was observed for the obese group, indicating a possible relationship between mitochondrial health and telomere maintenance. The results were statistically significant only for the obese group. Furthermore, a negative correlation was observed between telomere length and mitochondrial content in both the normal and overweight groups, indicating that a lower mitochondrial content may be linked to longer telomeres. Nonetheless, there was a positive correlation for the group that was obese. For all three groups, the data did not reach statistical significance. Given that mitochondrial con-centration and telomere length are both markers of cellular integrity and health, these correla-tions may have an impact on the quality of sperm. Furthermore, the relative telomere length of the normal and overweight groups had a negative correlation with the ratio of mtDNA to nDNA, though the obese group showed a positive correlation. The findings were not statistical-ly significant in any of the groups under investigation. According to this, male fertility may be negatively impacted by an imbalance in the copy number of the mitochondrial genome com-pared to the nuclear DNA in sperm. Conclusions: Our research, in essence, emphasizes the interaction among human sperm telo-mere length, mitochondrial concentration, and the mtDNA to nDNA ratio. Gaining knowledge of these correlations could help explain the reasons behind male infertility and open up new treatment options for reproductive health problems. The functional importance of these correla-tions and possible uses in therapeutic contexts require more investigation.

Autoantibodies (Abs) to thyroid antigens are associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), although sometimes they have no clear clinical significance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the avidity of thyroid Abs in the sera of AITD patients and non-AITD Abs carriers. A multiplex microarray-based assay was developed to detect the avidity of thyroid disease-associated Abs, including Abs to thyroperoxidase (TPO), thyroglobulin (Tg), pendrin, thyroid hormones T3 and T4, pyruvate kinase, and carbonic anhydrase 2. The method is based on indirect multiplex assay with an additional step involving the chaotrope destruction of the autoantibody-antigen complexes. The avidity index (AI) is then calculated. The method was tested on clinical cohort (n =117) and then confirmed by studies with another independent cohort (n =123). For the confirmation study, the median AI for AbTg was 29.9% among healthy Abs carriers, 52.6% for AITD patients, and 92.7% for non-AITD type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. Median AI for AbTPO were 39.9% in healthy carriers, 73.4% in AITD patients, 83.2% in T1D patients, and 98.5% in AITD patients with thyroid neoplasm. The presence of high-avidity AbTg in T1D patients was also confirmed by a modified ELISA. Identification of high-avidity autoantibodies to thyroid proteins in non-thyroid T1D patients requires further studies.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a vital tool for assessing and understanding the state of hunger and food security across the world. In this review article, we examine the GHI scores of various countries in the years 2000, 2008, 2015, and 2023. We aim to explore the changes in GHI scores over this period, identify trends, and discuss the implications for global food security. The GHI provides a comprehensive snapshot of the world's progress in reducing hunger, and this analysis sheds light on the successes and challenges faced by different countries.

Lung cancer, globally recognized as the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, presents a pressing need for innovative treatment strategies. Increasing evidence points towards the potential of monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors in modulating cancer progression, primarily due to their role in regulating cellular metabolism and apoptotic pathways. This extraordinary study delves into the multifaceted therapeutic implications of MAO inhibitors in lung cancer management, elucidating their ability to pave the way for clinical advancement via novel targets and pathways. Capitalizing on recent advances in molecular biology, this research explores the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer actions of MAO inhibitors. By examining their impact on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis in lung cancer cell lines, we provide insight into the intricate signaling pathways and biochemical processes modulated by these compounds. The study also investigates the synergistic effects of MAO inhibitors in combination with established chemotherapeutic agents, elucidating their potential to enhance treatment efficacy and reduce cytotoxicity. Furthermore, we delve into the implications of MAO inhibitors on the tumor microenvironment, evaluating their influence on angiogenesis, immune regulation, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This comprehensive analysis enables the identification of novel molecular targets, which hold promise for the development of advanced therapeutics tailored for specific lung cancer subtypes. To substantiate our findings, in this review, we thoroughly analyze the existing literature using state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools." in vivo orthotopic lung cancer models, and clinical patient cohorts. This robust and multidisciplinary approach permits the generation of clinical evidence supporting the integration of MAO inhibitors in lung cancer management. Conclusion: This ground-breaking study establishes the therapeutic potential of monoamine oxidase inhibitors in lung cancer management by unearthing novel pathways and targets for clinical advancement. The outcomes open doors for the development of innovative treatment strategies and inspire continued research efforts to combat the global burden of lung cancer.

Background and Objectives: The severity of acute pancreatitis (AP) is graded as mild (MAP), moderately severe (MSAP), and severe (SAP) according to the revised Atlanta Classification. Determining the severity of AP is the main goal in the early time of AP. The aim of this study was to compare laboratory parameters or indices including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-creatinine index (NCI) at admission for predicting severity of AP. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the data from patients who admitted with diagnosis of AP between January 2018 and December 2021 were collected. Laboratory parameters and indices including NLR, PLR and NCI were compared in the discrimination of AP severity groups. Results: A total of 421 patients [MAP group (n=213), MSAP group (n=158) and SAP group (n=50)] were included. WBC count, neutrophil count, hematocrit, CRP, BUN, creatinine, NLR and NCI were significant parameters to discriminate AP subgroups. The AUROC analysis for discriminating MSAP from MAP showed that WBC (AUC: 0.723, 95% CI: 0.674-0.768, p&lt;0.001), hematocrit (AUC: 0.566, 95% CI: 0.514-0.607, p=0.032), NLR (AUC: 0.649, 95% CI: 0.598-0.698, p&lt; 0.001) and NCI (AUC: 0.749, 95% CI: 0.701-0.792, p&lt;0.001) were statistically significant parameters. Similarly, AUCs to discriminate SAP from MSAP were (AUC: 0.649, 95% CI: 0.579-0.713, p &lt; 0.001) for WBC, (AUC: 0.703, 95% CI: 0.621-0.785, p&lt; 0.001) for BUN, (AUC: 0.602, 95% CI: 0.532-0.669, p=0.029) for CRP and (AUC: 0.742, 95% CI: 0.676-0.800, p&lt;0.001) for NCI. Logistic regression analyses indicated that NCI was the only parameter to discriminate MSAP form MAP (OR: 1.119, 95% CI: 1.015-1.235, p=0.023) and SAP from MSAP (OR: 1.113, 95% CI: 1.042-1.888, p = 0.001). Conclusions: The present study enabled the identification of neutrophil-creatinine index as a new prognostic tool for the assessment AP severity at hospital admission.

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This research describes a detailed analysis in the enactment of a Lean Tool, the Last Planner System during pandemic period which helps in optimizing the resources for better coordination among all stakeholders in pandemic period. LPS as it is known, focusses on minimizing the factors such as uncertainties, barriers and variability to make construction projects more flexible for better project management. These include variations and deviations, supervision, delays in approvals, change resistance, subcontractor dedication which are all related to various stakeholders in the project. Following that, a Design Science Research technique is used to evaluate the effect of applying LPS in buildings. An action strategy is being used to attain this goal, and four case studies were being documented which were concerned in the implementation of LPS in the building of the Boy's Hostel, Research Scholar Quarters, Faculty Housing, and Girls' Hostel at Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. Data was gathered by observation of site activities, interviews, documentation analysis, and a questionnaire survey and grouped into various factors. While adopting the LPS tool in the research the factors affecting the implementation were found in the covid-19 pandemic period. Further these factors were anlayzed, measured, ranked and validated for adopting in projects.

The number of people with gluten-related illnesses has been increasing and the available treatments include the introduction of a gluten-free diet. In the bakery industry, there are problems with gluten-free products, namely the important characteristics that this component gives to doughs and the low nutritional value they present. A disease that has also increased in recent years is diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by a lack of insulin and the effectiveness of its action (type 1 diabetes) or tissue insensitivity to the hormone (type 2 diabetes). In terms of treatments, there are several approaches: inhibition of digestive enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) or techniques based on mechanisms of action (stimulation of insulin production and release, insulin transport and decreased glucose absorption). Hyperglycemia is also associated with the production of reactive oxygen species, which leads to cell apoptosis. On the other hand, there was also an association with high levels of cholesterol in the body, which contributed to the development of other types of diseases. In this sense, macroalgae have been studied as a source of natural compounds and used as food supplements, due to their protein, amino acid and mineral content, and the anti-diabetic effect in controlling the glycemic index, oxidative stress and cholesterol have already been demonstrated. Seaweed emerges as a promising source of bioactive nutraceuticals for individuals with coeliac disease, diabetes, and hyperglycemia. The rising prevalence of gluten-related illnesses calls for effective treatments, and seaweed's potential in enhancing the nutritional value of gluten-free products is noteworthy. Additionally, its demonstrated anti-diabetic effects, including glycemic index control, oxidative stress reduction, and cholesterol management, make it a valuable dietary supplement. Further research is needed to explore the specific bioactivities of seaweed compounds and their mechanisms of action. Integrating seaweed-based nutraceuticals into diets could complement traditional treatments, offering potential health benefits to those with coeliac disease and diabetes.

Water resources planners and policymakers often ask questions about the future projections of drought characteristics (events, intensity, severity, duration, and peak) under different climatic scenarios. This study focused on quantifying the historical (1951-2005) and future (2026-2100) drought characteristics using the Standardized precipitation index (SPI) under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate scenarios for the Balochistan province of Pakistan, an arid and drought-vulnerable region. Precipitation data of MPI-ESM-LR_RCA4 RCM was obtained from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment South Asia (CORDEX-SA). The CORDEX-SA data was interpolated at 12-gauge stations and bias-corrected by the distribution mapping method using Asian Precipitation - Highly-Resolved Observational Data Integration towards Evaluation (APHRODITE) data. The drought characteristics were calculated based on standardized precipitation index (SPI), and intercompared between northern Balochistan (NB) and southern Balochistan (SB). It was found that the northern Balochistan (NB) region has suffered more droughts in the historical period and is also projected to have more severe and intense droughts than SB region. It was also found that with the increase of drought events, the duration reduces, which means that the higher the drought events at a station, the lower the drought duration. Government officials should focus more on managing the already few freshwater resources sustainably, given the increased likelihood of droughts in Balochistan due to climate change.

The construction of 22 dams on the Euphrates has reduced the flow of this river, changed the hydrology and destroyed the ecosystem. In order to understand the effect of extreme management on water, 4 coastal points from the Euphrates catchment area were selected to investigate the dynamics of the water level. Using the Cadmium method, the radius of each point was calculated to be 140 meters to study the NDWI index and satellite monitoring. 546 Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS satellite images from 2013 to 2022 were used. The analysis showed that the water level of the Euphrates in the fourth coordinate is directly related to the data of the first and third coordinates and the dynamics of the water level in the fourth coordinate is 3.6 to 4.2 percent of the first coordinate and another 5.2 to 5.9 percent is affected by the third coordinate. Is. Also, the data from August 2013 to 2022 were analyzed. The results showed that the correlation coefficients of the data related to the first coordinates are related to the third and fourth coordinates. It was proved that fluctuations in the first coordinate led to 27% change in the third coordinate in the months of August. Also, the changes in the first point caused 18-19.8% change in the dynamic level of water in the fourth point, and 22.5% of the changes in the water level in the fourth coordinate were affected by the third point.

Unfortunately in recent years, the global healthcare system has noted a notable increase in the prevalence of obesity and its associated health complications. What is more, one of the significant phenomena is the increasing demand for bariatric procedures among individuals of working age. This trend is pronounced in Poland., due to the increasing number of patients meeting the qualifying criteria for surgery among the group of professionally active and as well as unactive patients. The aim of the study is to characterize alarmingly increasing number of candidates for bariatric procedures among professionally active Poles, who underwent occupational medicine examinations in Poland in 2016-2022 and its strong relationship with cardiovascular co-morbidities (POL-O-CARIA 2022 study). In total, the results of 2,056,861 initial, control and periodic visits as part of the occupational medicine certificate were analyzed. Statistical calculations were performed with the use of IBM SPSS Statistics 25. It was noticed that, there was a consistent rise in the proportion of individuals classified as candidates for bariatric procedures ( increase of 0.3%) alongside a notable decrease in the percentage of individuals maintaining a healthy body weight Moreover, it is imperative to conduct yearly evaluations of the prevalence of obesity and its associated health conditions. This proactive approach is essential in order to adequately equip the healthcare system for addressing the increasing population of obese individuals who are actively engaged in their professions. By doing so, we can strategically implement the most efficient interventions to counteract this trend and ensure optimal health outcomes.

Rice farming households having limited capital do various combinations of the capital to get diversified livelihoods in continuing their lives. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the household capital of rice farmers on livelihood diversification in Indramayu District. Survey method with data sources from 214 rice farming households taken by proportional simple random sampling technique. Data analysis used the partial least square method. The results found that the household capital of rice farmers has a positive and significant effect on the livelihood diversification. Government policy recommendations were determined in order of priority are physical capital with the help of agricultural tools and machinery, natural capital by anticipating climate change, financial capital by increasing support for capital sources, social capital by social networks, and human capital by improving farming skills.

In this paper, the feasibility of automated and accurate in vivo measurements of vascular parameters continuously and non-invasively using ultrasound sensor is presented. Vascular parameters such as pulse wave velocity (PWV), blood pressure (BP), arterial compliance (AC) and stiffness index (SI) are affluent indicators of cardiovascular disorders and needs to be monitored non-invasively and continuously during surgeries and follow-up procedures. Cuff based or invasive catheter techniques are considered as gold standard to measure BP and are fed manually to compute AC and SI which employ imaging algorithms. In this context, a Continuous and Non-Invasive Vascular Stiffness and Arterial Compliance Screener (CaNVAS) is developed to measure said parameters continuously and non-invasively using ultrasound sensor. Acoustic waves of 5 MHz (2.2 – 10 MHz) are driven through target arterial walls, reflected echoes captured, pre-processed and frequency shift is used to calculate PWV. It is observed that PWV measured using CaNVAS varies exponentially with BP values obtained from sphygmomanometer (BPMR-120) and this relationship is used to compute instantaneous values of BP. The proposed device is validated by performing measurements on 250 subjects in pre and post exercise conditions and found to have 95% accuracy and an average of 12.5% coefficient of variation.

Increasing wind speed alleviates physiological heat strain, however, health policies have advised against using ventilators or fans under heat wave conditions with air temperatures above the typical skin temperature of 35 °C. Recent research, mostly with sedentary participants, suggests mitigating effects of wind at even higher temperatures depending on the humidity level. Our study aimed at exploring and quantifying, whether such results are transferable to moderate exercise levels, and whether the Universal Thermal Climate Index UTCI reproduces those effects. We measured heart rates, core and skin temperatures and sweat rates in 198 laboratory experiments completed by five young, semi-nude, heat-acclimated, moderately exercising males walking the treadmill with 4 km/h on the level for three hours under widely varying temperature-humidity combinations and two wind conditions. We quantified the cooling effect of increasing wind speed from 0.3 to 2 m/s by fitting generalized additive models predicting the physiological heat stress responses depending on ambient temperature, humidity and wind speed. We then compared the observed wind effects to the assessment performed by UTCI. Increasing wind speed lowered physiological heat strain for air temperatures below 35 °C, but also for higher temperatures with humidity levels above 2 kPa water vapour pressure concerning heart rate and core temperature, and 3 kPa concerning skin temperature and sweat rate, respectively. UTCI assessment of wind effects correlated positively with the observed changes in physiological responses, showing the closest agreement (r=0.9) for skin temperature and sweat rate, where wind is known for elevating the relevant convective and evaporative heat transfer. These results demonstrate the potential of UTCI for adequately assessing sustainable strategies for heat stress mitigation involving fans or ventilators depending on temperature and humidity for moderately exercising individuals.

Continuous water resources monitoring is needed for sustainable urban water supply. Remote sensing techniques have proven useful for monitoring some water qualitative parameters with optical characteristics. The study area was the Marateca reservoir in central inland Portugal. The aims were the following: (1) to explore the water quality parameters at the monitoring points of the Marateca reservoir that may explain the event; (2) to validate optical water quality parameters with the monitoring points data; and (3) to model the reservoir water characteristics regarding its deepness, trophic state, and turbidity. The parameters total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chlorophyll-a were used to compute a trophic level index. The Sentinel-2 imagery was used to compute spectral indices and bands image ratio; to obtain spectral signatures for the monitoring points, and to model water characteristics. The water parameters were above the recommended values at the reservoir entry point from the Ocreza River. The reservoir trophic level was Hypereutrophic and Eutrophic. The spectral signatures confirmed a Hypereutrophic pattern in the entry point. The Marateca reservoir’s water characteristics modeling forecasted problematic zones by contamination. The methodological approach developed can be easily applied to other reservoirs and is a key support tool for decision-makers.

Background. COVID-19 efforts were often ineffective in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Identifying ineffective controls during a pandemic is thus vital. Method. Utilizing publicly available data on COVID deaths in the counties of US states, we create an index to capture and interpret ineffectiveness in the efforts to reduce the spread of the pandemic in US counties. This index is based on the Intervened Poisson Distribution (IPD) introduced originally by Shanmugam. Motivation for the research idea occurred while we noticed the data dispersion of the COVID deaths is smaller than the average only in some counties. Under-dispersed data is common in statistical modeling. A novel approach we adapted in this article includes the estimation of an intervention parameter estimated through iterative non-linear optimization. Results. Twenty-five counties in California, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas, and Utah were found to be ineffective in controlling for fatalities based on the expected probability distribution. A review of the policies enacted in these areas would provide insight into ineffective prevention efforts, and some of these issues are documented in current literature. Conclusion. The IPD index an innovate way to document efficacy of interventions during pandemics. The IPD may identify ineffective efforts prior to statistical models intended to evaluate efficacy of efforts.

The size of the home is considered the most critical issue affecting the quality of life. This can be measured by the quality of the house and its environment. This paper highlights the housing quality index at the urban axis level in Bistrita-Nasaud county and the impact of socioeconomic activities on the index. The Household Quality of Life Index (HQLI) was calculated based on 11 variables. Household quality of life comprises two distinctive indices: the Housing Conditions Index (HCI) and the Asset Possession Index (API). The study found a variation in the housing condition variables across the urban focus areas. The impact of the socioeconomic environments is disproportionately dependent on the social-economic profile of the urban environments that make up the Urban Axis and the related economic activities that take place in the area of influence in the administrative-territorial units and the variability of the Housing Conditions Index This can be measured by the quality of the house and its environment. This paper highlights the housing quality index at the urban axis level in Bistrita-Nasaud county and the impact of socioeconomic activities on this index. The study area comprises territories in the municipality of Bistrita. The socio-economic context of the area has been the basis for understanding the patterns of evolution identified in the urban landscape, and being a driver in ongoing urban transformations and processes. The impact of the socio-economic is disproportionate to the socioeconomic profile of the urban environments that make up the Urban Axis and the economic activities related to the economic activities taking place in the catchment area in the administrative-territorial units, hence the variability of the Housing Conditions Index which is a system Housing Quality Indicator (HQI) is a tool for measuring and evaluating housing systems based on quality and not just cost.

Global warming has been increasing heat stress threat in animals which can be monitored by Temperature Humidity Index (THI). The present study describes the relationship of THI, calculated using 35 years period weather station data, and production performances of dairy cattle in a se-lected area of Bangladesh. The month January and June were identified as the coolest and hottest, respectively. Based on this outcome, every year in the month of January and June production performances of 10 crossbred cows with homogenous characteristics were monitored for a period of 5 years. The average THIMEAN value was found 17% higher in June as compared to January, and with this increment of THIMEAN average milk production was decreased 24.4% (p<0.05). The milk fat and protein content were also reduced (p<0.05) by 14.5 and 15.2%, respectively suggesting negative correlation as like as milk production. However, ash content was increased 15.3% that indicates a positive correlation. In addition, multiple regression analysis revealed each point increase in THIMEAN and rectal temperature, there was a decrease in milk yield 0.04 and 1.17 kg ECM, respectively. In contrary, each point increase in THIMEAN resulted 0.059 C increase of rectal temperature. Taken together, THIMEAN value calculated using metrological station data has distinct relationship with the production performances of lactating crossbred dairy cows.

Monsoon winds drive upwelling along the eastern coast of India during the south-west (SW) monsoons. These winds also provide alongshore windstress (AWS) resulting in positive cross-shore Ekman transport (ET) from March to the end of September. While instances of high ET and sea surface temperature based upwelling index (UI_SST) were observed along two parts of the coast: between Kashinagara and Kakinada in the north, and between Kavali and Point Calimere in the south. The UI_SST illustrated a much poorer agreement with local ET in the northern section, where the onset of UI_SST preceded the rise of ET and the subsidence of UI_SST signals occurred during a period of rising ET. Additionally, negative sea surface height anomalies (SSHAs), typically associated with coastal upwelling, were also missing through most of the upwelling period. A complex empirical orthogonal function (CEOF) analysis revealed two coherent modes of SSHA variation. The first mode showed a SSHA signature spatio-temporally coincident with the first upwelling and downwelling Kelvin waves closely associated with the equatorial zonal winds that drive them. The second CEOF mode, with a coastal SSHA pattern similar to the SSHA signatures of coastal upwelling, was associated with local offshore ET along the Indian east coast. The CEOF analysis exhibited the triggering of coastal upwelling in April and its suppression from June by coastally trapped Kelvin waves along the northeastern coast of India, while local AWS driven ET was the primary driver of coastal upwelling along the southeastern coast. The second CEOF mode also exhibited a coherent negative coastal SSHA signature excited by local AWS driven ET during the upwelling period. This study examined the spatio-temporal variability of premonsoon and SW monsoon coastal upwelling along the western Bay of Bengal and its relation to remotely forced coastal Kelvin waves.

Forest road pavement needs an evaluation methodology based on a comprehensive assessment of road conditions. This research was conducted to evaluate the performance of a method for rating the surface condition of forest roads and eventually to adapt the method to the situation prevailing in a forest road network. The rating method selected as the basis for this experiment was the pavement condition index (PCI) developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A 53 km of forest roads were selected contained the most influential factors and conditions variability. Eventually, 201 road segments were delineated between 150-300 m in length. Within the given segments, sample plots were set 20 m in length consecutively. It was concluded that the panel scores for distress and surface condition of sample unit and section differed from forest road pavement condition index (FRPCI) and PCI. Linear regression was used to derive equations between distress and PCI score to determine effective FRPCI parameters that provide a numerical rating for the condition of road segments within the road network, where 0 worlds are the worst possible condition, and 100 is the best possible condition best. Also, regression analysis showed the FRPCI model with a 0.87 correlation for the total of the road is a performance index used for the first time in forest roads. This study showed a range of FRPCI from 7.8 to 96.3, different from PCI and URCI ratings (0.85-45 and 1.2-53). The FRPCI index helps forest managers in road maintenance, harvesting, and planning to use road information.

Monsoon winds drive upwelling along the eastern coast of India during the south-west (SW) monsoons. These winds also provide alongshore windstress (AWS) resulting in positive cross-shore Ekman transport (ET) from late May to the end of September. While instances of high ET and sea surface temperature (SST) based upwelling index (UI_SST) were observed along different parts of the coast, UI_SST was weaker in the northern section in the earlier part of monsoon. This was even in the presence of maximum AWS and ET during the 10 years analysis period spanning January-2009 to December-2018. Additionally, negative sea surface height anomalies (SSHAs), typically associated with coastal upwelling, were observed only along the southern-most coast. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis revealed two coherent modes of SSHA variation. The first principal component (PC) showed a SSHA signature coincident spatio-temporally with the first downwelling Kelvin wave, closely associated with the equatorial zonal winds that drive coastal Kelvin waves. The third PC with a coastal SSHA pattern similar to the second upwelling Kelvin wave was associated with offshore ET along the northern part of the Indian east coast. Time series of the two PCs exhibited suppression of coastal upwelling by downwelling Kelvin waves during May-July along the northeastern coast of India. Local AWS driven ET was the primary driver of coastal upwelling with the weakening of the remotely forced Kelvin waves in August. A coherent mode consisting of negative coastal SSHA signature was excited in response to local AWS driven ET during the upwelling period. This study examined the spatio-temporal variability of SW monsoon coastal upwelling along the east coast of India and illustrated the role of equatorial windstress forced first downwelling Kelvin wave in suppressing upwelling in the northern part of the coast during early SW monsoon season.