Abstract The relative dispersion of the cloud droplet spectrum (ε) is a key parameter that characterizes the spectral shape. Uncertainties in its parameterization can introduce significant biases in the simulation of cloud and fog microphysical and optical properties, making its accurate diagnosis in models critically important. In this study, we conduct sensitivity experiments using the large‐eddy simulation model to evaluate the performance of a newly developed nonlinear ε parameterization based on volume‐mean diameter of cloud droplets (Dv). Four typical surface types associated with cloud and fog processes are tested. Compared to conventional linear parameterizations based on droplet number concentration or Dv, the new parameterization significantly improves the simulation of droplet spectral shape parameters and effective radius, with average improvements of 90.59% and 78.49%, respectively. Moreover, the new parameterization captures the complex relationship between ε and liquid water content observed across different surface types and exhibits distinct impacts on cloud‐to‐rain autoconversion rate from those of default parameterization with a net mean change of +72.21%, thereby affecting the formation and intensity of precipitation. The new parameterization also leads to reduced cloud and fog optical thickness, which weakens cloud radiative cooling. These findings highlight the importance of improved ε parameterizations for the studied regions in China and underscore the potential for enhancing model performance in representing microphysics, radiation, and precipitation processes in low clouds and fog. Assessing the generality of the conclusions across different geographic regions and climatic regimes would be a valuable focus for future work.
The Canopy Live Fuel Moisture Content (LFMC) is a pivotal factor in wildfire risk assessment within the fire triangle model, representing the ratio of canopy moisture content to its dry weight. Against the backdrop of degraded Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) performance and the underutilization of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) in LFMC inversion, this study harnessed the coupled radiative transfer models (RTMs) to probe the spectral sensitivity of the VIIRS to LFMC and pinpoint the optimal band combination for LFMC inversion. To tackle the challenge of ill-posed inversion, we leveraged the correlation coefficient matrix to mitigate erroneous combinations of free parameters in the construction of the lookup table. Results showcase that VIIRS-based LFMC inversion yields marginally superior accuracy (R2= 0.57, R2= 0.32) for both grassland and forest types, with VIIRS-based inversion demonstrating a lower relative root mean square error (rRMSE = 5.84%), compared to results from the MODIS. By scrutinizing LFMC trends alongside precipitation (PP) data in four forest fires spanning from 2019 to 2022 in southwest China, varied degrees of LFMC decrease preceding fire outbreaks. Those results substantiated the validity of the proposed method for wildfire warning. Consequently, our study asserts the reliability of VIIRS in LFMC inversion, positioning it as a viable substitute and extension of MODIS. VIIRS offers continuous and effective product support for wildfire warning assessment, enhancing our ability to monitor and mitigate wildfire risks.
Urban agglomerations are complex, open, and dynamic territorial systems that play a central role in spatial development, innovation, and societal well-being amid the challenges of globalization, environmental risks, and socio-political instability. In the context of war, forced displacement, and widespread infrastructure damage, urban agglomerations in Ukraine have emerged not only as centers of population concentration but also as crucial hubs for resilience, recovery, and strategic planning.
The purpose of this study is to conceptualize the urban agglomeration as a functional subsystem of the social and geographical system `and to develop a structural model that integrates internal subsystems with multilevel external environments. The research aims to identify key elements of internal interaction and external influence, explain the systemic logic of agglomeration dynamics, and determine the role of governance in ensuring sustainability and resilience. The methodological foundation combines a human-geographical approach with systemic, synergistic, and sustainable development paradigms, supported by modeling, typology, content analysis, and analytical synthesis.
Results. The paper presents an original structural model of an urban agglomeration comprising eight interconnected internal subsystems: social, economic, demographic, innovation-technological, architectural-construction, infrastructural-service, transport-logistics, and natural-ecological. These subsystems interact via synergistic mechanisms and form a cohesive internal environment capable of adaptive self-regulation. Particular attention is paid to the governance subsystem, which includes strategic (conceptual planning), executive (implementation of decisions), and monitoring (evaluation and feedback) functions. This subsystem plays a crucial role in managing complexity and ensuring long-term sustainability. The model also systematizes the external environment into three hierarchical levels: regional, national, and global. Each level generates specific political, legal, economic, cultural, and technological impacts that shape agglomeration development. Five types of interaction–internal systemic connections, adaptive feedback loops, energy exchange, resource flows, and information-communication channels–are identified as mechanisms that maintain functional integrity, enable adaptation to external shocks, and support sustainable development trajectories. The proposed model contributes to the theoretical foundation of urban agglomeration studies by bridging disciplinary gaps and integrating spatial, functional, and governance dimensions into a unified systemic framework. It offers practical utility for strategic planning, urban policy design, sustainability assessment, and post-war reconstruction. This framework is especially relevant for countries and regions undergoing crisis or transformation, where resilient urban systems must be built on principles of sustainability, inclusiveness, and interconnectivity.
Corinna Konrad, Markus Wagner, Florian Foschum
et al.
The influence of the layered structure of plant leaves on the optical properties obtained with a homogeneous theoretical model was investigated. To this aim, silicone phantoms with different optical properties modeling synthetic leaf layers were fabricated to study a two-layer model of the leaf. The optical properties were determined with spectrally resolved integrating sphere measurements using solutions of the radiative transport equation for a homogeneous medium. When the optical properties of a two-layer stack were retrieved, they showed large differences from the optical properties of the involved single layers depending, in addition, on the orientation of the two-layer stack in the measurements. We also obtained the optical properties of a Taraxacum officinale leaf with a homogeneous theoretical model and compared them to those retrieved from a two-layer forward model using Monte Carlo simulations. The optical properties obtained from the simulations showed similar features of the optical properties retrieved from the measurements, including the difference when changing the orientation of the leaf. Therefore, our model is able to provide an explanation for the found effects.
Введение. Обсуждается процесс формирования величины и направления половых соматических различий в перипубертатном периоде (9–17 лет), этническая специфика динамики полового диморфизма основных антропометрических размеров.
Материал и методы. Для построения межгруппового распределения стандартизованных величин полового диморфизма размеров тела в 9, 13 и 17 лет обобщены обширные литературные материалы по детям РФ и бывшего СССР 1950–2010 гг. (более 500 выборок). Для количественной оценки величины полового диморфизма (ПД) использована дивергенция Кульбака, аналог расстояния Махаланобиса. Для корректного учета вклада в вариации полового диморфизма этнического фактора из общего массива данных подобраны пары выборок разной этнической принадлежности (коренное население и русские), но из одной и той же экологической ниши, обследованных одновременно.
Результаты. Показано значительное влияние возрастного фактора на межгрупповое распределение полового соматического диморфизма. Выявлены достоверные положительные корреляции полового диморфизма с величиной самих размеров для мальчиков в первую очередь в 13 и 17 лет (0,48–0,63 для весоростовых показателей) и отрицательные или близкие к нулю корреляции у девочек. Динамика полового диморфизма соматических размеров на интервале 9–17 лет для пар выборок эстонцы-русские, киргизы-русские, татары-русские, узбеки-русские в целом инвариантна относительно этнической принадлежности групп и свидетельствует о доминировании возрастных физиологических закономерностей над этническими.
Заключение. Изменчивость соматического полового диморфизма в перипубертатном возрасте имеет примерно нормальную форму распределения, как и сами антропометрические показатели. Достоверные корреляции стандартизованных уровней полового диморфизма размеров со средневыборочными значениями самих размеров имеют разные знаки у мальчиков и девочек – положительные в первом случае, отрицательные или близкие к нулю во втором, что соответствует аналогичной закономерности у взрослых и может рассматриваться как подтверждение вклада соматической изменчивости мужского пола в формирование половых различий. При проведении «точечных» локальных сравнений ограниченного числа этнических групп одной экологической ниши не удалось зафиксировать межгрупповой ростовой специфики в связи с этническим фактором, что связано, видимо, с высокими скоростями роста в перипубертатном периоде и доминированием надэтнических видовых закономерностей над локальными этническими особенностями.
Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology, Physical anthropology. Somatology
Venkataraman Lakshmi, Manh-Hung Le, Benjamin D. Goffin
et al.
Study region: Lower Mekong River Basin (LMRB) Study focus: Satellite remote sensing products are widely used for monitoring droughts. Using NASA satellite sensors of precipitation (Global Measurement Mission, GPM), soil moisture (Soil Moisture Active and Passive, SMAP), and terrestrial water storage (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, GRACE), this study evaluates the historical drought in the LMRB during 2015–16. SMAP soil moisture was validated against in-situ soil moisture, and GPM precipitation and SMAP soil moisture were cross-validated with streamflow observations. The spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture were also examined in different ranges of catchment areas. In performing the analysis, we used lagged correlations between hydrological variables and the indices of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI). New hydrological insights for the regions: Spatio-temporal patterns of drought in 2015–16 were examined from the entire basin to small watersheds. A mismatch occurs when using GRACE data to study droughts in small watersheds (many of the small watersheds would be a fraction of the few 100 km2 spatial resolutions of GRACE pixel). In smaller watersheds, hydrological drought (SSI) was closely defined with SMAP soil moisture downscaled to 1 km rather than the meteorological drought index (SPI). By leveraging satellite-based observations across a range of spatial scales, this study highlights the utility of Earth observations in informing water resources and land management decisions at the regional scale.
This study makes a significant contribution to the field of groundwater potential mapping (GWPM) by exploring the application of ensemble learning models (ELMs), specifically boosting ensemble models (BEMs), which have not been fully utilized in GWPM. By employing six ELMs (random forest, AdaBoost, XGBoost, CatBoost, GBDT, and LightGBM), along with Tree-structured Parzen Estimator in Luoning County, China, this study identifies key indicators (topographic position index, distance to rivers, and topographic wetness index) and demonstrates the superior model performance of XGBoost compared to other ELMs. Additionally, correlation analysis confirms the accuracy of XGBoost in predicting relationships between important indicators and groundwater potentials. Finally, the findings provide valuable insights for sustainable groundwater management strategies in Luoning County and emphasize the need for further exploration of ELMs, development of comprehensive performance evaluation and indicator systems, reduction of the inconsistencies between indicators and predication results and practical research to support future sustainable groundwater management.
La sacralización de la quinta vértebra lumbar corresponde a una patología escasamente reportada en la literatura bioarqueológica de las poblaciones del Norte Grande de Chile. En este artículo, se presentan dos casos observados en grupos prehispánicos de la costa desértica de la región de Antofagasta, distanciados tanto espacial como cronológicamente; uno de ellos corresponde al caso más temprano de esta anomalía ósea para el norte de Chile. El diagnóstico de esta condición fue realizada a través de criterios discriminantes morfológicos que permitieron la clasificación de forma y orientación de los rasgos patológicos observados. Considerando la asociación a factores genéticos que posee la manifestación de esta patología, junto con la descripción histórica de las formas de elaboración de alianzas matrimoniales que tenían los habitantes del área de estudio al momento de contacto hispano-indígena, en este trabajo exploramos la posibilidad de que su aparición pueda ser el resultado de prácticas sociales endogámicas. Estas habrían estado limitadas a la zona costera y fueron mantenidas tradicionalmente, por lo menos hasta momentos históricos.
The propensity of geography specialization is increasingly prevalent (especially in Indonesia). Geography is no longer interpreted as integrative, covering both physical and human aspects. This resulted in a study by geographers concerning only material objects of geography. Not infrequently it would be overlapping with other science clusters. This condition is disadvantageous, geography can be considered not as a science if it does not have the characteristics/differentiation with other science. It may affect the existence of geography in the future. This article aims to provide the description of the geography from the perspective of philosophy of science. By reviewing the literature, this paper attempts to explain aspects of ontology, epistemology, and axiology. Ontology geography is a science that examines the physical and human aspects. Characteristic of geography study using spatial approach, environment, and area complex. Epistemologically, geography uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. Caused, in examining the physical and human aspects of using the two methods is highly recommended so that the results of geographic studies more comprehensive. As axiology, the existence of geography is increasingly important to sustainable development goals.
A key focus for geographical and policy work on obesity has involved interrogating the concept of an ‘obesogenic environment’ – an environment with particular physical, social and economic characteristics considered to contribute towards the propensity of bodies to be or to become obese/fat. Alongside this, Critical Geographies of Obesity/Fatness challenge the classification of fat bodies as diseased and in need of intervention by drawing attention to the politics surrounding the governance of fatness and the multiple experiences of body size. In this article, we place these strands of geographical work alongside each other in order to develop Critical Geographies of Obesogenic Environments. In so doing, we not only set out the main tenets of work in geography on obesity/fatness but also raise specific questions about how bodies, environments and body-environment interactions have been conceptualized and researched. We do so in order to develop and present three research trajectories for Critical Geographies of Obesogenic Environments which will allow geographical research to engage within obesity/fatness more carefully, reflexively and critically. Specifically, this involves: redefining obesogenic environments not as environments that make bodies fat, but as environments that make fat bodies problematic; engaging sensitively with the multiplicities of fat embodied experience; and considering alternative theoretical frameworks in order to avoid the pitfalls of environmental determinism.
The eoorthid brachiopod Apheoorthina is reported for the first time from the Lower Ordovician of NW Argentina. It
is represented by a species similar to A. ferrigena from the Tremadocian of the Prague Basin, increasing the faunal affinities between the Central Andean Basin and the South European microcontinents, in particular the Bohemian region (Perunica). Nine out of the fourteen brachiopod genera reported from the Tremadocian of the Central Andean Basin (~64%) are shared with the Mediterranean region, four of which (~28%) have been recorded in the Prague Basin, and two (Kvania and Apheoorthina) are restricted to the Central Andes and Perunica. Dispersal pathways around Gondwana are analyzed in the light of major factors affecting large-scale distribution of brachiopods (environment, larval capacity for dispersal, oceanic currents). The presence in Apheoorthina aff. ferrigena of a well-preserved larval protegulum measuring 420 μm in width and 210 μm in length strongly suggests that this species had planktotrophic larvae capable of long-distance dispersal. According to recent ocean-atmosphere general circulation models for the Ordovician Period, the Central Andean margin was dominated by the cold-water Antarctica Current. Despite the complex non-zonal pattern produced by current deflections around the peri-Gondwanan microcontinents, the general westward circulation sense favoured larval dispersal from the Andean region to North Africa, Avalonia, the Armorican Terrane Assemblage, and Perunica. On the other hand, the eastwards flowing Gondwana Current connected the North Gondwana waters with the South American epicontinental seas, which could explain the reversed migration of some brachiopods.
Andreia Yoshinari, Elias Hideo Teramoto, Hung Kiang Chang
The approximate Domenico (1987) solution represents the analytical model of solute transport more widespread and accepted by environmental agencies, including quantifying risks to human health. Because it represents an approximation, a certain amount of error is to be expected. However, only from relatively recent works, these errors were investigated in a systematic manner, providing evidence that such errors can be highly significant depending on the parameters used. This study investigated the error of the Domenico (1987) solution in six actual cases of contamination by comparing with the exact solution of Wexler (1992). The results indicate that all parameters used in the Domenico (1987) model contribute in a greater or lesser extent to the presence of error. It is remarkable that the dimension of the source represents the factor that contribute most significantly to the error, followed by the longitudinal dispersion. The errors vary widely and in certain circumstances, as in regimes where hydrodynamic dispersion and advection have similar importance, can promote the underestimation of risk to human health, and consequently leading to bad decisions.
River, lake, and water-supply engineering (General), Physical geography
María Laura Bergel Sanchís, Fabián Aníbal Quintero, Bárbara Navazo
et al.
El objetivo es evaluar el estado nutricional, la composición y proporción corporal con relación a las condiciones socio-ambientales de residencia de la población infanto-juvenil de las localidades de Verónica, Pipinas y La Viruta (partido de Punta Indio, provincia de Buenos Aires). Se realizó un estudio antropométrico transversal en 845 niños (47.5% varones y 52.5% mujeres) de 3 a 15 años. Se relevaron peso, talla, estatura sentado, perímetro braquial y pliegues tricipital y subescapular, y se calcularon indicadores nutricionales, de proporción y composición corporal, utilizando la referencia Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. La información socio-ambiental se obtuvo aplicando encuestas estructuradas y fue procesada mediante Análisis de Componentes Principales Categórico. Esto permitió diferenciar cuatro grupos: I) “urbano favorecido”; II) “urbano intermedio”; III) “urbano desfavorable” y IV) “rural”. Para cada grupo se calcularon prevalencias de estado nutricional que fueron comparadas mediante la prueba exacta de Fisher. Los resultados indicaron 3.8% de desnutrición, 13.1% de sobrepeso y 10.9% de obesidad. La malnutrición por déficit y por exceso se vio acompañada por modificaciones en la composición corporal. El grupo “rural” se diferenció de los otros grupos por no presentar casos de desnutrición crónica. Estos resultados permiten concluir que la población estudiada experimenta una transición nutricional avanzada, dada por bajas prevalencias de desnutrición y altas prevalencias de sobrepeso y obesidad. Esta situación puede interpretarse en el marco de las transformaciones económicas intensas ocurridas recientemente en el partido de Punta Indio, las cuales no han conducido a erradicar la malnutrición, sino a cambiar su polaridad hacia el exceso de peso.
PALABRAS CLAVE malnutrición; proporción y composición corporal; variables socio-ambientales; antropología biológica
The aim of this work was to evaluate nutritional status, body composition, and proportion in relation to socio-environmental conditions of residence in the infant-juvenile population of three towns in the district of Punta Indio, in Buenos Aires. A cross-sectional study was performed in 845 children (47.5% male and 52.5% female) 3 to 15 years old. Weight, height, sitting height, arm circumference, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds were surveyed, and nutritional indicators, body composition, and proportion were calculated using the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reference. Socio-environmental information was obtained through structured questionnaires and was processed with a Categorical Principal Components Analysis which allowed to distinguish four groups: I) "favored urban"; II) "intermediate urban"; III) "urban unfavorable", and IV) "rural". In each group, prevalence of nutritional status was also calculated and compared using Fisher's exact test. The results for the total population indicated 3.8% of undernutrition, 13.1% of overweight, and 10.9% of obesity. All types of malnutrition were accompanied by changes in body composition. Group IV was different from the other groups in that it did not present cases of chronic undernutrition. These results allow us to conclude that the studied population has experienced an advanced nutrition transition, characterized by low prevalence of undernutrition and high prevalence of overweight and obesity. This situation can be related to profound economic changes that have recently occurred in the district of Punta Indio, which have not led to the elimination of malnutrition but to changing its polarity towards excess weight.
KEYWORDS malnutrition; body proportion and composition; socio-environmental variables; biological anthropology