Pilar Ortíz Sandoval, Margarita Aguilera‐Gómez, Anna Kostka
et al.
Abstract Anthropogenic activities, such as industrial processes, urban development, intensive agriculture and waste disposal, have significantly contributed to the continuous introduction and accumulation of a wide array of xenobiotic compounds into natural ecosystems. Among them, emerging contaminants (ECs) such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of increasing concern due to their persistence, bioactivity and limited regulation. ECs enter ecosystems through diverse pathways including wastewater discharge, agricultural runoff and atmospheric deposition. Once released, many of these xenobiotics can bioaccumulate in organisms and enter the food chain, posing serious risks to food safety and public health. Traditional physico‐chemical remediation methods are often insufficient or environmentally taxing, prompting a shift toward bio‐based alternatives like bioremediation. These approaches, which rely on the activity of microbial communities to degrade pollutants, offer more sustainable solutions but require further interdisciplinary research to optimise their use. The One Health framework provides an effective model for addressing the complex risks posed by xenobiotics. This research programme aims to harmonise methodologies for cumulative dietary risk assessment across Europe and explore microbial strategies for xenobiotic degradation. By integrating microbiomics, toxicology, environmental science and food safety, this approach supports the development of safer food systems and more effective pollution management in line with the ‘farm to fork’ and One Health principles.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Chemical technology
Emmanuel Resendiz-Ochoa, Omar Trejo-Chavez, Juan J. Saucedo-Dorantes
et al.
Nowadays, induction motors and gearboxes play an important role in the industry due to the fact that they are indispensable tools that allow a large number of machines to operate. In this research, a diagnosis method is proposed for the detection of different faults in an electromechanical system through infrared thermography and a convolutional neural network (CNN). During the experiment, we tested different conditions in the motor and the gearbox. The induction motor was operated in four conditions, in a healthy state, with one broken bar, a damaged bearing, and misalignment, while the gearbox was operated in three conditions with healthy gears, 50% wear, and 75% wear. The motor failures and gear wear were induced by different machining operations. Data augmentation was then performed using basic transformations such as mirror image and brightness variation. Ablation tests were also carried out, and a convolutional neural network with a basic architecture was proposed; the performance indicators show a precision of 98.53%, accuracy of 98.54%, recall of 98.65%, and F1-Score of 98.55%. The system obtained confirms that through the use of infrared thermography and deep learning, it is possible to identify faults at different points of an electromechanical system.
Abstract In the field of expensive optimization, numerous papers have proposed surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms (SAEAs) for a few thousand or even hundreds of function evaluations. However, in reality, low-cost simulations suffice for a lot of real-world problems, in which the number of function evaluations is moderately restricted, e.g., to several thousands. In such moderately restricted scenario, SAEAs become unnecessarily time-consuming and tend to struggle with premature convergence. In addition, tuning the SAEA parameters becomes impractical under the restricted budgets of function evaluations—in some cases, inadequate configuration may degrade performance instead. In this context, this paper presents a fast and auto-tunable evolutionary algorithm for solving moderately restricted expensive optimization problems. The presented algorithm is a variant of adaptive differential evolution (DE) algorithms, and is called emulation-based adaptive DE or EBADE. The primary aim of EBADE is to emulate the principle of sample-efficient optimization, such as that in SAEAs, by adaptively tuning the DE parameter configurations. Specifically, similar to Expected Improvement-based sampling, EBADE identifies parameter configurations that may produce expected-to-improve solutions, without using function evaluations. Further, EBADE incepts a multi-population mechanism and assigns a parameter configuration to each subpopulation to estimate the effectiveness of parameter configurations with multiple samples carefully. This subpopulation-based adaptation can help improve the selection accuracy of promising parameter configurations, even when using an expected-to-improve indicator with high uncertainty, by validating with respect to multiple samples. The experimental results demonstrate that EBADE outperforms modern adaptive DEs and is highly competitive compared to SAEAs with a much shorter runtime.
Electronic computers. Computer science, Information technology
The article is devoted to analyzing aspects of biosecurity and biosecurity in the conditions of poultry farms under different poultry-keeping schemes. Production of poultry meat in the EU countries by species is broiler meat – 84.4 %, turkeys – 12.7 %, ducklings – 2.6 %, and other types of slaughtered poultry meat – 0.3 %. Ukraine is one of the five countries in the world that are the largest exporters of poultry meat to the EU, and the volume of poultry meat exported to EU member states in 2023 amounted to 97.469 tons. Compliance with basic biological safety measures is the best way to reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases, produce safe products, and ensure veterinary food safety. Biosecurity in poultry farming involves some fundamental methods and strategies. Biosecurity is based on two fundamental principles: preventing pathogens from entering the territory of poultry farming (external biosecurity) and their further distribution (internal biosecurity). Factors of external biosecurity are the control of the penetration of biological vectors of the causative agents of poultry infectious diseases (restriction of the entry of vehicles into the farm territory, entry of outsiders, wild animals, rodents, synanthropic birds, and insects). Control of biological vectors of introducing pathogens into the farm is carried out through physical protection barriers (arrangement of fences, fences, installation of protective nets and screens on windows, doors, and ventilation shafts). The factors of internal biosecurity of poultry farms include the system of keeping poultry, proper practice of waste management (timely removal of poultry carcasses, litter, manure, method of waste management), use of hygienic means of bioprotection by employees, hygienic processing between «clean» and "dirty" areas of maintenance facilities, control and management of feed and water, cleaning and disinfection of production facilities. The level of biosecurity depends on the epizootic situation and the industry's provision of modern means of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. In the conditions of martial law in our country, the principal risks of biological decline are the destruction of homesteads of the population and industrial-type poultry farms; the difficulty of disposing of poultry carcasses, waste from the poultry industry, and household waste following current requirements, as well as changes in the migration routes of synanthropic birds.
IntroductionHarsh ecological conditions, including water scarcity, have limited vegetation life in desert areas. Consequently, the cultivation of drought-resistant plants compatible with desert areas and their expansion, while creating suitable vegetation, increases biodiversity, controls desertification and is oriented towards the sustainability of desert ecosystems. Cannabis is a drought-tolerant plant which, because of its great genetic diversity, has the ability to grow in different climates, particularly in semi-desert areas. Appropriate agricultural management enhances the vegetation, production and productivity of agricultural products. In this context, it is important to study planting date and plant density as factors impacting production. Planting dates must be chosen to allow sufficient time for each stage of growth and development. The use of optimal plant density may improve plant growth and increase plant yield by reducing intra-plant competition. Results of search on two densities of cannabis plants of 8 and 16 plants per m-2 in Birjand, the highest seed yield was obtained from a density of 16 plants per m-2. Finding on densities of 50, 150, and 250 plants per m-2 in Mashhad, and 30, 90, and 150 plants per m-2 in Shirvan reported that as the density of cannabis plants increased, the flowering date decreased in both regions. Given the arid and semi-arid climate of South Khorasan, planting plants compatible with the climate of the region, such as cannabis, can increase vegetation cover while producing an acceptable yield. The objectives of the current research are to study the effect of agricultural management on the growth characteristics of the forgotten cannabis plant in semi-arid climate of Birjand. Material and MethodsThe current research was carried out in Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources Research if South Khorasan, located at 59′ 13° east longitude and 53° 32′north latitude, and 1491m above sea level. South Khorasan province has a desert and semi-desert climate. Before preparing the soil to determine the required amount of chemical and organic fertilizers, the soil in the field was analyzed. Data on temperature changes and the total number of sunny hours of various months during the cannabis growing period were received from the Birjand weather station. The experiment was conducted as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments investigated included planting date on three levels of May 12, May 27 and June 11 as the main plot and plant density at three levels of 22.2, 11.1 and 7.4 plants per m-2 as the sub plot. In this research, the phenological characteristics including the number of days to emergency, days to flowering, days to seed filling, days to physiological maturity, length of vegetative period, length of reproductive period, length of flowering period, and morphological characteristics including plant height, number of main stem branches, stem diameter and seed yield were investigated. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SAS software and the comparison of averages was done based on Duncan's 5% multiple range test. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that the impact of planting date on all morphophenological traits was significant, with the exception of stem diameter. The delay in planting between May 12 and June 11 significantly reduced the length of phenological stages, and vegetative growth of cannabis, and ultimately caused a 48% decrease in seed yield. Late cultivation, due to the increase in temperature, the plant completes its vegetative growth faster. The delay in planting by shortening the period of effective growth, reducing the photosynthetic potential of the plant, and coinciding with the period of seed filling with low temperatures and shortening of the day has led to a decrease in the quantity and the filling speed of the seeds, and subsequently the yield of the seeds decreases. It has been reported that a 20-day delay in seeding from 10 May led to a 46% decrease in seed yield under climatic conditions in Azerbaijan. The effect of plant density on morphological traits, number of days until flowering of female plants, days until seed set, days until physiological maturity, length of vegetative period, length of flowering period and seed yield were significant. The increase in density from 7.4 to 22.2 plants per m-2, while delaying flowering, increased seed yield by 15.4%. Increased plant density due to higher plant height and increased number of plants per unit area increased seed yield. Results of search on two densities of cannabis plants of 8 and 16 plants per m-2 in Birjand, the highest seed yield was obtained from a density of 16 plants per m-2. To achieve proper yield performance, and develop cannabis cultivation- as a plant compatible with the semi-desert region- the planting date of May 12 and the density of 22.2 plants per m-2 can be used.
Sayed A. Sayed, Yasser Abdel-Hamid, Hesham Ahmed Hefny
Abstract The expansion of the Internet of Things has resulted in new creative solutions, such as smart cities, that have made our lives more productive, convenient, and intelligent. The core of smart cities is the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) which has been integrated into several smart city applications that improve transportation and mobility. ITS aims to resolve many traffic issues, such as traffic congestion issues. Recently, new traffic flow prediction models and frameworks have been rapidly developed in tandem with the introduction of artificial intelligence approaches to improve the accuracy of traffic flow prediction. Traffic forecasting is a crucial duty in the transportation industry. It can significantly affect the design of road constructions and projects in addition to its importance for route planning and traffic rules. Furthermore, traffic congestion is a critical issue in urban areas and overcrowded cities. Therefore, it must be accurately evaluated and forecasted. Hence, a reliable and efficient method for predicting traffic is essential. The main objectives of this study are: First, present a comprehensive review of the most popular machine learning and deep learning techniques applied in traffic prediction. Second, identifying inherent obstacles to applying machine learning and deep learning in the domain of traffic prediction.
Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering, Information technology
Farhan Zeb Khaskhelly, Ali Raza, Hemal Azhar
et al.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a helpful tool in solving significant societal concerns in countries where there is a greater desire for social and economic growth, such as Pakistan.
Methodology
In order to examine the current issues on supply chain collaboration for sustainability, this paper used a triangulation research method. In order to determine indicators in a CSR-intensive environment, data, and literature, the energy sector publications on EUR-Lex, international and European official papers, and the online site of the European Commission data sources were analyzed in this study. The indicators were divided into groups based on their sources (sets of standards and guidelines, council frameworks, document series, tools, and comprehensive legislation), as well as their intended uses (financial, social, and environmental).
Findings
The findings state that supply chain collaboration completely fulfills CSR for a viable economy. It focuses on three leading fashion brands and assesses their impact using open-source data, past research, and their official websites. It also highlights how, in comparison to global corporations, Pakistani business satisfies their corporate social responsibility.
Conclusion
It is concluded that a supply chain can help companies minimize the environmental impact of their supply chain processes. Further, CSR is a part of the supply chain that helps businesses determine their social and economic responsibilities by focusing on environmental aspects to add to a more sustainable economy.
Andrzej Rostocki, Hilal Unyay, Katarzyna Ławińska
et al.
This review presents the latest research works detailing granulation processes and granulates, including and based on waste (bio and industrial) as a biofuel/energy source and the possible usage of granulates from and/or based on biochar. The innovative aspect is that the article focuses on the broadest possible environmental aspect understood in minimizing the burden related to the amount and composition of waste generated by various industries. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the processes as an effective method of waste management and also as energy sources. Based on various sources, a brief summary of why granulation is an important area of both scientific research and industrial applications is provided. The review also presents a summary of basic concepts and definitions in the topic of granulation—types of processes, apparatuses used, and examples of research results in the literature. The main part of the review is the analysis of the literature providing numerous examples on the usage of granules based on bio and industrial waste and various biochar granulates. The conclusions present the aspect of economical sustainability of granulation processes and the use of granulates as effective solutions for energy sources (fuel, biofuel), waste management, and applications in agriculture (soil additives, fertilizers).
Natalia Andrienko, Gennady Andrienko, Silvia Miksch
et al.
The word ‘pattern’ frequently appears in the visualisation and visual analytics literature, but what do we mean when we talk about patterns? We propose a practicable definition of the concept of a pattern in a data distribution as a combination of multiple interrelated elements of two or more data components that can be represented and treated as a unified whole. Our theoretical model describes how patterns are made by relationships existing between data elements. Knowing the types of these relationships, it is possible to predict what kinds of patterns may exist. We demonstrate how our model underpins and refines the established fundamental principles of visualisation. The model also suggests a range of interactive analytical operations that can support visual analytics workflows where patterns, once discovered, are explicitly involved in further data analysis.
Antonius Bintang Timur, Magdalena A. Ineke Pakereng
Permusikan di Indonesia kini telah mengalami perkembangan yang pesat dalam beberapa dekade ini. Jadwal konser yang sering digunakan saat ini hanya melalui social media. Seiring perkembangan teknologi, internet memunculkan perubahan ruang kreatifitas musisi dalam menyebarkan informasi panggungnya menjadi lebih mudah. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah pembuatan aplikasi jadwal konser live performance agar dapat digunakan untuk mempermudah masyarakat dalam memperoleh informasi jadwal panggung dengan lebih mudah dan cepat. Serta memudahkan musisi dalam menyebarluaskan informasi panggungnya ke masyarakat. Penelitian ini menghasilkan aplikasi jadwal konser bernama Kick Gigs berbasis mobile yang dapat berjalan sesuai dengan apa yang diharapkan yang dibangun menggunakan bahasa pemrograman Dart 2.13 dengan framework flutter 2.0 Â dan basis data Firestore. Aplikasi Mobile ini diharapkan dapat membantu musisi kecil dalam pengembangan karir musiknya lebih baik lagi. Selain itu dapat membantu pengusaha cafe dan restoran untuk turut berdampingan bersama musisi dalam mengembangkan bisnis dan karya musik dengan pertunjukan live performance yang mengundang lebih banyak lagi pengunjung.
BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health problem and an economic burden globally. There is growing interest in how electronic health (eHealth) can be used to provide efficient health care. Telemonitoring, where the patient’s health-related data is transmitted to a health care provider, can be used to detect early signs of exacerbations. A successful implementation of telemonitoring systems into clinical practice requires in-depth knowledge of the users’ preferences.
ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore perceptions of the use of a home telemonitoring system among patients with COPD.
MethodsSemistructured individual interviews were carried out with 8 women and 5 men who were participants in a project aimed at developing and evaluating a telemonitoring system. The web-based telemonitoring system measured pulmonary function, subjective symptoms, and oxygen saturation. Participants were interviewed after having used the system for 2-4 months. Interview transcripts were analyzed with qualitative content analysis.
ResultsThe analysis resulted in the theme A transition toward increased control and security and four categories: using with (in)security, affecting technical concern or confidence, providing easy access to health care, and increasing control over the disease. The participants reported various perceptions of using the telemonitoring system. They expressed initial feelings of insecurity, both in terms of operating the system and in terms of their disease. However, the practical management of the telemonitoring system became easier with time; the participants gradually gained confidence and improved their self-management. New technology was perceived as an important complement to existing health care, but the importance of maintaining a human contact in real life or through the telemonitoring system was emphasized.
ConclusionsThis study captured a transition among the participants from being insecure and experiencing technical concerns to acquiring technical confidence and improving disease management. Telemonitoring can be a valuable complement to health care, leading to increased self-knowledge, a sense of security, and improved self-management. Suggestions to improve the further development and implementation of telemonitoring systems include better patient education and the involvement of end users in the technical development process. Additional research is needed, particularly in the design of user-friendly systems, as well as in developing tools to predict which patients are most likely to find the equipment useful, as this may result in increased empowerment, improved quality of life, reduced costs, and a contribution to equity in health.
Information technology, Public aspects of medicine
Jiang Yushi, Dinkneh Gebre Borojo, Miao Miao
et al.
We investigate the driving factors of Chinese aid allocation to 44 African countries for the periods 2003–2017. The Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) procedure is applied to estimate the gravity model of aid and loan allocation as it can solve zero-valued observations and heterogeneity problems prevalent in the panel data set. An aggregate indicator is derived for the quality of governance using principal component analysis. We controlled for aggregate Chinese aid and loans separately because a significant share of aid allocation China commits to African countries is repayable long-term loans. Controlling for source and destination countries’ motives of aid and loan allocation, our findings provide evidence that Chinese aid and loan flow to African countries is significantly determined by African countries’ and China’s strategic, economic and commercial factors. The results further examine the importance of China-Africa trade and Chinese FDI, China’s international support and foreign policy considerations in China’s aid and loan allocation policy to African countries. Additionally, it gives a detailed analysis of the aid-institution paradox.
Land and housing economy have a large proportion of the whole economy and play an important role in the cultural, economic and social community. In all parts of the world, land and houses make a large share of its assets and the proper management of these resources can help country’s economy grow. The housing sector in Iran has faced many problems. Low purchasing power of costumers, price bubble especially in big cities, intense cycles in supply and demand and less on the market for mortgage or rent, more supply than demand and many unfinished projects are examples of problems in the field. In this paper, after explaining the current problems, causal loop diagram and then stock-flow model is presented. After validation of the model, the proposed policies are presented based on model structure and relationships. Presented policies reduce the severity of future cycles and improve equilibrium between supply and demand sectors and help linear and continuous presence of the buyer.
El objetivo general del presente trabajo fue determinar la correlación del reposicionamiento del Barrio del Artista para aumentar su valor cultural-artístico en Puebla, México. La investigación se realizó dentro de un enfoque mercadológico. Los resultados que se presentan corresponden a un estudio empírico sobre el reposicionamiento del Barrio del Artista, usando un enfoque cuantitativo y el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson, logrando la aplicación de los factores que componen el posicionamiento para determinar la relación entre el reposicionamiento del Barrio del Artista y el aumento de su valor cultural artístico en Puebla. Para la presente investigación se utilizaron de forma práctica los conceptos novedosos de mercadotecnia y posicionamiento.
Introduction: Work conditions in kerbside ticket booths intensify the risk of health threats. In this research, it is aimed to introduce solutions for improving ergonomics conditions of these booths, by ranking and analysis the risk factors. .
Material and Method: Demographic information as well as physical, mental, and safety conditions of 47 booths are collected through questionnaires, interview and video recording. Following, critical index was identified using a hybrid method including QEC checklist, ANOVA statistical test and innovative methods for determining ergonomic indices. Improvement strategiesfor the critical index were analysed,using CATIA V5 R20 software and RULA technique, and solutions were presented.
.Result: Based on F-test at the 0.05 significance level, anthropometric characteristics and personal informationshowed no difference betweenmale and female vendors, except for weight. Comparison of ergonomic indices manifested the maximum occupational exposurefor physical-motor factors (45.39) and environmental factors (41.28). Additionally, the highest risks determined by Nordic questionnaire and QEC checklists belonged to arms and shoulders (38) and wrist (26). Three dimensional model of vender with current and suggested postures were analysed using RULA and accordingly it was found that risk levels were improved for right and left side of the vendor body from 7 and 5 to 3 and 1, and for customers from 6 to 1.
.Conclusion: Vendors of electronic ticket booths are exposed to musculoskeletal and environmental health threats, in Mashhad. Relocating the booths, adjustingcounterand desk height can significantly reduce the risk of mentioned hazards