Hasil untuk "River, lake, and water-supply engineering (General)"

Cláudio Lúcio do Val Lopes, João Marcus Pitta, Fabiano Belém et al.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into clinical settings presents a software engineering challenge, demanding a shift from isolated models to robust, governable, and reliable systems. However, brittle, prototype-derived architectures often plague industrial applications and a lack of systemic oversight, creating a ``responsibility vacuum'' where safety and accountability are compromised. This paper presents an industry case study of the ``Maria'' platform, a production-grade AI system in primary healthcare that addresses this gap. Our central hypothesis is that trustworthy clinical AI is achieved through the holistic integration of four foundational engineering pillars. We present a synergistic architecture that combines Clean Architecture for maintainability with an Event-driven architecture for resilience and auditability. We introduce the Agent as the primary unit of modularity, each possessing its own autonomous MLOps lifecycle. Finally, we show how a Human-in-the-Loop governance model is technically integrated not merely as a safety check, but as a critical, event-driven data source for continuous improvement. We present the platform as a reference architecture, offering practical lessons for engineers building maintainable, scalable, and accountable AI-enabled systems in high-stakes domains.

S. V. Smirnov

The work is devoted to the topical and promising topic of using an ekranoplane as a unique vehicle for moving above the surface, maintained in the atmosphere by interacting with air reflected from the surface of water, earth, snow or ice. This is due to the increasing demand for passenger and cargo transportation by sea and river routes, as well as significant improvements and safety of the ekranoplanes themselves. In addition, almost all ekranoplanes are equipped with the latest automatic motion control (ACS) systems, which implies partial (due to difficult weather conditions) or complete abandonment of the pilot's actions during the flight. The ekranoplane can successfully solve important tasks in the field of global passenger and cargo transportation, both internationally and domestically in many countries of the world. EP transportation can become an alternative to rail, road, or sea routes, as their path is shorter and faster. This will contribute to the rise in many areas of human activity. To date, the production of electronic components outside our country has been established at the following enterprises: Regent Craft Inc. (USA), ST Engineering (Singapore), Boeing (USA), Regent (USA), Rhein-Flugzeugbau GmbH (Germany), Hongtu and Changfei aircraft factories (China), Aron Flying Ship Ltd. (South Korea), Aircraft Model Art (Taiwan), etc. In addition, India, Australia and other countries are also interested in the production of this type of transport for solving domestic problems, which is characterized by their interest in foreign manufacturers of ekranoplanes, as well as the establishment of their own production. The purpose of the work is to consider a brief sample history of the ekranoplane, as well as individual models produced in Russia and abroad, indicating their technical and functional features in solving the problem of lack of transport for passenger and cargo transportation, as well as other tasks in a difficult situation on the seas and rivers. Based on the results of the work, a brief sample history of the development of ekranoplanes, as well as the technical characteristics of some domestic and foreign models, was considered.: The EL-7 «Ivolga» model was designed by KOMETEL CJSC (the territory of the Central Research Institute "Kometa") under the supervision of Chief designer V.V. Kolganov. This model can be used in passenger (up to 12 passengers and 2 crew) and cargo (up to 1200 kg of cargo) transportation. The technical specifications are as follows (in meters): length 16, wingspan 12.7, and height 4. It is equipped with a power plant of 2 engines (BMW M70), each with a capacity of 236 hp. The maximum flight weight is 3900 kg., the range is 1000 km or more at a speed of 180 km/h (220 maximum). The device can move in off-road conditions, on a hard surface with slight slopes and irregularities up to 0.3 m high, as well as in swampy areas. In addition, it is able to move from the water surface to the shore. Modified models of the EL-7 (EL-7C, EK-12P) were also released. In addition, the production of EK-25 ekranoplanes, designed for 27 passengers, is being prepared. The main customer (today) are shipping and transportation companies, as well as sightseeing and travel companies. «Chaika-2» (A-050-742D) was developed by the R.E. Alekseev Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau (Nizhny Novgorod). It has the following characteristics: the length of the vessel is 34.8 m, width is 25.35 m, height is 7.85 m, total displacement is 54 tons, and it is equipped with a Russian TV 7—117CM engine, which is used on IL-112 and IL-114 aircraft. When flying in screen mode ("hovering" over water), the vessel accelerates to 400 km / h, which is comparable to the speed of turboprop aircraft, and off-screen speed can be even higher. The maximum flight range in screen mode is 3,000 km. It is also important that this EP can fly not only at low altitudes using the "screen" mode, but will be able to take to the sky as an airplane, landing then on small airfields. The main task of «Chaika-2» should be to transport passengers or cargo (weighing up to 9 tons) over considerable distances. This EP is proposed to be used on lakes and reservoirs, as well as in coastal areas of the seas. The «Orion-25» model was developed by the designers of EO Orion (Moscow) and the Avangard plant (Petrozavodsk). The car is based on a scheme with two turboprop engines installed in the front of the fuselage. A special feature of the layout is the aerodynamically clean lower surface of the structure, which creates conditions for flow with the highest static component of the total pressure of the incoming flow during flight in the "screen" mode. This ekranoplane weighs 14 tons and is capable of carrying up to 30 passengers and accelerating up to 500 km/h. The speed confirmed in the tests is close to the technical limit of the EP (the fastest accelerated to 600 km/h). At the same time, the «Orion-25» should have enough fuel for 3,600 km of travel or 11 hours of continuous movement. The ekranoplane is planned to be used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and border guards. «Tungus» is an amphibious hovercraft with aerodynamic unloading (ASVP with AR project A18). This model was produced by Aerokhod Shipbuilding Company (Nizhny Novgorod). The overall dimensions of the device are as follows (in meters): length – 19.92, width – 15.68, height (on screws) – 5.35. It is equipped with two 2xRED A03 diesel engines. The number of passengers it can carry is 24 people (excluding the crew). A special feature of this model is the presence of two main driving modes: movement on a static and dynamic air cushion. The first mode is for driving on side rivers and difficult sections of main rivers. The movement of the item instance in static mode is carried out at speeds of 50-90 km/h. On the second flight, it passes at speeds of 160-200 km/h. This mode is designed for long distances along main rivers, as well as in coastal marine zones. This item instance is able to connect settlements located at a distance of about 1000 km by water route, and the height of the obstacles encountered on the way varies from 0.5 to 2 meters. Currently (2025) it is a full-fledged ekranoplane available for use in all-season passenger transportation on the rivers of Siberia and the Far East. The Viceroy model was developed by Regent Craft Inc. (USA) on behalf of the Ministry of Defense for the Marine Corps of the country. Viceroy is a platform designed for the rapid and safe evacuation of troops (up to 12 people) and equipment, equipped with an electric propulsion system that allows it to reach speeds of more than 290 km/h over a distance of about 300 km. and more (depends on the power supply). The length of the entire model is 17.53 m, the wingspan is 19.81 m. It is also important that the flight is carried out by 12 electric motors located on the leading edge of the wing, which are powered by high-capacity batteries (recharging can be from shore or on the water (from a ship). It performs flight in one of three modes: on the hull ("boat-boat"), on hydrofoils or in the screen effect mode. In the passenger version, the carrying capacity of the ekranoplane is 1.36 tons, and in the cargo version it is about 1.6 tons. Viceroy is planned to be used as a vehicle for delivering goods to shore, evacuating the wounded, logistics, etc.. A Chinese model called the «Bohai Sea Monster». This name was given by journalists by analogy with the «Caspian monster» (the first Soviet EP "KM"). It is a high-speed transport and logistics variant of the ekranoplane for low-altitude movement between islands and along the coast. The device has a hybrid-electric power plant and is equipped with turboprop engines (4 units), which allows it to reach speeds above the Viceroy EP. The EP has a T-shaped tail (this shape is typical for vehicles in this category). The wings have floats (sponsons) at the ends. Composite structures are actively used in this model to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. The wingspan is almost 39 meters and the length is about 37 meters. The Bohai Sea Monster ekranoplane is suitable for solving a wide range of tasks in the coastal zone (rescue and search for people, cargo delivery, emergency response assistance, patrolling, etc.). However, it is also believed that it can be an experimental platform for experimenting with new technologies, as well as testing equipment elements in the environment of this category of device. The Iranian model of the Bavar-2 ekranoplane («Confidence» in Farsi translation), which joined the country's armed forces in 2010. Its development and production was carried out by the Organization of Marine Industrial Enterprises of Iran in cooperation with the Technological University. Malek-Ashtar. The advantages of the Iranian model include high speed compared to high-speed boats and boats. This model reaches speeds of 185-190 km/h (it will soon exceed 200 km/h) and usually flies at an altitude of several meters above the wave level. The maximum flight duration is 2 hours and 15 minutes. This item instance can also operate in a storm when speedboats are not capable of this. In addition, a new model of the Bavar-4 flying boat was dismantled. This model can fly not only fly at an altitude of 0.5 m from the surface of the water, but also climb to an altitude of up to 50 m, and the flight range is 350 km. It is capable of carrying cargo weighing from 120 to 130 kg, which makes it possible to equip these flying boats with missile weapons, including short-range anti-ship missiles such as Kowsar (Kosar), weighing 100 kg, which are in service with the Iranian Navy. The practical significance lies in the fact that, in general, the history of the development of the Ekranoplane and the current models considered in Russia and abroad are insufficiently analyzed in various review publications. This work is designed to make its possible contribution to the knowledge

LUO Gang, XIAO Xiao, WU Di, JISHA Ri-fu, LU Jun

[Objective] This study aims to investigate the dramatic changes in water-sediment processes within the Jinsha River reservoir area following the impoundment and operation of the Wudongde and Baihetan cascade hydropower stations. Using multi-source observational data, the study reveals the variation patterns of water and sediment fluxes between the two dams, the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of riverbed erosion and deposition, and their driving mechanisms. The findings provide scientific support for reservoir safety operation, navigation channel management, and ecological conservation. [Methods] The study was conducted using runoff-sediment transport data from 2015 to 2023 at the Wudongde and Baihetan hydrological stations, fixed cross-sectional topographic surveys from 2016 to 2023, and hydrodynamic measurements collected downstream of the Wudongde Dam in 2023. Water-sediment relationship analysis was employed to examine the response patterns between runoff and sediment transport. Erosion and deposition volumes were calculated using the cross-sectional method, with 825 m water level as the reference and the channel storage volume estimated via the frustum formula. Spatial variations of erosion and deposition were quantified by overlaying thalweg line and comparing morphological changes of typical cross-sections (JC199, JC153, JC126). [Results] 1) Water-sediment flux variations: Annual runoff exhibited a slight decrease, 2% at the Wudongde station and 17.8% at the Baihetan station. Annual sediment transport plummeted by more than 90%, primarily due to the “cumulative sediment retention effect” of upstream reservoirs. Intra-annual runoff distribution demonstrated a “peak-shaving and valley-filling” pattern, with a 22%-48% increase in December and a 16%-38% decrease in July. Sediment transport was concentrated from June to October (accounting for over 63%), yet monthly averages dropped by more than 95%. A progressive downstream sedimentation trend was observed in September. 2) Spatiotemporal evolution of erosion and deposition: erosion dominated during dry season (October-May), while deposition dominated the wet season (May-October). From 2021 to 2023, a net deposition volume reached 12.63 million m3, showing an overall cumulative trend. Spatially, a strong erosion zone formed at the reservoir tail driven by the high-kinetic-energy discharges from the Wudongde Dam. The core deposition area in the main reservoir was found 25-75 km upstream of the dam. In the tributary-affected zone, the Heishui River confluence showed prominent deposition. 3) Driving mechanisms of erosion and deposition: In terms of hydrodynamic forces, erosion was triggered by high flow velocities and strong sediment-carrying capacities within 20 km downstream of the Wudongde Dam, while beyond this zone, deposition was promoted by slower flows and weaker sediment-carrying capacities. Regarding tributary replenishment, tributaries such as the Pudu River, Xiaojiang River, and Heishui River contributed an average annual sediment transport of 5.73 million tons (2011-2022), accounting for over 46% of the deposition volume in the reservoir area. [Conclusions] The operation of cascade hydropower stations has restructured the water-sediment process. Although the runoff volume decreased slightly, its intra-annual redistribution was significant, and the sediment transport plummeted by 96% due to the “cumulative sediment retention effect”, with sediment being concentrated in flood season. The erosion and deposition in the reservoir area exhibit a spatial pattern of “erosion at the tail and deposition in the head”. The reservoir tail is eroded by the discharged flow, while the main reservoir experiences deposition due to reduced flow velocity and tributary replenishment, with the confluence of the Heishui River being a key source of deposition. A clear long-term deposition trend is observed, and it is necessary to focus on the high-risk deposition zone 25-75 km upstream of the dam and the sections with drastic morphological changes at tributary estuaries. These findings provide a quantitative basis for the joint operation of cascade reservoirs, navigation channel maintenance, and sediment management.

Thi Yen Pham, Toshinari Maeda, Meng Sun et al.

Using a lab-scale activated sludge system equipped with an external selector for suppressing nitrite oxidising organism (NOO), the microbial population dynamics were investigated during about 400 days of the continuous operation. In the varied selector operations and excess sludge withdrawal, the nitrification, partial nitritation, and nitrification loss followed by the recovery of partial nitritation consecutively took place. The DNA analysis with the high-throughput sequencing revealed that only Nitrosomonas spp. retained during the nitritation–nitrification and only Nitrospira spp. could grow in nitrification, respectively. Proteobacteria was the most predominant heterotroph in the main aeration tank, whilst Bacteroidota was abundant in the external selector in association with the reduced microbial diversities. In the external selector, due to the high nitrite and ammonium, the ammonium oxidising organism’s (AOO) inherent enzyme genes (Amo and Hao) per total microbial gene copies were as low as about 50% of that in the main aeration tank. The dynamically calculated AOO and NOO concentrations using the IWA-ASM1-based model could be linearly correlated to both relative abundances in the activated sludge. The correlations suggested that the DNA analysis could be potentially utilised as an alternative tool to estimate the nitrifier biomass of activated sludge instead of performing kinetic modelling.

Meicheng Xiong, Di Zhu

Urban freshwater ecosystems, composed of rivers, ponds, lakes, and other water bodies, have essential socioeconomic and ecological values for urban residents. However, research investigating how individuals interact with lakes remains limited, especially within cities and at fine spatiotemporal resolutions. To fill this gap, we propose a data-driven analytical framework that comprehensively senses human-lake interactions and profiles the social-demographic characteristics of intra-city lakes. The term "lakeplace" is proposed to depict a place containing lakes and human activities within it. For each lake, the geographic boundary of its lakeplace refers to the first-order administrative units, reflecting the neighboring scale of lake socioeconomics. Utilizing large-scale individual mobile positioning data, we performed lakeplace sensing on the 2,036 major lakes in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA), Minnesota, and the people interacting with them. The popularity of each lakeplace was measured by its temporal visitations and further categorized as on-lake and around-lake human activities. Popular lakeplaces were investigated to depict whether the attractiveness of a lake is mostly brought by the lake itself, or the social-demographic environment around it. The lakeplace sensing framework offers a practical approach to the spatiotemporal characteristics of human activities and understanding the social-demographic knowledge related to human-lake systems. Our work exemplifies the social sensing of human-environment interactions via geospatial big data, shedding light on human-oriented sustainable urban planning and urban water resource management.

Marina Araújo, Júlia Araújo, Romeu Oliveira et al.

[Context] Domain knowledge is recognized as a key component for the success of Requirements Engineering (RE), as it provides the conceptual support needed to understand the system context, ensure alignment with stakeholder needs, and reduce ambiguity in requirements specification. Despite its relevance, the scientific literature still lacks a systematic consolidation of how domain knowledge can be effectively used and operationalized in RE. [Goal] This paper addresses this gap by offering a comprehensive overview of existing contributions, including methods, techniques, and tools to incorporate domain knowledge into RE practices. [Method] We conducted a systematic mapping study using a hybrid search strategy that combines database searches with iterative backward and forward snowballing. [Results] In total, we found 75 papers that met our inclusion criteria. The analysis highlights the main types of requirements addressed, the most frequently considered quality attributes, and recurring challenges in the formalization, acquisition, and long-term maintenance of domain knowledge. The results provide support for researchers and practitioners in identifying established approaches and unresolved issues. The study also outlines promising directions for future research, emphasizing the development of scalable, automated, and sustainable solutions to integrate domain knowledge into RE processes. [Conclusion] The study contributes by providing a comprehensive overview that helps to build a conceptual and methodological foundation for knowledge-driven requirements engineering.

Ying Lin, Xian Zhang, Xiao Yu et al.

Climate change is profoundly reshaping watershed hydrological regimes and threatening the sustainability of regional ecosystems, rendering traditional ecological restoration planning—primarily reliant on static baselines—insufficient to support long-term resilience under future environmental conditions. To enhance the sustainability of metropolitan ecological restoration, this study develops a climate-adaptive restoration framework for the Wuhan Metropolitan Area, structured around “climate scenario—hydrological simulation—zoning delineation—strategy formulation.” The framework aims to elucidate how projected hydrological shifts constrain the spatial configuration of ecological restoration. Under the RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) scenario, the WEP-L (Water and Energy transfer Processes in Large river basins) distributed hydrological model was calibrated and validated using observed hydrological data from 2016–2020 and subsequently applied to simulate the spatiotemporal evolution of precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, and total water resources in 2035. Hydrological trend analyses were further conducted at the secondary watershed scale to assess the differentiated impacts of future hydrological changes across planning units. Based on these simulations, ecological sensitivity and ecosystem service assessments were integrated to identify priority restoration areas, forming a “five-zone × three-tier” sustainable restoration zoning system encompassing farmland restoration, forest ecological restoration, soil and water conservation restoration, river and lake wetland ecological restoration, and urban habitat improvement restoration, classified into general, important, and extremely important levels. A comprehensive “four-water” management scheme—addressing water security, water resources, water environment, and water landscape—was subsequently proposed to strengthen the sustainable supply capacity and overall resilience of metropolitan ecosystems. Results indicate that by 2035, hydrological processes in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area will exhibit pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with uneven changes in precipitation and runoff further intensifying disparities in regional water availability. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating scenario-based hydrological constraints into sustainable ecological restoration planning. The proposed technical framework provides a transferable pathway for enhancing watershed ecosystem sustainability and resilience under climate change.

Yanpeng Cai, Yueying Yang, Qian Tan et al.

Abstract In this research, a modeling approach of rainfall generator coupled with high resolution rainfall products were proposed to generate designed rainfall events under multiple spatial and temporal distributions, which was then employed to analyze the impacts of spatial and temporal rainfall heterogeneities on peak runoff for watersheds. Three scenarios were developed under multiple degrees of impermeable underlying surface areas within an urban watershed in south China. Detailed runoff processes were analyzed through the adoption of a distributed hydrological model (GSSHA). A covariance analysis method combined with rainfall spatio‐temporal heterogeneity characteristic were used to quantify heterogeneity effects on peak runoff. Results indicated that coupling short period (2008–2016) remotely rainfall data and RainyDay results could successfully reproduce designed rainfall events, spatio‐temporal heterogeneity of rainfall contributed significantly to the peak runoff, which was greater than those by rainfall duration and capacity, and the increase in impermeable underlying surface enhanced the complexities of the effects. Over each rainfall duration with increasing rainfall return period, the indicator of rainfall peak coefficient (RWD) would decrease and then increase. Regarding the total rainfall center (tg), 25 mm/h threshold rainfall spatial coverage (A25) decreased with increasing imperviousness, 1‐h maximum rainfall (Rmax) surged with increasing imperviousness at rainfall duration of 2 and 24 h. Innovations of this research lied in: combination of a rainfall generator model based on a stochastic storm transposition technique and remote‐sensing rainfall data to generate designed rainfall events, a rainfall spatial and temporal heterogeneities index system was developed to reveal how the changing characteristics of rainfall distribution and the impacts on peak runoff, and in‐depth analysis of the impacts on runoff peak under multiple urban development scenarios for increasing capability in flood control/prevention.

Yuhao Zhang, Ru Guo, Kaiming Peng et al.

In the context of global efforts to address climate change, research into regional carbon neutrality strategies has become especially critical. For developing countries and regions, it is essential to scientifically and rationally assessing the paths for small-scale regional transformations under carbon neutrality imperatives to effectively implement low-carbon transition measures. This study utilizes Chongming District in Shanghai of China as a case to establish a framework for forecasting carbon emission and sink from a multi-dimensional natural-social perspective. This facilitates the simulation and optimization of pathways for carbon neutrality transformation. The results indicate: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the total regional carbon emission exhibited a rising trend, while the total carbon sink initially declined then increased, indicating potential enhancement zone with significant potential and space for carbon neutrality development. (2) Enhanced management of ecological spaces and land use planning result in notable increases in carbon sink. Strategic measures such as emission and consumption reductions, alongside energy transitions, effectively controlled carbon emission growth and facilitated comprehensive decarbonization. (3) By combining ecological priority with enhanced control and balanced development with enhanced control, the region can achieve carbon neutrality. This showcases the effective role of policy regulation in facilitating high-quality carbon–neutral transformations. (4) Effective ecosystem management along with robust reduction and transition strategies enable county-level carbon–neutral transformations, offering a model and methodological support for other developing regions facing the twin challenges of economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Umm-e- Habiba, Markus Haug, Justus Bogner et al.

Artificial intelligence (AI) permeates all fields of life, which resulted in new challenges in requirements engineering for artificial intelligence (RE4AI), e.g., the difficulty in specifying and validating requirements for AI or considering new quality requirements due to emerging ethical implications. It is currently unclear if existing RE methods are sufficient or if new ones are needed to address these challenges. Therefore, our goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of RE4AI to researchers and practitioners. What has been achieved so far, i.e., what practices are available, and what research gaps and challenges still need to be addressed? To achieve this, we conducted a systematic mapping study combining query string search and extensive snowballing. The extracted data was aggregated, and results were synthesized using thematic analysis. Our selection process led to the inclusion of 126 primary studies. Existing RE4AI research focuses mainly on requirements analysis and elicitation, with most practices applied in these areas. Furthermore, we identified requirements specification, explainability, and the gap between machine learning engineers and end-users as the most prevalent challenges, along with a few others. Additionally, we proposed seven potential research directions to address these challenges. Practitioners can use our results to identify and select suitable RE methods for working on their AI-based systems, while researchers can build on the identified gaps and research directions to push the field forward.

Aline de Campos, Jorge Melegati, Nicolas Nascimento et al.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has become an emerging technology with the availability of several tools that could impact Software Engineering (SE) activities. As any other disruptive technology, GenAI led to the speculation that its full potential can deeply change SE. However, an overfocus on improving activities for which GenAI is more suitable could negligent other relevant areas of the process. In this paper, we aim to explore which SE activities are not expected to be profoundly changed by GenAI. To achieve this goal, we performed a survey with SE practitioners to identify their expectations regarding GenAI in SE, including impacts, challenges, ethical issues, and aspects they do not expect to change. We compared our results with previous roadmaps proposed in SE literature. Our results show that although practitioners expect an increase in productivity, coding, and process quality, they envision that some aspects will not change, such as the need for human expertise, creativity, and project management. Our results point to SE areas for which GenAI is probably not so useful, and future research could tackle them to improve SE practice.

ZHENG Shuguo

Kashumi Madampe, Rashina Hoda, John Grundy

Background: Requirements changes (RCs) are inevitable in Software Engineering. Research shows that emotional intelligence (EI) should be used alongside agility and cognitive intelligence during RC handling. Objective: We wanted to study the role of EI in-depth during RC handling. Method: We conducted a socio-technical grounded theory study with eighteen software practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Findings: We found causal condition (software practitioners handling RCs), intervening condition (mode of work), causes (being aware of own emotions, being aware of others' emotions), direct consequences (regulating own emotions, managing relationships), extended consequences (sustaining productivity, setting and sustaining team goals), and contingencies: strategies (open and regular communication, tracking commitments and issues, and ten other strategies) of using EI during RC handling. We also found the covariances where strategies co-vary with the causes and direct consequences, and ease/ difficulty in executing strategies co-vary with the intervening condition. Conclusion: Open and regular communication is key to EI during RC handling. To the best of our knowledge, the framework we present in this paper is the first theoretical framework on EI in Software Engineering research. We provide recommendations including a problem-solution chart in the form of causes, direct consequences, and mode of work against the contingencies: strategies for software practitioners to consider during RC handling, and future directions of research.

Hironori Washizaki

It is essential to discuss the role, difficulties, and opportunities concerning people of different gender in the field of software engineering research, education, and industry. Although some literature reviews address software engineering and gender, it is still unclear how research and practices in Asia exist for handling gender aspects in software development and engineering. We conducted a systematic literature review to grasp the comprehensive view of gender research and practices in Asia. We analyzed the 32 identified papers concerning countries and publication years among 463 publications. Researchers and practitioners from various organizations actively work on gender research and practices in some countries, including China, India, and Turkey. We identified topics and classified them into seven categories varying from personal mental health and team building to organization. Future research directions include investigating the synergy between (regional) gender aspects and cultural concerns and considering possible contributions and dependency among different topics to have a solid foundation for accelerating further research and getting actionable practices.

Gunnar Kudrjavets, Jeff Thomas, Nachiappan Nagappan

Satisfactory software performance is essential for the adoption and the success of a product. In organizations that follow traditional software development models (e.g., waterfall), Software Performance Engineering (SPE) involves time-consuming experimental modeling and performance testing outside the actual production environment. Such existing SPE methods, however, are not optimized for environments utilizing Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) that result in high frequency and high volume of code changes. We present a summary of lessons learned and propose improvements to the SPE process in the context of CI/CD. Our findings are based on SPE work on products A and B conducted over 5 years at an online services company X. We find that (a) SPE has mainly become a post hoc activity based on data from the production environment, (b) successful application of SPE techniques require frequent re-evaluation of priorities, and (c) engineers working on SPE require a broader skill set than one traditionally possessed by engineers working on performance.

Sylvester Anthony Matemu, D. Mashauri

The availability, distribution and control of freshwater resources have been at the centre of the human story since the start of the Neolithic revolution roughly 12,000 years ago. With the advent of the modern nation state and its attendant emphasis on sovereignty, self-sufficiency and rivalry, it comes as no surprise that interactions between states over shared watercourses have at times been tense and conflictual. This fact was elaborated by the Ex- UN Secretary General; Kofi Annan, Message during the World Water Day on 22nd March, 2002. He warned that… “Fierce national competition over water resources has prompted fears that water issues contain the seeds of violent conflict. By the year 2025 two thirds of the world’s population is likely to live in countries with moderate or severe water shortages as demand for water approaches the limit of the available supply”. Water as a fugitive resource, respects neither political boundaries nor commonly accepted notions of fairness or equity, hence posed the most complex management challenges to water managers of today. In the SADC region, shared waters cannot be viewed in a purely national context due to its fluidity and the mobility of its nature. It is factual that, over 70% of the water bodies in the region are transboundary in nature. In terms of state practice, the concept of community of interest is commonly traced back to a French decree of 1792 dealing with the opening of the Scheldt River to Navigation. The position expressed in this decree was quickly adopted in a number of instruments concerned primarily with rights of navigation in international rivers, but also in some early agreements not restricted to navigational uses. Therefore, the lakes, and watercourses which form the frontier between the two states or which are situated at the territory of both or which flow into the said lakes and watercourses shall continue to be considered as “common’.  In this regard one may wish to refer to the recent global instruments namely; the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational uses of International Water (1997) which came into force on 17th August 2014 and the Convention on the Protection and Uses of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1992) which came into force on 6th October, 1996 and further in 2016 became an official global legal framework for transboundary water cooperation. These instruments are regarded as a vital step in building a strong foundation for global principles on water management and governance. Legal agreements between states during the colonial era as well as post-independence in the Southern Africa region, have formed the bedrock of cooperative water resources management regionally. The Anglo Germany Treaty of July, 1890 (The Helgoland Treaty), had established an agreement between the colonial powers of Great Britain, France, Portugal, Belgium and Germany and their respective spheres of influence over the African nations aimed to establish borders between the nations.  Interesting to note in the presence of scarcity of geo-information over the areas in question; the water bodies (Rivers and Lakes) were used to mark the lines of influence hence boundaries of the sovereign states of today. This chapter therefore, will provide an account of the influence of the 1890 Anglo – Germany Treaty (Helgoland Treaty) and international customary law in regard to conflict resolution and transboundary water cooperation in the Southern Africa Region (SADC). It will also examine some of available information as well as the historical background of boundary treaties; legal frameworks for cooperation; importance of Africa Union(AU) resolutions on the same, such as Resolution AHG/Res16(1) of July 1964 as well as resolution CM/Res.1069(XLIV) of 1986 and finally a conclusion.

Xindi Zhang, Yixin Zhang, J. Zhai et al.

The WHO estimates that, with the development of urbanization, 25% of the population is suffering from psychological and mental distress. Preliminary evidence has suggested that aquatic environments and riparian areas, i.e., waterscapes, can benefit psychological and mental wellbeing. The aim of this study was to identify the processes of waterscape psychological and mental health promotion through aliterature review. We propose a design framework of waterscapes for achieving psychological and mental health in the general population that often visits waterscapes, which has the function of therapeutic landscapes through values of accessibility, versatility, habitats, and biodiversity. According to theories, waterscapes can improve psychological and mental health to divert negative emotions through mitigation (e.g., reduced urban heat island), instoration (e.g., physical activity and state of nature connectedness), and restoration (e.g., reduced anxiety/attentional fatigue). By accessing water (e.g., streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and the coast) and riparian areas, people can get in close contact with nature and spend more time in activities (e.g., walking, exploring, talking, and relaxing). Waterscapes with healing effects can enhance psychological resilience to promote people’s psychological and mental health. Future research should focus on ensuring an adequate supply of waterscapes and promoting the efficiency of waterscape ecosystem services on mental health. Moreover, fora deep understanding of the complexity of nature–human health associations, it is necessary to explore more consistent evidence for therapeutic waterscapes considering the characteristics and functional mechanisms of waterscape quality, in terms of freshness, luminescence, rippling or fluidity, and cultural value, to benefit public health and biodiversity conservation.

D. Venkata Vara Prasad, P. Senthil kumar, L. Venkataramana et al.

Gashahun Mola Shako, Fangfang Ping

Ethiopia is the "water tower" of East Africa. Ethiopia is blessed with a vast array of waters called "White Oil" or "Blue Oil" and has 12 major rivers and 11 large lakes. The country's maximum water supply is only 44%, the country's annual clean water capacity is 123 mm, of which only 3% remains in the country. It has a surface capacity of 54.4 bm and 2.6 bm of groundwater. In general, less than 5% of the surface water is used. It is estimated that 3.7 million hectares of land can be used for irrigation development. Water is an invaluable resource and is essential for sustainable developments and livelihoods. Ethiopia has vast potential for water resources, but it has not used water resources properly or wisely. Achieving the goals of household consumption and sustainable development, access to adequate water will contribute significantly to improved economic sectors. The main management issues and challenges are climate change, transboundary water resources conflicts, drawbacks of institutions, and water weeds. KeywordsWater Management Issues, Quantitative Potentials, Challenges, Ethiopia.

Hyun-Joo Kim

The universal fractality of river networks is very well known, however understanding of the underlying mechanisms for them is still lacking in terms of stochastic processes. By introducing probability changing dynamically, we have described the fractal natures of river networks stochastically. The dynamical probability depends on the drainage area at a site that is a key dynamical quantity of the system, meanwhile the river network is developed by the probability, which induces dynamical persistency in river flows resulting in the self-affine property shown in real river basins, although the process is a Markovian process with short-term memory.