Biological aspects of human adaptation to environmental conditions

Simulating Thermochromic and Heat Mirror Glazing Systems in Hot and Cold Climates

Energy analysis and economic feasibility of wood dryers integrated with heat recovery unit and solar air heaters in cold and hot climates

This article is based on first-hand ethnographic data and focuses on two cases of bicultural, bilingual and cross-national couples of Bulgarian women and their migrant husbands (an Egyptian and a Filipino). More specifically, it deals with different aspects of social and emotional adaptation of the male marriage migrants to the receiving country – Bulgaria. The main goal of the article is to present different specificities of their everyday life, socialisation and professional development abroad while still being close to their roots. Since marriage with a local is a crucial factor for this multi-layered process, the role of their Bulgarian wives is also considered. The text contains two thematic sections – the first one focuses on the social adaptation of the immigrants in the context of Bulgarian language acquisition. The process each of the foreigners have been going through is presented by their manners of communication within their own bilingual marriages, the professional environment and the ‘new’ social circle. The second section deals with the place of the immigrants’ home country within their lives in migration and their nuclear mixed families. Their habits and the activities they engage in ‘there’, are also used as a tool for describing a part of their social and emotional adaptation ‘here’.Key words: marriage migration, social adaptation, local language, home visits, co-presence

The objective of this paper is to analyze the control conditions of the transmittance rate, and determine the conditions that are most optimal with respect to building energy and daylight performance in three climate conditions: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (hot climate); Inchon, South Korea (hot and cold climate); and Moscow, Russia (cold climate). The analysis was based on the electrochromic glass developed by a research team. Electrochromic glass is a next generation solar control glass that can control the transmittance of the glass itself. Therefore, proper control methods are essential for rational use of this electrochromic glass. To properly control electrochromic glass, daylight performance must be considered, along with building energy (heating, cooling, and lighting). If only building energy is considered, transmittance needs to be lowered during the summer season and increased during the winter season. Controlling electrochromic glass transmittance with such a method would not improve the satisfaction of users and occupants of a building due to the resulting glare. In addition to energy reduction, the basic function of solar control glass is to prevent glare. Therefore, in this study, we develop the Energy and Daylight Performance Index (EDPI) using, to evaluate the combined building energy and daylight performance and deduce the optimal control method for electrochromic glass. In addition, optimal control conditions for the three different climatic regions were obtained. Limitations of this study were that the scope was restricted to the eastern climate region, and that the building analysis model was limited to one climate region. It is expected that the optimal control method could be used as an initial database in the development of a electrochromic glass control system.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of social adaptation to climate change among fishermen in the East Coast Region of Peninsular Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachA set of questionnaires was developed based on the individual adaptive capacity framework on social adaptation to climate change developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Based on multi‐stage simple random sampling, a total of 300 registered fishermen in the East Coast Region of Peninsular Malaysia were chosen as the respondents.FindingsThe fishermen surveyed had a high level of adaptation with regards to two aspects: first, environmental awareness, attitudes and beliefs; and second, local environmental knowledge. In contrast, they showed a low level of adaptation with regards to three aspects: attachment to place; formal and informal networks; and attachment to occupation. In addition, the fishermen had a moderate level of adaptation in relation to ten other aspects.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study reflect social adaptation towards climate change among registered fishermen in the East Coast Region of Malaysia and results might be different if registered fishermen from other regions are included.Practical implicationsThe study demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of the fishermen's adaptations to climate change. Such strengths and weaknesses have resulted in a number of suggestions and recommendations, which may work as tools by which to generate well‐planned and systematic adaptation options for dealing with the threatening impacts of climate change.Originality/valuePrevious studies, both local and international, have consistently provided comprehensive explanatory reviews regarding climate change impacts on fishermen's activities. However, the common constraint of these studies is that aspects of adaptation are not under their radar; therefore, this study aims to fill this gap.

The article presents the main assumptions for the protection of objects and features of inanimate natural value in protected areas – attractions that may constitute the basis for developing geotourism in a region, on the example of the Stołowe Mountains National Park. Geo-touristic potential was presented based on the analysis of official legal documents devel-oped for the protection of the Park. These were: the draft plan for the protection of PNGS and the Park’s 2014–22 protection tasks de-signed to determine the threats related to tour-ism development, as well as the Park’s official website. Geotouristic resources were presented in documents, and their selection is a practical expression of the tourism development policy in the protected area. The method of presentation was also analysed. The Stołowe Mountains National Park is located in the Stołowe Mountains, which are part of the Central Sudetes. Its geotouristic at-tractiveness is determined by its unique relief, which reflects its geological structure. Most of the mountains, built of sedimentary rocks, are examples of structural relief. It is the only ex-ample of slab relief in Poland. The area is protected by the Nature Conservation Act of 16 April 2004. The Act requires that a nature conservation plan be developed according to which specific natural resources, including in-animate ones, should be protected. If the plan has not yet been approved, temporary protection of resources is conducted based on protection tasks approved each time by the competent minister. The current set of tasks consists of several parts. These include: the identification and assessment of existing and potential internal and external threats; the indication of ways to eliminate or reduce these threats and their effects; the description of the methods of active protection of ecosystems, specifying their type, size and location; and the determination of places made available for scientific, educational, tourist purposes together with the maximum number of people that can stay in these places at any one time. Apart from the above set of tasks, the need for protection is shown in the Park’s draft nature protection plan. Some of the protection objectives there mention preserving biological diversity and geological and geomorphological heritage, as well as shaping appropriate human attitudes towards nature through education, information and promotion in the field of nature protection. Due to the richness of the geoheritage, the objectives of protecting inanimate nature were also indicated. The project contains a list of the most valuable geological and geomorphological objects found in the area of the Park – a total of 73 objects. The top ten, in the order of the list, were: Szczeliniec Wielki, Błędne Skały, Białe Skały, Rocks at Radkowskie Urwisko, rocks at Słoneczne Cliff, Skalne Grzyby, the rocks of Góra Zbój, the rocks of Góra Dzik, the rocks of Fort Karol and Samotnika, and Skałki Łężyckie. This list became the basis for the promotion of geotourism resources pre-sented at the Park’s official website. The places and manner of presentation were analysed. The analysis of the documents that de-scribe the activities of the Stołowe Mountains National Park shows that they are well thought-out and fit into the nature protection policy in Poland and basically meet all the requirements related to inanimate nature. This applies to the implementation of the tasks set out in article 3 of the Act, which includes legal protection of resources, formations and components of nature, implementation of the programme for the protection of sustainable usage of biodiversity, along with the action planning and con-ducting of educational, information and promotional activities in the field of nature protection. The tasks of national parks are clarified in Article 8 of the Act: indicating how protective activities are conducted in the park's ecosystems, making the area of the national park available on the terms set out in the protection plan or protective tasks, and conducting activities related to environmental education (Journal of Laws of 004, No. 92, item 880). All these elements are implemented by the Stołowe Mountains National Park, or at least the will to do so is expressed in the relevant documents specifying tasks that take into account the specificity of the area it protects. This specificity stems from the unique relief of the mountains, together with their inanimate nature resources. As clearly seen from the analysed documents and source materials, the park also fulfils its statutory obligation to make available the in-animate nature attractions, for research, educational and tourist purposes alike. The particular points of the protection tasks or the draft protection plan indicate a sustainable approach to the use of attractions. The threats described in the documents are followed by ideas for reducing or eliminating them, so that the re-sources of inanimate nature can be made avail-able to visitors to the Park. The type of protective tasks and their size, which has a very practical and detailed dimension, are also defined. The Park, in accordance with the obligations imposed on it, undertakes appropriate pro-motional activities. It prepares its resources for reception by visitors by distributing relevant in-formation and prepares tourist products on the basis of geotourism resources. Such products are themed trails – didactic trails. In this way, the Park performs the educational, investigative and ecological education functions – one of the main functions of tourism. Information about them has been posted on the official web-site and is the result of an earlier inventory of resources.

The article examines the concept of use of natural in Environmental Law. It has been shown that both in law and in legal science, the concept is unreasonably used in the following meanings: sustainable use of natural resources, the use of natural resources that does not make their exploitation difficult, the use of natural resources that does not entail violation of the legislation, etc Two common legal criteria for the rational use of all natural resources have been identified: (1) achieving maximum efficiency of their use at the current level of the technique and technology development (2) with such a level of negative impact that the environment can handle itself On the basis of the named criteria, the rational use of any natural resources suggests understanding of the use of natural resources characterized by maximum efficiency in terms of the balance of private and public interests in environmental law in compliance with the current level of technological development and the extent of the negative impact that the environment is able to cope with itself because of its assimilating capacity The article defines legal differences between rational use of natural resources and their sustainable use. Also, it formulates additional legal criteria that separate the rational use of renewable and non-renewable natural resources An additional legal criterion for the rational use of renewable natural resources includes enhancement of sustainability of natural ecological systems, natural and natural-anthropogenic objects. Additional legal criteria for the rational use of non-renewable natural resources include: their most efficient use and/or extraction; their economical consumption with minimum losses at the current level of technology development It is suggested that the rational use of renewable natural resources means the use that results in strengthening natural ecological systems sustainability, natural and natural-anthropogenic objects. Rational use of non-renewable natural resources means their most efficient use and/or extraction, their economical consumption with minimum losses at the current level of technological development and such extent of the negative impact that the environment is able to overcome independently

The aim of this research is to analyze how energy is allocated differently in temperate, hot, and cold environments among National Outdoor Leadership School students. Basal metabolic rate, physical activity, thermoregulation, and the thermic effect of food were estimated to determine the total energy expenditure and energy allocation differences among a group of healthy, highly active adults (N = 59) participating in National Outdoor Leadership School courses in the western United States. Two of these courses took place in both hot and temperate climates (N = 22) and the other two in both temperate and cold climates (N = 28). Data from a pilot study (N = 6) in a temperate climate were also included. Each climate regime lasted for one month. Total energy expenditure values were statistically equivalent in temperate and hot climates (p = .97). However, subjects experienced significantly higher total energy expenditures in cold climates (p < .0001), expending an additional ∼1550 kcalday-1 . There is a significant interaction between physical activity and thermoregulation, such that physical activity reduces thermoregulatory costs in cold climates, but increases it in hot climates. Dissection of the energy budget revealed that total energy expenditure is significantly higher in cold climates. This is due to a combination of high levels of physical activity and high thermoregulatory costs. High levels of physical activity may substantially lower the cost of thermoregulation in cold climates, and this interaction should be taken into account when estimating TEE.

Darwinism renewed: contemporary studies of plant adaptation

This paper clarified the state of livelihood adaptation of resettlers affected by the hydroelectric power development project, from five aspects of rural livelihood: Social, economic, physical, natural, and human aspects, in the central province of Laos. Findings revealed that each ethnic group has significantly different adaptation levels under each aspect of livelihood. Phong ethnic group has the highest level of physical (93.00%) and natural adaptation (78.50%) but has the lowest one in human adaptation (68.75%); Pao ethnic group has the highest level of social (21.86%) and human adaptation (82.07%) but has the lowest rate of physical (84.28%) and natural adaptation (48.59%), and Hmong ethnic group has the lowest one of social adaptation (12.45%) while the physical (85.66%), natural (53.76%) and human adaptation (77.24%) levels are the second highest among the three ethnic groups. Furthermore, among five aspects of livelihood adaptations in each ethnic group; it indicated that social adaptation is the lowest level, but physical adaptation is the highest level. Therefore, it can be concluded that social aspect of livelihood adaptation is the most difficult one for project affected people to adjust themselves to the new livelihood environment at the resettlement sites. Key words: Livelihood adaptation, project affected people, rural resettlement, Laos.

The performance of the Flat Plate Collector (FPC) and Evacuated Tube Collector (ETC) for domestic hot water applications under Jordan climate conditions was theoretically investigated using TRNSYS software. The presented simulation model can provide a long-term evaluation of system performance at different weather conditions. This simulation was carried out during 24 hours in 21 June, is considered as a hot climate and 21 January is considered as a cold climate; under the meteorological conditions of both Irbid and Aqaba cities in Jordan. The inlet water temperature of the first collector, collector area, water flow rate and tilt angle were considered 15℃, 2.04 m2, 0.0139 kg/s and 45 degrees respectively. The outlet temperature of each collector was considered as the inlet of the previous collector. Three collectors in series were applied to increase the output temperature up to 90-100℃. The results showed that TE increased with the decrease in the inlet temperature, which means the useful energy gain (Qu) of the first collector is greater than the 2nd and the 3rdcollector. The useful energy gain (Qu) of ETC is greater than of FPC, and the useful energy gain (Qu) of cold climate is less than hot climate. The output temperature of ETCs is greater than that of FPCs for Irbid city in cold and hot climate. Furthermore, for Aqaba in cold climate and in hot climate the outlet temperature of ETCs is higher than FPCs. Additionally, the daily thermal performance of the ETCs is significantly better than the FPCs in cold climate. Meanwhile, thermal performance of both collectors are close in a hot climate.

This article delves into the critical issue of social and psychological adaptation among Ukrainian youth in the present era, characterized by pervasive crisis phenomena and the overarching influence of globalization. The study underscores the paramount importance of this adaptive process for the holistic development of young individuals and their effective integration within the societal framework. Special attention is paid to the intricate mechanisms through which young people navigate the demands and challenges of modern life, shaping their identities and modes of interaction. To empirically investigate this complex phenomenon, the author conducted a study focusing on students in higher education. The research specifically examined key indicators of their psychological state and adaptive capacities, including levels of reactive and personal anxiety (measured using the Spielberger-Hanin scale), as well as broader aspects of social and psychological adaptation, self-acceptance, and acceptance of others (assessed via the Rogers-Dymond questionnaire). The findings of the empirical investigation revealed a nuanced picture. While a significant proportion of the surveyed students exhibited low levels of reactive anxiety, suggesting a capacity for maintaining composure in immediate stressful situations, a considerable segment reported moderate levels of personal anxiety, indicating a potential predisposition to worry and unease even in the absence of direct stressors. Furthermore, the study identified adaptation challenges among a notable fraction of the participants, highlighting potential difficulties in their integration and adjustment within the social environment. The research emphasizes the strong interconnectedness between successful socio-psychological adaptation, overall psychological health, and the individual's ability to achieve self-realization. The article posits that effective adaptation is a crucial prerequisite for maintaining psychological well-being and fostering the development of one's full potential. Looking ahead, the author identifies several promising avenues for future research. These include a deeper exploration into the prevalence and dynamics of addictive and antisocial behaviors as they intersect with the social adaptation processes of young people, as well as the development and implementation of targeted prevention and intervention strategies. Additionally, the study points to the need for further investigation into the evolution of psychological defense mechanisms across the lifespan, particularly in relation to accumulated life experience and its impact on adaptive behaviors. While age undoubtedly influences coping strategies, the article suggests that maturation alone may not be the primary determinant of adaptive success in navigating complex life situations. The concept of an individual's adaptive potential, encompassing qualities that facilitate behavioral flexibility and resilience, is highlighted as a key area for future inquiry.

The purpose of the article is to identify the doctrinal (in the Russian Federation) and legal (in the Republic of Belarus) approaches to defining the concepts of "rational use of natural resources" and "rational use of land," including agricultural land. At the same time, in Russia, there are no legal definitions for the concept of "rational nature management" as a whole, or for the rational use of individual natural resources, including land in general and agricultural land specifically. Currently, "rationality of land use" in Russian legislation is usually formulated "by negation," i.e., it establishes a certain set of violations that indicate irrational use. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that rational nature management is considered one of the national interests of Russia and its strategic national priorities, while in the Republic of Belarus, "conserving natural resources" is a goal of agricultural policy. The study of strategic planning documents and the legislation of both states is conducted based on general scientific as well as special methods (generalization, analysis, comparative legal, formal-legal, and others). The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it reveals a tendency in doctrine and law enforcement to move away from considering the rational use of agricultural land solely in environmental terms and towards forming a broader approach that takes into account the economic and social aspects of this legal category, which is also confirmed by the studied materials of judicial practice. It is concluded that it is impossible to provide a universal definition of the concept of rational use of agricultural land in Russian law that would immediately resolve all problems and be applied as a kind of "template" in considering emerging disputes, due to its complexity and multifaceted nature. However, it would be advisable to establish at least a framework definition of rational land use, taking into account the experience of the Republic of Belarus.

A transient study on a solar-assisted combined gas power cycle for sustainable multi-generation in hot and cold climates: Case studies of Dubai and Toronto

Objective To explore the mediating effect of interpersonal sensitivity between social adaptation and openness, as well as the moderating role of peer attachment among offenders in community. Methods Totally 155 offenders from 5 communities in Yinchuan city were investigated by symptom self-rating scale, NEO five-factor inventory(NEO-FFI), social adaptability scale and the inventory of parent and peer attachment-revised. Using the macro program PROCESS of SSPS to test the mediating effect of interpersonal sensitivity and the moderating role of peer trust. Results The scores of interpersonal sensitive subscale of the symptom checklist 90, the openness subscale of NEO five-factor inventory, the inventory of parent and peer attachment-revised were (1.52±0.48), (3.05±0.30), (0.72±0.60) and (83.40±12.17), respectively. Openness, peer attachment were positively correlated with social adaptation (r=0.25, 0.44, P<0.01), and negatively correlated with interpersonal sensitivity (r=-0.18, -0.37, P<0.05). Interpersonal sensitivity was negatively correlated with social adaptation (P<0.01). Peer trust had a significant moderating effect on openness and interpersonal sensitivity (β=0.02, SE=0.01, P<0.05). Interpersonal sensitivity played a mediating role in the relationship between openness and social adaptation (β=-0.38, SE=0.10, P<0.01). In case of high peer trust(β=-0.59, SE=0.19, P<0.001) and mid-level of peer trust(β=-0.28, SE=0.11, P<0.05), there were both significant effect between openness and social adaptation. Conclusion Openness influences the social adaptation though interpersonal sensitivity, while peer trust moderates the effect of openness on social adaptation. Key words: Openness; Interpersonal sensitivity; Community correction staff; Peer trust; Mediating effect; Moderating role