Area North Research Articles

Data analysis of zoonoses notifications in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in Australia 1996-2021: implications for One Health.

Zoonoses are a health concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia that face elevated risk of disease related to the environment and animals. Internationally, One Health is encouraged to effectively manage zoonoses by taking integrated approaches involving animal, human, and environmental health sectors to improve health outcomes. However, Australia's health systems manage zoonotic diseases in animals and people separately which does not support a One Health approach. For the effective management of zoonoses, a strong evidence base and database regarding the epidemiology of zoonotic pathogens is needed. However, we currently lack this evidence limiting our understanding of the impact of zoonoses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. As a first step towards building the evidence base, we undertook a descriptive analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander zoonotic notifications in Australia from 1996 to 2021. We presented notifications as annual notification rates per 100,000 population, and percentages of notifications by state, remoteness, sex, and age group. Salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis were the most notified zoonoses with the highest annual notification rates of 99.75 and 87.46 per 100,000 population, respectively. The north of Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia), remote and outer regional areas, and young children (0-4 years of age) had the highest percentages of notifications. To our knowledge, these findings are the first national presentation of the epidemiology of zoonoses within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. A greater understanding of transmission, prevalence and impact of zoonoses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (including animal and environmental health factors) is required to inform their effective management through a One Health approach.

A harvest framework for a recovering American black bear population

AbstractHaving reproducible and transparent science‐based processes in wildlife management ensures the integrity of decision making. These processes are particularly important when establishing harvest frameworks, as guiding information in the peer‐reviewed literature is limited. We provide an example using multiple data sets, whose products guided aspects of the development of a harvest framework for a population of recolonizing American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Missouri, USA. To characterize the spatial distribution of harvest, we used 10 years (2010–2019) of black bear global positioning system (GPS) location data and 30 years (1991–2020) of sightings data to assess spatial vulnerability to harvest as the intersection among information on bear occurrence, bear sightings, and hunter land‐use tendencies (i.e., the avoidance of steep slopes, large distances from roads). We then used the spatial vulnerability assessment, information on the distribution of public and private lands, and easily discernable boundaries (i.e., major highways, rivers) to suggest boundaries for bear management zones. Additionally, to identify the timing of harvest that would limit female harvest bias, we assessed the temporal vulnerability of harvest using sex‐based changes in average daily step lengths and monthly utilization distribution sizes during fall. Black bear occurrence and sighting propensity was greater in southwestern Missouri, and potential hunter land use appeared pervasive across the landscape given the lack of landscape features that would disincentivize use. Given the influence of black bear occurrence and sighting propensity, spatial harvest vulnerability diminished from southern and southeastern to central portions of Missouri, with areas north of the Missouri River not a part of the established black bear range. We consequently divided areas south of the Missouri River into 3 black bear management zones: a small southwestern zone with primarily private lands and high harvest vulnerability, a southeastern zone that encompassed considerable public lands and moderate amounts of vulnerability, and a central zone that was composed mainly of areas of low vulnerability. Temporally, males did not exhibit movement‐based changes, but females became less active after the first week of October and used 63.9% less area through fall. Based on movements rates of males and females, a hunting season after the first week of October could reduce the likelihood of females being harvested. Harvests from the black bear harvest season in 2021 suggest that the proportion of bears harvested in each zone was similar in distribution to the proportion of permits allocated across zones with no harvest sex bias, which was aligned with agency goals. Animal movement and space use data products can guide harvest framework decision‐making.

Comprehensive strength evaluation system of commercial centres based on multi-source data: a case of Hefei central city

Urban commercial centres are the most concentrated areas of economic activity. Understanding the spatial distribution pattern and comprehensive strength of urban commercial centres is important to guide the reasonable graded allocation of urban commercial space, spatial structure optimization and sustainable development of the commercial economy. Herein, mobile phone signalling data are used to identify the functional connection between recreational and residential places and local spatial autocorrelation analysis is used to identify the 24 commercial centres in the central city of Hefei. The comprehensive strength evaluation system of commercial centres is constructed from their basic conditions and customer consumption behaviours, and their comprehensive strength indices are accordingly measured and graded. The spatial distribution characteristics of commercial centres at all levels are analysed, and optimisation suggestions are made for the whole area and region. The following conclusions are drawn from the results of this study. (1) Compared to traditional single-perspective evaluations, the developed comprehensive strength evaluation system considers supply and demand perspectives for commercial centres, providing a more holistic and accurate portrayal of the strengths of various centres within a region. (2) The current commercial centres are characterised by ‘large dispersion and small concentration’ in spatial and hierarchical distribution. (3) The commercial centres in Hefei have formed a relatively complete ‘first, second, and third level’ commercial centre system, with the first level as the core and relying on the urban road system to form a network spatial connection. (4) Most of the commercial centres are concentrated in the First Ring Road, Swan Lake in the Government Affairs District and Binhu Century Town Estate, while most areas north of the Second Ring Road and Binhu New District still lack large-scale commercial centres. This study provides a technical reference for analysing urban commercial spatial structure patterns and provides decision support for optimising the spatial layout of urban commercial service functions.

Epidemiological characteristics and spatio-temporal analysis of brucellosis in Shandong province, 2015–2021

BackgroundBrucellosis is one of the major public health problems in China, it not only causes huge economic losses to the society, but also threatens the human’s physical and mental health. The reported cases of brucellosis in Shandong province were at a high level, therefore, it is necessary for us to understand the epidemic characteristics and distribution trend of Brucellosis in Shandong province. This study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristics and spatial clustering characteristics of brucellosis in Shandong Province, provide a reference for the scientific prevention and control.MethodsHuman brucellosis data in Shandong province from 2015 to 2021 were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention, the data were analyzed by descriptive epidemiological methods, spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatial-temporal cluster analysis methods use ArcGIS and SaTScan software, the results were presented in ArcMap.ResultsA total of 22,251 human cases of brucellosis were reported, the annual incidence ranged between 2.41/100,000 and 4.07/100,000 from 2015 to 2021 in Shandong province, incidence has been decreasing year by year, while there was a significant increase in 2021. The distribution of brucellosis was of a seasonal trend, mainly concentrating during March to August. The age of the cases was mainly concentrated in the 30–74 age ranges, the average annual incidence rate was significantly higher in males than in females. The spatial analysis showed that the epidemics were mainly concentrated in the north and southwest. For the spatial autocorrelation analysis, a high global autocorrelation was observed at the county level, and the high–high clusters mainly distributed in the north and southwest region. For the spatio-temporal scanning, the most likely cluster areas mainly distributed in the north area, and then gradually moved southward, and the radius of clustered narrowed.ConclusionsHuman brucellosis remains a common challenge, particularly in northern region in spring and summer. More disease prevention and control measures should be taken in high-risk populations, and such higher-risk susceptible areas to reduce the incidence of brucellosis and ensure the health of the people.

Importance of Parkia biglobosa (African Locust Beans) to the Women Livelihoods in Ibarapa North and Ibarapa Central Local Government Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria

Importance of Parkia biglobosa (African Locust Beans) to the Women Livelihoods in Ibarapa North and Ibarapa Central Local Government Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria

북한이탈주민 유튜브 방송 담화에 나타난 반복의 기능 연구

The purpose of this study is to analyze the functions of repetition in the YouTube discourse of North Korean defectors. For this purpose, 10 videos were selected by probability sampling method from the two-person broadcasts of <Yoon Seol-mi TV, a Joint Area of North and South Korea> channel. The discourse in the videos was transcribed using CLOVA Note and WaveSurfer programs. Based on the transcribed data, the functions of repetition in the YouTube discourse of North Korean defectors were analyzed by dividing repetition into self-repetition and other-repetition. The results showed that repetition performed four major functions: discourse progression, information delivery, emotional, and identity formation. This confirmed that repetition is not a simple linguistic phenomenon, but a communication strategy in the discourse of North Korean defectors. The data used in this study were collected from a limited range and scale, so there are limitations to generalize the results of the study. However this study has significance in that it provides a new perspective on the communication characteristics and strategic functions of repetition of North Korean defectors.

The impact of river and mountainous terrain on the spread of Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) rabies in Taiwan

Since the initial epizootic of the Formosan ferret-badger (FFB) rabies outbroke in 2013, the enzootic area of the FFB rabies has always been limited to six counties and three cities in Taiwan. These six counties and three cities, from north to south, are Taichung City, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Hualien County, Taitung County, and Pingtung County. They are located south of the Daan River and the Heping River, the latter is on the east side of the Daan River. In January 2023, ten years after 2013, under the annual Surveillance Program for the Detection of the FFB rabies instituted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), Ministry of Agriculture, it was found that the FFB rabies virus had spread across the Daan River and entered Miaoli County, which is located in the north side of the Daan River. The previously naïve populations of FFBs in Miaoli County were infected; therefore, another initial massive epizootic of the FFB rabies cannot be ruled out in areas north of the Daan River and the Heping River in the future.

Complex Crustal Deformation Controlled by the 3D Geometry of the Chile Subduction Zone

ABSTRACT The Chilean subduction zone hosts Mw>8 earthquakes, which could trigger earthquakes on crustal faults located along the plate margin. Using synthetic earthquakes from a quasi-dynamic boundary element method model, we obtain traction fields and perform a slip tendency analysis to obtain synthetic faults, which we compare with existing potentially seismogenic crustal faults. With our results, we find geometric patterns of the highest slip tendency planes with deformations induced by synthetic subduction events, such that north of the rupture area of each event, correlate with normal N20°W–50°W/N60°SW fault planes, and to the south, correlate with normal N30°E–80°E/N60°NW faults planes. These observations agree with observed fault traces in central and northern Chile, and past observations of crustal fault reactivation.

An earlier start of growing season can affect tree radial growth through regulating cumulative growth rate

Climate change is profoundly affecting phenology, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Nevertheless, how tree radial growth responds to phenological shifts remains to be explored. It is necessary to analyze the specific response process of tree growth to phenology. In this study, 61 tree-ring chronologies from Central Asia were used to analyze the effects of phenological shifts on tree radial growth. Based on previous studies and hydrothermal characteristics, we divided the study area into two parts, with 49° north latitude as the boundary. The results of the model-based simulation indicated an obvious advance to the start of growing season (SoGS) in the period from 1959 to 2010/2016. Correlation analyses showed that there were significant negative correlations between the SoGS and radial growth in the north of the study area but not in the south. Path analyses indicated that radial growth between north and south did not respond consistently to the earlier SoGS. In the north, radial growth mainly benefited from the alleviation of low temperature limitations, thereby elevating the cumulative growth rate. But in the dry south, aridity stress in the early growing season counteracted the positive effect of temperature on tree radial growth through decreasing the cumulative growth rate. In general, we determined that an earlier SoGS influences tree radial growth by regulating the cumulative growth rate. This study provides a theoretical basis for promoting the accurate assessment of carbon sink potential on a larger scale and for predicting forest dynamics.

Braving the extremes: foraminifera document changes in climate-induced and anthropogenic stress in Wadden Sea salt marshes

Tidal wetlands are highly dynamic ecosystems that are susceptible to changes in sea level and flooding from storm surges. Among them, salt marshes play a key role in coastal protection as they contribute to wave attenuation through their regulating ecosystem services, thereby promoting sediment deposition and shoreline stabilization. However, the resilience of salt marshes, particularly those that have been modified and cultivated for centuries, is questionable in the face of accelerated sea-level rise (SLR) and increasing run-up heights of storm surges. In this context, this study aims to investigate the historical foraminiferal records of two sedimentary salt marsh archives from the Wadden Sea area (Dithmarschen and North Frisia, Germany) that have been modified to varying degrees by human management activities over the last century. The foraminiferal records document how physico-chemical traits of salt marshes of the central Wadden Sea have responded to storm tide inundation over the last century, providing information about salt marsh stability and vulnerability. Abnormally grown tests of the salt marsh indicator speciesEntzia macrescensincreased in number between 1950 CE and the late 1980s, indicating the concurrent increase of environmental stress caused by the effects of times of increased salt marsh flooding. These trends can be linked to observations of amplified North Sea storm surges, corroborating that salt marsh ecosystems respond to changing climate conditions. Differences in the number of abnormal foraminifera between the studied salt marshes suggest a particularly high vulnerability of intensively human-modified coastal wetland ecosystems to amplified storm climate conditions.

A case study of weather impact on air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

This study investigates climate, weather characteristics, and air pollution during the third COVID-19 wave in South Africa. During this time, a decrease in of SO2 and NO2 column mass was observed. The investigation displays a positive trend in for tropospheric Ozone (O3) mass mixing in winter over the last two decades with a fitted slope of 1.0005. Despite the negative trend for the daily changes (for all 12 months) of the total column mass density for PM2.5 during the year before the pandemic and two years after for pandemic years, they have slightly increased specifically during winter COVID-19 third wave time. The temporal seasonal yearly time changes (1961–2021) of different meteorological parameters such as surface temperature, low-level vertical pressure velocity, low-level relative humidity, and precipitation rate over South Africa show sharp changes from 2020 to 2021. This analysis indicates rather colder surface temperatures, smaller but positive low-level vertical velocity, slightly higher low-level relative humidity, and higher total country precipitation rate in the study area during the COVID-19 pandemic years. Weather chart analysis displays a very stable atmospheric condition during the third wave of COVID-19 peak time. This is correlated with the extension of the atmospheric ridge associated with a blocking high pressure, downward motion, positive vorticity, and rather weak winds specific in the north, west, and central areas causing atmospheric stability and possible accumulation of the atmospheric pollution corresponding to the higher COVID-19 cases during the South Africa third wave.

Upper-ocean temperature characteristics in the subantarctic southeastern Pacific based on biomarker reconstructions

Abstract. As remnants of living organisms, alkenones and isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids (isoGDGTs) are widely used biomarkers for determining ocean water temperatures from the past. The organisms that these proxy carriers stem from are influenced by a number of environmental parameters, such as water depth, nutrient availability, light conditions, or seasonality, which all may significantly bias the calibration to ambient water temperatures. Reliable temperature determinations thus remain challenging, especially in higher latitudes and for undersampled regions. We analyzed 33 sediment surface samples from the southern Chilean continental margin and the Drake Passage for alkenones and isoGDGTs and compared the results with gridded instrumental reference data from the World Ocean Atlas 2005 (WOA05) and previously published data from an extended study area covering the central and western South Pacific towards the Aotearoa / New Zealand continental margin. We show that for alkenone-derived sea surface temperatures (SSTs), the widely used global core-top calibration of Müller et al. (1998) yields the smallest deviation of the WOA05-based SSTs. On the contrary, the calibration of Sikes et al. (1997), determined for higher latitudes and summer SSTs, overestimates modern WOA05-based SSTs in both the annual mean and summer. Our alkenone SSTs show a slight seasonal shift of ∼ 1 ∘C at the southern Chilean margin and up to ∼ 2 ∘C in the Drake Passage towards austral summer SSTs. Samples in the central South Pacific, on the other hand, reflect an annual mean signal. We show that for isoGDGT-based temperatures, the subsurface calibration of Kim et al. (2012a) best reflects temperatures from the WOA05 in areas north of the Subantarctic Front (SAF). Temperatures south of the SAF are, in contrast, significantly overestimated by up to 14 ∘C, irrespective of the applied calibration. In addition, we used the GDGT [2]/[3] ratios, which give an indication of the production depth of the isoGDGTs and/or potential influences from land. Our samples reflect a subsurface (0–200 m water depth) rather than a surface (0–50 m water depth) signal in the entire study area and show a correlation with the monthly dust distribution in the South Pacific, indicating terrigenous influences. The overestimation of isoGDGT surface and subsurface temperatures south of the SAF highlights the need for a reassessment of existing calibrations in the polar Southern Ocean. Therefore, we suggest a modified Southern Ocean tetraether index (TEX86)-based calibration for surface and subsurface temperatures, which shows a lower temperature sensitivity and yields principally lower absolute temperatures, which align more closely with WOA05-derived values and also OH–isoGDGT-derived temperatures.

Optimal Urban Waste Dumping Site Selection in Kalutara DS Division of Sri Lanka using GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Improper waste dumping is an emerging issue in Sri Lanka because of the unsystematic urbanisation process. The main problem of the study is determining sites that are ideal for waste dumping. The use of improper waste disposal methods adversely affects the environment and human lifestyle. This study focuses on integrating a structured approach under multi-criteria decision analysis for waste dumping. The present study has been carried out in Kalutara DS Division, integrating Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and geospatial techniques to find suitable waste dumping sites. Ten different types of criteria were selected for the study in vector and raster format, namely, land use, population density, schools, religious places, government offices, coastal areas, hospitals, roads, railways, and environmentally sensitive areas. After finalising the criteria, the GIS-based AHP-MCDA methodology was used for weighting, standardisation, and normalisation by obtaining the opinions of experts and conducting literature surveys. The results of the study are sorted into not-suitable, less-suitable, and suitable dumping sites. Classified suitability maps revealed that 36.94% are not suitable, 53.06% are less suitable, and completely 9.9% are suitable for urban waste dumping sites. The spatial variance of suitable and not suitable waste disposal sites was found in the north, north-eastern, and western and central parts of the study area. Hence, based on the results indicated using such methods, it will be an effective manual for engineers, regional planners, and decision-makers to implement sustainable waste management in the study area in the future.

Integrated water security and coupling of social-ecological system to improve river basin sustainability

The river basin sustainability depends on both the coordinated development of socio-ecological systems and resilience to water resources. However, the lack of integrating them on spatial and temporal scales compromises our capacity to develop precise interventions towards sustainable river basins. We developed an approach by integrating water security and social-ecological coupling to assess the river basin sustainability. We divided it into four categories including highly sustainable (secure and coordinated), insecure, uncoordinated, and low sustainable (insecure and uncoordinated). The middle reach of Heihe River (MHR) was taken as the study area with the sub-basin as the spatial analysis unit from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that there was heterogeneity and agglomeration in spatial distribution. 23.8 %, 38.8 %, and 11% of the sub-basins mainly clustered in the north and central areas were found in the state of water insecure and SES uncoordinated, or both respectively. The unsustainable areas (five sub-basins) and lose-lose areas (two sub-basins) should be the priority areas for management interventions. Our approach can provide an important reference for assessing and improving the river basin sustainability.

Pegmatite zonation and the use of muscovite as a geochemical indicator for tin-tantalum-tungsten mineralization: Case studies from the Kalehe and Idjwi areas, Democratic Republic of Congo

The central part of the Karagwe-Ankole Belt (KAB) in the Great Lakes area of Central Africa is rich in various rare and strategic elements. The area north of Kalehe and Idjwi island within the Sud-Kivu Province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) contains Nb, Ta, Sn and W mineralization hosted in pegmatites and quartz veins that are related to leucogranite intrusions. In this work, two granite-pegmatite fields were studied: the Bugarula field in the northern part of Idjwi island and the Kalehe field, along the west coast of Lake Kivu, with a view to determine the co-genetic link between different pegmatites and leucogranites in these regions. Based on mineralogical assemblages, five pegmatite zones were identified, occurring with some spatial overlap, but with an overall increasing distance from the inferred parental granite: 1) albite pegmatites, 2) two-mica pegmatites, 3) muscovite pegmatites, 4) beryl-bearing Nb–Ta–Sn mineralized pegmatites and 5) tourmaline-bearing Nb–Ta–Sn mineralized pegmatites. Muscovite compositions were analyzed from each zone and used to calculate pegmatite fractionation trends by using Rayleigh fractionation modelling. The model uses published partition coefficients (Kd) and measured contents of K, Rb and Cs in muscovite. Muscovites from the consecutive pegmatite zones in both the Bugarula and Kalehe pegmatite fields record a continuous fractionation trend, indicating a co-genetic magmatic evolution. A parental leucogranitic composition of 3.6 wt% K2O, 8 ppm Cs and 300 ppm Rb was iteratively determined to yield a best fit fractionation trend with the data. This composition is within the range of exposed leucogranites sampled in this study, which average at 4.2 wt% K2O, 7 ppm Cs and 400 ppm Rb (n = 12). It should be noted that individually, none of the sampled leucogranites gave satisfactory fractionation trajectories that would suggest a direct co-genetic link between them and the pegmatites. In the Idjwi granite-pegmatite field, the degree of fractionation with respect to the inferred parental leucogranite ranges from 20% to 99% for the least fractionated and most evolved Nb–Ta–Sn mineralized pegmatites, respectively. In the Kalehe area, fractionation values also range from 22% up to 99% for the least fractionated and most evolved (mineralized) pegmatites, respectively. Muscovites from mineralized pegmatites of zones 4 and 5 show high concentrations of Nb, Ta and Sn. As such, we show that muscovite compositions in these pegmatites provide a powerful tool to track Nb–Ta, Sn (and W) enrichment and potential mineralization. These high degrees of fractionation associated with the enrichment in economically interesting elements are similar to reported values for pegmatite fields elsewhere in the Karagwe-Ankole Belt.

STUDY ON THE FAST MISSILE CRAFT OF 60 M ON THE SEASTATE CONDITION OF THE WEST AND EASTERN INDONESIAN WATER

Recently, Indonesian Navy is developing warship fleet by constructing Fast Missile Craft (KCR) 60M. The performance of KCR 60MÂ depends on the wave height of Indonesian waters. It needs to perform research on the maximum wave height for the ship length of KCR 60M and the minimum ship length of KCR 60M to cope with the highest extrem waves by statistical methods and empirical formula. The analysis result shows that KCR 60M can operate at a maximum wave height of 4,73m. Since the wave height of Indonesian water is less than 4,73m, then KCR 60M can operate throughout the year, except in Desember and January in the North areas of Indonesia near the South China Sea border due to the moonsun Asia. However, the existency of the extrem wave height >4,3m cause KCR 60M unable to operate whether in the North or South Equators as well as Inter-island waters. KCR 60M also unable to operate in the whole Naval Main Base (Lantamal) from Lantamal II (Padang) up to Lantamal XIV (Sorong). Based on the average extreme wave height of 5,1m, it can be determined that KCR 60M capable of operating has a minimum ship length of about 70m.

Cambrian through Ordovician reef transitions in North and South China: Changes in reef construction and background geobiological environments

The Cambrian–Ordovician interval was an intriguing period of geologic time, when reef transitions occurred along with important biodiversification events. This study examines the secular reef transitions in North and South China during the Cambrian and Ordovician in terms of changes in reef construction and related geobiological changes. Microbial reefs in the Terreneuvian have not been well documented in South China. The Cambrian Series 2 interval saw the almost simultaneous appearance of reef-building skeletal archaeocyaths and calcimicrobes. The widely developed archaeocyath–calcimicrobe reefs had totally disappeared by the middle of Series 2 in South China and were followed by purely calcimicrobial reefs. During the Miaolingian and Furongian, skeletal-reef builders were commonly thought to have been inhibited owing to elevated sea-water temperature, which caused lowered oxygen. However, microbial reefs containing lithistid sponges and keratosan sponges were more common in this interval in North China than previously thought. The first skeletal-dominated reefs were established during the Early Ordovician, coincident with a decline in stromatolite reefs in the central Yangtze Platform. During the Middle and Late Ordovician interval, a variety of skeletal reef-builders with diversified calcimicrobes contributed markedly to reef construction in limited areas of both North and South China. The appearance and increase of skeletal-dominated reefs are considered to have been related to lowering global sea-water temperature. Recently reported Late Ordovician cement-rich reefs in both North and South China may contain further evidence of global cooling; however, from an ecological perspective, the novel niches and biological interactions created by early skeletal-dominated reefs may have promoted the further development of reef-building organisms. Cambrian and Ordovician reef successions in North and South China are distributed discontinuously; however, integrating information from both North and South China could yield improved understanding of reef evolution and background environments through these intervals.

Water Abundance Evaluation of Aquifer Using GA-SVR-BP: A Case Study in the Hongliulin Coal Mine, China

At present, coal accounts for more than 56% of China’s primary energy consumption and will continue to dominate for a long time in the future. With the continuous expansion of the mining intensity and scale of Jurassic coal resources in Northwestern China, the problem of mine roof water disasters is becoming increasingly serious. The degree of harm is related to the hydrogeological structure of the overlying strata of the coal seam. Reasonable and effective prediction and evaluation of the water abundance of the coal seam roof aquifer is conducive to making scientific decisions on the prevention and control of roof water disasters, so as to achieve safe mining. In order to solve the problem of water abundance evaluation in mining areas lacking hydrological holes, taking the Hongliulin coal mine in Shennan mining area as an example, four main control factors for water abundance were selected: sandstone thickness, core recovery ratio, brittle rock thickness ratio, and flushing fluid consumption. Combined with unit water inflow and multiple factor comprehensive analysis, a back propagation (BP) artificial neural network and support vector machine regression (SVR) were introduced into water abundance evaluation. The reciprocal variance method was used to predict the measured unit water inflow. Finally, according to the “Detailed Rules for Coal Mine Water Prevention and Control”, the water abundance of aquifers was classified to verify the accuracy of the model and partition the water abundance of the study area. The results indicate that, based on the predicted results of unit water inflow, out of 37 borehole data, 22 weak water abundance holes and 15 medium water abundance holes were evaluated correctly, verifying their applicability. The study area was generally weak in water abundance, with two grades of medium and weak. The medium water abundance area was mainly located in the north and south of the study area, and the weak water abundance area was mainly located in the east and west. It can be seen that this evaluation model has certain applicability for evaluating the water abundance of coal seam roofs. It is of great significance, especially for the evaluation of water abundance in mining areas where hydrological holes are lacking.

Devonian diamond reservoir of the Urals

Research subject. The Takata formation of the Emsian tier of the Lower Devonian (D1tk) in the Urals is a reservoir of Devonian diamonds. Aim. Confirmation and determination of the diamond-bearing conditions of the reservoir. Materials and Methods. Generalization of primary and interpreted geological information. Lithofacial analysis. Historical and geological reconstruction. Cartographic analysis and geological and cartographic modeling in the ArcMapESRY GIS environment using the ModelBuilder module. Results. The Takata formation is part of the Emsian tier of the Lower Devonian. Tectonically, the Takata formation is located in the West Ural Folded Zone. The diamond content in the Urals is spatially related to the outputs of the Takata formation. The industrial diamond-bearing capacity and the highest density of diamond placers are located in the Vishersky, Chykmansky and Chusovskoy diamond-bearing regions of the Northern and Middle Urals within the Perm Krai. In the early Devonian, the Takata Sea existed in the Vishera diamond-bearing area; a large river with a delta flowed in the direction from northwest to southeast. The sediments of the formation comprise the facies cycle: flood-plain - channel alluvium - delta sediments - underwater-delta - marine sediments. Diamonds are concentrated in the thickness of coarse-grained alluvium, small-pebble basal conglomerates that formed on the land-sea boundary of the paleocontinent of the Russian Plate. Three facies types of the Takata formation section are distinguished: continental, coastal-marine and marine. Its diamond-bearing capacity is associated with the continental and coastal-marine sediments of the formation within the Perm Region. To the north and south of the diamond-bearing areas of the Perm Krai, the Takata formation is represented by marine sediments. According to the geodynamic model based on the geological section of the Northern Urals, the alluvial and coastal-marine Takata diamond placers were formed in the early Devonian as a result of the demolition of material from the Russian Plate. The sources of destruction were rocks of the Precambrian, Ordovician and Silurian. The main spatial-geomorphological criterion for searching for diamond-bearing conglomerates of the Takata formation is the maximum distance of demolition from these conglomerations to placers, equal to 500 m.

Effect of Cut-Off Irrigation levels on Production of Teosinte Forage Crop in Clay Soil

The present study was carried out at Sakha Agricultural Research Station (clay soils) middle north of Nile Delta area during summer seasons 2021 and 2022 in randomized complete block design with three replications. The objective of this research was to find out the response of yield, water saving and some water functions for teosinte forage crop to cut-off surface irrigation owing to produce " more per less”. Three irrigation levels were executed; 100% i.e., full irrigation, 90% cut-off irrigation and 80% cut-off irrigation. The mean performances of plant height, fresh and dry forage yields in the two seasons and combined are significantly affected by irrigation levels applied, whereas normal or control treatment with100% irrigation i.e., no cut-off (Trt. A) has the tallest of plant height. On the other hand, the low irrigation level with 80% cut-off (Trt. C) has the shortest plants at the three cuts. Also, traits reduced with the decrease of irrigation water level at the three cuts. Both fresh and dry forage yields are severely decreased when plants irrigated by 80% cut-off. Decreasing the irrigation water level than the commonly controlled of 100% without cut-off (Trt.A) markedly reduced all studied growth characters at the three cuts. The inhibiting effect of the water deficit stress on the studied parameters notably appeared more pronounced under the 80% cut-off than that of 90% .The obtained results may refer to that decreasing the irrigation water lowered the soil moisture content which restricted the mobility of nutrients to plant that would reduce the efficiency of physiological and metabolic processes needed for plant growth. Regarding water relations, irrigation with 90% cut-off resulted in several advantages; almost same yield as obtained under full irrigation, 10% water saving as well as the highest values of crop-water functions of water productivity (WP) and productivity of irrigation water (PIW). The mean values of fresh forage yield of 100% irrigation levels recorded 610 and 685 Kg/strip with compared to 585 and 655kg/strip for 90 %irrigation treatment at first and second cuts, respectively in the first season.