Local Conditions Research Articles

Evaluation of Plant Growth and Flowering Performance of Florida Native and Non-native Ornamentals under Varying Irrigation

Pollinator gardening has gained momentum with an increased consumer interest in selecting native rather than non-native plant species to reduce water dependence and maximize the biodiversity value in both public greenspaces and residential gardens. Native plant species can enhance biological control and benefit ecosystems and wildlife. Often, they are also better-adapted to local environmental conditions, including temperature and rainfall, thus increasing their survival and reducing associated maintenance costs, primarily by requiring less water. Commercially available pollinator-friendly plant mixes often include both native and non-native species. A 2-year study was conducted to determine the main effects of plant provenance (native or non-native) and irrigation (full or partial irrigation) on landscape performance and flowering of 20 plants, including 10 congeneric pairs of native and non-native taxa that were planted in two locations (north and northcentral Florida). Native and non-native taxa were paired by genus to analyze the effect of the plant native status on vegetative and floral traits while controlling for variations in leaf and floral morphologies, growth habits, and blooming periods, which was a key and novel component of our study design. Represented native species included Spanish needles (Bidens alba), false rosemary (Conradina grandiflora), tickseed coreopsis (Coreopsis leavenworthii), blanket-flower (Gaillardia pulchella), swamp rosemallow (Hibiscus grandiflorus), inkberry (Ilex glabra), spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata), azure blue sage (Salvia azurea), Florida scrub skullcap (Scutellaria arenicola), and Walter's viburnum (Viburnum obovatum). Non-native taxa paired with native congeners included Beedance® painted red bidens (Bidens ferulifolia) or Goldilocks Rocks® bidens (Bidens ferulifolia ‘BID 16101’), barbeque rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus ‘Barbeque’), Jethro Tull coreopsis (Coreopsis × ‘Jethro Tull’), Arizona sun blanket-flower (Gaillardia ×grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun’), Ruffled Satin® rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus ‘SHIMCR1’), dwarf Burford holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Dwarf Burford’), pardon my pink beebalm (Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Pink’), big blue salvia (Salvia longispicata × S. farinacea ‘PAS1246577’), Malaysian skullcap (Scutellaria javanica), and Sandankwa viburnum (Viburnum suspensum). Overall, the results revealed that native plants outperformed non-native plants and exhibited greater survival, more vegetative growth, and greater floral abundance regardless of the irrigation treatment. Although there was no overall effect of irrigation on plant size or flower abundance, there were some species-specific responses, especially during the establishment year, and plants under full irrigation had greater survival in the establishment year. Thus, in general, the effects of plant provenance were stronger and more consistent across years than irrigation. Additional studies are underway to determine the floral rewards of these species and their attraction to diverse pollinators.

Current opinion: optimize radiofrequency ablation through electrophysiological principles, modeling, and clinical recommendations.

This article aims to empower the interventional pain physician to utilize RFA effectively by explaining the technical and electrophysiological features of monopolar, bipolar, and internally cooled RFA. Scientific data are used to provide advice on the effective, well tolerated, and rational application of these techniques. Moreover, physicians need to know how to analyze and generalize ex-vivo and in-vivo models to the clinical setting to optimize clinical outcomes. Recent studies suggest that there are many ways to enhance the technical effectiveness of interventional pain medicine RFA through adjustments in the equipment selection and settings and the local tissue conditions specific to the targeted anatomical area. These modifications could assist in improving clinical and safety outcomes. To optimize both the efficacy and safety of RFA, physicians must understand, conceptualize, interpret, and clinically translate the basic science of RFA. This knowledge is crucial for optimizing equipment selection and settings based on target location to enhance clinical outcomes and limit technical failures.

Bridging the gap(s): The importance of private law theory in the EU context

This article advocates for applying private law theories originating in the common law to EU private law. It argues that those theories can enhance the coherence and workability of EU private law, which currently lacks a comprehensive doctrinal structure. They can also help EU private law overcome the prevailing but flawed functionalist approach that suggests that EU private law primarily serves as a policy tool to achieve specific goals.The article unfolds in three parts: first, it compares the development of civil and common law private law theory, highlighting why thick private law theory only developed in common law jurisdictions and arguing that the same reasons apply to EU private law. Second, it contends that common law theories can enrich the discourse on EU private law, emphasising the need to consider both EU and national private law norms together. Lastly, it proposes that the common law-derived New Private Law theory offers a promising approach to interpreting EU private law, reconciling interpersonal aspects with instrumental objectives. This integration could foster a common language for discussing EU private law, akin to Roman law’s historical role. The paper encourages scholarly debate and adaptation of these theories to local conditions, aiming to bridge the gap between private law theory in common and civil law jurisdictions.

Evaluation of new sorghum varieties for grain production cultivated in mineral soil

Sorghum bicolor L. (Sorghum) has been recognized as the fifth largest cereal crop in the world, following maize, wheat, rice, and barley, with a mean annual production of more than 5.89 million tons over the past five years. Grain sorghum is one of the cultivated varieties of the sorghum genus. It is primarily used as human food and animal feed due to the beneficial effects of bioactive compounds in the grain. Sorghum is less popular and unrecognizable in Malaysia, as it was not included in the reports by the Agriculture Department regarding plantation areas. In Malaysia, sorghum is limited because this crop is considered new, and no studies were conducted on the adaptability of its varieties to Malaysian soil and local climatic conditions. Crop production practices such as variety selection, planting density and fertilization will affect yield production. Therefore, a study on grain sorghum varieties (Brachy Sorgho, Jumbo Super, India and Pacific Seed 99) was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield performance of sorghum. Jumbo Super had a significantly higher value for plant height, followed by Brachy Sorgho, India and Pacific Seed 99. India showed the highest value of leaf fresh and dry weight, but no significant difference compared with Brachy Sorgho. Brachy Sorgho recorded the highest value of stem fresh and dry weight, while the least was recorded for Pacific Seed 99. Brachy Sorgho and India showed significantly higher grain yields than Jumbo Super and Pacific Seed 99 in terms of panicle length, panicle weight without grain, grain weight without panicle per plant, number of grains per panicle, and 100-grain weight. The highest gross weight of grain sorghum is Brachy Sorgho (140.00 g/plant), which showed no significant difference compared to the India variety (131.13 g/plant). Meanwhile, Jumbo Super and Pacific Seed 99 varieties showed the lowest grain weight, 77.27 g/plant and 80.16 g/plant, respectively. Overall, all four varieties are adaptable in mineral soil and are considered potential alternative crops for grain production. Bachy Sorgho and India varieties showed the best performance on grain yield compared to Jumbo Super and Pacific Seed 99 varieties. Thus, Brachy Sorgho and India varieties can be recommended for future grain production in mineral soil.

Comparative study of first lactation performance of Norwegian Red crossbred cows with traditional breeds in New Zealand dairy systems

ABSTRACT Some New Zealand dairy farmers are using semen from Norwegian Red (NR) bulls to explore the performance of this breed under local grazing conditions. The objective of this study was to compare the first lactation performance of first cross NR cattle with traditional New Zealand breeds. Data were collected from six dairy farms in Southland, New Zealand, during 2022–2023 milk production seasons. Data were collected from 1178 first lactation cows including herd test of daily yields of milk, fat and protein and somatic cell counts, and persistency. Breeds included 386 NR cross (NRX), 231 Holstein Friesian (F), 84 Holstein Friesian cross (FX), 134 Holstein Friesian x Jersey (FJ) and 58 Jersey cross (JX) cows. Findings indicate F cows produced the greatest cumulative milk yield (3,744 kg), 138.6 kg more than NRX cows. There were no significant differences among the breed groups for milk yield and milk solids yield persistency and SCS (SCS = Log2 SCC). The total lactation milk yield of NRX cows was lower than that of the other breeds, excluding JX. These results pertain specifically to first lactation cows; therefore, it is necessary to undertake further analysis to evaluate the long-term productivity and longevity of NR breeds under New Zealand conditions.

A Knowledge Graph-Based Consistency Detection Method for Network Security Policies

Network security policy is regarded as a guideline for the use and management of the network environment, which usually formulates various requirements in the form of natural language. It can help network managers conduct standardized network attack detection and situation awareness analysis in the overall time and space environment of network security. However, in most cases, due to configuration updates or policy conflicts, there are often differences between the real network environment and network security policies. In this case, the consistency detection of network security policies is necessary. The previous consistency detection methods of security policies have some problems. Firstly, the detection direction is single, only focusing on formal reasoning methods to achieve logical consistency detection and solve problems. Secondly, the detection policy field is not comprehensive, focusing only on a certain type of problem in a certain field. Thirdly, there are numerous forms of data structures used for consistency detection, and it is difficult to unify the structured processing and analysis of rule library carriers and target information carriers. With the development of intelligent graph and data mining technology, the above problems have the possibility of optimization. This article proposes a new consistency detection approach for network security policy, which uses an intelligent graph database as a visual information carrier, which can widely connect detection information and achieve comprehensive detection across knowledge domains, physical devices, and detection methods. At the same time, it can also help users grasp the security associations with the real network environment based on the graph algorithm of the knowledge graph and intelligent reasoning. Furthermore, these actual network situations and knowledge bases can help managers improve policies more tailored to local conditions. This article also introduces the consistency detection process of typical cases of network security policies, demonstrating the practical details and effectiveness of this method.

Chemical and isotopic composition of rainwater in the eastern Yucatan peninsula, Mexico

Given that rain is the component of precipitation that reaches the surface of the earth, and aiming to contribute to the global efforts of rainwater monitoring, we present information regarding the origin of ions and their relationship with isotopic patterns and the source of moisture for rainwater in the Mexican Caribbean, which not only may be useful for pollution and atmospheric studies, but also for estimating groundwater recharges, understanding dust nuisances, and offering information about water quality for rainwater harvesting. In this paper, we describe the chemical composition of rainwater in terms of major ions, isotopic composition, and the most probable sources of moisture in the Caribbean coastal zone of Mexico, considering the three main climatic seasons in this area. The chemistry of rainwater displayed a noticeable influence from sea-salt spray, land-blown dust, and anthropogenic impacts such as agriculture and biomass burning. We identified the predominant terrestrial origin of calcium, namely anthropogenic contributions of sulfates and nitrates, plus potassium from sea spray and anthropogenic emissions. The local meteoric water line is δ2H = 8.2 δ18O + 13.8 (R² = 0.9601) suggesting enrichment due to evaporative losses, various moisture sources and local climatic effects. Although isotope composition was not different by site, it was by season, as opposed to water chemistry. We conclude that the water chemistry responds to the local conditions of the air column below the clouds, while the isotope composition is influenced by the origin of moisture and the physical conditions in which water evaporates and condenses as well.

Optimization of Embodied Energy and Construction Cost of Low-Income Housing in Urban India

India is the most populous country in the world, having a population of 1.42 billion in 2022. It is urbanizing rapidly, with the present urbanization level at about 35%, which is expected to reach about 40% by 2030. There was an estimated demand of 11.22 million homes in urban India in 2017, of which 95% was in the affordable housing sector. This demand is expected to increase with the current urbanization trends. The Indian government is promoting the construction of millions of affordable houses under its ambitious Prime Minister’s Housing Program. These houses are planned, designed, and constructed using local materials and techniques, considering local climatic, geological, hazard, and socio-economic conditions. We examined the 30 most commonly applied housing typologies to determine which typologies and materials have minimum embodied energy and construction costs. The results indicate that load-bearing housing construction of up to three stories, with a plinth–carpet area ratio of 1.31, constructed with any of the blocks-based masonry techniques, has the lowest embodied energy and construction cost, and houses with a plinth–carpet area ratio of 1.51 have the highest. Further, houses constructed with Hollow CC block masonry have the lowest embodied energy, and HF Fly Ash block-based masonry has the lowest construction cost.

Assessing Building Energy Savings and the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Green Roofs in Shanghai Using a GIS-Based Approach

Climate change can significantly affect building energy use and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban areas, as fossil fuels remain a significant energy source. Green roofs can offer multiple benefits to the urban environment, but their effects on GHG mitigation have not been fully investigated, especially under climate change. This study assessed green roofs’ contribution to GHG mitigation by saving building energy and absorbing CO2 under the present (2017–2019) and future (2049–2051) climate scenarios (SSP2-45 and SSP5-85) in Shanghai, China, at the city and township scale. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based spatial statistical method was developed based on climate change modeling and building energy simulation. The results suggested that installing green roofs can effectively save building energy regardless of building type, yet the amount of savings can vary depending on the weather conditions within the city. The contribution analysis indicated that most saved building energy was attributed to the Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling (HVAC) system, with more energy saved under warmer climate scenarios in the future, particularly during the summer months. More energy was saved from shopping malls on an annual and monthly scale, regardless of the climate scenarios and weather zones. Finally, a case study indicated installing green roofs on all five types of buildings (office, hotel, hospital, shopping mall, apartment) of less than 50 m in height can reduce 8.28% of the CO2 emitted during the building operation stage in the entire city under the present climate scenario. The annual CO2 reduction varied with the location of townships, ranging from 2.18% to 13.78%, depending on the composition of building types and local weather conditions in Shanghai. This study offered policymakers a reference on the environmental benefits and investment values of installing green roofs in large cities.

Effects of acute stress on biological motion perception.

Biological motion perception is an essential part of the cognitive process. Stress can affect the cognitive process. The present study explored the intrinsic ERP features of the effects of acute psychological stress on biological motion perception. The results contributed scientific evidence for the adaptive behavior changes under acute stress. After a mental arithmetic task was used to induce stress, the paradigm of point-light displays was used to evaluate biological motion perception. Longer reaction time and lower accuracy were found in the inverted walking condition than in the upright walking condition, which was called the "inversion effect". The P2 peak amplitude and the LPP mean amplitude were significantly higher in the local inverted perception than in the local upright walking condition. Compared to the control condition, the stress condition induced lower RT, shorter P1 peak latency of biological motion perception, lower P2 peak amplitude and LPP mean amplitude, and higher N330 peak amplitude. There was an "inversion effect" in biological motion perception. This effect was related to the structural characteristics of biological motion perception but unrelated to the state of acute psychological stress. Acute psychological stress accelerated the reaction time and enhanced attention control of biological motion perception. Attention resources were used earlier, and less attentional investment was made in the early stage of biological motion perception processing. In the late stage, a continuous weakening of inhibition was shown in the parieto-occipital area.

Back to the past: long-term persistence of bull kelp forests in the Strait of Georgia, Salish Sea, Canada

The Salish Sea, a dynamic system of straits, fjords, and channels in southwestern British Columbia, is home to ecologically and culturally important bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) forests. Yet the long-term fluctuations in the area and the persistence of this pivotal coastal marine habitat are unknown. Using very high-resolution satellite imagery to map kelp forests over two decades, we present the spatial changes in kelp forest area within the Salish Sea, before (2002 to 2013) and after (2014 to 2022) the ‘Blob,’ an anomalously warm period in the Northeast Pacific. This analysis was spatially constrained by local environmental conditions. Based on nearshore sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from four decades (1984–2022), we found two periods of distinct increases in SST, one starting in 2000 and another in 2014. Further, the highest SST anomalies occurred on warmer coastlines in the enclosed inlets and the Strait of Georgia, while smaller anomalies were found on colder coastlines near the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Discovery Passage. The total area of bull kelp forests from 2014 to 2022 has decreased compared to 2002 to 2013, particularly in the northern sector of the Salish Sea. Using the satellite-derived kelp data, we also present an analysis of kelp persistence compared with historical distribution of kelp forests depicted on British Admiralty Nautical Charts from 1858 to 1956. This analysis shows that warm, sheltered areas experienced a considerable decrease in persistence of kelp beds when compared to satellite-derived distribution of modern kelp, confirming a century-scale loss. In particular, the presence of kelp forests in the Strait of Georgia and on the warmest coasts has decreased considerably over the century, likely due to warming temperatures. While the coldest coasts to the south have maintained their centennial persistence, the northern Salish Sea requires further research to understand its current dynamics. This research contributes to a wider understanding of temporal and spatial factors for kelp from the regional perspective of the Salish Sea.

Will a government subsidy increase couples’ further fertility intentions? A real-world study from a large-scale online survey in Eastern China

Abstract STUDY QUESTION How many couples with at least one child under 3 years would like to have another one or more child(ren) in Eastern China and will an in-cash subsidy be conducive to couple’s fertility intentions? SUMMARY ANSWER In sum, only 15.1% respondents had further fertility intentions (FFI) before learning about the subsidy, and the planned in-cash subsidy policy increased respondents’ overall FFI by 8.5%. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Fertility has been declining globally and has reached a new low in China. The reasons why the Chinese three-child policy was under-realized, and how couples will react to a planned monthly ￥1000 (€141.2) subsidy policy, are not fully understood. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION During January and February 2022, a cross-sectional online survey aiming to understand families’ expenses of raising a child under 3 years old, and couples’ FFI, was conducted. During the survey period, 272,510 respondents scanned the QR code. This study reports the findings pertaining to questions on respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, household factors, FFI and changes in intention from negative to positive after learning about the planned in-cash subsidy. After exclusion, 144,893 eligible responses were included. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Respondents’ FFI, the effect of a planned ￥1000/month*36 months’ in-cash subsidy (€5083.2 in total) on people with a negative FFI before the subsidy, and potential reasons for persistent negative FFI after learning about the subsidy were collected through an anonymous online survey. Stepwise binary logistic regression models were used to select associated factors. The potential fertility rate change and government costs were estimated. A stratified analysis by current child number and sensitivity analysis were also conducted. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In sum, 15.7% (22,804/144,893) of respondents were male, 15.1% of respondents reported a positive FFI, and 10.0% (12,288/123,051) without a FFI at first changed their intention after learning about the planned in-cash subsidy policy. For those who still said “no FFI”, 46.5%, 20.6% and 14.7% chose pressure on housing status, expenses on children’s education, and lack of time or energy for caring another child as their first reasons. FFI was strongest in participants receiving the most financial support from the respondents’ parents, ie, grandparents (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.63-1.84 for the >￥100,000/year group), and weakest in those already having two children (OR = 0.23, 95%CI = 0.22-0.24). For those with no FFI before learning about the subsidy policy, respondents with the highest house loan/rent (>￥120,000/year, OR = 1.27, 95%CI = 1.18-1.36) were more likely to change their FFI from “No” to “Yes”, and those with the highest household income (>￥300,000/year, OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.60-0.71) were least susceptible to the policy. In our study population, about 1843 more births every year and an additional 0.3 children per women were projected under a conservative estimation. Annual estimated cost at provincial-scale would be ￥817.7 (€115.5) million, about 1.02‰ of the total General Public Budget Revenue in 2022. The findings were generally robust in the stratified analysis and sensitivity analysis. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Selection bias and information errors may exist in the online survey responses. The large sample size and detailed further analysis was used to minimize such biases. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Fertility intentions in Eastern China are rather low. Policymakers should focus more on financial and childcare burdens for a better realization of the three-child policy, including housing, education and childcare services. An in-cash subsidy, which has never been used in China previously, shows promising potential for increasing FFI. However, the application of such policy should be in line with local conditions for better cost-effectiveness regarding fertility-boosting and fiscal sustainability for the government in the long run. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan of China (2019YFC0840702). The authors declare no conflict of interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.

Structural characteristics of Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets synthesized by nano-pulsed discharges in water

A comprehensive analysis of Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets, which were synthesized using nanosecond-pulsed discharges in water between bismuth electrodes, was conducted in order to investigate the crystallographic features of this material. Electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction and electron energy-loss spectrometry techniques revealed the presence of a stoichiometric tetragonal Bi2O2CO3 structure, labelled BOC in this study. It crystallizes in the body-centred tetragonal Bravais lattice and belongs to the I4/mmm space group (No. 139), with the following lattice parameters: a = 3.91, c = 13.77 Å. The nanosheets adopt square shapes. This shape is dictated by the symmetry elements of its point group (4/mmm) under the prevailing local conditions. From the energetic point of view, this shape, dictated by the 4/m2/m2/m point group and therefore a pinacoid, corresponds to an absolute extremum, an indicator of the stability of these BOC nanosheets. Most nanosheets are crossed by equal-inclination fringes or bend contours. These bend contours reflect the fact that the BOC nanosheets contain crystal defects and/or are so thin that they bend elastically, leading to rotation of the lattice planes towards the diffracting Bragg position. The diffraction patterns corresponding to bend contours intersecting along the [001] zone axis have been studied in detail. Extra reflections are superimposed on the diffraction pattern of the BOC crystallographic structure. These extra reflections are essentially attributed to two phenomena: multiple diffraction and local disorder–order transformations of the BOC crystal structure, passing from a body-centred tetragonal to a primitive Bravais lattice. A mechanism related to the ledge mechanism (kinks and jogs), explaining the formation of nanosheets in a metallic matrix, has been adapted and proposed for the formation of BOC nanosheets in water. When the nanosheets are removed from the water, they become carbonated once in the air, leading to the formation of BOC that inherits the nanosheet morphology.

Best Practices in Telecritical Care: Expert Consensus Recommendations From the Telecritical Care Collaborative Network

Objectives: Telecritical care (TCC) refers to the delivery of critical care using telehealth technologies. Despite increasing utilization, significant practice variation exists and literature regarding efficacy remains sparse. The Telecritical Care Collaborative Network sought to provide expert, consensus-based best practice recommendations for the design and delivery of TCC. Design: We used a modified Delphi methodology. Following literature review, an oversight panel identified core domains and developed declarative statements for review by an expert voting panel. During three voting rounds, voters agreed or disagreed with statements and provided open-ended feedback, which the oversight panel used to revise statements. Statements met criteria for consensus when accepted by greater than or equal to 85% of voters. Setting/Subjects: The oversight panel included 18 multidisciplinary members of the TCC Collaborative Network, and the voting panel included 32 invited experts in TCC, emphasizing diversity of discipline, care delivery models, and geography. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: We identified ten core domains: definitions/terminology; care delivery models; staffing and coverage models; technological considerations; ergonomics and workplace safety; licensing, credentialing, and certification; trust and relationship building; quality, safety, and efficiency, research agenda; and advocacy, leading to 79 practice statements. Of 79 original statements, 67 were accepted in round 1. After revision, nine were accepted in round 2 and two in round 3 (two statements were merged). In total, 78 practice statements achieved expert consensus. Conclusions: These expert consensus recommendations cover a broad range of topics relevant to delivery of TCC. Experts agreed that TCC is most effective when delivered by care teams with specific expertise and by programs with explicit protocols focusing on effective communication, technical reliability, and real-time availability. Interventions should be tailored to local conditions. Although further research is needed to guide future best practice statements, these results provide valuable and actionable recommendations for the delivery of high-quality TCC.

Prevalence and factors associated with burnout among primary health-care workers in China during COVID-19: a national survey

BackgroundPrimary health-care workers (PHWs) managed increased workloads and pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study conducted a national survey examining burnout among PHWs at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies related factors. By doing so, it addresses the gap in understanding the burnout situation among PHWs at a national level, taking into account urban-rural disparities.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey of PHWs in China from May to October 2022, covering 31 provinces. The MBI-HSS was used to measure overall burnout and emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA). We used multivariable logistic regression to identify risk factors, and subgroup analyses to identify differences between rural and urban areas.Results3769 PHWs from 44 primary health-care institutions completed the survey. Overall, 16.6% reported overall burnout, and the prevalence of EE, DP, and reduced PA was 29.7%, 28.0%, and 62.9%, respectively. The prevalence of overall burnout (17.6% vs. 13.7%, P = 0.004) and EE (31.5% vs. 24.8%, P < 0.001) was higher in urban than rural areas (AOR = 1.285; 95%CI, 1.021–1.617). Job satisfaction was a protective factor against burnout in both settings. The protective factors of overall burnout, EE and DP vary between urban and rural areas.ConclusionsThe Mental Health Status Questionnaire-Short Form (MSQ-SF) score functioned as a protective factor against burnout across both rural and urban locales, highlighting the intrinsic link between job satisfaction and burnout. Other influencing factors differed between urban and rural areas, so interventions should be tailored to local conditions. Rural married PHWs experienced the lower prevalence of burnout indicates the support structure may play a significant role. In urban settings, it is recommended to strategically pre-emptively stock essential supplies like PPE.

Strategies for Improving Irrigation Systems Based on Lamasba Regulation: A 2024 Field Study in Hoba Farms, Southeastern Algeria

In the Algerian province of El Oued, south-eastern Algeria, the irrigation system plays a vital role in supporting agricultural production, particularly in oil palm plantations, which have experienced significant expansion in recent decades. The development of irrigation techniques in the region dates back to antiquity, with the Lamasba system, discovered by Émile Masqueray in 1877 in the Belzma plain, being one of the most prominent examples of efficient water resource management. This ancient Roman system, which used precise schedules to distribute water from permanent sources, meticulously determined the quantities and times of water flow, reflecting a high level of social and economic organization at that time. During the French colonial period between 1957 and 1959, the Hoba area in the Righiba commune of El Oued province experienced a remarkable growth in oil palm plantations, with the implementation of advanced irrigation techniques, inspired by the ancient Roman system but modified to suit local conditions. As the project expanded, new challenges arose related to water distribution, particularly in fields far from water sources, leading to the construction of small, taller water towers to improve distribution efficiency. This study analyzes the current irrigation system in the Hoba region, focusing on the technical challenges these systems face, such as obsolete valves and the presence of weeds in the irrigation channels, which slow down the water flow and prolong the irrigation time. The study also examines the use of a new 5-meter-high tower that partially solved the problem of low water flow, while providing additional improvement suggestions to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production in these desert areas. The objective of this study is to offer a comprehensive vision on how to improve irrigation systems to meet the needs of modern agriculture and increase productivity in arid environments.

Foreign business presence and local entrepreneurship development: evidence from China

Does the entry of foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) enhance host economies’ entrepreneurship? Empirical findings in the literature are far from conclusive because of diverse local conditions. This article investigates the effect of FIEs on local private business creation in China. Using a panel dataset of 31 provinces from 1992 to 2019 and two-way fixed effect models, this study finds that the entry of foreign-invested firms significantly enhances China’s provincial-level entrepreneurship. The effect is robust to various sets of control variables and different measurements of FIEs (either FDI stock or flow). The findings also suggest that the effect of FIEs on local entrepreneurship is lower in the second subperiod (2001–2019) than in the first subperiod (1992–2001). Moreover, the improved legal status of private businesses and better protection of private property, as amended in the Constitution, decrease the role of FIEs in enhancing local entrepreneurship.

Stochastic Differential Games and a Unified Forward–Backward Coupled Stochastic Partial Differential Equation with Lévy Jumps

We establish a relationship between stochastic differential games (SDGs) and a unified forward–backward coupled stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE) with discontinuous Lévy Jumps. The SDGs have q players and are driven by a general-dimensional vector Lévy process. By establishing a vector-form Ito-Ventzell formula and a 4-tuple vector-field solution to the unified SPDE, we obtain a Pareto optimal Nash equilibrium policy process or a saddle point policy process to the SDG in a non-zero-sum or zero-sum sense. The unified SPDE is in both a general-dimensional vector form and forward–backward coupling manner. The partial differential operators in its drift, diffusion, and jump coefficients are in time-variable and position parameters over a domain. Since the unified SPDE is of general nonlinearity and a general high order, we extend our recent study from the existing Brownian motion (BM)-driven backward case to a general Lévy-driven forward–backward coupled case. In doing so, we construct a new topological space to support the proof of the existence and uniqueness of an adapted solution of the unified SPDE, which is in a 4-tuple strong sense. The construction of the topological space is through constructing a set of topological spaces associated with a set of exponents {γ1,γ2,…} under a set of general localized conditions, which is significantly different from the construction of the single exponent case. Furthermore, due to the coupling from the forward SPDE and the involvement of the discontinuous Lévy jumps, our study is also significantly different from the BM-driven backward case. The coupling between forward and backward SPDEs essentially corresponds to the interaction between noise encoding and noise decoding in the current hot diffusion transformer model for generative AI.

PREDICTING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DRIVER’S LICENSE APPLICANTS AT SATPAS POLRESTA MANOKWARI USING HIERARCHICAL MULTIPLE REGRESSION

This research aims to predict the characteristics of driver's license (SIM) applicants at the SATPAS (Driver’s License Issuance Unit) Polresta Manokwari using Hierarchical Multiple Regression analysis. The study explores six key variables: gender, age, occupation, city, type of driver's license, and type of application, as predictors of applicant characteristics. The analysis was conducted using SPSS version 29, with data collected from the population of driver's license applicants since 2023. Three models were tested, with Model 3 being identified as the best predictor, explaining 7% of the variance in applicant characteristics (R² = 0.070). This model incorporates the variables of age, occupation, city, and type of application, while gender and driver's license class were found to have no significant individual impact. The partial t-test results show that age, occupation, city, and type of application significantly influence applicant characteristics, with negative regression coefficients indicating that an increase in these variables leads to a decrease in the predicted characteristics of SIM applicants. The study highlights practical implications for SATPAS, suggesting that service processes could be improved by considering demographic factors such as age and occupation in order to optimize resource allocation and reduce service complexity. However, the study has several limitations. The use of secondary data limits the completeness and accuracy of the analysis, and the limited number of variables results in a narrow interpretation of the factors influencing SIM applicants. Additionally, the model explains only a small portion of the variance in applicant characteristics, suggesting that other unmeasured factors, such as education level or driving experience, may play a more significant role. Furthermore, the findings are not generalizable to other regions, as local conditions may impact license application patterns. Future research should address these limitations by collecting primary data, expanding the range of variables, employing more sophisticated analytical methods, and exploring other regions. This would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting driver's license applicants and contribute to enhancing the quality of SIM issuance services in Indonesia. Keywords: Driver's License, Prediction, Hierarchical Multiple Regression, Applicant Characteristics

Reexploring the conception of heat-health risk: From the perspectives of dimensionality and spatiality.

Extreme heat events are more frequent and intense as a result of global climate change, thus posing tremendous threats to public health. However, extant literature exploring the multidimensional features of heat-health risks from a spatial perspective is limited. This study revisits extreme heat-health risk and decomposes this concept by integrating multi-sourced datasets, identifying compositional features, examining spatial patterns, and comparing classified characteristics based on local conditions. Using Maryland as the focal point, we found that the components of heat-health risk are different from traditional risk dimensions (i.e., vulnerability, hazards, and exposure). Through a local-level clustering analysis, heat-health risks were compared with areas having similar features, and among those with different features. The findings suggest a new perspective for understanding the socio-environmental and socio-spatial features of heat-health risks. They also offer an apt example of applying cross-disciplinary methods and tools for investigating an ever-changing phenomenon. Moreover, the spatial classification mechanism provides insights about the underlying causes of heat-health risk disparities and offers reference points for decision-makers regarding identification of vulnerable areas, resource allocation, and causal inferences when planning for and managing extreme heat disasters.