Conservative Course Research Articles

Enhancing Ecological Education: Utilizing Agent-Based Modeling to Simplify the Impacts of Deforestation on Amphibians

Understanding how deforestation and changes in habitat boundaries affect biodiversity is essential for developing conservation solutions. These topics are central to biology and ecology programs, where students learn to apply their knowledge in real-world conservation efforts. Higher education plays a crucial role in strengthening this understanding, particularly in life sciences programs. Given the complexity of ecological processes in altered landscapes, agent-based modeling provides an interactive and engaging way to simplify and visualize the effects of land use changes. In this study, we integrate Amazonian anurans, highly sensitive to temperature and humidity fluctuations, with an Agent-based model to simulate the impacts of deforestation, habitat restoration, and land abandonment on species survival and movement. Their ectothermic nature and dependence on pulmocutaneous respiration make them especially vulnerable to the drier and more variable conditions caused by deforestation. Integrating this model into conservation biology courses has enhanced learning by encouraging independent exploration, both in and out of the classroom. This tool, an agent-based model, is particularly suited for university-level ecology and conservation courses, and can also serve as an effective awareness tool in environmental education and decision-making workshops, highlighting the negative effects of human-made habitat changes on biodiversity.

Harnessing Intellectual Property Rights for Endangered Species Conservation: Balancing Innovation with Biodiversity Protection

Protection of endangered species has now become an essential priority worldwide due to alarming rates of biodiversity destruction, largely because of habitat destruction, climate variation, pollution, and over-exploitation. Conventional conservation methods include protective legislation, habitat preservation, and international agreements. However, Intellectual Property Rights, hereinafter referred to as IPR, has emerged over the past few decades as an increasingly powerful yet complex tool for nature conservation. IPR can take the form of legal protections through the use of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and geographical indications that provide an incentive for the innovation and development of technologies that directly or indirectly assist in species conservation. Examples include Patents on the utilization of biotechnological innovations, such as genetically modified organisms engineered to increase the survival of threatened species, cloning, and cryopreservation techniques to preserve genetic material; and Trademarks to promote wildlife-friendly products. While IPR has great potential to boost the course of conservation, it is by no means devoid of challenges. Some of the major issues include ethical issues regarding the commodification of varieties of life, rights to genetic resources, and benefits sharing with Indigenous communities and countries rich in biodiversity. It, therefore, requires a careful balance between the drive for innovation and the imperative to protect biodiversity, and international frameworks navigate the complexities arising-in particular, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. This paper discusses the intersection of IPR and conservation through an analysis of legal regimes governing the area, benefits, and challenges associated with IPR in conservation, and ethical debates shaping its application. The paper points out, through case studies and legal precedents, how IPR can be made to align with the bigger conservation goals so that protection accorded to endangered species is sustainable and yet encourages innovation. Findings highlight that although IPR may act as a catalyst for technological advances supportive of conservation, it needs to be implemented with clear guidelines, ethical oversight, and strong international collaboration in order not to produce unintended consequences. The needed directions include the strengthening of regulatory frameworks, raising awareness, and equitable benefit-sharing to balance IPR with conservation goals. If managed judiciously, the ultimate synergy between IPR and conservation strategies promises to unleash innovations that could go a long way toward protecting and preserving the most threatened species of the world.

Integration of Local Potential of Way Kambas National Park in Developing HOTS-Based Assessment Content in Biological Conservation Courses

The assessment of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) based on local potential has not been widely used in biological conservation education. Assessments like this aim to encourage students to think critically, analytically, and creatively, as well as familiarize students with solving problems in real contexts, especially in the conservation area of Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) in Lampung. This study aims to identify the local potential of WKNP conservation areas that have the potential to be integrated with the development of HOTS-based assessments in the Biological Conservation Course. The method used in this study is descriptive with a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted with 6 informants. Triangulation techniques and data interpretation then analyzed the data obtained. The results of this study show that there is a lot of local potential in WKNP conservation area that has the potential to be integrated into the assessment content on 7 biological conservation materials that can be made HOTS-based assessments to hone students' high-level thinking skills.

Impact of self-assessment on dental student’s performance in pre-clinical conservative dentistry course

BackgroundSelf-assessment (SA) is an interactive course that endorses the accomplishment of learning objectives through learners’ identification of insufficiencies in their didactic knowledge and pre-clinical skills. This study was planned to determine whether there is any improvement in the faculty assessment (FA) score following the implementation of SA in the Pre-clinical Conservative Dentistry Course.MethodsFifty-four first-semester dental students were given an introductory lecture followed by a demonstration for Class I Cavity Preparation in typhodont mandibular first molar. At the end of the demonstration, the Scoring Rubric (SR) was explained point-wise in the prepared cavities. During the next session, all students performed Class I cavity preparation and they were given an assessment sheet to enter their scores (SA1). All teeth were evaluated by the Grading Faculties in a blinded manner (FA1). Each participant was explained the difference in their respective SA1 from FA1 and their queries were resolved individually. During the next sessions, Students and Grading Faculties followed the same protocol and scores were recorded as SA2, FA2, SA3 and FA3.ResultsThe mean score of SA1 was significantly higher than that of FA1 (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was obtained between SA and FA in the second (p = 0.352) and third (p = 0.434) assessments. In contrast with first assessment, mean marks obtained in FA were higher compared to SA in both second and third assessments. There was a statistically significant improvement in mean marks obtained by the students over time (p < 0.001).ConclusionSA endorsed student-faculty communication and enhanced student’s poise and technical skills in operative pre-clinical dentistry.

Зарубежные эксперты о процессах внутриполитической трансформации в странах Латинской Америки в третьем десятилетии XXI века

The article’s introduction includes the main prerequisites for internal political transformation’s process in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The study’s purpose is to identify new trends in the largest countries’ domestic policies in the region in the third decade of the 21st century. The study’s materials are used mainly by Spanish-speaking authors and Spanish-speaking news agencies who most closely and fully know the situations in LAC countries, the objective data from reports of the various UN structures, and independent Englishspeaking researchers invited to Latin American universities. The article’s methodological basis was the scientific principle of objectivity, which it made possible from the available array of information to identify the main directions of transformation taking place in LAC countries in the study period. The systematic approach’s application made it possible to identify the main events in LAC countries that characterize the multi-vector transformation trends. The article’s author identified further perspectives for LAC countries development with the help of special historicalcomparative and historical-genetic methods. The study’s results were the author’s conclusions that the domestic policy of big Latin American countries in the third decade of the 21st century is characterized by a tendency of “catching up” development. There is a noted instability of the domestic political course in the political system of these Latin American countries (from a liberal to a conservative course and vice versa), and the economic models’ frequent change does not give the desired result. The social problems are caused by the main population’s poverty, especially the indigenous one, and these problems cannot be resolved due to transnational migration of the population and transnational crime (from drug trafficking to human trafficking and weapons). All this explains the diversity of the internal political transformation in Latin American countries.

Need for Inclusion of Conservation and Rehabilitation Courses in Architectural Curriculum: Lessons from Pedagogical Experience

Need for Inclusion of Conservation and Rehabilitation Courses in Architectural Curriculum: Lessons from Pedagogical Experience

ANALYSIS OF THE SPATIAL-SEMANTIC COHERENCE IN THE GETTY AAT VOCABULARY DATA STRUCTURE - AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Abstract. The paper explores the integration of Geomatics and architectural surveying into the educational context of Geomatic for Built Heritage Conservation course within the Master on Architectural Design, in which a multidisciplinary teaching approach is applied, emphasizing the importance of holistic knowledge encompassing historical, geometric, material, and structural aspects for the conservation and restoration of architectural heritage.A central theme is the role of Geomatics and 3D modelling in historical built heritage documentation, assuming the creation of three-dimensional models as a foundation for integrating various thematic data, enabling interdisciplinary studies, and facilitating knowledge representation and communication.The paper delves into the challenges and strategies of semantic 3D modelling. It discusses the necessity for a flexible and layered informational model, integrating spatial, geometric, and semantic data. The complexity of semantic annotation is explored, considering the subjectivity and cultural context inherent in identifying and describing architectural elements. The educational approach employed in fostering critical thinking among students, particularly in interpreting cultural heritage issues related to documentation and recording, is presented.A case study involving Pitti Palace in Florence is considered. An attempt to implement the Getty Vocabulary on Art &amp;amp; Architecture Thesaurus for semantic annotation is described, emphasizing the need for a coherent alignment between the 3D model and controlled vocabulary hierarchy. The study concludes with insights from the student's experience, highlighting the difficulties in aligning spatial and semantic elements within existing controlled vocabularies and suggesting avenues for future developments in refining these vocabularies for enhanced spatial-semantic coherence in 3D modelling applications.

Museum storages of the course on Conservation and Restoration and of the Museu das Telecomunicações at Federal University of Pelotas: spaces for technical collaboration.

The present article deals with the execution of technical collaboration between the Federal Institute of Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal University of Pelotas, through the development of the project entitled "Management of Reserves: Acting of the course of Conservation and Restoration of the UFPel next to the Public and Private Institutions". Recognizing the importance of the scientific, technological and industrial heritage that constitutes the collections of higher education institutions and trying to delimit the possible actions of Conservation and Restoration in order to contribute to the construction of critical thinking and reflection of the academic community about the social role of collections of educational institutions, the project has in its scope the reorganization and development of a search tool in the form of database of the pieces deposited in the technical reserves of the Museum of Telecommunications and the Course of Conservation and Restoration that will serve as a model for access and socialization of these collections for other institutions. Keywords: University Technical Reserves; Technical Collaboration; Technological Heritage; Scientific Heritage. Industrial Heritage.

Orbitoethmoidal foreign body through traumatic penetrating orbital injury

Foreign bodies in the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and orbit are commonly related to high-velocity maxillofacial injuries. Cases of foreign bodies in paranasal sinuses are very rare. They may present with non-specific symptoms which make them easily neglected during history taking and clinical assessment. High clinical suspicion and radiological assessments are essential in patients with high-velocity insult to rule out the possibility of impalement injury. The course of management is determined by the location and type of foreign body. We share a rare case of metallic foreign bodies in the orbitoethmoidal region which took a combined surgical and conservative course of treatment involving a multidisciplinary team.

Treatment of Kienbock’s Disease by an Experimental Conservative Approach: Case report

Kienböck’s disease is characterized by avascular necrosis of the lunate bone. There are four stages due to the severity of the disease. A 52-year-old woman was referred to the Tehran Healthcare Clinic to treat the stage II Kienböck’s disease according to the clinical finding and MRI report. Her main complaint was a painful feeling in the dorsal wrist, decreased range of motion of the wrist, and reduced grip strength for one year. The treatment was achieved after completion of our conservative course by special vibration therapy in less than two months. Even though the conservative approaches are generally not recommended in treatment of Kienböck’s disease and in many cases surgeon’s preference (radial shortening osteotomy for early disease and PRC in later stages), our theory is that the aggressive procedure should be the second choice of treatment, especially in the early stages (I and II).

Conservation Courses Effects on Architecture Students’ Conservation Awareness: Analyses of Isparta and Burdur Houses

As in every part of Anatolia, the building typology is diversified in the Western Mediterranean Region. Isparta and Burdur houses located in this region, as in other Anatolian houses, the construction technique is observed with masonry stone walls on the ground floors and wooden structures plastered with gypsum plaster on the upper floors. Within the scope of this study, a database was created by examining the conservation status of 22 registered buildings in Burdur and Isparta provinces was restored. The study aims to learn the effects of historical residences on architecture students, to reveal the extent to which the state of preservation is assimilated and their approach to conservation. The subjective evaluations of architectural students of both Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University and Süleyman Demirel University regarding the preservation status of these buildings were examined. The evaluation form was filled in by the students who took and did not take the conservation courses. The correct answers of the students were grouped under the headings of separate criteria for each structure and analyzed using SPSS software. As a result of the study, it has emerged that a different evaluation should be made with standard deviation and quarters analysis using SPSS software. The differences in the results of the students who took and did not take the conservation course were presented more clearly with statistical analyses.

(544) Incidental Findings of Pre-Operative Cystoscopy Procedure prior to IPP

Abstract Introduction Inflatable Penile Prosthesis (IPP) is a common treatment modality for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Previous studies have advocated the importance of undergoing a cystoscopy prior to an IPP procedure and whether the costs outweigh the benefits. Cystoscopies assist in diagnosing Lower Urinary Tract Obstructions (LUTO) such as BPH with obstruction, urethral strictures, bladder stones, and bladder tumors. These pathologies can cause complications in patients who undergo IPP, as well as unnecessary costs for canceling or aborting surgery. Due to these risks, cystoscopies may be a necessary pre-operative procedure prior to implantation. However, cystoscopies can be costly and there is an increased risk of infection. As a result, the cost-benefit analysis of performing this procedure in patients prior to IPP placement remains controversial. Objective To evaluate the prevalence of incidental findings found during cystoscopy, to determine if this procedure should be routinely implemented in clinical practice prior to IPP placement Methods We performed a retrospective study which identified all patients undergoing “de novo” IPP surgery, performed from May 2019 until May 2022, by two high volume implant surgeons. A review of all patients who underwent direct vision internal urethrotomy, or cystoscopy procedure prior to surgery was performed. The study population consists of men who underwent cystoscopy procedure prior to inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery in the office setting. Only patients who had no previous history of penile implantation were included. All clinical notes, patient demographics, comorbidities and surgical outcomes were reviewed. Results 224 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of the 224 patients who underwent cystoscopy, prior to implantation, 153 (68%) had no previous history of cystoscopy procedure, while 28 (12%) had prior robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). This cohort consisted of 40 (18%) patients whose cystoscopy findings lead to other urological procedures prior to IPP surgery. These findings included 15 patients with bladder outlet obstruction due to BPH, which required a TURP, 18 patients with previously unknown bladder tumors, which required a TURBT, and 7 patients with bladder stones which required cystolithotomy. Other incidental findings which did not require surgery included 24 (11%) patients found to have urethral strictures treated with traditional urethral dilation, with only 3 requiring cold knife therapy. 27 patients diagnosed with prostatic strictures secondary to previous prostatic procedures including TURP, Urolift, Microwave Therapy, cryotherapy, etc. These patients were dilated with the scope at the time of procedure. There were 3 patients that presented with kidney stones in the bladder which did not require additional procedures. Of this cohort, 8 (3.5%) patients had post-procedural infections that were treated with a conservative course of antibiotics and did not require further treatment. Conclusions In patients with no previous history of urologic evaluation, a pre-operative cystoscopy procedure can be an invaluable tool to help prevent unnecessary complications or misdiagnosed pathology, such as bladder cancer or urethral strictures. Unplanned intraoperative cystoscopies and interventions can be costly and may be avoided with a simple in office cystoscopy prior to penile implantation. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Coloplast, Boston Scientific

The Flip-flop Toys of Saarenald T. S. Yaawaisan in the Bryn Mawr Art and Artifact Collections

The Flip-flop Toys of Saarenald T. S. Yaawaisan in the Bryn Mawr Art and Artifact Collections

Some aspects of Russian legislation about the Muslim Tatars in the Volga and Ural regions in the post-reform period

The paper deals with the evolution of Russian legal frameworks governing the Muslim Tatars that resided in the Volga-Ural region during the liberal reforms implemented by Tsar Alexander II and during the conservative course by Tsar Alexander III. In this regard, the development of legal environment to define a status of Muslim Tatars is a certain projection of ups and downs passed through by the autocracy calibrating domestic policy in the era of its entry into an industrial society. This could not but affect the legal status of the Muslim Tatars who, on the one hand, were part of the all-Russian society and, on the other hand, represented a community with its well-tuned ethno-cultural traditions in various spheres of society.

A case of acute pyelonephritis with multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules

Acute pyelonephritis, one of the most common kidney diseases, often occurs as a complication of a urinary tract infection (UTI) that has spread from the bladder to the kidneys. Pulmonary cavitary lesions can come from multiple sources, including complications from a UTI if mixed clots of bacteria travel to the lungs or from metastatic cancer. Herein we describe a case of acute pyelonephritis with cavitary pulmonary lesions in a 75-year-old woman with a recent history of UTI. Her condition deteriorated rapidly from the initial admission and required various treatments to stabilize her condition. Ultimately, the patient and her caregiver chose a relatively conservative management course while in our care. This report describes the course of treatment and the patient's and her caregiver's involvement in care decisions.

Effects of Multisensory Integration through Spherical Video-Based Immersive Virtual Reality on Students’ Learning Performances in a Landscape Architecture Conservation Course

Many courses are transitioning from offline to online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Landscape architecture conservation courses face problems such as reduced interest in learning, poor learning attitudes and low learning efficiency among students. At the same time, due to the nature of landscape architecture conservation courses, students need more experience to learn well, and many landscape architecture courses do not meet this requirement. Online education also lacks the necessary education scenarios and is not very immersive, making it difficult to meet students’ learning needs. Continued advances in technology have provided new ways for people to connect with nature, increasing awareness and adoption of sustainable landscape architecture practices. To solve the above problems, this study uses multisensory spherical video-based immersive virtual reality technology to develop a VR learning system for landscape architecture conservation courses based on the senses of sight, sound and smell. This system is simple to operate, but interactive and immersive. A quasi-experimental study was also conducted to test the effectiveness of the system. Analyzing the results of the study, students in the experimental group outperformed students in the control group in terms of learning achievements, learning model satisfaction, technology acceptance, flow experience and learning attitudes, which suggests that the use of multisensory spherical video-based immersive virtual reality technology in a landscape architecture conservation course is effective in improving students’ learning performances, and that the study can provide input for the development of other courses.

Natural afforestation of the fallows in the Western Polissya

One of the main tasks of forestry in Ukraine is to increase forest cover – it can be partially solved by the development of low-productive agricultural land, in particular, fallows, on which self-sown forest is already growing or just appearing, since the expanded reproduction of forests is relevant for Ukraine, considering ecological and forestry transformations of fallows conditioned by their natural afforestation. The main goal was to evaluate the success of natural renewal on fallows in the region under study, to identify factors influencing the course of natural afforestation and tree conservation depending on the location of the plot relative to the forest border and the distance to it. General scientific, forestry and taxation, reconnaissance, forestry and ecological, and geobotanics methods were used to investigate natural renewal at fallows. Office study of materials was carried out using mathematical statistics. As a result of a detailed investigation of the natural settlement of forest tree species on abandoned fields of Western Polissya, it was found that in coniferous and subor conditions, the plots are mostly wooded with pine, as well as birch and alder. In most of the test plots, the renewal was satisfactory (according to the Nesterov scale). The number of self-seeding of tree species in the test plots was not uniform and ranged from 1.2-13.1 thous. units/ha depending on forest site types, species composition, undergrowth size, the abundance of living ground cover, and the degree of sodding of the site and clogging with weeds and grass, which ranged from 20 to 90%. The occurrence of natural renewal is also not uniform: from 19 to 100%. The spread of tree species occurred mainly from forest stands located to the west, northwest, and north of the fallows. The findings of the study are extremely important for employees of the forest industry, and can also be used by territorial communities in improving land management, establishing landscape parks, etc.

Design of 3D Virtual Reality in the Metaverse for Environmental Conservation Education Based on Cognitive Theory.

Climate change causes devastating impacts with extreme weather conditions, such as flooding, polar ice caps melting, sea level rise, and droughts. Environmental conservation education is an important and ongoing project nowadays for all governments in the world. In this paper, a novel 3D virtual reality architecture in the metaverse (VRAM) is proposed to foster water resources education using modern information technology. A quasi-experimental study was performed to observe a comparison between learning involving VRAM and learning without VRAM. The 3D VRAM multimedia content comes from a picture book for learning environmental conservation concepts, based on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning to enhance human cognition. Learners wear VRAM helmets to run VRAM Android apps by entering the immersive environment for playing and/or interacting with 3D VRAM multimedia content in the metaverse. They shake their head to move the interaction sign to initiate interactive actions, such as replaying, going to consecutive video clips, displaying text annotations, and replying to questions when learning soil-and-water conservation course materials. Interactive portfolios of triggering actions are transferred to the cloud computing database immediately by the app. Experimental results showed that participants who received instruction involving VRAM had significant improvement in their flow experience, learning motivation, learning interaction, self-efficacy, and presence in learning environmental conservation concepts. The novel VRAM is highly suitable for multimedia educational systems. Moreover, learners' interactive VRAM portfolios can be analyzed by big-data analytics to understand behaviors for using VRAM in the future to improve the quality of environmental conservation education.

Familiarizing conservation-restoration students with risk assessment and risk management using outdoor sculptures as case studies

Aim. The paper describes a problem-based learning assignment through which conservation-restoration students become acquainted with the assessment and management of risks to cultural heritage. The assignment includes identification of threats, writing incident scenarios, proposing mitigation measures and identifying persons/institutions that can implement them. All risks are considered in the assignment, not just those related to disasters. Approach/methodology. In the Introduction section, the concept of risk assessment and the context of the assignment are explained. A short description of objects selected as case studies is provided (three sculptures from the Sisak Steelworks Sculpture Park), as well as basic information about the students who worked on the assignment. Next, all the steps of the assignment are described. The final results are only broadly indicated. Findings. Seventy-eight different incident scenarios were identified for outdoor sculptures. To help the reader understand the idea behind the assignment, mitigation measures for three incident scenarios are presented, and potential stakeholders listed. Practical implications. Although the assignment used outdoor sculptures as case studies, it can be applied to any object or collection. The assignment does not have to be included in a preventive conservation course, nor does it have to be directed only to (conservation-restoration) students: it can be used by museum and heritage professionals as a first step in risk assessment for collections. Originality/value. The topic presented in this paper is not well represented in Croatian professional literature. The assignment may be considered innovative in the context of the methodology of teaching conservation-restoration at higher education institutions in Croatia.

Early Results With a New Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation Catheter, Venclose®

Endovenous Radio-frequency Ablation (RFA) has become a common treatment for chronic venous insufficiency. The Medtronic® Closurefast catheter was previously the only RFA catheter approved for use in this procedure. In 2018 VenClose® Company's new device was approved. As there has been little literature on this new device, we examined our results with this new alternative. Patients with symptomatic venous insufficiency had their lower extremities mapped via ultrasound. If superficial reflux (>.5 s) was found the patients were recommended a 6-week conservative course of compression stockings, elevation, and NSAIDs. If conservative treatment failed, the patient was scheduled for an RFA. The procedure was done at the outpatient clinic, instructions were given to return for follow-up in 3-5days, and every 3months thereafter for the first year. 1032 procedures were performed over 14months. We had 503 patients, 69% female, mean age 54 ± 12. Under the CEAP system, clinical manifestation portion, the majority of our limbs were class C3 and class C4. The majority of veins closed were GSV above knee and SSV. Follow-up duration ranged from 1 to 276days (Mean (M) = 10 SD: 20days). Our success rate was 99.32% at initial follow-up. We observed EHITs in 12 cases (1.16%), 8 of which were class I, 2 of which were class II, and 2 of which were class III. We noted SVTs of proximal varicose veins in 40 cases (3.88%) and SVT of distal GSV in 4 cases (.38%). There were 4 (.38%) cases of DVT, 3 in calf muscular veins (.29%), and one in a perforator vein (.09%). We observed two cases of puncture abscess (.193%), 8 cases of infection at the puncture site (.77%), with 8 infections occurring at locations other than the puncture site and not as a result of the procedure. These preliminary results indicate that this new machine and catheter are promising with low rates of EHIT, recanalizations, and other complications. It is important to research this catheter and further studies should continue to follow up to examine recanalization rates over a more long-term follow-up.