Current Shift Research Articles

The Impact Of Nusa Data Prima Corner Wifi In Improving Community Economy Based On Maqashid Syari'ah

The rapid development of technology has influenced the behavior of human life, including the economic aspect. The current shift in economic transactions is more or less shifting from offline to online so that it affects the economic activities of the community which are also growing and expanding. That is why, nowadays internet access is not only needed in urban areas, but also important for rural communities, especially to improve the economic level of their people. This study examines the Impact of Nusa Data Prima Wifi Corner on Economic Improvement and the Impact of using Nusa Data Prima Wifi Corner on Community Economic Improvement in terms of Maqasid Syariah. The qualitative method in this study was carried out through interviews, then documenting the data found, and making observations in the field. This research resulted in the following conclusions: (1) The impact of the wifi corner is an increase in the economy where residents who previously only relied on income from plantation and agricultural products now have other income, both from online sales and from other business results such as buying and selling stocks and brokers buying and selling cars and others, some residents who become partners in the sale of vouchers also benefit from the sale of these vouchers. (2) Judging from the theory of maqashid syari'ah the impact of the existence of Wifi Corner is a form of benefiting dhoruriyah, hajiyyah and tahsiniyah.

Shifting Centres of Christian Vitality

Abstract This article highlights for African Pentecostal Christianity some implications of the current shift in the centre of Christian vitality to the south, as well as the rapid growth of Pentecostalism. Through a qualitative analysis of the activities of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement in Africa, the article explores the implications of the two phenomena for Pentecostal-Charismatic theological education in Africa as well as African Pentecostal-Charismatic leadership. The article concludes by inviting both scholars and practitioners of Pentecostal-Charismatic mission in Africa to take advantage of the opportunities and at the same time confront the challenges facing Pentecostal mission on the continent.

0246 Current shift work and frailty: findings from the UK Biobank

Abstract Introduction Shift work may disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms, leading to adverse health outcomes. The objective of this study is to examine whether performing shift work is associated with frailty in middle- to older-aged adults. Methods We examined current shift work exposure and frailty risk in 242,126 UK Biobank participants (38-71 years old; 128,595 females). Using the baseline self-reported employment information, participants were categorized as shift workers (with ‘work schedule that falls outside of the normal daytime working hours of 9am-5pm’) or day workers if no shift work schedule. Based on a previously validated approach, frailty phenotype was identified when three or more of the following five criteria were fulfilled: self-reported weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slow walking pace, and measured low grip strength. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between shift work and frailty. Results Among 242,126 participants, 201,489 (83.2%) were day workers and 40,637 (16.8%) shift workers. Frailty was identified in 4,308 participants (1.8%), including 3,312 day workers (1.6%) and 996 shift workers (2.5%). Compared with day workers, shift workers were at higher risk for frailty after adjusting age, sex, and ethnicity, i.e., odds ratio (OR) =1.58 [95% CI, 1.47-1.70] (p < 0.0001). The effect of shift work appeared to be more pronounced in 5,659 permanent night shift workers (OR = 1.98 [95% CI, 1.68-2.32], p < 0.0001). The differences between day workers and shift workers persisted even after further adjusting for social economic status, sleep duration, and chronotype (OR = 1.38 [95% CI, 1.28-1.48] for all shift workers; OR = 1.53 [95% CI, 1.30-1.80] for permanent night shift workers, both p values < 0.0001). Conclusion Middle- to older-aged adults who were currently performing shift work, especially those permanent night shift workers, were more likely to be frail. Longitudinal and interventional studies are warranted to elucidate the causal relationship between shift work and the risk of frailty. Support (if any) BrightFocus Foundation (A2020886S), NIH (RF1AG059867, RF1AG064312)

Primary and reproductive healthcare access and use among reproductive aged women and female family planning patients in 3 states.

Public funding plays a key role in reducing cost barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care in the United States. In this analysis, we examine sociodemographic and healthcare seeking profiles of individuals in three states where public funding for health services has recently changed: Arizona, Iowa, and Wisconsin. In addition, we examine associations between individuals' health insurance status and whether they experienced delays or had trouble in obtaining their preferred contraception. This descriptive study draws on data collected between 2018 to 2021 in two distinct cross-sectional surveys in each state, one among a representative sample of female residents aged 18-44 and the other among a representative sample of female patients ages eighteen and older seeking family planning services at healthcare sites that receive public funding to deliver this care. The majority of reproductive-aged women and female family planning patients across states reported having a personal healthcare provider, had received at least one SRH service in the preceding 12 months, and were using a method of birth control. Between 49-81% across groups reported receiving recent person-centered contraceptive care. At least one-fifth of each group reported wanting healthcare in the past year but not getting it, and between 10-19% reported a delay or trouble getting birth control in the past 12 months. Common reasons for these outcomes involved cost and insurance-related issues, as well as logistical ones. Among all populations except Wisconsin family planning clinic patients, those with no health insurance had greater odds of being delayed or having trouble getting desired birth control in the past 12 months than those with health insurance. These data serve as a baseline to monitor access and use of SRH services in Arizona, Wisconsin, Iowa in the wake of drastic family planning funding shifts that changed the availability and capacity of the family planning service infrastructure across the country. Continuing to monitor these SRH metrics is critical to understand the potential effect of current political shifts.

Impact of shading on evapotranspiration and water stress of urban trees

AbstractEvapotranspiration of urban street trees is essential in mitigating urban heat islands due to its cooling effect. However, current shifts in rainfall and temperature regimes towards drier and hotter periods in Central Europe have caused substantial water stress for street trees. Quantifying and subsequently managing these changing dynamics as well as estimating evapotranspiration and water availability is necessary but at the same time extremely challenging in urban environments. Both dynamics are influenced by soil sealing and complex shading patterns of the surrounding street canyon, which vary on a small spatial scale as a function of the canyon layout and orientation. In the present study, the diurnal patterns of six typical urban shading types for street trees were derived by considering a large set of street orientations, widths and tree positions within the street canyon. A shading model was integrated into a hydrological urban tree model to assess the impact of those shading types on diurnal patterns of radiation and evapotranspiration rates calculated using the Penman–Monteith approach and the resulting soil moisture conditions for several vegetation seasons and water‐supply scenarios. The modelling results showed that the six shading patterns significantly influenced the simulated hourly, daily and seasonal potential and actual evapotranspiration rates and water availability. Shaded trees have a substantially reduced, simulated water stress period, regardless of initial water supply, and are able to provide a longer‐lasting cooling function during dry periods due to higher evapotranspiration rates later in the summer season.

A review of the application of the macroinvertebrate-based multimetric indices (MMIs) for water quality monitoring in lakes.

The increasing stress on lake ecosystems is affecting their functioning such as providing goods and services to inhabiting organisms and riparian communities. Monitoring of water quality is important for sustainable management and restoration of lake ecosystems. However, the costs associated with traditional approaches have become prohibitive, while not giving reliable early warning signals on resource conditions. Thus, the current shift in the use of bioindicators and multimetric indices (MMIs) in the monitoring of water quality is currently gaining global recognition with more emphasis on its application in lotic ecosystems. Therefore, this paper provides an elaborated insight into the application of macroinvertebrate-based MMIs in lentic ecosystems and the successes achieved so far. The various metrics and indices, the development strategies, application challenges, the use of macroinvertebrates as bioindicators, and the future projection of enhancing MMI usage in lentic environment monitoring, particularly in developing countries, are extensively covered. The use of MMI as a rapid lake biomonitoring tool needs to be adopted for sustainable applications in lake ecosystem management and as an integrated approach to monitoring human-induced stress especially in developing countries where there is a paucity of information.

Effect Of Feldenkrais Method And Conventional Exercise Protocol On Neck Pain And Low Back Pain In Corporate Employees Working From Home : A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND- As current shift from working in the office setup to work from home setup , many of the people especially corporate employees are forced to work in a less than ideal ergonomic environment. Although, there is significant evidence of developing Orthopaedic disorders such as neck pain and back pain in them due to prolonged sitting and body posture at their workplace, there are more possibilities to develop the neck pain and low back pain in them while doing their office work even at home. There is lack of research on this topic, indeed this made us to study the effect of comparison of Feldenkrais Method and Conventional Exercise Protocol on neck pain and low back pain in corporate employees working from home in COVID-19. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES- To study and find out the effect of comparison of FM and Conventional Exercise Protocol on neck pain and back pain in corporate employees working from home in COVID-19.To determine the effect of FM on neck pain and low back pain in corporate employees in COVID-19 phase. To determine the effect of Conventional Exercise Protocol on neck pain and low back pain in corporate employees in COVID-19 phase. To compare the effect of FM and Conventional Exercise Protocol on neck pain and low back pain in corporate employees in COVID-19 phase. METHODOLOGY- In this comparative study, 42 corporate employees working from home in age group 25 to 55 years were included. Neck pain and low back pain was assessed through Northwich Park Neck Pain Questionnaire and Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Index before and after the exercise session, respectively. The participants were divided into two groups of 21 each: Group A as a control group and Group B as an experimental group. Group A was instructed to follow only the Conventional Exercise Protocol. Group B was instructed to follow the FM along with Conventional Exercise Protocol. Later data was collected and analysis was done. RESULTS- Neck pain and low back pain was significantly reduced in the post exercise session in group B  as compared to group A. Statistical analysis was done using unpaired t- test. Statistical significance: p value differed from pre- data to post- data. CONCLUSION- A significant reduction was found in neck pain and low back pain with FM along with Conventional Exercise Protocol in corporate employees working from home in COVID-19. &nbsp

Association of rotating night shift work, CLOCK, MTNR1A, MTNR1B genes polymorphisms and their interactions with type 2 diabetes among steelworkers: a case–control study

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to investigate the association of rotating night shift work, CLOCK, MTNR1A, MTNR1B genes polymorphisms and their interactions with type 2 diabetes among steelworkers.MethodsA case–control study was conducted in the Tangsteel company in Tangshan, China. The sample sizes of the case group and control group were 251 and 451, respectively. The logistic regression, log-linear model and generalized multifactor dimensionality (GMDR) method were used to investigate the interaction between circadian clock gene, melatonin receptor genes and rotating night shift work on type 2 diabetes among steelworkers. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and attributable proportions (AP) were used to evaluate additive interactions.ResultsRotating night shift work, current shift status, duration of night shifts, and average frequency of night shifts were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes after adjustment for confounders. Rs1387153 variants in MTNR1B was found to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, which was not found between MTNR1A gene rs2119882 locus, CLOCK gene rs1801260 locus and the risk of type 2 diabetes. The association between rotating night shift work and risk of type 2 diabetes appeared to be modified by MTNR1B gene rs1387153 locus (RERI = 0.98, (95% CI, 0.40–1.55); AP = 0.60, (95% CI, 0.07–1.12)). The interaction between MTNR1A gene rs2119882 locus and CLOCK gene rs1801260 locus was associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (RERI = 1.07, (95% CI, 0.23–1.91); AP = 0.77, (95% CI, 0.36–1.17)). The complex interaction of the MTNR1A-MTNR1B-CLOCK-rotating night shift work model based on the GMDR methods may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (P = 0.011).ConclusionsRotating night shift work and rs1387153 variants in MTNR1B were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes among steelworkers. The complex interaction of MTNR1A-MTNR1B-CLOCK-rotating night shift work may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The EU at a Strategic Crossroads: A Geopolitical Player in Great Power Games?

The current shifts in the post-Cold War international order are bringing the attention to notions of great power competition, demonstrating once again the geopolitical significance of Europe and Asia for global politics. This article applies concepts from the classical geopolitical thinking of Halford Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman as an ‘optic tool’ for analysing current global events and for considering the European Union’s (EU’s) strategic direction in light of the interests of the United States, Russia, and China in Europe’s wider region. With the American post-Cold War global preponderance steadily waning and the rising challenges from the east in the face of Russia and China, the EU finds itself in a position that requires the redefinition of its geopolitical identity and strategic pursuit of its own interests. A look through the classical geopolitical concepts of the Heartland and the Rimland reveals that the EU is an extraordinary player in geopolitics as it has the potential to determine (1) access to the Eurasian Heartland via its influence over Eastern Europe and (2) control of the maritime Rimland by virtue of its geography, alliances, and its potential participation in Beijing’s New Silk Road initiative. These findings are discussed by considering the EU’s potential foreign policy directions vis-à-vis the US, Russia, and China. European Union, United States, Russia, China, Eurasia, Geopolitical theory, Foreign policy, Grand strategy, Strategic Autonomy

Decision Tree Analyses for Prediction of QoL over a One-Year Period in Breast Cancer Patients: An Added Value of Patient-Reported Outcomes.

Despite the current shift in medicine towards patient-centered care, clinicians rarely utilize patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in everyday practice. We examined the predictors of quality- of-life (QoL) trajectories in breast cancer (BC) patients during the first year after primary treatment. A total of 185 BC patients referred for postoperative radiotherapy (RT) filled in the EORTC QLQ-C30 Questionnaire assessing global QoL, functioning and cancer-related symptoms before starting RT; directly after RT; and 3, 6 and 12 months after RT. We used decision tree analyses to examine which baseline factors best allowed for predicting the one-year trajectory of the global QoL after BC treatment. We tested two models: 'basic', including medical and sociodemographic characteristics, and 'enriched', additionally including PROs. We recognized three distinct trajectories of global QoL: 'high', 'U-shape' and 'low'. Of the two compared models, the 'enriched' model allowed for a more accurate prediction of a given QoL trajectory, with all indicators of model validation being better. In this model, baseline global QoL and functioning measures were the key discriminators of QoL trajectory. Taking PROs into account increases the accuracy of the prediction model. Collecting this information in the clinical interview is recommended, especially for patients with lower QoL.

Preictal neuronal and vascular activity precedes the onset of childhood absence seizure: direct current potential shifts and their correlation with hemodynamic activity.

The neurovascular mechanisms underlying the initiation of absence seizures and their dynamics are still not well understood. The objective of this study was to better noninvasively characterize the dynamics of the neuronal and vascular network at the transition from the interictal state to the ictal state of absence seizures and back to the interictal state using a combined electroencephalography (EEG), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) approach. The second objective was to develop hypotheses about the neuronal and vascular mechanisms that propel the networks to the 3-Hz spikes and wave discharges (SWDs) observed during absence seizures. We evaluated the simultaneous changes in electrical (neuronal) and optical dynamics [hemodynamic, with changes in (Hb) and cerebral blood flow] of 8 pediatric patients experiencing 25 typical childhood absence seizures during the transition from the interictal state to the absence seizure by simultaneously performing EEG, fNIRS, and DCS. Starting from before the onset of the SWD, we observed a transient direct current potential shift that correlated with alterations in functional fNIRS and DCS measurements of the cerebral hemodynamics detecting the preictal changes. Our noninvasive multimodal approach highlights the dynamic interactions between the neuronal and vascular compartments that take place in the neuronal network near the time of the onset of absence seizures in a very specific cerebral hemodynamic environment. These noninvasive approaches contribute to a better understanding of the electrical hemodynamic environment prior to seizure onset. Whether this may ultimately be relevant for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches requires further evaluation.

Estimating the Impact of Climate and Vegetation Changes on Runoff Risk across the Hawaiian Landscape

In Hawai’i, ecosystem conservation practitioners are increasingly considering the potential ecohydrological benefits from applied conservation action to mitigate the degrading impacts of runoff on native and restored ecosystems. One determinant of runoff is excess rainfall events where rainfall rates exceed the infiltration capacity of soils. To help understand runoff risks, we calculated the probability of excess rainfall events across the Hawaiian landscape by comparing the probability distributions of projected rainfall frequency and land-cover-specific infiltration capacity. We characterized soil infiltration capacity based on different land cover types (bare soil, grasses, and woody vegetation) and compared them to the frequency of large rainfall events under current and future climate scenarios. We then mapped the potential risk of excess rainfall across the main Hawaiian Islands. Our results show that land cover type has a very large effect on runoff risk as excess rainfall conditions are 234% more likely in bare soil and 75% more likely in grasslands compared to woody forests and shrublands. In contrast, projected shifts in rainfall intensity by end-of-century show little impact on these probabilities and thus, the risk of runoff. This indicates that the probability of excess rainfall is primarily driven by differences in land cover and not by current or potential shifts in rainfall patterns across the Hawaiian landscape. The ability to estimate the risk of potentially ecologically and economically costly runoff based on changes of land cover is useful for managers focused on invasive species control and restoration planning, especially for native and endemic ecosystems unique to the State of Hawai’i.

Характеристика развития армяно-иранских экономических отношений после Арцахской войны 2020 года / Features of the Development of Armenian-Iranian Relations after the Second Artsakh War

Neighboring countries Armenia and Iran considered each other as partners and friends, after Armenia declared its independence. In 1992, Iran, with a balanced approach to the Karabakh conflict and the First Artsakh War, created new prospects for the development of bilateral relations for both countries. After the end of the First Artsakh War and the victory of the Armenian side, Armenia and Iran started establishing and strengthening multilateral relations, striving to expand economic cooperation. Economic relations between Iran and Armenia have expanded significantly over the past three decades, and the main thing for Armenia in bilateral relations was Iran's balanced approach to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Tehran has been in serious international isolation for several years, which has been exacerbated in recent years due to the maximum pressure policy of the United States. In this situation, Iran is particularly interested in finding ways to overcome these restrictions. Armenia, which is under partial blockade, is one such option. The need to implement the project of creating an international transport and logistics corridor connecting the Persian Gulf with the Black Sea, the construction of the North-South highway has been discussed for at least 15 years, and the recent increase in Iran's interest in the implementation has a number of reasons. It seems that Tehran's latest initiatives towards their implementation are largely determined by the current regional geopolitical shifts. In particular, with the emergence of projects to unblock regional communications as a result of the 44-day war. And, the trend towards de facto cessation of Western sanctions policy against Iran is another factor that allows Iran to begin to respond significantly to recent regional transformations. First of all, due to the fact that the absence of sanctions will allow Tehran to initiate new, rather large-scale programs. It is also clear that all these relevant programs have always been relevant for both Iran and Armenia. But they have not been implemented yet due to a number of circumstances. In this light, the active opposition to communication projects by both Azerbaijan and Turkey has not disappeared even today. And, naturally, in this regard, one can predict a number of steps by Ankara and Baku to reduce the international attractiveness and, accordingly, the degree of relevance of these projects, with the ultimate goal of preventing their financing by large international donors. Against this background, the most important problem of Yerevan seems to be the demonstration of an extreme level of consistency in the direction of the implementation of these projects, despite the Turkish and Azerbaijani opposition.

Modeling of Ionizing Radiation Effects for Negative Capacitance Field-Effect Transistors

A theoretical model for simulating ionizing radiation effects on negative capacitance field-effect transistors (NCFETs) with a metal–ferroelectric–insulator–semiconductor (MFIS) structure was established. Based on the model, the effects of total ionizing dose (TID) and dose rate on the surface potential, ferroelectric capacitance, voltage amplification factor, and transfer characteristics of NCFETs were investigated. The simulation results demonstrated that, with the increase in total dose, the curves of surface potential versus gate voltage and driving current versus gate voltage shift left significantly, resulting in the point of voltage amplification shifting left. Meanwhile, with the increase in dose rate, the amplitude of both the surface potential and driving current decreases slightly. Meanwhile, the derived result indicated that relatively thin ferroelectric thickness can effectively reduce the effect of TID. It is expected that this model can be helpful for analyzing the radiation effects of NCFETs.

Patients' experiences of patient-centred care in hospital setting: A systematic review of qualitative studies.

Patient-centred care (PCC) has been proposed as an appropriate approach for addressing current shifts in healthcare needs. Although the importance of PCC is generally recognised, PCC is poorly understood by patients in the hospital settings. To identify patients' experiences of PCC in hospital settings. This systematic review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) guidance for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence and the PRISMA checklist for reporting systematic reviews. The search strategy included peer-reviewed qualitative studies published after 2010 in English or Finnish. The databases searched were SCOPUS, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Medic. Unpublished studies and grey literature were searched in MedNar. Ten qualitative studies were included, and their quality was assessed by two independent reviewers using JBI quality assessment criteria. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Studies were included if they had explored adult patient experiences of PCC in hospital settings. A thematic analysis produced 14 subthemes which were grouped into five analytical themes: the presence of the professional, patient involvement in care, receiving information, the patient-professional relationship and being seen as a person. This review suggests that the implementation and provision of PCC in hospitals is incomplete and patients' involvement in their own care should be in the focus of PCC. The majority of patients experienced receiving PCC, but others did not. The need for improvement of patient involvement was strongly emphasised. Patients highlighted the importance of professionals being present and spending time with patients. Patients felt well-informed about their care but expressed the need for better communication. Meaningful patient-professional relationships were brokered by professionals demonstrating genuine care and respecting the patient as an individual. To improve the implementation of PCC, patient experiences should be considered in the development of relevant hospital care strategies. In addition, more training in PCC and patient-professional communication should be provided to health care professionals.

Healthcare professionals' perception of knowledge and implementation of Patient Safety Incident reporting and learning guidelines in specialised care units, KwaZulu‑Natal.

Despite the implementation of intervention strategies, incidents in specialised care units remain high and are of serious concern, worldwide. To assess the healthcare professionals' perception of knowledge and implementation of patient safety incident (PSI) reporting and learning guidelines in specialised care units of three selected public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. A purposive sample targeted 237 healthcare professionals. An online structured questionnaire collected the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. A total of 181 questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 76%. Notably, 83% of respondents had high-perceived knowledge of the PSI reporting and learning guidelines, while 98% had low perceptions of their implementation. The current unit (p=0.002) and shift of the day (p=0.008) were factors associated with the perception of good knowledge of PSI reporting and learning guidelines, as indicated by a p-value ≤0.05. The respondents' age (p=0.05), current unit (p=0.015), and shift of the day (p=0.000) were significantly associated with the perception of poor implementation of the PSI reporting and learning guidelines. The respondents demonstrated a good perception of knowledge of PSI reporting and learning guidelines; however, the perception of the implementation was poor. Therefore, a revised implementation strategy coupled with periodical in-service training for healthcare professionals is recommended, to foster and facilitate effective adherence to PSI reporting and learning guidelines. This study highlights the healthcare professionals' perception of knowledge and implementation of the Patient Safety Incident reporting and learning guidelines in specialised care units in South Africa. The results identified weaknesses in the implementation of the guidelines; hence the necessity for the development of effective strategies to improve patient safety.

Using tail current phase shift technique to improve locking range injection‐locked frequency divider

SummaryIn this article, an injection‐locked frequency divider (ILFD) is presented. By assuming the maximum phase of the tank current, we obtain a relation for the lock range. Besides, the effects of parasitic capacitors on the lock range have been probed. The analysis shows that the greater the phase difference between the tail current and injected signal, the phase of the tank current increases and, consequently, the lock range also increases. The accomplished simulations confirm the correct performance of the proposed design and the extracted relationships. The simulations have been CMOS technology and with a 0.9‐V supply voltage. The results show that the current consumption equals 3.7 mA and the power consumption equals 3.33 mW. The proposed ILFD lock range with phase shift technique with power input signal 0 dBm is equal to 5.1 GHz (3.6–8.7 GHz), and the relative percentage of the lock range is also 83%.

Optimal mechanism design of public policies for promoting electromobility: A dynamic programming formulation

Electromobility is considered a promising future of road transportation, driving the current industrial and market shift to the era of Electric Vehicles (EVs). As electromobility’s ecosystem depends on electricity generated by the energy sector, decision-makers face the tedious task of enacting policies that alter the transport and energy sectors simultaneously to promote EVs. This paper proposes an Optimal Mechanism Design framework for planning the shift to electromobility from the urban level. The framework fuses concepts of Mechanism Design, optimization methods and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), incorporating all important elements for a comprehensive and sound policy-making procedure, such as market dynamics and the associated financial, social and technological dimensions for the transport and energy sectors. The policies considered incorporate EV promotion incentives, taxation, charging infrastructure, electricity taxation and infrastructure such as power plants and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) to support the growing energy needs. Market mechanisms comprise direct links between policy actions and sustainability outcomes. The framework identifies and optimizes these mechanisms to maximize the CBA sustainability indicators. The framework is applied to Nicosia, Cyprus’s capital, where accelerated EV adoption appears to maximize the transport sector's socioenvironmental sustainability and the energy sector's financial sustainability. On the other hand, delayed EV adoption maximizes the energy sector's socioenvironmental sustainability and the transport sector's financial sustainability. Taxation policies are used to limit EV penetration, whilst funding incentives are used to accelerate EV adoption. The results provide decision-makers with a new tool for optimally planning EV adoption using a policy mixture that optimizes financial and socioenvironmental performance.

Analysing spatial patterns of climate change: Climate clusters, hotspots and analogues to support climate risk assessment and communication in Germany

The spatial visualization of current and future climate conditions is one key component for assessing related impacts and risks in a given territory. A suitable combination of statistical methods and visualisation techniques allows the creation of outputs that support the interpretation and understanding as well as communication of the complex climate analysis to a wider target audience. The present paper describes the adopted approaches to portray information about climate change in Germany until the end of the 21st century in meaningful maps with the aim to communicate it to the public as well as decision makers. In particular, the conducted analyses focused on the assessment of climate regions, climate hotspots and climate analogues. The maps showing the resulting spatial patterns 1) divide the country in seven climate clusters, 2) reveal different hotspot areas of climate change in terms of key indicators for the middle and the end of the century and 3) provide current and future climate shifts of German cities to analogue regions in Europe. Results are accompanied with recommendations and interpretation aids supporting the correct use for practical applications and communication purposes. The final map products resulting from these analyses and published in the frame of the Climate Impact and Risk Assessment for Germany 2021 were taken up by different national media outlets (print and audio), education experts as well as stakeholders, showing benefits and limitations of the visualisation choices.

Improving electrocatalytic performance of Ni-based catalysts: fuel blend strategy and DFT calculations

This study addresses the electrooxidation behavior of glycerol/glucose (as a fuel blend) at commercial carbon fibers decorated with NiOxHy nanostructures. Blending glycerol with various ratios of glucose results in better fuel utilization (FU) together with a higher turnover number (TON). For instance, using an equimolar (1:1) fuel blend exhibits the highest performance compared to pure fuels (glucose or glycerol) as demonstrated by the oxidation current and negative shift of onset potential, besides a 2-fold improvement of FU and TON at 0.6V. DFT calculations guided the reason behind the observed enhancement to the favorable change of the glucose adsorption mode in the presence of glycerol via hydrogen bonding between glucose and glycerol. The formed hydrogen bonds assist in the elongation of the O-H bond at which oxidation is most likely to occur between (O11 and H12) in glycerol from 0.99 Å in pure to 1.06 Å for glycerol/glucose blend. Also, a positive shift of HOMO orbital energy, lower ionization energy for (+2 cation), and more negative energy value are estimated to reflect a higher ability of the blend to form and to donate electrons to the underlying catalyst.