Future Activities Research Articles

The wildcat (Felis s. silvestris) in the Mediterranean forest: sighting through photo-trapping and non-invasive hair collection for genetic purposes.

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is a mesocarnivore species widely distributed in Europe, from Eastern Europe to Portugal and from Scotland to Italy. Recent biogeographical studies of wildcat populations have endeavoured to assess in detail the various issues that pose a threat to this species, including hybridization with domestic cats. The use of non-invasive sampling methods supported by photo-trapping and some attractants has made it possible to gather genetic material for the detection of native wildcats in locally threatened populations, some of which live in the Iberian Peninsula. Testimonies of naturalists, hunters and farm workers led our team to choose specific areas in two large territories of Mediterranean forests where the presence of wildcats has been historically attested: the Almonte River basin and the Sierra de San Pedro Mountains. Between 2014 and 2018, non-invasive hair sampling was performed using valerian (Valeriana officinalis) as an attractant and supported by photo-trapping to guarantee the collection of genuine biological material (hair samples). The hair samples were genetically assessed by sequencing the nuclear gene IRBP (interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein) and the mtDNA gene ND4 (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4). Despite the low density of wildcats, this combined protocol proved to be an applicable tool for detecting the presence of elusive wildcats and other mesocarnivore species in this remote region of southern Europe. In addition, non-invasive hair trapping contributes to the collection of genetic material from current wildcat populations. This procedure could enhance future management actions focused on collecting quality individualized biological material.

INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH

This study aimed to analyze the mental health issues among students at the National University “Yuriy Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”, taking into account the international experiences in implementing psychosocial diagnostic programs. Based on this analysis, recommendations were formulated for the effective implementation of programs aimed at enhancing the mental well-being of the Ukrainian student community. Materials and Methods: A total of 812 students from various specialties at Yuriy Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic National University participated in the study. The age range of the participants was between 18 and 22 years old, with 47% (382 individuals) being male and 53% (430 individuals) female, ensuring gender balance in the sample distribution and representing a diverse cross-section of respondents. The survey was conducted anonymously using a Google form, thereby upholding the principle of confidentiality in psychological research. Result and discussion. The survey revealed a correlation between military operations and an escalation in anxiety disorders among civilians and refugees within the Ukrainian context. However, there remains an incomplete understanding of the mental well-being of the youth demographic. Presently, numerous studies indicate a decline in the psycho-emotional state of Ukrainian students. A significant proportion of respondents reported feelings of depression, nervousness, loneliness, and anger, with an uptick in cases involving alcohol, tobacco, and sedative abuse. An investigation into the mental health of women within educational institutions, including female students and teachers, unveiled heightened levels of fear and diminished resilience to stressful situations. This methodological approach facilitated the organization of information, enabling an objective comprehension of the issue and the formulation of specific recommendations for future action. Notably, there is a pressing need to implement programs aimed at enhancing both mental and physical health. Initiatives incorporating physical activity, balanced nutrition, and relaxation techniques have demonstrated potential in reducing stress levels and fostering improved mental well-being among students. Conclusions: The proposed recommendations are geared towards enhancing mental health standards and mitigating the impact of psychological challenges on academic performance, social integration, and overall life satisfaction.

Promoting healthy school food environments and nutrition in Canada: a systematic review of interventions, policies, and programs.

The school food environment is a critical interface for child and adolescent nutrition, and there is a need to understand existing literature on Canadian school food environments to identify equity gaps and opportunities, and empower decision-makers to plan for future action. Literature on Canadian school food and nutrition interventions, policies, programs, and their effects on diets and nutritional status are synthesized and appraised in this systematic review. A search strategy was developed for each database used (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, Cochrane Collaboration, Canadian Electronic Library, BiblioMap), with a combination of free text and controlled vocabulary, for articles published from 1990 to 2021. Unpublished data and grey literature were also searched. Quantitative and qualitative studies with an observational or intervention study design, reviews, or program evaluations conducted in Canadian schools with participants aged 5-19.9 years were included. Key study characteristics and risk of bias were extracted independently by 2 investigators using a standardized tool. A total of 298 articles were included (n = 192 peer reviewed and 106 from the grey literature), which were mostly conducted in Ontario (n = 52), British Columbia (n = 43), and Nova Scotia (n = 28). Twenty-four interventions, 5 nonevaluated programs, and 1 policy involved Indigenous populations. Overall, 86 articles measured and reported on effectiveness outcomes, including dietary intake; anthropometry; knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and physical activity. The literature remains largely heterogenous and primarily focused on nutrition education programs that use subjective assessments to infer changes in nutrition. A key facilitator to implementation and sustainability was community engagement, whereas key barriers were staff capacity, access to resources and funding, and consistent leadership. This review provides insight into Canadian school food and nutrition interventions, programs, and policies and uncovers important evidence gaps that require careful examination for future evaluations. Governments must create supportive environments that optimize nutrition for children and adolescents through equitable policies and programs. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022303255.

Enhancing agile project success: a comprehensive study of risk management approaches among Malaysian practitioners

AbstractRisk management (RM) plays a role in project management in the software development field. As information technology (IT) systems become more essential across industries and IT projects continue to face failure rates effective project management becomes crucial. However, the utilization of methodologies in risk management is not widely considered, specifically in Malaysia. This study aims to investigate how software practitioners in Malaysia have implemented risk management and discover strategies that can enhance risk management for agile contexts. The main focus of this study is the limited integration of methodologies into risk management practices, which has created a gap within the software risk domain. Successful risk management is essential for the achievement of software projects, and the findings from this study can offer insights for software development organizations to make informed decisions and improve project outcomes. By utilizing a quantitative approach and adapted questionnaires, this comprehensive study collected data from 60 practitioners and conducted descriptive analysis to identify key risk elements that have significant potential to affect project performance. The findings highlight these risk elements that can significantly impact project success. Agile methodologies, with their emphasis on collaboration, communication within teams, and engagement with stakeholders, including top management, are instrumental in aligning project objectives, identifying potential risks, and resolving issues promptly. This study provides empirical insights into the risk management practices of agile practitioners in Malaysia, which can equip software development organizations with valuable knowledge for informed decision‐making. By enhancing project outcomes and guiding future strategic actions, the findings of this study can contribute to the improvement of agile risk management in the software development industry, particularly in the Malaysian context.

Theoretical and practical approaches to improving the physical training of participants in the educational process

Introduction. Future specialists must possess not only excellent knowledge of the chosen specialty, but also be well physically prepared, understand the role of physical culture in human development, possess practical skills and abilities that ensure good health and good working capacity. The goal is to reveal the main methodological principles and means of ensuring the optimal level of physical training of students. Research results. The problem of improving the physical training of students is highlighted, the relevance of this problem at the current stage is indicated. The goal is outlined, which consists in substantiating the main methodological principles and means of ensuring the optimal level of physical training of participants in the educational process. It is noted that the effectiveness of many types of future professional activity depends significantly on physical training, which is aimed at developing and maintaining the mental and physical qualities of an individual at an optimal level. The need not only for the formation of physical readiness of future specialists, but also for improving their health and working capacity has become acute. The structure of physical training is revealed, in particular its three blocks: physical education, student sports and active leisure. The content of the classes is characterized, in particular, sets of exercises of the introductory, main and final parts of the training class are given. Conclusions. Physical training is primarily aimed at developing and maintaining the mental and physical qualities of the individual at an optimal level, strengthening health and increasing work capacity.

Use of machine learning models in condition monitoring of abrasive belt in robotic arm grinding process

AbstractAlthough the aspects that affect the performance and the deterioration of abrasive belt grinding are known, wear prediction of abrasive belts in the robotic arm grinding process is still challenging. Massive wear of coarse grains on the belt surface has a serious impact on the integrity of the tool and it reduces the surface quality of the finished products. Conventional wear status monitoring strategies that use special tools result in the cessation of the manufacturing production process which sometimes takes a long time and is highly dependent on human capabilities. The erratic wear behavior of abrasive belts demands machining processes in the manufacturing industry to be equipped with intelligent decision-making methods. In this study, to maintain a uniform tool movement, an abrasive belt grinding is installed at the end-effector of a robotic arm to grind the surface of a mild steel workpiece. Simultaneously, accelerometers and force sensors are integrated into the system to record its vibration and forces in real-time. The vibration signal responses from the workpiece and the tool reflect the wear level of the grinding belt to monitor the tool’s condition. Intelligent monitoring of abrasive belt grinding conditions using several machine learning algorithms that include K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), and Decision Tree (DT) are investigated. The machine learning models with the optimized hyperparameters that produce the highest average test accuracy were found using the DT, Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost. Meanwhile, the lowest latency was obtained by DT and RF. A decision-tree-based classifier could be a promising model to tackle the problem of abrasive belt grinding prediction. The application of various algorithms will be a major focus of our research team in future research activities, investigating how we apply the selected methods in real-world industrial environments.

Impact of the Double-Reduction Policy on Middle School Students Study

This study explores the impact of the Double-Reduction Policy on middle school students' study habits, academic performance, and overall wellbeing. The policy aims to reduce academic stress by decreasing homework load and classroom hours. Through this research, we examine the diverse effects that this policy has on students' perceptions and experiences. The majority of students see the policy favourably; they report lower levels of stress, better sleep habits, and more free time for extracurricular activities. However, concerns about a perceived lack of readiness for future academic activities as well as a decreased academic challenge and falling enthusiasm are voiced, especially among high achievers. With an emphasis on the function of observational learning, self-efficacy beliefs, modeling actions, and the dynamic interaction of personal and environmental elements, social cognitive theory provides a theoretical framework to comprehend the observed behaviors and results. This research highlights the necessity for balanced policies that promote well-being while retaining academic rigor as well as the need of taking into account individual variances in students' reactions to policy changes. These findings hold significant implications for teachers and policymakers. It highlights the need of educational policy that takes into account the varied life experiences of students in order to improve their health and success in school. More study is required to figure out how these policies will play out in the long run and what elements will have the most impact on individual outlooks and experiences.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Crime Detection and Prevention

This paper sheds light on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape of crime detection and prevention, bringing about a significant change in traditional law enforcement methods. With society increasingly embracing AI-driven solutions, it's crucial to understand how they contribute to public safety. We'll dive into various aspects of AI, such as predictive policing, video surveillance analysis, forensic science, and criminal profiling, to see how they enhance law enforcement capabilities and streamline crime resolution processes.Starting with predictive policing, AI algorithms sift through massive datasets to identify patterns and predict future criminal activity, empowering law enforcement to take proactive measures. Similarly, AI-powered video surveillance systems enhance real-time monitoring and anomaly detection, allowing for quick identification of suspicious behavior in urban environments.Moving on, we'll explore AI's impact on forensic analysis, where it expedites processes like DNA sequencing, fingerprint recognition, and ballistics analysis, speeding up the resolution of cold cases. Additionally, we'll delve into AI's role in criminal profiling, highlighting its ability to decipher behavioral patterns and predict criminal motivations, though ethical considerations remain paramount.We'll also address ethical concerns surrounding AI deployment in law enforcement, including privacy issues and algorithmic biases. Emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability, we advocate for responsible use of AI-powered crime detection systems to uphold ethical standards and protect individual rights.

Non-precious Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

The development of non-precious metal-based catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising research area with the potential to advance water electrolysis and enable the widespread use of hydrogen as a clean energy source. While noble metals like Pt and Pd exhibit excellent HER activity, their limited availability and high cost present significant challenges. Non-precious transition metals such as Fe, Co, and Ni have emerged as alternative catalyst materials due to their natural abundance. However, these metals often encounter obstacles related to their hydrogen adsorption behavior. This commentary highlights the various strategies employed to optimize the electronic structures of non-precious metal-based catalysts to enhance the HER performance. The outlook of non-precious metal-based catalysts is bright, with ongoing and future research activities mainly focusing on improving their properties, integrating these catalysts into commercial water electrolysis systems, and improving the scalability for large-scale hydrogen production. The development of high-performance non-precious metal-based catalysts for HER is crucial to future sustainable and efficient hydrogen production in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Waiting to Be Discovered? Community Partnerships, the Facilitation of Diverse Memory, and Reflections on Academic Success and Failure

Community partnerships, based on ‘the collaborative turn’ in academic research, are an increasingly common framework through which ‘bottom-up’ histories, particularly of diverse and/or more marginalised communities, are being told. This article is about the ‘doing’ of this type of work. It focuses on the question: what lessons can be made visible when attempted cooperation fails to deliver the outcomes initially hoped for? Firstly, this article outlines the events and activities undertaken by the authors in exploring the ways that ephemera and other objects can be used to understand and transmit the historical experiences of communities often on the periphery of mainstream war commemoration. It will discuss the ways in which connections with these communities were built, with the aim of undertaking several creative writing workshops, leading to a co-produced publication of the participants’ material. Secondly, as part of a broader acknowledgment of the possibility of failure and its benefits, it will explore why some of these creative workshop efforts failed to meet expectations and outline a series of recommendations for other historians and community-orientated projects to consider for future activities.

Variation in survival, growth and stem straightness in Eucalyptus urophylla provenances in the Southern Highlands region, Tanzania

Lack of quality planting materials has significantly limited productivity and quality of commercial forestry plantations in Tanzania. A provenance/progeny trial of Eucalyptus urophylla was established to test performance in order to select the best planting materials for future plantation activities. A complete randomised block design was used whereby 30 families from 8 provenances within 6 replications were tested. At 13 years tree survival, growth (diameter at breast height and height) and stem straightness were assessed. The results indicate that there were highly significant differences (p < 0.05) among provenances and families in survival, height, breast height diameter (DBH) and stem straightness. The overall survival ranged from 79.0% to 96.2%; height ranged between 24.9 and 32.5 m; and DBH ranged from 18.7 to 24.5 cm. Overall, results from this study show that provenances Alassannaru, Elun kirpas, Nesunhuhun and Nakana ulam have better growth performance and stem form than others. These results provide valuable information on the growth performance of different provenances and families of E. urophylla. The provenances and families selected with best performance can be used in developing improved seeds for plantation establishment and/or selection of plus trees for vegetative propagation as candidate clones for a clonal testing programme in Tanzania.

PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE OF STUDENTS IN THE CZECH SCHOOL EDUCATION

PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE OF STUDENTS IN THE CZECH SCHOOL EDUCATION

Impact of air pollution and climate change on mental health outcomes: an umbrella review of global evidence.

The impact of air pollution and climate change on mental health has recently raised strong concerns. However, a comprehensive overview analyzing the existing evidence while addressing relevant biases is lacking. This umbrella review systematically searched the PubMed/Medline, Scopus and PsycINFO databases (up to June 26, 2023) for any systematic review with meta-analysis investigating the association of air pollution or climate change with mental health outcomes. We used the R metaumbrella package to calculate and stratify the credibility of the evidence according to criteria (i.e., convincing, highly suggestive, suggestive, or weak) that address several biases, complemented by sensitivity analyses. We included 32 systematic reviews with meta-analysis that examined 284 individual studies and 237 associations of exposures to air pollution or climate change hazards and mental health outcomes. Most associations (n=195, 82.3%) involved air pollution, while the rest (n=42, 17.7%) regarded climate change hazards (mostly focusing on temperature: n=35, 14.8%). Mental health outcomes in most associations (n=185, 78.1%) involved mental disorders, followed by suicidal behavior (n=29, 12.4%), access to mental health care services (n=9, 3.7%), mental disorders-related symptomatology (n=8, 3.3%), and multiple categories together (n=6, 2.5%). Twelve associations (5.0%) achieved convincing (class I) or highly suggestive (class II) evidence. Regarding exposures to air pollution, there was convincing (class I) evidence for the association between long-term exposure to solvents and a higher incidence of dementia or cognitive impairment (odds ratio, OR=1.139), and highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between long-term exposure to some pollutants and higher risk for cognitive disorders (higher incidence of dementia with high vs. low levels of carbon monoxide, CO: OR=1.587; higher incidence of vascular dementia per 1 μg/m3 increase of nitrogen oxides, NOx: hazard ratio, HR=1.004). There was also highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between exposure to airborne particulate matter with diameter ≤10μm (PM10) during the second trimester of pregnancy and the incidence of post-partum depression (OR=1.023 per 1 μg/m3 increase); and for the association between short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO2) and schizophrenia relapse (risk ratio, RR=1.005 and 1.004 per 1 μg/m3 increase, respectively 5 and 7 days after exposure). Regarding climate change hazards, there was highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between short-term exposure to increased temperature and suicide- or mental disorders-related mortality (RR=1.024), suicidal behavior (RR=1.012), and hospital access (i.e., hospitalization or emergency department visits) due to suicidal behavior or mental disorders (RR=1.011) or mental disorders only (RR=1.009) (RR values per 1°C increase). There was also highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between short-term exposure to increased apparent temperature (i.e., the temperature equivalent perceived by humans) and suicidal behavior (RR=1.01 per 1°C increase). Finally, there was highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between the temporal proximity of cyclone exposure and severity of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (r=0.275). Although most of the above associations were small in magnitude, they extend to the entire world population, and are therefore likely to have a substantial impact. This umbrella review classifies and quantifies for the first time the global negative impacts that air pollution and climate change can exert on mental health, identifying evidence-based targets that can inform future research and population health actions.

Monitoring the spread of a pathogenic insect on vineyards using UAS

Abstract. Globalisation has contributed to rapid economic growth but has also exposed vulnerabilities such as the spread of pests in agriculture. An example is the Popillia Japonica Newman beetle, introduced to Italy in 2014, which has caused significant economic losses, mainly affecting vine cultures. Reliable identification of pests is essential for its management, but it is time-consuming and laborious. This has prompted growing interest in image-based methods, supported by computer vision (CV), which can significantly improve efficiency in insect detection. This study aims to evaluate a CV algorithm's effectiveness in identifying adult specimens of Popillia using Near-Infrared sensors on Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS). The project, conducted in two vineyards in northern Italy, intends to establish a replicable and standardised data acquisition protocol for future monitoring activities. Insects detected by the CV-based method are validated by manual counting performed by entomologists. In a GIS environment, prescription maps are generated in near real-time to identify where the vineyard is most affected and to guide the drone spraying treatment only on the areas in which the threshold is exceeded. The study demonstrates effective semi-automated monitoring, with a clear correlation between CV-based and manual insect measurements, as indicated by the Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.89 to 0.96. Although the CV-based method may overestimate insect numbers, it provides valuable insights for targeted pest management interventions and damage assessment. The project outcomes offer a promising approach to safeguarding agriculture against invasive species, enhancing regional economic resilience while minimising the spread of insecticide, the required time, and human interaction with harmful substances.

Consensus-building conversation leads to neural alignment

Conversation is a primary means of social influence, but its effects on brain activity remain unknown. Previous work on conversation and social influence has emphasized public compliance, largely setting private beliefs aside. Here, we show that consensus-building conversation aligns future brain activity within groups, with alignment persisting through novel experiences participants did not discuss. Participants watched ambiguous movie clips during fMRI scanning, then conversed in groups with the goal of coming to a consensus about each clip’s narrative. After conversation, participants’ brains were scanned while viewing the clips again, along with novel clips from the same movies. Groups that reached consensus showed greater similarity of brain activity after conversation. Participants perceived as having high social status spoke more and signaled disbelief in others, and their groups had unequal turn-taking and lower neural alignment. By contrast, participants with central positions in their real-world social networks encouraged others to speak, facilitating greater group neural alignment. Socially central participants were also more likely to become neurally aligned to others in their groups.

COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination experiences and perceptions among health workers during the pandemic in Ebonyi state, Nigeria: An analytical cross-sectional study

Background COVID-19 continues to be a disease of global public health importance and requires long-term management and control. Health workers’ (previous) experiences and perceptions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination/vaccination process will influence not only their subsequent use of control measures but also public experiences/perceptions. We explored the COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination and the vaccination process experiences and perceptions, and their predictors, among the health workers in Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Methods We conducted an online-offline analytical cross-sectional survey between March 12 and May 9, 2022 among all categories of health workers (clinical/non-clinical, public/private) working/living in Ebonyi state who consented to participate and were selected by convenience/snowballing techniques. A structured electronic questionnaire was used to collect data: self-administered via WhatsApp and interviewer-administered via KoBoCollect for participants who did not have WhatsApp. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and bivariate/multivariate generalized linear models. Results Of the 1276 health workers surveyed: 55.8% had strong COVID-19 experience and perception, 80.7% had good COVID-19 vaccination expectation and perception, and 87.7% had positive COVID-19 vaccination process experience and perception. The most important predictors of the extent and level of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination and the vaccination process experiences and perceptions were level of place of work (primary-secondary/tertiary), level of attitude towards COVID-19 (vaccination), and level of knowledge about COVID-19. Another important predictor was place of work (public/private). Conclusions The evidence indicate the factors that should guide subsequent policy actions in the strategies to enhance the COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination and the vaccination process experiences and perceptions of health workers (and their use of control measures) in Ebonyi state, Nigeria, and other similar contexts. It also indicate factors to be considered by future policy actions regarding similar diseases.

The hierarchical predictive coding framework of post-traumatic stress disorder

Humans rely on internal models from sensory information to predict future action, and the default mode network (DMN) plays a pivotal role in this process. These models, however, can become distorted or disrupted in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because traumatic stress can maladaptively alter how humans understand themselves and predict what happens in the world around them. Here, we examine the relationship between PTSD and this predictive phenomenon known as hierarchical predictive coding implicated in the DMN. We postulate that a hierarchical predictive coding framework will help researchers and clinicians more effectively explain the neural and psychological effects of PTSD among individuals who live with this condition, which may contribute to more targeted research and treatment outcomes.

To lie or to tell the truth? The influence of processing the opponent’s feedback on the forthcoming choice

IntroductionThe brain mechanisms of deceptive behavior are relatively well studied, and the key brain regions involved in its processing were established. At the same time, the brain mechanisms underlying the processes of preparation for deception are less known.MethodsWe studied BOLD-signal changes during the presentation of the opponent’s feedback to a previous deceptive or honest action during the computer game. The goal of the game was to mislead the opponent either by means of deception or by means of telling the truth.ResultsAs a result, it was shown that several brain regions that were previously demonstrated as involved in deception execution, such as the left anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula, also underlie processes related to deception preparation.DiscussionThe results obtained also allowed us to suggest that brain regions responsible for performance monitoring, intention assessment, suppression of non-selected solutions, and reward processing could be involved in shaping future action selection and preparation for deception. By shedding light on the brain mechanisms underlying deception, our study contributes to a deeper understanding of this complex cognitive process. Furthermore, it emphasizes the significance of exploring brain mechanisms governing the choice between deception and truth at various stages of decision-making.

Ethical challenges in the bioanthropological and biomedical investigation of Sicilian mummies-Past experience and future pathways.

This article presents a multidisciplinary approach adopted in the Sicily mummy project, highlighting unique challenges and major ethical concerns inherent to the scientific study, conservation, and presentation of these mummies. Recognizing mummies as a distinct category of human remains, this paper argues for the development and application of specialized guidelines that address the intricate balance between scientific inquiry and respect for the cultural, religious, and mortuary practices that characterize the cultural context, in this case of Sicily. Through a transparent and collaborative dialogue among all stakeholders-including curators, clergy, scientists, and government officials-the project ensures the preservation of the mummies' dignity within their sacred spaces. The critical role of biological anthropologists is emphasized, alongside the contributions of clinical radiologists, pathologists, and qualified restorers, in constructing a comprehensive understanding of the mummies' biocultural significance. The paper advocates for a bioarchaeological strategy that advances scientific knowledge while safeguarding the mummies and respecting living communities. Additionally, we call for ethical rigor in scholarly publications and suggest future actions to protect this invaluable heritage. This approach not only preserves the dignity and integrity of the mummified remains but also enriches our understanding of past human societies.

Introducing a Novel Concept for an Integrated Demolition Waste Recycling Center and the Establishment of a Stakeholder Network: A Case Study from Germany

Using recycled aggregates has many positive environmental impacts because of the conservation of natural resources and minimization of waste. The use of recycled aggregates in downcycling processes is already common in Germany, whereas utilizing them to produce high-quality recycled concrete is rarely applied in practice. The reasons behind this lag have been investigated based on surveys and interviews with stakeholders. Miscommunication and missing information were identified in all stakeholder groups. Therefore, establishing a robust network and facilitating knowledge transfer by specifying the demand for recycled aggregates in the case study region have been considered as prerequisites. Therefore, the paper presents a novel concept of a stakeholder network for an integrated construction and demolition waste center. The conceptualization integrates the recycling companies and construction product manufacturers in one venue with research, service, and educational divisions. The design of the facilities is based on calculations regarding future construction activities and the demand for concrete production. The proposed concept aims to supply the region in the west of Germany with high-quality recycled products while also establishing a robust network that offers benefits in terms of logistical optimization and knowledge transfer.