High Land Research Articles

Analyzing Uttarakhand's COVID-19 Outbreak: Demographic Insights and Strategies for Future Pandemic Prevention

Background:: The Indian state of Uttarakhand, also known as "Dev Bhoomi" or the Abode of Gods, is snuggled in the lap of the Himalayas. It is endowed with an abundant natural hilly environment and occupies more people in total than Israel, Switzerland, Hong Kong, etc. In this report, we look closely at the impact of COVID-19 on both high land/ hilly and low land/ plain bhabar zones across the state. Methods:: The data was retrieved from the Uttarakhand Government Covid-19 health bulletin for 12 months using the Python command line. The data analysis covers percentage positivity/COVID-19 positivity rate, recovery, deceased and doubling rate, along with a detailed statistical analysis. Results:: In the first wave, low-land- inhabitants residing in 4 districts, Dehradun, Haridwar, U. S. Nagar and Nainital, were found more vulnerable, with a peak positive case during the 21st – 26th week. On the other hand, the districts with exclusive hilly terrains, including Chamoli, Pauri Garhwal, and Rudraprayag, were found to be the least susceptible and reported a high number of positive cases between the 30th and 31st week. The highest recovery rate was found to be in the hilly district of Rudraprayag. The multiple regression with confirmed cases was explained in relation to deceased, recovered, other, and tested variables (R2 adj= 0.99). The analysis also revealed a very high doubling rate from the last week of May to the first week of Jun 2020. Conclusion:: The reduced number of COVID-19 cases in high-altitude hilly districts may be associated with factors such as enhanced ventilation, improved arterial oxygen transport, and increased tissue oxygenation. The findings from this study offer insights that can contribute to future pandemic prevention efforts. Summarising the current study, we have suggested 5-point solutions for preventing the next pandemic. It's important to note that while this study suggests a potential link between these factors and lower COVID-19 cases, further research is needed to establish a conclusive connection.

Isolation and characterization of halophilic Bacillus thuringiensis from local Egyptian sites and their potential against Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract Background Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) serves as a peculiar soil microbe that is Gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming, and aerobic facultative. It endures across a range of conditions and has been demonstrated to be an effective biological pest control agent against several insect pests. The main objective of the study is to isolate and recognize Bt bacteria from saline environments in Egyptian soil for biological surveillance uses. Results Isolates three, four, five, ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen were found to be moderately tolerant, while isolate eight showed highly tolerant, but isolate six was found to be borderline extreme halophile. On the other hand, the other isolates showed extreme halophiles. To find out the presence of crystals, a scanning electron microscope was carried out and the result showed that the crystals ranged from spherical to bi-pyramidal spherical. Molecular analysis was carried out using universal primers to confirm the presence of cry genes. The results showed that 84.6% of the isolates contain cry seven and eight, whereas cry one and four are distributed by 92.3%. Cry two genes were found to be 100 percent in all tested and isolated cultures. Cry genes were present and distribution among isolated was detected using gene-specific primers. cry3Ba1 and cry8B showed the lowest and equal distribution among the isolates, while the cry2Ab2gene frequency distribution was (84.6%) among isolated cultures. Around six cry genes were found to be absent in all isolated cultures. The bioinsecticidal activity and bioassays were carried out to check the potential effect of halophilic Bt isolates against 1st instar larvae of the Fall Armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Mortality was calculated after infecting S. frugiperda with thirteen Bt isolates. The most virulent Bt isolate was isolate 7, followed by isolate 10, with LC50 values of 9.542 × 107 spores/ml and 1.289 × 108 spores/ml, respectively, after 72 h. Morphological traits of the larvae were carried out, to check the effect of Bt isolates as a biological control against the FAW. Conclusion To protect and enhance the sustainability of field crops and vegetables, especially in new high salinity lands, from disease-causing insects such as FAW, it is necessary to identify new strains of Bt from these saline lands. In this field, local isolates of Bt from several regions in Egypt known for their high levels of salinity were documented and showed an effective bioinsecticide on FAW larvae.

Reconstruction of 30 m Land Cover in the Qilian Mountains from 1980 to 1990 Based on Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks

Long time series of annual land cover with fine spatio-temporal resolutions play a crucial role in studying environmental climate change, biophysical modeling, carbon cycling models, and land management. Despite a strong consistency exhibited by several publicly available medium to fine resolution global land cover datasets, significant discrepancies exist at the regional scale; moreover, only every 5/10 year land cover were available. Consequently, high-quality annual land cover datasets before 2000 are unavailable in China. In this study, we proposed a deep learning-based method by integrating multiple remote sensing data from different platforms with historical high spatial resolution land cover datasets (CNLUCC) to derive the 30 m annual land cover maps from 1980 to 1990 for Qilian Mountain. First, the super-resolution generative adversarial network models for upscaling the 5.5 km AVHRR NDVI to 250 m were established by employing the AVHRR and MODIS NDVI data with the same year as input, and the early time series AVHRR NDVI data were subsequently upscaled to 250 m through the above models. Second, the breaks for the additive seasonal and trend (BFAST) change detection algorithm was applied to the upscaled time series NDVI data to detect the change time of different land cover types. Third, the CNLUCC data in 1980 and 1990 were updated to annual land cover datasets from 1980 to 1990 and the annual mapping results provided insights into the dynamic processes of urbanization, deforestation, water bodies, and farmland from 1980 to 1990. Finally, comprehensive analysis and validation were carried out for evaluation and an overall accuracy of 77.26% for the land cover product in 1986 was achieved.

Examining English Learners' Opportunity to Learn from High School to Community College: A Qualitative Case Study

AbstractStudents classified as English learners (ELs) in high school are more likely to start their postsecondary education in community colleges (CCs). Many high school EL graduates enter a CC, hoping to make good academic progress and later transfer to a 4‐year college. However, past research has found that such students often struggle in CCs and rarely earn a postsecondary credential or transfer to a 4‐year college. ELs' high school academic preparation and their subsequent college access—or lack thereof—are closely related. Yet, there is little research connecting ELs' academic preparation in high school and their subsequent ongoing trajectories once they are enrolled in CC. Drawing on the concepts of opportunity to learn (OTL) and opportunity sequences, this qualitative case study examines six high school ELs' academic trajectories from high school through CC. Our analysis shows a negative opportunity sequence in which ELs' limited OTL in high school lands them in remedial education at a local CC, which in turn delays their exposure to disciplinary courses in their majors. The students' struggles with their first disciplinary courses subsequently hinder their CC persistence and timely transfer to a 4‐year college, forcing them to reset their postsecondary goals.

Agricultural land around river confluences could strongly suppress floods occurrences

Flooding poses a significant threat to socioeconomic systems, with risks expected to escalate in the future due to factors such as climate change and urbanization. Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) emphasizes the role of natural and seminatural ecosystems, particularly agricultural ecosystems, in disaster impact mitigation such as by flood prevention benefits. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Eco-DRR in agricultural land around river confluences across Japan, where frequent flooding occurs. Using flood occurrence data from 2010 to 2018 in 1,917 municipalities across Japan, statistical models were established incorporating agricultural land, urbanized areas, and the number of dams as explanatory variables to predict flood frequency. Previous studies have demonstrated that agricultural land located in the water storage zone contributes to flood suppression, whereas high land in urbanized areas is associated with increased flooding risk. Therefore, this condition was incorporated into the models. Two patterns were tested: one using all agricultural land and another focusing on agricultural land within a 1-km buffer around river confluences. The results demonstrate that agricultural land near river confluences significantly enhances flood suppression compared to all agricultural land. In contrast, urbanized areas within water storage zones were associated with increased flood risks. The findings suggest that conserving agricultural land in flood-prone confluence areas offers substantial flood mitigation benefits, whereas urban expansion in these areas heightens flood risks. Therefore, prioritizing the preservation of agricultural land around river confluences is crucial for flood risk reduction.

Wastewater desalination for irrigation in inland regions

ABSTRACT Desalination using membrane processes is increasingly being implemented in coastal regions of the world to meet the water needs of the growing population. The use of this water treatment option to meet the growing water needs in inland regions, however, is impeded by the cost and regulatory challenges associated with responsible disposal of the concentrate brine. For inland regions of Australia, the use of evaporation ponds (EPs) is the only available brine management option. The high cost associated with construction and the high land requirements for EPs necessitates low waste brine volume production. This desktop study investigated the feasibility of achieving very high water recoveries and very low waste brine volumes in the reverse osmosis desalination of municipal wastewater for irrigation of crops near the inland town of Horsham, Victoria, Australia. Interstage lime and soda ash softening was selected as the means of removal of the scalants that prevent the achievement of high water recovery. It is hoped that this study will provide valuable information to aid in the planning of water reclamation operations for agricultural applications in inland areas at a time of increasing demand for water for food production and forecasts of population growth and climate change.

High dynamic range land wavefield reconstruction from randomized acquisition

Compressive sensing (CS) is an alternative to regular Shannon sampling that captures similar information from reduced measurements. It relies on randomized sampling patterns and a sparse data representation to reconstruct the regularly sampled object. CS is an important ingredient in affordable seismic acquisition, which can lead to improvements in the near-surface mapping and noise suppression for land data. However, the near surface traps most of the source-generated energy, resulting in data that are rich in high-wavenumber content and have amplitudes spanning several orders of magnitude. When dealing with such high dynamic range nonstationary data, the Fourier domain is not optimal for providing a sparse representation — a necessary condition for successful application of CS. In contrast, a discrete complex wavelet transform can localize high-energy features, has good directional selectivity, and is near-shift invariant. Combined, these properties allow complex wavelets to represent detail-rich wavefields in a compact form. To leverage these features and achieve good CS reconstructions, we develop a scale- and orientation-dependent iterative soft thresholding (IST) scheme for reconstructing high dynamic range wavefields. Our approach requires little parameterization, is easy to implement, and is robust to reconstructed wavefield sampling grid and dynamic range. We test IST on different wavefields with randomly missing traces and compare the data reconstructions with the spectral projected gradient solver and projection onto convex sets. We quantify the reconstructions by a direct comparison of Fourier coefficients between fully sampled and reconstructed wavefields. Taking log10 of Fourier coefficients prior to computing the quality metric deemphasizes the importance of magnitude match while highlighting Fourier coefficient support accuracy, which usually translates into good structural fidelity of reconstructed data. We find that IST performs consistently among all examples, yielding good phase match while performing gentle denoising.

Nitrogen input strategies impact fertilizer nitrogen saving by intercropping: A global meta-analysis

ContextSeveral meta-analyses have demonstrated that intercropping increases land use efficiency and fertilizer use efficiency of grain-producing crop species, but no overarching synthesis has been made on the effects of fertilizer management on fertilizer use efficiency. Research questionsHere we assess the relative N use efficiency of species mixtures compared to sole crops under different N input strategies using global data. MethodsWe built a global database of yield and fertilizer N input with 600 data records representing the results of 136 independent experiments from 80 publications with four main types of species functional combinations (SFCs), based on key traits that were found relevant in previous intercropping studies: C3-cereal/legume, maize/legume, C4-non-maize/legume and maize/C3-cereal. ResultsWe found that the literature reports results for four main N input strategies in the intercrop and sole crops: (1) zero fertilizer N input (Nic=N1=N2=0), (2) equal fertilizer N input (Nic=N1=N2>0), (3) intermediate fertilizer N input (N1≥Nic≥N2 and N1>N2), and (4) transgressive fertilizer N input (Nic>N1≥N2), where N1, N2 and Nic represent the N input in sole crop 1, sole crop 2 and the intercrop. With zero N input, high land equivalent ratio was found in cereal/legume intercrops but not in maize/C3-cereal intercrops. Intermediate N input (strategy 3) resulted in high LER (land equivalent ratio) and FNER (fertilizer N equivalent ratio) because of the high intercropping advantage of cereals in C3-cereal/legume, maize/legume, and C4-non-maize/legume intercrops and maize in maize/C3-cereal intercrops. Equal N input in the sole crops and the intercrops resulted in LER and FNER being equal and N saving was entirely due to land saving, regardless of SFCs. Transgressive N input resulted in high LER but low FNER. ConclusionsThe study confirms that cereal/legume intercropping increases LER at zero N input. Strategies that tailor N input in intercropping to species demand (strategy 3) pair high productivity and LER to high fertilizer N use efficiency. The transgressive N input strategy maximizes LER at the expense of FNER, thus potentially generating high N losses.

Prediction and Simulation for Land Use and Land Cover Change of Paddy Field Influence by Salinization in Coastal Demak Regency

The extent of coastal rice paddy agricultural land is vulnerable to land use and land cover (LULC) changes to non-agricultural uses due to land degradation, one of which is caused by salinity. This study aims to detect and project LULC changes up to 2031, particularly in coastal rice paddy areas affected by salinity, by comparing LULC in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Sentinel-2 Imagery is used for LULC classification, with recordings selected during the generative phase of rice growth to obtain the most optimal rice paddy area. There are six LULC classifications: water, wetland, low-medium-high vegetation cover, and built-up area. To understand the impact of salinity on crops, several vegetation indices (VIs) such as NDVI, SAVI, EVI, and ARVI are used. The LULC changes classified according to VIs are compared with the MOLUSCE plugin based on artificial neural networkmultilayer perceptron (ANN-MLP) and Cellular Automata (CA). The comparison of VIs results shows that NDVI is better at describing LULC changes due to the influence of salinity, with a kappa value of 0.63 and a Correctness of 72.565. The LULC projection using CA in all VIs indicates that wetland areas are more likely to convert into water bodies, suggesting that high salinity land tends to be unproductive for rice paddies, making it prone to conversion.

Generation and evaluation of energy and water fluxes from the HOLAPS framework: Comparison with satellite-based products during extreme hot weather

Improving our understanding of the energy and water exchanges between the land surface and the lower atmosphere (i.e. land–atmosphere interactions), and how climate change may affect them, is crucial to predict changes in temperature and precipitation extremes. Observations of energy and water fluxes at the land surface are typically retrieved from the eddy covariance method, which presents limitations related to spatial and temporal gaps, and the non-closure of the energy and water balances. Meanwhile, soil moisture (SM) products derived from satellite data have been widely used at regional and global scales, but they are limited to capture only surface soil water content and variations. The combination of remote sensing (RS) data and modelling frameworks is called to be the solution to improve the spatial coverage and vertical resolution of land–atmosphere interactions data, ensuring the energy and water balance closure. Here, we explore the combination of remote sensing and meteorological data with a physical-based modelling framework, the High resOlution Land Atmosphere Parameters from Space (HOLAPS). We used HOLAPS to produce hourly consistent estimates of energy and water fluxes over Europe at 5 km resolution. HOLAPS and other satellite-based evapotranspiration and sensible heat flux products from the literature are evaluated against the water balance method and eddy covariance measurements. HOLAPS SM estimates together with other RS-modelling products are also evaluated against ground-based measurements at the surface and in the root zone. The evaluation of HOLAPS ET estimates show similar performance to the other products with Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) ¿ -0.41 in comparison with eddy covariance measurements from FLUXNET in all seasons but in boreal winter. The simulation of H is more uncertain than for ET with KGE values ranging from -2.5 to 0.8 along the products and stations at monthly scales. HOLAPS reaches slightly better results than the rest of ET and H products at daily scales in summer (KGE ¿ 0.3 for ET and KGE ¿ 0.0 for H) and during hot conditions (KGE ¿ 0.2 for ET and KGE ¿-0.2 for H), while the state-of-the-art products show KGE ¿ 0.1 for ET and KGE ¿ -0.41 for H in summer and KGE ¿ -0.1 for ET and KGE ¿ -0.6 for H during hot conditions. All products evaluated here yield a reasonable performance (KGE ¿-0.41 at most sites) in simulating SM at the surface and in the root zone. Our results expose the need for further investigating and improving product performances during extreme conditions. The good performance of HOLAPS together with its inherent advantages (RS data driven, high temporal and spatial resolution, spatial and temporal continuity, soil moisture at different depths and long-term consistent evapotranspiration and sensible heat flux estimates) support its use for agricultural and forest management activities as well as to study land–atmosphere interactions based on Earth Observations.

The effect of agro-ecological zone on the chemical composition of feed resources in the Gera district, southwest Ethiopia

The poor quality of available feed resources is the major limiting factor for livestock production in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the chemical composition of major feed resources in three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of the Gera District, southwest Ethiopia. Three representative samples of natural pasture (Cynodon dactylon, Pavonia schimperiana Hochst and Rhynchosia ferruginea), three indigenous fodder trees and shrubs (IFTSs) (Erythrina abyssinica, Vernonia amygdalina and Maytenus undat), two cultivated forages (Pennisetum purpureum and Pennisetum pedicellatum) and five crop residues (Hordeum vulgare (barley), Zea mays (maize), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum), Triticum aestivum (wheat) and Eragrostis tef (Teff)) were randomly and separately collected from the Highland (HL), midland (ML) and lowland (LL) AEZs. The samples were analyzed for ash, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), ether extract (EE), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) content using standard analytical methods. The results showed that AEZ significant (P < 0.05) affected the chemical composition parameters of most of the feed samples. Regardless of the feed sample and AEZs, the mean DM, CP, ash, EE, NDF, ADF, ADL and CF content varied from 89.17% in Pennisetum purpureum to 92.22 ± 0.51 in Erythrina abyssinica, 2.90 ± 0.22% in Triticum aestivum to 10.70 ± 0.52 in Vernonia amygdalina, 7.24 ± 0.19% in Sorghum bicolor to 13.25 ± 0.51% in Pavonia Schimperiana Hochst, 1.33 ± 0.04% in Triticum aestivum to 2.39 ± 0.15% in Maytenus undata, 57.65 ± 1.19% in Erythrina Abyssinica to 79.16 ± 1.04% in Triticum aestivum, 34.57% in Pennisetum purpureum to 59.41 ± 0.98% in Sorghum bicolor, 8.15 ± 0.62% in Rhynchosia ferruginea to 12.65 ± 0.57% in Triticum aestivum and 37.51% in Pennisetum pedicelatum to 69.93 ± 0.65% DM in Triticum aestivum, respectively. It was observed that IFTSs had the highest CP and the lowest NDF, implying their potential for protein supplement, whereas crop residues had the lowest CP and the highest NDF, indicating the need for their treatment using urea or supplementing animals with protein source feeds, especially during the dry season. In conclusion, AEZ has an influence on the chemical composition traits of feed resources attributed to its effects on the microclimate conditions that affect plant growth and maturation in the study sites.

Multi-pressure based environmental vulnerability assessment in a coastal area of Bangladesh: A case study on Cox’s Bazar

Bangladesh ranks among the top 10 countries globally in terms of climate change impacts and faces numerous anthropogenic and natural pressures. Cox’s Bazar, its primary tourist district, is experiencing severe degradation of its physical and ecological environments due to anthropogenic disturbances and climate change. To improve its environmental quality and preserve its ecological resources effectively, it is essential to develop a spatial decision support instrument addressing multi-pressures and cumulative environmental vulnerability (EV). This study presents an expert opinion-independent, scalable, and customizable spatial methodological framework, integrating multi-sourced geospatial data with GIS-based Fuzzy Logic to assess spatial distributions of five pressure groups and their resulting EV in Cox’s Bazar. 18 criteria were chosen based on a structured literature review to evaluate the five pressure groups. Results revealed that 17 % to 27 % of the study area is exposed to high to very high hydro-meteorological, topographic, land resource, anthropogenic, and natural hazard pressures. The EV results indicated that one-third of the study area, majorly covering Kutubdia, Pekua, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Teknaf, and Ukhia upazilas, is highly environmentally vulnerable. For enhanced environmental protection, this study improved the existing method of environmental protection zoning by introducing a novel zoning approach that integrates in-situ biodiversity data with EV data. This new zoning method delineated 24 % (555 sq. km.) as strict, 45 % (1047 sq. km.) as medium, and 31 % (725 sq. km.) as soft protection zones in the study area. The sensitivity analysis identified land resource pressure as the most influential component of EV. With a correlation coefficient of 0.91, the accuracy assessment confirms a high level of reliability in the EV results. This study provides valuable insights into environmental pressures and vulnerability in Cox’s Bazar, which are crucial for informing policies at various levels, including international and national frameworks, emphasizing terrestrial ecosystem protection, coastal vulnerability mitigation, climate change impact reduction, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable land resource management.

Does rising land price promote the circulation industry development? An analysis of internet-based moderating effects

With the rapid development of the Internet, digital technology is increasingly integrating into the modern circulation system. The influence mechanisms of land prices on the development of the circulation industry are gradually transforming. Using data from 104 major cities in China from 2003 to 2021, this study uses the panel two-way fixed effects model, moderating effects model and threshold regression method to examine the mechanisms by which land prices affect the circulation industry development and the moderating role of Internet development. The results show that elevated land prices significantly stimulate the growth of the circulation industry, leading to an expansion in the circulation industry scale, optimization of its structure, and enhancement of its facilities. The findings remain robust even after addressing endogeneity concerns and conducting various robustness tests. Moreover, the impact of high land prices on the circulation industry is more pronounced in small and medium-sized cities group as well as central region cities group. Real estate investment and industrial structure upgrading are the key channels through which high land prices promote the development of the circulation industry. Additionally, Internet development has a positive moderating effect on the promotion that high land prices stimulate the development of the circulation industry. Notably, only when Internet development surpasses a certain threshold that the promotional effect of land prices on the circulation industry development be fully realized. Based on the above conclusions, the government should continue to deepen the market-oriented reform of land elements, implement precise industrial policy support for the circulation industry and promote circulation digital transformation.

Research on the Correlation between the Dynamic Distribution Patterns of Urban Population Density and Land Use Morphology Based on Human–Land Big Data: A Case Study of the Shanghai Central Urban Area

The dynamic distribution of urban population density and the interaction with land use elements involve mutual constraints and guidance. However, in the existing research on the relationship between urban population density and land use, the discussion on the distribution patterns of urban population density typically spans long time periods and uses large spatial units, lacking analysis of the dynamic changes in population density within high granularity land parcels over a day. In studies related to the urban built environment, the complex relationships between different-dimensional land use elements and the dynamic distribution of population density also need further exploration. To address these bottlenecks, this study takes Shanghai’s central urban area as an example. Based on 24 h mobile signaling data on weekdays, weekends, and typical holidays, as well as urban land use data, clustering algorithms are used to summarize patterns of dynamic population density distribution. Pearson correlation analysis is then employed to study the correlation between dynamic population density distribution patterns and different land use elements. The results indicate that various urban land use factors such as locational centrality, functional diversity, transportation accessibility, compactness, and landscape quality have different impacts on the dynamic distribution of population density in spatial units, and the dynamic distribution patterns of population density in different land use types also vary. This research contributes to guiding the optimization of spatial quality and formulating planning and management measures that more effectively match construction intensity with population activity density.

Land ecological security evaluation and prediction based on SBM-BP model: a case study of Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Land ecological security is the foundation for ecological environmental protection and regional sustainable development. Therefore, examining the land ecological security and spatial heterogeneity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) in China can guide effective land ecological protection in this region. Using a driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) index system, a global super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model, and a backpropagation (BP) neural network model, this study evaluated the land ecological security in 126 YREB prefecture-level cities and then employed spatial correlation analysis to identify the spatial distribution characteristics. It was found that: (1) from 2012 to 2021, the land ecological security in the study area decreased and then increased, with the eastern and western regions being better than the central regions; (2) from 2015 to 2017, the high land ecological security was clustered in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration and the low value was clustered in Yunnan Province, Hubei Province, and the Chongqing Municipality; (3) from 2022 to 2026, the land ecological security in the study area is expected to gradually increase, but in the southwest is expected to remain low. These research results provide a theoretical basis for the evaluation and prediction of land ecological security and practical guidance for land ecological protection in areas with similar natural conditions.

A land plant phylogenetic framework for GLABROUS INFLORESCENCE STEMS (GIS), SUPERMAN, JAGGED and allies plus their TOPLESS co-repressor

Members of the plant specific family of C1-1i zincfinger transcriptionfactors (ZF-TFs), such as SUPERMAN, JAGGED, KNUCKLES or GIS,regulatediversedevelopmental processes including sexual reproduction. C1-1is consist of one zinc-finger and one to two EAR domains, connected by large intrinsically disordered regions (IDR). While the role of C1-i1 ZF-TFs in development processes is well known for some genes in Arabidopsis, rice or tomatoa comprehensive and broadphylogenetic background is lacking, yet knowledge of orthology is a requirement for a better understanding of C1-1i-Zf-TFs diverse roles in plants. Here, we provide a fine-grained and land plant wide classification of C1-1i sub-families and their known co-repressors TOPLESS and TOPLESS RELATED. Our work combines the identification of orthologous groups with Maximum-Likelihood phylogeny reconstructions and digital gene expression analyses mining high quality land plant genomes and transcriptomes to generate a comprehensive framework of C1-1i ZF-TF evolution. We show that C1-1i’s are low to moderate copy genesand that orthologous genesonly partiallyhaveconserved sub-family and life cycle stage dependent expression pattern across land plants while others are highly diverged. Our workprovides the phylogenetic framework for C1-1i ZF-TFs, s and strengthen C1-1 ZF-TFs as a potential model for IDR-research in plants.

Development of a subsurface monitoring system for land subsidence hazard in the Bandung basin: a laboratory prototype

Abstract Land subsidence is a global environmental hazard posed by urban area worldwide, causing degradation in environmental quality and leads to further disasters such as increased flood risk, contamination risk, and infrastructure damages. Anthropogenic causes, such as groundwater extraction and building weight, cause high land subsidence rates. The behaviour of the subsurface under the influence of anthropogenic causes must be well understood to mitigate this problem. Conventional subsurface monitoring is robust and costly. In this case, we aim to first develop a versatile and low-cost subsurface monitoring prototype for land subsidence at a laboratory scale using a model box. Methods employed were constructing an experiment model box, developing the monitoring system, and trial experiments in the laboratory. The sensors are linear vertical displacement transducer, potentiometer, water level and pressure sensors. The monitoring system uses Arduino microcontroller to convert sensors inputs to desirable outputs and a logger to record the real-time data and transmit it to personal computer in the laboratory. Land subsidence in the Gedebage area in Bandung basin was taken as a model case. The model box was filled with soil from Gedebage, Bandung. A scenario of exploitation of confined groundwater and weight of building was applied for the model case. The results show that the laboratory prototype can monitor the subsurface changes due to the applied anthropogenic forces. In the case of Bandung soil, groundwater exploitation did not immediately cause subsidence instantaneously. There is a time delay between the drawdown of groundwater level and the subsequent vertical deformation. The rate of subsidence varies spatially inside the tank, the largest is close to the pump well and surface loads. A maximum of 2.88 mm subsidence over 663 days was recorded following 1 m groundwater drawdown. This information asserts the importance of long-time monitoring in subsidence areas.

Factors Caused The Convertion of Agricultural And Into A Residential Area In Belayung Baru Village

Kertak Hanyar District is a sustainable food agriculture area with the potential and functionality intended for rice in wetlands and drylands. This makes Kertak Hanyar sub-district one of the local paddy or rice-producing areas in Banjar Regency. However, currently most of the agricultural land in Kertak Hanyar District, especially in Belayung Baru Village, has been converted into residential areas, so its contribution is relatively small to rice production in Banjar Regency. The aim of writing this article is to describe why agricultural land can be converted into a community residential area in Belayung Baru Village. In this research, the approach used is a descriptive qualitative approach. Data collection techniques were carried out by observing, interviewing, documenting, recording, and studying literature. The results of this research describe that the factors causing the conversion of agricultural land into residential areas in Belayung Baru Village are strategic location, relatively high land prices, and population growth occurring in the capital city of Banjarmasin, which has an impact on the conversion of agricultural land into residential areas in Belayung Baru Village, Kertak Hanyar District as well as ease of licensing housing construction by the Regional Government.

Beyond coastal hazards: A comprehensive methodology for the assessment of climate-related hazards in European coastal cities

As climate change intensifies, European coastal cities face escalating risks from multiple climate-related hazards. Addressing these challenges requires capturing the multifaceted nature of climate risks adequately. This paper presents a novel multi-hazard risk assessment methodology for European coastal cities, which integrates indicators of hazard, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. It advances beyond existing models by incorporating a wide array of climate-related hazards and significant indicators. Applied to six diverse coastal cities across different climatic zones and urbanization levels, the methodology proves robust and versatile, offering a comprehensive approach to understanding climate risks. Findings reveal that Varna has the lowest hazard score compared to other cities. Cork and Viana do Castelo are significantly affected by coastal hazards, while La Spezia exhibits very low coastal hazard scores but high land hazard scores. The exposure component ranges between medium and low values, with a maximum in Klaipeda and a minimum in Viana do Castelo. In terms of vulnerability, Viana do Castelo and Bergen stand out, while Cork exhibits the lowest score. Finally, risk presents a balanced landscape, where cities with the highest scores in hazard and exposure also exhibit the lowest levels of vulnerability and vice versa. The discussion on policy implications advocates for participatory resilience-building, leveraging new technologies and non-traditional indicators to enhance urban adaptive capacity. The granularity and specificity inherent to the proposed methodology offer a tool to compare and identify high-risk cities systematically, allowing for a more informed and targeted approach to resilience building and strategic allocation of often limited resources.

Keanekaragaman Kupu-Kupu (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) di Kawasan Ekowisata Dusun Kaliurang Timur, Yogyakarta

Butterflies act as bioindicators and pollinators of the environment. Ecotourism development poses a threat to butterfly life due to high human activity and land degradation. This study aims to determine the diversity of butterflies (Rhopalocera), diversity index, evenness index, dominance index, similarity index, and abiotic parameters at each sampling location. The data was collected at Tlogo Putri, settlements, and Tankaman Natural Park, whose location selection was based on purposive sampling and using the point count method. Based on the research obtained 55 species with a total of 294 individuals, diversity index (TP: 2.88; P: 2.51; TNP: 2.66), evenness index (TP: 0.86; P: 0.75; TNP: 0.84), dominance index (TP: 0.08; P: 0.14; TNP: 0.09), species similarity index (TP &amp; P: 46.42; TP &amp; TNP: 27.45). Abiotic parameters in the ecotourism area of Kaliurang Timur Hamlet are altitude of 814-889 meters above sea level, temperature of 26-28°C, air humidity of 10-45%, light intensity of 7571-4877x10 lux, wind speed of 0-1 m/s, and rainfall of 0-20. The conclusion of this study is that 55 species of Rhopalocera order were found, the diversity index is moderate, the evenness index is high, the dominance index and the similarity index are low at each sampling location. Abiotic parameters measured were in the normal range for Rhopalocera life in the ecotourism area of Kaliurang Timur Hamlet.