Impact Of Changes Research Articles

Controlled Protein-Membrane Interactions Modulate Self-Organization of Min Protein Patterns.

Self-organizing protein patterns are crucial for living systems, governing important cellular processes such as polarization and division. While the field of protein self-organization has reached a point where basic pattern-forming mechanisms can be reconstituted in vitro using purified proteins, understanding how cells can dynamically switch and modulate these patterns, especially when transiently needed, remains an interesting frontier. Here, we demonstrate the efficient regulation of self-organizing protein patterns through the modulation of simple biophysical membrane parameters. Our investigation focuses on the impact of membrane affinity changes on Min protein patterns at lipid membranes composed of Escherichia coli lipids or minimal lipid compositions, and we present three major results. First, we observed the emergence of a diverse array of pattern phenotypes, ranging from waves over flower-shaped patterns to snowflake-like structures. Second, we demonstrated the dependency of these patterns on the density of protein-membrane linkers. Finally, we demonstrate that the shape of snowflake-like patterns is fine-tuned by membrane charge. Our results demonstrate the significant influence of membrane linkage as a straightforward biophysical parameter governing protein pattern formation. Our research points towards a simple yet intriguing mechanism by which cells can adeptly tune and switch protein patterns on the mesoscale.

Investigating the impact of housing price increases on consumption: heterogeneity by age, tenure and housing quality

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the distributional impact of house price increases on consumption in the context of the energy transition.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws from two micro cross-sectional datasets, the English Housing Survey (EHS) and the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCFS) to study the Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC) out of changes in house prices. By employing pseudo-panel regressions, the paper examines the impact of house price changes on consumption among diverse household types.FindingsThis paper finds varying consumption responses to house price changes across age and tenure groups. Older homeowners tend to increase consumption when house prices rise. In contrast, middle-aged individuals, often renters or mortgage holders, reduce consumption in response to price increases. The youngest age group also experiences increased consumption but to a lesser degree than the oldest group. Energy-efficient homes are related to lower consumption across all tenure levels. However, when interacted with house prices and age, the estimates are positive, pointing to an unequal accrual of property premiums depending on housing market positions.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations stem from data constraints. First, using a pseudo-panel approach hinders control for unobservable selection bias. Additionally, while robust under cross-validation and specifications tests, the energy efficiency variable imputation results in a low number of energy-efficient homes. Due to heterogeneous responses to rising house prices, this paper contends that an energy transition model that subsidises homeowners’ renovation is likely to produce a negative impact on consumption among younger and middle-aged households.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the MPC literature by incorporating energy efficiency as a key variable. It draws from recent data to obtain new estimates. By highlighting shifts in consumption patterns the paper contributes to a well-established body of literature with renewed policy relevance regarding housing retrofit.

Early identification of rheumatoid arthritis: does it induce treatment-related cost savings?

ObjectiveEarly diagnosis and treatment-start is key for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the economic effect of an early versus a later diagnosis has never been investigated. We aimed to investigate whether...

Influence of a plasma focus device on the structural and optical properties of highly conductive AZO thin films

In the present work, we deposited Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films on microscope glass slides at different pressures (5, 10, 20, and 30 mTorr) using an EAEA-PFD (Plasma Focus Device of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority) without any extra heat treatment. Argon gas provided the radiant energy needed to form a crystalline AZO film. This study investigated the deposition and features of AZO thin films. The impact of changes in work pressure on the microstructure, morphology, and optical attributes of AZO films was reported. The results demonstrated that varying the work pressure significantly affects the microstructure, morphology, crystallinity, optical absorbance, and optical energy gap. The microstructure and morphology were evaluated through XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical properties were analyzed using a UVvis double-beam spectrophotometer within a wavelength range from 300 to 1100 nm. XRD patterns indicating a zinc-blende structure and the Williamson–Hall approach were used to estimate the structural parameters. The estimated trend in the particle size of the AZO film demonstrates a decrease from 82 ± 5 nm to 48 ± 5 nm as the pressure increases. The calculated energy gap, Egopt, increases from 3.53 eV to 3.69 eV with increasing work pressure. The conductivities in terms of both optical and electrical decreased with increasing work pressure of the AZO films.

A systematic benchmarking framework for future assessments of soil health: An example from Denmark

Based on current evidence and established critical thresholds for soil degradation indicators, it is concerning that over 60–70% of European soils are unhealthy due to unsustainable management and the impact of climate change. Despite European and national efforts to improve soil health, significant gaps remain. The proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law, to be implemented by the European Union, seeks to establish a framework for soil monitoring and promote sustainable management practices to achieve healthy soils by 2050. This requires extensive data collection and soil monitoring systems to accurately estimate soil health across Europe, considering the diversity of soil types, climates, and land uses. To establish a framework for soil monitoring, we must understand the site-specific status of soil and the ranges of soil health indicators across specific pedoclimatic regions. In our study, we evaluated the soil status in agricultural areas in Denmark using soil health indicators and a site-specific benchmarking approach. We compiled nationally representative datasets, combining point and model-informed data of soil parameters such as organic carbon content, bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, clay-to-soil organiccarbon ratio, water erosion, and nitrogen leaching. By categorizing Danish agricultural soils into monitoring units based on textural classes, landscape elements, and wetland types, we calculated benchmarks for these indicators, considering different cropping systems. Our approach provided detailed point-based results and a spatially explicit overview of the status of soil health indicators in Denmark. We identified areas where soil deviates from the benchmarks of different indicators. Such deviations might indicate soil functions operating outside the normal range, posing potential threats to soil health. This proposed framework could support the establishment of a baseline for assessing the directionality of future changes in soil health. Moreover, it is adaptable for implementation by other countries to support assessments of soil health.

Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change on Vegetable Farming: An Evaluation of Artificial Planting Technique

Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change on Vegetable Farming: An Evaluation of Artificial Planting Technique

Total nitrogen and phosphorus loads in surface runoff from urban land use (city of Lublin) under climate change.

An expansion of impervious surfaces in urban areas leads to increases of nutrient loads discharged with the surface runoff to receivers. A study of a different density of urban development impact on total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) loads from the city of Lublin (eastern Poland) with the use of the SWAT (Soil & Water Assessment Tool) model was performed. To distinguish between areas with high and low density of urban development (UHD and ULD), a special analysis of hydrological parameters has been proposed. Moreover, to investigate the impact of climate change, four variant scenarios were taken into account, combining the RCP (representative concentration pathway) 4.5 and 8.5 forecasts and the adopted time horizons (2026-2035 and 2046-2055). The results showed a much higher share of TN and TP from UHD compared to ULD (86%-32 022kg/year and 89%-2574kg/year, respectively). In addition, the variant scenarios showed that the forecasted increase in precipitation and temperature will result in increased loads of nutrients from UHD and ULD up to 30%. Furthermore, the current increase of inhabitant number, due to the Ukrainian war migration and the common tendency to convert agricultural land to residential areas, could contribute to further expansion of UHD and ULD areas and an additional increase of nutrient loads.

The nexus between economic growth and conditional exchange rate volatility: evidence from emerging economies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to examine the nexus between conditional exchange rate volatility and economic growth in BRICS countries. Further, the dynamic causation between economic growth and exchange rate volatility is also examined.Design/methodology/approachWe employed three techniques, namely, dynamic panel models, static panel models and Dumitrescu and Hurlin (DH) panel causality test to examine the economic growth–conditional exchange rate volatility nexus in BRICS countries.FindingsThe overall results showed that conditional exchange rate volatility has a negative and significant effect on economic growth. Interestingly, the results showed that whenever the exchange rate volatility exceeds the 0–1.54 range, the economic growth of BRICS is reduced, on average, by 5%. Further, the results of the causality test reconciled with that of ARDL wherein unidirectional causality from exchange rate volatility, exports, labour force and gross capital formation to economic growth was found.Research limitations/implicationsThe urgent recommendation is to develop and align fiscal, monetary, trade and exchange rate policies, either through creating a common currency region or through coordinated measures to offset volatility and trade risks in the long run. Further, to offset the impact of excessive exchange rate changes, BRICS economies can set up currency hedging systems, implement temporary capital controls during periods of extreme volatility or create currency swap agreements with other nations or regions. Last, but not least, investment and labour policies that are coherent and well-coordinated can support market stabilisation, promote investment and increase worker productivity and job prospects.Originality/valueResearchers hold contrasting views regarding the effect of exchange rate volatility on economic growth. Some researchers claim that exchange rate volatility reduces growth, and several shreds of empirical evidence claim that lower exchange rate volatility is linked with an increase in economic growth, at least in the short run. However, the challenge lies in establishing the optimal range beyond which exchange rate volatility becomes detrimental to economic growth. The present study contributes to this aspect by seeking to identify the optimal spectrum beyond which excessive shifts in exchange rate volatility negatively affect economic growth, or endeavors to define the acceptable spectrum within which these fluctuations actually boost growth. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to analyse the given research area. The present study used a dummy variable technique to capture the impact of permissible exchange rate band on the economic growth.

Clinicians’ Perspectives of Activity Monitoring Applications and Facilitators for Lower-Limb Prosthetic Service Provision

ABSTRACT Introduction Clinicians involved in lower-limb prosthetic provision and care do not have an objective method for measuring patients’ real-world prosthesis usage. This results in a poor understanding of the full picture of the patient’s everyday life impacting the reporting of outcome following prosthetic prescriptions. There is need to understand what information from wearable prosthetic monitors would be relevant to clinicians and how that information should be displayed to enable health care professionals to make informed decisions. Moreover, clinicians’ perspectives regarding potential use and application of information from monitoring technologies are important in the development and implementation of this technology to improve evidence-based systems for informed clinical decisions for lower-limb prosthesis users. This study aims to explore clinicians’ experiences and perceptions of information obtained from free-living wearable prosthetic monitors used in clinical practice. Methods Seven clinicians from private practice and academia were recruited to participate in the study. A semistructured interview was held for each participant, which lasted about 30–45 minutes. Data and transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis method. Results Themes of objectiveness and motivation were identified as specific applications of monitoring technologies. Other themes such as awareness and integration were identified as the facilitators of monitoring technologies for prosthetic care in clinical settings. Clinicians identified frameworks in which these monitoring technologies could be incorporated into the clinic, how they can receive feedback as a multidisciplinary team, and the inclusion within patients’ medical records. Conclusions This information from prosthetic monitoring technologies could potentially change clinical practice in several ways: by improving the clinical assessment process, improving the prescription process, and improving the rehabilitation process. To improve the clinical assessment process, prosthetic monitoring information can provide real-world data of prosthesis user’s utilization, which could be used to quantify patients’ self-reports. To improve the prescription process, prosthetic monitoring information can enable clinicians to see if a patient was actively involved in any form of exercise and support them to position their prescription of components within an activity category for their patients. To improve the rehabilitation process, prosthetic monitoring information can be used to plan goals for patients, to measure the progress of patients, and to check for patients’ compliance. Clinical Relevance Statement The impact of these potential changes in clinical practice can ultimately lead to improved clinical decisions in prosthetic care and creation of an evidence-based system.

Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Eastern Hindu Kush Region Using Integrated Geo-Statistical and Spatial Hydrological Approach

Glacier retreat, a major impact of climate change that continues to occur in many parts of the world, continues to increase the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in northern Pakistan. The rapid melting of glaciers in the mountains of Northern Pakistan, including the Hindu Kush, the Himalayas and the Karakoram, the rapid melting of glacier has led to the formation of 3044 glacial lakes, with 33 identified as particularly vulnerable to GLOFs. This study uses remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) methods for mapping and representing GLOFs. Based on the observational data of lake area, volume, and depth, empirical equations are developed through statistical methods. Only two lakes, Chitral-GL2 and Swat-G31, are classified as lakes with high potential for GLOF. Through modeling techniques using HEC-RAS and HEC-GeoRAS spatial hydrological models integrated with GIS remote sensing, the spatial extent and depth of inundations under different lake volumes are assessed. The analysis reveals that a total area of 20.56 km2 is susceptible to submersion by GLOFs, with Chitral-GL2 flooding area of 14.80 km2 and Swat-GL31 5.79 km2. Different land types are impacted by critical water depths, with built-up and agricultural lands 2.7 km2 totally, and barren lands 8.93 km2 under different flood depths ranging from less than 5 m to over 15 m.

Building climate-resilient value chains in arid and semi-arid regions: a VC-ARID approach for rangeland adaptation in Kenya

AbstractClimate change has adversely impacted nature-based value chains in the arid and semi-arid regions. The study investigates the impact of climate change on nature-based value chains in arid and semi-arid environments. With an emphasis on rangeland adaptation in Kenya, the study used the VC-ARID (Value Chains for Arid and Semi-Arid Regions) approach, designed to build climate-resilient value chains in arid and semi-arid regions. The findings reveal that climate change poses significant risks to nature-based value chains, including reduced water availability, increased temperature variability, and changes in precipitation patterns. The study identifies several challenges to value chain development, such as limited access to climate information, financial resources, and supportive policies. It underscores the urgent need to integrate climate resilience into value chain interventions to achieve poverty reduction and food security goals in arid and semi-arid regions. This calls for active collaboration and investment in climate information services, research, and extension services to enhance the adaptive capacity of value chain actors and promote sustainable development in vulnerable regions. Given that climate hazards and changes are context-specific, strategies for improving value chains' sustainability must be customized to the unique ecological and socioeconomic setting in which the nature-based value chain operates. Consequently, to build value chains that are climate resilient, each actor along the chain must assess climate risks and manage the activities that make up the value chain adaptively.

Impact of policy change on late-term abortion: a two-decade analysis.

Advances in ultrasound and molecular genetics have changed the field of late termination of pregnancy (LTOP), sparking ethical debates worldwide. In 2007, Israel updated its LTOP policies, requiring a 30% or higher probability of severe handicap for approval of LTOP after 24weeks' gestation. In this retrospective study, we compared LTOP indications and approval rates before (Group 1: 1998-2007) and after (Group 2: 2008-2021) this policy change. Shamir medical records from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2021 were examined and yielded 4047 abortions, of which 248 were identified as LTOP preformed after 24weeks' gestation. These cases were then categorized into two groups. Data including maternal age, obstetric history, indications for abortion, diagnosis, week of termination, and genetic/sonographic findings were analyzed. The approval rates and indications pre- and post-policy change were compared. Group 1 (LTOP 1998-2007) comprised 95 cases (10.6%), and Group 2 (LTOP 2008-2021) was composed of 153 cases (4.9%). Fetal structural anomalies remained the dominant indication for both groups (67.4 and 65.3%, respectively), with a slight increase in confirmed genetic anomalies from 26.3% (Group 1) to 28% (Group 2). Our findings indicate a decrees in the proportion per year from 10.6 to 4.9% LTOP. Technological advances in genetic evaluation and sonography may have contributed to the early increased detection and decrees in cases reaching LTOP. These results highlight the importance of ongoing ethical reviews and adherence to strict protocols for early detection and termination before 24weeks' gestation.

Land use change and Ecological Network in rapid urban growth region in Selangor region, Malaysia

Rapid urbanization will cause various land use changes and the vast occupation of green spaces, a critical factor in the deterioration of biodiversity in urbanized areas. Some species of wildlife are endangered due to habitat shrunk and fragmentation. However, Malaysia's current biodiversity protection range is still limited. The Ecological Network (EN) refers to a framework of ecological components, which can be obtained by geographical and technical approaches to support more ecological diversity ranges. Furthermore, little research has been found on EN in Malaysia and the impact of land use change on EN. Therefore, the Selangor region is selected as the study area. This paper quantifies land use change and measures the extent of land use change to obtain the EN’s change. The result has shown that forestland has decreased, explored by people for housing and agriculture from 2000 to 2020. The EN has a trend of fragmentation. Overall, this study's results imply that the land use change led to EN's worsened performance from 2000 to 2020 in the study area. This paper hopes that this research could help supply information on conserving biodiversity in future development and urban sustainable planning in Malaysia.

Impact of Climate Change on Sericulture

Climate change is likely to pose problems to agriculture and its related industries in the future, which could result in both global and local development. The sericulture sector is impacted by climate change in a number of ways. Rising annual mean temperature, irregular rainfall, humidity, lack of management practices, accumulation of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and lack of management practices will lead to reduced production of raw silk, mulberry leaf yield, silk content, breakage in silk thread during reeling or spinning, water stress, drought, risk of soil acidification and salinization, decomposition of organic matter, Nitrogen fixation, and mineralization of N, P, and S and unpredictable monsoon. The impact of global warming on silkworms is more concerned as they participate in several biotic interactions that are critical to the ecological functioning of our country and significantly boost its GDP.

Climate Change impact on Weeds and Herbicide Efficacy

Climate change is the change in statistical distribution of weather pattern that lasts for an extended period of time. There are several components of these climate changes occurring globally that includes uneven rainfall, droughts, floods, warming of atmosphere etc. These are the most important challenges influencing natural ecosystems, agricultural productivity and food security. Climate change is not only influencing crop plants and forests directly but can also impact the pests of these crops. Weeds respond to climate change by changing the duration of their life cycles, population dynamics and shift to new habitats and become a potential competitor to crop plants thereby reducing the production and productivity of crops. Elevated temperature and elevated CO2 level in the environment interfere with herbicide activity, which affects the herbicide absorption, translocation and thereby reduces the efficacy of the applied herbicide. Weeds’ resistance to herbicides may probably increase due to further aggressive growth of weeds in future climate conditions, which can cause a decline in the efficacy of routinely used herbicides.

The Impact of Climate Change on Life Expectancy in the UK: Empirical Evidence from Fourier Bootstrap ARDL Procedure

This study aims to determine the impact of surface temperature change, considered a proxy for climate change in the United Kingdom, on life expectancy using annual data from 1990–2021. Government expenditure is used as a control variable. The Fourier function-based bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag model is utilized to examine the cointegration among variables. The analysis outcomes reveal a long-term relationship between life expectancy, surface temperature change, and government expenditure. Furthermore, the findings reveal that surface temperature change significantly reduces life expectancy in the long run, while there is no significant relationship between the two variables in the short term. The Toda-Yamamoto causality analysis results show a unidirectional causality relationship between surface temperature change and life expectancy. Additionally, a significant bidirectional causality relationship is found between life expectancy and government expenditure.

HIARA study protocol: impacts of artificial coral reef development on fisheries, human livelihoods and health in southwestern Madagascar

The Health Impacts of Artificial Reef Advancement (HIARA; in the Malagasy language, “together”) study cohort was set up in December 2022 to assess the economic and nutritional importance of seafood for the coastal Malagasy population living along the Bay of Ranobe in southwestern Madagascar. Over the course of the research, which will continue until at least 2026, the primary question we seek to answer is whether the creation of artificial coral reefs can rehabilitate fish biomass, increase fish catch, and positively influence fisher livelihoods, community nutrition, and mental health. Through prospective, longitudinal monitoring of the ecological and social systems of Bay of Ranobe, we aim to understand the influence of seasonal and long-term shifts in marine ecological resources and their benefits to human livelihoods and health. Fourteen communities (12 coastal and two inland) were enrolled into the study including 450 households across both the coastal (n = 360 households) and inland (n = 90 households) ecosystems. In the ecological component, we quantify the extent and health of coral reef ecosystems and collect data on the diversity and abundance of fisheries resources. In the social component, we collect data on the diets, resource acquisition strategies, fisheries and agricultural practices, and other social, demographic and economic indicators, repeated every 3 months. At these visits, clinical measures are collected including anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and mental health diagnostic screening. By analyzing changes in fish catch and consumption arising from varying distances to artificial reef construction and associated impacts on fish biomass, our cohort study could provide valuable insights into the public health impacts of artificial coral reef construction on local populations. Specifically, we aim to assess the impact of changes in fish catch (caused by artificial reefs) on various health outcomes, such as stunting, underweight, wasting, nutrient intake, hypertension, anxiety, and depression.

Novel anthropometric indices are superior adiposity indexes to portend visual impairment in middle-aged and older Chinese population

ObjectiveTo investigate differential associations of traditional and novel adiposity indices with visual impairment (VI) in the middle-aged and older Chinese population.Methods and analysisBased on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal...

Will the miniaturization of household size promote household carbon emissions in China? Analysis based on CFPS data

As the proportion of household carbon emissions to global carbon emissions continues to increase, reducing carbon emissions from household consumption has become an important way to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. How the trend of miniaturization of household size will affect household carbon emissions is a matter of concern. This paper uses a sample of 9,090 households from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) database in 2018 to empirically study the impact of changes in household size on household carbon emissions, from the perspective of household consumption structure and urban-rural areas. The research results indicate that the miniaturization of household size will increase household carbon emissions, the impact of household size on indirect HCEs is greater than on direct HCEs. The impact of household size on indirect HCEs is heterogeneous in consumption structure and the impact of household size on indirect HCEs from housing, transportation is greater than that of other consumption items. The impact of household size on urban household carbon emissions is greater than that in rural areas. The upgrading of household consumption structure and the miniaturization of household size promote the increase of HCEs jointly. Therefore, this paper proposes that under the trend of household miniaturization, energy-saving and emission reduction policies should focus on reducing indirect households carbon emissions, optimizing household structure and household consumption structure, enhancing environmental awareness among family members, establishing and improving the green consumption system, and building environment-friendly households.

The Impact of Climate Changes on Environmental Conservation in Coastal Tourism and Beach Resort

Coastal tourism and beach resorts are considered the most vulnerable tourism activities to climate change. This paper seeks to achieve two objectives: first, to examine climate change's impact on the value of tourists' experience in coastal tourism and beach resorts; Secondly, to identify the adaptation strategies applied to coastal tourism and beach resort hotels to reduce the negative effects of climate changes. A quantitative approach was adopted in this research to test the study hypotheses. Hurghada was selected as a case study. A convenience sample technique was chosen in this research to collect data from visitors of coastal tourism and beach resort hotel guests. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed, and only 175 were returned and valid for analysis with a response rate of 70%. The findings showed that coastal tourism and beach resort hotels on the Red Sea are highly vulnerable to potential climate change risks such as floods, rising sea levels and rising temperatures. Also, the findings showed that climate changes negatively affect coastal tourism and beach resort hotels, affecting the value of the tourist experience. In addition, the results indicated that coastal tourism and beach resort hotels on the Red Sea coast in Hurghada are exposed to significant financial losses due to the threats of climate change. Beach resort hotels must be able to adapt to climate changes and mitigate their effects.