Inefficient Use Research Articles

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAND FUND OF NAKHCHIVAN AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC

The article deals with the spread of agriculture and animal husbandry over vast territories, the transformation of natural landscapes, the formation of new economic areas with the development of productive forces, and the further multiplication of environmental impacts. We are talking about anthropogenic landscapes formed as a result of human economic activity, and about a number of dangers of these landscapes for life. We are talking about an increase in the area of the geographical environment, a continuous change in the natural land fund in an anthropogenic direction and that this change is due to an increase in the population and the share of the economy. It is about growing crops and ensuring the food needs of animals, as well as the need to meet the needs of people in agricultural and food products, and the importance of human land use in the field of agriculture. They talk about the rational and irrational use of nature by man and that, with rational use, the balance with nature is not disturbed. And with inefficient use, it is said that a person has taken away material goods and does not take any measures to maintain balance, as a result of which natural landscapes are transformed, the connection between natural complexes is disrupted. Based on the article, it can be said that agricultural activities and natural landscapes on the territory of Sharur, Babek, Kangerlinsky and Julfa districts have undergone a greater transformation.

REGIONAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BASED ON ESCOs: FEATURES OF CREATION AND APPLICATION

Excessive consumption and inefficient use of fuel and energy resources, unsatisfactorily high energy intensity of production of goods and services and their associated low competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets, in the context of a shortage of own energy resources and constant growth of prices for them, puts the problem of improving energy efficiency and energy saving of the regional and, as a result, national economy in the category of primary importance and relevance. The solution to this problem is achieved by creating a regional energy management system in regions (districts) on the platform of regional energy service companies, which allows, through a unified energy policy for the development and implementation of energy efficiency and energy saving projects in the region and the introduction of renewable energy sources, to more effectively address the problems of attracting foreign investment in the recovery and innovative development of the regional economy.

Enhancing crop yield and conserving soil moisture through mulching practices in dryland agriculture

Dryland agriculture requires the efficient utilization of water resources and the implementation of water-conserving technologies. Mulching is a water conservation practice used in arid land areas to preserve soil moisture, control temperature, and minimize soil evaporation rates. Organic mulching minimizes soil deterioration, enhances organic matter, and boosts the soil’s ability to retain water. Mulching can help keep moisture in the root zone, allowing plants to receive water for extended periods. Mulching with composted yard waste led to higher soil nutrient levels, including phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and organic matter when compared to uncovered soil. Under plastic mulch, soluble nutrients such as nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+), and fulvic acid are released as organic matter decomposes, enhancing the soil’s nutrient availability. Mulching has several advantages for dryland agriculture, such as reducing soil water loss, soil erosion, weed growth, water droplet kinetic energy, and competition for nutrients and water with nearby fields. This review article aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of ground mulching in water conservation. This is particularly important in arid regions where agricultural sustainability is at risk due to drought, heat stress, and the inefficient use of limited water resources during the cropping season. Ground mulching is essential for minimizing surface evaporation and hence decreasing water loss. This review research thoroughly examines the advantages of organic and synthetic mulches in crop production, as well as their use in the preservation of soil and water resources.

Purification process and mechanism analysis of low-concentration phosphorus wastewater with novel electrodeposition - biochar filter bed

Phosphate‑phosphorus (PO43−-P) is a non-renewable resource. Rapid agricultural activities and inefficient use of phosphate fertilizers contribute to the contamination of natural water resources due to PO43−-P accumulation. PO43−-P recovery in natural water with a low PO43−-P concentration, is conducive to the sustainable utilization of phosphate. Electrodeposition using Ca2+ to recover PO43−-P in natural water has great potential. However, the limitations of low-concentration PO43−-P recovery need to be addressed. This study designed a novel electrodeposition-biochar filter bed (E-BFB) to investigate the removal and recovery ability of PO43−-P at low concentrations. Efficient removal and recovery of PO43−-P was achieved through electrodeposition, biochar adsorption, and accumulation by microorganisms. Effects of different parameters on the performance of E-BFB for PO43−-P removal were studied, including influent PO43−-P concentration, voltage, and electrode spacing. Results showed that 69.4 % PO43−-P was removed when the influent PO43−-P concentration was 0.8 mg/L by E-BFB, as the average removal rate in the biochar filter bed (BFB) was only 11 %. The PO43−-P recovery rate of cathodic electrodeposition was as high as 37.22 %, accounting for 57 % of the total PO43−-P removal amount. The PO43−-P electrodeposition precipitate mainly was amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) through analysis. 16S rRNA results demonstrated that electrodeposition altered the microbial communities. At the genus level, such as Acinetobacter (26.6 %), Acidocella (11.7 %), and Pelomonas (7.2 %) were promoted in the biochar substrate of E-BFB. Overall, this novel E-BFB can remove PO43−-P at low concentrations effectively. It has great application prospects in the treatment of surface water by biofilters or constructed wetlands.

Abstract 337: Balanced-strand sequencing for highly efficient duplex variant calling in circulating tumor DNA

Abstract Several approaches for the detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are anchored in the accurate identification of cancer-specific single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in plasma. Such approaches are limited in ultra-low tumor fraction (TF) contexts, such as early cancer detection or the identification of postoperative minimal residual disease, where ctDNA SNVs are difficult to distinguish against background sequencing error. ctDNA detection in these critical low TF contexts is further limited by the sparse amount of cell free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma (Zviran et al., 2020). To reduce single-stranded artifact and base calling errors, duplex sequencing can be used to jointly analyze corresponding Watson and Crick strands to detect true, double-stranded variants. Recent work has demonstrated that duplex sequencing can decrease error rates to 10−7 (Hoang et al., 2016) and can be deployed in the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) setting (Cheng et al., 2023). A significant limitation for existing duplex techniques is the need to analytically pair matching DNA strands through exhaustive sequencing, resulting in inefficient use of scarce input material, particularly in plasma cfDNA. These techniques typically capture 1-5% of sequenced molecules, restricting duplex coverage depth. We present balanced-strand sequencing, a PCR-free approach that leverages the hydrogen bonds of complementary DNA to carry matched native strands directly into sequencing, enabling massively scalable duplex sequencing. The approach relies on Ultima Genomics sequencing, where DNA denaturation is not required prior to clonal amplification. In balanced strand sequencing, double-stranded DNA is partitioned and clonally amplified on sequencing beads through emulsion-PCR. Each double-stranded DNA molecule contributes to a single sequencing read, allowing for a linear increase in duplex recovery with increasing sequencing depth. The approach does not require redundant sequencing and therefore maximizes unique molecule throughput. We applied balanced strand sequencing to cfDNA, input as low as 5 ng, and achieved 7-35x whole-genome duplex coverage, roughly 20-fold higher than our prior duplex WGS. We further developed a machine-learning guided single read mutation calling framework, which when combined with duplex error suppression, reduced error rates to 10−7 and enabled accurate ctDNA detection at concentrations <10−5. Use of our analysis framework in APOBEC-mutant bladder cancer plasma samples allowed us to identify APOBEC signatures in plasma and platinum exposure signatures indicative of prior chemotherapy treatment. Altogether, balanced strand sequencing radically enhanced duplex efficiency and has broad applications across cancer. In cfDNA applications, balanced strand sequencing enhances error-correction in tumor-informed ctDNA detection and paves the way for non-tumor informed WGS ctDNA detection. Citation Format: Adam Widman, Alexandre P. Cheng, Aaron Sossin, Srinivas Rajagopalan, Majd Al Assaad, Sunil Deochand, Zoe Steinsnyder, Dina Manaa, Melissa Marton, Catherine Reeves, Itai Rusinek, Eti Meiri, Omer Barad, Zohar Shipony, Shlomit Gilad, Ariel Jaimovich, Michael Sigouros, Jyothi Manohar, Abigail King, David Wilkes, John Otilano, Olivier Elemento, Bishoy M. Faltas, Juan M. Mosquera, Dan A. Landau. Balanced-strand sequencing for highly efficient duplex variant calling in circulating tumor DNA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 337.

Domestic and International Site Remediation Progress

The regulation of urban construction land can effectively solve the problems of inefficient use of urban land, idle land, urban stock land. This paper systematically combs the practice and experience of construction land regulation in several countries at home and abroad, which provides reference for the development of construction land regulation projects in China. Under the new situation, we should adapt to the current situation that the objects, objectives and models of land reclamation are more diversified, implement the strategy of land connotation excavation and reclamation and redevelopment. The urban and rural land use structure and industrial layout must be further optimized to promote the economic and intensive use of land, and promote urban renewal and industrial transformation and upgrading.

Effects of Climatic Variations and Changing Land Use/Land Cover on Flooding in Southern Nigeria

The prevalence of flooding in Nigeria in the past few years (with its devastating consequences) has become a source of concern for policymakers and researchers alike. Scholars have attributed the high frequency of flooding, particularly in the southern region of Nigeria, to several factors; climatic variation and land use/land cover changes are themes that fall under the domain of natural and anthropogenic causes of flooding, respectively. This study examined climatic variations and changing land use/land cover in southern Nigeria with the view of determining their synergistic effects on flooding. We adopted a mixed approach for data collection with the use of Geographic Information System (GIS), retrieval of primary data from meteorological stations in the region, and field surveys. Findings show a significant decrease in rural land uses like arable lands, wetlands, and undisturbed forests; while there was a corresponding increase in urban/peri-urban land uses like settlements and tree-crop plantations over the period from 1999 to 2019. The land use/land cover changes have manifested in the destabilization of the microclimate, distortion of the carbon circle, loss of biodiversity, reduction of ecosystem services of the natural areas, and flooding. The decadal rainfall trends over the past three decades show consistent extremities with mean rainfall duration decreasing while the mean intensity increases; aggravating soil erosion, urban runoff challenges, and flooding. Climatic variations (mainly extreme rainfall patterns) synergize with inefficient land use management to exacerbate flooding in southern Nigeria. While policymakers in this region may not have the standalone capacity to significantly control climate change and the consequential variations in the local microclimate, they can re engineer land use policies to eliminate or substantially degrade anthropogenic factors that exacerbate flooding.

Reaching consensus on factors impacting optimal use of an orthopaedic emergency theatre in a public hospital.

The operating theatre (OT) complex of hospitals represents areas of considerable expenditure with regard to costs and requires maximum use to ensure optimum cost benefit for both patients and the hospital. Inefficient use of an operating theatre room (OTR) may result in hospital wasteful expenditure and frustrations for patients owing to surgery delays, cancellations and prolonged hospitalisation while waiting. The aim of the study was to explore and describe using a consensus method, factors impacting the use of an emergency orthopaedic theatre that can be optimised in a selected public hospital in Gauteng province. The study was conducted by a professional nurse and orthopaedic surgeon working in the theatre of a selected public hospital in Gauteng province. A qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Data were collected using a nominal group technique (NGT) among professional nurses and orthopaedic surgeons. Data analysis was done through cross-analysis where participants reached a consensus on the voted ideas from the group. Consensus was reached and three main themes emerged: (1) inadequate resources; (2) poor organisation and (3) communication. The optimal use of an emergency orthopaedic theatre is influenced by the availability of resources being human and material, good organisation and clear communication. The study has demonstrated that a variety of factors needs to be considered to optimise the use of an orthopaedic emergency theatre. The management of an OT requires a concerted effort from the nurses and doctors.

Zein/sodium abietate complex stabilized pickering emulsion as a delivery system for controlled release of hydrophobic photosensitive pesticide

Inefficient use of pesticides and the consequent environmental problems have led to the development of low-cost, environment-friendly and efficient pesticide delivery systems. Pickering emulsions (PK) stabilized by zein are considered to have many application prospects in the delivery of pesticides. Herein, the function of zein was improved by non-covalent binding with sodium abietate (RA-Na). Tea tree oil (TTO) was used as the solvent for hydrophobic photosensitive pesticide, avermectin (AVM), and also as a component of the oil phase of emulsion. The emulsion AVM@PK was oil in water (O/W) type that had certain foliar affinity. Under the same conditions of UV irradiation, the AVM residual rate of AVM@PK system was 2.4 times that of commercial emulsion (EC), showing superior UV resistance. AVM@PK released AVM at a faster rate under acidic/ basic conditions in vitro than under neutral conditions, with a certain pH response. In vitro bioactivity tests showed that AVM@PK had good antibacterial activity and insecticidal activity equivalent to EC. This system is expected to be used to prevent some plant pests while also preventing or treating some bacterial diseases. It is a simple, environment-friendly, low-cost, effective, and practical strategy for pesticide delivery.

OPTIMIZATION OF COMPRESSOR STATION LOADING AT VARIABLE COSTS OF TRANSPORTED GAS

During the operation of the gas pipeline system of the Russian Federation, a significant share of natural gas is consumed for the own needs of compressor stations of main gas pipelines.According to Gazprom's reporting, the share of natural gas for technological and fuel needs reaches 7 % of the production volume. The inefficient use of natural gas can be reduced by energy saving measures implementation.Energy saving issues are important not only for Gazprom PJSC, but also for the country's economy as a whole. The highest priority of the «Energy Strategy of Russia for the Period up to 2035» and «The Concept of Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency Improvement of Gazprom PJSC» is the maximal realization of all available energy saving potential.Saving of energy resources can be achieved by organization of their efficient con-sumption, the use of innovative energy-saving technologies and equipment, reduction of losses and gas consumption for the own needs of compressor stations.The article presents the results of the analysis of the parameters of natural gas pumping through the Chelyabinsk – Petrovsk main gas pipeline on the 112–292 km section operated by Gazprom Transgaz Ufa LLC.It has been established that the monthly unevenness of the gas supply through the gas pipeline under consideration varies from 0.062 to 0.195. As a result, in many modes, the compressor station, regardless of any possible schemes for switching on gas pumping units, does not allow the planned gas pumping mode to be ensured without bypassing part of the gas through the recirculation circuit of the station.One of the solutions to this problem is the installation of a recirculating valve, which allows to provide the required volume of gas flow through the recirculation line, while providing an economical mode of operation of the compressor station.

Implementation of Systolic Multiplier Using Hybrid Multiplexer Dependent Adder

Multipliers are basic building blocks in various integrated circuits like microprocessors, micro controllers, and ALUs. The existing multipliers suffer from high power consumption and inefficient use of hardware resources. They often rely on traditional adder structures that are not tailored for specific operations, leading to suboptimal performance. Additionally, their fixed architectures limit adaptability and scalability in different applications. So, the proposed approach offers enhanced computational efficiency and reduced power consumption compared to conventional multiplier designs. By integrating multiplexer-dependent adders into the systolic array, the proposed method optimizes resource utilization and delivers improved performance for various arithmetic operations. This integration allows for dynamic selection of adder types based on the specific multiplication operation, significantly reducing power consumption and latency. By adapting the hardware resources to computational needs, the method achieves higher efficiency and flexibility, making it suitable for a wide range of applications in digital signal processing and data processing systems.

Water-Retaining Agent as a Sustainable Agricultural Technique to Enhance Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Productivity in Tropical Soils

Reducing fertilizer doses under sustainable agricultural management is possible by increasing nutrient utilization efficiency, which will decrease crop production costs and boost economic return. Soil amendments known as water retention agents (WRAs) are added to the soil to enhance crop growth conditions. We hypothesize that the addition of WRAs may support the soil-retaining nutrients given through fertilization and prevent them from leaching into tropical soils characterized by severe rainfall due to WRAs’ exceptional capacities to absorb and store water. Mango trees (Mangifera indica L. cv Tainong No. 1) aged 18 years were fertilized with 100% or 80% of the recommended doses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The experimental design included three treatments, i.e., complete recommended doses of N, P, and K (CRF), 80% of the complete recommended doses (RRF), and water-retaining agent (40 kg ha−1) + 80% of the complete recommended doses (WRARRF). Reducing the fertilization doses by 20% for mango trees in the studied tropical soil significantly (p < 0.05) minimized the nutrient availability in the soil compared to the complete fertilization doses. WRARRF compensated for the nutrient reduction by increasing the availability of N, P, and K. The addition of WRARR increased N, P, and K in mango leaf by 11%, 4%, and 7% in the first year and by 11%, 6%, and 7% in the second year, respectively, compared to CRF. The addition of WRARR increased the partial fertilizer productivity (PFP) value by 36% and 41% in the first and second years, respectively. The highest mango fruit output was achieved by the addition of WRARRF, which resulted in increases in mango fruit yield of 11.9% and 16.5% in the first and second years, respectively, compared to RRF. Fruit quality traits showed the descending order: WRARRF > RRF > CRF. WRARRF produced the maximum economic benefit (USD 7372 per hectare) compared to CRF and RRF. The polyacrylamide/attapulgite water-retaining agent exhibited remarkable improvement in mango fruit yield and economic profit by regulating the release of nutrients in tropical soils. Water-retaining agents are an effective strategy for overcoming the extensive fertilization used in mango orchards, which has resulted in numerous environmental contaminations and the inefficient use of fertilizers.

NAWQ-SR: A Hybrid-Precision NPU Engine for Efficient On-Device Super-Resolution

In recent years, image and video delivery systems have begun integrating deep learning super-resolution (SR) approaches, leveraging their unprecedented visual enhancement capabilities while reducing reliance on networking conditions. Nevertheless, deploying these solutions on mobile devices still remains an active challenge as SR models are excessively demanding with respect to workload and memory footprint. Despite recent progress on on-device SR frameworks, existing systems either penalize visual quality, lead to excessive energy consumption or make inefficient use of the available resources. This work presents NAWQ-SR, a novel framework for the efficient on-device execution of SR models. Through a novel hybrid-precision quantization technique and a runtime neural image codec, NAWQ-SR exploits the multi-precision capabilities of modern mobile NPUs in order to minimize latency, while meeting user-specified quality constraints. Moreover, NAWQ-SR selectively adapts the arithmetic precision at run time to equip the SR DNN's layers with wider representational power, improving visual quality beyond what was previously possible on NPUs. Altogether, NAWQ-SR achieves an average speedup of 7.9×, 3× and 1.91× over the state-of-the-art on-device SR systems that use heterogeneous processors (MobiSR), CPU (SplitSR) and NPU (XLSR), respectively. Furthermore, NAWQ-SR delivers an average of 3.2× speedup and 0.39 dB higher PSNR over status-quo INT8 NPU designs, but most importantly mitigates the negative effects of quantization on visual quality, setting a new state-of-the-art in the attainable quality of NPU-based SR.

An Active Injected Location Method for DC Fault of Wind Power Based on Parallel Energy Absorption Module

In recent years, the widespread adoption of wind power has been facilitated by the rapid advancements in new energy generation technology. The precise identification and efficient management of DC faults in onshore wind farms has gained increasing significance. To address issues such as limited functionality, low device utilization, and the inefficient use of fault energy prevalent in current fault location methods applied in wind power flexible grid-connected systems, this study explores the storage and reuse technology of fault energy. The article proposes a topology structure designed to absorb and reuse fault energy under multiple DC faults, aiming to overcome the challenges posed by single-function methods. The structure and control strategy of this topology are clearly delineated, and the design methodology for topology electrical parameters is thoroughly investigated. Simulation studies were conducted to validate the electrical characteristics of the employed devices and assess the operational effectiveness of the proposed topology within wind power grid-connected systems. In comparison with conventional fault location methods, the proposed scheme exhibits multiple energy absorption functions for DC faults and fault location capabilities, especially in the presence of permanent DC faults. As a result, this approach maximizes the utilization of DC fault energy, ensuring higher device efficiency and a broader spectrum of functionalities.

Heat storage and release in binary paraffin-hexadecyl amine composites for solar greenhouses in cold climates

Traditional solar greenhouses in cold regions of China often suffer from poor thermal insulation and storage capacity, resulting in inefficient use of solar energy resources and reduced crop production efficiency. Therefore, it is crucial to explore methods to enhance the thermal conditions within these greenhouses. This paper proposes incorporating a “binary paraffin hexadecyl amine” phase change material into concrete, creating a novel composite material for use in a phase change thermal storage concrete slab. This approach can effectively address the previously mentioned issues. Two solar greenhouses were constructed to directly observe the material's impact on the thermal environment within a greenhouse. One greenhouse was equipped with the phase-change thermal storage slab, while the other served as a control greenhouse without the slab. Temperature field test was conducted on both greenhouses, and the obtained test data demonstrated the temperature regulation advantages of the phase-change greenhouses. Tomatoes were concurrently cultivated in both structures, and a temperature test was conducted to assess the phase-change heat-storage slab's influence on temperature regulation. The results indicate that, compared to similar studies, the phase-change heat-storage slab employed in this study demonstrates superior temperature regulation capabilities. It raises the average greenhouse temperature by 4.2 °C during winter, storing 8.85 × 104 kJ/m3 of heat per unit volume, which is 1.5 to 2.8 times higher than existing materials in the same category. In sunny conditions, the phase-change greenhouse exhibited a 4.9 °C reduction in maximum indoor temperature during the day and a 3.5 °C increase in minimum indoor temperature at night compared to the control greenhouse. This indicated that the phase-change heat storage slab acted as a heat buffer, effectively regulating the temperature inside the solar greenhouse. Tomatoes experienced a 26.6 % increase in effective accumulated temperature, resulting in maturation period occurring 13.04 % earlier compared to the control greenhouse.

Economic analysis of potential of citrus and walnut fruits by artificial neural network

South Asian countries have a wealth of opportunities to use the rainfed lands to the farmers’ advantage with the largest amount of rainfed land. The economic circumstances of the farmers operating in these areas are appalling due to the inefficient use of these lands. The work reported in this paper was carried out in the Jammu, Kathua, and Udhampur districts of the Jammu division. Two horticultural crops, viz., citrus and walnuts, were discovered to be cultivated in the chosen sample location. The influence of several elements to the financial potential of these horticultural crops was investigated using production functional analysis and marginal value productivity (MVP). The use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) further assisted this. According to a production functional analysis, the main variables in the districts of Udhampur and Kathua are machine labour and fertilisers, followed by human labour and fertilisers in the Jammu district. However, sensitivity analysis revealed the importance of manure, fertilisers, and manpower. In the rainfed portions of Jammu division, manpower combined with fertilisers is often thought of as the key determining factor for the profitability of horticulture crops like citrus and walnut. The absence of better varieties was identified via Garett ranking as the main restriction, followed by a lack of knowledge and expensive inputs, respectively.

Income, extreme temperature, and residential electricity consumption in the Spanish Provinces

The effect of income and extreme temperatures on the residential electricity consumption in Spain is analyzed. An electricity demand function is estimated by means of ordinary least squares-Driscoll and Kraay, feasible generalized least squares, and quantiles panel data techniques, for the total of the sample, and by coastal climatic zones. The results support the energy-environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for Spain, the continental, and Mediterranean zones. An N form is found for the Atlantic zone. The results also reflect that increases in temperature above 22∘C and decreases below 15∘C increase electricity consumption, this increase being progressive as temperatures vary. Thus, extreme temperature generates electricity consumption growth. The Mediterranean zone is most sensitive to these temperature changes. The results also show that electricity consumption is more sensitive to cold than to heat. The results suggest an inefficient use of heating and cooling appliances in the areas with the highest electricity consumption.

E-coaching systems and social justice: ethical concerns about inequality, coercion, and stigmatization

AbstractPoor self-regulation has been linked to various behaviors that contribute to pressing societal issues, including rising household debt, inefficient use of sustainable resources, and increasing healthcare demands. In light of this observation, the prospect of individuals receiving automated, tailored support by “e-coaching systems” to scaffold and improve their self-regulation is thought to hold promise for making society-wide progress in addressing such issues. Though there may be legitimate reasons for promoting the use of such systems, and individuals might welcome the support, our aim in the present article is to contribute to the ethics of e-coaching by showing how societal pressures towards the widespread adoption of automated e-coaching systems raise concerns in relation to three distinct aspects of social justice. We argue that societal inequalities may be introduced or exacerbated by (1) unequal access to the technologies, (2) unequally distributed restrictions to liberty and subjection to coercion, and (3) the potentially disparate impact of the use of e-coaching technologies on (self-)stigmatizing perceptions of competence. The article offers a research agenda for studying and addressing these concerns.

Integrated municipal management of waste from tree pruning and removal

Urban forests generate a significant amount of waste from leaf fall, pruning and removal of trees. This lignocellulosic material is typically used for composting, burned (with or without energy generation) or disposed in landfills. Despite its potential use for environmentally friendly purposes, access to the material is still limited, mainly due to the lack of knowledge about its generation and quantity, difficulties in sorting, and issues related to the transport and storage of this waste. Thus, this article characterizes an urban afforestation system, quantifies the generation of waste, and proposes an integrated municipal system for the use of this waste material. After describing the procedures and operations performed for tree pruning and removal, we report a case study of the city of Piracicaba, São Paulo State, Brazil, covering a period of 15 months. We adjusted empirical equations (Log Spurr, Spurr, and Schumacher-Hall models) to estimate the volume of waste produced, serving as a basis for the development of waste quantification methods. The city was estimated to generate an average of 180 tons of afforestation waste per month, composed mainly of leaves and thin branches (69%). Composting alone was considered an inefficient use of the material (about 31% of waste is not beneficially utilized). This material can be applied for the production of different products with high added value. Models to predict the generation of waste can contribute to the planning of municipal waste management. The Schumacher-Hall and Log Spurr models produced the best results. In general, the results indicated that adequate urban planning can help reduce waste disposal and burning by local governments. Additionally, carrying out the quantification of waste and exploring the use of new recovery measures of waste from urban afforestation can help support sustainable local development.

The convergence of total-factor energy efficiency across Chinese cities: A distribution dynamics approach

Improving energy efficiency is considered the most direct route to reducing carbon emissions on a massive scale. To examine the long-run trend of China's energy efficiency, this paper employs a distribution dynamics approach to analyze the convergence of total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) across 286 Chinese cities between 2002 and 2014. The result suggests the existence of convergence, which comes more from the efficiency declines in the high TFEE cities rather than the efficiency gains in the low TFEE cities. Despite the fact that a few cities have performed well in energy efficiency, the majority of cities have converged to a low-efficiency point. Further analyses show that the inefficiency was attributed to inefficient energy use in small- and medium-sized cities. Our analysis provides strong scientific support for China's ongoing energy conservation and environmental protection policies.