Marginal Level Research Articles

Blending identity-specific depiction and activism advocacy in Black-centric health advertising on social media: intersectional health communication targeting Black cisgender heterosexual and Black LGBTQ populations

Health disparity disproportionately impacts people of color, intersectionally marginalized Black LGBTQ members in particular. To effectively communicate with these populations on issues and biomedical advancements impacting them, health advertising has started applying identity-specific approaches and integrating political activism in their strategies. The present study examines how different identity-specific sex-positive depictions (i.e., heterosexual, queer) in a Black-centric health advertising campaign on the HIV-preventative drug, PrEP, interact with the audience’s identity to influence the Black cisgender heterosexual and Black LGBTQ-identified Americans’ (N = 630) responses to PrEP and the campaign. Moreover, the study examines whether such joint effects are moderated by how the campaign incorporates activism (i.e., intersectional, non-intersectional, no activism). The findings demonstrated that identity-specific sex-positive depiction indeed interacted with audience identity to impact perceived susceptibility to contracting HIV, response efficacy, intention to adopt PrEP when offered for free, and positive attitudes towards the campaign. Especially, groups with various levels of intersectional marginalization responded differently to the effects of identity-specific depiction.

Modeling of Respiratory Motion to Support the Minimally Invasive Destruction of Liver Tumors.

Objective: Respiratory movements are a significant factor that may hinder the use of image navigation systems during minimally invasive procedures used to destroy focal lesions in the liver. This article aims to present a method of estimating the displacement of the target point due to respiratory movements during the procedure, working in real time. Method: The real-time method using skin markers and non-rigid registration algorithms has been implemented and tested for various classes of transformation. The method was validated using clinical data from 21 patients diagnosed with liver tumors. For each patient, each marker was treated as a target and the remaining markers as target position predictors, resulting in 162 configurations and 1095 respiratory cycles analyzed. In addition, the possibility of estimating the respiratory phase signal directly from intraoperative US images and the possibility of synchronization with the 4D CT respiratory sequence are also presented, based on ten patients. Results: The median value of the target registration error (TRE) was 3.47 for the non-rigid registration method using the combination of rigid transformation and elastic body spline curves, and an adaptation of the assessing quality using image registration circuits (AQUIRC) method. The average maximum distance was 3.4 (minimum: 1.6, maximum 6.8) mm. Conclusions: The proposed method obtained promising real-time TRE values. It also allowed for the estimation of the TRE at a given geometric margin level to determine the estimated target position. Directions for further quantitative research and the practical possibility of combining both methods are also presented.

Pubertal progression and its relationship to psychological and behavioral outcomes among adolescent boys

Variations in pubertal timing and tempo have relevance to psychosocial development. Accounting for pubertal timing, tempo, and psychosocial development simultaneously in a model remains challenging. This study aimed to document the typology of pubertal development in a cohort of Taiwanese adolescent boys and then to examine how the associations between psychosocial variables across time vary by the patterns of pubertal development. A group of adolescent boys (n = 1,368) reported pubertal signs and psychosocial variables for 3 years since seventh grade. The growth mixture model revealed three major classes of pubertal transition: average pubertal growth, late-onset with rapid catch-up, and late-onset with slow catch-up. In a cross-lagged panel model, the multigroup analysis found the regression coefficients mostly invariant across all three classes, except those between deviant behavior and subsequent changes in depressive symptoms that were significantly positive only in the late-onset with slow catch-up group. Adolescent boys in this group were estimated to have the highest marginal level of depressive symptoms and deviant behavior in ninth grade among the three classes. Our study highlights the heterogeneity in boys' pubertal development and the role of the pubertal development pattern in their psychosocial development.

Analyzing the profitability determinants of financial institutions: Evidence from East Asians countries

Starting around 1960, Asia, the biggest and the most crowded place on the planet, has become wealthier compared to the rest of the world. Such growth and development definitely have not happened to other countries at a similar speed all around the continent. The western region of Asia has developed at a similar pace as the remainder of the world. However, the eastern region has grown to an unmatched level. With this in mind, this study aims to investigate the factors that determine and influence the profitability of the financial institution in East Asia. Panel data of eight East Asian countries were selected for the time frame between 2002 to 2021. Analysis of various factors that play an important role in altering the financial institution’s profitability level was performed. These factors include the net interest margin, capital total assets, cost to income, non-performing loans, bank stability, the gross domestic product, and liquidity. The results displayed distinctive values. First, factors such as capital total assets, the stability of the bank, and gross domestic product revealed a significant influence on the net interest margin. Additionally, liquidity, the cost of income, non-performing loans, and the gross domestic product presented a decrease in the level of net interest margin. This is acceptable for the liquidity and non-performing loans since they have an inverse relationship with the net interest margin. On the other hand, a 1% increase in the capital total asset and the stability of the bank has enlarged the net interest margin by 0.05% and 0.04% successively. Hence, the results of this study may be valuable for other countries to consider in efforts to reshape their financial sector and monetary efficiency. The discoveries may also contribute significantly to the existing literature in this area since there is limited investigation concerning the East Asian region’s financial sector.

Gender Inequality in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Associations with Parental Physical Abuse and Moderation by Child Gender.

Gender inequality perpetuates women’s economic insecurity and a culture of violence. Parental distress caused by economic pressure may increase violence against children. High levels of gender inequality and interpersonal violence may contribute to higher levels of physical abuse. Using an ecological perspective, this study examines the association of country-level gender inequality and household-level parental physical abuse, and the moderating role of child gender in this association in low- and middle-income countries. We used data on over 420,000 households from the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and country-level indicators from the United Nations Development Program Human Development data. We employed multilevel logistic regression to examine the association between gender inequality with the log-odds of physical abuse after accounting for country- and individual-level covariates. In order to more fully explore our results, we calculated predicted probabilities of abuse for several scenarios. The results indicated that higher levels of gender inequality were associated with higher probabilities of physical abuse. This association was stronger for female children than for male children. The probabilities of abuse by child gender were indistinguishable, although rates of physical abuse converged as gender inequality increased, at a statistically marginal level. These findings indicate that macro-level interventions that reduce gender inequality are necessary to prevent and reduce child physical abuse.

Robot behavior debugger for non-expert users in convenience stores using behavior trees

ABSTRACT As the problematic consequence of an aging society, with increasing labor shortage, there is a need for service robots to efficiently support the works in many places such as convenience stores. However, it is difficult to program a robot behavior and meet the needs of the shop staff (i.e. non-expert users who lack of knowledge and experience in robot programming). Hence, there is the need for a system to help non-expert users to identify and fix the issues within the robot behaviors. This paper proposes a Behavior Tree-based robot behavior creation system for non-expert users with four debugging features and a simulator. Non-expert users can use drag-and-drop composition to create the robot behavior program. Moreover, our debugger allows non-expert users to use breakpoints, log node status, monitor node execution, show robot status variables, and also can visually verify the robot behaviors via a simulator. We evaluate the effectiveness of our debugging system with 14 non-expert users by asking them to solve three tasks (i.e. creating and fixing Behavior Trees) from the given convenience store scenario. The experimental results show that more than 70% of non-expert users can utilize our debugging features to finish all the tasks. Additionally, our system usability has a high marginal level from the subjects' perspective according to the System Usability Scale (SUS).

Old Ghosts/New Regrets

With the onset of the pandemic, the precarious position of Roma communities in Bulgaria, particularly young people and their future prospects, seem bleaker than ever before, reaching new heights in terms of their insecurity. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, conducted prior to and post several lockdowns during the pandemic (2020-2021), this paper will place forward the argument that the crisis we are currently witnessing, the unprecedented levels of multi-faceted social marginalization and exclusion are intensified by ‘old ghosts’ that have haunted social policy for decades and the withdrawal of the state during the lockdowns will most certainly have a devastating impact – ‘new regrets’, one’s which cannot be overcome by simply providing access to the consumer market economy, the mantra on which the pathways towards revitalization are premised.

Prediction of daily mean and one-hour maximum PM2.5 concentrations and applications in Central Mexico using satellite-based machine-learning models.

Machine-learning algorithms are becoming popular techniques to predict ambient air PM2.5 concentrations at high spatial resolutions (1 × 1 km) using satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD). Most machine-learning models have aimed to predict 24 h-averaged PM2.5 concentrations (mean PM2.5) in high-income regions. Over Mexico, none have been developed to predict subdaily peak levels, such as the maximum daily 1-h concentration (max PM2.5). Our goal was to develop a machine-learning model to predict mean PM2.5 and max PM2.5 concentrations in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area from 2004 through 2019. We present a new modeling approach based on extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and inverse-distance weighting that uses AOD, meteorology, and land-use variables. We also investigated applications of our mean PM2.5 predictions that can aid local authorities in air-quality management and public-health surveillance, such as the co-occurrence of high PM2.5 and heat, compliance with local air-quality standards, and the relationship of PM2.5 exposure with social marginalization. Our models for mean and max PM2.5 exhibited good performance, with overall cross-validated mean absolute errors (MAE) of 3.68 and 9.20 μg/m3, respectively, compared to mean absolute deviations from the median (MAD) of 8.55 and 15.64 μg/m3. In 2010, everybody in the study region was exposed to unhealthy levels of PM2.5. Hotter days had greater PM2.5 concentrations. Finally, we found similar exposure to PM2.5 across levels of social marginalization. Machine learning algorithms can be used to predict highly spatiotemporally resolved PM2.5 concentrations even in regions with sparse monitoring. Our PM2.5 predictions can aid local authorities in air-quality management and public-health surveillance, and they can advance epidemiological research in Central Mexico with state-of-the-art exposure assessment methods.

Association of Serum Pyridoxal Phosphate Levels with Established Status Epilepticus.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of pyridoxine deficiency, measured by pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) levels, in patients admitted to the hospital with established (benzodiazepine-resistant) status epilepticus (SE) (eSE) and to compare to three control groups: intensive care unit (ICU) patients without SE (ICU-noSE), non-ICU inpatients without SE (non-ICU), and outpatients with or without a history of epilepsy (outpatient). This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the University of North Carolina Hospitals and Yale New Haven Hospital. Participants included inpatients and outpatients who had serum PLP levels measured during clinical care between January 2018 and March 2021. The first PLP level obtained was categorized as normal (> 30nmol/L), marginal (≤ 30nmol/L), deficient (≤ 20nmol/L), and severely deficient (≤ 5nmol/L). A total of 293 patients were included (52 eSE, 40 ICU-noSE, 44 non-ICU, and 157 outpatient). The median age was 55 (range 19-99) years. The median PLP level of the eSE group (12nmol/L) was lower than that of the ICU-noSE (22nmol/L, p = 0.003), non-ICU (16nmol/L, p = 0.05), and outpatient groups (36nmol/L, p < 0.001). Patients with eSE had a significantly higher prevalence of marginal and deficient PLP levels (90 and 80%, respectively) than patients in each of the other three groups (ICU-noSE: 70, 50%; non-ICU: 63, 54%; outpatient: 38, 21%). This significantly higher prevalence persisted after correcting for critical illness severity and timing of PLP level collection. Our study confirms previous findings indicating a high prevalence of pyridoxine deficiency (as measured by serum PLP levels) in patients with eSE, including when using a more restricted definition of pyridoxine deficiency. Prevalence is higher in patients with eSE than in patients in all three control groups (ICU-noSE, non-ICU, and outpatient). Considering the role of pyridoxine, thus PLP, in the synthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid and its easy and safe administration, prospective studies on pyridoxine supplementation in patients with eSE are needed.

The adjuvant effect of a mouthwash containing green tea and hyaluronic acid on the peri-implant parameters: a pilot short-term clinical evaluation

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the adjuvant effect of a mouthwash containing green tea and hyaluronic acid on the peri-implant clinical parameters in full arch implant-supported fixed prosthesis users. Eleven patients with a total of 75 implants that supported 6 lower total fixed prostheses and 7 upper total fixed prostheses agreed to participate in this short-term pilot study. Patients were submitted to clinical analysis of the implants at baseline and 10 days after initial product use. The probing depth, level of the peri-implant mucosa, clinical attachment level, peri-implant mucosa inflammation index and visible plaque index in each of the 6 sites were evaluated. To perform these analyses all, the prostheses were unscrewed during both intervention points. In general, the newly-developed mouthwash was shown to be safe to use with no signs of negative side effects. Additionally, biofilm and inflammation index were both reduced, with changes in the peri-implant mucosa marginal level due to inflammation reduction. It can be concluded that the mouthwash containing green tea and hyaluronic acid successfully reduced biofilm accumulation and inflammation around dental implants in full arch implant-supported fixed prosthesis safely in a short-term evaluation period.

The use of a gel and a dentifrice containing green tea and hyaluronic acid reduced the biofilm and inflammation around dental implants. A short-term pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of different vehicles of oral hygiene containing green tea and hyaluronic acid on the peri-implant clinical parameters. In this study, 21 patients with a total of 112 implants used one of the vehicles tested: 1) dentifrice (10); 2) Gel (11). The patients who received the gel or dentifrice presented a partial fixed rehabilitation supported by implants. Patients were submitted to the clinical analysis on the implants at the baseline and after 10 days of the begging of the use of the products. The probing depth, level of the peri-implant mucosa, distance from the implant platform to the bottom the peri-implant pocket sulcus the gingival inflammation index and the visible plaque index in each of the 6 sites were evaluated. In general, the dentifrice and gel all the products showed to promote a reduction of the biofilm index and inflammation with a slight alteration at the peri-implant mucosa marginal level due to the reduction of the inflammation. It was not perceived side effects related with the use of the dentifrice or gel. So, the conclusion of this pilot study was that the use of the different vehicles containing green tea and hyaluronic acid were able to reduce the biofilm accumulation and the inflammation around the dental implants with safety in a short-term evaluation period in users of partial fixed rehabilitation supported by implants.

Refinement of the mathematical model of electrical energy measurement uncertainty in reduced load mode

The object of the study is a three-phase commercial electricity metering unit for 380 V electrical grids. The uncertainty of electricity measurement in the reduced load mode is estimated by the relative deviation of the active energy, measured by the metering unit, from the actual value. The specified deviation is considered as the value of relative deviations on measuring channels, weighted by phase currents. The method of estimating the uncertainty of electricity measurement by one channel of the metering unit is based on the approach to estimating non-random uncertainty using the fuzzy set theory. The parameters of membership functions for the relative deviation of the metering unit readings are estimated at fixed levels of the channel current. Approximation of such functions for different current levels allows you to obtain a set of boundaries of the L-R type fuzzy function corresponding to a set of confidence levels. This allows determining the impact of the load phase current on the measurement uncertainty if the amount of empirical data is limited. The mathematical model for estimating the uncertainty of electricity measurement at reduced load using a fuzzy function was refined. The proposed model differs from the known ones by taking into account the influence of load values for each phase of the metering unit on the measurement uncertainty indicators. The method for determining the membership function and the marginal confidence level, which characterize the uncertainty of energy metering by the metering unit, is proposed. The mathematical modeling results are confirmed as adequate to the experimental data. The proposed model for estimating the measurement uncertainty allows estimating the level of underestimation and clarifying financial calculations between the seller and the buyer of electricity.

Combination of enrichment factor and positive matrix factorization in the estimation of potentially toxic element source distribution in agricultural soil.

The study intended to assess the level of pollution of potential toxic elements (PTEs) at different soil depths and to evaluate the source contribution in agricultural soil. One hundred and two soil samples were collected for both topsoil (51), and the subsoil (51) and the content of PTEs (Cr, Cu, Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, As and Zn) were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The concentrations of Zn and Cd in both soil horizons indicated that the current study levels were higher than the upper continental crust (UCC), world average value (WAV), and European average values (EAV). Nonetheless, the concentration values of PTEs such as Mn and Cu for EAV, As, Cu, Mn, and Pb for UCC, and Pb for WAV were lower than the average values of the corresponding PTEs in this study. The single pollution index, enrichment factor, and ecological risk revealed that the pollution level ranged from low to high. The pollution load index, Nemerow pollution index, and risk index all revealed that pollution levels ranged from low to high. The spatial distribution confirmed that pollution levels varied between the horizons; that is, the subsoil was considered slightly more enriched than the topsoil. Principal component analysis identified the PTE source as geogenic (i.e. for Mn, Cu, Ni, Cr) and anthropogenic (i.e. for Pb, Zn, Cd, and As). PTEs were attributed to various sources using enrichment factor-positive matrix factorization (EF-PMF) and positive matrix factorization (PMF), including geogenic (e.g. rock weathering), fertilizer application, steel industry, industrial sewage irrigation, agrochemicals, and metal works. Both receptor models allotted consistent sources for the PTEs. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to the receptor models (EF-PMF and PMF), and their efficiency was tested and assessed using root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and R2 accuracy indicators. The validation and accuracy assessment of the receptor models revealed that the EF-PMF receptor model output significantly reduces errors compared with the parent model PMF. Based on the marginal error levels in RMSE and MAE, 7 of the 8 PTEs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Zn) analysed performed better under the EF-PMF receptor model. The EF-PMF receptor model optimizes the efficiency level in source apportionment, reducing errors in determining the proportion contribution of PTEs in each factor. The purpose of building a model is to maximize efficiency while minimizing inaccuracy. The marginal error limitation encountered in the parent model PMF was circumvented by EF-PMF. As a result, EF-PMF is feasible and useful for apparently polluted environments, whether farmland, urban land, or peri-urban land.

The Association of Health Literacy with Health-Related Quality of Life in Youth and Young Adults with Spina Bifida: A Cross-Sectional Study

The objective of the study was to determine if health literacy is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with spina bifida. Between June 2019 and March 2020, the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Pediatric Global Health-7 (PGH-7), a measure of HRQOL, and the Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool (BRIEF) were administered to patients ≥12years old with a diagnosis of spina bifida seen in our multidisciplinary spina bifida center. Questionnaires were completed at scheduled clinic visits. The primary outcome was the PGH-7 normalized T-score. The primary exposure was the BRIEF score. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained from the medical record. Nested, multivariable linear regression models assessed the association between health literacy and the PGH-7 score. Of 232 eligible patients who presented to clinic, 226 (97.4%) met inclusion criteria for this study. The median age was 17.0years (range: 12-31). Most individuals were female (54.0%) and had myelomeningocele (61.5%). Inadequate, marginal, and adequate health literacy levels were reported by 35.0%, 28.3%, and 36.7% of individuals. In univariable analysis, higher health literacy levels were associated with higher PGH-7 scores. In nested, sequentially adjusted multivariable linear regression models, a higher health literacy level was associated with a stepwise increase in the PGH-7 score. In the fully adjusted model, adequate health literacy and marginal health literacy, compared with inadequate health literacy, were associated with increases in a PGH-7 score of 3.3 (95% CI: 0.2-6.3) and 1.1 (95% CI: -2.0 to 4.2), respectively. Health literacy was associated with HRQOL after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Strategies incorporating healthliteracy are needed to improve HRQOL in AYAs with spina bifida.

Enhanced exon skipping and prolonged dystrophin restoration achieved by TfR1-targeted delivery of antisense oligonucleotide using FORCE conjugation in mdx mice.

Current therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) use phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMO) to induce exon skipping in the dystrophin pre-mRNA, enabling the translation of a shortened but functional dystrophin protein. This strategy has been hampered by insufficient delivery of PMO to cardiac and skeletal muscle. To overcome these limitations, we developed the FORCETM platform consisting of an antigen-binding fragment, which binds the transferrin receptor 1, conjugated to an oligonucleotide. We demonstrate that a single dose of the mouse-specific FORCE-M23D conjugate enhances muscle delivery of exon skipping PMO (M23D) in mdx mice, achieving dose-dependent and robust exon skipping and durable dystrophin restoration. FORCE-M23D-induced dystrophin expression reached peaks of 51%, 72%, 62%, 90%and 77%, of wild-type levels in quadriceps, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, diaphragm, and heart, respectively, with a single 30 mg/kg PMO-equivalent dose. The shortened dystrophin localized to the sarcolemma, indicating expression of a functional protein. Conversely, a single 30 mg/kg dose of unconjugated M23D displayed poor muscle delivery resulting in marginal levels of exon skipping and dystrophin expression. Importantly, FORCE-M23D treatment resulted in improved functional outcomes compared with administration of unconjugated M23D. Our results suggest that FORCE conjugates are a potentially effective approach for the treatment of DMD.

Vortex merging and splitting events in viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

Recent experiments have reported a novel transition to elasto-inertial turbulence in the Taylor–Couette flow of a dilute polymer solution. Unlike previously reported transitions, this newly discovered scenario, dubbed vortex merging and splitting (VMS) transition, occurs in the centrifugally unstable regime and the mechanisms underlying it are two-dimensional: the flow becomes chaotic due to the proliferation of events where axisymmetric vortex pairs may be either created (vortex splitting) or annihilated (vortex merging). In this paper, we present direct numerical simulations, using the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic-Peterlin (FENE-P) constitutive equation to model the polymer dynamics, which reproduce the experimental observations with great accuracy and elucidate the reasons for the onset of this surprising dynamics. Starting from the Newtonian limit and increasing progressively the fluid's elasticity, we demonstrate that the VMS dynamics is not associated with the well-known Taylor vortices, but with a steady pattern of elastically induced axisymmetric vortex pairs known as diwhirls. The amount of angular momentum carried by these elastic vortices becomes increasingly small as the fluid's elasticity increases and it eventually reaches a marginal level. When this occurs, the diwhirls become dynamically disconnected from the rest of the system and move independently from each other in the axial direction. It is shown that vortex merging and splitting events, along with local transient chaotic dynamics, result from the interactions among diwhirls, and that this complex spatio-temporal dynamics persists even at elasticity levels twice as large as those investigated experimentally.

Geometric analysis of otoliths in Cyprinion kais and Cyprinion macrostomus

Cyprinion macrostomus and Cyprinion kais are species that inhabit in the Tigris River. These fishes, formerly considered as the same species, have been listed as different species by taking differences in jaw and mouth structures into consideration. The mouth shape of C.kais is distinct and small. The mouth is convex and has broad lateral lobes. The mouth of C.macrostomus is wider, is convex and lacks lateral lobes. This study aimed to determine the shape-dependent variability in the breed and sex factors of otoliths of the fish species C.kais and C.macrostomus. For this purpose, 30 right otoliths from both species were used. Geometric morphometric analyses were performed by marking semilandmarks on the otoliths. When examining the results of the analysis, it was found that the first base component accounted for the total shape difference by 26.871% and the first three base components accounted for the total shape difference by 52.235%. In the regression analysis of shape on dimension, it was found that 2.1020% of shape could be estimated in terms of size according to the groups. In the wire-frame wrap graph showing group-based shape differences, it was found that C.kais was wider than C.macrostomus at the level of the dorsal margin and the rostrum region of C.macrostomus was larger and sharply pointed. Consequently, it is believed that the data of the study can be reference for many disciplines, especially for taxonomic classification of species.

An available-to-promise stochastic model for order promising based on dynamic resource reservation policy

Facing uncertain future customer orders, a pull-based available-to-promise (ATP) mechanism will deteriorate the overall profit since it allocates critical resources only to current customer orders. To prevent current less-profitable customer orders from over-consuming critical resources, this study investigates a push–pull based ATP problem with two time stages and three profit margin levels, and develops a dynamic resource reservation policy to maximise the expected total profit. Then, a corresponding push–pull based stochastic ATP model is established with known independent demand distributions, and the optimal reservation level is derived by the genetic algorithm to maximise the expected total profit. Finally, a series of simulation experiments are conducted to reveal the impact of some key factors, and the experiment results provide theoretical guidance and implementation methods for companies to maximise overall profits.

Determining the environmental and economic implications of lupin cultivation in wheat-based organic rotation systems in Galicia, Spain

Crop rotation represents a potentially sustainable strategy to address environmental problems of intensive agricultural practices, such as soil degradation, biodiversity reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions. This manuscript assesses the environmental and economic implications of introducing lupin cultivation into winter wheat-based rotation systems under an organic regime in Galicia, Spain. Life Cycle Assessment methodology was used to determine the environmental impacts of three rotation systems over a six-year period: lupin → wheat → rapeseed (OA1), lupin → potato → wheat (OA2), and lupin → wheat → rapeseed ‖ maize (OA3). For a robust assessment, three functional units were applied: land management (ha), economic indicator (gross margin in euros) and protein content (1 kg of protein-corrected grain). Moreover, the environmental profiles were compared with rotation systems without lupin crop in a conventional regime. In terms of Global Warming, impacts of about 2214, 3119 and 766 kg CO2eq·ha−1 were obtained for OA1, OA2 and OA3, respectively. Moreover, OA1 is the best rotation in terms of land and protein. Meanwhile, OA2 rotation is the best choice in the economic function, as it obtained the highest level of gross margin (5708 €·ha−1). Furthermore, with the exception of acidification, organic systems are less impactful than conventional systems. Ammonia emissions from the use of manure are the reason for these higher impacts. Organic rotations OA1 and OA2 have about 6 % or 15 % less gross margin than their conventional counterparts, respectively, however, an increase of 28 % was obtained for rotation OA3. This study helps decision-makers to implement environmentally and economically viable strategies.

The Impact of Pandemic on GDP Growth Rate, FDI and Export: A Case Study of Turkey

It has been two years since the outbreak of Covid 19, and we still live with the pandemic. No one knows when the pandemic will finish and how long it will take until all is back to normal and the global economy fully recovers from the pandemic. Undoubtedly, the Corona crisis has had devastating effects on the global economy. The global GDP decreased by 3.5%, the global FDIs were below $ 1 trillion for the first time in the last 20 years in 2020, falling 35% compared to 2019, and the global trade dropped 5.3% at the same time. The main objective of this paper is to discover the impact of a pandemic on the Turkish economy, or more precisely, on the Turkish GDP growth rate, FDI inflows, and export. To get the most reliable results, a multiple regression analysis has been conducted, using the contemporary economic software EViews 12. World Pandemic Uncertainty Index (WPUI) that was introduced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2020 was used as a measure of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. For the robustness of the analysis, World Uncertainty Index (WUI), which measures the overall uncertainty caused by the economic and political factors, was also included. The data about GDP growth rate and export were provided from the World Bank Database, while the data for the FDI inflows from UNCTAD. Different independent variables were used in the research for each dependent variable (GDP growth rate, FDI inflows, and export). The research has shown that Covid 19 pandemic has a significant negative impact on the Turkish GDP growth rate (if we consider a 5% level of significance) and on the Turkish export (if we consider a 10% marginal level of significance). However, the regression analysis has shown that the pandemic has a positive but insignificant impact on FDI inflows to Turkey. The study will be a great benefit for further analysis of the impact of Covid 19 on economies as it is one of the first empirical studies that analyzes the effect of Covid 19 on a specific economy.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 16 March 2022 / Accepted: 12 May 2022 / Published: 5 July 2022