Local Agents Research Articles

The Phenomenon of Farmer Behavior in Using Chemical Pesticides

Most farmers in Indonesia engage in agricultural activities that use pesticides to control Plant Pests and Diseases (PPD). The use of pesticides by farmers to combat PPDs often disregards the potential environmental impacts. Furthermore, farmers’ limited understanding of environmentally friendly pesticides weakens their awareness of utilizing plant-based pesticides to control PPDs. This phenomenon has resulted in environmental imbalances, which impact the PPD being controlled and the wider ecosystem due to the toxic or poisonous nature of chemical pesticides. Hence, this article aims to explore and comprehend the experiences of farmers who practice agriculture while utilizing chemical pesticides. This study employs a literature review approach by analyzing several articles published between 2008 and 2022 that discuss the topic of pesticide use by farmers in their agricultural activities, including food crops and horticultural plants. The study concludes that farmers' use of chemical pesticides is influenced by various internal and external factors. Encouraging changes in farmers’ behaviour towards the use of environmentally friendly pesticides requires continuous support from local extension agents who provide regular and consistent information to farmers, followed by Integrated Pest Management Field Schools (IPM-FS) activities.

Measuring the short-term economic impacts of ecological restoration

Increasing demand for ecological restoration has resulted in the development of a “restoration economy” in the United States. Often, the implementation phase of restoration efforts involves substantial capital and labor investments, the short-term economic impacts of which should not be ignored when evaluating the outcomes of restoration efforts. This publication describes the relevant economic impact analysis methods and summarizes a case study application of these methods for the restoration of the Lone Cabbage Reef (LCR) Complex, a recently restored oyster reef in Florida. It should be useful to local governments, outreach and Extension agents, and management agency personnel who want to better understand the economic impacts of restoration actions.

Management of Oral Surgery in Patients by Anticoagulant Therapy

Background: Oral surgery is a common procedure performed on patients for various reasons such as implant placement, tooth extraction, and other surgical interventions. Anticoagulant therapy is prescribed to patients to prevent blood clot formation, which can lead to serious conditions. Post-operative management of patients on anticoagulant therapy is also critical to minimize bleeding complications. Study design: It is a systematic and controlled based study conducted at Azra Naheed Dental College/ Superior University, Lahore and DOW International Dental College, Karachi for the duration of six months from July 2022 to December 2022. Material and Methods: The participants were divided into two groups. Group A (n=35) included patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) after oral surgery and group B (n=20) had patients treated with vitamin K antagonists. The average age of patients in DOACs and VKA group was 71.3±2.33 and 72.1±1.6 years respectively. Results: Stroke, atrial fibrillation venous thromboembolism and acute coronary syndrome was found in 4,5,24 and 2 patients respectively. In case of VKA group there were 2,3,14 and 1 patient hat suffered from stroke, atrial fibrillation venous thromboembolism, and acute coronary syndrome in the VKA group. The duration of surgery in DOACs and VKA group was 34.5±2.33 and 31.8±3.2 respectively. Conclusion: This study concludes that bleeding risk in patients having some dental surgeries can effectively be controlled by interrupting the DOACs therapy and then restarting it after surgery along with some local hemostatic agents. However, the efficiency of VKAs and DOACs will be the same when DOAC therapy will not be interrupted right before an invasive surgical procedure in case of patients having higher bleeding risk treatment. Keywords: Oral surgery, anticoagulant therapy and thromboembolic events.

Walkthrough Analysis by the Green Areas of Encosta Norte Housing Complex, Itaim Paulista, São Paulo

This article aims to explore the green areas of the Encosta Norte Housing Complex, located in the Itaim Paulista district, East Zone 2 of the city of São Paulo, in order to figure out how the local community perceives those spaces from the identification of existing weaknesses and potentialities, as well as to recall the indications of wishes for improvements in its extensions. In addition to the technical field visits to the territory, some activities with the residents and other local agents were proposed as a methodology for the construction of this cartography. The methodological instrument applied to the population was the walkthrough analysis, or route-interview, that took place on 09/17/2022, aiming to record, through notes, audio recordings and photographs, the perceptions of the community about the inhabited place. The achieved results demonstrate that the participants of the activity relate to the place through affective memories of how the territory used to be, just before the urbanization process that began to be implemented in the mid-1980s. Some problems such as lack of maintenance of open spaces and springs and water courses were also pointed out as weaknesses. The researchers, proponents of the dynamics, reinforce the potential of transforming these available public areas belonging to CDHU as a strategy for the requalification of the area and for the improvement of the quality of life of local population.

Determinants of Local Civil Servants’ Perceptions of Intergovernmental Tensions: Experimental Evidence from Korea

Much research on intergovernmental tensions has focused on the central government’s perspective and concerns how to control the local government. Despite the increasing importance of the local government’s role in intergovernmental relations, the perspective of local bureaucrats has received relatively less attention, particularly outside the U.S. To better understand intergovernmental tensions from the local agents’ side, we explore several characteristics at the local level that may impact local bureaucrats’ decision making, including local bureaucrats’ perception of discretion, their commitment to the organization, and their career backgrounds. Our analysis of original data from survey experiments with over 2,200 local civil servants in Korea shows that such characteristics indeed play a role in distinguishing local bureaucrats’ perceptions of intergovernmental tensions. Our study has clear implications for public management literature and practice: local bureaucrats’ individual characteristics matter in intergovernmental relations and affect how the central government’s policies are implemented in local agencies.

Evaluation of Effectiveness of New Samples of Chitosan-Based Local Hemostatic Agents After Liver Resection in Experiment

INTRODUCTION: Chitosan-based local hemostatic agents are most promising in terms of effective stoppage of bleeding, additional properties (for example, antibacterial effect) and stimulation of regeneration. New forms of them are being developed for different types of organ damage.
 AIM: To evaluate the hemostatic effect of samples of new chitosan-based local hemostatic agents on a liver resection model.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in vivo experiment was performed on 60 white male rats of Wistar line of 200 g250 g mass. The animals were divided to 4 study groups of 15 animals, respectively, depending on the kind of hemostatic agent and additional introduction of an anticoagulant that enhanced bleeding. As study materials, hemostatic collagen sponge (control groups No. 1.1 and 1.2) and also samples of new chitosan-based hemostatic agents Сhitocol-Hemo (Evers, Russia) were used. The rats under general anesthesia underwent midline laparotomy followed by laparopexy by dissecting the falciform ligament of the liver and placement of a gauze turunda between the diaphragm and the left liver lobule with displacement of the latter into the wound. After this, a sterile gauze turunda of the known mass was placed under the left lateral lobe of the liver, and resection of this lobe was performed at 10 mm distance from the edge. The bleeding was stopped by application of the tested materials. The mass of blood loss (gravimetric parameters) and the time of bleeding were evaluated. The reliability of the differences was determined using nonparametric Mann-Whitney test.
 RESULTS: In animals that were not administered the anticoagulant before modeling of the liver trauma, statistically significant differences were found only in such parameters as increase in the sample mass after impregnation with blood, in percent. Here, the value of this parameter in the group with use of hemostatic collagen sponge (2262.9) was three times that in the group using hemostatic Сhitocol-Hemo (722.7) p = 0.000003. The differences between the groups with heparin therapy were of similar character (p = 000003).
 CONCLUSION: The hemostatic effect of the sample of Сhitocol-Hemo hemostatic agent was confirmed in an acute experiment on a model of liver injury in rats on the basis of measurement of the mass of blood lost, of blood absorbed by the sample, and also of bleeding time. This hemostatic effect is probably provided due to positive physicochemical characteristics (porous structure, stroma/pores ratio and composition of the agent.

Between Scylla and Charybdis: Land Reform and Local Agents Under the Chinese Communist Regime

Between Scylla and Charybdis: Land Reform and Local Agents Under the Chinese Communist Regime

Endangered indigenous knowledge: Assessing locally adopted tree conservation practices in Aleta Wondo district, Sidama regional state, Ethiopia

Environmental quality cannot be maintained unless locally adopted indigenous knowledge of environmental conservation practices is duly considered. This study is, therefore, aimed to assess major indigenous practices and threats of indigenous tree conservation practices of Sidama people particularly focusing on Aleta Wondo district. It was also intended to investigating the factors influencing the continuity of practices in the vicinity. In order to collect the data, the local elders and rural development work agents were consulted as primary data sources. Both published and unpublished materials such as documents, journals, articles, books and official reports were accessed as secondary data sources. The research was conducted primarily by employing qualitative methods both for data collection and analysis. Based on the collected data, the major indigenous tree conservation practices in the study area include the places like kakkalo site, grave yard, sacred site, Gudumale and agro-forestry in the farm garden. It has also been identified that indigenous practices of conserving larger trees is declining due to the influences of religion, increasing living cost, education system and population growth. Moreover, no significant intervention was found exercised to tackle the problem. As a result, it is recommended that such locally adopted conservation practices should be addressed effectively in formulation and implementation of nationwide policies and strategies.

226 The Feasibility and Acceptability of Perturbation-Based Balance to Older Adults in Rural Communities

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Older adults in rural communities are at an elevated risk of falling. Perturbation-Based Balance Training (PBT) is a highly effective fall prevention paradigm but its feasibility in the community is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of PBT to older adults and local clinicians in rural communities. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: 19 older adults (60+ years) were recruited from communities in rural Montana to take part in a PBT program. The PBT program was implemented using a bespoke portable PBT treadmill developed by our research team and validated against commercial PBT treadmills. To increase ecological validity, the program was implemented by local clinicians. The PBT program lasted 6 weeks, with 1 session per week, participants received up to 35 trip perturbations per session. The feasibility and acceptability of PBT to participants and clinicians was assessed within the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability, prospectively and retrospectively via interviews and surveys, and concurrently via field notes. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Data analysis is ongoing and will be complete by the time of presentation. Preliminary results suggest the portable PBT program was generally acceptable to older adults and local clinicians. Perceived effectiveness was generally positive and increased balance awareness and low burden are emerging as common themes. Local clinicians indicated the burden of implementing PBT was low, PBT fit within their views on fall prevention, and had a high level of perceived effectiveness. There appear to be a few limitations to feasibility, which are primarily related to the weight and transportation of the treadmill. We are currently working to refine the treadmill and lower its weight and are developing a grant with local clinicians and extension agents that would facilitate transportation to a broader network of communities. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our preliminary findings suggest PBT is feasible in rural communities and accepted by older adults. Increased balance and fall awareness and low burden are emerging as important factors in the feasibility and acceptability of PBT. This study provides a foundation for future studies to translate other PBT modalities from the lab to the community.

Патогенез инфицированной ожоговой раны у крыс

Burns are a severe and widespread type of injury and are accompanied by local and systemic complications, leading to disability and death. Infection is a major complication of burn injury because thermal burns can cause disturbances of humoral and cellular immunity, and necrotized tissue ceases to perform its normal barrier function, which leads to the development of infection caused by environmental opportunistic microorganisms and commensals, which limits the ability of the skin to heal. In addition, the scab of a burn wound is a nutrient-rich environment that is easily colonized by microorganisms. Gram-positive bacteria are the first colonizers of the wound bed because they make up the microflora of the skin microbiome. Burn wounds are most commonly associated with Staphylococcus aureus, which is capable of producing virulence factors that slow wound healing. The frequency of thermal injuries and their subsequent infection necessitates the creation of new therapeutic agents as well as the development and adaptation of relevant model systems for preclinical studies. A sufficient number of in vivo models have been developed to study the pathogenesis of burn injuries, as well as to conduct specific studies as part of preclinical studies of potential therapeutic agents. Rats are an adaptable model for reproducing infected burn wounds and evaluating their course. The aim of the study was to evaluate the pathogenesis of infected burns, allowing further use of this model pathology in the study of a wide range of potential antiseptic and anti-burn agents. The study successfully generated a model of infected skin burn in Wistar rats. Creation of burn wounds was carried out by contact method, the inducing damage temperature was 100 °C, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was used as an infectious agent. Evaluation of the dynamics of the course of an infected burn wound was carried out according to the results of planimetric, microbiological, cytological and histological studies. The developed model of an infected skin burn in rats is relevant to study the pharmacological activity of antiseptic agents and local anti-burn agents with an antimicrobial component of the mechanism of action.

The Role of Local Agents for the Treatment of Localized Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Review of the Current Evidence.

Kidney-sparing surgery (KSS) for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a promising alternative to radical nephroureterectomy, especially for low-risk cases. However, due to the established risk of ipsilateral UTUC recurrence caused by the implantation of floating neoplastic cells after endoscopic resection, adjuvant endocavitary (endoureteral) instillations have been proposed. Instillation therapy may be also used as primary treatment for UTUC. The two most studied drugs that have been evaluated in both the adjuvant and primary setting of endocavitary instillation are mitomycin C and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. The current paper provides an overview of the endocavitary treatments for UTUC, focusing on methods of administration, novel formulations, oncologic outcomes (in terms of endocavitary recurrence and progression), as well as on complications. In particular, the role of UGN-101 as a primary chemoablative treatment of primary noninvasive, endoscopically unresectable, low-grade, UTUC has been analysed. The drug achieved a complete response rate of 58% after the induction cycle, with a durable response independently of the maintenance cycle. The cumulative experience on the role of UUT instillation therapy appears encouraging; however, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about its therapeutic benefit. Given the current state of the art, any decision to administer adjuvant endoureteral therapy for UTUC should be carefully weighed against the potential adverse events. Nevertheless, newer investigations that improve visualization during ureteroscopy, genomic characterization, novel drugs and innovative strategies of improved drug delivery are under evaluation. The landscape of KSS for the treatment of the UTUC is evolving and seems promising.

Enhancing Local Decisions in Agent-Based Cartesian Genetic Programming by CMA-ES

Cartesian genetic programming is a popular version of classical genetic programming, and it has now demonstrated a very good performance in solving various use cases. Originally, programs evolved by using a centralized optimization approach. Recently, an algorithmic level decomposition of program evolution has been introduced that can be solved by a multi-agent system in a fully distributed manner. A heuristic for distributed combinatorial problem-solving was adapted to evolve these programs. The applicability of the approach and the effectiveness of the used multi-agent protocol as well as of the evolved genetic programs for the case of full enumeration in local agent decisions has already been successfully demonstrated. Symbolic regression, n-parity, and classification problems were used for this purpose. As is typical of decentralized systems, agents have to solve local sub-problems for decision-making and for determining the best local contribution to solving program evolution. So far, only a full enumeration of the solution candidates has been used, which is not sufficient for larger problem sizes. We extend this approach by using CMA-ES as an algorithm for local decisions. The superior performance of CMA-ES is demonstrated using Koza’s computational effort statistic when compared with the original approach. In addition, the distributed modality of the local optimization is scrutinized by a fitness landscape analysis.

Off Duty: Black Soldiers and Mobility in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands 1866–1890

Abstract Throughout the post-Civil War era, Black soldiers in the U.S. Army were at the vanguard of U.S. expansion in the U.S. West. Rather than focusing solely on their official military duties however, this article examines Black troops’ off-duty activities, specifically the complex economic and social ties they developed with civilians who resided near the posts they garrisoned in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. In many cases, these connections transcended the very geographic, racial, and ethnic boundaries that Black soldiers were charged with policing, illustrating that relationships between local people and agents of the U.S. government in the region were more complex than scholars have previously acknowledged. Relying on transcripts from U.S. Army general courts-martial proceedings, this article demonstrates how these interactions shaped Black enlisted men’s perceptions of themselves, army life, and the locales they policed and inhabited. These interactions between Black soldiers and local people often undermined the Army’s official missions, but they allowed Black troops to improve the quality of their lives and demonstrate the persistent fluidity and porousness of the southwest borderlands.

The role of L-arginine/NO/cGMP/KATP channel pathway in the local antinociceptive effect of berberine in the rat formalin test.

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid naturally produced by several types of plants. Berberine has extensive pharmacological effects, such as anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. In the current study, we assess the antinociceptive effects of berberine and its association with the l-arginine (l-Arg)/NO/cGMP/KATP channel pathway via intraplantar administration in rats. To examine the antinociceptive properties of berberine, the formalin test was conducted. The number of rat paw flinches was counted for an h. l-Arg (precursor of nitric oxide, 3-30 μg/paw), l-NAME (NO synthase inhibitor, 10 and 100 μg/paw), methylene blue (guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, 100 and 200 μg/paw), and glibenclamide (ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker, 10 and 30 μg/paw) were locally injected, respectively, into the right hind paws of rats as a pre-treatment before berberine injection to understand how the l-Arg/NO/cGMP/KATP pathway plays a role in the antinociceptive effect of berberine. The ipsilateral injection of berberine into the right paw (0.1-100 μg/paw) showed a dose-dependent antinociceptive effect in both the first and second phases of the formalin test, almost similar to morphine (25 μg/paw). Intraplantar injection of l-Arg (30 µg/paw) increased the antinociceptive effect of berberine in the second phase. In addition, injection of l-NAME, methylene blue, and glibenclamide caused a reduction in the antinociceptive effect of berberine throughout the second phase in a dose-dependent manner. However, the antinociceptive effects of berberine in the first phase of the rat formalin test were not affected by this pathway. As a novel local antinociceptive agent, berberine can exert a peripheral antinociceptive effect via the l-Arg/NO/cGMP/KATP channel pathway.

PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT OF EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

Africa has experienced a boom in extractive industries since the beginning of this century. Extractive companies often are exposed not just to government patronage, but also to requests to consider local third-party agents, vendors or applications for employment. But is corruption a necessary evil? While there is consensus that multi-faceted strategies are required to curb corruption, heretofore there has been little research on how legislative oversight can help reduce corruption in general and on legislative oversight of corruption in the extractive sector in particular.

In vivo Assessment of the Impact of Molecular Weight on Constructs of 68Ga-DOTA-Manocept in a Syngeneic Mouse Tumor Model

PurposeManocept™ constructs are mannosylated amine dextrans (MADs) that bind with high affinity to the mannose receptor, CD206. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most numerous immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and a recognized target for tumor imaging and cancer immunotherapies. Most TAMs express CD206, suggesting utility of MADs to deliver imaging moieties or therapeutics to TAMs. The liver Kupffer cells also express CD206, making them an off-target localization site when targeting CD206 on TAMs. We evaluated TAM targeting strategies using two novel MADs differing in molecular weight in a syngeneic mouse tumor model to determine how varying MAD molecular weights would impact tumor localization. Increased mass dose of the non-labeled construct or a higher molecular weight (HMW) construct were also used to block liver localization and enhance tumor to liver ratios.ProceduresTwo MADs, 8.7 kDa and 22.6 kDa modified with DOTA chelators, were synthesized and radiolabeled with 68Ga. A HMW MAD (300 kDa) was also synthesized as a competitive blocking agent for Kupffer cell localization. Balb/c mice, with and without CT26 tumors, underwent dynamic PET imaging for 90 min followed by biodistribution analyses in selected tissues.ResultsThe new constructs were readily synthesized and labeled with 68Ga with ≥ 95% radiochemical purity in 15 min at 65 °C. When injected at doses of 0.57 nmol, the 8.7 kDa MAD provided 7-fold higher 68Ga tumor uptake compared to the 22.6 kDa MAD (2.87 ± 0.73%ID/g vs. 0.41 ± 0.02%ID/g). Studies with increased mass of unlabeled competitors showed reduced liver localization of the [68Ga]MAD-8.7 to varying degrees without significant reductions in tumor localization, resulting in enhanced tumor to liver signal ratios.ConclusionNovel [68Ga]Manocept constructs were synthesized and studied in in vivo applications, showing that the smaller MAD localized to CT26 tumors more effectively than the larger MAD and that the unlabeled HMW construct could selectively block liver binding of [68Ga]MAD-8.7 without diminishing the localization to tumors. Promising results using the [68Ga]MAD-8.7 show a potential path to clinical applications.Graphical

(Re)assessing Climate-Smart Agriculture practices for sustainable food systems outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Bono East Region, Ghana

This research paper assesses the reality of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices’ potential to promote the outcomes of sustainable food systems (SFS) within Ghana’s smallholding agriculture context. The study demonstrates that rural farmers generally perceive CSA’s contribution to ‘food and nutrition security’ and ‘economic performance’ as more important than CSA’s contribution to ‘social equity’ and ‘environmental stewardship’. From a narrow perspective, the study demonstrates that farmers perceive CSA’s potential to ‘prevent pest and disease outbreaks’ and ‘increase human capital information’ as the most important contribution of CSA to SFS outcomes. In contrast, CSA’s potential to promote environmental stewardship is perceived as the least important among Ghana’s rural farmers. This enormity of displacement of smallholders’ perceptions at large is motivated by demographic, socioeconomic and ecological factors. Moreso, the CSA for SFS outcomes narratives is driven by farmers’ self-apprise, social networks and other local information dissemination agents. Furthermore, research findings suggest farmers’ awareness of CSA practices and interventions is deficient owing to unmet training and information needs for approximately 82% of the CSA practices and interventions. This situation elucidates the dichotomy of CSA practices’ narratives as tools for attaining food, nutrition security and economic performance to the detriment of critical issues such as increasing awareness and building farmers’ capacity to engage with CSA practices while also managing socio-ecological trade-offs that emerge over time due to engagement with CSA. Critical (re)orientation is needed across the scale to drive CSA practices and interventions that confine climate adaptation and food production practices within safe planetary boundaries without undermining social, economic, food and nutrition security needs.

Assessment of Autologous Blood marker localIzation and intraoperative coLonoscopy localIzation in laparoscopic colorecTal cancer surgery (ABILITY): a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundLaparoscopic colorectal surgery has been proved to have similar oncological outcomes with open surgery. Due to the lack of tactile perception, surgeons may have misjudgments in laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Therefore, the accurate localization of a tumor before surgery is important, especially in the early stages of cancer. Autologous blood was thought a feasible and safe tattooing agent for preoperative endoscopic localization but its benefits remain controversial. We therefore proposed this randomized trial to the accuracy and safety of autogenous blood localization in small, serosa-negative lesion which will be resected by laparoscopic colectomy.MethodsThe current study is a single-center, open-label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial. Eligible participants would be aged 18–80 years and diagnosed with large lateral spreading tumors that could not be treated endoscopically, malignant polyps treated endoscopically that required additional colorectal resection, and serosa-negative malignant colorectal tumors (≤ cT3). A total of 220 patients would be randomly assigned (1:1) to autologous blood group or intraoperative colonoscopy group. The primary outcome is the localization accuracy. The secondary endpoint is adverse events related to endoscopic tattooing.DiscussionThis trial will investigate whether autologous blood marker achieves similar localization accuracy and safety in laparoscopic colorectal surgery compared to intraoperative colonoscopy. If our research hypothesis is statistically proved, the rational introduction of autologous blood tattooing in preoperative colonoscopy can help improve identification of the location of tumors for laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery, performing an optimal resection, and minimizing unnecessary resections of normal tissues, thereby improving the patient’s quality of life. Our research data will also provide high quality clinical evidence and data support for the conduction of multicenter phase III clinical trials.Trial registrationThis study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05597384. Registered 28 October 2022

Turing/Turing-like patterns: Products of random aggregation of spatial components

Turing patterns are typical spatiotemporal ordered structures in various systems driven far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Turing’s reaction-diffusion theory, containing a long-range inhibiting agent and a local catalytic agent, has provided an explanation for the formation of some patterns in nature. Numerical, experimental and theoretical studies about Turing/Turing-like patterns have been generally focused on systems driven far from thermodynamic equilibrium. The local dynamics of these systems are commonly very complex, which brings great difficulties to understanding of formation of patterns. Here, we investigate a type of Turing-like patterns in a near-equilibrium thermodynamic system experimentally and theoretically, and put forward a new formation mechanism and a quantitative method for Turing/Turing-like patterns. Specifically, we observe a type of Turing-like patterns in starch solutions, and study the effect of concentration on the structure of patterns. The experimental results show that, with the increase of concentration, patterns change from spots to inverse spots, and labyrinthine stripe patterns appear in the region of intermediate concentration. We analyze and model the formation mechanism of these patterns observed in experiments, and the simulation results agree with the experimental results. Our conclusion indicates that the random aggregation of spatial components leads to formation of these patterns, and the proportion of spatial components determines the structures. Our findings shed light on the formation mechanism for Turing/Turing-like patterns.

Transformative resilience: Transformation, resilience and capacity of coastal communities in facing disasters in two Indonesian villages

This study aims to identify the transformation process of coastal village communities in building resilience to disasters. We develop our theoretical framework based on the concepts of socio-ecological resilience, transformative resilience, panarchy systems and resilience capacities. Using the qualitative research methods, we examine two cases of coastal villages in Indonesia that represent differing levels of socio-economic vulnerability and community responses to disasters. The findings of this study highlight that the building of transformative resilience is affected by the transformation phases, the heterogeneity and interdependence of capacities, and the intensity of resources used as capacity. The building process of transformative resilience cannot happen instantly but requires an ideal timeframe for transitional phase navigation in which communities form valley and peak waves to create a perfect phase in each regime. This condition triggers the achievement of high resilience conditions in the face of disasters. Although endogenous capacities, in the form of local social networks and agents of change, have become the key aspects of resilience, openness to external conditions and collaborations are also essential in nurturing transformation. Our findings suggest an important implication for policy, in that a long-term transformation process should be taken into account in policymaking. Further, in enhancing the resilience of coastal communities it is important to build their innovative capacities, among other things, by nurturing their networks through various opportunities and exposures to external parties which enable collaborations and exchanges of knowledge.