Main Human Activities Research Articles

Evolution characteristics and attribution analysis of runoff in the coal mining area in northwest China: A case study of the Kuye River Basin

ABSTRACT The Kuye River Basin is the main coal-producing area in northwest China, and it is also a typical arid and semi-arid area. Under the combined influence of climate change and human activities, the runoff of the basin decreases noticeably. The Mann–Kendall trend test, the Hurst index, cumulative anomaly, and wavelet analysis were used to analyze the runoff evolution characteristics of the Kuye River, and the contributions of climate change and human activities to the runoff reduction were quantitatively separated by the slope-changing ratio of the cumulative quantity. The results showed that the runoff decreased significantly from 1970 to 2020, and there was an obvious abrupt change in 1996, while the change trends in precipitation and evaporation were not significant. The contributions of climate change and human activities to runoff reduction were 22.71 and 77.29%, respectively, and human activities have become the dominant factor in runoff variations. Coal mining and the implementation of soil and water conservation measures are considered to be the main human activities contributing to the reduction in runoff. In particular, mining activities reduce groundwater recharge to rivers, which provides a profound understanding of the effect of human activities in mining areas on runoff variation.

Isotopic and trace element record of changing metal source contributions to tropical freshwater Lake Naivasha (Kenya)

Lake Naivasha, Kenya's second-largest freshwater body is a wetland of international ecological importance and currently subjected to unprecedented anthropogenic influence. The study aims to chronologically reconstruct the main human activities and background weathering reactions that govern metal mobilizations into the lake and their potentially adverse effects on its ecological status. We combine extensive geochemical analyses (major, trace elements, Zn-Pb isotope ratios) in a dated lake sediment record and catchment rocks with remote sensing techniques. Downcore geochemical variations reflect natural ecosystem destabilizations occurring as early as the first half of the 20th century. These coincide with changes towards less radiogenic Pb-isotope values which persist towards the top of the core (206Pb/207Pb = 1.243 at core base ∼1843, to 206Pb/207Pb = 1.225 at ∼1978). We interpret the land-clearance for agricultural purposes on the Aberdare Range and documented early aviation activities as possible vectors of this early Pb-isotope excursion. The overlapping Pb-isotope signatures between sediment sources and anthropogenic contributions challenges a straightforward deconvolution of the two. Our conservative model calculations suggest, nevertheless, that an addition of up to ∼1.8 % Pb-gasoline influx to the total Pb flux, peaking in the 1980s is able to explain the Pb distribution trend. Homogeneous Zn-isotope compositions in sediments deposited until ∼1970s (δ66/64Zn = 0.216–0.225 ‰) do not follow major hydro-climatic events or anthropogenic forcing but likely reflect lake-specific natural cycling. Subsequent higher variations to both heavier (up to δ66/64Zn = 0.242 ± 0.005 ‰) and lighter (down to δ66/64Zn = 0.184 ± 0.003 ‰) Zn-isotope values are contemporaneous with intensification of large-scale horticultural industry in the catchment. Together with supporting indicators, the lighter Zn-isotope compositions in youngest analysed sediments (21st century) are attributable to increased biological productivity (algal blooms) and ongoing lake eutrophication. Our study demonstrates the applicability of the heavy metal isotope tool to reconstruct human influences on lake environments with complex geological settings such as the East African Rift System.

New Perspectives on the Impact of Human Activities on Natural Resources in Oasis Areas: A Case Study of Oasis in Wuwei, China

An accurate analysis of the relationship between humans and the land in oasis areas is essential for the formulation of policies for differentiated oasis urban development and resource management measures. Therefore, researchers have conducted numerous studies based on the linear relationship between “people and land” in oasis areas. To address this gap, this paper takes the Wuwei oasis as an example and re-examines the impact of human activities on the sustainability of natural capital from a new research perspective (nonlinear perspective). The study selected four variables, namely planted forests, scientific R&D investment, urbanization, and population density, as the main human activities affecting the Wuwei oasis area. The NARDL model, the nonlinear Granger causality test, is employed to investigate the interactions between the variables and the oasis natural capital in both the short and long term. The results indicate the following: (1) During the study period, the consumption of natural capital in the Wuwei oasis has been increasing annually and has long exceeded the local ecological carrying capacity. (2) In the short term, planting forests is the most beneficial human activity. The most beneficial human activity is the planting of trees, while in the long term, scientific R&D investment has the most positive effect on enhancing the oasis’ resource reserves. (3) Urbanization, population density, and planted forest land all have a direct effect on the sustainable development of natural resources in the oasis. The findings of the study indicate that the application of scientific and technological innovation to promote the sustainable development of resources and the environment is a more reliable approach for oasis cities with a high degree of industrialization.

Spatioemporal dynamics and driving forces of soil organic carbon changes in an arid coal mining area of China investigated based on remote sensing techniques

Soil organic carbon (SOC) undergoes rapid changes due to human production activities, which have an impact on the land carbon cycle and ultimately global change. As one of the main human production activities, coal mining significantly impacts the soil carbon cycle. However, due to the lack of remote sensing modeling of soil carbon in mining areas, the spatio-temporal changes and driving mechanisms of SOC in mining areas remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated and determined SOC data from 300 sampling points (depth of 0–20 cm) located in an arid mining area of China. Remote sensing images were then used to established a soil organic carbon density (SOCD) prediction model within the Random Forest (RF) model to achieve digital mapping of soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS). The spatiotemporal changes of SOCS were analyzed using SOCS digital mapping, and the influencing mechanism of SOCS was revealed using path analysis. The results showed that the constructed SOCD predictive model meets the demand for SOCD prediction (R2 ≥ 0.74, p < 0.01, RMSE ≤ 1.72 kg/m2). Under the combined influence of coal mining and land reclamation, the total amount of surface SOCS in the mining area exhibited a fluctuating upward trend from 1990 (6.34 Tg) to 2021 (7.73 Tg), with an annual growth rate of 0.038 Tg/a. The spatial distribution of SOCS generally increased from southeast to northwest. Precipitation, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land use were positively correlated to SOCS spatial distribution, while temperature, elevation, soil erosion, and mining intensity were negatively correlated to SOCS. The impact degree of factors on SOCS was as follows: NDVI > soil erosion > mining intensity > precipitation > elevation > land use > temperature. The negative impact of coal mining on SOCS was mainly indirect, through disturbance to elevation, vegetation, and soil erosion. The uneven ground subsidence and stretching caused by coal mining contribute to intensified soil erosion and vegetation degradation in the affected area, leading to a reduction in SOCS. However, SOCS did not decrease under high intensity mining, which was related to the increase in vegetation and the reduction in soil erosion in the mining area. In this study, a soil carbon prediction model was established based on remote sensing modeling to evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of soil carbon in an arid mining area. The results can serve as valuable references for the scientific improvement of the ecological environment in mining areas, the rational planning of mining area construction, as well as low-carbon land reclamation and ecological compensation assessments.

Estimation and Legal Protection of the Results of Intellectual Activity

Relevance. Intellectual activity is one of the main human activities, which is not related to the physical abilities of an individual, but directly to the mental ones, which are expressed in the creation of ideas in such areas as science, art, creativity, industrial development, know-how. The importance of this topic is due to the need to regulate intellectual property rights to the results of intellectual activity, because in the present rapidly developing world, all of the above areas are actively developing and there are problems with the legal protection of this type of human activity.Goals. The purpose of the research is to consider ways to evaluate and legally protect the results of intellectual activity in Russian and international practice.Methodology. The main research methods: analysis, synthesis, comparison and statistical data.Conclusions. There are international standards for the protection of intellectual property rights, but in some countries the problem of regulation and control of intellectual property rights still remains urgent. There is a need for continuous improvement and development of legal mechanisms for the protection of intellectual property rights at the international level. It should be borne in mind that legal protection should not contradict public interests and should not become an obstacle to free access to knowledge and information.

Investigation of relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and human activities in urban soils of China using machine learning methods

Clarifying the impact of human activities on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil can provide a scientific basis to reduce PAHs pollution and formulate control measures to manage soil PAHs pollution, which are important to reduce global warming and support China's implementation of carbon neutrality goals. Here, we characterize the PAHs in 1055 samples of urban soil collected in China from 2000 to 2020. The total concentration of PAHs ranged from 2.75 to 38,865 ng g−1. PAHs concentrations in the Yangtze River Delta (YangtzeD) and Pearl River Delta exhibited an inverted U-shaped curve over time, and PAHs concentrations in Beijing have decreased. Air pollution prevention policies and vehicle emission standards in these regions reduced PAHs in the soil. We measured PAHs in soils of 18 major cities in YangtzeD, representing a typical area. Total concentration of PAHs was 3.88–2153 ng g−1 in YangtzeD, with 40.5%, 36.3%, and 23.2% of PAHs coming from industry and transportation, coal combustion, and biomass combustion, respectively by Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. To explore how human activities affect the PAH concentrations, we screened three machine learning models and selected SHapley Additive explanation-extreme gradient boosting (XGB-SHAP) as the best model. The results of XGB-SHAP (R2 = 0.64) show that the main human activities affecting PAHs were carbon emissions, population size, and economic development (MAS = 709.1) and industrial waste gas emissions (MAS = 577.1), and these were positively correlated with PAHs. Therefore, effective ways to reduce PAHs may largely rely on industrial co-control. With the prevention and control of air pollution, clean energy, and green and low-carbon development policies constantly being implemented, PAH concentrations will continue to be reduced in the future.

Extreme streamflow and sediment load changes in the Yellow River Basin: Impacts of climate change and human activities

In recent decades, the increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme hydrological events due to climate change and human activities have caused substantial economic losses and damages to human wellbeing. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations of streamflow extremes (QE) and sediment load extremes (SE) in the Yellow River (YR) during 1956–2019. Furthermore, the effects of main human activities and climate change were identified by establishing quantitative relationships between these factors and changing hydrological extremes. Specifically, the QE and SE have decreased significantly (p < 0.05) since 1956 except the headwater (reach above Tangnaihai). However, the QE increased significantly (p < 0.05) during 2000–2019 due to increased extreme precipitation, while the SE tended to stabilize at most stations. Besides, the contribution of QE to annual streamflow declined distinctly in the upper-middle reaches (Lanzhou-Tongguan reach) but increased significantly in the lower reaches (reach below Huayuankou). Likewise, the contribution of SE to annual sediment load increased remarkably in the middle-lower reaches (Huayuankou-Lijin reach). Furthermore, the timing of QE and SE generally tended to disperse from the flood season to the four seasons. While extreme precipitation fundamentally caused the extreme water and sediment discharge, the magnitude and hazard of QE and SE can be strongly regulated by human activities. Particularly, mainstream dams can artificially regulate QE and SE magnitudes and relationships and reduce their synchronization probability, and intra-basin engineering construction and revegetation measures can substantially reduce their possible peaks in a power function form. In addition, changes in the extreme water–sediment relationships indicated that declining erosive power in the middle reaches and decreasing sediment availability in the lower reaches dominated SE reduction. This study provides a scientific basis for flood risk management and water resources development and utilization in large complex river basins.

PHYSICAL QUALITY EVALUATION OF SOME SOILS FROM DOLJCOUNTY

The quantity and quality of yield is determined by the soil quality. The agriculture is one of the main human activities that affect soil quality. In Dolj, the agriculture occupies an important place in the economy of the County. The main soils found in DoljCounty were Chernozems and Luvisols. Several indicators are used to quantify the physical quality of the soil. &#x0D; To assess soil physical quality, disturbed samples from each pedogenetic horizon were collected to analyse: particle size distribution, soil organic content, dispersion and macrohydrostability. Undisturbed samples were also collected (by using a core sampler), for: bulk density, total porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, resistance to penetration determination. The degree of compaction, the packing density, the structural stability index as well as the structural instability index were obtained by calculation. The results showed that according to the degree of compaction values, both studied Luvisols (except ArenicLuvisols), and HyposodicCalcaro-calcic Chernozems and Haplic Chernozems with fine texture were severely compacted and required loosening works. Most of the studied horizons of Luvisols had low – extremely low permeability. With a few exceptions, the values of the resistance to penetration were medium. The HyposodicCalcaro-calcic Chernozems shows the highest values of structural instability index.

River Ecosystem Health Assessment Based on Fuzzy Logic and Harmony Degree Evaluation in a Human-Dominated River Basin

River health assessment is a critical basis for river sustainable management. Taking the Neijiang River in the Chengdu Plain in Southwest China as an example, the health of the typical human-dominated river ecosystem was assessed combining point-river-basin scales. According to the connotation of river health, 16 indicators in 3 aspects, including habitat characteristics, biological communities, and social services, were selected to establish the assessment indicator system for river health. Field investigation, remote sensing, geographic information system, and environmental DNA were used to quantify the indicators. With the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and harmony degree evaluation, the river system health was assessed, and the results showed that the health assessment index of rivers ranged from 0.73 to 0.85, indicating sub-healthy to healthy levels. The coordinated development level of the downstream is restricted by the comprehensive development level between ecological integrity and social service function. Furthermore, the main human activities were the construction of dams and changes in land use/cover in the study area. The spatial pattern of the river health assessment index indicated that the impact of human activities on river health was intricate. The river health evaluation framework proposed herein provided a tool for local river management and would apply to other human-dominated river basins.

MEMS Ultrasonic Fingertip Heart Rate Sensor

The heartbeat is one of the main human physiological activities and is closely related to psychological and physiological states. Since limited solutions exist for convenient heart rate measurements at the fingertip, such as photoplethysmography, this article provides an alternative solution enabled by a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT). With fingertip vascular expansion and retraction, the change in ultrasound time-of-flight (TOF) between the PMUT and phalanx is used to extract heart rate data. A PMUT with a resonant frequency of 4.3 MHz is designed and fabricated as a 25 by 25 array of elements, and Parylene and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are used for packaging and better coupling with fingertips, respectively. The emitting ultrasound has a spatial-peak temporal average power density of 36 nW/mm2, far below the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety limit. The proposed solution paves the way for ultrasound-based heart rate monitoring at the fingertip, and it features convenient to use, easy integration, and biosafety.

Is eThekwini metropolitan municipality (EMM) experiencing light pollution?: A remote sensing analysis of nighttime data of EMM, South Africa

Nighttime light remote (NTL) sensing has improved the approaches taken in studying natural and social sciences. NTLs on the Earth surface can be utilised to study huma-related studies such as urbanisation, population, and light pollution. In most cases, NTL application studies are common in fast developing and developed countries such as China and United State of America while African countries are still left behind in taking part in these studies. The study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of NTL data and the extent of light pollution in urban areas of South Africa. This study explores the use of NTL data in studying light pollution in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. The study quantified and assessed light pollution and its sources in the Municipality using spatial analyst tools such as reclassification and supervised images classification (Maximum likelihood) algorithm. The classes of light pollution were classified ranging from very low to very high light pollution. With land use land cover (LULC) classes representing main sources of light pollution. The study discovered that light pollution is mainly found in and around the city centre of the municipality where main economic and human activities take place. This is where mainly the built-up and commercial LULC classes were observed to be located. The correlation analysis between light pollution and LULC classes revealed strong correlation between high and very high light pollution classes and these LULC classes. These are the areas making use of artificial light at night leading to light pollution in the Municipality.

Crop diversification in the Egyptian Nile Region; viewpoint of spatial, climatic, and human features

Plant diversity is undoubtedly influenced by spatial and climatic factors, as well as others as architecture, human effects, and population percentage. This research demonstrates how site characteristics influence crop species diversity. One hundred eighty-five cultivated centers of 20 governorates forming the Egyptian Nile Region were examined regarding to their crop diversity from March 2021 to March 2022, including 170 crop species, sub-species and varieties. These cultivated centers were classified using two-way cluster analysis (TWCA) into 62 groups according to their floristic composition; and ordinated along the first and second axes of Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCOA) with type of irrigation supply. Group 51 had the uppermost species richness (333.5 species group-1), while group 44 had the uppermost species turnover (9). Eighteen least cultivated species were recorded: 12 species in 2 centers e.g., Actinidia chinensis and Carica papaya and 6 in 3 e.g., Carya illinoinensis and Cyperus papyrus, while 60 species are common in >50 cultivated centers.Significant correlations were depicted between the species richness and X and Y coordinates, while insignificant correlation with area (m2) of each cultivated centre. Precipitation (mm yr−1), relative humidity (%) and temperature (°C) were depicted an insignificant correlation. Species density (Species m−2) was depicted an insignificant correlation, while population percentage had an insignificant correlation. Descriptively, a regular relationship between species diversity and type of irrigation supply and main human activities in each centre was observed.

Analysis on the evolution of nitrogen metabolism process and nitrogen supply hinterland pattern in Beijing's food system

As one of the main human activities affecting the global nitrogen cycle, food production and consumption caused a series of environmental issues with nitrogen, especially in densely populated cities. To comprehensively quantify these issues of cities, Beijing's food system was chosen as a case to build a refined 18-node nitrogen metabolic network model based on environmental and external support, its nitrogen budgets was innovatively accounted from the perspective of “bigger food system”, which contained the nitrogen flows both involved in and driving food metabolic processes. Then the key nodes were identified according to the principle of contributing more than 10% of total nitrogen inputs and emissions. Based on above, China Multi-Regional Input-Output table was used to further examine its nitrogen supply hinterlands and identify the key supply drivers from the sectoral perspective. The results show that the total nitrogen input of Beijing's food system increased by 32.6% but the nitrogen output increased by 64.8% between 1979 and 2019. The (1) Crop cultivation, (2) Animal husbandry, and (11) Urban residents are not only key nitrogen input nodes but also key nitrogen emission nodes. Besides, they drove the external nitrogen supply to Beijing's food system, thus should be the key managed objects. Hebei, Heilongjiang and Tianjin are the largest inland nitrogen supply hinterlands, while the foreign nitrogen supply increased by 15.8% from 2007 to 2019. Technical assistance, economic compensation and trade strategy adjustment are good ways to reduce hinterlands' nitrogen supply pressure. This study provides targeted management suggestions for the nitrogen sustainable of food system in cities and the nitrogen coordination among regions.

Agricultural heritage systems and agrobiodiversity

Agriculture is one of the main human activities with direct and indirect effects on the environment. The abandonment of many traditional agricultural practices, mainly for their inability to meet the current requirements of industrial agriculture, has brought to unsustainable agricultural systems characterized by high external energy inputs and by a high fragility to environmental and political shocks. Therefore, sustainable agriculture is nowadays crucial for preserving the environment. Agricultural heritage systems are receiving increasing attention at the international level, as testified by the establishment of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The aim of the GIAHS Programme is, in fact, to identify and safeguard agro-silvo-pastoral systems resulting from the co-existence between humans and nature, which survived using traditional techniques are still providing many ecosystem services, while maintaining magnificent landscapes, wild and agricultural biodiversity, ancestral knowledge, and strong cultural and social values. These systems, based on sustainable practices, are still able to provide food and livelihood security, resources and services to local communities, but are also examples of adaptation and mitigation to climate change and to different and often difficult environmental conditions, as well as models of resilience and sustainability. In 2018 the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), together with the Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI) of the University of Florence, developed a project called “GIAHS Building Capacity”, aimed at identifying agricultural heritage sites in different parts of the world. This Special Issue collects the results of investigations carried out in thirteen sites in Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia offering a wide an coherent perspective on agricultural heritage systems across the world. The papers included in the Special Issue proved that agricultural heritage systems, despite some vulnerabilities mainly due to socio-economic causes rather than to environmental ones, still provide different ecosystem services to local communities, including: food and byproducts supply, soil erosion protection, hydrogeological risk and deforestation defense, agrobiodiversity and biodiversity conservation, cultural landscape preservation, agro-tourism; at the same time they can be important for transmitting traditional knowledge to new generations and for the local identity. The GIAHS programme can play a key role in preserving traditional agricultural systems, and their related agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services, both in developing and developed countries. In fact, its aim is not limited to the conservation of these systems, but the whole Programme is based on the concept of dynamic conservation, as sustainable innovations are needed for the preservation of agricultural heritage systems and, therefore, for the future of rural areas and of rural communities. The research is part of the activities promoted by the UNESCO Chair on Agricultural Heritage Landscapes established at the University of Florence.

Contributions of Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers to Net Primary Productivity of Vegetation in the Mongolian Plateau

Global warming and intense human activity are altering the net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions where vegetation ecosystems are sensitive to climate change, including the Mongolian Plateau (MP). To deepen the understanding of the dynamics of vegetation and its driving factors on the MP, the actual NPP (ANPP) of the MP from 2000 to 2019 was estimated based on a modified Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model. The Thornthwaite Memorial and Guangsheng Zhou models were applied concurrently to estimate the potential NPP of the vegetation, and different scenarios were constructed to evaluate quantitatively the impact of climate change and human activity on the vegetation productivity of our study area. The results showed that the carbon sequestration capacities of various vegetation types in the MP differ, with forest &gt; cropland &gt; grassland &gt; wetland. The NPP increased significantly during 2000–2019. Most areas showed a continuous and stable change in vegetation ANPP, with the current trend in variation mainly reflected in the continuous improvement of vegetation. In general, restoration of vegetation was prominent in the MP, and human activities affected more than 30% of vegetation restoration. The ANPP was positively correlated with temperature and precipitation, the latter of which had a more significant effect. Desertification management, restoration of cropland to forest and grassland, afforestation and reasonable grazing activities were the main human activities performed to restore vegetation. This study is expected to advance the theoretical understanding of ecological protection and sustainable development in the MP.

An integrated assessment to reconstruct the history of changes influenced by multiple anthropogenic activities (City of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil)

In this study, the multi-marker approach was used for the first time with a highly urbanized lake located in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil, to provide a comprehensive view of temporal trends in sources of pollutants and evaluate the relation between the influence of anthropogenic activities and socioeconomic development. Total concentrations of the markers analyzed ranged from 21.0 to 103.8ngg-1, 450.2 to 2390.2ngg-1, and 233.8 to 9827.3ngg-1 for ∑PAHs, ∑n-alk, and ∑sterols, respectively. Concentrations and patterns of PAH, AH, and sterol ratio distribution changed over time and may be associated with different episodes in the history of the city of Fortaleza. The marker ratio distribution in the sediment core revealed an overlap of natural and anthropogenic sources, with degraded oil, biogenic inputs, pyrogenic processes, and fecal contamination from humans and animals in the past changing to petroleum fossil inputs and high contamination from sewage in the present day. The distribution of markers and the chronological history of Fortaleza revealed two distinct periods related to human activities during the development of the city. In the first period (prior to the 1950s), the main human activities were animal breeding and the use of biomass for domestic activities, public and cargo transportation, and commercial activities, especially food production. In the second period (after the 1950s), expansion of the city occurred due to the so-called Brazilian economic miracle and the main human activities were industrialization and urbanization processes, involving deforestation, paving, sewage discharge, and petroleum combustion.

Understanding the formation of buried urban Anthrosols and Technosols: An integrated soil micromorphological and phytolith study of the Dark Earth on the Mundaneum site (Mons, Belgium)

Among the buried urban Anthrosols and Technosols, urban Dark Earth composes a major challenge to urban archaeologists and soil scientists. These homogeneous units are often the result of a complex formation history, involving human actions and natural processes. In order to understand the significance of the late medieval to pre-industrial urban Dark Earth observed on the site of Mundaneum in the historical centre of Mons (Belgium) an integrated soil micromorphological and phytolith study has been performed.The aim of this study is to understand how the urban Dark Earth formed and to identify the major natural and human processes that are involved in its formation. The results show that major natural processes are bioturbation, sedimentation, humification, alkalinisation and clay translocation. These processes are mainly human induced. Main human activities include cereal cultivation, horticulture, dumping of waste and trampling. Phytoliths proved to be an important witness of the presence of plant material, in a context where organic remains tend to decompose rapidly. The integrated approach allowed to come to a better understanding of the taphonomical history of the phytoliths, hence permitting to distinguish plant remains related to manure, cereal processing and in situ cultivated plants. The study further permitted the authors to gain insight in part of the biography of the site and its surroundings, hence showing changes in spatial organisation and the progressive urbanisation of the area. As such, this analysis provides an important stepstone to the further geoarchaeological study of town development in Medieval and Modern periods.

Does selective logging affect litter deposition rates in central Brazilian Amazonia?

Selective logging is one of the main human activities that are drastically modifying tropical forests around the world. Reduced-impact logging emerged as a rational model of timber harvesting that reduces the impacts on the ecosystems and contributes to the conservation of natural resources. Nevertheless, this type of activity may still alter the forest structure, nutrient cycling, soil drainage, and other important ecosystem processes. Here, we aimed at testing the effects of selective logging on litter deposition in central Brazilian Amazonia. We estimated litter production during one dry and one rainy season in 11 sites logged between 2003 and 2017 and one unlogged site. Mean litter deposition was greater during the dry season. Although litter deposition rates varied between a few study sites, this variation was independent of the time after logging. The results suggest that the low logging intensity in the study site (16.8 m³/ha) had no intense impacts on litter deposition. Reduced-impact logging may be an alternative for the use of forest resources in Amazonian forests without compromising nutrient cycles.

Comprehensive environmental assessment of heavy metal contamination of surface water, sediments and Nile Tilapia in Lake Nasser, Egypt

Heavy metals cause deleterious effects on human health and drastically alter the biogeochemical cycles within freshwater habitats. The main human activities leading to heavy metal contamination of various aquatic ecosystems comprise the industry, agriculture, urbanization, transport and mining. Lake Nasser is the main freshwater source in Egypt, usually polluted from upstream human activities from the hydrographic basin of the River Nile. The current study surveyed the impact of heavy metals contamination (i.e., Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu) in water, sediment and two Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish organs (liver and muscles) at six sampling sites along Lake Nasser. Additionally, the effects of heavy metals bioaccumulation in the aquatic ecosystem, via water, sediments and fish organs were investigated. The conclusion is that the water of Lake Nasser is safe for use in terms of human consumption, agricultural utilization and public sanitation.

Social Responsibility in Sanatan Dharm (Hinduism) (Four-fold Social Class System and Rejection of Untouchability)

Hinduism (Sanatan Dharm) provides social life guidance. The four main Varṇs (classes) i.e., Brahman,Khashtri, Vaish, and Shudr suggest an ethics for all the main human activities in society. But the Brahmans often misconstrued the true meaning of this class system and considered them superior in society. They oppressed the Shudras caused them much suffering. Many Hindu thinkers and writers have conceded these historical facts. They have tried to remind Hindus of their true values and social responsibility. Modern Hindu thinkers have been inspired by the classics of Sanatan Dharm, such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayan. These classics articulate the social values of human beings, according to Sanatan Dharm. The Dharm never lets anybody down based on Varn, caste, creed, blood,or profession. Shrila Prabhupada, Swami Vivekanand, Dr. Ambedkar all are modern authors whose thinking has developed these values into a social philosophy.