Ongoing Activities Research Articles

AWI-CM3 coupled climate model: description and evaluation experiments for a prototype post-CMIP6 model

Abstract. We developed a new version of the Alfred Wegener Institute Climate Model (AWI-CM3), which has higher skills in representing the observed climatology and better computational efficiency than its predecessors. Its ocean component FESOM2 (Finite-volumE Sea ice–Ocean Model) has the multi-resolution functionality typical of unstructured-mesh models while still featuring a scalability and efficiency similar to regular-grid models. The atmospheric component OpenIFS (CY43R3) enables the use of the latest developments in the numerical-weather-prediction community in climate sciences. In this paper we describe the coupling of the model components and evaluate the model performance on a variable-resolution (25–125 km) ocean mesh and a 61 km atmosphere grid, which serves as a reference and starting point for other ongoing research activities with AWI-CM3. This includes the exploration of high and variable resolution and the development of a full Earth system model as well as the creation of a new sea ice prediction system. At this early development stage and with the given coarse to medium resolutions, the model already features above-CMIP6-average skills (where CMIP6 denotes Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6) in representing the climatology and competitive model throughput. Finally we identify remaining biases and suggest further improvements to be made to the model.

Features of keeping calves in the conditions of the dairy complex of the Leningrad region

Purpose: This work is based on a study of the features of keeping young cattle (organization of livestock placement, feeding regimen, veterinary manipulations) in a breeding plant in the Leningrad Region, assessing these features and identifying their impact on the state of the livestock and animal productivity.2000 heads of cattle, of which 915 are part of the dairy herd with average daily milk yield per cow - 19-20 kg (when cows are milked 2 times a day, freshly calved - 3 times) and the mass fraction of fat is 3.7%. After birth, calves are kept in a dispensary for up to 20 days, tied at a distance of 1.5-2 m from each other. After 20 days, the calves are transferred to group cages, 7 heads each, with a gradual change in feeding regimen. After 25 days, they are transferred to the calf house. The most common diseases in young animals are bronchopneumonia, pulmonary enphysema and dyspepsia. To prevent the development of infectious diseases in calves, vaccination is carried out from the age of 14 days. Against parainfluenza-3 and pasteurellosis vaccines Bovilis IBR (live labeled vaccine for specific prophylaxis against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis) and Bovilis Bovipast RSP vaccine (inactivated vaccine against parainfluenza-3 , respiratory syncytial infection and pasteurellosis of cattle) are used at a dose of 5 ml subcutaneously. At the age of three weeks, calves are vaccinated against salmonellosis (paratyphoid) and parainfluenza (again - after 10 days). After 2 weeks, calves are vaccinated against leptospirosis (repeat - after six months). From the age of two months they are vaccinated against tuberculosis. From the age of three months - against brucellosis, anthrax (revaccination after six months), depriving and rabies. At 3 months, the first deworming is carried out. Vaccination can increase the survival rate of young animals up to 97%. The ongoing activities are the main ones for the further use of breeding and commercial animals, the realization of their genetic potential and the production of high-quality products.

Does Qualification Count? The Effect of Teachers’ Professional Qualifications on their Efficacy in Teaching

A cross-sectional survey was used to investigate the relationship between the professional credentials held by educators and the calibre of training they deliver. A questionnaire with 12 questions was distributed to 154 senior high school instructors from 20 different senior high schools. The study's conclusions showed that instructors had a very high level of efficacy. According to the findings of a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test about teacher qualifications, there was no statistically significant difference between the means of the six different groups of teacher professional credentials on teacher efficacy. According to the findings of a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test about teacher qualifications, All Ashanti Region teachers are strongly encouraged to participate in ongoing professional development activities. This is since it is among the most crucial strategies to help teachers feel like they are doing a good job and have faith in their own talents as educators.

Evaluation of Positive Choices, a National Initiative to Disseminate Evidence-Based Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Strategies: Web-Based Survey Study.

BackgroundTo prevent adolescents from initiating alcohol and other drug use and reduce the associated harms, effective strategies need to be implemented. Despite their availability, effective school-based programs and evidence-informed parental guidelines are not consistently implemented. The Positive Choices alcohol and other drug prevention initiative and website was launched to address this research and practice gap. The intended end users were school staff, parents, and school students. An 8-month postlaunch evaluation of the website showed that end users generally had positive feedback on the website’s usability, and following its use, most of them would consider the evidence base and effectiveness of drug education resources. This study extends this initial evaluation by examining the effectiveness and impact of the Positive Choices initiative over a 3-year period.ObjectiveGuided by the five dimensions of the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework, the study assessed the impact of the Positive Choices initiative in increasing awareness and implementation of evidence-based drug prevention.MethodsData were collected between 2017 and 2019, using web-based evaluation and community awareness surveys. Data from the surveys were merged to examine reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance using descriptive statistics. Google Analytics was used to further understand the reach of the website. The System Usability Scale was used to measure website usability. In addition, inductive analysis was used to assess the participants’ feedback about Positive Choices.ResultsA total of 5 years after launching, the Positive Choices website has reached 1.7 million users. A national Australian campaign increased awareness from 8% to 14% among school staff and from 15% to 22% among parents after the campaign. Following a brief interaction with the website, most participants, who were not already following the recommended strategies, reported an intention to shift toward evidence-based practices. The System Usability Scale score for the website was good for both user groups. The participants intended to maintain their use of the Positive Choices website in the future. Both user groups reported high level of confidence in communicating about topics related to alcohol and other drugs. Participants’ suggestions for improvement informed a recent website update.ConclusionsThe Positive Choices website has the capacity to be an effective strategy for disseminating evidence-based drug prevention information and resources widely. The findings highlight the importance of investing in ongoing maintenance and promotion to enhance awareness of health websites. With the increased use and acceptability of health education websites, teams should ensure that websites are easy to navigate, are engaging, use simple language, contain evidence-informed resources, and are supported by ongoing promotional activities.

Umrah Registration System Using Extreme Programming Method Towards Worship Tourism

The Umrah registration process at PT Annisa Mulia Wisata still uses a manual system, so the admin at the branch office must contact the head office first to find out the quota availability for the Umrah package ordered. For this reason, a system is needed to assist the ongoing Umrah registration activities so that errors during the registration process can be reduced and the system can run effectively and efficiently. The development stage of this web-based Umrah package registration system was built using the Laravel framework and system development life cycle (SDLC) to support this research using Extreme Programming (XP). With this web-based Umrah registration system, it can help prospective pilgrims in the Umrah registration process by choosing each type of package along with the price and number of quotas and as a medium of information in the marketing process and transaction data processing for companies.

Umrah Registration System Using Extreme Programming Method Towards Worship Tourism

The Umrah registration process at PT Annisa Mulia Wisata still uses a manual system, so the admin at the branch office must contact the head office first to find out the quota availability for the Umrah package ordered. For this reason, a system is needed to assist the ongoing Umrah registration activities so that errors during the registration process can be reduced and the system can run effectively and efficiently. The development stage of this web-based Umrah package registration system was built using the Laravel framework and system development life cycle (SDLC) to support this research using Extreme Programming (XP). With this web-based Umrah registration system, it can help prospective pilgrims in the Umrah registration process by choosing each type of package along with the price and number of quotas and as a medium of information in the marketing process and transaction data processing for companies.

Intensive land-based activities increase the potential risk of benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) to aquatic ecosystems and human health in coastal areas of China

Industrial expansion and overpopulation in cities experiencing economic growth, especially in coastal cities, continuously expose aquatic ecosystems to contaminant loading from land-based activities. This study employed a Berkeley-Trent (BETR) model to simulate benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) exposure levels in aquatic ecosystems of coastal regions during 1985–2050 while considering five shared socio-economic scenarios (SSP1, SSP2, SSP3, SSP4, and SSP5). The highest BaP concentrations were estimated for Shanghai and Tianjin, corresponding to the two areas that exhibited the highest potential human health risk. Risk quotient (RQ) analysis indicated that aquatic ecosystems in 80% of coastal areas were potentially affected by BaP contamination, while higher RQ values were observed for Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangdong. Crustaceans in aquatic ecosystems were estimated to be more sensitive to BaP exposure compared to amphibians, fish, and mollusks, with the former exhibiting potentially affected fraction (PAF) values of 0.19%–20.26%. Further, PAFs of crustacean for Shanghai and Tianjin were 9.73% and 6.57%, respectively, both exceeding 5% and suggesting that crustaceans within these two areas would likely considerably suffer from greater BaP exposure threats. BaP exposure levels and corresponding risks continuously increased from 1985 to 2035 with ongoing intensive land-based activities, followed by slight decreases during 2035–2050. The SSP1 scenario represented a sustainable development strategy that led to lower emissions compared to the SSP2, SSP3, SSP4, and SSP5 scenarios. Employing strategies like those in the SSP1 scenario will thus help reduce BaP exposure levels and risks to environments and humans. Thus, SSP1 is the optimal scenario to help control future contamination and potential ecological risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health in coastal areas.

Strong ground-motion prediction equations from induced earthquakes in St. Gallen geothermal field, Switzerland

Abstract Ground shaking, whether it is due to natural or induced earthquakes, has always been a matter of concern since it correlates with structural/non-structural damage and can culminate in human anxiety. Industrial activities such as water injection, gas sequestration and waste fluid disposals, promote induced seismicity and consequent ground shaking that can hinder ongoing activities. Therefore, keeping in mind the importance of timely evaluation of a seismic hazard and its mitigation for societal benefits, the present study proposes specifically designed ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) from induced earthquakes in the St. Gallen geothermal area, Switzerland. The data analysed in this study consist of 343 earthquakes with magnitude −1.17 ≤ ML, corr ≤ 3.5 and hypocentral distance between 4 and 15 km. The proposed study is one of the first to incorporate ground motions from negative magnitude earthquakes for the development of GMPEs. The GMPEs are inferred with a two-phase approach. In the first phase, a reference model is obtained by considering the effect of source and medium properties on the ground motion. In the second phase the final model is obtained by including a site/station effect. The comparison between the GMPEs obtained in the present study with GMPEs developed for the other induced seismicity environments highlights a mismatch that is ascribed to differences in regional seismic environment and local site conditions of the respective regions. This suggests that, when dealing with induced earthquakes, GMPEs specific for the study should be inferred and used for both monitoring purposes and seismic hazard analyses.

Implementasi Pelayanan Publik Berbasis HAM di Kantor Imigrasi Kelas II Non TPI Ponorogo

The role of human rights in government has a major influence on the ongoing activities carried out by government officials in a country to achieve state goals. However, it is undeniable that there are still human rights violations in the performance of public services. Given the importance of human rights-based public services provided to the community, so it is often used as an indicator of the success of a government regime. With conditions that have not been maximized, especially in human rights-based services, in order to realize good governance, where accountability is one of the principles that must be met in governance. It is hoped that this research can describe the implementation of human rights-based public services. This research on human rights-based public services uses a qualitative descriptive method with the type of research that describes, describes, or describes the state of the object under study as it is, according to the situation and conditions when the research was conducted. Based on the research results, the implementation of human rights-based public services at the Immigration Office Class II Non TPI Ponorogo has been carried out in accordance with the human rights-based public service standards set out in the Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2022.

Creation of a regional register of children with latent tuberculosis infection

Background. In the context of the stabilization of the tuberculosis situation in Russia, including the Tyumen region, work with children at risk (with a latent tuberculosis infection) is of particular importance. In the course of previous studies, a number of problematic issues in the field of organizing phthisiatric care for this contingent were identified.
 Aim. To substantiate and develop the structure of the regional register of children with latent tuberculosis infection, as well as the algorithm for collecting and registering information included in it.
 Material and methods. The analysis of domestic and foreign publications, the current regulatory framework in the field of creation and use of registers in medicine and healthcare has been carried out. The study used content analysis, legal, historical and descriptive-analytical methods.
 Results. The analysis of the literature showed that currently the practice of creating registers in medicine is particularly relevant, but there is no unified definition, classification, tasks and approaches to their management, therefore, the structure of the regional register of children with latent tuberculosis infection, the procedure for collecting and registering information were developed by the authors based on the functions inherent in it. The register is necessary for recording and monitoring of children with latent tuberculosis infection, optimization of medical processes, solving organizational and scientific issues in providing anti-tuberculosis care to this category of patients. The register consists of 8 blocks: identification, follow-up medical care, anamnesis vitae, epidemiological anamnesis, vaccination against tuberculosis, immunodiagnostics, radiation diagnostics, preventive treatment. The functions of filling in the blocks are distributed between the primary health care institutions and the phthisiological service, as well as assigned to certain specialists.
 Conclusion. The developed data registration algorithm and the structure of the regional register of children with latent tuberculosis infection contain the data necessary for the implementation of the tasks set, operational and retrospective monitoring of the effectiveness of ongoing activities, as well as management decision-making at all levels of providing phthisiatric care to the children's population of the region.

Development and application of a real-time Integrated Drugs Surveillance System (iDSS) for NPS in New Zealand

To develop an interactive database solution to provide real-time information on what novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are emerging on the New Zealand (NZ) market, track their real time use and monitor their potential risk and harm in our communities. The iDSS is a rapid information sharing tool used within ESR and also across NZ enforcement and health agencies (including customs, police, justice sector, health providers and hospitals, ambulance services, mental health services and the Ministry of Health). It provides information of what drugs have been identified, where and when these drugs are found, and the level of harm they are causing. The collated information is then used to develop harm reduction strategies at a community level and to develop a national drug forecasting and management strategy. Synthetic cannabinoids are a dominant group of drugs associated with drug-related deaths in NZ. From May 2017 until March 2022 one or more synthetic cannabinoids were detected in 127 deaths where the cause of death was not ascertained after autopsy and in a further six cases with pre-existing heart disease and death following use of these drugs. The cause of death was determined by autopsy in a further 16 cases where synthetic cannabinoids had been used, with hanging being the cause of death in seven of those cases. The development of ESR's iDSS was driven from a need to develop a national perspective of NPS drug use across the spectrum of ESR's drug testing capability, including drugs seized at the border and through NZ Police, drug presentations from hospitals, impaired drivers, road accidents and fatalities, and drugs found in post-mortem toxicology cases. The ESR iDSS provides real time information of the temporal and geographical trends of each NPS found entering NZ that enables the development of harm reduction strategies at a community level. The use and harm caused by synthetic cannabinoids has changed over the last five years in NZ. Initially AMB-FUBINACA was causing the most harm and was dominant in the upper North Island, and 5F-ADB was also common and was associated with harm in the lower part of the North Island. As time has progressed the change to new synthetic cannabinoids is becoming more rapid and can differ between communities. Most synthetic cannabinoid related deaths are preventable by timely hospital treatment therefore community-based knowledge of drug use is essential to develop appropriate drug harm reduction strategies. The use of ESR's iDSS is a key tool in understanding the changing pattern of use and harm from NPS and will be an important part of on-going harm reduction activities at a national level.

Comparative Evaluation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Water and Sediment, Choba Segment of New Calabar River, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The heavy metal concentration in water and sediment, Choba segment of New Calabar River, Port Harcourt was investigated between February and April, 2020. Samples collected from the three locations were analysed in the laboratory for heavy metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) following standard method of APHA. The mean values of heavy metal in water (mg/l) were: Cr (2.29±1.29), Ni (2.32±0.28), Pb (2.46±0.38), Cd (0.04±0.02), Fe (52.18±7.26) while that of sediment were: Cr (7.18±0.43), Ni (5.57±0.29), Pb (8.09±0.39), Cd(0.30±0.15), Fe (123.64±5.17). The heavy metal values showed variations across the stations at P<0.05. The order of concentration of heavy metal in water was: Fe>Pb>Ni>Cr>Cd while that of sediment is Fe>Pb>Cr>Ni > Cd with heavy metal concentration in sediment higher than that of water while Fe and Cd concentrations were highest and lowest in both water and sediment respectively. All the heavy metals in water except Ni exceeded the permissible limits of World Health Organisation (WHO), Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) while that of sediment were below the permissible limits except Fe. It was concluded from the results that Choba segment of the New Calabar River is under stress since the heavy metals apart from Nickel (Ni) present were above the permissible limit. This implies that the quality of the water is unsafe for use especially for domestic purpose if untreated owing to the on-going anthropogenic activities in the area. Therefore, regulatory standards for discharges from anthropogenic activities should be strictly controlled

A sampling, exposure and receptor framework for identifying factors that modulate behavioural responses to disturbance in cetaceans.

The assessment of behavioural disturbance in cetacean species (e.g. resulting from exposure to anthropogenic sources such as military sonar, seismic surveys, or pile driving) is important for effective conservation and management. Disturbance effects can be informed by Behavioural Response Studies (BRSs), involving either controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) where noise exposure conditions are presented deliberately to meet experimental objectives or in opportunistic contexts where ongoing activities are monitored in a strategic manner. In either context, animal-borne sensors or in situ observations can provide information on individual exposure and disturbance responses. The past 15 years of research have greatly expanded our understanding of behavioural responses to noise, including hundreds of experiments in nearly a dozen cetacean species. Many papers note limited sample sizes, required knowledge of baseline behaviour prior to exposure and the importance of contextual factors modulating behavioural responses, all of which in combination can lead to sampling biases, even for well-designed research programs. It is critical to understand these biases to robustly identify responses. This ensures outcomes of BRSs help inform predictions of how anthropogenic disturbance impacts individuals and populations. Our approach leverages concepts from the animal behaviour literature focused on helping to avoid sampling bias by considering what shapes an animal's response. These factors include social, experience, genetic and natural changes in responsiveness. We developed and applied a modified version of this framework to synthesise current knowledge on cetacean response in the context of effects observed across marine and terrestrial taxa. This new 'Sampling, Exposure, Receptor' framework (SERF) identifies 43 modulating factors, highlights potential biases, and assesses how these vary across selected focal species. In contrast to studies that identified variation in 'Exposure' factors as a key concern, our analysis indicated that factors relating to 'Sampling' (e.g. deploying tags on less evasive individuals, which biases selection of subjects), and 'Receptor' (e.g. health status or coping style) have the greatest potential for weakening the desired broad representativeness of BRSs. Our assessment also highlights how potential biases could be addressed with existing datasets or future developments.

High pressure-temperature phase equilibrium studies on Martian basalts: Implications for the failure of plate tectonics on Mars

Mars lacks ongoing tectonic activities such as volcanism and mountain-building processes. Modern plate tectonic movements on the Earth's surface are driven primarily by the descent of subducted slabs into the mantle. Slab crust made of dense eclogite metamorphosed from the Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt provides an important driving force for slab subduction. Thus, mantle convection inside Mars can be hindered if the density contrast between Martian slab crust and the ambient Martian mantle is sufficiently smaller than that of Earth. To evaluate this hypothesis, we carried out high pressure-temperature phase equilibrium experiments on three different Martian basalts: Yamato 980459, NWA 8159, and GUSEV basalt (Humphrey). The GUSEV basalt and NWA 8159 undergo partial or complete melting along the Martian areotherm due to their high Fe content, suggesting that both compositions are geochemically evolved. Yamato 980459, the nearly primitive Martian basalt, on the other hand, would transform to a low-density eclogite at a depth of ∼250 km. The density contrast between a Martian crustal slab made of Yamato 980459, and the ambient Martian mantle is much smaller than that for Earth's mantle. Calculated slab sinking torques and velocities further suggest that sustained buoyancy-driven subduction of thin slabs was unlikely early in Martian history. Additional experiments exploring wider composition and pressure-temperature ranges are needed to fully understand the consequences of Martian mantle compositions and cooling history for the tectonic history of Mars.

2D/3D SOIL CONSUMPTION TRACKING IN A MARBLE QUARRY DISTRICT

Abstract. Complex extractive districts, such as the marble quarries in the Apuan Alps (northern Italy), require soil consumption monitoring over the years that could be achieved through high-resolution remotely sensed data. To derive 2D and 3D indicators with appropriate resolution for annual monitoring of high-resolution changes in soil consumption, aerial images, LiDAR acquisitions, satellite data, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) acquisitions were used. In particular, open-access Sentinel-2 multispectral satellite imagery with a spatial resolution of 10 m was used to assess cover changes (2D), and then refined by manual interpretation for 5 years (2016-2021). 3D changes were detected by comparing free aerial LiDAR data from 2009 and 2017, integrated with two stereo models obtained from Pléiades high-resolution satellite images from 2020 and 2022. 3D changes observed over the years by algebraic elevation comparison, performed in QGIS 3.x environment, highlight quarries characterized by intense mining activities (extracted marble blocks, characterized by positive elevation differences) and quarry area management (debris disposal and service infrastructure construction, characterized by negative elevation differences). The combined use of 2D and 3D change indicators can be challenging in order to correctly represent soil consumption over the years. A dual 2D/3D webgis client have been developed for proper representation of 2D/3D spatial indicators of ongoing extraction activities in the Carrara marble basin: high-resolution images have been served as tiled data, while 2D/3D spatial indicators are served as static and/or tiled vector data. Open-Source libraries have used in data processing, serving and representation inside a map interface.

Beyond Good Intentions: Developing and Operationalizing Values in the Structure of Digital Library Programs

Defining values for an organizational unit has become a standard practice for creating and supporting successful teams across sectors in business, government, and nonprofits. Given the centrality of professional values for librarians and archivists, this practice is particularly salient for work in library and archives organizations. At the same time, implicit values in technology sector organizations have been widely criticized for leading to staff burnout and contributing to increased precarity and harm to employees. This presents a significant challenge for digital library organizations that often straddle aspects of start-up and information technology organizational culture and library and archives culture. This case study presents the development of a set of values for the newly created Digital Content Management (DCM) section at the Library of Congress. The authors provide general context and background on this effort, then describe the approach to collaboratively developing shared values and the resulting work to refine how those values are operationalized in ongoing work activities and processes. This case study also aims to provide useful information to others working in digital library programs to support this same kind of reflective praxis.

Innovating peer review, reconfiguring scholarly communication: an analytical overview of ongoing peer review innovation activities

PurposeThe study aims to provide an analytical overview of current innovations in peer review and their potential impacts on scholarly communication.Design/methodology/approachThe authors created a survey that was disseminated among publishers, academic journal editors and other organizations in the scholarly communication ecosystem, resulting in a data set of 95 self-defined innovations. The authors ordered the material using a taxonomy that compares innovation projects according to five dimensions. For example, what is the object of review? How are reviewers recruited, and does the innovation entail specific review foci?FindingsPeer review innovations partly pull in mutually opposed directions. Several initiatives aim to make peer review more efficient and less costly, while other initiatives aim to promote its rigor, which is likely to increase costs; innovations based on a singular notion of “good scientific practice” are at odds with more pluralistic understandings of scientific quality; and the idea of transparency in peer review is the antithesis to the notion that objectivity requires anonymization. These fault lines suggest a need for better coordination.Originality/valueThis paper presents original data that were analyzed using a novel, inductively developed, taxonomy. Contrary to earlier research, the authors do not attempt to gauge the extent to which peer review innovations increase the “reliability” or “quality” of reviews (as defined according to often implicit normative criteria), nor are they trying to measure the uptake of innovations in the routines of academic journals. Instead, they focus on peer review innovation activities as a distinct object of analysis.

Towards Connecting Molecular Data and the Biodiversity Research Community: An ENA and ELIXIR biodiversity community perspective

Global and regional efforts for generating molecular sequencing data are fundamental to characterise and monitor the Earth’s biodiversity. However, exploiting the full potential of molecular data for biodiversity monitoring and conservation is still a challenge. There is still the need to fully connect the generation and archiving of sequence data with other biodiversity infrastructures, thereby promoting Findability, Accessability, Interoperability and Reusability (FAIR) of data. Here we present the ongoing activities and future plans of the European Life-Science Infrastructure (ELIXIR) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory European Bioinformatics Institute’s (EMBL-EBI) European Nucleotide Archive (ENA, the European node of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration - INSDC) towards an enriched set of sequence data connected to the wider biodiversity research community. ELIXIR has an emerging Biodiversity Community that was originally created as a focus group in 2019, to better align the work in biodiversity across the ELIXIR Nodes and with global initiatives in the biodiversity domain. This group has been working on understanding the capabilities, interests and ongoing projects that exist across the Nodes, developing connections with external partners in the biodiversity area (e.g. Global Biodiversity Information Facilitiy, GBIF; LifeWatch Eric) and developing a longer term strategy for support of biodiversity by ELIXIR. A recent opinion piece by the group (Waterhouse et al. 2021) highlights opportunities for infrastructure developments in the area of biodiversity and provides recommendations for closer integration of molecular data with biodiversity research. These recommendations include the alignment of taxonomies across domains and the general adoption of standardized metadata. ELIXIR and EMBL-EBI are involved in several biodiversity genomics initiatives, including the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), the Darwin Tree of Life Project (DToL), the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA), and the BIOSCAN Europe, where support is being provided to data curation, submission and visibility and in the definition of standards for the associated metadata (e.g. Lawniczak et al. 2022). Moreover, EMBL-EBI is a partner of UniEuk, an initiative that is working towards building a flexible universal taxonomic framework for eukaryotes. ELIXIR and EMBL-EBI are also part of the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL), an Horizon 2020 project that is working towards establishing FAIR practices in the biodiversity domain, and thereby developing tools and workflows for connecting data along the biodiversity research cycle (Penev et al. 2022). These projects and community efforts are contributing to improving metadata standards and pushing the development of tools and workflows to support enriched metadata and increased linkage with other biodiversity infrastructures. Overall, we need to continue to work towards a strong foundation of interlinked knowledge to be able to effectively respond to global challenges such as biodiversity loss and ecosystem change.

Включенность российских регионов в Национальный проект «Производительность труда». Часть 1

The article provides a detailed analysis of the National Project “Labor Productivity”, considered its main tasks and significant results. The indicators of socio-economic development of the Russian Federation used to monitor the achievement of indicators of national and federal projects, are presented. The actual indicators on the level of their achievement are analyzed based on the data of the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System. The federal projects included in the structure of this national project are considered, the ongoing activities and the support measures provided, as well as the main activities carried out by the Federal Competence Center are reflected. Information on best practices was disclosed and individual enterprises of the Southern Federal District participating in the project were identified. In addition, the measures provided under the project to support employment are disclosed, including in connection with the risk of laying off employees due to increased productivity at enterprises, as well as to meet the needs of enterprises in new personnel and retrain workers in relevant areas. Measures aimed at modernizing employment services in order to introduce innovative solutions and improve the efficiency of their work were considered; a brief description of the project management tools used by public authorities in order to achieve the national development goals of the Russian Federation is given; a number of indicators and results were assessed in the context of the regions of the Southern Federal District.

GWITCHHUNTERS – A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS

Gravitational wave detectors are complex instruments devoted to the formidable task of measuring spacetime deformations as small as a thousandth of the size of the atomic nucleus, like those produced by the signals originating from the coalescence of compact stars. GWitchHunters is a citizen science project aimed at promoting the study of the Universe carried out with these detectors and the ongoing activities to improve their sensitivity to newer and further sources of gravitational waves. In order to reach the vastest possible audience, we have developed new strategies to present detector data in the form of images and sounds. Moreover, citizens are invited to contribute themselves to the improvement of these detectors by completing simple tasks, inspired by those actually carried out by researchers, that consist in identifying relations and patterns in the data. This constitutes an important aid to the detector characterization activity conducted by the scientists. All of this is proposed via the Zooniverse web platform, where citizens can get to know about the research on gravitational waves and enjoy giving their contribution to this field.