West Part Research Articles

Climate Change and Environmental Security in Bangladesh

Climate change is a major non-traditional Security (NTS) issue which poses a massive threat to global environmental security. Climate change is still occurring, manifested in rising temperatures, increased river and coastal flooding and erosion, rising sea levels, increasing salinity, and more frequent, severe weather events. It is evident that men and women are affected differently by the environmental consequences of climate change. Women become more vulnerable to climate change impacts and environmental disasters. The paper aims to show the interrelationship of climate change, environmental security and gender in Bangladesh. Moreover, the paper examines the impacts of climate change in environmental security from the gender perspective exploring the condition of women during disasters and their vulnerabilities under climate change scenario in Bangladesh. Secondary data have been used and analyzed to identify the overall condition of women during hazardous situations in Bangladesh. Available data reveal that a number of climate-induced hazards are already affecting many women especially in the coastal zone, low-lying areas and north- west part of the country. The paper finds that climate change has disproportionate impacts on women in Bangladesh affecting their food security, water security, health security, economic livelihood as well as internal migration. Finally, the paper provides policy recommendations dealing with the gender differentiated climate change vulnerabilities experienced by Bangladesh.

Quantitative analysis of the spatial diversity of Moraceae in China

Changes in distribution patterns of economically essential forest species under global change are urgently needed in the scientific forecast, and large-scale spatial modeling is a crucial tool. Using diversity pattern indicators and other data obtained through geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial data on Moraceae species obtained from published data, we quantitatively studied the spatial diversity patterns of genera in the Moraceae in China. The results revealed that the patch richness, diversity index, and total shape index of the genera with multiple species were significantly higher than those of the monotypic genera. Monotypic genera had no spatial diversity and no distribution in patterns of spatial diversity. Maclura had the most concentrated spatial distribution and the lowest distribution area among the Moraceae in China. The number of patches and the total area were the smallest, while the most significant patch index was the highest. Maclura had no spatial diversity. Streblus had the highest patch abundance compared to other genera with fewer species. Streblus had the smallest number of patches and total area of distribution, the lowest spatial distribution, and a small total shape index, indicating its concentrated distribution. The values of the Shannon’s Diversity Index (SHDI) and Simpson’s Diversity Index (SIDI) were the highest, and the spatial distribution was the most diverse among the genera with fewer species. The patch type of Streblus had a more considerable value than other genera, but the number of patches was small, and the total shape index was low. Streblus was primarily distributed in the south of Yunnan, western Guangxi, the west and central parts of Hainan, and southern Guangdong. Most of these areas were mountainous. The temperature decreased with elevation, providing diverse environmental conditions for the narrow-stem genus. Among the Moraceae in China, the spatial distribution of Ficus was the most diverse, with the highest number of patches, patch types, total shape index, SHDI, and SIDI values. The spatial diversity of Ficus could be used as a protected area for Moraceae in China.

Analysis of Investment Potential in The West Part of Jambi Province

This study aims to provide accurate information about business fields, commodities and potential in Jambi Province to investors (investors). Therefore this research is needed so that the level of development in Jambi Province is right on target. The scope of this research area covers all locations of Sarolangun Regency, Merangin Regency, Bungo Regency, Tebo Regency, Kerinci Regency and Sungai Penuh City. The type of data used is the type of secondary data obtained from interviews and data from related agencies in the Province of Jambi in 2017. Based on the research results obtained that: (1) Jambi Province is one of the provinces geogrogically has a very strategic location. supported by land and sea and air transportation facilities and infrastructure including the Trans Sumatra national road and so on. Jambi Province is included in the IMT-GT growth triangle Economic Zone (KESR). (2) The results of the SWOT analysis that have been carried out show the potential investment results in Jambi Province are in Quadrant III (negative, positive) between strategic issues on internal factors of weakness and opportunity external factors, which in this position indicates that in terms of investment the Province of Jambi has several weaknesses but has great opportunities for investment development in Jambi Province. (3) Based on the results of the 2018 Klassen Typology analysis of 6 (six) regencies/cities that are the study areas, including Merangin Regency, Sarolangun Regency, Bungo Regency, Tebo Regency, Sungai Penuh and Kerinci District showing that only Sungai Penuh City is included the classification of Fast-Forward and Fast-Growing Regions, with a rate of economic growth and per capita income higher than the provinces. For regions that are classified as fast developing regions are Sarolangun Regency, Bungo Regency, Tebo Regency, Merangin Regency and Kerinci Regency. Although it has a lower per capita income than the provincial per capita income, the economic growth rates of the five districts are higher than the provincial economic growth rate. The area is an area that can develop rapidly with very large development potentials but has not been fully processed properly

Geochemical Signatures of Bara Basin Aquifers, Kordofan State, Sudan

Purpose: In this paper, geochemical investigation has been carried out to study the concentrations of major cations; Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg2+), and Calcium (Ca2+), and major anions; Chloride (Cl-), Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Nitrate (NO3-) and Sulphate (SO42-), other parameters such as (pH), Electric conductivity and T.D.S were also studied in all water samples taken from wells in Bara basin.
 Methodology: Forty five (45) water samples have been collected from wells. Lab works were done at Groundwater and Wadis Directorate (GWD), Khartoum State according to Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization, (2002), to study the major cations and major anions.
 Findings: The results revealed that the average value of pH was (7.9) E.C values were (843.4 μS/cm) and T.D.S values were (59 mg/l). The average concentrations of the major cations obtained were; Na+ (126.3), K+ (5.22), Mg2+ (28.30), Ca2+(66.41) and the major anions (mg/l) were; Cl- (159.00), HCO3- (165.30), NO3- (156.70) and SO42- (164.70). The (Na/Cl) ratio is (2.47) is also high which reflects the abundance of (Na+) ions relative to the Chloride (Cl-) ions which confirmed the light-salty nature of groundwater. Geochemical mass balance calculations indicate that upper aquifer is mainly affected by the dissolution and dolomitization processes of major anions.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This process is highly developed in the central west part of the basin due to the abundance of Sulphate (SO42-), Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Magnesium (Mg2+), and Calcium (Ca2+) ions. High values of E.C, T.D.S, Ca2+, and SO42- are mainly presents as a saline water resource in some villages. Two types of water are classified here these are : i). Na-HCO3 type and ii). Ca- Cl -SO4 type. The study concluded that water samples from Almakser, Hamdan-2, Um-Zeeraga-2, and Al-Zareeba-2 villages have very high concentrations of E.C, T.D.S Ca2-, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-, which may suggest that water samples are not fit for human consumption, according to guidelins by W.H.O (1984). This paper recommends further study on water quality.

ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF UNCOMMON HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATION IN THE SOILS OF THE CENTRAL PROVINCE OF UŞAK, WESTERN TURKIYE

This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of the uncommon heavy metals (Ag, Bi, Co, Sb, Th, Tl, U, and V) in 90 soil samples obtained from both urban and agricultural lands near Uşak, western Turkiye to investigate dimensions of the existing ecological pollution using geoaccumulation and enrichment factor indices, and to identify their potential pollutants. The concentration values for the selected elements ranged from 0.01 to 0.46 mg/kg for silver (Ag); 0.07 to 0.72 mg/kg for bismuth (Bi); 7.9 to 55.8 mg/kg for cobalt (Co); 0.12 to 27.99 mg/kg antimony (Sb); 3.4 to 17.7 mg/kg for thorium (Th); 0.04 to 0.5 mg/kg for thallium (Tl); 0.3 to 7.3 mg/kg for uranium (U); and 18 to 72 mg/kg for vanadium (V). Igeo values of Ag showed moderate to heavy contamination in the city center of Uşak province. Igeo values of Bi and Sb in the west part of the study area indicated extremely contaminated soils. EF values for Bi and Sb also showed significant enrichment in the soils in the western portion of the study area which further validates that the potential sources for Bi and Sb heavy metals contaminations might be anthropogenic.

Seasonal Monitoring of Ocean Parameter Over Green Mussel Cultivation area in West Part of Cirebon Seawater

West part of Cirebon in the past suffered an extraordinary event due to poisonous food found in green mussel. It is necessary to monitor current water quality over this region since this area still used for green mussel cultivation area. In-situ measurement and laboratory analysis were done to monitor the condition of seawater around Gunungjati as part of green mussel cultivation area in Cirebon regency. Several points had been measured through CTD Valeport Midas+ in prior to measure physical (temperature, salinity, pH, chlorophyll-a, turbidity) and chemical seawater (dissolved oxygen, Nitrate, Orthophosphate, Hg, Pb, Cd concentration) characteristics, meanwhile water sample had been brought to laboratory to be checked its heavy metal concentration. Additionally, past study and data related to green poison event in Cirebon was taken account into observation and analysis. Seasonal result show slightly different value though vertical distribution data where temperature (30.1°–32.3°C), salinity (26.9–32.0 psu), and pH (7.5–8.7) are high in December but lower in July, meanwhile, chlorophyll-a (0.2–20.9 mg.L-1), dissolved oxygen (0.2–7.8 mg.L-1), and turbidity (1.3–20.1 NTU) are increasing in October. Nitrate and orthophosphate concentration find in water sample is 0.097–0.537 mg.L-1 and <0.01–0.32 mg.L-1, respectively. Parameters of Cd (<0.001 mg.L-1), Hg (<0.00014 mg.L-1), and Pb (<0.001 mg.L-1) are still below the threshold. The condition of seawater of west part of Cirebon or at cultivation area is still in moderate condition based on the national standard. Although, turbidity and dissolved oxygen is still above the standard quality.

Evolutionary, paleoecological, and biostratigraphic implications of the Ediacaran-Cambrian interval in West Gondwana

The Ediacaran-Cambrian transition interval is described for the west part of the Gondwana Supercontinent. This key interval in Earth’s history is recorded in the upper and lower part of the Tagatiya Guazú and Cerro Curuzu formations, Itapucumi Group, Paraguay, encompassing a sedimentary succession deposited in a tidally influenced mixed carbonate-siliciclastic ramp. The remarkable presence of cosmopolitan Ediacaran shelly fossils and treptichnids, which are recorded in carbonate and siliciclastic deposits, respectively, suggests their differential preservation according to lithology. Their distribution is conditioned by substrate changes that are related to cyclic sedimentation. The associated positive steady trend of the δ13C values in the carbonate facies indicates that the Tagatiya Guazú succession is correlated to the late Ediacaran positive carbon isotope plateau. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U-Pb ages of volcanic zircons from an ash bed ∼30 m above the fossil-bearing interval in the Cerro Curuzu Formation indicate an Early Cambrian (Fortunian) depositional age of 535.7 ± 5.2 Ma. As in other coeval sedimentary successions worldwide, the co-occurrence of typical Ediacaran skeletal taxa and relatively complex trace fossils in the studied strata highlights the global nature of key evolutionary innovations.

The Contribution of Tourism Sector to Locally Generated Revenue in Indonesia’s Top Priority Tourist Destination

This research is aimed to analyze the association between tourist expenditure, labor force in accommodation sector and room occupancy rate with locally generated revenue (PAD) in five province of top priority tourist destination in Indonesia (North Sumatera, Central Java, West and East Nusa Tenggara and North Sulawesi). We use data of tourism statistics from Statistics Bureau and Ministry of Creative Economy. By applying random effect panel data analysis, we found that all variables are significantly associated with PAD. Our empirical estimates shows that a one percent increase of labor force in accommodation sector is associated with 0.0075% increase in PAD, one percent increase of room occupancy rate associated with 2.85% increase in PAD while one percent increase of tourist expenditure is associated with 0.257% increase in PAD. The individual effect estimates show higher impact in Central Java and North Sumatera compared to West and East Nusa Tenggara and North Sulawesi and thus further confirming our presumption that there are some disparities between tourism spots in West and Eastern part of Indonesia.

The impacts of bronze age in the gene pool of Chinese: Insights from phylogeographics of Y-chromosomal haplogroup N1a2a-F1101.

Objectives: Previous studies of archaeology and history suggested that the rise and prosperity of Bronze Age culture in East Asia had made essential contribution to the formation of early state and civilization in this region. However, the impacts in perspective of genetics remain ambiguous. Previous genetic researches indicated the Y-chromosome Q1a1a-M120 and N1a2a-F1101 may be the two most important paternal lineages among the Bronze Age people in ancient northwest China. Here, we investigated the 9,000-years history of haplogroup N1a2a-F1101 with revised phylogenetic tree and spatial autocorrelation analysis. Materials and Methods: In this study, 229 sequences of N1a2a-F1101 were analyzed. We developed a highly-revised phylogenetic tree with age estimates for N1a2a-F1101. In addition, we also explored the geographical distribution of sub-lineages of N1a2a-F1101, and spatial autocorrelation analysis was conducted for each sub-branch. Results: The initial differentiation location of N1a2a-F1101 and its most closely related branch, N1a2b-P43, a major lineage of Uralic-speaking populations in northern Eurasia, is likely the west part of northeast China. After ~4 thousand years of bottleneck effect period, haplgroup N1a2a-F1101 experienced continuous expansion during the Chalcolithic age (~ 4.5 kya to 4 kya) and Bronze age (~ 4 kya to 2.5 kya) in northern China. Ancient DNA evidence supported that this haplogroup is the lineage of ruling family of Zhou Dynasty (~ 3 kya-2.2 kya) of ancient China. Discussion: In general, we proposed that the Bronze Age people in the border area between the eastern Eurasian steppe and northern China not only played a key role in promoting the early state and civilization of China, but also left significant traces in the gene pool of Chinese people.

Soldier Saints, Missionaries and the Mountains

Abstract This paper intends to contextualise the life of Christianity in British India through the developments in military theology in the late eighteenth and through the nineteenth century that put forth the image of the ‘soldier saint’- a true Christian soldier, British in blood and in faith. This discourse intensified after the military turned civilian Indian rebellion of 1857 which was immediately coloured in Christian vs heathen terms, and following which, the spiritual needs of Christian soldiers came into focus with the East India Company. The deaths, rituals and continued traditions of burial of the Christian soldiers, officers, and civilians have been marked through some prominent cemeteries and war memorials in India. While studies of these sites of memory have focused on the graves, tombs, and memorials in parts of north, west and south India, the frontier region of northeast India has remained outside the focus of most studies. This paper has chosen the eastern Himalayan territories comprising Sikkim and Kalimpong that fall on or near the Silk route to bring attention to the history of territorial aggression and the resulting material memory of lesser-known cemeteries and memorials Further. This paper analyses lesser discussed fiction to bring into focus the region’s human geography. This paper recognises the need to study inter-religious relations through materiality and afterlives of Christianity in India that was shaped to a large extent by the soldiers-both British and native, and the chaplains, gravediggers, priests and nurses and caregivers whose lives are recorded in the memory of death. By doing so, this study hopes to bring new dimensions to the study of Christianity in India with the inclusion of the materiality of religion, the postcolonial gothic imaginary and military theology.

Estimation of Moho Depth Beneath Southern Indian Shield by Inverting Gravity Anomalies Constrained by Seismic Data

AbstractThis study presents a high‐resolution 3D Moho structure beneath southern India and its surrounding regions from observed gravity anomalies. The global gravity disturbance model (XGM2019e) with a grid resolution of 0.1° is considered for this study. The extended Bott's inversion algorithm and Gauss‐Fast Fourier Transform based forward model are adopted to invert for the Moho undulations beneath the Indian peninsula. The inversion algorithm is tested for a synthetic model having a predefined density contrast and mean Moho depth. The robustness of this inversion algorithm is further tested for noise‐incorporated gravity data. The control points are required for estimating two hyper‐parameters, viz. density contrast, and reference depth, which play a crucial role in the precise estimation of Moho depth. In real case study, the inverted Moho depth of Southern India and its surrounding regions by seismic constraint receiver function‐driven control points show a very complex architecture of Moho topography. The observed average crustal thickness in the study region is 35.35 km, corroborating with the previously reported Moho depths. The maximum crustal thickness is 53.04 km beneath the southern part of Archean Western Dharwar Craton and west of Salem block, around 44–47 km Moho depth is observed at the south of Salem block into Madurai block till Achankovil Shear Zone, which suggests the possible continuation of the Achaean crust of Palghat‐Cauvery Shear Zone System. The lowest crustal thickness values are observed along the eastern margin of the Cuddapah basin, which overlaps with the Proterozoic Krishna basin of the Eastern Ghats Mobile belt.

The Construction of Muslim Women Characters in Early English Drama

Abstract This article examines the portrayal of Islam and Muslim women in Renaissance England by considering the historical framework and the changes in the attitudes towards Islam at that time. It contends that Renaissance drama has presented Islam as the Other and the Muslim world as antithetical to Christendom. This article examines two specific Muslim women characters in two early English plays, Queen Tota in Thomas Heywood's The Fair Maid of the West Parts I and II, and the Turkish queen in George Peele's The Battle of Alcazar. The work relies on the ideas of several critics, historians and theorists in its analysis of these dramatic works. The two texts are read from a New Historicist perspective. Historical, socio-political and economic factors prevalent during the time are brought back to life and the plays will be explored in light of these.

An Analysis of Physiological Changes and Spectral Characteristics of Platanus occidentalis Leaves Infested by Corythucha ciliata (SAY) (Hemiptera:Tingidae)

Since its infestation was first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in October 2006, Corythurcha ciliata has become an important piercing-sucking pest of Platanus occidentalis. In this paper, the content of secondary plant products, nutrients, and resistance enzymes in damaged leaves of P. occidentalis was determined, and the leaves infested by different numbers of adults (0 head, 1–3 heads, or >7 heads) were tested via spectrum analysis. The results showed that the tannin content of the damaged leaves was 1.47 mg/100 g, which was higher than that of the undamaged leaves (1.20 mg/g). The tannin content in the control poplar (Populus × euramericana cv.‘74/76’) leaves was 0.2 mg/100 g higher than that in damaged leaves. The soluble sugar content in intact leaves of P. occidentalis (1.35 mg/100 g) was significantly higher than that of damaged leaves and poplar leaves. C. ciliata feeding can induce an increase in defense enzymes, such as peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase, in host leaves. In the west and south part of the crown, 580–680 nm is a sensitive band for monitoring C. ciliata. The results of this study can be used to reveal the host-selection mechanism of C. ciliata and to explore new infestation-monitoring technologies.

Sources of anthropogenic nutrients and their implications on nutrient chemistry and ecological conditions of Ria Formosa lagoon, Portugal

Shallow coastal waters receive high anthropogenic nutrients (nitrogen-N and phosphorus-P) from land that can change their nutrient chemistry, algal composition, and food webs with serious effects on marine life, human health, and local livelihoods. Managing anthropogenic nutrient inputs is thus key to ensuring healthy and productive coastal ecosystems. This study conducted a bimonthly sampling for eight months between 2014 and 2015 to determine the influence of agriculture, sewage, and natural nutrient sources on nutrient chemistry, ecological status, and possible implications for aquaculture production in the western side of Ria Formosa lagoon. Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR) were calculated from nutrient ratios (N: P: Si) computed from nutrient concentrations with the Redfield ratio (N: P: Si =16:1:16) used as a reference for ecological status determination. A mean of 3.7, 1.0, and 4.6μmol/L; 6.7, 1.12, and 5.5μmol/L; and 4.6, 0.7, and 2.8μmol/L were recorded for dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and silicates concentrations at sewage, agriculture, and natural sites respectively. The site mean EQR values ranged between 0.55 and 0.69. The overall ecological status of the west part of the lagoon was ‘Moderate’, with all the sites grouped under ‘Good’/’Moderate’ and ‘Moderate’/’Poor’ classes based on nutrient ratios. This study demonstrates that the western part of the lagoon’s nutrient chemistry is highly influenced by the nutrient sources with agricultural run-off and sewage discharges associated with nitrates, and ammonia and phosphates respectively. The elevated ammonium and phosphates registered can transform the phytoplankton composition to non-diatomic species and affect the current ecological functions of the lagoon. We recommend further studies, including biological quality elements, to get more comprehensive results on the study area.

CAGE17-1-Leg1 Cruise Report: Water column observation from CTD and water samples west of Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard

From the afternoon of May 15th to the afternoon of May 19th, CAGE-Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Climate and Environment, the Department of Geoscience UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, arranged a scientific cruise to survey offshore Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard to perform CTD measurements and water sampling on R/V “Helmer Hanssen”. The purpose is to study the variations in methane release and its dependence on oceanographic changes. The area has been continuously surveyed for the last three years for methane concentration, and methane consumption by bacteria and other related data. Because of the good weather conditions time allowed survey of the outer part of the shelf west of Prins Karls Forland – the socalled ‘Masox area’. Here three CTD’s were taken and the area surveyed by echosounding (EK60), chirp and multibeam for combined flare survey (EK60) and geological recording of sedimentary environments (chirp and multibeam). A total of 69 CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) casts were performed with 12 water bottles sampled for each CTD station. The cruise may be known as: CAGE17_1_leg1

Sediment yield estimation in GIS environment using RUSLE and SDR model in Southern Ethiopia

Soil erosion and sediment yields are the current limitations and future threats to agriculture, water resources and hydropower projects particularly in developing countries. Estimating the extent and comprehending the spatial distribution of hotspot area is crucial to implement evidence-based soil and water conservation (SWC) measures with limited resources. The study used RUSLE and SDR models in ArcGIS 10.8 environment. The RUSLE model was found to be highly sensitive to C factor followed by LS factor. The result indicated that the annual soil loss varies from 0 to 359.99 t ha−1 yr−1 with 22.31 t ha−1 yr−1 as a mean annual. Besides, the estimated sediment yield ranged from 0 to 42.5 t ha−1 yr−1 with a mean value of 12.02 t ha−1 yr−1. The finding revealed that the central west (SW_5) and northeast (SW_4) parts of the watershed yield higher sediment. The result also signified that about 52.9% of the eroded materials including soil and nutrients are transferred to the outlet. The outcome of our finding undoubtedly aids in the identification of hotspot areas for the adoption of appropriate SWC measures. Hence, adopting RUSLE and SDR for Gununo watershed and another watershed having similar biophysical and environmental factors is suggested.

From Colonial Subjecthood to Shared Humanity: Social Work and the Politics of “Doing” in Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay's International Thought

AbstractThis article tracks a paradox in elite, Third-World thinkers’ nation-building and postcolonial world-making in the early to mid-twentieth century. The tension lay in highly universalized notions of equality in imagined postcolonial worlds and the hierarchized social organizing tactics required to bring these worlds to life. The paper examines Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay—a prominent Indian social activist—and her international thought as she encountered this paradox in her social work praxis. I assess Kamaladevi's social work politics in the 1920s and 1930s at the Congress Seva Dal (a mass-based voluntary organization) as an imperial site where her universalized ideas about subjecthood clashed with practical disciplinary and hierarchical modes of political engagement. Then, I explore Kamaladevi's alienation from party politics in a newly independent India in the 1940s, which offered her an alternative pathway to leverage her social work as she built anticolonial solidarities at the substate level. Reading new archival material from Kamaladevi's travels in West Asia and parts of Africa in the 1950s–1960s, I suggest that her anti-imperial and race-conscious international thought in the “postimperial” world is a continuation rather than a breakaway from the earlier tensions of her normative and hierarchical civil–society activism. Kamaladevi's specific political trajectory that cuts across the Indian independence divide in 1947 is interesting in two ways. First, it problematizes hierarchies in historical elite Indian women's anticolonial and civil–society activism. Second, examining her social work allows for a disruptive reading of taken-for-granted binaries of the colonial/postcolonial, local/international, and social/political in historical international thought.

Use of a Bayesian Network for storm-induced flood risk assessment and effectiveness of ecosystem-based risk reduction measures in coastal areas (Port of Sur, Sultanate of Oman)

A Bayesian Network (BN) approach is utilized to leverage synthetic datasets to aid in forecasting onshore hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures for Port of Sur is assessed. The 3rd generation MIKE21 model was used to simulate flood hazard characteristics (depth and velocity) and the effectiveness of the mangrove forests along the shoreline as an ecosystem-based DRR measure through a reduction in depth and velocity for a 400-year storm return period event. The implementation of the ecosystem-based DRR reduced high damage (more than 64% damage) for residential buildings by 10%. Meanwhile, in the west part of the port, 25% of the population is at extreme risk to life, which can be reduced to 4% by implementing the ecosystem-based DRR. The ecosystem-based DRR reduced the high level of damage (more than 65% damage) for infrastructures by 6% and 9% for the eastern and central parts of the Port of Sur, respectively. The outcomes demonstrate that BN can be used as a simulation tool to conceptualize the potential consequences of a storm in Decision Support System (DSS). For coastal managers to evaluate which options are the best for reducing potential damage to coastal systems.

Why has the summer rainfall increased prominently in the West Tarim Basin of Northwest China since 2010?

Based on the monthly rainfall data at 32 weather stations located in the periphery of the Tarim Basin in Northwest China, which can mostly represent the rainfall variations in the whole basin, provided by the China Meteorological Data Network and the reanalysis data provided by the NCEP/NCAR during 1961–2021, the changes in summer rainfall in the Tarim Basin and associated underlying mechanism have been investigated. Results show that there are two distinct wet periods (1988–2009: Wet Period I; 2010–2021: Wet Period II) of summer rainfall in the Tarim Basin during 1961–2021. The northeast basin has received more summer rainfall during Wet Period I, but during Wet Period II more summer rainfall is concentrated in the west basin, corresponding to different large scale circulation and moisture transport conditions. After the linear trend is removed, the correlation coefficient between the Tarim Basin summer rainfall and the Silk Road pattern index (SRPI) during 2010-2021can reach 0.73, which suggests that the summer rainfall in the west part of the basin is closely related to the Silk Road pattern in this period. In 2010–2021, the meridional wind anomaly center over central Asia in the Silk Road Pattern is located more southward and westward. On the one hand, it causes the location of the anomalous cyclone at 500 hPa over central Asia to stay southward and westward, matching with the anomalous vertical upward motion near 70°E, on the other hand, it also strengthens the anomalous transport of water vapor from the tropical Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The above two provide favorable large scale circulation and abundant water vapor for the increased summer rainfall in the west part of Tarim Basin during 2010–2021.

Hub and Distribution Center Location for a Third-Party Logistics service Provider: A Case Study at Tehran

The rapid growth of the transportation industry and the advance of the e-commerce have opened opportunities for boom delivery services companies. Although, intense competition between shipping companies has obliged many to amend their shipment networks. In this setting, we aim to provide high-quality shipping services for a third-party logistics company in Iran. Currently, in the selected company, one hub is in the west part of Tehran that gives services to all customers. There are some difficulties in shipping services to the eastern part of Tehran city. Therefore, in this paper, we find the location of another hub center to streamline the shipping process. Moreover, to promote our service levels, some Distribution Centers (DCs) are going to be set up. Due to the lack of shipment data like pick up and delivery data, we tried to find the locations of the hub and the DCs based on Tehran population's data. We clustered 122 regions of Tehran based on population, economic index, accessibility to the internet, and the number of business units. Since some remote regions (which are not in the same vicinity) belong to the same cluster, we defined a relative distance criterion to avoid making remote regions in the same cluster. In each cluster, a fixed or movable DC can be set up to service the regions of its cluster. Moreover, to find the best candidate locations for the hub, each zone of Tehran was assessed based on some criteria like land cost, accessibility to the highways, and distance to its nearest bus terminal. Based on these criteria, some zones have been dominated by others, and the remains were considered as candidate locations in a hub location model. By considering the DCs as spokes in a hub and spoke model, the optimal location for the eastern hub establishment was determined.