Monitoring Project Research Articles

Nationwide noise mapping across Sweden's green landscape

This research project presents a mapping of noise levels in green areas across all of Sweden, with a particular emphasis on nature reserves, national parks, and other recreational spaces. Utilising the Nord2000 noise prediction method, our study incorporates the following noise sources: road traffic, railway traffic, wind turbines, and airports. Our analysis includes longer propagation distances than typical noise maps (up to 8 km) to account for distant sources, given the importance of low noise levels in pristine natural environments. Weather conditions play a crucial role in long-range sound propagation; therefore, we have integrated ten years of weather statistics (2013-2022) from the ERA5 climate dataset into our assessment. This mapping effort represents one of the first nationwide noise mapping initiatives with a specific focus on low-exposure natural areas. Our findings not only provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in managing and preserving the acoustic quality of Sweden's green spaces but also offer a foundation for analysing the potential impact of noise pollution on wildlife and biodiversity within these ecologically sensitive areas. The resulting noise map and relevant weather statistics are publicly released and downloadable. Participants from industry, government, and academia cooperated in this environmental monitoring project.

Mass occurrences of Sandeels (Ammodytes spp.) causing aggregations of diving ducks

In autumn 1999, large, compact flocks of foraging diving ducks, particularly Common Eiders Somateria mollissima, were observed within and at the mouth of Trondheimsfjord in Central Norway. Some of these aggregations were at places previously not known as particularly rich feeding grounds. This situation continued through the winter, and still existed in March 2000. Investigations on these feeding grounds showed that the only possible prey species occurring in significant quantities was Sandeel (only Ammodytes tobianus was verified). Although most of the fish were swallowed before the birds reached the surface, some ducks (including Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca and Goldeneye Bucephala clangula) were observed eating Sandeels. Sandeel populations fluctuate in size annually and shoals are very patchily distributed. Consequently, the very variable occurrence in time and space of this food resource may occasionally bring about unusually dense and patchy aggregations of various species of diving ducks. Due to the specific habitat requirements of the Sandeel, these aggregations may also occur at localities that are not generally preferred feeding grounds for diving ducks, as was the case here. These findings may be relevant for some monitoring projects involving populations of diving ducks in marine environments.

BIMA 2.0 Progress on ToM Analysis of Contact Binaries: IR Car, V1370 Tau and GY Pup

Abstract The Eclipsing Binaries Minima (BIMA) 2.0 Monitoring Project is a continuation of the previous BIMA program that was initiated by the collaboration of Bosscha Observatory - Lembang, Indonesia and The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) in 2012. This project aims to build an open database of eclipsing binary minima and establish each system’s orbital period and its variations in a time of minima (ToM) photometric observation using the Thai Robotic Telescope (TRT) network. In this work, we will present the progress of our monitoring program during 3 ∼ months of observations using TRT with proposal ID TRTC11A_009. We have collected ToM data at least once on 18 samples of contact binary stars and carried out O-C diagram analysis on three selected objects: IR Car, V1370 Tau, and GY Pup. We obtained six, three, and four primary minima on IR Car, V1370 Tau, and GY Pup, respectively. These three objects were chosen due to the lack of ToM data in recent years. We also use the TESS space mission ToM data to increase data coverage. Preliminary results show a significant change in O-C values and indicate mass transfer in this system.

Widespread plant species temporal variation along environmental and microclimate gradients in Norwegian mountains in a climate change context

The effect of climate change on mountain vegetation is influenced by environmental factors and site effects. To monitor the effect of climate change we therefore need to understand species' sensitivity to microclimate and environmental gradients. The objective of this study is to study widespread plant species' temporal and spatial variation along environmental and microclimate gradients in Norwegian mountains along a coast–inland gradient. Occurrence and abundance of plant species were surveyed in 110 study plots in four mountains at two points in time, seven years apart. Of the 222 plant species registered, Salix herbacea, Phyllodoce caerulea, Carex bigelowii, Juncus trifidus, Vaccinium myrtillus, Avenella flexuosa, and Empetrum nigrum were widespread across all mountains. These species responded differently to environmental and microclimate gradients, and abundance data were more sensitive than occurrence data. During the short time span we observed some indications of response which might support the assumption that boreal species outcompete alpine species in the forest transition zone, but our data do not indicate this effect at higher altitudes. Monitoring of climate change in mountains needs to include plots along environmental and microclimate gradients as well as an abundance of a set of widespread plant species that represent regional, local environmental, and climate gradients. However, when monitoring perennial plant species, the need for long‐term monitoring projects is high because such species develop slowly over several decades.

Perancangan Sistem Informasi Manajemen Klien Digital Agency PT. XYZ berbasis Website

PT XYZ operates in the service sector and is a creative agency that produces product videos for its clients. During this time PT. XYZ has not implemented a management information system to manage the resources they have and maintain relationships with clients. Ease of access via various platforms is the reason why applications are built based on websites. The stages used in the research correspond to the stages in the software development life cycle (SDLC) in the planning, analysis and design phases. Interviews and literature studies are used to explore the business processes that occur. It was found that there were three types of users, namely super admin, admin, and client. The processes handled by the system include employee registers, client registers, recording incoming orders, project monitoring, and checking employee availability. The diagrams used to explain the system plan that will be created are use case diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, and entity relationship diagrams. Lo-fi designs are also created using the Figma application. Further research can continue to the implementation, support and security stages.

Development and Evaluation of Project Management Training for Cancer Research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Globally, there were 19.3 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths, with the African continent contributing approximately 1.1 million new cases and over 700,000 deaths to the global cancer burden in 2020. High quality research is required to understand the etiology and risk factors for common cancers in the region to develop context specific strategies aimed at minimizing the future cancer burden in Africa. Our study addresses a significant gap in the knowledge and resources available for training a project management (PM) workforce for cancer research in Africa. We developed and evaluated a training program to strengthen the research capacity of project managers involved in cancer research in Africa. This workshop was held in collaboration with the Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP) Consortium. The PM working group of the MADCaP Consortium had previously developed a project manager toolkit to provide a structured approach to PM for cancer research in Africa. We implemented and evaluated this training toolkit in a hybrid workshop in Nigeria. Among 29 participants from 10 African institutions, PM skills improved after training by 16.6% compared with pretraining levels. In a 1-year follow-up survey, training skills remained better (80.8%) than before the training (70.8%). The training program successfully upskilled the trainees with a significant improvement in knowledge of PM practices including planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of projects. The majority (80%) reported an excellent training experience. PM skills training can be successfully implemented in Africa with long-term retention of knowledge geared toward developing a workforce critical for the implementation of cancer research in the region.

Tissue distribution and temporal and spatial assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the mid-Atlantic United States

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become an environmental issue worldwide. A first step to assessing potential adverse effects on fish populations is to determine if concentrations of concern are present in a region and if so, in which watersheds. Hence, plasma from adult smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu collected at 10 sites within 4 river systems in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, from 2014 to 2019, was analyzed for 13 PFAS. These analyses were directed at better understanding the presence and associations with land use attributes in an important sportfish. Four substances, PFOS, PFDA, PFUnA, and PFDoA, were detected in every plasma sample, with PFOS having the highest concentrations. Sites with mean plasma concentrations of PFOS below 100 ng/ml had the lowest percentage of developed landcover in the upstream catchments. Sites with moderate plasma concentrations (mean PFOS concentrations between 220 and 240 ng/ml) had low (< 7.0) percentages of developed land use but high (> 30) percentages of agricultural land use. Sites with mean plasma concentrations of PFOS > 350 ng/ml had the highest percentage of developed land use and the highest number PFAS facilities that included military installations and airports. Four of the sites were part of a long-term monitoring project, and PFAS concentrations of samples collected in spring 2017, 2018, and 2019 were compared. Significant annual differences in plasma concentrations were noted that may relate to sources and climatic factors. Samples were also collected at two sites for tissue (plasma, whole blood, liver, gonad, muscle) distribution analyses with an expanded analyte list of 28 PFAS. Relative tissue distributions were not consistent even within one species of similar ages. Although the long-chained legacy PFAS were generally detected more frequently and at higher concentrations, emerging compounds such as 6:2 FTS and GEN X were detected in a variety of tissues.

Outreach & DNA-based monitoring facilitate 3-fold reduction in seafood mislabeling in Los Angeles over 10 years

Awareness and intervention can reduce fraudulent labeling in seafood. Using a 10-year longitudinal study approach, DNA-based monitoring data reveals a lower sushi mislabeling in Los Angeles restaurants over time. This is in part attributed to implemented recommendations by restaurants of a local academia-industry-government outreach initiative launched in 2018, The Los Angeles Seafood Monitoring Project. We found mislabeling was 3-fold lower among project-partnering restaurants than other restaurants. This difference was statistically significant, illustrating the combination of project partnering and implementation of recommendations was most impactful on reducing mislabeling rates. Lastly, the study period includes the COVID19 global pandemic, which additional monitoring effort between 2019 and 2021 did not reveal any significant change in mislabeling rates.

SWOT-analysis: Remote monitoring of blood pressure

Global political and socioeconomic changes have caused a huge strain on the healthcare system. To transition into a new level of medical care, modern technological solutions are needed. Accelerated development of innovations in medicine and the formation of a personalized approach will improve the quality and accessibility of medical services. One of the directions of healthcare development is the use of digital technologies and remote monitoring in assessing the health indicators of citizens. Currently, the federal project of remote monitoring of patients with arterial hypertension, named, “Personal Medical Assistants,” is being implemented in the Russian Federation. Similar to any new technology, remote monitoring has advantages and disadvantages. In this article, a strategic analysis (SWOT-analysis) was performed, considering medical, economic, social, and political aspects that may affect the results of the federal project. For effective implementation of remote monitoring technology in clinical practice, the strengths and weaknesses in the healthcare system and the state as a whole must be emphasized. SWOT-analysis can be used in formulating strategies for the widespread use of new digital technologies in clinical practice.

Detailed Insight into Gillnet Catches: Fish Directivity and Micro Distribution

Gillnets are widely used in research and commercial fishery activities. As passive gear, gillnets can be selective and dependent on the diel migration of fish. In areas with limited littoral extent, inshore–offshore migration may cause bias in the gillnet catch. Our hypothesis was that some factors, such as gillnet saturation, fish depletion, or chemical cues, could be the cause of the bias. We used a total of 66 CEN gillnets deployed at Římov Reservoir parallel to the shore at different positions of littoral-pelagic gradient. Individual fish direction was recorded from inshore, offshore, or unknown direction (i.e., entangled fish). A total of 5791 fishes from nine different species were caught. For most fish, it was possible to determine their directivity, and most fish were captured in littoral or first pelagic gillnets. Shallower and deeper benthic gillnets differed in their bleak (Alburnus alburnus) catch. No significant differences were found between fish directions. At the species level, only asp (Leuciscus aspius) and ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) showed differences between the captured directions in one case. The results support the assumption that gillnet capture is a random process that to a great extent is connected to random local movements. This is good news for fish monitoring projects. Sampling catch is likely to reflect true changes in the fish community, and not the effects of the deployment of the sampling gear. The experiment also showed that fish directivity statistics can be used for investigation of fish behavior and gear performance.

Fluoride Exposure from Drinking Water Increases the Risk of Stroke: An Ecological Study in Changwu Town, China.

Stroke is a major cause of death globally and the leading cause in China. Excessive fluoride exposure has been linked to cardiovascular conditions related to stroke risk factors such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, and cardiomyopathy. However, evidence supporting the association between fluoride exposure and stroke risk is limited. We constructed an ecological study in Changwu Town, Heilongjiang Province, China, a typical endemic fluorosis area caused by excessive fluoride exposure from drinking water. We collected demographic data, stroke prevalence, and mortality information from 2017 to 2021. Fluoride exposure data were obtained from the national monitoring project on endemic fluorosis. Water fluoride concentrations were measured using the standardized methods. Trend changes in stroke rates were assessed using annual percentage change (APC). Differences in stroke rates among fluoride exposure groups were analyzed using chi-square tests. From 2017 to 2021, the all-ages and age-standardized stroke prevalence rates of permanent residents in Changwu Town increased year by year, while the all-ages and age-standardized mortality rates did not change significantly. The prevalence rates of stroke were significantly higher in endemic fluorosis areas compared to non-endemic areas (p < 0.001). Stratifying the population into tertile groups based on the water fluoride cumulative exposure index (WFCEI) revealed statistically significant differences in stroke prevalence rates (p < 0.001), showing a dose-response relationship with the WFCEI. However, the all-ages and age-standardized mortality rates of stroke were not found to be related to fluoride exposure. Long-term excessive fluoride exposure from drinking water may increase the risk of stroke prevalence, indicating fluoride overexposure as a potential risk factor for stroke.

Development and Application of a Liquid Sampling Device with Timing, Quantitative and Depth Determination

This thesis describes the development process of a liquid sampling device that can be timed, quantitative, and deep. The structural composition, working principle, and innovative features of the liquid sampling device are introduced, and the application prospects are analyzed. The device has the function of controllable and adjustable sampling point depth and sampling volume, and adopts quantitative collection and collection methods without contact with accessories. The device has a silent function in the sample body, which can realize pre-booking of collection time points and multi-point synchronous collection. Wireless remote control automatic mode is adopted for sending and stopping collection instructions, which can be sent one-to-one or one-to-many at the same time. It provides automation links for water quality monitoring projects and meets the requirements of modern scientific and technological development.

Ecological dynamics and coexistence patterns of wild and domestic mammals in an abandoned landscape

The issue of agricultural land abandonment in southern Europe has raised concerns about its impact on biodiversity. While abandoned areas can lead to positive developments like creating new habitats and restoring native vegetation, they can also result in human–wildlife conflicts, particularly in areas with extensive farming and free‐ranging livestock. To understand habitat selection and use of livestock and wild ungulates, it is essential to study their spatial and temporal distribution patterns. In this context, we conducted a long‐term large mammal monitoring project using camera traps in the Peneda‐Gerês National Park in northern Portugal. Our primary focus was on exploring habitat preferences, occupancy dynamics, and potential spatial use correlations between domestic and wild species, utilizing dynamic occupancy models. Most wild species exhibited stable area use patterns, while domestic species experienced marginal declines, and the Iberian ibex displayed signs of repopulation. We observed distinct effects of habitat variables on occupancy, colonization, and extinction, revealing species‐specific patterns of habitat utilization. Human disturbance had a notable impact on domestic species but did not affect wild ones. Camera sensitivity emerged as a critical factor, enhancing detection probability for all species. Additionally, habitat and weather variables exerted varying effects on detection probabilities, underscoring the necessity of accounting for these factors in modeling the detection process. We found shared habitat preferences between cattle and horses, both positively correlated with wolves, suggesting potential human–wildlife conflicts. Despite extensive spatial overlap, domestic and wild species seem to exhibit ecological independence possibly due to distinct strategies and low predation pressure. Overall, the study emphasizes the multifaceted factors influencing habitat use. The observed species associations contribute to understanding ecological relationships and potential resource competition, emphasizing the importance of considering environmental variables for effective wildlife conservation and management.

Long-Term Monitoring and Management of Genetically Modified Canola in Natural Environments: A 15-Year Study

The unintentional release of living modified organisms (LMOs) into natural environments poses potential ecological risks, particularly in terms of gene flow and biodiversity loss. Since 2009, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) in South Korea has conducted an extensive monitoring project to detect and manage LMOs, with a primary focus on LM canola. This study evaluates the outcomes of the LMO monitoring project over the past 15 years (2009–2023), analyzing the distribution, persistence, and management of LM canola across various environments. Our findings reveal that LM canola predominantly proliferates along roadsides, with occasional occurrences at festival and planting sites. Out of 10,571 monitored sites, 4326 suspicious samples were collected, with a significant increase observed in 2017, underscoring the ongoing risk of accidental releases. This study highlights the critical role of specific environments in the spread of LM canola, and assesses the effectiveness of post-management strategies in controlling these populations. The National Institute of Ecology (NIE) has developed and implemented advanced monitoring protocols and post-management systems tailored to the characteristics of the monitoring sites and the nature of the LMOs. These efforts have been effective in controlling the spread of LM canola, thereby helping to preserve the biodiversity of South Korea’s natural environments. In conclusion, the proactive and adaptive strategies employed by the NIE are essential for mitigating the ecological risks associated with LMOs. Our study emphasizes the importance of on-going vigilance and the continuous refinement of monitoring and management practices to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystems.

Progress Toward Achieving National HIV/AIDS Strategy Goals for Quality of Life Among Persons Aged ≥50 Years with Diagnosed HIV - Medical Monitoring Project, United States, 2017-2023.

Ensuring good quality of life (QoL) among persons with diagnosed HIV (PWH) is a priority of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), which established 2025 goals for improving QoL. Goals are monitored through five indicators: self-rated health, unmet needs for mental health services, unemployment, hunger or food insecurity, and unstable housing or homelessness. Among the growing population of PWH aged ≥50 years, progress toward these goals has not been assessed. Data collected during the 2017-2022 cycles of the Medical Monitoring Project, an annual complex sample survey of U.S. adults with diagnosed HIV, assessed progress toward NHAS 2025 QoL goals among PWH aged ≥50 years, overall and by age group. The recent estimated annual percentage change from baseline (2017 or 2018) to 2022 was calculated for each indicator. Among PWH aged ≥50 years, the 2025 goal of 95% PWH with good or better self-rated health is 46.2% higher than the 2022 estimate. The 2025 goals of a 50% reduction in the other indicators range from 26.3% to 56.3% lower than the 2022 estimates. Decreasing hunger or food insecurity by 50% among PWH aged ≥65 was the only goal met by 2022. If recent trends continue, other NHAS QoL 2025 goals are unlikely to be met. Multisectoral strategies to improve access to housing, employment, food, and mental health will be needed to meet NHAS 2025 goals for QoL among older PWH.

Institutionalization of Inclusive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&amp;E) Instruments for the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) Program

The premise of this paper is to campaign for the inclusion of project beneficiaries or inclusion of the voice of the people when doing Monitoring and Evaluation (M&amp;E) of LGU projects funded by the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) program. For the DILG validators to be the bridge in promoting transparent and effective local governance thru an efficient monitoring and evaluation approach. The focus is mainly on the enhancement and development and eventual use of the PCF Program Management Office (PMO) of an inclusive M&amp;E instruments for results-based LGU performance assessment and of using participatory methods such as the Most Significant Change (MSC) technique as part of the agenda to cascade and implement the M&amp;E process through the two (2) project stakeholders, namely the PCF LGU beneficiaries and the community. Recommendations from this study intends to institutionalize instruments to change or address the very donor and government-centric approach to M&amp;E to include a citizen-centric M&amp;E towards an inclusive PCF program management.

Lessons learned during a 12-year monitoring project with the endangered Magdalena River turtle (Podocnemis lewyana): hunting pressure, habitat degradation, and methodological considerations

Turtle species in the Family Podocnemididae, including the Colombian endemic and critically endangered Magdalena River Turtle Podocnemis lewyana, characteristically present low recapture rates that preclude estimation of population parameters using maximum likelihood modeling. In our 12-year monitoring project with this species, we evaluated changes in relative abundances, proportions of sex/size classes, and individual body sizes and body conditions in a population in four channels in the middle Magdalena River drainage. We also inspected for associations between trends in changes in these variables and differences in hunting pressure and habitat degradation. To inspect for temporal and spatial demographic dynamics, we estimated variation in relative abundances using the Catch Per Unit Effort index, the total number of turtles captured over an entire 5-day sampling period using ten baited funnel traps. Relative abundances and the proportions of sex/size classes were different between sites and years. We found a significant decline in the proportion of females and juveniles over time, along with evidence that the females still present were smaller in body size. Our results support the hypothesis that hunting eliminates adult females from these sites, perhaps also translating into a reduction in recruitment. The lack of evidence of generalized declines in body condition of all size classes suggests that habitat degradation might contribute less to the population declines in this region. Our results also illustrate that even when recapture rates are low, monitoring turtles via standardized trapping may yield insights into the population’s conservation status that other relative abundance indices cannot.

Improving a continuous mercury analyzer with circulated carrier gas: Economic and operational advancements

Elevated mercury (Hg) emissions since industrialization have created worldwide elevated levels of Hg in environment, causing ecosystem and human health impacts. Addressing these concerns requires across-nation efforts and international cooperation. In cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through its implementation of the Minamata Convention (MC), several international and intranational projects have monitored Hg levels in the atmosphere, water, soil and biota for decades. Obviously, these global monitoring projects require substantial resources, such as government funding, human resources, and analytic instruments. Different types of Hg analyzers have been developed and used in these global monitoring projects, however, most of them require inert carrier gas (i.e. Ar, He) supply, especially if detection requires fluorescence spectroscopy. Frequent consumption and replenishment of carrier gas during normal operation incur substantial financial and human resource costs. Therefore, these instruments cannot operate autonomously for long periods of time and require a carrier gas cylinder exchange, a limitation especially in remote regions and on ocean research cruise campaigns where it is challenging to function autonomously for long duration, limiting data collection in these locations. To address this issue, we developed a novel prototype automated Hg analyzer with a new design using a circulated carrier gas system. This development decreases the carrier gas consumption and increases the Hg analyzer operation duration, saving up to 99% on carrier gas consumption compared to the widely used Tekran 2537 and NIC AM-6F atmospheric Hg analyzers instruments. By using the circulated carrier gas design, our Hg analyzer only consumes 1 L per week. Overall, this improvement not only saves carrier gas but also enhances the instrument's self-operating capability in remote areas and reduces the financial and human resource costs associated with frequent replacement of the carrier gas.

Using Design-Based Research to Develop the Learning Outcomes of a Curriculum-Based Environmental Citizen Science Project

The Intertidal Monitoring Project (IMP) is a local, curriculum-based citizen science project intentionally designed to support the development of science competencies in elementary students. The focus of the IMP is the Research Days, where students follow an established scientific protocol to collect monitoring data on an introduced species of clam in British Columbia, Canada. The IMP represents a unique program to study because the school district funds transportation and programming costs so that all grade five students can engage in authentic place-based scientific research. A design-based research (DBR) approach was used to develop and refine the IMP activities between 2014 and 2023. This research is focused on a DBR Evaluation/Reflection phase that qualitatively assessed learning outcomes during the beta testing of a supplementary classroom activity. Student- and teacher-generated data were collected to understand the process of a class “coming to know” science and its community of practice during the IMP activities. This included student learning artefacts and a teacher interview. The findings show that participation in IMP activities: i) fostered the development of science competencies in a grade five learning community; ii) did not promote science identities; and indicated that iii) the Nature of Science (NOS) required more explicit instruction. Student-teacher-scientist partnerships (STSPs) emerged as a critical design element of curriculum-based citizen science.

Recovering plant-associated arthropod communities by eDNA metabarcoding historical herbarium specimens

Natural history collections are a priceless resource for understanding patterns and processes of biodiversity change in the Anthropocene.1 Herbaria, which house millions of historical plant records from all over the globe, are particularly valuable to study population genetics of the plants themselves and to understand the assembly of plant-associated microbial communities.2 Here we test if herbaria can serve yet another essential purpose, namely to provide information on the historical assembly of plant-arthropod interactions. The specificity and temporal stability of these associations are poorly known.3 Considering their pivotal role in the assembly of terrestrial food webs,4 this knowledge is paramount to understanding the consequences of global change. We use environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to characterize communities of plant-associated arthropods from archived herbarium specimens of different ages and origins. The herbarium specimens yield arthropod DNA across various ecological guilds and trophic levels over multiple decades. In an experiment, we also show that the typical dry storage of plants in herbaria does not alter the recovered arthropod diversity and community composition. By analyzing a time series of leaf samples from a forest monitoring project, we then characterize changes in arthropod biodiversity over two decades, showing that archived plants can also provide the time series data that are urgently needed to understand arthropod declines.5 This use of herbaria and plant archives promises unprecedented insights into plant-arthropod interactions and revolutionizes our ability to monitor spatiotemporal changes in interaction diversity.