Recent Changes Research Articles

Habitat structure and recent environmental changes in intertidal zones of Ena Bay, southern Miura Peninsula, Japan

Habitat structure and recent environmental changes in intertidal zones of Ena Bay, southern Miura Peninsula, Japan

Examining the spatio-temporal relationship between LST, NDVI, NDBI and LULC change of Pachhua dun, Dehradun, Uttarakhand (India)

Recent climate change has had a negative impact on a wide range of human and natural systems, and it is clear that humans influence the climate. Because, as anthropogenic influence increases, the heat output from the land surface increases, speeding up the rate of climate change. In this regard, the use of RS and GIS techniques has provided various opportunities for research to examine these changes. The current analysis is based on the Landsat 1989, and 2020. Over the study period of 31 years, the built-up regions increased in size from 44.23 km2 to 154.56 km2. Whereas, the area covered by scrubland, water bodies, and vegetation cover has significantly decreased. The LST study further supports the outcome, showing that the mean and standard deviation increased from 14.81°C±1.32(1989) to 18.82°C±1.57(2020). The study also made an effort to examine how LULC affected LST; while vegetation cover has consistently helped to lower mean LST, built-up areas and scrubland are the main drivers of mean LST rise. The LST and NDBI revealed a positive correlation, while the NDVI/SLOPE and LST showed a negative correlation. Subsequently, the multiple linear regression (MLR) models concluded that the BUAs has evolved into a serious threat to the increase in LST, but increase in vegetation cover and SLOPE would result in slight decrease in LST. the study recommended that the government create policies that restrict future land encroachment and conversion, notably of forested area and water bodies, and make an immediate effort to increase the quantity and quality of urban green cover in the study area. So that we may, respectively, minimize the potential hazard posed by future LST rise and LULC change.

Assessment of Recent Changes in the Morphometric Characteristics of Fluviatile Lakes in the Benue Valley Area of Adamawa State, Northeastern Nigeria

Assessment of Recent Changes in the Morphometric Characteristics of Fluviatile Lakes in the Benue Valley Area of Adamawa State, Northeastern Nigeria

Recent changes in forest structure and growth at the alpine‐treeline ecotone in the Rocky and Columbia Mountains of central British Columbia, Canada

AbstractAimGlobally, forests at the alpine‐treeline ecotone (ATE) are considered sensitive to warming temperatures; however, responses to recent climate change show high variability and many underlying processes remain unclear. This study aims to provide further insight into possible ATE forest responses to climate change by examining spatiotemporal patterns in recent tree regeneration and growth responses to climate across treeline forms.LocationThis study is situated at the ATE in the Rocky Mountain and Columbia Mountain ranges in central British Columbia, Canada.TaxonGymnosperms – subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa Hooker (Nutall)).MethodsWe collected tree and stand data from 48 plots across five study sites. Plots were distributed across three treeline stand types: (i) islands; (ii) abrupt; and (iii) fringes of regeneration adjacent to tree islands. We used a dendrochronological approach to analyse the ages of recently established trees in fringe stand types, detect long‐term trends in annual tree growth and quantify climate‐growth relationships.ResultsSeedling recruitment adjacent to tree islands occurred over a period of approximately 40 years (1960–2000), with two regeneration “pulses” in the late 1970s and 1980s. Abrupt and fringe trees showed a similar age structure and annual radial growth has increased in most trees over the past 30 years. Across the study region and stand types, summer temperature has the strongest influence on radial growth. Over the past 70 years, growth in tree islands has become increasingly correlated with growing season temperature variables.Main ConclusionsForest growth and structure have changed in coherent spatial and temporal patterns over recent decades at the ATE in central BC. Projections for sustained warming in this region will likely result in increased tree growth and potential continued expansion of forests into untreed areas below the treeline. These changes will have implications for hydrological regimes, wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration.

Towards an integrated pelagic and benthic analysis of long-term coastal eutrophication (Guanabara Bay, Brazil)

Coastal ecosystems are important destinations for natural and anthropogenic inputs, areas experiencing eutrophication from untreated sewage globally. However, the mechanistic link of how coastal waters and sediments can jointly respond to nutrient enrichment, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), remains relatively unknown. Here, we assessed the interdecadal variability in N and P contents, comparing four surface water sampling sites (∼40-year monthly concentrations) and three 210Pb dated sediment cores (∼70-years) in an urban bay that has received increasingly high untreated sewage discharges over the past century (Guanabara Bay, Brazil). Major eutrophication was found, with differences between waters and sediments along sampling sites. The water concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) yielded on average ∼10–45 % and ∼40–190 % higher in 2005–2017 compared to 1980–2005 period in the sampling site most influenced by the denser urban than the conserved area, respectively. Furthermore, 6-year average water concentrations indicated both recent initial decreases in the most urban area, potentially associated with new sanitation facilities, and high increases in those relatively more conserved areas. Conversely, TP and TN sediment burial rates were less sensitive to recent changes as compared to the water concentrations, yielding ∼11 and 31 % between 1980–2005 and 2005–2017, respectively, of which also provided baselines data for earlier periods without direct pelagic measurements (i.e., 1950–1980). Thus, these findings offer new insights into substantial temporal and intra-ecosystem spatial variability of coastal eutrophication, indicating that an integrated analysis between water monitoring and sediment burial is needed to improve the diagnosis and prediction capabilities necessary for effective long-term mitigation of coastal aquatic eutrophication worldwide.

IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON TRAINING HEALTH CARE WORKERS AT EAST LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Abstract The Pandemic changed how community colleges prepare the next generation of healthcare workers, and they are slowly adjusting to remain relevant in the current environment. How community colleges train their students will determine how well their communities will be cared for, which is why this topic is important. Some of the strategies implemented to fulfill the East Los Angeles’ College (ELAC) workforce demands following COVID are: aligning basics skills with some of the courses; providing career counseling, including mock interviews; opportunities to branch out and transfer in two years; connecting students with services to address their basic needs including mental health. Faculty are also required to stay current, and they need support from their local Districts and national collaborators. Some completed specialized training in humanizing curriculum and transforming faculty learning programs to improve undergraduate STEM faculty’s instructional practice. Moreover, the ELAC faculty felt that developing a humanities course tailored to Health and Human Services could be a great start to connect current needs with our academic programming. Faculty are revising and collecting content to address recent changes impacting our society and how we operate in the fast-changing work environment. After the Pandemic, the use of technology is more common and accepted. This change facilitates interactions, and this is a contributing factor to the program development process. For example, the advisory questionnaire is now available electronically, and therefore expecting more participation. Faculty have more variety and options for training to improve content development and delivery strategies.

The International Organization for Migration as a Counterweight to States?

Abstract The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is commonly described as a functional intergovernmental organization (IGO) that performs tasks on behalf of Member States. However, recent changes within IOM suggest its transformation into a hybrid IGO that promotes widely shared norms and social goals. One facet of this transformation aims to constitute IOM as a counterweight to the Member States. Leveraging pressures to adapt to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Global Compact for Migration, IOM sought to increase its authority and autonomy by drafting the Strategic Vision. This article conducts a critical discourse analysis of the Strategic Vision to emphasize how it proclaimed the normative role of IOM; centralized its structure, funding, and organizational routines; and changed the expression of its expert and moral authority. The article demonstrates that functional IGO s do not refer to norms and social goals solely to secure legitimacy.

Stany Zjednoczone a obrona dobrego imienia Polski i narodu polskiego w kontekście Holokaustu

The aim of the paper is to analyze and evaluate the reaction of the United States to the changes to the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, which were to defend the good name of Poland and the Polish nation in the context of the Holocaust. The paper explains the significance of these changes for Polish-American relations. The assessment takes into account the important context of recent legal changes preventing the restitution of private Jewish property in Poland, lost after World War II. In criticizing the legal changes to the Act on the IPN carried out by the American authorities, respecting the freedom of expression and public debate was of the greatest importance. Since the Polish authorities resigned from the regulations that would have infringed these values, the United States did not limit cooperation with Poland. However, the controversy surrounding the act has shown that the legal restriction of basic democratic values, including the freedom of speech, may cause a more decisive response from the USA, decreasing the importance of relations with Poland. This, however, depends on the current appraisal of the strategic interests in the United States.

PROMISING POLICY AND PRACTICE SUPPORTING FAMILY CAREGIVERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Abstract There have been significant federal and state policy developments since the 2019 update of Valuing the Invaluable. Many inroads have been made in recognizing and supporting family caregivers, but additional steps can be taken at the federal and state levels, and even in the private sector. The National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, released in September 2022, lays out a unified approach in five organizing goals to achieving this improvement in support for family caregivers. The policy and practice recommendations highlighted in the Valuing the Invaluable: 2023 Update reflect the National Strategy goals. In this presentation, recent policy changes will be summarized that support caregivers and their care recipients in the health care and LTSS systems, which provide financial relief for caregiving, and help working caregivers stay in the workforce. Then the increasing visibility of the family caregiving experience in media and the arts will be explored. This visibility is essential for bringing broader attention to all aspects of caregiving, normalizing the care experience, and eliminating stigma around disability and dementia. Lastly, policy recommendations for building on the National Strategy and bolstering support for family caregivers and care recipients will be detailed for discussion.

Sustainable approach for the collection and processing of medicinal and aromatic plants in Hungary

AbstractHungary is a Central European country that is rich in medicinal and aromatic wild plant species; in rural livelihoods, the collection, use, process, and trade of these plants are traditionally important contributors. However, due to several recent changes touching the sector, the natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and collectors - who generally belong to poorer social groups – are affected negatively.The paper aims to introduce the Hungarian herbal sector from a holistic perspective, including its economic, environmental, and human dimensions, with a particular focus on sustainability. In this context, the purpose of the article is to discover this field as comprehensibly as possible and present it from both theoretical and practical aspects. Another objective is to collect the best practices and feasible solutions from the field in connection with promoting a harmonious, as well as economically prosperous relationship between nature and local people. This integrated approach helps show the industry's strengths and advantages, as well as its weaknesses and challenges. Based on the findings, the paper attempts also to propose some recommendations for the future.

Unfair competition in MERCOSUR and the challenges of new technologies

Abstract This article reviews the unfair competition main practices in the MERCOSUR countries and the challenges posed by new technologies. This analysis is based on the most common considerations of unfair behaviour such as intentional confusion, discrediting, misleading and other unfair competition acts. How the MERCOSUR countries are currently dealing with traditional unfair competition acts and how case law is developing toward a refined comprehension of the unfair competition acts are important to understand which initiatives should be addressed to regulate such acts in the new technological environment. Based on recent case law involving online platforms and the recent change in Brazilian case law regarding the responsibility of online platforms and the goods/services advertised by other parties in violation of IP Rights, we can conclude that transparency and ethical behaviour are essential topics to be addressed by the Courts and further research is necessary when facing unfair conducts today.

Impact of delaying harvesting dates for sugar beet varieties under recent environmental changes

The present study was conducted at Experimental Sennuris District in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt (latitude of 29024/26//N and longitude of 30052/00//E) to investigate the effect of harvest dates on some sugar beet varieties concerning their yield and quality. Two successive field experiments were carried out in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. A randomized complete block split plots were assigned for the four harvesting dates (mid-February, 1st week of March, mid-March and 1st week of April), i.e. at the age of 180, 195, 210 and 225 days after sowing. The sub-plots were occupied by the four sugar beet varieties i.e. (Faraida, Jampol, Fantazja and Melodia). The obtained results revealed that there were significant differences among the four studied harvesting dates concerning root length, diameter and weight as well as root yield in both seasons. The highest values were obtained by delaying the harvesting up to 225 days from sowing. Concerning the quality traits, neither the harvesting date nor the varieties affected sucrose, purity (QZ), sodium, potassium, α-amino N and sugar recovery percentages in both seasons. However, the upper mid-harvesting date i.e. age of 195 days from sowing recorded the lower significant impurities and SLM percentages in the 1st season only.

High-Resolution Bioclimatic Variables in Mt. Jirisan and Hallasan under Climate Change Scenario

Many endemic and rare species live in Korea’s subalpine zone, but there have been many research results showing that alpine creatures are disappearing due to recent climate change. Therefore, in this study, bioclimatic variables with 100 m resolution were created for Mt. Jirisan and Mt. Hallasan, representative mountainous regions in Korea. Nineteen high-resolution bioclimatic variables were created for the current and 4 future periods, and the generated data is believed to represent topographical characteristics well. This data is expected to be useful to predict potential habitats through species distribution modeling and the impact of climate change on organisms limited to alpine regions.

Tackling health inequalities through integrated care in English police custodies: an inclusion perspective and model of care

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to identify novel ways of tackling health inequalities of underserved populations. It explores the opportunities presented by the changes in health and social care legislation to employ historically underused services, such as police custody healthcare providers, in addressing health inequalities.Design/methodology/approachThis research analyses the policy approaches to tackling health inequalities in the UK in the past 40 years with an emphasis on those experienced by the people detained in English police custodies. It analyses the current model of healthcare in police custody and proposes a novel integrated model of care and joint commissioning opportunities in funding it.FindingsPolicies to tackle health inequalities have largely failed, as they became entrenched. But recent changes in the health and social care legislation in England offer opportunities to address them by employing historically underused healthcare services, such as those operating in police custodies.Research limitations/implicationsThe research does not touch upon ethical considerations related to the patient privacy aspect of integrated care. Interventions by and interactions with police custody healthcare providers would be visible to all professionals with access to the patient’s health record. As with all novel interventions or innovative models of care, the effectiveness of such clinical interventions remains to be established by further research. It opens a new line of research on quality improvement through integration of care and explores understudied aspects of joint commissioning of integrated care.Practical implicationsIt offers health commissioners and public health leaders the opportunity to employ police custody healthcare services in reaching their population health management objectives and meeting their health inequalities objectives at local level. It also gives police and crime commissioners the opportunity to address the health drivers of criminal behaviour that overlap with health inequalities. It offers funding opportunities presented by jointly commissioning services at lower costs to both police and health commissioners alike. It improves the health outcomes of historically underserved populations by facilitating access to health and social care services and facilities.Social implicationsReducing health inequalities and disparities in health outcomes can decrease the costs of the healthcare services over the long term and might contribute to reducing criminality by addressing inequities and some health drivers of criminal behaviour.Originality/valueThe paper explores understudied opportunities offered by the recent changes in health and social care legislation in England and includes underused resources to tackle health inequalities.

Past and recent changes in the pollution characteristics of PM10 and SO2 in the largest industrial city in South Korea

PM10 and SO2 are major air pollutants in Ulsan, the largest industrial city in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pollution reduction policies by comparing the pollution characteristics of PM10 and SO2 between 2012 and 2020. The concentrations of PM10 and SO2 have substantially decreased over time. Local industry was the primary driver of SO2 levels, whereas various sources were associated with PM10 levels. In 2012 and 2020, the spatial distributions of SO2 were similar, with hot spots around petrochemical and nonferrous industrial complexes, whereas the sources of PM10 differed between the two years. Although industrial emissions of PM10 decreased from 2012 to 2020, the concentrations derived from an air dispersion model were slightly higher in 2020 due to changes in both wind patterns and the strength of the emission sources. In contrast, modeled SO2 levels were higher in 2012 than in 2020 due to greater emissions in 2012. Eastern and northeastern China were identified as potential source areas for the long-range atmospheric transport of both PM10 and SO2, though its influence was significantly lower in 2020. A comparison of the PM10 and SO2 concentrations predicted by a random forest model and the measured concentrations indicates that government policies have been effective in reducing the emissions and ambient air concentrations of both pollutants. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that local industry remains a significant contributor to air pollution in Ulsan despite the effects of governmental policy. Furthermore, as the influence of external sources weakens, there is a pressing need to strengthen the management of local sources to effectively mitigate air pollution in Ulsan.

Beyond the Procedure Log: Using Individualized Learning Plans to Set Learner-Specific Milestones for Procedural Skills Acquisition.

Procedural training for nonsurgical fields, such as internal medicine, is an important component of medical education. However, recent changes to accreditation guidelines have resulted in less formal guidance on procedural competency, not only leading to opportunities for individualizing training but also creating potential problems for trainees and training programs. In this article, the authors use internal medicine as an exemplar to review current strategies for procedural education in nonsurgical fields, including procedural simulation, dedicated procedural rotations, and advanced subspecialty training, and highlight an emerging need for learner-specific terminal milestones in procedural training. Individualized learning plans (ILPs), collections of trainee-specific objectives for learning, are arguably a useful strategy for organizing procedural training. The role of ILPs as a framework to support setting learner-specific terminal milestones, guide skill acquisition, and allocate procedural learning opportunities based on trainees' anticipated career plans is subsequently explored, and how an ILP-based approach might be implemented within the complex educational milieu of a clinical training program is examined. The limitations and pitfalls of an ILP-based approach, including the need for development of coaching programs, are considered. The authors conclude that, despite the limitations of ILPs, when combined with other current strategies for building trainees' procedural competence, these plans may help trainees maximize the educational benefits of their training period and can encourage effective, safer, and equitable allocation of procedural practice opportunities.

Estimating Riparian Vegetation Volume in the River by 3D Point Cloud from UAV Imagery and Alpha Shape

This study employs technology that has many different applications, including flood management, flood level control, and identification of vegetation type by patch size. Recent climate change, characterized by severe droughts and floods, intensifies riparian vegetation growth, demanding accurate environmental data. Traditional methods for analyzing vegetation in rivers involve on-site measurements or estimating the growth phase of the vegetation; however, these methods have limitations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground laser scanning, meanwhile, offer cost-effective, versatile solutions. This study uses UAVs to generate 3D riparian vegetation point clouds, employing the alpha shape technique. Performance was evaluated by analyzing the estimated volume results, considering the influence of the alpha radius. Results are most significant with an alpha radius of 0.75. This technology benefits river management by addressing vegetation volume, scale, flood control, and identification of vegetation type.

A species' response to spatial climatic variation does not predict its response to climate change.

The dominant paradigm for assessing ecological responses to climate change assumes that future states of individuals and populations can be predicted by current, species-wide performance variation across spatial climatic gradients. However, if the fates of ecological systems are better predicted by past responses to in situ climatic variation through time, this current analytical paradigm may be severely misleading. Empirically testing whether spatial or temporal climate responses better predict how species respond to climate change has been elusive, largely due to restrictive data requirements. Here, we leverage a newly collected network of ponderosa pine tree-ring time series to test whether statistically inferred responses to spatial versus temporal climatic variation better predict how trees have responded to recent climate change. When compared to observed tree growth responses to climate change since 1980, predictions derived from spatial climatic variation were wrong in both magnitude and direction. This was not the case for predictions derived from climatic variation through time, which were able to replicate observed responses well. Future climate scenarios through the end of the 21st century exacerbated these disparities. These results suggest that the currently dominant paradigm of forecasting the ecological impacts of climate change based on spatial climatic variation may be severely misleading over decadal to centennial timescales.

Ultra-high-resolution reflected-light imaging for dendrochronology

Dendroclimatic reconstructions play a key role in contextualizing recent climate change by improving our understanding of past climate variability. The Blue Intensity (BI) measurement technique is gaining prominence as a more accessible alternative to X-ray densitometry for producing climatically highly-sensitive tree-ring predictors. Nevertheless, accurately representing low-frequency trends and high-frequency extremes using scanner-based BI remains a challenge due to color biases and resolution limitations. Herein we introduce several methodological advances in sample surfacing, imaging, and image processing which yield measurement series analogous to BI from ultra-high-resolution (UHR; ∼74 700 dpi) images. Such series capture changes in tree-ring anatomical density by representing wood anatomical structure using binary (i.e., black-white) segmentation of sample images. We refer to this novel technique as Binary Surface Intensity (BSI). By utilizing a UHR system and entirely eliminating color and light intensity as variables, the most substantial drawbacks of scanner BI (i.e., discoloration and resolution biases) are bypassed, resulting in more accurate representations of low-frequency climatic trends and high-frequency extremes. Comparisons of several chronologies developed with the BSI and BI techniques, including a multiparameter dataset from Björklund et al. (2019), showed that BSI datasets outperform BI in terms of common signal (r-bar), but also contain strong climatic signals that can exceed those obtained from BI and X-ray density, and even match density datasets based on quantitative wood anatomy. However, measurement software advancements are still required to unlock the full potential of tree-ring parameters produced using the BSI technique. Ongoing development of this new technique will not only aid the attainment of long unbiased chronologies by overcoming color biases and resolution limitations, but also holds promise for unlocking UHR analyses of surface anatomical (sQWA) parameter datasets from reflected-light images. These advances will lead to more accurate tree-ring-based paleoclimatic reconstructions and could also serve a wider range of dendrochronological applications.

Household immunity and individual risk of infection with dengue virus in a prospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Although it is known that household infections drive the transmission of dengue virus (DENV), it is unclear how household composition and the immune status of inhabitants affect the individual risk of infection. Most population-based studies to date have focused on paediatric cohorts because more severe forms of dengue mainly occur in children, and the role of adults in dengue transmission is understudied. Here we analysed data from a multigenerational cohort study of 470 households, comprising 2,860 individuals, in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, to evaluate risk factors for DENV infection. Using a gradient-boosted regression model trained on annual haemagglutination inhibition antibody titre inputs, we identified 1,049 infections, 90% of which were subclinical. By analysing imputed infections, we found that individual antibody titres, household composition and antibody titres of other members in the same household affect an individual's risk of DENV infection. Those individuals living in households with high average antibody titres, or households with more adults, had a reduced risk of infection. We propose that herd immunity to dengue acts at the household level and may provide insight into the drivers of the recent change in the shifting age distribution of dengue cases in Thailand.