Resource Conditions Research Articles

The Art of Chilling Out: How Neurons Regulate Torpor.

Endothermic animals expend significant energy to maintain high body temperatures, which offers adaptability to varying environmental conditions. However, this high metabolic rate requires increased food intake. In conditions of low environmental temperature and scarce food resources, some endothermic animals enter a hypometabolic state known as torpor to conserve energy. Torpor involves a marked reduction in body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and locomotor activity, enabling energy conservation. Despite their biological significance and potential medical applications, the neuronal mechanisms regulating torpor still need to be fully understood. Recent studies have focused on fasting-induced daily torpor in mice due to their suitability for advanced neuroscientific techniques. In this review, we highlight recent advances that extend our understanding of neuronal mechanisms regulating torpor. We also discuss unresolved issues in this research field and future directions.

Study on Changes in Comprehensive Land Prices for Expropriation Zones Based on Land Use Changes

Comprehensive land prices for expropriation zones can effectively alleviate many conflicts in China’s land expropriation practices. This contributes to achieving sustainable development goals such as “SDG-10: Reduced Inequalities” and “ SDG-11: Sustainable Cities and Communities”. The reasonable delineation of expropriation zones and scientific calculation of zone prices have become crucial. This study used the Cangzhou urban area in Hebei Province, China, as a case study. By integrating the CA–Markov model, multiple linear regression model, coupling coordination degree model, relative development degree model, and GIS spatial analysis techniques, the study deeply analyzed the spatiotemporal coupling relationship between land use and comprehensive land prices for expropriation zones from 2009 to 2021. Furthermore, it simulated and forecasted the changes in land use, expropriation zones, and zone prices in 2027. The study yielded the following conclusions: (1) The changes in land use reflected land economic value, land resource condition and land location condition shifts, which formed an interactive feedback mechanism with the comprehensive land price for land expropriation zones. (2) Land use impacted zone distribution through the spatial distribution characteristics of construction land, with recent development zones in the central urban area primarily extending east and southeast due to planning and policies related to land use for construction. (3) The coupling coordination and relative developmental degree between land use degree and zone price gradually develop in a good direction. A linear relationship is observed among land economic value, land resource condition, and land location condition concerning the zone price. Based on this, the predicted adjustment ranges for zone prices from high to low in 2027 will be 2.6400 to 2.7210, 2.1900 to 2.2537, and 1.8300 to 1.9306 million CNY/hectare. This study provides a new method for studying comprehensive land prices for expropriation zones, supporting decision making.

Ranking of power grid facilities as a tool for choosing a repair management system

In the long-term planning of repairs at power grid facilities in conditions of limited operational and investment resources, it is important to determine the "points of maximum return", that is, the objects whose repair will cause the greatest effect in terms of the company's target priorities. This requires an operational assessment and ranking of electric grid facilities, taking into account the technological and resource characteristics of the energy company. The article presents a decision-making methodology that, based on operational calculations and priority assessment, enables to identify power grid facilities with the highest repair efficiency in the sense of criteria characterizing the strategic goals of asset management of an energy company. The methodology combines methods of modeling and calculating the probabilities of failure in consumer power supply systems (PSS) with the determination of indices of the technical condition of equipment, methods for calculating labor costs for maintaining and restoring reliability and assessing damage from its disruptions.The developed methodology allows the energy company — the owner of assets, when choosing the most effective repair management system according to enlarged indicators and simplified models, to form prioritization lists of objects for which the critical repair rank corresponds to its strategic priorities. The possibility of cost estimation of the total labor costs for the maintenance of facilities for each of the received prioritization lists in comparison with the repair fund stated by the energy company expands the scope of the methodology and increases the validity of the decisions made. The methodology has been verified and confirmed by consideration on the example of a real PSS of oil fields using up-to-date operational information.

Aggregate Size Mediated the Changes in Soil Microbial Communities After the Afforestation of a Former Dryland in Northwestern China

Although the afforestation of former arable lands is a common global land-use conversion, its impact on soil microbial communities at the aggregate scale has not been adequately addressed. In this study, soil samples were categorized into large macroaggregates (LM, >2 mm), small macroaggregates (SM, 2–0.25 mm), and microaggregates (MI, <0.25 mm) to assess the changes in microbial composition, diversity, network complexity, and network stability within soil aggregates after the afforestation of a former dryland in northwestern China. The results revealed that afforestation enhanced the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, Ascomycota, and Mortierellomycota within the soil aggregates, suggesting that these phyla may have greater advantages in microbial communities post-afforestation. The Shannon–Wiener and Pielou indices for bacterial communities showed no significant differences between land-use types across all aggregate fractions. However, the alpha diversity of fungal communities within the LM and SM significantly increased after afforestation. Bray–Curtis dissimilarity indices showed that afforestation altered bacterial beta diversity within the LM and MI but had a minimal impact on fungal beta diversity across all three aggregate fractions. The topological features of cross-kingdom microbial co-occurrence networks within the soil aggregates generally exhibited a decreasing trend post-afforestation, indicating a simplification of microbial community structure. The reduced robustness of microbial networks within the LM and SM fractions implies that afforestation also destabilized the structure of microbial communities within the macroaggregates. The composition of the soil microbial communities correlated closely with soil carbon and nitrogen contents, especially within the two macroaggregate fractions. The linkages suggests that improved resource conditions could be a key driver behind the shifts in microbial communities within soil aggregates following afforestation. Our findings indicate that the impact of afforestation on soil microbial ecology can be better understood by soil aggregate fractionation.

No evidence of early life resource pulse effects on age-specific variation in survival, reproduction and body mass of female Siberian flying squirrels.

Understanding the diversity and causes of senescence patterns in the wild remains a challenging task, in particular among fast-living species for which senescence patterns have been poorly studied. Early life environmental conditions can shape senescence by influencing trade-offs between early and late life performance (disposable soma theory) or individual fitness through lifelong positive effects (silver spoon effects). Using a 23-year-long monitoring dataset of two populations of Siberian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans L.) in western Finland, we analysed the occurrence, onset and rate of senescence in female survival, body mass and reproductive performance. We also examined how early life pulsed resources (tree masting during the year of birth) influence age-specific variations in these traits. Our results indicate that survival senescence occurs after sexual maturity from 3 years of age. Females experiencing high resource availability at birth tended to survive better, but the age-specific trend was not affected by early life resource conditions. Maternal body mass declined slightly with age, starting at 4 years, regardless of early resource conditions. Similarly, among reproductive traits, we showed late-onset senescence in both litter size and annual reproductive probability, with no evidence supporting an effect of early life resources on these trends. We found no decline in juvenile body mass or in the juvenile size-number trade-off with maternal age. Our findings suggest that pulsed resources experienced at birth have a limited long-lasting impact on the life-history traits of this fast-living rodent, with no significant effect on senescence patterns.

PROBLEMS OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE POLICY OF THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL SERVICES BY THE PRIMARY LINK OF MEDICAL AID IN UKRAINE

The article highlights key issues related to management at the level of primary health care in Ukraine. The focus is on aspects such as the growing role of primary care. Primary care is the foundation of the health care system, providing a patient's first contact with health services, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It is especially important in the conditions of limited financial resources to continue the reforms of the medical industry in Ukraine. The article raises the issue of the availability of medical care: the relevance of management problems is due to uneven access to medical services in rural areas and remote regions. Improving the management of the medical field is necessary to overcome these difficulties. The article examines current problems in the field of primary medical care and ways to overcome them through the reform of state policy in the field of health care. The authors explore key challenges facing primary care, including insufficient funding, lack of qualified staff, uneven distribution of resources, and lack of effective governance mechanisms at various levels. Attention is paid to the issues of ensuring the availability of medical services, the quality of medical care and the implementation of new models of the organization of medical institutions. The article analyzes the reformative steps aimed at improving the functioning of the primary health care system, in particular, the introduction of family medicine and increasing the role of general practitioners. The role of state funding and the involvement of local communities in the management of medical institutions is considered separately. The conclusions emphasize the importance of improving the state's primary health care policy by strengthening financial support, infrastructure development, and improving the qualifications of medical workers to ensure a sustainable and effective health care system in Ukraine. The topic of economic challenges and management efficiency is interesting for analysis. Optimizing the use of financial resources requires their effective use, finding ways to increase the economic sustainability of healthcare institutions.

A reinforcement learning-based approach for solving multi-agent job shop scheduling problem

Wafer processing is the most expensive, time-consuming, and complex stage in semiconductor manufacturing. It varies significantly based on orders of customers (agents). Optimising the wafer processing flow in a multi-agent scenario can meet customised requirements, speed up delivery, and reduce costs. This work models wafer processing as a multi-agent job shop scheduling problem (MAJSP) with release dates. The objective is to minimise the total weighted makespan of agents. To address both dynamic and static scheduling scenarios in the MAJSP context, two deep reinforcement learning-based (DRL) methods are proposed. In a dynamic scheduling scenario, the statuses of orders and production resources can change at any moment. A DRL method called Graph Transformer Network (GTN) is proposed to rapidly generate high-quality solutions. In a static scheduling scenario, the production plan can be formulated based on predetermined demand and resource conditions. A novel hybrid method (GTN-DABC) that combines GTN with the discrete artificial bee colony algorithm (DABC) is proposed to provide high-quality production plans for manufacturers within an acceptable computation time. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed GTN outperforms existing heuristics, and the well-designed GTN-DABC is more competitive than other meta-heuristics.

Higher education apprenticeship. Analyzing the impact and essential conditions of workplace resources on apprentices’ career satisfaction

This research explores the necessity and the effect of job resources for undergraduates’ career satisfaction during work experience in an apprenticeship program. Additionally, we examine the extent to which a supportive environment enhances apprentice career satisfaction by providing access to valuable learning experiences. We propose PLS equation modelling with a sample of 81 students who completed a dual apprenticeship degree in Business Administration and Management at Spanish University. The study finds that all three workplace job resources are necessary for career satisfaction among apprentices. Learning opportunities and social relations have significant effects, while job control contributes only marginally. It highlights that learning opportunities enhance social relations, emphasizing the importance of feedback. The study extends job resource research to university level apprenticeships, showing that without these resources, apprentices lack career satisfaction. It highlights that learning opportunities are crucial for satisfaction through social relations and offers guidance for designing effective workplace training programs.

Emergency politics from the inside: EU staff and the building of a task force during the Greek crisis

ABSTRACT This article examines the establishment of a task force inside the European Commission at the height of the Greek crisis, known as the ‘task force for Greece’. By adopting a perspective centred on the professionals employed in this ad hoc body, I investigate its symbolic and political significance within the broader framework of European emergency governance. Through a detailed analysis of the ethos and profiles of its personnel, the article argues that the task force represented a shift in crisis management, representing both a gesture of support and a counterbalance to the costs of austerity. The findings are grounded in extensive sociological fieldwork, including interviews, sociographic data and the analysis of documents, offering a comprehensive understanding of how EU staff shaped the task force’s mandate and operations under conditions of limited material resources and considerable political pressure. This research contributes to the study of crises and of European bureaucracy by elucidating the dynamic relationship between emergency politics and bureaucratic practices within the European Union.

Urban Water System of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi: A Comprehensive Study

ABSTRACT This study examines the intricate relationship between Delhi's urban water system and environmental factors, with a specific emphasis on the challenges posed by urbanization. The study investigates the present conditions of the water resources, infrastructure, and governance in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and identifies significant difficulties, such as depletion of groundwater and inadequate access to water. Additionally, it examines innovative approaches to enhancing supply internalization, such as rainfall harvesting, wastewater recycling, and demand management strategies. Therefore, this document establishes a path for future research endeavors and policy suggestions that aim to promote a fair, effective, and environmentally sustainable future for water in Delhi.

Cultivated Land Information Extraction and Spatial Pattern Analysis in Beijing Based on Deep Learning

Abstract. Cultivated land is the basic resource and material condition for human survival, providing the necessary material basis for agricultural development and agricultural modernization (Tian and Shi, 2024). For this reason, this paper takes Beijing as an experimental area to study the cultivated land extraction method and analyze the distribution pattern of cultivated land and the degree of fragmentation. The results show that (1) the extraction results are evaluated by using confusion matrix and Kappa coefficient, and the Kappa coefficient is obtained to be 0.8358.(2) The cultivated land in Beijing is mainly distributed in the southeast as well as the northwest of the local area of gentle terrain, and the The range of the extremely high value of cultivated land kernel density in 2017–2022 is significantly reduced, the slope of the area with the smallest reduction in the proportion of cultivated land is less than 5°, the reduction in the area of cultivated land in water resource-rich areas is small, and the reduction in the proportion of cultivated land in road-intensive areas is large. (3) Due to various natural factors and human activities, the degree of cultivated land fragmentation in Beijing is increasing, the boundary shape of cultivated land patches tends to be irregular.

Patient-centered lean healthcare management from a humanistic perspective

BackgroundHealthcare organizations are under pressure to improve services because of an aging population and increasing healthcare demands. Lean healthcare management focuses on improving service quality and efficiency under the condition of limited resources, but it may overlook patients’ emotional needs and experiences, especially in developing countries. This study advocates integrating medical humanities with lean healthcare to develop a patient-centered service model.MethodsThe study employs literature review to discuss the critical role of medical humanities in lean healthcare frameworks, both theoretical and practical. Additionally, it conducts a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews to explore strategies for developing a humanistic lean healthcare model. The study conducts semi - structured interviews with eight management staff members and doctors in a tertiary hospital in China that actively adopts this approach.ResultsEight managers and doctors (five female and three male) were interviewed between January and March 2024 at their chosen locations. Firstly, the study identifies key benefits of integrating medical humanities into lean healthcare, which are as follows: (1) Enhancing the personalization and comprehensiveness of services. (2) Building trust in doctor-patient relationships. (3) Boosting the satisfaction of healthcare teams. Secondly, it highlights strategies for a humanistic approach, namely: (1) Conducting comprehensive patient assessments and providing personalized treatments. (2) Enhancing doctor - patient communication for emotional resonance. (3) Optimizing the medical environment for humanized services. (4) Developing humanistic qualities among healthcare professionals. (5) Using information technology effectively. Additionally, the study also addresses potential issues regarding lean healthcare’s focus on profitability and proposes preventive measures: (1) Implementing a scientific evaluation and incentive mechanism. (2) Enhancing transparency and oversight in healthcare. (3) Cultivating a patient - centric medical culture.ConclusionsThis research proposes a patient-centered lean healthcare model integrating medical humanities, providing a novel framework for improving service quality and efficiency while ensuring compassionate care. This management framework can support the reform of public hospitals in China and also serve as a reference for other countries.

Site Selection Decision-Making for Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Production Bases Based on the Two-Dimensional Linguistic Cloud Model

Offshore wind-to-hydrogen production is an effective means of solving the problems of large-scale grid-connected consumption and high power transmission costs of offshore wind power. Site selection is a core component in planning offshore wind-to-hydrogen facilities, involving careful consideration of multiple factors, and is a classic multi-criteria decision-making problem. Therefore, this study proposes a multi-criteria decision-making method based on the two-dimensional linguistic cloud model to optimize site selection for offshore wind-to-hydrogen bases. Firstly, the alternative schemes are evaluated using two-dimensional linguistic information, and a new model for transforming two-dimensional linguistic information into a normal cloud is constructed. Then, the cloud area overlap degree is defined to calculate the interaction factor between decision-makers, and a multi-objective programming model based on maximum deviation-minimum correlation is established. Following this, the Pareto solution of criteria weights is solved using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II, and the alternatives are sorted and selected through the cloud-weighted average operator. Finally, an index system was constructed in terms of resource conditions, planning conditions, external conditions, and other dimensions, and a case study was conducted using the location of offshore wind-to-hydrogen production bases in Shanghai. The method proposed in this study demonstrates strong robustness and can provide a basis for these multi-criteria decision-making problems with solid qualitative characteristics.

Social entrepreneurship: an innovative tool for solving social problems in Ukraine

It is indicated that in the modern world, where social and environmental problems are becoming increasingly acute, social entrepreneurship appears as an innovative and effective tool for solving them. This phenomenon is at the intersection of business and charity, combining an entrepreneurial approach with a social mission. This article explores the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship as an innovative tool for addressing social and environmental challenges in the modern world. It examines the relevance of developing social entrepreneurship in the context of the UN’s global sustainable development goals and in conditions of limited state resources to meet growing social needs. The author analyzes the historical roots of social entrepreneurship, tracing its evolution from the 17th century to the present day. Special attention is given to the «Triple Bottom Line» concept (profit, people, planet), which underlies social entrepreneurship, and the ideas of Nobel laureate M. Yunus regarding «social business». The article discusses the key characteristics of social entrepreneurship that distinguish it from traditional business, and the principles of social enterprise operation. The author identifies three main models of social entrepreneurship: inclusive, social reinvestment, and innovative social model. Particular attention is paid to the legal aspect of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine, specifically the absence of a special organizational and legal form for such activities and the opportunities provided by current legislation. The author emphasizes the role of social entrepreneurship in the development of the economy and civil society, particularly in job creation, overcoming social isolation, and promoting civic participation. The categories of population for whom social entrepreneurship is especially relevant are considered. The conclusions highlight the potential of social entrepreneurship as a tool for achieving sustainable development and building a more inclusive society, as well as the need for further research in this field, especially in the context of post-COVID reality and the state of war in Ukraine.

Leadership Development and Capacity Building in Non-Profit Organizations in Senegal

The purpose of this research is to assess leadership development and capacity enhancement approaches within non-profit organizations (NPOs) of Senegal and evaluate how the application of participative, adaptive and transformational leadership improves the organizational performance of the NPOs in a condition of limited resources. Therefore, the study seeks to establish how leadership practice, culture and operations impact on the capacity and sustainability of NPOs to achieve their missions and goals. A qualitative research approach was used for the study through self-administered questionnaires or telephonic / face-to-face interviews with senior officials from different NPOs in Senegal. The collected data were coded systematically using the NVivo software so essential themes and patterns revealing the leadership and capacity building difficulties and practices were revealed. This type of methodology was chosen because the research was interpretive in nature, thus enabling the researcher to engage in a discussion of contextual practices of leadership in the non-profit. Accordingly, the study indicates that participatory leadership is cultural and operationally relevant in Senegal since it is endorsed by collective decision-making culture of the society. Thus, the concept of adaptive leadership became important to sustain the stability in organisations during the periods of volatility and change; and the concept of transformation leadership was deemed critical to achieve cultural congruence with the strategic, mission-oriented objectives. This paper also gives precaution on the issues connected with these leadership styles such as the fact that participatory leadership requires expert help to facilitate, adaptive leadership may lead to burnout.

Anode process on gold in KF–AlF<sub>3</sub>–Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> melt

In the conditions of resource saving and carbon footprint reduction, the development of oxygen–releasing anodes for technologies of production of important metals and alloys by electrolysis of molten salts seems to be an urgent task. To determine the degree of “inertness” of a particular anode material, data on the kinetics and mechanism of the anode process on a material not subject to oxidation are required. In this connection, the anodic process on gold in the KF–AlF3–Al2O3 melt for electrolytic aluminum production was investigated by cyclic and square–wave voltammetry methods. The influence of temperature (715 and 775 оC) of the melt, the content of Al2O3 in it (from 0.1 to saturation), as well as the polarization rate (0.05–1 V/s) on the kinetics and some features of the mechanism of the investigated process was determined. An assumption is made that oxygen release on gold without dissolution of the substrate takes place in the region of overvoltages from 0 to 0.8 V. It is shown that the process includes the stages of electrochemical adsorption and desorption of the intermediate product, the first of which is limited by the diffusion of electroactive anions to the anode.

A revised model for calculating virtual scarce water

Accounting for virtual scarce water facilitates and improves the analysis of virtual water, and facilitates comparisons between water use embodied in products from regions with different water resource conditions. However, previous virtual scarce water models were inadequate for the analysis of both water quantity and quality, and only provided a rough estimate. To address this problem, we proposed a modification of this model. In the revised model, we determined the scarcity induced by inadequate water quality by analyzing the availability of suitable quality water for specific sectors (residential, industrial, agricultural, and environmental) rather than focusing on a single sector (usually environmental). Additionally, the revised model evaluated scarcity from water quantity by considering clean water technologies and environmental flow demand. This comprehensive scarcity measure is then incorporated into an input–output model to determine virtual scarce water. We used two typical Chinese river basins (the Hai River and Pearl River basins) with different water endowments to evaluate the model. We found that in the water-scarcity region the virtual scarce water was more strongly affected by water quality and clean water technologies, whereas in the water-rich region it was more strongly affected by the environmental flow demand. These findings underscored the need for more targeted economic and environmental policies for different regions. Water-scarcity regions should prioritize the promotion of clean water technologies and contaminant mitigation techniques, while water-rich regions should pay more attention to ensuring the environmental flow demand.

Integrating User-Generated Content (UGC) with the Normative Approach to Define Indicators of Quality for Visitor Experience at Archaeodestinations

ABSTRACT Various ‘management-by-objectives’ frameworks for visitor use management have evolved to balance enhancing visitor experiences with preserving heritage resources at archaeodestinations. These frameworks employ a normative approach, identifying specific indicators to assess visitor experience quality and resource conditions, along with associated thresholds that denote acceptable conditions. Traditionally, the normative approach for assessing visitor experience quality primarily relied on on-site questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. However, with the proliferation of online platforms like TripAdvisor, managers of archaeodestinations must adapt their strategies to leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) for evaluating visitor experiences. Embracing a novel methodology, this research integrates UGC with the normative approach to develop indicators for visitor experience at Petra World Heritage site in Jordan. A content analysis of 618 reviews posted on TripAdvisor was conducted, providing valuable insights into the visitor experience at Petra and assisting in developing potential indicators of quality for the site. Related methodological and managerial implications and recommendations are also discussed.

Probabilistic crop type mapping for ex-ante modelling and spatial disaggregation

Agricultural land use and management fundamentally impacts the condition of natural resources like waterbodies, soils, and biodiversity. Modelling the anthropogenic effects on those resources over time requires detailed knowledge of the temporal and spatial distribution of crops. However, currently available crop type maps for Europe either lack the required spatial resolution or the temporal and spatial coverage. We develop and apply a probabilistic, spatially explicit crop type mapping approach that is suitable for ex-post and ex-ante modelling. The approach allows to quantify epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty related to estimated crop shares by providing an ensemble of maps. We implement the method for the EU-28 for the years 2010 – 2020, distinguishing between 28 different crop types at 1 km resolution. Based on a model of the data generating process that conceptually links field-, grid cell- and region-level crop acreages, our approach considers soil, climate, and topography information, as well as administrative data. The validation with ground-truthing data for France indicates that the generated crop type maps are plausible. The provided uncertainty intervals capture differences in uncertainty across space and time and correctly identify grid cells and crops where estimations are less precise. The generated maps constitute a unique data product of high practical value, e.g., for agri-environmental modelling applications. We see additional potential in using the approach to disaggregate the regional or national predictions of socio-economic ex-ante prediction models.

An approximate method of estimating the depth of objects using wavelet-based transformation

Modern three-dimensional computer vision technologies are actively developing, offering new solutions based on the analysis of environmental details. One of the key tasks is to determine the depth of location of objects in images, which requires efficient and fast methods of their processing. This study proposes a new depth estimation method for 3D computer vision based on wavelet transform optimization. Solutions are offered to simplify the disparity calculation, which is traditionally used for the construction of depth maps, with the possibility of describing contours with adjustable detail based on the wavelet transform. The main advantage of this method is the increase in performance due to the allocation of the Haar wavelet carrier length in the extremum search area. The simulation confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach for constructing depth maps, which allows us to recommend it for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in conditions of limited computing and energy resources.