Week Of August Research Articles

Effectiveness of psychological interventions on pregnancy rates in infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of psychological interventions on the pregnancy rates of infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). Using the electronic databases PubMed, EM Base, Cochrane Library, WOS, CNKI, WanFang Data, CSTJ, and CBM, a systematic literature search was conducted in the second week of August 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of psychological interventions on the pregnancy rate of infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology were collected. There is no time limit for this search setting. The language is limited to Chinese or English. Two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies, and then used Revman5.3 and STATA16.0 software for meta-analysis. A total of 25 randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis, including 2098 patients in the experimental group and 2075 patients in the control group. There was a significant difference in the pregnancy rate between the two groups [RR=1.31, 95%CI(1.22,1.40)]. Subgroup analysis showed that this is also true of infertile women of different nationalities, different intervention timing and format. However, different psychological interventions may indeed have different effects. Current evidence suggests that psychological interventions may improve pregnancy rates in infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology. Limited by the quantity and quality of included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies. Our PROSPERO registration number is: CRD42019140666.

A mowing strategy for urban parks to support spring flowers in a mediterranean climate city in South Africa

Converting road verges and Public Open Space (POS) to floral-rich resources is an important strategy for supporting populations of urban pollinators. One of the ways this can be achieved is through adjusting mowing schedules, either with a “delayed start” after the end of winter, or a reduction in mowing frequency. In Mediterranean climate ecosystems with mild, wet winters, plant growth continues through the winter season and the definition of a “delayed start” is unclear. This study sought to identify a strategic period for the suspension of mowing activities in a city in South Africa with a Mediterranean climate. It estimated the duration of the flowering to seed-broadcast season of 20 species of native geophytes. Observations were made of phenological status from bud to seed broadcast in ten city parks in Cape Town during the austral spring flowering seasons of 2019 and 2020 (August – December). The Underhill and Zucchini (1988) Moult Model was employed to estimate the duration of the flowering season. Model results showed that mowing should stop in the second week of August and should not resume until the beginning of November in the study context. The results are discussed against the relative biodiversity contribution that different parks and verges make and the potential conflicts with the utility objectives of urban society.

Institutional Support in Increasing Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy and Performance of Woman Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy is an important factor in influencing new businesses for the success of woman entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy refers to individual beliefs about skills and abilities in running a business. This research aims to show how women entrepreneurs, policymakers, and institutions maintain new businesses and encourage women's participation or success in entrepreneurship. This type of research is quantitative. The sampling process was carried out using a random sampling technique. Authors are obtaining data using an online questionnaire with a Google form. The filling link was distributed to women business actors in the second week of August 2022. There were 235 respondents as MSME actors. The research results show that: 1) women manage 95 percent of MSME actors. 2) young people manage 96 respondents or 40.85%. From the study results, it can be concluded that: 1) women have many contributions and are driving the wheels of the economy. 2) Women in Indonesia start businesses at a young age to earn income, reduce unemployment and improve people's welfare.

JYNNEOS Vaccination Coverage Among Persons at Risk for Mpox — United States, May 22, 2022–January 31, 2023

From May 2022 through the end of January 2023, approximately 30,000 cases of monkeypox (mpox) have been reported in the United States and >86,000 cases reported internationally.* JYNNEOS (Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine, Bavarian Nordic) is recommended for subcutaneous administration to persons at increased risk for mpox (1,2) and has been demonstrated to provide protection against infection (3-5). To increase the total number of vaccine doses available, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) on August 9, 2022, recommending administration of the vaccine intradermally (0.1 mL per dose) for persons aged ≥18 years who are recommended to receive it (6); intradermal administration can generate an equivalent immune response to that achieved through subcutaneous injection using approximately one fifth the subcutaneous dose (7). CDC analyzed JYNNEOS vaccine administration data submitted to CDC from jurisdictional immunization information systems (IIS)† to assess the impact of the EUA and to estimate vaccination coverage among the population at risk for mpox. During May 22, 2022-January 31, 2023, a total of 1,189,651 JYNNEOS doses (734,510 first doses and 452,884 second doses)§ were administered. Through the week of August 20, 2022, the predominant route of administration was subcutaneous, after which intradermal administration became predominant, in accordance with FDA guidance. As of January 31, 2023, 1-dose and 2-dose (full vaccination) coverage among persons at risk for mpox is estimated to have reached 36.7% and 22.7%, respectively. Despite a steady decline in mpox cases from a 7-day daily average of more than 400 cases on August 1, 2022, to five cases on January 31, 2023, vaccination for persons at risk for mpox continues to be recommended (1). Targeted outreach and continued access to and availability of mpox vaccines to persons at risk are important to help prevent and minimize the impact of a resurgence of mpox.

Spatial and Temporal Monitoring of North African Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur arenicola (Hartert, EJO, 1894): First Migrants Arrive Early and Select Nesting Trees next to Foraging Resources while Second Breeders’ Wave Breed around Earlier Nests

This study aimed to evaluate the spatial microdistribution and temporal microdistribution of the North African subspecies of the globally threatened Turtle Doves in Morocco. From the end of February to early September, we monitored the migration dates, counting arrival and departure dates, and breeding chronology, to clarify if the breeding season is divided into sub-breeding phases or not. Equally, the spatial distribution of nests following potential breeding phases was surveyed weekly in Beni Mellal province following a map of a selected orange orchard. Doves arrived in Beni Mellal in the third week of March and left in mid-October, according to the results. The first nests occurred in the second week of April, followed by the first eggs in the third week of April and the first chicks in the first week of May. PCA analysis showed that the nesting and laying stages were achieved principally during the last two weeks of April and the first three weeks of May, the hatching stage between the fourth week of May and the second week of July, and fledging between the fourth week of July and the first week of September. Further, the breeding season was divided into two phases: the first breeding phase, from the first week of April to the first week of June, and the second phase, between the second week of June and the second week of August. The DCA analysis and orchard-created map indicated that the first wave of breeders colonized the marginal trees located on the orchard sides, surrounded by foraging cereals and legumes, and the second breeding-phase nests were constructed in flocks next to the nests of the first breeding phase. According to this strategy, the first breeders prospect the orchard and select nesting trees near foraging resources, while the second breeders’ wave colonizes trees near successfully used prospector sites. These findings are of great importance for comparative investigations and habitat-scale conservation management.

When a neglected tropical zoonotic disease emerges in non-endemic countries: need to proactively fill the unveiled knowledge gaps towards human monkeypox among the Lebanese population

IntroductionThe ongoing multi-country outbreak of monkeypox (MPX) that emerges in non-endemic areas is a rare and unprecedented event that has sparked a widespread public health concern. Lebanon has reported four confirmed cases of MPX so far. Since good knowledge about the MPX virus and its associated disease is paramount for helping the Lebanese population prepare for a possible outbreak, therefore, it is important to assess their current level of knowledge regarding MPX and to identify its associated factors to highlight any knowledge gaps that need to be filled.MethodsAn online cross-sectional study was conducted over the first 2 weeks of August 2022 among adults aged 18 years and above recruited from all Lebanese provinces using a convenience sampling technique. An anonymous, Arabic, self-reported questionnaire covering all main aspects of knowledge regarding MPX was developed and adapted based on the available literature. The Chi-square test was used to determine the associations between knowledge levels and independent variables including baseline characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was also carried out on the significant variables in the bivariate analyses to identify the factors associated with the good knowledge level.ResultsA total of 793 Lebanese adults participated in the study. The overall level of knowledge level regarding human MPX was poor among the Lebanese population; with only 33.04% of them having a good knowledge level ≥ 60%. Knowledge gaps and a substantial poor knowledge level were found in the majority of MPX knowledge domains especially those related to the routes of transmission (76.67%), clinical presentation and symptoms (71.63%), treatment (86.25%), and severity of the disease (91.3%). Interestingly, participants have a good knowledge level of the precautionary measures (80.45%), and the response to a suspected infection (65.20%). Female gender [(aOR = 0.870, CI 95% (0.613–0.941)], increased age 49 [aOR = 0.743, CI 95% (0.381–0.908)], and living in rural areas [aOR = 0.412, CI 95% (0.227–0.861)] were found negatively associated with a good level of knowledge. However, participants with higher educational levels [aOR = 1.243, CI 95% (1.032–3.801)], those working in the medical field [aOR = 1.932, CI 95% (1.331–3.419)], those suffering from chronic disease/immunodeficiency [aOR = 1.231, CI 95% (1.128–2.002)], and participants with moderate/high economic situations [aOR = 2.131, CI 95% (1.431–4.221)] were more likely to have a good knowledge score compared to their counterparts.ConclusionsThe current study pointed out to poor knowledge level regarding MPX among the Lebanese population with substantial knowledge gaps in most aspects of MPX knowledge. The findings stress the urgent need to raise awareness and proactively fill the unveiled gaps, especially among less informed groups.

Gene Dosage at the Autoflowering Locus Effects Flowering Timing and Plant Height in Triploid Cannabis

There is demand for early-flowering cannabis (Cannabis sativa) cultivars to hasten harvest and avoid late-season detrimental weather conditions. A field study and greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of gene dosage at the autoflowering locus on flowering timing for diploid and triploid hybrids between autoflowering and photoperiod-sensitive parents. Autoflowering × photoperiod-sensitive hybrids were all photoperiod sensitive, but their critical photoperiods were longer than for homozygous photoperiod-sensitive plants, which resulted in earlier flowering. For triploid genotypes, decreasing dosage of the photoperiod-sensitive allele (A), from AAA to AAa to Aaa, reduced the time to flowering. Flowering timing for the diploid genotype Aa was intermediate between Aaa and AAa. These results provide evidence of incomplete dominance of the A allele at the autoflowering locus. Plants of genotype Aaa flowered 32 to 40 days earlier in the field than genotypes of AA, 15 days earlier than genotype Aa, and were ready for harvest by the second week of August in Connecticut. Plants of Aaa were as tall as other diploid and triploid photoperiod-sensitive genotypes studied, which suggests that they have similar yield potential. The use of tetraploid autoflowering (aaaa) maternal plants in combination with diploid photoperiod-sensitive (AA) pollen parents to produce Aaa genotype seed is a reliable approach for developing early-flowering cultivars of cannabis for flower production purposes.

Abundance estimates of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in Bahía San Antonio, Patagonia, Argentina

The abundance of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) was estimated by the means of aerial line-transect surveys for the area of Bahía San Antonio, a bay located in the north-western region of the San Matías Gulf (40°50’S 64°50’W), Rio Negro, Patagonia Argentina. In total, seven aerial surveys were conducted in the first week of August and September 2009, September, October and November 2010, and August, September 2011. Survey effort equalled a total flight time of 12.4h, during which 200 whales were counted in 119 whale groups. Half of the encounters were solitary animals and 17% were mating groups. Corrected abundance estimates showed the highest amount of whales present in the bay during the month of September, with 85±71, 207±108 and 117±55 animals in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. In adjacent months, less than half the amount of whales seemed to be present. The correction factor g(0)availability resulted 0.392±0.456. Perception bias was not accounted for. These aerial surveys resulted in the first estimates of southern right whale abundance in this north Patagonian bay and indicated a rather abrupt peak during the month of September. This being the peak month for right whale presence is consistent with data from other regions in the Southwest Atlantic, but data obtained in the other months remained scarce and thus results should be interpreted carefully. The complete absence of whales in the area during November 2010 and August 2011 raises further questions on the predictability of the whale’s presence in the area. Overall, more consistent aerial surveys should be conducted to accurately determine the annual and interannual evolution of southern right whale abundance in the study area.

The Strategy of Principle Leadership in Elevating Teaching Learning Process in School

The purpose of this study was to analyze the principal's leadership strategy in improving school quality, to determine the impact of implementing the principal's leadership strategy in improving school quality and to analyze the supporting and inhibiting factors for the implementation of the principal's leadership strategy and program in improving school quality in one of the private school in West Java. This research uses qualitative research methods. The steps taken in this research process include (1) determining the type of data, (2) determining data sources, (3) determining data collection methods and techniques, (4) determining data analysis techniques, and (5) checking techniques for validity testing data. The time of this research was carried out for 3 months starting from the first week of August until the end of October 2022. Within 3 months the researchers hoped to be able to collect the data needed to answer the problems in this study. The school principal has created useful and effective programs and strategies to improve quality schools. The strategies that have been formulated by the school principal referring to situational leadership theory in the R4 Leadership model (delegating/observing) have gone well and been carried out effectively and efficiently and are very influential for improving the quality of schools. The implementation of these programs and strategies continues to be intensively improved by the school. The impact of implementing the principal's leadership strategy and program can be seen from the school's achievements, namely in the academic and non-academic fields. The principal as a manager is capable of managing his school by dividing tasks and authorities and involving all interested parties.

기혼 보육교사의 일-가정 갈등과 향상이 직장과 가정생활 만족에 미치는 영향

Objectives This study has the purpose of researching the mediating effects of job resources of the effects of married child-care teachers’ work-family conflict and enrichment on the work and family life satisfaction.
 Methods The subjects of this study were 534 married childcare teachers working at daycare centers in 5 cities in Gyeonggi-do, and the data was collected from the 1st week of August to the 2nd week of September 2019 through questionnaires. For data processing, frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model were performed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0 programs.
 Results The results of this study are the following. First, the work-family conflict of married childcare teachers was found to have an negative effect on family life satisfaction, and work-family improvement was found to have an positive effect on work and family life satisfaction. Second, In the work-family conflict of married child-care teachers’ effects on work-life satisfaction, the ego-resilience statistically functioned as a mediating role and it did not have any mediating effects on spouse support and social support. In the effects of married child-care teachers’ work-family conflict on family-life satisfaction, ego-resilience and social support have partial mediating effects and spouse support did not have any mediating effects. In the effects of married child-care teachers’ work-family enrichment on work-life satisfaction, ego-resilience, spouse support, and social support do not have any mediating effects. In the effects of married child-care teachers’ work-family enrichment on family-life satisfaction, ego-resilience, spouse support, and social support statistically have mediating effects.
 Conclusions Based on the findings, it was confirmed the importance of a plan to respond appropriately for the satisfaction of work and family life through effective management of work-family conflict of married child-care teachers.

Are Pandemics Bad for Business?

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 contingency cannot be denied. Many authors have studied the effects of the sanitary emergency on labor force and the demand and supply of goods and services. This paper aims to understand the consequences of the shock to the economy caused by the pandemic, measured through mobility restrictions, in the business context. Using Google Mobility and The New York Times report, stay-at-home orders were used as a proxy for mobility restrictions. The effect of said restrictions on initial unemployment benefit claims and new business applications provides an insight into the change in people’s livelihoods. The difference-in-differences and event study methodologies were applied with data from 2010 to the third week of August 2020. The results indicate that the restrictions on mobility had a significant impact on both outcome variables. The effect on unemployment claims was still present at the time of this paper, while the behavior of new business applications was mostly affected for the first few weeks and then had a quick rebound.

Implementasi Supervisi Akademik melalui Pemanfaatan CCTV sebagai Upaya Monitoring Jarak Jauh terhadap Kinerja Guru di MAN 1 Kuantan Singingi pada Semester Ganjil Tahun Pelajaran 2022/2023

This study aims to obtain a clear picture of the academic supervision that has been carried out at MAN 1 Kuantan Singingi in an effort to remotely monitor teacher performance. This research was conducted for 4 weeks in August to. September 2022. The research stages were carried out based on the process guidelines in management. Management is a series of processes that include planning, organizing, implementing, supervising, evaluating and controlling activities in order to empower all organizational/company resources, both human resources (human resource capital), capital (financial capital), materials (land, natural resources or raw materials), and technology optimally to achieve organizational/company goals (Pratama, 2020), the organization in question in this case is MAN 1 Kuantan Singingi. The research subjects were selected using random sampling technique. The subjects were 6 different homeroom teachers, to obtain a variety of data from different rombel. Consisting of 1 homeroom teacher X MIPA 5, 1 homeroom teacher X IPS 2, 1 homeroom teacher X PK 1, 1 homeroom teacher XI MIPA 4, 1 homeroom teacher XI IPS, and 1 homeroom teacher XI PK 1. The object of this research is teacher performance. The research data were obtained from observation and documentation of CCTV results during supervision/monitoring of teachers. The analysis technique used in this research is qualitative analysis. According to Arikunto (2006), qualitative research is research on research that is descriptive and tends to use analysis (Sudaryono, 2016). The results showed that the use of CCTV in the implementation of monitoring teacher performance at MAN 1 Kuantan Singingi was in a good category

First Report of an Alien Whitefly Predatory Beetle, Delphastus pallidus (LeConte) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from South Punjab, Pakistan

Delphastus pallidus (LeConte) is an important predatory beetle reported for effective control of whiteflies including Bemisia tabaci, Aleurotrachelus trachoides, Paraleyrodes bondari and Dialeurodes citrifolii. Many other members of genus Delphastus are well known predators of multiple whitefly species such as Delphastus catalinae (Horn). The members of this genus have predatory potential against all the stages of whitefly including eggs, nymphs and adults. This genus was reported in earlier 1950s from Florida on citrus whitefly. The later studies have reported it from Beach and the Mims areas in 1951, Indian Rocks Lake Alfred areas in 1953. It was not reported against cotton whitefly from anywhere of Pakistan. The Pest Warning Quality Control of Pesticides, Punjab team Multan reported it from cotton fields. Samples were collected and got identified from the Department of Entomology, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan. After morphological and taxonomic identification, it was identified as Whitefly Predatory Beetle, Delphastus pallidus (LeConte) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Extensive surveys during the 3rd week of August 2022 reported its presence in 15 tehsils of cotton zone, South Punjab, Pakistan.

Effect of weather variabilities on dispersion pattern of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) in paddy field

Field experiments were conducted to find out the impact of weather factors and crop phenological stages on the dispersion pattern of brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) in paddy during kharif 2019 and 2020 at three paddy crop phenological stages like the active tillering stage (IV week of July to III week of August), panicle bearing and grain filling stage (IV week of August to III week of October) and grain maturity stage (IV week of October to IV week of November). Weather factors in relation with mean BPH population were subjected to multiple regression and correlation analysis. The dispersion patterns were studied by regression models using Index of dispersion, Elliott’s law, Taylor’s Power Law and Iwao’s patchiness regression model. Maximum population of BPH was observed during panicle bearing and grain filling stage at 108 days after transplanting. The BPH counts were fitted to negative binomial which indicated aggregated distribution in the field and most of the weather parameters like temperature, evening relative humidity and wind speed is negatively correlated during this stage. During active tillering and grain maturity stage, Poisson distribution pattern of BPH population in the field was observed which showed random distribution.

Biofouling of a unionid mussel by dreissenid mussels in nearshore zones of the Great Lakes.

In North America, native unionid mussels are imperiled due to factors such as habitat degradation, pollution, and invasive species. One of the most substantial threats is that posed by dreissenid mussels, which are invasive mussels that attach to hard substrates including unionid shells and can restrict movement and feeding of unionids. This dreissenid mussel biofouling of unionids varies spatially in large ecosystems, such as the Great Lakes, with some areas having low enough biofouling to form effective refugia where unionid mussels might persist. Here, we measured biofouling on mussels suspended in cages over the growing season (generally first week in June to last week of August) over 3 years in nearshore areas in Lake Erie (2014-2016), Lake Michigan (Grand Traverse Bay, 2015 and Green Bay, 2016), and Lake Huron (2015). Biofouling varied substantially by years within Lake Erie, with increasingly higher biofouling rates each year. Although dreissenid mussels are present throughout these lakes, we observed very low biofouling in Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan) and Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron), with no dreissenid mussels in 8 of 9 sites across these two bays. Sampling in the rivermouth of the Fox River (Wisconsin) and the Maumee River (Ohio) both showed very high biofouling in areas adjacent to the outlet of these tributaries into Green Bay and Maumee Bay (Lake Erie), respectively. These watersheds are dominated by agriculture, and we would expect high growth of primary producers (i.e., mussel food) and primary consumers (unionids and zebra mussels) in these areas compared to the other sampled bays or the open waters of the Great Lakes.

No room for complacency to control dengue in Nepal.

Dengue is a febrile disease caused by the dengue virus (Flaviviridae Family) transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus). Symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, eye, joint, bone and muscle pain. Dengue symptoms typically last for 2–7 days, most people will recover within a week and one in every 20 people may develop severe dengue, which can lead to death.1 Four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4) are capable of infection, and there is no specific treatment for this disease.2 Dengue fever was first recorded in Nepal in 2004, and it has since grown endemic, with outbreaks occurring every year except in 2005. In 2019, there were 17 992 cases and six death cases were reports in Nepal which were the highest for 2019. As of 15 October 2022, 40 029 dengue cases and 48 deaths were reported, which are the highest for the country since the first outbreak in 2004 (Figure 1).3 There was a surge in cases from the first week of August, peaked in September and started to decline since the beginning of October. The outbreaks of Dengue could have occurred due to high humidity and associated favorable environmental conditions that favor the growth, development and transmission of Aedes mosquitoes.4

Periphyton and benthivorous fish affect charophyte abundance and indicate hidden nutrient loading in oligo‐ and mesotrophic temperate hardwater lakes

Abstract Charophytes are a key group of submerged macrophytes in temperate hardwater lakes, but have declined or been replaced by angiosperms as a result of eutrophication for more than 100 years. At present, this process is continuing in many European lakes despite an overall reduced nutrient loading. In eutrophic lakes, light attenuation by periphyton is a major factor responsible for declining angiosperm abundance. For charophyte declines, the impact of benthivorous and herbivorous fish has been discussed often, yet periphyton shading has been largely neglected. In our study, we investigated 11 temperate oligo‐mesotrophic (total phosphorus [P] concentrations 9–22 μg/L) hardwater lakes along a gradient of charophyte abundances. Charophyte abundance was mapped using underwater cameras or scuba diving, and coverage was estimated in five classes. Periphyton biomass, nutrient stoichiometry and invertebrate grazer abundance were measured twice on artificial substrates exposed inside and outside fish exclosures for 4 weeks in July and August. Fish biomass was sampled once using multi‐mesh gill netting. We analysed the relationships between water chemistry (concentrations of nutrients and dissolved organic carbon), periphyton biomass and nutrient stoichiometry, periphytic invertebrate grazers and fish biomass to test (a) whether periphyton biomass was controlled bottom‐up by nutrient availability or top‐down by an omnivorous fish–invertebrate–grazer cascade and (b) whether charophyte abundance was affected by periphyton biomass, benthivorous and herbivorous fish. Multiple linear regressions revealed that charophyte abundance was significantly predicted by the biomasses of periphyton and benthivorous bream (Abramis brama L.), whereas herbivorous rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus L.) had no significant effect in the investigated lakes. Bream biomass and its proportion in the total fish biomass were linearly related to lake total P concentrations. Periphyton biomass in the tested lakes reached 0.1–21 g dry weight/m2 and primarily was controlled bottom‐up by P availability as indicated from stoichiometry and positive correlations with grazer abundance. Top‐down control was found in only three lakes, which had significantly lower periphyton biomass inside fish exclosures as compared to controls. Our data imply that periphyton shading and negative fish impacts on charophytes increase with P loading. Low charophyte abundances at moderate P concentrations in the lake water indicate a high sensitivity of charophytes and/or unnoticed nutrient loading due to nutrient retention by charophyte stands. Management measures thus must focus on reducing nutrient loading and/or benthivorous fish biomass at early stages of impact to preserve charophyte stands in oligo‐mesotrophic hardwater lakes.

Syrian Refugees in Duhok City: Socioeconomic and Sociocultural Integration of Refugees

The conflict erupted in Syria in 2011, and the situation since that time is continuously deteriorating, while the factors of the conflict and its groups are increasing. The subject of this study are the problems that Syrian people living in Duhok  city center experience in the context of econ, socio-cultural integration and the factors that lead to cultural conflict between the locals of Duhok city center and the Syrians.  In order to uncover these issues, studies and observations from the first did week of August until the last week of September 2022 in the city neighborhoods (Malta, city center, Masik,etc), where the Syrians constitute a significant part of the population, During the study we did an opportunity to interview and talk with both the locals and Syrians. Within the study’s framework, between 5- 10 focus group interviews did conduct with 5- 10 non-governmental organizations and 5-10 Syrian people. In addition, face to face interviews will conduct with the leaders of the neighborhoods where the Syrians live. 125 residents of Duhok city center and 125 Syrian people did also interview in order to discover the local society’s perceptions of Syrians. Thus an attempt did to determine with fieldwork-based interview technique the problems faced by Syrians in the context of economic-socio conflict and integration. The field research did enriched by drawing on researchers’ previous field experience and previous studies conducted in the area. The analyses also indicated that selecting a study case in the Egyptian society was fundamentally due to the convergence of customs, traditions, and values which contributed to the efficiency of positive readiness to social participation, composition of social networks, and social interaction in daily life practices. The previous finding resulted in reproducing the Habitus (system) of immigrants who have acquired the customs, values, traditions, and culture of the recipient society on the one hand, and created new positive activities on the other hand that served as their symbolic capital as )P. Bourdieu( argues in his theory of practice. This resulted in re-producing social structure and in reinforcing the sense of inclusion in spite of the existence of some obstacles in the physical aspects especially in the variables of residence, education, and health.

The Future of Cybersecurity in the Age of Quantum Computers

The first week of August 2022 saw the world’s cryptographers grapple with the second shocker of the year. Another one of the four post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms selected by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in a rigorous 5-year process was cracked by a team from Belgium. They took just 62 min and a standard laptop to break the PQC algorithm to win a USD 50,000 bounty from Microsoft. The first shocker came 6 months earlier, when another of the NIST finalists (Rainbow) was taken down. Unfortunately, both failed PQC algorithms are commercially available to consumers. With 80 of the 82 PQC candidates failing the NIST standardization process, the future of the remaining two PQC algorithms is, at best, questionable, placing the rigorous 5-year NIST exercise to build a quantum-safe encryption standard in jeopardy. Meanwhile, there is no respite from the quantum threat that looms large. It is time we take a step back and review the etiology of the problem de novo. Although state-of-the-art computer security heavily relies on cryptography, it can indeed transcend beyond encryption. This paper analyzes an encryption-agnostic approach that can potentially render computers quantum-resistant. Zero-vulnerability computing (ZVC) secures computers by banning all third-party permissions, a root cause of most vulnerabilities. ZVC eliminates the complexities of the multi-layered architecture of legacy computers and builds a minimalist, compact solid-state software on a chip (3SoC) that is robust, energy-efficient, and potentially resistant to malware as well as quantum threats.

Hard Nut to Crack. Acorn Hardness Implications on Oviposition of the Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium Marsham, 1802 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Curculio glandium females associated with the pedunculate oak were investigated in order to fill the knowledge gap on acorn structure preferences and shell-hardening influence on ovipositional behavior and fecundity. Shell solidification progression of weekly harvested acorns was measured using penetration and force–deformation tests along with fruit mass within a time frame covering weevils’ reproduction period. Captured females were offered regular acorns (uncracked, soft enough to drill into) and older seeds (with natural cracks) for behavior recordings and preferences tests. Young acorns and fruits ripe enough to be too hard for females to drill (artificially pierced and untouched) were used for egg output assessment throughout the shell-hardening progression. Experiments revealed that naturally cracked acorns were chosen significantly more often, which resulted in reduced drilling-phase duration. Egg number did not differ significantly before and after the threshold of acorn hardening; however, having passed it, females significantly more frequently deposited eggs in artificially pierced seeds. Results indicate the opportunistic nature of female preferences. Oviposition in cracked or pierced acorns facilitates the process and lowers competition for relatively shortly available soft and healthy seeds, the first of which reach impenetrability in the third week of August.