World Face Research Articles

Savoir-Faire: Challenges with Leading Learning in IB Authorized Schools in Japan

The study explores the reception of the new IB evaluation process by several IB authorized Article 1 schools in Japan, and how they responded to the challenges they faced during the implementation of their respective program development plans. The study examines the nature of the learning process that took place during implementation, focusing on the strategies that the schools came up with to overcome the challenges they encountered. The evaluation process introduced by the IB likely presented new and complex challenges to the schools, such as adapting to new evaluation criteria or meeting the expectations of the IB. By examining the responses of the schools to these challenges, the study may offer insights into effective strategies for managing complex educational programs and for implementing new evaluation processes. This information could be useful not only to other IB authorized schools in Japan, but also to educational institutions around the world facing similar challenges.

Efficiency of non-revenue water reduction in improving water supply performance in Indian metropolises

Abstract Many cities around the world face water crisis. Poor management contributes more to water crises than resource constraints. Multiple Indian metropolitan cities face severe water crises. These cities usually have high non-revenue water (NRW) levels. The present study estimates the efficiency of the extent of NRW management to improve per capita water supply (PCS) and cost recovery (CR) in 55 Indian metropolises with more than one million population. The study considered variable-returns-to-scale data envelopment analysis (DEA) using input orientation (I/P DEA). NRW has been used as the input variable, while the PCS and CR are studied as the output variables. The DEA model recommends that reduced NRW levels can address the water crisis in Indian cities. According to the DEA findings, about 38 Indian cities (68.09%) could reduce NRW levels by more than 50% while improving PCS and CR levels substantially. Around 47 cities (85.45%) can fulfil the water supply benchmark value of 135 litres per capita per day (lpcd). Three cities can improve the cost recovery by more than 100%. The findings suggest that water supply utilities in Indian cities should focus on reducing NRW levels substantially to improve the PCS and CR.

New data regarding the identification of critical raw materials recoverable from raw, processed and the waste mining industry materials from Romania.

Several EU initiatives focused on renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure and green transport require a sustainable supply of a wide range of raw materials. The increase in the population and, implicitly, the increasing demand for necessary resources led to accelerated degradation of the environment, a pressing issue which the contemporary world faces. The mining activities produced huge amounts of waste, which may now become a potential secondary raw materials source that offer the potential to extract critical mineral elements of current interest. This study is intended as a historical literature data processing combined with recent analyses according to modern test methods to confirm the presence of selected critical raw materials (CRMs). The aim of the work was an integrated approach to identify the presence of Ga, In, Ge, Bi, Co and Te in ore, ore concentrates, tailing ponds and ore dumps from some Romanian historical mining regions: Apuseni Mountains (5 deposits) and the northern part of the Eastern Carpathians (Baia Mare area 2 deposits and Fundu Moldovei area 1 deposit). The consulted literature data highlighted that the tailing ponds and dumps from Romania contain a noticeable quantity of secondary resources of critical elements, respectively, an average of 2172mg/kg Bi, 1737mg/kg Co, 691mg/kg Ga, 667mg/kg In, 74mg/kg Ge and 108mg/kg Te in ore and 1331mg/kg Ga, 1093mg/kg Co, 180mg/kg Bi, 72mg/kg In and 35mg/kg Ge in tailings. The overall statistics for the 2008-2018 period show a decrease in the amount of hazardous waste produced by the extractive industry in Romania. The older literature data (from about 50years ago) for the investigated deposits was confirmed by the laboratory analysis of selected CRMs from several samples collected from known former and current mining activities. Furthermore, the optical microscopy investigations coupled with modern electronic microscopy and quantitative and semi-quantitative techniques have provided further details regarding the sample nature and constituents. High levels of Bi (35,490mg/kg) and Sb (15,930mg/kg) were determined in samples from Băița Bihor and Coranda-Hondol ore deposits (Apuseni Mountains), and the presence of some rare elements such as Te was also detected. The recovery of critical elements present in the mining waste significantly contributes to the transition to a circular economy that is essential for the development of a sustainable and resource-efficient economy. This study enables future research focused on the recovery of critical elements present in the mining waste, with benefits for the environment, economy and society.

Use of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi for Boosting Antioxidant Enzyme Metabolism and Mitigating Saline Stress in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Salinity is one of the outstanding abiotic stress conditions that a significant part of the world faces. In recent years, beneficial microorganisms started to be utilized in plants to overcome several abiotic factors, including salinity. The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) mixture on growth and enzymatic responses in basil under salt stress were investigated using saline doses of 0 mM (Control), 150 mM, and 300 mM. Results showed that AMF enhanced all growth parameters, but only the leaf number was statistically significant. However, antioxidant enzymes, such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by 25%, catalase (CAT) by 25%, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 5%, significantly enhanced. At the same time, the accumulation of oxidative enzymes, like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA), was reduced, from 12.05 μmol g−1 fw (control) to 11.17 μmol g−1 fw (AMF) and from 14.29 μmol g−1 fw to 10.74 μmol g−1 fw, respectively. AMF also significantly alleviated the chlorophyll loss caused by increasing saline doses. Multivariate analyses revealed the co-occurrence of stress metabolism enzymes as well as the proximate effect of AMF inoculation on basil yield and enzymatic activity. As a result, AMF was considered an appropriate tool for increasing growth and reducing salt stress under both stress-free and saline conditions.

High performance of supercapacitor based on alumina nanoparticles derived from Coca-Cola cans

It is now certain that all countries of the world face very serious problems in the process of solid waste management; most of these wastes like aluminum cans are discarded, which is considered as one of the most environmental pollutants. So, one of the most important techniques that could manage the aluminum cans wastes is recycling process, which offer exceptional benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness, decrease the waste volumes and energy savings. In this research, aluminum can waste converted to alumina nanoparticles (NPs) with many crystalline structures using sol-gel technique then calcined at different calcination temperature (550, 750, 1000, and 1200 °C). The prepared alumina was characterized by numerous methods like XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, FTIR, and BET. The exceptional properties obtained from this study proves the opportunity of manufacturing alumina from can wastes and testified as an exceptional supercapacitor. The electrochemical performance of the prepared alumina nanoparticles was measured using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charging and discharging (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in an aqueous solution of 2.0 M Na2SO4 as an electrolyte. Alumina NPs calcined at 1000 °C displayed exceptional specific capacitance with value of 1297 F. g−1 at 0.7 A. g−1, with retention 92.7 % of its initial specific capacitance even after 5000 cycles.

Lessons learned during the war in Ukraine: a report from the Renal Disaster Relief Task Force of the ERA.

People living with kidney disease are among the most vulnerable at times of natural or man-made disasters. In addition to their unpredictable course, armed conflicts impose a major threat given the disruption of infrastructure, sanitation and access to food, water and medical care. The ongoing war in Ukraine has once more demonstrated the importance of preparedness, organization, coordination and solidarity during disasters. People living with kidney disease face serious challenges given their dependence on life-sustaining treatment, irrespective of whether they remain in the war zone or are displaced internally or externally. This especially affects those requiring kidney replacement therapy, dialysis or transplantation, but also patients with other kidney diseases and the medical staff who care for them. Soon after the war started, the European Renal Association assigned a Renal Disaster Relief Task Force dedicated to support the people living with kidney disease and the nephrology community in Ukraine. This report summarizes the major challenges faced, actions taken and lessons learned by this task force. We anticipate that the experience will help to increase preparedness and mitigate the devastating effects of armed conflicts on the kidney community in the future and propose to establish an international collaboration to extend this effort to other parts of the world facing similar challenges.

Deaths from undetected COVID-19 infections as a fraction of COVID-19 deaths can be used for early detection of an upcoming epidemic wave.

With countries across the world facing repeated epidemic waves, it becomes critical to monitor, mitigate and prevent subsequent waves. Common indicators like active case numbers may not be sensitive enough in the presence of systemic inefficiencies like insufficient testing or contact tracing. Test positivity rates are sensitive to testing strategies and cannot estimate the extent of undetected cases. Reproductive numbers estimated from logarithms of new incidences are inaccurate in dynamic scenarios and not sensitive enough to capture changes in efficiencies. Systemic fatigue results in lower testing, inefficient tracing and quarantining thereby precipitating the onset of the epidemic wave. We propose a novel indicator for detecting the slippage of test-trace efficiency based on the number of deaths/hospitalizations resulting from known and hitherto unknown infections. This can also be used to forecast an epidemic wave that is advanced or exacerbated due to a drop in efficiency in situations where the testing has come down drastically and contact tracing is virtually nil as is prevalent currently. Using a modified SEIRD epidemic simulator we show that (i) Ratio of deaths/hospitalizations from an undetected infection to total deaths converges to a measure of systemic test-trace inefficiency. (ii) This index forecasts the slippage in efficiency earlier than other known metrics. (iii) Mitigation triggered by this index helps reduce peak active caseload and eventual deaths. Deaths/hospitalizations accurately track the systemic inefficiencies and detect latent cases. Based on these results we make a strong case that administrations use this metric in the ensemble of indicators. Further, hospitals may need to be mandated to distinctly register deaths/hospitalizations due to previously undetected infections. Thus the proposed metric is an ideal indicator of an epidemic wave that poses the least socio-economic cost while keeping the surveillance robust during periods of pandemic fatigue.

Family and the Turbulent World

This article proposes an elaboration and extension of link psychoanalysis, via the concept of the link complex. It considers the impacts on the mind in the face of the contemporary world, including the diversity of linking configurations, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the different resources that have to be created to assure continuity of clinical care during the pandemic. It considers the impacts upon the analyst's mind in response to these strains, and proposes the link complex as a means of conceptualising how current realities alter the definition of what the contemporary family is.

Coping with loneliness and stigma associated with HIV in a resource-limited setting, making a case for mental health interventions; a sequential mixed methods study

BackgroundChallenges such as stigma and loneliness may increase vulnerability to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and negatively affect the quality of life of people living with HIV (PLHIV) despite the massive investment in access to antiretroviral therapy. This study aims to determine the level of loneliness and stigma and explore the coping resources employed by PLHIV in a resource-constrained setting.MethodsThis was a sequential mixed methods study conducted at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) in Ghana between May and December 2021. A total of 395 adults were selected using a simple random sampling technique. HIV Stigma Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale were used to collect quantitative data. A purposive sampling technique was applied to recruit 18 participants to saturation using a semi-structured interview guide. SPSS version 21 was used for the statistical analysis of the quantitative data. HIV-related loneliness and stigma levels were estimated, and bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to evaluate associated factors using a statistical significance of p-value (p < .05). In general, the thematic analysis approach by Braun and Clark was employed to analyse the qualitative data. Findings were then triangulated.ResultsThe mean age was 46.79 years (± 12.53), 75.4% of the participants were female, with a prevalence of stigma of 99.0% (95%CI = 97.4–99.7) and loneliness of 30.1% (95%CI = 25.6–34.9). Tertiary-level education and instrumental support were associated with lower levels of loneliness. In contrast, comorbidity, personalised stigma, negative self-image, and self-blame were positively related to loneliness. Thematic analyses of the qualitative data produced a range of themes that showed that people living with HIV rely on personal resources, social support networks, and behaviour modification strategies to manage their condition. In particular, some of these strategies include; religiosity and spirituality, family and friends, medication and professional support systems.ConclusionThe results suggest that PLHIV in the developing world face enormous challenges, socially, psychologically and financially. Although there have been global efforts to make HIV services accessible, the findings suggest a need for integrating mental health services contextually to reduce loneliness and HIV-related stigma to improve quality of life.

Assessing Impact of Health Education in Improving Knowledge of Children on Child Sexual Abuse.

Every year, millions of children around the world face sexual abuse and exploitation. Sexual and reproductive health education is an important form of health promotion action against it. This study aims to assess the impact of health education program in improving knowledge of the children on child sexual abuse. A school based pre-experimental study was done among 120 lower secondary level students of a private school in Bharatpur municipality of Chitwan District, Nepal during March 2021. An interventional health education program imparting knowledge on child sexual abuse and its preventive measures was given to the children. Their knowledge was assessed and compared before and after intervention using paired t-test. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 17 software. The mean age of children was 13.77±0.65 years with 1:1.18 girls to boys ratio. The level of knowledge of the children on child sexual abuse and its preventive measures increased significantly post-intervention as compared to pre-intervention. The mean scores of post-test (29.80±4.53) was higher than pre-test (17.04±6.96). The intervention was proved effective with statistically significant t-test values (t=20.996, p=<0.001). About 6.7% children disclosed an experience of child abuse post-intervention. The school based health education program effectively increased the knowledge of the children on child sexual abuse, thus helping in preventing and protecting them from child sexual abuse and its harmful effects.

How to recognise the inevitable: Latvian media narratives on climate change

Political elites over the world face considerable challenges in getting societies into climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. The process is even more complicated by complex media ecologies, into which official strategic narratives are modified and contested. This study explores the media narratives on climate change and their alignment with the official political narrative in a country located on the European Union's eastern border – Latvia, analysing the representation of climate change by the four most popular digital Latvian news platforms in Latvian and Russian languages. Observing that recognition and international cooperation narratives dominate, this study concludes that media only partially project the official political narrative, which focuses on opportunities from climate change. By considering multiple perspectives of scientists, politicians, society and businesses, the media provide an arena of contestation. At the same time, the media narratives lack a domesticated alternative on climate change that is fundamental for an action-encouraging discursive environment. As a result, the image of climate change as a geographically distant, internationally addressed, negotiated and contested phenomenon persists, yet the role of Latvian actors remains unspecified. Illuminating the climate change strategic narrative projection in Latvia, this study complements the research on climate change media coverage in Central and Eastern Europe and provides insights into the communication challenges the region faces.

Experimental Investigation on the PCCI Engine Fueled by Algal Biodiesel Blend with CuO Nanocatalyst Additive and Optimization of Fuel Combination for Improved Performance and Reduced Emissions at Various Load Conditions by RSM Technique.

Fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution are paramount problems the world faces. Despite several measures, the transportation industry is still battling to manage these issues. A combined approach of fuel modification for low-temperature combustion with combustion enhancers could offer a breakthrough. Due to their properties and chemical structure, biodiesels have piqued the interest of scientists. Studies have asserted that microalgal biodiesel might be a viable alternative. Premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) is an easily adoptable promising low-temperature combustion strategy in compression ignition engines. The objective of this study is to identify the optimal blend and catalyst measure for improved performance and reduced emissions. Microalgae biodiesel at various proportions (B10, B20, B30, and B40) was amalgamated with CuO nanocatalyst and tested to arrive at the right concoction of biodiesel with nanoparticles in a 5.2 kW CI engine for different load conditions. The PCCI function warrants that about 20% of the fuel supplied is vaporized for premixing. Finally, the interplay factors of the independent variables of the PCCI engine were then explored by response surface methodology (RSM) to determine the optimal level of desired dependent and independent variables. The RSM experiment findings suggest that the best biodiesel and nanoparticle concoctions at 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% loads were B20CuO76, B20Cu60, B18CuO61, and B18CuO65, respectively. These findings were experimentally validated.

Biology Education: A Panacea to Global Environmental Challenges

This position paper underscores the pivotal role of biology education in addressing the global environmental challenges that confront our planet. As humanity grapples with unprecedented issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and habitat destruction, it is clear that biology education serves as a panacea for informed action. The paper explores the multidimensional relationship between biology education and environmental challenges, covering critical sub-topics. It emphasizes the significance of a comprehensive curriculum, innovative pedagogical approaches, and the infusion of environmental policy and advocacy within biology education. Additionally, the paper acknowledges the challenges and barriers that must be addressed to optimize the impact of biology education. It calls for interdisciplinary integration, global collaboration, and technological integration to equip students with the tools to become stewards of our environment. Ultimately, the recommendations put forth underscore the transformative potential of biology education, highlighting its capacity to nurture a generation of environmentally conscious individuals capable of confronting the most pressing environmental crises. In a world facing complex environmental challenges, biology education emerges as a beacon of hope, empowering informed and passionate individuals who can drive positive change

The Growth and Development of Iron Works and its Contributions to Economic Emancipation in Yola-Adamawa Emirate

This paper gives general account of iron work industry (Blacksmithing) in Adamawa emirate, which have been an integral subsector of the manufacturing agricultural, domestic tools and indigenous weapons. Smithing is the act of turning mined ores into useful metal objects. There are two parts of smithing: smelting and forging. Smelting means using a furnace to convert ores into metal bars. Forging means hammering metal bars on anvil to make weapon pieces of armour, dart tips and more. The industry contributes to the growth and development of commercial activities and livelihood of the people of Yola (Adamawa) and their neighbours. It is worthy to note that the history of iron work activity in Yola shows the evolution and exposed the region in the face of wider world with its technological advancement. The paper adopted both primary and secondary sources of data collection because many researches undertook in the region were mostly focused on socio-political than economic history of the region especially on iron work industry which was neglected. Therefore, research on iron works should give light on the activities of blacksmithing in Yola area and its significant to the economic growth and development of the area.

Investigating coordinated account creation using burst detection and network analysis

Democracies around the world face the threat of manipulation of their electorates via coordinated online influence campaigns. Researchers have responded by developing valuable methods for finding automated accounts and identifying false information, but these valiant efforts often fall into a cat-and-mouse game with perpetrators who constantly change their behavior. This has forced several researchers to go beyond the detection of individual malicious actors by instead identifying the coordinated activity that propels potent information operations. In this vein, we provide rigorous quantitative evidence for the notion that sudden increases in Twitter account creations may provide early warnings of online information operations. Analysis of fourteen months of tweets discussing the 2020 U.S. elections revealed that accounts created during bursts exhibited more similar behavior, showed more agreement on mail-in voting and mask wearing, and were more likely to be bots and share links to low-credibility sites. In concert with other techniques for detecting nefarious activity, social media platforms could temporarily limit the influence of accounts created during these bursts. Given the advantages of combining multiple anti-misinformation methods, we join others in presenting a case for the need to develop more integrable methods for countering online influence campaigns.

Conservation at the edge: connectivity and opportunities from non-protected coral reefs close to a National Park in the Colombian Caribbean

Confronting a sustained coral reef conservation crisis, we need new opportunities to rethink how to protect areas successfully and efficiently in the face of a changing world. We studied the benthic community, including foraminifera, fish community, and genetic connectivity (SSRs and SNPs) of main reef-building corals, Orbicella faveolata and Agaricia undata, along a Non-Protected Area (NPA) reef tract in Barú peninsula, including some isolated banks, near Cartagena and the National Natural Park Corales del Rosario y San Bernando (NNP CRySB), Colombia. The fringing reef track is homogeneous in benthic components, including algae, sponges, and foraminifera between all the studied sites, while corals exhibited differences between sites and depth ranges. Many reef sites sustain between 42.8 and 53% coral cover, which are among the highest recorded in this region, even higher than the nearby NNP. A total of 82 fish species were found, and the Foram Index-FI varies between 2 and 2.5, showing environmental conditions marginal for reef growth. The Barú NPA reef system can be considered spatial refugia under climate change and Anthropocene conditions, including resilient reefs at the mouth of Cartagena Bay (Magdalena River), a place of increased stressing factors. The admixture between NPA and NNP populations, the high coral cover in the NPA, the fish density and composition, the uniqueness of the diapiric banks, and the disturbance resistance are major arguments to protect this reef tract. We suggest designing a co-management scheme to ensure species connectivity, avoid further degradation, and involve different stakeholders.

Change Detection between Retrospective and Contemporary 3D Models of the Omega House at the Athenian Agora

Archaeological monuments all over the world face problems of conservation and maintenance due to natural events and processes as well as human intervention, all of which lead to their alteration and deterioration. In particular, monuments and sites that have been excavated and left exposed to the elements experience decay, which would have taken centuries prior to excavation, in just a few years when left unprotected. Thus, the necessity to detect and observe changes over time becomes paramount. Legacy data and, in particular, retrospective photogrammetric modeling, are vital tools in this process. In this work we compare two photogrammetric 3D models of the Omega House, in the Athenian Agora, to assess how much the site has changed between the time of its first excavation in 1972 and its current state. Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) is utilized to perform Boolean operations. Additionally, distance and volume calculations are performed. The software CloudCompare was used for this work. Overall, the state of Omega House monument proves to have been preserved from 1972 to 2017, except for certain differences that are highlighted as follows: The central north part of the monument in the model 2017 presents increased volume per 7.86% in comparison with the model 1972. The northeast part of the monument in the 2017 model shows decreased volume per 5.11% when compared to the model 1972. Moreover, the calculated distances between the two models from 1972 and 2017 present the greatest values in the case of the southwest and northwest parts of the monument, ranging between −17 cm to 5 cm.

Karl Marx and the trend of human civilization

In the face of complex and changeable world, the smooth development of civilization needs the guidance of Karl Marx’s thought. The era Marx faced was not fundamentally different from the times we live in today, and Marx’s theory, which was born in that era and directly used to analyze it, is not outdated yet. Some of Marx’s basic standpoints and views about civilization, including his basic theoretical propositions on the understanding of civilization itself, the goal of civilization, this historical process and requirement of the development of civilization, the conditions and environment for the progress of civilization, the laws and roads of the development of civilization, and the exchanges between and spread of civilizations, are still of immense value today.

City-wide, high-resolution mapping of evapotranspiration to guide climate-resilient planning

The impacts of global change, including extreme heat and water scarcity, are threatening an ever-growing urban world population. Evapotranspiration (ET) mitigates the urban heat island, reducing the effect of heat waves. It can also be used as a proxy for vegetation water use, making it a crucial tool to plan resilient green cities. To optimize the trade-off between urban greening and water security, reliable and up-to-date maps of ET for cities are urgently needed. Despite its importance, few studies have mapped urban ET accurately for an entire city in high spatial and temporal resolution. We mapped the ET of Berlin, Germany in high spatial (10-m) and temporal (hourly) resolution for the year of 2019. A novel machine learning (ML) approach combining Sentinel-2 time series, open geodata, and flux footprint modeling was applied. Two eddy flux towers with contrasting surrounding land cover provided the training and testing data. Flux footprint modeling allowed us to incorporate comprehensive land cover types in training the ML models. Open remote sensing and geodata used as model inputs included Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Sentinel-2, building height, impervious surface fraction, vegetation fraction, and vegetation height. NDVI was used to indicate vegetation phenology and health, as plant transpiration contributes to the majority of terrestrial ET. Hourly reference ET (RET) was calculated and used as input to capture the temporal dynamics of the meteorological conditions. Predictions were carried out using Random Forest (RF) regression. Weighted averages extracted from hourly ET maps using flux footprints were compared to measured ET from the two flux towers. Validation showed that the approach is reliable for mapping urban ET, with a mean R2 of 0.76 and 0.56 and a mean RMSE of 0.0289 mm and 0.0171 mm at the more vegetated site and the city-center site, respectively. Lastly, the variation of ET between Local Climate Zones (LCZs) was analyzed to support urban planning. This study demonstrated the capacity to map urban ET at an unprecedented high spatial and temporal resolution with a novel methodology, which can be used to support the sustainable management of green infrastructure and water resources in an urbanizing world facing climate change.

Social entrepreneurship for young people with disabilities: A conceptual analysis

Employment is one of the most basic needs of everyone, including people with disabilities (PWD). However, the numerous obstacles faced by PWD limit their ability to actively participate in the labour market, become economically self-sufficient, and contribute to national economic development. In general, PWD all over the world face a high risk of unemployment. Therefore, this study explored the function of social entrepreneurship in eradicating unemployment among young PWD. This research also emphasised the challenges experienced by PWD in securing employment in Malaysia. Among the issues highlighted are the negative attitudes of employers towards PWD and how employers could adopt the social entrepreneurship perspective. The systematic review method was used to examine the previous literature to accomplish the highlighted purpose and seek answer to the research questions. The literature review revealed problems of unemployment among young PWD. Hence, the improvement of young PWD’s employment have to be focused systematically by taking into account the social entrepreneurship’s perspective. This study is expected to provide a significant contribution to the knowledge on employment of young PWD and would increase the number of their participation in the workplaces.