Suchergebnisse

An electronic raster map of the ecological state of lands of Russian regions was prepared for the reference period from 2001 to 2020 based on the characteristics of the primary photosynthesis products derived from Earth remote sensing materials from space in the form of indicators of «productivity», land transformation and dynamics of organic matter content in the soil and their generalizing indicator of sustainable development goals - SDG 15.3.1. Land degradation indicator. T e calculation shows that 2.2 million square kilometers, which constitutes 13% of the territory of Russian Federation, belong to the category of degraded by the end of 2020. 45% of the territory is occupied by land from the stable category, which has not changed over the past 19 years. 41% of the territory belongs to the lands that have improved during the reference period. A statistically reliable nonlinear regular relationship of the indicator of the ecological state of lands of Russian Federation was established in the form of an indicator of the share of non-degraded lands, considering the share of non-established lands with the amount of specif c emissions of pollutants into the atmospheric air from stationary sources located on the territory of the subject. T e threshold value of specif c emissions from stationary sources at the level of the subject of Russian Federation was established, amounting to 1610 kg per sq. km. T e probability of exceeding the threshold value of specif c emissions is 37%. T e risk of increasing land degradation with an increase in emissions is typical for 36% of territorial units of Russian Federation.

Background: Evidence suggests that people with disabilities are more likely to suffer from depression. Previous studies have focused on depressive disorders in specific disability types or age groups using small-scale cross-sectional samples. We investigated longitudinal trends in the prevalence and incidence of depressive disorders according to disability types and severity levels in the entire Korean adult population. Methods: The age-standardised prevalence and incidence of depressive disorders were investigated using National Health Insurance claims data from 2006 to 2017. The odds of depressive disorders by type and severity were examined using logistic regression after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities based on merged 2006 to 2017 data. Results: Both the incidence and prevalence of depressive disorders were higher among the disabled than the non-disabled, with the prevalence gap being larger than the incidence gap. In regression analyses, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities considerably reduced the odds ratios, particularly for incidence. The severity of disabilities was inversely associated with the incidence of depressive disorders. Brain injury and disabilities in major internal organs were associated with lower odds of developing depressive disorders than in non-disabled individuals. Conclusions: A significant proportion of depressive disorders in disabled individuals are caused by financial hardships or comorbidities rather than disabilities themselves. We must pay special attention to those who cannot access healthcare services due to severe disabilities and those whose depressive disorders are misdiagnosed as intellectual disabilities. More research is required to elucidate the causal mechanisms underlying depressive disorders in people with various types and severities of disabilities.

In the modern world, electronic governance systems are tools for the easy access to information and its practical usage. The basis for their adoption is the vision of productive communication between state and citizen. The systems are aimed to strengthen democratic institutions and develop civil society by ensuring human rights and freedoms.
Nevertheless, modern tendencies are accompanied with new challenges. In parallel with the process of digitalization, we encounter a set of problems related to information security such as issues of cybersecurity, non-reliable information, etc.
From the other side, digitalization brings an antidemocratic discourse on the implementation of the right of citizens' equal participation, the access and usage of all the necessary information and service portals, the functioning of sources which present public good and difficulties on proper feedback provision.
This work discusses the importance of electronic governance systems in Armenia in establishing society-state constructive communication and the main achievements and challenges on the way of their adaptation.
Nevertheless, modern tendencies accompanied with new challenges. In parallel with the process of digitalization, we encounter a set of problems related to information security such as issues of cybersecurity, non-reliable information, etc.
From the other side, digitalization brings an antidemocratic discourse on the implementation of the right of citizens' equal participation, the access and usage of all the necessary information and services portals, the functioning of sources which present public good and difficulties on proper feedback provision.
This work discusses the importance of electronic governance systems in Armenia in establishing society-state constructive communication and the main achievements and challenges on the way of their adaptation.

Objective We investigated secondary–task–based countermeasures to the vigilance decrement during a simulated partially automated driving (PAD) task, with the goal of understanding the underlying mechanism of the vigilance decrement and maintaining driver vigilance in PAD. Background Partial driving automation requires a human driver to monitor the roadway, but humans are notoriously bad at monitoring tasks over long periods of time, demonstrating the vigilance decrement in such tasks. The overload explanations of the vigilance decrement predict the decrement to be worse with added secondary tasks due to increased task demands and depleted attentional resources, whereas the underload explanations predict the vigilance decrement to be alleviated with secondary tasks due to increased task engagement. Method Participants watched a driving video simulating PAD and were required to identify hazardous vehicles throughout the 45-min drive. A total of 117 participants were assigned to three different vigilance-intervention conditions including a driving-related secondary task (DR) condition, a non-driving-related secondary task (NDR) condition, and a control condition with no secondary tasks. Results Overall, the vigilance decrement was shown over time, reflected in increased response times, reduced hazard detection rates, reduced response sensitivity, shifted response criterion, and subjective reports on task-induced stress. Compared to the DR and the control conditions, the NDR displayed a mitigated vigilance decrement. Conclusion This study provided convergent evidence for both resource depletion and disengagement as sources of the vigilance decrement. Application The practical implication is that infrequent and intermittent breaks using a non-driving related task may help alleviate the vigilance decrement in PAD systems.

Abstract
The production of paints, coatings and construction materials may generate nanoparticles (NP) with potential adverse health effects. We carried out a study aimed at investigating exposure biomarkers reflecting the internal dose of inhaled particles and NP. NTA was used to quantify particle number concentration and size in EBC collected at the end of shift in 81 workers employed in companies producing technological materials. External exposure was characterized in terms of particle number concentration, size and lung deposited surface area (LDSA) in the near operational field by using a set of DiSCmini. Three subgroups were identified: Low-Exposure (LE, n=30), High-Exposure (HE n=35), and non-occupationally exposed (UC, n=16). Comparisons between groups were made using non-parametric analyses. LE and HE workers showed significantly higher number of NP in EBC (p=0.024, p=0.041, respectively) as compared to UC. The HE groups showed higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as IL-1β and IL-10 as compared to LE and UC (p=0.02, p<0.01, respectively). Positive correlations were observed between particle number concentration recorded by DiscMini and NTA data (Rho=0,225, p=0.04) and between the NTA and IL-10 and IL-1β (Rho=0.246, p=0.012; Rho=0.223, p=0.022, respectively). In contrast, LDSA did not correlate with NTA data. These findings provide evidence of the relationship between increasing exposure to NP and the burden of particles in the airways which, in turn, results in sustained inflammation. Given the lack of exposure biomarkers for dusts, these results are promising to investigate the relationship between internal dose of particles and changes in lung pathobiology.

Abstract

Objective
Anti 1-OHPyrG sheep Mabs have been raised, characterised and employed in a sensitive and specific ELISA. The development of a LF test will enable the manufacture of a simple, rapid and cost-effective point of use test. On-site screening will allow employers to immediately confirm safe working practice and significantly increase the efficacy of biomonitoring.


Methods
A quantitative LF test has been developed which employs an anti-1-OHPyrG sMab to capture the PAH metabolite. The captured metabolite is visualised through a second Mab raised against the sMab-1-OHPyrG immune complex. This sandwich assay provides a positive correlation between the assay signal and biomarker concentration. The LF test can determine biomarker concentrations in non-occupationally exposed individuals and performance has been determined in a comparative study.


Results
A specific LF immunoassay, with a measuring range of 20-500pg/ml of 1-OHPyrG, can detect increasing levels of PAH metabolite in urine due to lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking and consumption of chargrilled food) in samples from non-occupationally exposed individuals. The LF determined concentrations compared well to literature values. Urines determined by LF and ELISA were in excellent agreement (R2=97, N=8).


Conclusions
Antibodies enable the development of quantitative LF tests, providing "real-time" analysis to occupational health professionals. On-site testing allows the immediate confirmation of safe working practice and provides immediate reassurance to those involved in potentially hazardous activities. An 'app' to support LF testing is now under development and a survey of potential industry end-users has highlighted the desired features.

Emotions play a crucial role in maintaining motivation, one of the factors which affect one's learning achievement. The two opposing types of emotions have differing effects on thinking and reasoning; positive emotions facilitate rational thought whereas the reverse is also true. This qualitative study aims at investigating factors affecting students' emotions in completing their final projects, the thesis. More specifically, the study aimed to reveal factors triggering positive emotions among students and how to maintain them and factors causing the emergence of negative emotions and those exacerbating them. The participants of the study were students of a post-graduate degree in English education program who have written their thesis and completed their study. Data were gathered using in-depth interviews with the participants and were analyzed qualitatively using Jeong-Hee's (2016) principles of narrative data analysis. This research found that factors causing the emergence of students' emotions, both positive and negative emotions, consist of two: human and non-human factors. The human factors can be those relating to academic context (supervisors and classmates) and also familial context (parents, spouse and relatives) whereas the non-human factors are time and place for consultation, examinations, and also resources to support the writing of students' thesis. Interestingly, the triggers of negative emotions are also those identified as triggers of positive emotions, if accomplished in opposing directions. It is then recommended that all relevant parties should be aware of the potential roles they can play in relation to students' emotions; they can be causes of both positive and negative emotions as well as the ones who help to maintain and to worsen them.

Background: A lack of knowledge among patients of heart failure represents a significant problem that could lead to an increase in adverse outcomes, such as lengthening the hospitalization period and increasing the readmission rate. Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effect of mobile health education applications on the knowledge of patients of heart failure and identify the associated factors that would contribute to patients' knowledge of heart failure. Methods: A quasi-experimental design (two groups with pretest-posttest design) was used. A non-probability convenient sample of 160 patients was recruited. The participants were assigned randomly to an experimental group and a control group. The Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale was used to assess the patients' level of knowledge. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test and multiple-regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The total number of participants was 126. The overall Jordanian patients' level of knowledge regarding the non-pharmacological management of heart failure was moderate (M = 9.4, SD = 2.07). Significant differences between study groups were found in terms of levels of knowledge. The intervention group (M = 12.26, SD = 2.36) had significantly higher mean scores of knowledge level of heart failure compared to the control group (M = 9.76, SD = 2.01); t = 6.361, p = 0.000). The result of the regression analysis was significant (adjusted R2 = 0.222, F (16,109)= 3.226, P=0.000). Conclusion: Mobile health education could be a promising solution for managing different chronic diseases, particularly HF. Implications for Nursing: Mobile health could be a more costeffective approach to patient education than other traditional approaches recently applied in clinical practice. Keywords: Heart failure, Patient education, Knowledge, Telehealth, Mobile health applications.

Abstract
The effectiveness of population-wide compliance to personal precautions (mask-wearing and hand hygiene) in preventing community-acquired pneumonia has been unknown. In Japan, different types of nonpharmaceutical interventions from personal precautions to containment and closure policies (CACPs, e.g. stay-at-home requests) were sequentially introduced from late January to April 2020, allowing for separate analysis of the effects of personal precautions from other more stringent interventions. We quantified the reduction in community-acquired pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths and assessed if it coincided with the timing of increased public awareness of personal precautions before CACPs were implemented. A quasi-experimental interrupted time-series design was applied to non–COVID-19 pneumonia hospitalization and 30-day death data from April 2015 to August 2020 across Japan to identify any trend changes between February and April 2020. We also performed a comparative analysis of pyelonephritis and biliary tract infections to account for possible changes in the baseline medical attendance. These trend changes were then compared with multiple indicators of public awareness and behaviors related to personal precautions, including keyword usage in mass media coverage and sales of masks and hand hygiene products. Hospitalizations and 30-day deaths from non–COVID-19 pneumonia dropped by 24.3% (95% CI 14.8–32.8) and 16.1% (5.5–25.5), respectively, in February 2020, before the implementation of CACPs, whereas pyelonephritis and biliary tract infections did not suggest a detectable change. These changes coincided with increases in indicators related to personal precautions rather than those related to contact behavior changes. Community-acquired pneumonia could be reduced by population-wide compliance to moderate precautionary measures.

Since the 2008 global economic crisis, the neoliberalization of nature and space, and consequently of environmental and planning policies, have exacerbated significantly. From infrastructure megaprojects, mining, fracking, waste disposal and land grabbing to shrinking access and loss of public green spaces, uneven gentrification and urban regeneration policies, public spaces, and natures within and beyond cities have been appropriated, privatized, commoditized, profoundly transformed and degraded with the aim to overcome recession and boost urban development. Despite the varying degree of success in pursuing urban growth, this has disproportionally affected people along lines of class, ethnicity, and gender, deepening environmental, social, and spatial inequality in many places across the globe. By drawing on my long-term research on biodiversity offsetting, the key argument I aim to advance in this essay is that since the 2008 financial crash, we have been witnessing the emergence of an increasingly symbiotic relationship between neoliberal conservation policies, infrastructure expansion and uneven urban development. This has been accompanied by the reframing of non-human nature as a movable amenity and has been intertwined with the new territorialities that the profound changes in global urban and economic geographies have brought about. This shift aims to legitimize and render common sense the idea that nature, either a protected area, a forest, an endangered species, or an urban green space, can be simply (re)located and (re)created where the interests of particular sections of capital dictate. Crucially, the underlying argument is not only that non-human nature should not be considered a barrier to infrastructure expansion and urban growth but perfectly compatible with it.

PurposeEarlier studies on employee turnover have invested enormous scholarly mileage to understand and address human resource challenges. Considering the substantial evidence on the negative and non-linear relationship between employee turnover and firms' performance, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of employee turnover on the social outreach (e.g. breadth of outreach) of microfinance institutions (MFIs), also known as the financial inclusion agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the study objective, the authors collected unbalanced panel data of 1,391 MFIs, covering a total of 96 economies and a period of 2010–2018. The organizational and macroeconomic data were obtained from the World Bank's Mix Market and World Development Indicators databases, respectively, and subsequently analysed using the pooled ordinary least squares, random effects model, fixed effects model and generalized method of moments.FindingsOverall, the authors found that employee turnover has a positive impact on the social outreach of MFIs, which suggests that employee turnover reduces organizational blindness and groupthink, potentiates efficiency gains and minimizes retention costs. On the contrary, this study does not find evidence of a non-linear effect of employee turnover on the outreach objectives of MFIs. Meanwhile, these effects were observed to vary depending on the proxy, sub-samples and techniques used in the analysis.Originality/valueMotivated by the paucity of literature, the study has uniquely investigated the effect of employee turnover on the social outreach objective of MFIs by using relatively recent and global-level data. The study findings can help managers and the human resource departments to make optimum decisions about employee turnover management.

The recent years have witnessed numerous studies that analyze the influence of different factors on the probability of revolutionary events. At the same time, an important set of modernization variables (GDP, urbanization, education, democratization) still remains understudied. Moreover, the results of the contemporary quantitative studies show significant discrepancies in how wealth (operationalized through GDP per capita) affects the risks of revolutionary events. Herewith scholars usually consider such events in the aggregate, without dividing them into armed and non-armed rebellions. This paper attempts to shed light on the impact of wealth on revolutionary instability, taking into account the distinguishing features of its armed and non-armed versions. On the basis of the analysis of 425 revolutionary episodes of various types over the period of 1900—2019, the authors document a strong linear negative relationship between armed revolutions and the level of GDP per capita, while the relationship between unarmed revolutions and wealth has a curvilinear nature. At first, as GDP per capita increases, the risks of unarmed revolutions increase, but after reaching a certain threshold they begin to fall. The inflection point, when the risk of unarmed revolutionary instability is the greatest, corresponds to the level of GDP per capita in the middle-income countries, which currently face the middle-income trap. In other words, their wealth stagnates at the level that is most risky for the emergence of unarmed revolutions. According to the authors' conclusion, in addition to the obvious economic problems associated with the middle-income trap, the latter also leads to the increased probability of unarmed revolutionary instability.

The electrical energy industry depends, among other things, on the ability of networks to deal with uncertainties from several directions. Smart-grid systems in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) networks, being an application of artificial intelligence (AI), are a reliable way to achieve this goal as they solve complex problems in power system engineering using AI algorithms. Due to their distinctive characteristics, they are usually effective approaches for optimization problems. They have been successfully applied to HVDC systems. This paper presents a number of issues in HVDC transmission systems. It reviews AI applications such as HVDC transmission system controllers and power flow control within DC grids in multi-terminal HVDC systems. Advancements in HVDC systems enable better performance under varying conditions to obtain the optimal dynamic response in practical settings. However, they also pose difficulties in mathematical modeling as they are non-linear and complex. ANN-based controllers have replaced traditional PI controllers in the rectifier of the HVDC link. Moreover, the combination of ANN and fuzzy logic has proven to be a powerful strategy for controlling excessively non-linear loads. Future research can focus on developing AI algorithms for an advanced control scheme for UPFC devices. Also, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis of power fluctuations or steady-state errors that can be eliminated by the quick response of this control scheme. This survey was informed by the need to develop adaptive AI controllers to enhance the performance of HVDC systems based on their promising results in the control of power systems. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-02-024 Full Text: PDF

The capital structure has been extensively analysed in the empirical literature. Despite of the great contribution of the technological industry to the global economy, little research has been conducted regarding corporate finance of ICT firms. Moreover, the previous literature barely considers the effect of macroeconomic variables on financial decisions, focusing much more on internal determinants, such as cash flow, firm's size or growth opportunities. The objective of this work is to reduce this gap by disentangling the reasons behind the financial decisions of technological firms. The sample included 1,510 public ICT firms from 23 countries over the period 2004 – 2019 (17,342 observations). The variables used in this study are obtained from S&P Capital IQ, World Development Indicators, Main Science and Technology Indicators from OECD, and FMI dataset. The two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) was used as methodology. Consistent with the extant literature, more profitable and liquid ICT firms and those with an increased non-debt tax shields are less leveraged. However, the companies which present higher risk, measured as volatility of EBIT, increase their use of debt financing. Contrary to the findings of many other studies, the analysis of a firm's size and tangible assets shows non-conclusive results. Regarding macroeconomic determinants, only economic growth and foreign direct investment inflows were found to generate a positive effect on financial decisions of ICT firms. The findings of this work can be used to design and develop policies, measures, and facilitate mechanisms for optimal management of the financing decisions of ICT firms.

Le foreste italiane esprimono polifunzionalità e, secondo autorevoli opinioni, sono da esplorare nuo[1]ve forme giuridiche anche nella prospettiva del bene comune. Il Testo unico delle foreste e delle filiere fo[1]restali ed i suoi numerosi decreti attuativi, nonché il percorso di intensa condivisione che ha portato alla loro emanazione, costituiscono un tratto dell'innova[1]tivo percorso, nel tentativo di superare parcellizzazio[1]ne di competenze e difformità di visioni. La Strategia forestale nazionale è da più parti riconosciuta come l'esempio più riuscito. Le disposizioni a tutela del pae[1]saggio contenute nel Decreto legislativo n. 42 del 2004 hanno trovato prima nelle definizioni del Decreto le[1]gislativo 227 del 2001 e poi in quelle contenute nel D.lgs. 34 del 2018 il completamento tecnico-giuridico che mancava. I vincoli provvedimentali ex art. 136 del D.lgs. 42 sui beni paesaggistici invece risultano ancora di difficile comprensione per gli addetti del settore, in quanto non proporzionali alle effettive necessità di tu[1]tela, atteso che si applicano le medesime procedure e si debbono presentare i medesimi documenti sia in caso di semplici interventi di gestione forestale coerenti con le disposizioni regionali sia in caso di procedure per la trasformazione permanente dei boschi in altra destina[1]zione d'uso. Un'opportunità per discutere di semplifi[1]cazioni in campo forestale, senza andare a detrimento del capitale naturale e del paesaggio, si profila grazie alle deleghe ricevute dal Governo nell'agosto 2022 con la proposta di ampliare le casistiche per le procedure autorizzative contenute nel DPR 31 del 2017, che fu elaborato all'epoca in cui il percorso del TUFF non era ancora stato avviato.