(76964,'Floods resulting from climate change and causing  infections: a case in Pakistan','floods-resulting-from-climate-change-and-causing-infections-a-case-in-pakistan','2023-01-02 21:58:05.687769','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-4644ccc7-7fff-eaba-5273-a477bd69bb61\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.4; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Helvetica;\">﻿</span><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">Climate change is happening faster than we can imagine. Humans can not even keep up with the rapid natural events that are occurring. There are natural disasters that can occur at any day or at any time such as Hurricanes, Tsunami, rising scorching temperatures, flooding, and glaciers melting on mountains, which leads to sea level rise. These natural disasters are not just detrimental to the environment but also causes a fast spread of infections and the short-term and long-term goals must be taken into account. The research taken by Lama and Tatu have taken Pakistan’s recent flooding as a case study to view the outbreaks caused by climate change.</span></font></p></span><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.4; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">The Pakistan floods</span></font></h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-family: Helvetica;\">In early June, Pakistan experienced heavy monsoon rains which caused massive flooding and worsened in the months down the line. According to several reports there have been more than 1700 deaths and 33 million people have been affected by the floods. The provinces that have been affected the most are Balochistan and Sindh. The water after the floods has come down but there were still many deaths due to infectious outbreaks caused by the floods. The infectious outbreaks were made up of several diseases s</span><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-family: Helvetica;\">uch as COVID-19, malaria, scabies, cholera, diphtheria, diarrhoea, and mostly water-borne diseases. During mid-September, 20,064 skin disease and 215,000 diarrhoea cases were reported (Lama &amp; Tatu, 2022).</span></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">There was also a large amount of malaria cases reported through January and August 2022 in Pakistan. The two provinces that had most of the cases were in Sindh and Balochistan after the mid-June floods. Further confirmed statistics in the article mentioned, “More than 170,000 cases were laboratory confirmed, out of which 77% were due to Plasmodium vivax, and 23% were due to Plasmodium falciparum. P. falciparum was the causative organism for the more severe and fatal cases. Many challenges to response measures were highlighted when some flood-affected districts reported a two-fold increase in incidence rates, a high P. falciparum ratio, and limited stocks of emergency medicines, insecticides and supplies accompanied with a long lead time for procurement. Vector control is a vital component of prevention of vector borne diseases and elimination strategies as it is highly effective in preventing infection and reducing disease transmission.”</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">September showed the most severe cases and deaths in Pakistan with 62 deaths and 25,932 confirmed dengue cases. In September alone, 74% of the cases were reported in Pakistan. Further, the other provinces were reported as follows, “83% of the total cases, of which 32% were reported from Sindh, 29% from Punjab (including the Islamabad Capital Territory), 25% from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 14% from Balochistan as reported till 22 September, 2022”. Moreover, it is stated that hospitals were not sharing their data with the health departments properly.&nbsp; This shows that the results may not be accurate and are assumptions.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">The need for health services during a flooding event is a priority as UNICEF mentions that 82% of the people require health services. The World Health Organization mentions that 8 million people require basic health care and essential medical supplies during a flood. The report stated, “the floods being a major health emergency, it is estimated that Pakistan will require upwards of $81.5 million in relief funds to ensure coordinated delivery of essential healthcare services, stronger outbreak detection /control and severe acute malnutrition management.” The World Health organisation has strengthened disease surveillance by providing medical supplies and enforcing vaccination campaigns to combat the disease outbreaks and to treat malaria and most importantly to gain access to clean water.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">The diseases that the flooding spreads</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">Prior to the floods in Pakistan, the country was already experiencing outbreaks of malaria, dengue and COVID-19. Another disease called monkeypox has not been confirmed in Pakistan and research shows that this might have been due to inadequate testing taken by the World Health Organization. The waterborne diseases are prevalent in Pakistan and have increased due to the floods. Lama and Tatu have also sourced other studies to support their research,&nbsp; “Studies suggest that the main causes of diarrhoeal diseases in developing countries like Pakistan are due to organisms like campylobacter jejuni, rotavirus, shigella and E. coli. Other vector-borne neglected infections seen emerging in Pakistan are chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever (Tick Bite), Leishmaniasis (Sand fly bite)”. Further, zoonotic diseases are on the rise as 33 million people have been displaced from their homes during the floods especially during human- animal interaction.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">Other provinces are being affected by the Floods</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">There is also a high population in Pakistan and its border countries, the article mentions, “particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan where nearly 800 000 Afghani refugees live in districts officially considered calamity areas hit by floods. At such close proximity to other nations, the risk of international spread of diseases, especially vector borne diseases like malaria cannot be ruled out. It would be advisable for these bordering nations to step up their disease surveillance measures to prevent the spread of such disease outbreaks.”&nbsp;</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: Helvetica;\">A scientific analysis shows that the floods in Pakistan were caused by climate change. Further, Pakistan is surrounded by 72000 glaciers, however, climate experts mention that the glaciers did not cause the flooding. The flooding was caused by heavy rains. Pakistan is known to be one of the places that is most vulnerable to climate change and yet it only contributes 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. For changes to be made, the article mentions the following, “There is an urgent need to scale up disease surveillance, replenish health supplies, and restore damaged medical facilities and prepare for emerging infections with a focus on women, children and other vulnerable groups who continue to bear the brunt of this crisis.”</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A personal viewpoint on natural disasters</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 18.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The important topics of COP27 were climate finance and loss and damage as a result of climate change. This is what Pakistan needs, the country needs a climate adaptation and mitigation plan for natural disasters such as flooding.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><br></p>','2022-12-19 17:29:53.333245','uploads/news/pexels-kafeel-ahmed-13455964.jpg',1,'Climate change is happening faster than we can imagine. Humans can not even keep up with the rapid natural events that are occurring. There are natural disasters that can occur at any day or at any time such as Hurricanes, Tsunami, rising scorching temperatures, flooding, and glaciers melting on mountains, which leads to sea level rise. These natural disasters are not just detrimental to the environment but also causes a fast spread of infections and the short-term and long-term goals must be taken into account. In early June, Pakistan experienced heavy monsoon rains which caused massive flooding and worsened in the months down the line. According to several reports there have been more than 1700 deaths and 33 million people have been affected by the floods. The provinces that have been affected the most are Balochistan and Sindh. The water after the floods has come down but there were still many deaths due to infectious outbreaks caused by the floods. The infectious outbreaks were made up of several diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, scabies, cholera, diphtheria, diarrhoea, and mostly water-borne diseases. During mid-September, 20,064 skin disease and 215,000 diarrhoea cases were reported (Lama & Tatu, 2022).','Climate change is happening faster than we can imagine. Humans can not even keep up with the rapid natural events that are occurring. There are natural disasters that can occur at any day or at any time such as Hurricanes, Tsunami, rising scorching temperatures, flooding, and glaciers melting on mountains, which leads to sea level rise. These natural disasters are not just detrimental to the environment but also causes a fast spread of infections and the short-term and long-term goals must be taken into account. In early June, Pakistan experienced heavy monsoon rains which caused massive flooding and worsened in the months down the line. According to several reports there have been more than 1700 deaths and 33 million people have been affected by the floods. The provinces that have been affected the most are Balochistan and Sindh. The water after the floods has come down but there were still many deaths due to infectious outbreaks caused by the floods. The infectious outbreaks were made up of several diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, scabies, cholera, diphtheria, diarrhoea, and mostly water-borne diseases. During mid-September, 20,064 skin disease and 215,000 diarrhoea cases were reported (Lama & Tatu, 2022).',13,164,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Floods photos, download free floods stock photos &amp; HD images - pexels</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/search/floods/ (Accessed: January 2, 2023).&nbsp;</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">P Lama, A. and Tatu, U. (2022) <i>Climate change and infections: Lessons learnt from recent floods in Pakistan</i>, <i>New microbes and new infections</i>. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9712080/ (Accessed: January 2, 2023).&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p></li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(77655,'From a sustainable development perspective, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the Global Electricity Generation Structure.','from-a-sustainable-development-perspective-the-covid-19-pandemic-has-impacted-the-global-electricity-generation-structure','2022-12-27 16:17:04.013890','<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many industries and from a sustainable development perspective there has been an impact on the Global Electricity Generation Structure.&nbsp;</span></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\"><br>The after shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The research by Peng, Yang, Lu and Guo structured how energy consumption has been impacted by COVID-19. During the pandemic the governments had to enforce lockdown measures, which were the short-term effects. Further, the outcome of the lockdown measures resulted in an increase in the share of renewable energy and a decrease in the total electricity consumption. The research uses the data from International Energy Agency (IEA) to analyse electricity consumption and production. This paper specifically analyses the long-term effects of the pandemic. In short- term, the pandemic did not affect market structure and overall electricity demand, however, it impacted the generation of electricity via renewable resources in the long-run. The after effects of the pandemic are still ongoing and to be aligned with sustainable development is challenging.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\">The COVID-19 pandemic</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The COVID-19 pandemic has shocked the world with quarantine in place, different lockdown measures in different countries and a fall in economic development. A source for long term development is energy for basic life and production and ensures the stability of a global economy. Hence, the research studied the correlation between economy and energy which is vital in understanding sustainable social and economic development as well as energy transformation. The research article mentions, “based on the accessibility of electricity consumption data, it is more seasonable and objective in reflecting economic development and residents income level”. Generally, scholars mostly analyse consumption data or power production to study the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption. Additionally, the article states that, “research shows that there is a one-way Granger causality between economic growth and power consumption, that is, income growth leads to an increase in power consumption. There is also evidence that the increase in electricity consumption will improve the level of economic growth, otherwise it will not. The different conclusions of existing researches show that electricity consumption is not strictly correlated with economic growth”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\">The result of the pandemic on electricity consumption</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">International communities are also concerned about climate change that it has become a consensus topic. The article also mentions that 193 countries by the end of 2021 had signed the Paris Agreement and “carbon neutrality” commitments had been proposed. Moreover, “after the outbreak of the epidemic, many articles used error correction models (ECM), autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) or neural network models to study the impact of the epidemic on power consumption and supply. According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency (IEA), after the outbreak of the epidemic, the total demand and structure of the power market have changed”. Additionally after the outbreak the residential electricity consumption has increased significantly, but the power consumption of the commercial and the industrial sectors has decreased. There is also going to be a decrease of global carbon emissions by 8%. The consequences of the pandemic are due to the lockdown measures that have restricted production, reduced the electricity consumption of natural gas, coal and so forth, daily activities and the electricity demand was also reduced. Uncontrollable resources such as solar and wind energy were not affected during the pandemic. Therefore, there was an increase in the renewable energy production during the lockdown period. In addition “the carbon dioxide emissions decreased sharply, and the change of the power market structure challenged how to ensure that the higher proportion of renewable energy expected by policy makers could be achieved while maintaining economic benefit” In transitioning to renewable energy enhances the process of the energy structure.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">There were some challenges in the smooth process of low carbon transformation. During the pandemic the environmental policies were not prioritized or considered amongst the authorities. The other challenges that affected the energy transformation are the net capital outflow, and the global supply chain crisis. The normal activities were curbed such as the normal production of the electricity sector and the demand for electricity. Our daily routine can not function without human activity in order to achieve climate change mitigation targets, as many people need work and an income. According to the article, the best way to move forward is by transitioning to renewable energy. There are challenges, however, in transitioning to clean energy as the obstacles are: power storage, policy formation and supply chain stability.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\">The research by Peng, Yang, Lu and Guo</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The research by Peng, Yang, Lu and Guo focused on energy structure improvement and power consumption during the epidemic. The current articles mostly mention qualitative analysis of a religion, country, and is limited in research is the severity of the pandemic and intuitive data description as well as horizontal comparisons between different regions and countries. The paper was structured as follows:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first section</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">a) “establishing a panel data model to quantify the impact of the epidemic on the energy production”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;b) “Combined with the availability of data, the research object was expanded to more than 40 countries or regions in the world, and the impact of the epidemic on power production and consumption in countries with different epidemic severity and economic development was discussed.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;c) “Data is updated to the end of 2021, when most countries have entered the phase of regular epidemic prevention and control. Based on this, the description and discussion on the long-term effect of the outbreak on the electricity generation structure are more appropriate and objective.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second section - theoretical analysis and assumptions</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Third section - part is empirical results analysis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Fourth part - conclusions and prospects.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\">The results and analysis summarized</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In summary the paper analysed the impact COVID-19 had on global electricity generation structure. The short term effects increased the share of renewable energy but impacted on the power demand. The long-term effects showed that the lockdown measures were unsustainable and when the economy reopens again there will be a challenge in gaining the normative ways of productivity. Further, the article concluded, “. On the other hand, the impact on the influence of different developed countries is also different, in countries with high level of economic development to have a better ability to resist the exogenous shock, compared to before the outbreak, even faster development of renewable energy power generation market, a lot of money to the sustainable development of the market, fully support the renewable energy power generation industry)”. The suggestion from the article in transitioning to sustainable development is as follows:&nbsp; Governments should support countries who want to transition to renewable energy. There must be a focus on renewable energy technologies to achieve net zero carbon emissions. More importantly, most countries need to meet their “United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement specific implementation details”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\">A personal viewpoint on the research.</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Renewable energy is supported by many non-governmental organisations such as Greenpeace, WWF, 350.org and many more. The research showed that during the lockdown period that renewable energy was much more reliable and an everlasting resource. As the world is transitioning to a digital sector, we will not see waiters in restaurants but robots, hence, we need to transition to renewable energy technology, which is a renewable energy resource, which will never get depleted. We can not rely on coal and natural gas as non-renewable resources. Renewable energy is the future to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2022-12-19 18:29:31.587288','uploads/news/pexels-ujjwal-kishore-11047831.jpg',1,'Procedia Computer Science','The research by Peng, Yang, Lu and Guo structured how energy consumption has been impacted by COVID-19. During the pandemic the governments had to enforce lockdown measures, which were the short-term effects. Further, the outcome of the lockdown measures resulted in an increase in the share of renewable energy and a decrease in the total electricity consumption. The research uses the data from International Energy Agency (IEA) to analyse electricity consumption and production. The research has four sections of analyzing different methods.The short term effects increased the share of renewable energy but impacted on the power demand. The long-term effects showed that the lockdown measures were unsustainable and when the economy reopens again there will be a challenge in gaining a normative routine in electricity production . The suggestion from the article in transitioning to sustainable development is as follows:  Governments should support countries who want to transition to renewable energy. There must be a focus on renewable energy technologies to achieve net zero carbon emissions. More importantly, most countries need to meet their “United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement specific implementation details”.',13,24,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Electricity Photos, download free electricity stock photos ... - pexels. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2022, from <a href=\"https://www.pexels.com/search/electricity/\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.pexels.com/search/electricity/</a><a href=\"https://www.pexels.com/search/electricity/\" target=\"_blank\"></a></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">PanelShuyangPengabcXianYangaHaiboLuaKunGuoabcEnvelope, A., ShuyangPengabc, A, B, C, XianYanga, . . . AbstractThis paper has sorted out the general logic of the impact of COVID-19 on energy consumption. In the short term. (2022, December 08). Covid-19 impact on global electricity generation structure-based on Sustainable Development Perspective. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050922020099</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><br></p>'),(77674,'Adapting to Ecological, Social, and Governance to achieve financial performance in IT companies','adapting-to-ecological-social-and-governance-to-achieve-financial-performance-in-it-companies','2022-12-26 22:11:54.284964','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-6b73d23b-7fff-1b12-be05-e5e9f8776b82\"><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Climate change, carbon footprint, and the environment are top of the head topics in today\'s time that even corporate companies have considered environmental issues in their agenda. Ecological, Social and Governance (ESG) has become a priority in many companies, such as accounting firms, banks and even Information Technology (IT) companies. It seems like climate change is happening faster than we think, if corporate companies are investing their time in environmental matters.</span></h3><br><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Research focused on a companies financial performance on ESG in the IT sector</span></h2><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An article written by Markovicha, Alexandra Alekseevnab and Daria Alekseevna on ScienceDirect have done research on a company\'s financial performance regarding ESG in the IT sector. The research focused on sustainable development to enhance business practice to achieve a greater financial performance particularly in the IT sector. To source the information. 43 companies were analysed through panel data from the time frame of 2004 to 2020. The method that is used in this study is the OLS regression to determine which ways were more suitable to practices that aligned with sustainable developments measures.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An integral part of market analysis in today\'s time is ESG practices in investing to enhance the decision making processes. Researchers have found that having a greater ESG score is probably bringing investors a long term return and sustainable investments. With that said, some challenges have arisen as the components on ESG rating sometimes do not have a strong impact to finalise an effective plan for implementation in a company. Since, all sectors are not the same, the ESG ratings method will not work or achieve the same results for all the sectors. ESG ratings is not a one size fits all solution. Hence, research taken out by Markovicha, Alexandra&nbsp; Alekseevnab and Daria Alekseevna, have focused on how ESG impacts the financial performance of an IT sector.</span></p><br><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">About Ecological, Social and Governance</span></h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Ecological, Social and Governance also known as ESG for short is a prominent concept in corporations, public schedules and in legal firms. Our impact on the environment has become a vital act where governments, investors, society and multiple stakeholders are demanding that companies track their lineage on the environment. The companies lineage through their contribution to the public, work and climate change. In meaning, the companies need to be environmentally conscious on their impact on the environment. Further, socially, taking the health and well being of their employees and where employees should take part in social initiatives and acts of giving. Lastly, governance must be practiced in the workplace where one can achieve sustainable growth economically and to increase financial performance through economic development. Since, companies are pressured to increase the financial demand through ESG related issues there becomes a cross road as assessing the financial return on investments gets lost in the matter.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Further, the research article mentions that a relationship that needs more attention is the impact financial performance with ESG rating relating to countries and industries. Additionally, the article states, “when analysing this relationship based on the total sample, the authors obtained a negative significant score between the company\'s complex VR and Tobin\'s VR, as well as the P/B multiple. Further in the paper, the influence of the industry was considered, but in this section it is necessary to dwell on the two sectors under consideration: industry and IT.” The results showed that the ESG ratings for an IT company is more than for an industry and the research took into account the origin of a company\'s country and continent. The results were as follows, “the authors concluded that in companies from Asia, Europe, and North America, ESG liability has a negative impact on q-Tobin. At the same time, a significant estimate for the P/B multiplier was obtained only in a sample of Asian companies, however, in this case, the relationship is negative.” The results were also found to be similar in other sectors, such as the energy sectors where the comprehensive assessment of ROA, ESG and q-tobin showed an insignificant relationship. Other companies that showed an insignificant relationship were companies in Germany, transport firms, tourism, hotels and leisure companies. Therefore, due to companies having a different approach, ESG rating matching a companies financial performance can achieve a positive or a negative response.</span></p><br><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The methodology of the study</span></h2><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The methodology of the study was based on two indicators:</span></p><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">H1. ESG rating has a positive effect on the financial performance of an IT company.</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">H2. Social and corporate governance scores have the biggest impact on IT companies, while environmental assessments have the least impact.</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study was conducted on 43 different countries that are associated with the IT industry with a panel data method and the data was collected from 2022 to 2022. The targeted countries with organisation were from Europe, America and Asia. Since hypothesis testing has been done, three methods are fixed individual effects (FE), random individual effects (RE) model and end-to-end regression. The other methods were, sampling, data and explanatory variables, and model specification for hypothesis testing.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The results of the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The results of the study to test the hypothesis were on the ESG rating regression, on the financial performance of companies, which concluded to have a positive effect. The regression on environmental, social and corporate governance score, the results showed, “social and corporate governance scores have the biggest impact on IT companies, while environmental assessments have the least impact”.</span></p><br><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study</span></h2><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The overall ESG rating for IT companies does not have a great impact on financial performance. Further, the article found that, “with an increase in the environmental indicator by one unit, the effectiveness of the use of capital (ROA) decreases, which implies a decrease in the return on investment in company assets. Nevertheless, the</span><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> investment attractiveness of the company is increasing, which allows it to approach the industry average and increase the volume of investments in it. In addition, a higher social valuation of a company allows IT companies to increase their financial performance, which means that more socially responsible companies can attract investments more easily. The prospects of this study include: consideration of the specifics of the influence of companies\' sectoral affiliation on the relationship between the components of each of the factors E, S and G and financial indicators, expanding the sample to a larger number of sectors, examining the impact of crises on the relationships obtained. In addition, one can consider the influence of the country of origin of companies on the relationship between ESG components and the financial performance of companies.” In summary, the study tool accounts for the financial indicators and factors of ecological, social and governance. Further, the research assured that ESG components with the influence of the country of origin of companies can lead to the outcome of the financial performance of a specific company.</span></p><div><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span>','2022-12-19 18:30:03.082823','uploads/news/pexels-ingo-joseph-188035.jpg',1,'Procedia Computer Science','Climate change, carbon footprint, and the environment are top of the head topics in today\'s time that even corporate companies have considered environmental issues in their agenda. Ecological, Social and Governance also known as ESG for short is a prominent concept in corporations, public schedules and in legal firms. Our impact on the environment has become a vital act where governments, investors, society and multiple stakeholders are demanding that companies track their lineage on the environment. The study was conducted on 43 different countries that are associated with the IT industry with a panel data method and the data was collected from 2022 to 2022. The targeted countries with organisation were from Europe, America and Asia. Since hypothesis testing has been done, three methods are fixed individual effects (FE), random individual effects (RE) model and end-to-end regression. The other methods were, sampling, data and explanatory variables, and model specification for hypothesis testing. Further, the research assured that ESG components with the influence of the country of origin of companies can lead to the outcome of the financial performance of a specific company.',13,196,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelKarminsky AlexanderMarkovichaEgorova AlexandraAlekseevnaaChigireva DariaAlekseevnaa <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Ecological, social and governance impact on the company\'s performance: Information Technology Sector Insight</i>, <i>Procedia Computer Science</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1877050922019901?token=BD1EAD0727146FCBEA6D43A0D97E47777FB09DA3A55833DB2F047E533A137427210BC46A8239F10CBCF65FFB5A628674&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20221226192855 (Accessed: December 27, 2022).</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pexels</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/ (Accessed: December 26, 2022). </li></ul><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(77690,'A flashback on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia','a-flashback-on-the-conflict-crisis-between-russia-and-ukraine','2022-12-23 23:41:20.449866','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-2c7bb228-7fff-e105-ff62-0d56d68c4e0f\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The war between Russia and Ukraine has affected many countries negatively especially the after effects of an energy crisis that befell on most European Union countries. The research by Du and Wang (2022) take on an event study approach on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.</span></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">About the Russia-Ukraine conflict</span></h3><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A special military operation in the Donbas region was announced by the region, which marked the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The dispute between Russia and Ukraine goes back all the way to 2014. The military conflict has affected many avenues such as the global economy, huge loss of life and financial markets. Military conflicts lead to a variation in stock prices, and the uncertainty about the future probability of firms. Most importantly, the conflict has affected energy markets around the globe immensely. The reason why energy markets were affected is because Russia is a major exporter for oil, coal and gas. The full-scale Russia invasion on the 24th of February 2022 on Ukraine had made their relationship sour.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Since Russia is the major exporter of gas, oil and coal, there were serious negative impacts on the energy markets. Similarly, COVID has impacted many people and sectors, where lots of literature covers the COVID impact on various sectors. There is however, limited research on how military operations impact the financial market. The research taken by Du and Wang (2022) on an event study approach analyses three main findings. These three findings are as follows:</span></p><br><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The abnormal returns at all markets aggregate level reveals that the energy market has been affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has led to a sharp increase in energy prices.</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">According to cumulative average abnormal returns (CAARs), the conflict has had a greater impact on the clean energy market than on the conventional energy market.</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Further analysis shows that some conventional energy indices, such as DJ Oil &amp; Gas, have had no significant response to the even.</span></p></li></ol><br><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The event study analysed</span></h3><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">This is where the event must be analysed, which is the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the event day, is the day of the declaration. Information was also added on&nbsp; Furthermore, “we adopt daily data of energy stock indices and divide energy markets into clean energy markets and conventional energy markets. A few calculations were done with the data that has been collected. The study looked at the impacts of the event on the clean and conventional energy markets. Further, the pre-event window and post-event window was analysed.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The results of the study show that companies or businesses who adopt renewable energy are now looking for alternative energy sources but have also secured investors. The energy market was affected the most and analysed, then financial markets and the impacts of the event on the clean and conventional energy markets were then studied.</span></p><br><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study</span></h3><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study summarizes that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused a turmoil especially for the energy market sector. The article mentions that investors are not looking into renewable energy but other alternative sources of energy after this conflict. The article mentions that, “the Russia-Ukraine conflict is one of the world\'s worst geopolitical crises and has negatively impacted financial markets around the world. Some Western countries have imposed sanctions and halted trade with Russia.” This impact affects consumers, governments and the price of energy, which has become skyrocketing. The solution highlighted by the article mentions, “to prevent further collateral damage, governments must coordinate and help end the war. In addition, investors need to be more vigilant. Investors clearly prefer renewable clean energy, as the prices of clean energy indices increased dramatically after the declaration of the ‘special military operation’. Moreover, policy makers and regulators need to develop relevant policies and regulations to help the industry transition to sustainable energy.”</span></p><br><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A personal viewpoint on the energy crisis and energy</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The Russia and Ukraine war has affected many sectors and globally there is an electricity crisis. Most countries are moving towards renewable energy, however the investors in the article want to find other means of energy. In my point of view, renewable energy should be used as it is safe and cleaner and we have unlimited amounts of this energy in the form of wind, sun and water. If non-renewable resources are used then we are just destroying our environment and depleting our resources of oil and gas. Further, we need to make use of climate technology and ways to reduce energy demand and to be energy efficient.</span></p><br><br><br></span>','2022-12-19 18:30:29.995115','uploads/news/pexels-markus-spiske-11622849.jpg',1,'Procedia Computer Science','A special military operation in the Donbas region was announced by the region, which marked the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The dispute between Russia and Ukraine goes back all the way to 2014. The military conflict has affected many avenues such as the global economy, huge loss of life and financial markets. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused a turmoil especially for the energy market sector. The article mentions that investors are not looking into renewable energy but other alternative sources of energy after this conflict. The article mentions that, “the Russia-Ukraine conflict is one of the world\'s worst geopolitical crises and has negatively impacted financial markets around the world. Some Western countries have imposed sanctions and halted trade with Russia.” This impact affects consumers, governments and the price of energy, which has become skyrocketing.',13,87,'<div style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\"><i><br></i></div><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; PanelJiangzeDuaZhiweiLiaJunWangb, A., JiangzeDua, A, ZhiweiLia, JunWangb, B, &amp; AbstractThis article explores the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on energy markets by using the event study approach. The analysis of the average abnormal returns (AARs) and cumulative average abnormal returns (CAARs) before and after the launch of. (2022, December 08). The reaction of energy markets to regional conflict: Evidence from event study approach. Retrieved December 24, 2022, from <a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1877050922019743?token=964DA5C0295007853E5D672CB1D9D2ABA217FA4094F699FF44C6D5BF3C1712B850AF66FCFBBF9DF9937440F14A4E1E94&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20221223222006\" target=\"_blank\">https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1877050922019743?token=964DA5C0295007853E5D672CB1D9D2ABA217FA4094F699FF44C6D5BF3C1712B850AF66FCFBBF9DF9937440F14A4E1E94&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20221223222006</a></li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Pexels</i><span style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\">&nbsp;(no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/ (Accessed: December 23, 2022).&nbsp;</span><br></li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(77700,'The consequences of neglecting environmental pollution for economic development in Beijing, Tianjin and the Hebei Region','the-consequences-of-neglecting-environmental-pollution-for-economic-development-in-beijing-tianjin-and-the-hebei-region','2022-12-22 23:19:20.455031','<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">We are constantly focusing&nbsp;on economic development and the social and most importantly the environmental factors are neglected especially relating to environmental pollution. Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei in a metropolitan cluster is currently facing major issues with regards to environmental pollution.</span></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\"><br>Economic development in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan cluster</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economic development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan cluster has brought upon many problems, specifically dealing with environmental pollution. There is an urge to have a control or management of the environmental pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the surrounding provinces. The research by ScienceDirect written by Yao (2022). Through controlling the levels of environmental pollution, the research measured the full cost of economic benefits and the full cost of environmental pollution control in Beijing. In order to progress with environmental control there are few requirements such as a constructed equity index, and economic costs for governments in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding provinces. The results of the study shows that there is a large inequality and inequity in Beijing and the surrounding areas in the process around regional trade. The developed provinces Beijing and Tianjin, however, benefited due to their industrial structure which limited their responsibility on pollution control. The industrial structures pertain to high-value added&nbsp; and capital intensive industries. In contrast, the provinces with high pollution, labour-intensive industries and heavy chemicals such as Shanxi and Hebei developed their economies based on an irrational industrial structure and progressed when trading goods with the developed provinces. Based on the policy recommendations and findings, suggestions were put forward to achieve collaborative management in environmental pollution in Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The economic development of Northern China relies on Beijing Tianjin Hebei metropolitan agglomerations. As economic development has been the main emphasis, environmental pollution has been neglected and is now a major issue that needs to be solved. Recently, environmental pollution has attracted the attention of scholars. For instance, the cost of various energy reduction scenarios&nbsp; for the Chinese industry using the directional distance function method which was evaluated by Chen and Xia. There are many other scholars that have researched about the environmental pollution affecting China. The study by Yao (2022) focussed on seven provinces Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing and the surrounding provinces included, Inner, Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong. These provinces are held accountable for the economic benefits of environmental pollution and cost shifting from an consumption perspective. Further, to characterize these characteristics, one needs to&nbsp; construct an environmental burden inequity index (CG index).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\">The methods of the study</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The method of the study was as follows: the costing accounting of SO2 completing treatment which focused on “full government cost” and calculations were done to figure out an answer. The next method was the environmental inequity index that viewed the environmental burden. Lastly, the total governance cost data implied by trade was analysed which focused on, “Environmental treatment unit treatment refers to the economic cost paid for the removal of unit SO2, which varies according to the industry and pollution removal technology”.&nbsp;</div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><br>The results of the study</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The results of the study formed two basis after conducting the methods, which are as follows:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">1) Analysis of environmental pollution responsibility based on production and consumption</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">2) Inequity between cost of environmental pollution regions</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The results showed that “Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan and other provinces, which mainly focus on high pollution intensive industries and heavy industries, indirectly bore many costs for Beijing Tianjin region”. Further, “Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei and Henan indirectly bore the total control costs of air pollution in other provinces, which are 5489.565 million yuan, 5268.104 million yuan, 176.5927 million yuan and 1413.907 million yuan, respectively. About 71.6% of the total cost of air pollution control in Beijing to meet the city’s consumption is transferred to other regions. In addition, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia have all net inflows of GDP to varying degrees in regional trade. However, Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces bore about 64.8% of the total air pollution control cost in the process of regional commodity trading, and on the contrary, they have net outflow of GDP to varying degrees.” The second result laid out showed, “It can be seen that Beijing and Tianjin have obvious advantages in the process of commodity trading with other five provinces, and the economic benefits to themselves are significantly higher than the pollution control costs they need to bear.” Moreover, “Shanxi and Inner Mongolia are the two provinces that suffer the most from environmental injustice in the region. The reason is that these two provinces have delivered clean secondary energy power to other provinces and cities (especially Beijing and Tianjin), but the cost of environmental governance cannot be fully internalized into the power price due to China’s thermal power price regulation”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify; \" class=\"\">The conclusion of the study</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The study concluded that “after comparing the two (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei to the surrounding areas), it could be found that the consumer costs in Beijing, Tianjin and Shandong are higher than the production costs, while the consumer costs in other provinces are lower than their production costs. Further, the article mentions, “from the perspective of environmental inequity, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia suffered the most from environmental inequity in the process of trade with Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding regions, and the greatest environmental inequity still came from Beijing and Tianjin. Beijing and Tianjin have caused environmental unfairness to other provinces in the process of trade with them”. The solution provided by the article is as follows: “Establish the environmental protection fund for Beijing Tianjin Hebei and its surrounding areas, inject funds from Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong and other developed provinces, and guide social capital to provide financial support for air pollution control in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Hebei and other provinces.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\">A personal viewpoint on environmental pollution</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The environment should be our first priority before economic and social factors. If we do not have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and healthy soil to grow our crops, then the economic and social factors will be affected detrimentally. Environmental pollution needs more attention and governments should also support protecting our environment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2022-12-19 18:30:46.446075','uploads/news/pexels-magda-ehlers-2846075.jpg',1,'Procedia Computer Science','The economic development of Northern China relies on Beijing Tianjin Hebei metropolitan agglomerations. As economic development has been the main emphasis, environmental pollution has been neglected and is now a major issue that needs to be solved. The study by Yao (2022) focussed on seven provinces Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing and the surrounding provinces included, Inner, Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong. These provinces are held accountable for the economic benefits of environmental pollution and cost shifting from an consumption perspective. Further, to characterise these characteristics, one needs to  construct an environmental burden inequity index (CG index). The study concluded that “after comparing the two (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei to the surrounding areas), it could be found that the consumer costs in Beijing, Tianjin and Shandong are higher than the production costs, while the consumer costs in other provinces are lower than their production costs.',13,196,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Magda Ehlers - photography - pexels</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/@magda-ehlers-pexels/ (Accessed: December 22, 2022).&nbsp;</li></ul><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><div></div><p></p></p><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; panelTongshengYaoEnvelope, A.links open overlay, TongshengYaoEnvelope and AbstractThe Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan cluster has inevitably brought many problems along with its vigorous economic development (2022) <i>A study on liability for environmental pollution in Beijing-tianjin-hebei region</i>, <i>Procedia Computer Science</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050922019627 (Accessed: December 23, 2022). </li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(77702,'Rural roads now have a flood damage function model: A case study in Bangladesh of the Teesta River basin','rural-roads-now-have-a-flood-damage-function-model-a-case-study-in-bangladesh-of-the-teesta-river-basin','2022-12-22 13:36:39.351625','<div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Climate change is causing an intensity and frequency of exacerbated extreme flooding events and the number of moderate floods have decreased. Further, an article according to the United Nations Environment Program mentions that the new normal is reflecting how climate change is creating a record-breaking flood pattern across the world. These flood patterns have become a new normal and can be witnessed in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h2 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">Field Studies conducted in Bangladesh around the floods</h2><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">There has been research conducted on how flooding affects road transportation conditions but there has been limited research focused on road characteristics and the direct damage of floods on roads. Therefore, field studies were undertaken to fill in the missing gaps which were conducted in rural Bangladesh\'s Teesta River Basin. The method of the study was questionnaire based to gather information on flood characteristics such as a qualitative measure on flood velocity and flood depth. Additionally, road structure which includes: length, height and width for each road segment that is above the ground, as well as the damaged part dimensions and damage mechanisms. A flood damage functions model which analyses flood factors and road characteristics. This model examines statistical parameters and integrated results which showed that roads have been damaged significantly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h2 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The harmful effects of floods</h2><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">One of the most destructive natural hazards is floods, as it affects human life, damaging infrastructure, livestock, industrial production and hampers agriculture. Due to many negative effects occurring by floods there have been studies taken to assess the flood damage by agriculture and residential houses. The factor that is equivalent to agriculture and residential damage which is not mentioned as much is road damage. An article by ScienceDirect, written by Haque and other researchers mention that, “Previous research has demonstrated that transportation infrastructure considerably contributes to direct tangible flood losses, often in the order of 5–10% and up to 50–60% in rare circumstances”. Further, transport disruptions lead to an indirect economic loss and evacuation problems due to damaged roads making it difficult for people to escape during an event of a flood.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h2 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">Investigation studies done on flood damage on road infrastructures</h2><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">An undiscovered topic that needs more attention is flood damage on road structures. Moreover, researchers have investigated areas in Malaysia and the Netherlands on how flooding is affecting road structures. Both these studies have however classified roads under land-use. The data was analysed through a grid method which did not involve the physical characteristics of the road, such as the road height from the ground and the width. Further, a methodology specifically to analyse a damage curve for various road types regarding road properties and flood parameters are absent. Additionally, flood characteristics pertaining to baseline information on river basins are neglected. This is the case in Bangladesh where there is a lack of information on rural roads and their structural properties. Furthermore, after each flood incident a road development authority analyses an entire flood affected area that needs to be repaired. This method that is taken out by the road authority is not sufficient as there is not a concrete relationship between the road type damage and the flood characteristics. Therefore, to have accurate information the flood damage function model is vital as it will consider road questionnaire surveys and in depth field investigations. In order to get an intense accurate database, a local survey should be conducted on the details of the damage the flood had bestowed upon an area regarding road and flood characteristics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">About the Teesta river in Bangladesh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Teesta river in Bangladesh originates in the Eastern Himalayas of the Pauhunari mountains. The river flows through India and Bangladesh and the downstream area of the river is mostly rainfed but the rainfall intensity of the area has increased. Further, the upstream areas of the river are in crucial need of rainfall. The rainfall is however, mostly crucial in the downstream areas of the floodplain in Bangladesh as the rainfall keeps the Teesta River and its tributaries flowing. The article mentions, “Using daily data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, a time series analysis of seasonal rainfall in Rangpur revealed an increasing trend during the pre-monsoon (March to May), monsoon (June to September), and post-monsoon (October to November) seasons but no discernible trend during winter (December to February).” The residents who live on the banks of the Teesta River generally experience night time flooding which affects their agricultural crops, homes and roads due to the intense rainfall events.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The method of the study</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The methods of the study were done in two ways: road types in rural Bangladesh and a questionnaire survey as well as&nbsp; a development of flood damage function.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Road types in rural Bangladesh and questionnaire survey</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">This method observed the flood events over the years from 2017 to 2021 and a questionnaire was answered based on road types in rural Bangladesh. Moreover, two types of roads were compared in the study, namely, Earth road and a BC road. The data that was collected in the study was around road characteristics, flood characteristics and information around structural damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h2 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">Development of flood damage function</h2><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">This method was purely based on calculations around the road damage rate where, “The total volume of the damaged road segment was estimated from the length, width and thickness of the damaged part of this road segment.”</div><h2 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The conclusion of the study</h2><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">At this point in time, Bangladesh is missing a database about damage phenomena of roads regarding road characteristics and flood parameters. This study gathered a complete database through questionnaire surveys of flood-related road damage. Further, the study mentions that “this kind of database has not previously existed in underdeveloped nations such as Bangladesh, in part because it is challenging to undertake a qualitative assessment of flood velocity through a question-and-answer session with local responders.” For the rural roads of Bangladesh, it was best examined through the flood damage function. The article further gives some recommendations, “the goal of the study is to recommend an efficient approach for estimating flood losses to support efforts in reducing flood risk in developing nations such as Bangladesh. The rural transportation roads in Bangladesh can significantly reduce the flood damage to their road structures by altering the earth roads with higher-quality materials on the top surface”. The purpose of the study is to “act as a valuable support in flood disaster risk management works in Bangladesh.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h2 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">A personal viewpoint on the above study</h2><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Climate change is occurring at an accelerating rate and we need to act fast during natural disasters of flood and drought. In the above case-study of Bangladesh, I do agree that flood damage on road infrastructures need to be explored more. Alternatively, residents who are residing near a river or floodplain should be relocated to another area as they are vulnerable and in high risk of being affected by the floods.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Climate change affects many sectors and things. Each sector needs to be explored as everyone and everything has a significance and if we solve the small issues, it will help in overcoming the larger issues related to climate change events.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2022-12-19 18:32:54.932093','uploads/news/Photo.jpg',1,'Progress in Disaster Science','There has been research conducted on how flooding affects road transportation conditions but there has been limited research focused on road characteristics and the direct damage of floods on roads. Therefore, field studies were undertaken to fill in the missing gaps which were conducted in rural Bangladesh\'s Teesta River Basin. The method of the study was questionnaire based to gather information on flood characteristics such as a qualitative measure on flood velocity and flood depth. The methods of the study were done in two ways: road types in rural Bangladesh and questionnaire survey and a development of flood damage function. This study gathered a complete database through questionnaire surveys of flood-related road damage. Further, the study mentions that “this kind of database has not previously existed in underdeveloped nations such as Bangladesh, in part because it is challenging to undertake a qualitative assessment of flood velocity through a question-and-answer session with local responders.” The purpose of the study is to “act as a valuable support in flood disaster risk management works in Bangladesh.”',13,93,'<ul><li>How climate change is making record-breaking floods the new normal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/how-climate-change-making-record-breaking-floods-new-normal</li><li>Person riding a bicycle during Rainy Day · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-riding-a-bicycle-during-rainy-day-763398/</li><li>Shao, E. (2022, July 26). How is climate change affecting floods? Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/article/flooding-climate-change.html</li></ul>'),(77736,'The consumption of caffeine can cause body-focused repetitive behaviours','the-consumption-of-caffeine-can-cause-body-focused-repetitive-behaviors','2022-12-21 08:21:08.622260','<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As much as everyone likes caffeinated products such as coffee, or chocolate to consume while we are studying or rushing to work to keep us awake, it is however not the best for human consumption. The research and examinations by ScienceDirect unpack the effects of caffeine on the human body. The reason behind the research is that caffeine causes body-focused repetitive behaviours.&nbsp;</div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px;\">An overview of the research by ScienceDirect</span></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">An article by ScienceDirect written by Chesivoir and Grant mentions that moderate caffeine, which is about 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day, relates to lower-body focused repetitive behaviour severity. The quality of life is not affected by coffee consumption, however, caffeine that causes stimulating effects averts subconscious repetitive behaviours. Moreover, picking and pulling as well as overstimulation might be prevented by the consumption of moderate caffeine. Hence, caffeine has been known to affect body focused repetitive behaviours, which are compulsive disorders such as a skin picking disorder (SPD), trichotillomania (TTM), which are signs that trigger potential worsening symptoms. The experiment of caffeine was conducted on several participants to achieve accurate results.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span></div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">All about caffeine&nbsp;</span></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Methylxanthine, which is also known as caffeine, is the most used psychostimulant, which enables the central nervous system to keep the body awake and functioning. Therefore, people with busy schedules or students who are studying, generally use caffeine to help them be productive and awake. This has become a human habit that the negative effects of caffeine have been ignored. As a result, caffeine exerts most of its effects as an adenosine antagonist. Another article by ScienceDirect mentions that adenosine antagonist is a mood-altering drug that is most widely used on humans. Caffeine stimulates the A2A receptor from an antagonistic action that inhibits the release of GABA, which activates neurons which inhibits indosene. Consequently, this caffeine stimulation promotes the feeling of being awake and alert. Caffeine does not just shock agonistic action but serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine activity.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Although caffeine can make one feel more alert and awake, the effects can, however, worsen any pre-existing mental health disorders. For instance, panic attacks were stimulated in an individual after consuming caffeine and also making one even more anxious about the consumption of caffeine. Simultaneously together with anxiogenic effects, caffeine affects both impulsive and compulsive behaviours which exacerbate further. If an individual has a caffeine consumption of moderate to high the individual will experience a binge eating disorder. Additionally, young adults can experience a gambling disorder. Moreover, body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) are formed by pulling out one\'s hair or skin, which is known as Trichotillomania (TTM). These signs are generally shown in the population around the world. Alternatively, other signs of deteriorating health include: a low quality of life, psychiatric comorbidity, and high levels of functional impairment. Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic research shows that BFRBs were more prevalent and severe as there was chronic stress, the urge to frequently wash hands and boredom. There are however different types of BFRBs that result in different actions.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span></div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The different types of BFRBs</span></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) are heterogenous and have various types. Type 1 is a repetitive behaviour that occurs unknowingly in a human such as pulling while endorsed in sedentary activities such as studying, driving or watching TV. This repetitive behaviour in type 1 is known as “automatic” BFRBs. Secondly, a goal directed “focused” style of BFRB, which intentionally lands up with negative effects of stress or anxiety is Type 2.&nbsp;</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span></div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The solution for BFRBs</span></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">At the moment, there is a lack of FDA-approved BFRBs, which is reflected in the lack of knowledge by professionals to further FDA-approved approaches. This is where individuals are looking online for treatment advice with regards to the effect of BFRBs. In relieving the burden of BFRBs, many online sources give tips and strategies as recommendations but the concluded result is to reduce caffeine intake. Moreover, the BFRBs online communities stated, “The r/Trichotillomania and r/CompulsiveSkinPicking communities on social media site Reddit, which collectively boast over 75,000 members, are littered with hundreds of posts and comments recommending reducing caffeine consumption as a means of symptom relief.” In summary, with all the research and recommendations that are given online, the fact that caffeine worsens BFRBs being the hypothesis of this study should not be neglected.&nbsp;</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">On the flip side, research shows that caffeine may reduce symptoms of certain disorders. For instance, research from the study mentions, “when used as an adjunctive treatment for treatment-resistant OCD, subjects saw a 12% decrease in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores after 8 weeks of treatment with 300 ​mg caffeine daily (Shams et al., 2019).” Further, “results from a small, double-blind crossover study revealed that caffeine produced higher response rates and greater decreases in Y–BOCs scores in individuals with moderate to severe OCD compared to placebo and d-amphetamine treatment (Koran et al., 2009).” These two scenarious improve OCD symptoms but the action of the mechanism still has gaps that need to be filled. Since the results of OCD and caffeine are very unclear, this creates an unstable grounding to predict how caffeine influences BFRBs. This is especially when neuropsychological and pharmacodynamic effects of caffeine are not understood well.&nbsp;</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span></div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The aims of the study</span></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">The study aims to fill in the gaps of empirical research surrounding a discussion around caffeine use within the BFRB patient community. The study has three objectives to reach:</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">1) “Uncover the influence of caffeine consumption on BFRB severity, functional impairment, quality of life, impulsivity, and compulsivity”.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">2) “Determine if caffeine use affects individuals with different types of BFRB (TTM vs. SPD) differently”.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">3) “Discern the influence of caffeine on different BFRB styles (primarily automatic vs. primarily focused).”</span></div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span><h2 class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">The methods of the study</span><br></h2></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">The methods of the study involved adult women between the ages 18–69 years and assessments were taken out on the selected participants. The assessment was through an instrument that determines the characteristics of an individual such as self-reported gender and pulling and picking behaviours. The primary triggers that were reported were those who have negative emotion, anxiety or stress. Those who showed symptoms of boredom or sedentary tasks were categorised under automatic. In order to achieve an accurate data collection various sources where referred to such as:</span></div><ul><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">National Institutes of Mental Health Trichotillomania/Skin Picking Severity Scale</span></li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling/Skin Picking Scale</span></li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">&nbsp;Cambridge Caffeine Use Questionnaire</span></li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Quality of life inventory</span></li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Sheehan disability scale</span></li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Barratt impulsiveness scale</span></li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Cambridge-chicago compulsivity trait scale</span></li></ul><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">Further, the results showed, “ In total, 97 adults with BFRBs were included in the analysis (77 [79.4%] female, mean age ​= ​31.24, SD ​= ​10.2). Most of the subjects included in the analysis were Caucasian (76.3%) and possessed at least a bachelor\'s degree (69.0%). Of the 97 subjects, 53 (54.6%) met DSM-5 criteria for TTM and 44 (45.4%) met criteria for SPD.”</span></div><div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\"><br></span><h2 class=\"\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The conclusion of the study&nbsp;</span></h2></h2></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">The study of caffeine on BFRBs needs more accurate results and research done, as FDA medications have also not yet been approved for BFRBs. Further, the findings support a heterogenous model of BFRBs. The article further mentions, “future research should aim to characterize the neural mechanisms of BFRBs to better understand the root of these seemingly opposing forces. Moderate doses of caffeine or psychostimulants, such as those used for ADHD, may be interesting medications to study for BFRBs in well-controlled clinical trials.”</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><br></span></div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">A personal viewpoint on caffeine and BFRBs</span></h2><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">As a student and workaholic, one does have its rough days or are extremely exhausted and a quix-fix is to grab a coffee to make your life a whole much better and awake. I do agree with the article that the effects of BFRBs are worsened by the consumption of caffeine and this fact can not be neglected. From a personal point of view there are alternatives such as exercise, having a balanced lifestyle and getting enough sleep to feel more alert and awake without coffee. Do you still choose caffeine or natural methods after reading this article?</span><br></div><div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div></div>','2022-12-19 18:39:42.119003','uploads/news/pexels-eyad-tariq-3879495.jpg',1,'Psychiatry Research Communications','The research and examinations by ScienceDirect unpack the effects of caffeine on the human body. The reason behind the research is that caffeine causes body-focused repetitive behaviours. Body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) are heterogenous and have various types. Type 1 is an “automatic” BFRBs, while type 2 is goal directed “focused” style of BFRB. At the moment, there is a lack of FDA-approved BFRBs, which is reflected in the lack of knowledge by professionals to further FDA-approved approaches. This is where individuals are looking online for treatment advice with regards to the effect of BFRBs. The study of caffeine on BFRBs needs more accurate results and research done, as FDA medications have also not yet been approved for BFRBs. The article further mentions, “future research should aim to characterise the neural mechanisms of BFRBs to better understand the root of these seemingly opposing forces. Moderate doses of caffeine or psychostimulants, such as those used for ADHD, may be interesting medications to study for BFRBs in well-controlled clinical trials.”',13,8,'<div style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\"><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Adenosine antagonists. (n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/adenosine-antagonists</li></ul></div><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelEve K.ChesivoirJon E.GrantPersonEnvelope, K.Chesivoir, E., E.GrantPersonEnvelope, J., Highlights•Moderate caffeine use was linked to lower body-focused repetitive behavior severity.•Caffeine use did not affect functional impairment or quality of life.•Stimulating effects of caffeine may prevent subconscious repetitive behaviors.•Moderate c, &amp; AbstractCaffeine has long been discussed in communities of individuals with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). (2022, November 26). Examining the effects of caffeine consumption on the severity of body-focused repetitive behaviors. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277259872200071X</li></ul><p></p><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cappuccino in ceramic mug · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS. (n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2022, from <a href=\"https://www.pexels.com/photo/cappuccino-in-ceramic-mug-3879495/\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.pexels.com/photo/cappuccino-in-ceramic-mug-3879495/</a><a href=\"https://www.pexels.com/photo/cappuccino-in-ceramic-mug-3879495/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"text-indent: -1cm; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"></a></li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Coffee. (2021, July 06). Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/coffee/</p><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-391474f6-7fff-6827-bc45-b0277ae35258\"></span></li></ul>'),(77760,'Have you heard of sustainable chemistry, which is able to reduce CO2?','have-you-heard-sustainable-chemistry-which-able-reduce-co2','2022-12-19 14:18:33.042579','<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:13.999999999999998pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">Technology and science is advancing every day and can benefit us in tackling climate change with new terms that have been trending namely, climate technology or climate science. A term that is even interesting is sustainable chemistry. Just imagine, fossil feedstock being replaced by renewable feedstocks by just converting carbon dioxide (CO2). The activation of CO2 is however, energy-intensive and challenging as one oxalate molecule requires two CO2 molecules to be reduced. There are currently inventions in using chemistry sustainably for climate actions.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-a0472a22-7fff-7e08-c1c1-d25d89d86b08\"><br></b></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An insight into sustainable chemistry for climate action</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An article by Science Direct written by Schuler, Morana and other researchers in March 2022 mentions that there is a possibility of using sustainable chemistry to take on the battle against climate change. An organic acid that is taking on this battle and has become of interest recently is oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is generally used in health care products and pharmaceuticals. This organic acid can also be produced by CO2, formate, sugars, ethylene, glycol and CO. Around the world many environmental non-governmental organisations are trying their best to reach out to the public and governments to tackle climate change in a sustainable manner. Now though, scientists have taken action on climate change by reducing CO2 and having sustainable alternatives to fossil feedback, which is renewables. This is achieved through reducing CO2 electrochemically to subsequent carbon-carbon coupling and format in direction to oxalate to produce an oxalate coupling reaction (FOCR). The formation of FOCR is an interesting carbon, capture and utilisation (CCU) option. By converting oxalate to oxalic acid is simple, as a strong acid is needed through a process of acidification or electrochemical acidification. The electrochemical CO2 reduction is quite promising but requires an investment of two electrons per CO2 molecule and is an expensive process.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The alternatives in reaching sustainable chemistry&nbsp;</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Alternatives have been experimented, such as exploring potential coupling partners based on their reactivity, attractiveness and side reactions of the prospective product. The result is that CO2 was known to be the most desirable coupling partner as it matched with characteristics of having low potential for side reactions and broad availability. The CO2 reduction has been supported by many studies in previous years, hence, a desirable match for the prospective product. Through a trial, CO2 acted as a poison to FOCR, where there has been a reaction to hydride and carbonite to form oxalate and formate. This has been the motivation to do further experiments based on the positive reaction. The aim of this research taken on by Schuler, Morana and other researchers is to discover the potential outcomes of coupling format with transforming CO2 to oxalate that is supported by investigations, proof, experiment, which can prove the mechanisms and influence various process parameters by using isotope labelling studies. Isotope labelling according to another article written by Science Direct mentions that this method occurs through chemical modification or metabolic labelling that forms peptides by incorporating heavy isotope-molecules. Further information on the research is explained in the results and discussion section.</span></p><h3 style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica;\">﻿</span></h3><h3 style=\"line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">An overview of the results and discussion</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><h5 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The five schemes of the experiment</span></h5><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Five schemes were used to experiment with CO2. Scheme 1) “Coupling of two formate molecules to oxalate and hydrogen via the carbonite dianion (CO2 2−) intermediate with the regeneration of the hydride catalyst in the FOCR. M+ indicates the presence of a metal counter-ion for the salts and was either potassium- or sodium cation in this work”. Scheme 2: “alternative coupling of formate and CO2 to oxalate via carbonite dianion (CO2 2−) intermediate. M+ indicates the presence of a metal counter-ion for the salts and was either potassium- or sodium cation in this work”. Thirdly, scheme 3, “decomposition of oxalate to carbonate, CO2, CO, and elemental carbon in the presence of hydride. M+ indicates the presence of a metal counter-ion for the salts and was either potassium- or sodium cation in this work.” Fourthly, Scheme 4, “decompositions of formate and oxalate to carbonate as proposed by Gorski et al. [40] In both decomposition reactions carbonate is formed from metal oxide and CO2 as in step I. The decomposition of formate starts with step II where formate decomposes to metal hydride and CO2” Lastly, Scheme 5, “potential reaction pathways for oxalate formation in a system with 13C-formate and 12CO2. Overall, four steps I-IV can be combined to lead to three different outcomes.”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Alternatively, the experiments show that there is a possibility of providing CO2 in a gaseous form. It is however proven that there are challenges to have abundant CO2 ready in a short space of reaction time between carbonite and formate in the general formate to oxalate formation. To achieve a fast reaction time to supply abundant CO2, CO2 is supplied in a supercritical form or in a liquid. To achieve this - potassium formate or sodium is used to get the desired result. Through the Proof-of-principle in equimolar formate and hydride mixtures four reactions were established: “1) The intended reaction of formate, hydride, and CO2 (FHC),&nbsp; 2) The positive control reaction of formate coupling with hydride in nitrogen atmosphere (FOCR), 3) Control reactions between CO2 + hydride (COH) and 4) Control reactions between CO2 + formate (COF).” The result of the experiment that had most of the carbons was as follows: “format (81%), oxalate (46 %) and carbonate (19 %)”.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The next phase in the experiment involved the influence of temperature, hydride loading, CO2 pressure and reaction time. This is where the temperature, hydride loading, CO2 pressure and reaction time was altered to investigate the reaction towards oxalate formation. The third phase discovered mechanistic proof via isotope labelling. In this phase, oxalate can only be formed from captured CO2 and formate and splitted into three pathways as diagramised in figure 1 below.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br><span style=\"border:none;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:325px;height:280px;\"><img src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ddG6TBct_JRH4-NH6KdV8E3NHu9r_aSuF2-A6cDWkGu_o63jnGPz9TJ7zfHHx5a2IDb3vFm5xbsbBZFrvDdsceSbzxHqwyCSnh1jUQSuV01MPUrmNCFcDth2szTd8yq9xphPFDWzGqIWQLiqyUV22cfF7m_OOV8Su0ysx01-481rFi2rC5cZwi_z_TIOHQ\" width=\"779.4820717131474\" height=\"439.48206669872087\" style=\"margin-left: -220.12px; margin-top: -104.862px; float: left;\" class=\"note-float-left\"></span><br><br></b><span style=\"color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Figure 1. Three fundamental pathways for oxalate production are consisting of either A) without or B), C) and D) with the involvement of CO2.</span><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"></p><h3 class=\"\"><span style=\"color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study</span></h3><p></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In conclusion, supercritical CO2&nbsp; in oxalate has been incorporated by reaction at low reaction temperatures with formate (200 degrees celsius) with a catalyst and coreactant, hydride superbase. This process achieved 52%, which is a maximum theoretical incorporation efficiency. The isotopic labelling studies produced CO2 in the form of&nbsp; formate and oxalate. Further, for CO2 to be reduced, higher reaction temperatures and long reaction times were imperative. This resulted in an increase and incorporation in gaseous or non-soluble carbon compounds and the decomposition of oxalate to carbonates. Further, concluded experiments show, “the production of carbonate as a side product contributes to 15% of the overall carbon balance and could not be avoided in our system”. Addittionally, “overall, our results open the door for a new CCU pathway from CO2 to oxalic acid. It allows to increase the obtainable oxalate or oxalic acid amount per electrochemically reduced CO2 significantly. However, the reaction towards oxalate also requires the use of stoichiometric amounts of alkali hydrides. Alkali hydrides are currently produced from the reaction of their alkali metals with hydrogen and are therefore energy intensive to produce.” The above processes were just experiments and further understanding is needed for the reaction between hydride, CO2 and formate. To allow for sustainable processes the crucial reaction parameters are crucial. The researchers state that, “our work will help to accelerate the development of new processes starting from CO2-derived formates as carbon sources”.</span></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><b><br></b></span></h3><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><b>A personal viewpoint on sustainable chemistry</b></span></h3><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">﻿</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;\">In today’s time, science and technology has dominated traditional methods of taking actions against global issues. For instance, the research above shows and experiments how sustainable chemistry can be used for climate action. It is a new method that still needs a lot of clarification and understanding, however we are using science in tackling CO2 which is a natural chemical compound produced in the atmosphere. Plants for instance in-take CO2 from the air during photosynthesis. Simultaneously, CO2 is also produced through human-induced actions with industrial pollution, smoking, deforestation, agriculture and other land-use alterations. This means that humans have added more CO2 into our atmosphere that the earth or even plants can not even handle. Now science comes into the picture with sustainable chemistry to reduce CO2 as an action against climate change. I personally, would not like to alter nature through science, as nature would take its stance on humans. We should not alter the environment in any fixed way to hide our damaging actions on the en</span><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt;\">vironment.</span></span></p>','2022-12-19 14:09:45.308461','uploads/news/pexels-rfstudio-3825468.jpg',1,'ScienceDirect','An article by ScienceDirect written by Schuler, Morana and other researchers in March 2022 mentions that there is a possibility of using sustainable chemistry to take on the battle against climate change. This is done through using various chemical compounds but mostly oxalic acid, an organic acid which is able to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. There is however a challenge in moving towards achieving sustainable chemistry as the electrochemical CO2 reduction is quite promising but requires an investment of two electrons per CO2 molecule and is an expensive process. Further, various alternatives have been experimented, such as exploring potential coupling partners based on their reactivity, attractiveness and side reactions of the prospective product. By using isotopic labelling, five schemes were drafted out in the study to experiment which scheme resulted to be the most promising in reducing CO2. Alternatively, the experiments show that there is a possibility of providing CO2 in a gaseous form. It is however proven that there are challenges to have abundant CO2 ready in a short space of reaction time between carbonite and formate in the general formate to oxalate formation. The above processes were just experiments and further understanding is needed for the reaction between hydride, CO2 and formate. To allow for sustainable processes the crucial reaction parameters are crucial. The researchers state that, “our work will help to accelerate the development of new processes starting from CO2-derived formates as carbon sources”.',13,164,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><span style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Author links open overlay panelEricSchuleraEnvelopeMicheleMoranaaN. RaveendranShijuaGert-Jan M.GruterabPersonEnvelope, EricSchuleraEnvelope, A, MicheleMoranaa, RaveendranShijua, N., M.GruterabPersonEnvelope, G., . . . AbstractConversion of CO2 to valuable chemicals such as polymers via the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate followed by the formate to oxalate coupling reaction (FOCR) is an interesting concept to replace fossil feedstocks with renewable ones. Ye. (2022, April 25). A new way to make oxalic acid from CO2 and alkali formates: Using the active Carbonite Intermediate. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772826922000013</span><br></li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><span style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Isotope labelling method. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2022, from </span><a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/isotope-labelling-method\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/isotope-labelling-method</a><a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/isotope-labelling-method\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"text-indent: -1cm; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"></a></li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Pexels. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.pexels.com/</p><br></li></ul><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><br></p>'),(78431,'In Search of a Religiosity Gene','in-search-of-a-religiosity-gene','2022-12-26 05:57:51.525612','<div>Do our genes predispose us to religious belief? I looked up reports on the transmission of religiosity on Google Scholar.</div><div><br></div><div>I was looking for something scientific—does religion favor the survival-to-reproduce drive that drives natural selection of an adaptively inherited trait?</div><div><br></div><div>I avoided regular Google and mainstream media, looking for facts rather than opinions, and included the terms \"inheritance\" and \"religiosity\" in my search. To me, inheritance refers to genes that encode proteins that influence a phenotype (trait or illness). However, inheritance can also refer to the passing of something from parents to offspring, such as money, property, possessions, or ideals.</div><div><br></div><div><div>Someone had to have done a genome-wide association study on \"religiosity.\" A \"GWAS\" is a study of single-DNA-base positions (SNPs) in a genome where individuals differ in having one or more of the four DNA bases. These studies have been going on for two decades, looking for genetic evidence for traits like antisocial behavior, loneliness, and even political ideologies.</div><div><br></div><div>Researchers now use a shortened \"polygenic risk score\" to describe so-called complex traits, which are influenced by multiple genes as well as environmental factors. In contrast to an either-or diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis, a PRS counts the number of gene variants that contribute to a trait or illness.</div><div><br></div><div>Google Scholar returned more investigations from the social sciences, using a language with which I am admittedly unfamiliar. Here\'s a synopsis : chronology of five studies that probed whether religiosity is in our genes.</div><div><br></div><div><h2 class=\"\">1996: “An Interactive Model of Religiosity Inheritance: The Importance of Family Context”</h2><div><br></div><div>In this report in American Sociological Review, Penn State’s Scott M. Myers estimated “the magnitude of religious inheritance” using “interviews with 471 parents in 1980 and their adult offspring in 1992.” Not surprisingly, he discovered that a person’s religiosity depends on exposure to parental religiosity. But I was stunned at the archaic language, as recently as 1996:</div><div><br></div><div>“Parents\' marital happiness, parent-child support, moderate strictness, and a working husband/nonworking wife increase the ability of parents to transmit their religious beliefs and practices.” Yikes.</div><div><br></div><h2 class=\"\">2004: “The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes”</h2><div><br></div><div>Dean Hamer tackled the concept of a \"God gene\" in his oft-quoted “God gene” book. He’s the National Cancer Institute researcher who made headlines in 1993 with his now-debunked discovery of a “gay” gene, which I wrote about here.</div><div><br></div><div>In The God Gene, Hamer attributes the “predisposition of humans towards spiritual or mystic experiences” to variants of a gene, vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2). According to Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, the “bible” of human genetics, the gene’s “proper function is essential to the correct activity of the monoaminergic systems that have been implicated in several human neuropsychiatric disorders.\" \"The transporter is a site of action of important drugs.”</div><div><br></div><div>The monoamine neurotransmitters include serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline, which have powerful effects on mood. Might variations on the monoamine theme indeed account for religious thoughts and even visions?</div><div><br></div><div>Hamer’s supreme being gene candidate resurfaced in 2017 in a report by Linda A. Silveira from the University of Redlands in the journal Life Sciences Education, “Experimenting with Spirituality: Analyzing the God Gene in a Nonmajors Laboratory Course.” Students looked at variants in their VMAT2 genes. She evaluated the exercise as a learning tool. And that it is, because the class disproved the hypothesis that variants of the gene have anything to do with following a religion.</div><div><br></div><h2 class=\"\">2011: “Religion, Fertility and Genes: A Dual Inheritance Model”</h2><div><br></div><div>In a publication of The Royal Society, University of Cambridge economist Robert Rowthorn used a model to explore the evolutionary implications of the fact that religious people “have more children on average than their secular counterparts.” This statement is unreferenced, presented as common knowledge.</div><div><br></div><div>Rowthorn stated his assumptions: (1) culture determines fertility, and (2) “genetic endowment” influences predisposition towards religion. “People who carry a certain ‘religiosity’ gene are more likely than average to become or remain religious,” he stated. This is a variation of the overly simplistic “a-gene-for” mindset, aka genetic determinism.</div><div><br></div><div>I couldn’t help but wonder, what might a religion gene actually be? A stretch of DNA that encodes a hemoglobin variant? A form of collagen? A clotting factor? A digestive enzyme? Is it Hamer’s defrocked VMAT2 variant after all?</div><div><br></div><div>Rowthorn’s wrote, “The paper considers the effect of religious defections and exogamy on the religious and genetic composition of society.”</div><div><br></div><div>I knew endogamy in genetics meant mating within a group. So I wasn’t surprised to discover that exogamy is “the social norm of marrying outside one’s social group.” In biology, exogamy means outbreeding (animals) or cross pollination (plants). Single-celled organisms like bacteria, amoebae, and certain slime molds, lacking social norms, simply grow and then split.</div><div><br></div><div>The economist attempted to explain the science behind his hypothesized “religiosity gene,” unwittingly touching on the concepts of natural selection and genetic linkage:</div><div><br></div><div>“Defections reduce the ultimate share of the population with religious allegiance and slow down the spread of the religiosity gene.\" However, provided the fertility differential persists and people with a religious allegiance mate mainly with people like themselves, the religiosity gene will eventually predominate despite a high rate of defection. This is an example of \"cultural hitch-hiking,\" whereby a gene spreads because it is able to hitch a ride with a high-fitness cultural practice.</div><div><br></div><div>(According to Darwin, fitness has an explicit meaning: surviving long enough to reproduce.)</div><div><br></div><div>Math-based simulations, Rowthorn concluded, support his “theoretical arguments” about the spread of a religiosity gene.</div><div><br></div><h2 class=\"\">2017: “Religious Delusions In Schizophrenia”</h2><div><br></div><div>A study published in European Neuropsychopharmacology edges into diagnostic medicine. Researchers from Germany used polygenic risk scores to show a correlation between “strong religious activity” and increased severity of schizophrenia.</div><div><br></div><div>“Of 271 patients (217 Christian, 9 Muslim, and 45 without religious denomination), 102 (38%) experienced religious delusions during illness episodes,” the researchers found. Just following a religion didn’t correlate with a higher likelihood of delusions, but “strong religious activity” did.</div><div><br></div><div>“Other factors examined—age, gender, education level, marital status, and even if a patient was in the midst of a delusion during the interview—didn\'t seem to matter.\" \"And the higher the reported religiosity, the greater the risk of delusions,” the researchers concluded.</div><div><br></div><div>But having more predisposing genes (higher PRS) also correlated with likelihood of delusions. “Our results suggest that the occurrence of religious delusions in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders is associated with environmental as well as genetic influences.\" \"But moderate religious activity seemed to have no negative effect and may even be helpful for coping with these disorders,” the researchers conclude.</div><div><br></div><h2 class=\"\">2021: “The Origins of Religious Disbelief: A Dual Inheritance Approach”</h2><div><br></div><div>A study in social psychological and personality science addressed the underpinnings of being a nonbeliever. The article opens by describing atheists as if we were space aliens.</div><div><br></div><div>This social science investigation discusses “theoretical frameworks of key predictors of religious disbelief.” We atheists “witness fewer credible cultural cues of religious commitment, … followed distantly by reflective cognitive style, … and less advanced mentalizing.”</div></div><div><br></div></div>','2022-12-26 11:12:58.197960','uploads/news/download_1_B6R01uN.jfif',1,'PLOS - Dna Science','I avoided regular Google and mainstream media, looking for facts rather than opinions, and included the terms \"inheritance\" and \"religiosity\" in my search. To me, inheritance refers to genes that encode proteins that influence a phenotype (trait or illness)',1,184,'Lewis, Ricki. “In Search of a Religiosity Gene - DNA Science.” <i>DNA Science</i>, 22 Dec. 2022, dnascience.plos.org/2022/12/22/in-search-of-a-religiosity-gene.'),(78537,'Are submerged and emerged breakwaters efficient on coastal zones?','are-submerged-and-emerged-breakwaters-efficient-on-coastal-zones','2022-12-30 22:52:07.832407','<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">In today’s time breakwaters are favoured in reducing environmental consequences, as coastlines are constantly being affected by erosion. Hence, coastal structures are put in place to stop inland damage and which is effective in reducing environmental impact.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">An understanding of coastal zones&nbsp;</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An article by Saengsupavanich, Ariffin, Yun, and Pereira, summarises and critically reviews beach morphology environmental impacts. The aim of the article is to manage coastal erosion with breakwaters to help coast practitioners to be sustainable in this field. Coastal zones have a value to human services and needs such for tourism, fishery industries, shipping, economic benefits, and protection against floods. The coastal zones are, however, susceptible to climate change as they are vulnerable to storm surges, cyclones, sea-level rise, and flooding. It is not just extreme natural events that are affecting coastal zones but also human-induced actions such as urbanization, land conversion and rapid population growth. Further, the article supports the rapid population growth relating to coastal areas by stating, “Nearly half of the global population currently lives within 200 km of the coast, and the projected statistics show that the population growth could reach 70% by 2025”. Having a vast population living in these coastal areas is a threat and nothing has been done about the safety of the environment and the people. The erosion caused either by human-induced actions or natural events is still affecting human well-being, infrastructures and coastal settlements. There are soft and hard protection measures that are available for coastal planners to choose from. For instance, a soft measure includes non-structural techniques involving vegetation cover, mangrove afforestation and beach nourishment. Alternatively, the hard measures include measures that do form or are implemented naturally such as timber, steel, concrete or rocks.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A method of protecting or implementing shoreline defence is through emerged or submerged breakwaters. This method can protect the coastlines from risking the lives of coastal communities, local economic activities, and severe storm conditions. The submerged and emerging breakwater have been effective and successful in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Although there have been many success stories, there are quite a few publications that have written negative feedback on submerged and emerged breakwaters. For instance, Saengsupavanich, Ariffin, Yun, and Pereira and have backed up their statement by reviewing&nbsp; Betzold et al. (2017) argument, “Betzold et al. (2017) argued that hard coastal structures artificially fix the coastline but compromise the ability of beaches to adapt to changing conditions, leading to passive and aggressive ecological consequences. Breakwaters also significantly interrupt nearshore hydrodynamic regimes and sediment transport , affecting surrounding assemblage structures. Some researchers consider breakwaters to be non-adaptive, as they are costly to build and to maintain in response to a changing climate”. Since two sides of the story have been given, it is important to assess whether an emerged and submerged breakwaters are detrimental to the surrounding environment. The article looks into various outputs such as: hydrodynamics, coastal tourism, notable effects, beach morphology, ecology and recreation. This research that is being carried out is to assist coastal practitioners to utilise breakwaters sustainably.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">A summary of the various themes in the research</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Submerged breakwaters - are structures that are built in shallow waters and are more prevalent than emerged breakwaters. There is some donut if submerged breakwater is fully understood.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economic considerations - is through maintaining beaches and shorelines for economic means (income), the livelihoods who use the coastal environment as a source of living and income.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The beach methodology impact - presents the structural changes of the beach such as erosional changes, sand movement from updrifts and downdrifts as well as coastline changes just to list a few.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hydrodynamic impacts - this is where water current and wave patterns change the surrounding hydrodynamics which is resulted from submerged breakwaters.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ecology Impact - this is where submerged breakwater provides unnatural sheltered habitat to ecology, such as an artificial habitat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tourism and recreational impact - submerged breakwaters can be on hand when needed for recreational and tourism purposes.&nbsp;</div><h3 class=\"\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The conclusion of the study</span></div></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The conclusion of the study by Saengsupavanich, Ariffin, Yun, and Pereira, show that breakwater\'s environmental impacts need to be managed more carefully by coastal stakeholders. There is still a debate on whether submerged and emerged breakwater are effective and reliable as there have been success stories but also criticisms. The aim of the study is to create an awareness to coastal practitioners on ways to reduce environmental disturbances and to manage coastlines sustainably. A method of protecting or implementing shoreline defense is through emerged or submerged breakwaters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2022-12-26 11:37:27.769198','uploads/news/pexels-herman-io-3556117.jpg',1,'CELL - Heliyon- Inpress','An article by Saengsupavanich, Ariffin, Yun, and Pereira, summarises and critically reviews beach morphology environmental impacts. The aim of the article is to manage coastal erosion with breakwaters to help coast practitioners to be sustainable in this field. Coastal zones have a value to human services and needs such for tourism, fishery industries, shipping, economic benefits, and protection against floods. The coastal zones are, however, susceptible to climate change as they are vulnerable to storm surges, cyclones, sea-level rise, and flooding. The article looks into various outputs such as: hydrodynamics, coastal tourism, notable effects, beach morphology, ecology and recreation. This research that is being carried out is to assist coastal practitioners to utilize breakwaters sustainably. There is still a debate on whether submerged and emerged breakwater are effective and reliable as there have been success stories but also criticisms. The aim of the study is to create an awareness to coastal practitioners on ways to reduce environmental disturbances and to manage coastlines sustainably. A method of protecting or implementing shoreline defense is through emerged or submerged breakwaters.',13,196,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelCherdvongSaengsupavanichaPersonEnvelopeEffi HelmyAriffinbcLee ShinYunacDunstan AnthonyPereirad <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Environmental impact of submerged and emerged breakwaters</i>, <i>Heliyon</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022039147 (Accessed: December 31, 2022).</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Coast photos, Download Free Coast Stock Photos &amp; HD Images - Pexels</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/search/coast/ (Accessed: December 30, 2022).</li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(78625,'The relationship between environmental sustainability and natural resources accounts for environmental regulatory quality in Sub-Saharan Africa','the-relationship-between-environmental-sustainability-and-natural-resources-accounts-for-environmental-regulatory-quality-in-sub-saharan-africa','2023-01-09 23:04:08.511484','<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sustainable environmental quality is in an unstable condition as after COVID-19 the economic effects have transformed global public and policy dialogues that leads to high levels of uncertainties that are macroeconomic.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An event that ensured that environmental quality was implemented through the mitigation of greenhouse gases in policies and for the global warming levels to remain below 1.5 degrees is COP27. Another framework that helps achieve the development goals is the Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, economic development has caused an increase in pollutants, which makes it challenging to achieve environmental sustainability. The supported facts from the article mentions, “For example, Global CO2 and Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2020 Report2 documents that global GHG emissions in 2019 reached 57.4 GtCO2 eq, with CO2 emissions accounting for 73%, while the remaining 27% was attributed to methane (19%), fluorinated gases (3%), and nitrous oxide (5%). Undoubtedly, the GHG emissions have health implications and, therefore, are alarming.” Additionally, “Watts et al. (2019) states that 20% and 26% of global health challenges emanate from primary minerals extraction and carbon emissions, respectively”. In summary, in having high effects of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere it has adverse effects, which includes poverty in the Sub-Saharan African region.&nbsp;</div><h3 class=\"\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">How climate change affects the Sub-Saharan regions</span></div></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Agricultural production is being affected by climate change mostly greenhouse gases negatively, leading to low incomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, as most people rely on farming as a source of income. Further, the article by Doudu and two others mention, “The hazardous effect of a poor environment on humans and ecology has called for the implementation of international instruments to manage pollution, including land, water, and air pollution. Despite the numerous agreements, there has been no real success in reducing global pollution (CO2 emissions). Therefore, it is always urgent to investigate the possible causes of pollution to protect the sustainability of the environment.” Low environmental quality has been explained in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa has a growth of resources such as diamonds, bauxite, crude oil, arable land, and oil. However, the growing population in SSA, coupled with the guarantee of sustainable development and industrialization, has intensified the need to extract more natural resources to accommodate present demands. This is because natural resources account for the region’s key export commodities. Most SSA economies depend on the earnings from these resources for development projects such as roads, schools, health centres, and others. Despite the benefits derived from natural resources, their untenable exploitation degrades the quality of the environment and, therefore, threatens its sustainability”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the research there has been a question that has been proposed, “whether the SSA economies should continue to depend on their abundant resources for survival (growth and development) at the expense of environmental sustainability. Given this concern, this study explores the empirical connection between natural resources and environmental sustainability (or quality) in SSA while considering the complementary role of environmental regulatory quality.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regarding environmental stability there are various measures in place such as material footprint, ecological footprint, and sustainable development index. The method of the study is through using institutions and policies to promote natural resource conservation, pollution management and sustainable use. This research is different from the existing research as different measures are used regarding environmental sustainability. The three different measures used for examining how natural resources influence environmental sustainability are sustainable development index, ecological footprint and material footprint. The reason the article suggests different measures is useful because sustainable development index, ecological footprint and material footprint provides a more robust analysis of the environmental effect of natural resources than using a single measure of environmental sustainability.</div><h3 class=\"\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The literature review and the methods of the study</span></div></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The literature review is divided into the following sections environmental sustainability, and natural resources and the alternative determinants of environmental sustainability. The methods of the study analysed the data in the study in the following way through model specification, sources of data, an estimation strategy, descriptive statistics, cross-sectional dependance, unit root tests, a cointegration test results, the effect of natural resources on environmental sustainability, and marginal impact of NR on ES</div><h3 class=\"\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">The conclusion of the study</span></div></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The study concluded that “the exploitation of natural resources has been argued to degrade the quality of the environment in SSA. However, stringent environmental regulations are considered to prevent unsafe environmental practices.” The outcome of the study is as follows, “Natural resources degrade the quality of the environment in both EFP and SDI models in both the short and long run. ∙ Environmental regulatory quality, on the other hand, improves environmental sustainability in SSA in both the short- and-long run. ∙ The unrelated view identified in this study is that as environmental regulatory quality improves, natural resources dampen environmental sustainability (Models 1 and 3). ∙ Based on the results, the study concludes that environmental regulatory quality does not complement natural resources to improve environmental sustainability in the case of selected SSA economies.” Further, the article mentions that low carbon technology must be implemented in companies which have no environmental consequences. The final point of the article stated that, “in all, ensuring the above suggestions and paying the greatest attention to inappropriate extraction of natural resources in SSA could have a greater positive influence on environmental sustainability, as the United Nations desired in the 2030 SDGs.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2022-12-26 11:39:42.440196','uploads/news/pexels-pixabay-59840.jpg',1,'CELL - Heliyon- Inpress','Sustainable environmental quality is in an unstable condition as after COVID-19 the economic effects have transformed global public and policy dialogues that leads to high levels of uncertainties that are macroeconomic. An event that ensured that environmental quality was implemented through the mitigation of greenhouse gases in policies and for the global warming levels to remain below 1.5 degrees is COP27. Another framework that helps achieve the development goals is the Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, economic development has caused an increase in pollutants, which makes it challenging to achieve environmental sustainability. In the research there has been a question that has been proposed, “whether the SSA economies should continue to depend on their abundant resources for survival (growth and development) at the expense of environmental sustainability. Given this concern, this study explores the empirical connection between natural resources and environmental sustainability (or quality) in SSA while considering the complementary role of environmental regulatory quality.”',13,196,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>Gray Elephant · free stock photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gray-elephant-59840/ (Accessed: January 6, 2023).</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(78714,'Researchers use 3D bioprinting to create eye tissue','researchers-use-3d-bioprinting-create-eye-tissue','2022-12-26 06:37:10.994891','<p>Scientists created eye tissue using patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting, which will help them understand the processes of blinding illnesses. The National Eye Institute (NEI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, printed a mixture of cells that comprise the outer blood-retina barrier, which is eye tissue that supports the retina\'s light-sensing photoreceptors. The approach allows researchers to examine degenerative retinal illnesses such as age-related macular degeneration with a theoretically infinite supply of patient-derived tissue (AMD).</p><p>\"We know that AMD begins at the outer blood-retina barrier,\" said Kapil Bharti, Ph.D., chair of the National Eye Institute\'s Section on Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research. \"However, because to a paucity of data, mechanisms of AMD onset and development to advanced dry and wet phases remain poorly understood.\"</p><p>The outer blood-retina barrier is made up of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is separated from the blood-vessel-rich choriocapillaris by Bruch\'s membrane. Bruch\'s membrane mediates nutrition and waste exchange between the choriocapillaris and the RPE. Lipoprotein deposits known as drusen grow outside Bruch\'s membrane in AMD, impairing its function. The RPE degrades with time, resulting in photoreceptor degradation and visual loss.</p><p>Bharti and colleagues used a hydrogel to mix three immature choroidal cell types: pericytes and endothelial cells, which are important components of capillaries, and fibroblasts, which give tissues shape. The gel was then printed on a biodegradable scaffold by the scientists. The cells began to grow into a dense capillary network within days.</p><p>On the ninth day, the researchers implanted cells from the retinal pigment epithelium on the other side of the scaffold. On day 42, the printed tissue was fully developed. The printed tissue resembled the natural outer blood-retina barrier in appearance and behaviour, according to tissue investigations, genetic tests, and functional analysis. Under conditions of generated stress, printed tissue displayed early AMD characteristics, such as drusen deposits under the RPE, and advanced to late dry stage AMD, where tissue deterioration was seen. Low oxygen levels caused a wet AMD-like look with choroidal vascular hyperproliferation that moved into the sub-RPE zone. When used to treat AMD, anti-VEGF medications slowed the formation and migration of blood vessels while also improving tissue shape.<br></p><p>The interchange of cellular cues required for typical outer blood-retina barrier architecture is made possible by cell printing, according to Bharti. For instance, the presence of RPE cells causes fibroblasts to express different genes, which helps to build the Bruch\'s membrane. This was predicted many years ago but wasn\'t confirmed until our model.</p><p>Creating an appropriate biodegradable scaffold and obtaining a consistent printing pattern were two technological issues that Bharti\'s team tackled. They developed a temperature-sensitive hydrogel that produced distinct rows while the gel was cold but disintegrated when the gel warmed. A more exact technique of assessing tissue architecture was made possible by good row consistency. Additionally, they adjusted the proportion of fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and pericytes in the cell combination.</p><p>The outer blood-retina barrier tissues were biofabricated \"in-a-well\" by co-author Marc Ferrer, Ph.D., director of the 3D Tissue Bioprinting Laboratory at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. His group also provided analytical measurements that allowed for drug testing.</p><p>According to Ferrer, \"our combined efforts have produced extremely pertinent retina tissue models of degenerative eye disorders.\" Such tissue models offer a wide range of possible translational applications, including the creation of medicines.</p><p>To further mimic genuine tissue, Bharti and colleagues are experimenting with adding additional cell types to the printing process, including as immune cells. These models of the blood-retina barrier will be used to research AMD.</p>','2022-12-26 06:35:51.107075','uploads/news/pexels-wendel-moretti-1925630.jpg',1,'NIH/National Eye Institute.','Scientists used patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases. The research team printed a combination of cells that form the outer blood-retina barrier--eye tissue that supports the retina\'s light-sensing photoreceptors. The technique provides a theoretically unlimited supply of patient-derived tissue to study degenerative retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).',1,96,'<ol class=\"journal\" style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 20px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Min Jae Song, Russ Quinn, Eric Nguyen, Christopher Hampton, Ruchi Sharma, Tea Soon Park, Céline Koster, Ty Voss, Carlos Tristan, Claire Weber, Anju Singh, Roba Dejene, Devika Bose, Yu-Chi Chen, Paige Derr, Kristy Derr, Sam Michael, Francesca Barone, Guibin Chen, Manfred Boehm, Arvydas Maminishkis, Ilyas Singec, Marc Ferrer, Kapil Bharti.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Bioprinted 3D outer retina barrier uncovers RPE-dependent choroidal phenotype in advanced macular degeneration</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Nature Methods</em>, 2022; DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41592-022-01701-1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1038/s41592-022-01701-1</a></li></ol>'),(78761,'Found ! gene regulation revealed in search that began in water-loving, one-celled organism','found-gene-regulation-revealed-search-began-water-loving-one-celled-organism','2022-12-26 06:51:45.743014','<p>A pair of enzymes that control genome function and, when absent or altered, are connected to disorders including brain tumours, blood malignancies, and Kleefstra syndrome—a rare hereditary, neurocognitive disorder—have a new purpose, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.</p><p>The latest research, which was released Nov. 21 in Epigenetics &amp; Chromatin, may someday enable researchers to comprehend the illnesses brought on by disruption of these enzymes and create novel therapies for them.</p><p>According to Sean Taverna, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, \"developing a better understanding of how enzymes impact the activity of our genomes offers valuable insights into biology and can help researchers design new therapeutic approaches for disease.\"</p><p>Taverna started the investigation more than ten years ago while he was looking for variables affecting Tetrahymena thermophila, a one-celled creature that lives in fresh water. The single-celled organism employs a previously unidentified signal to \"label\" genes that have been switched off, which was discovered by the research team during the initial investigation.</p><p>The mark is found on histone proteins, which operate as DNA spools that securely wound genes off and shield DNA from harm. The DNA becomes damaged and the cells do not develop well if Tetrahymena are unable to add the marks, which are added by a process called methylation, which adds chemical tags to a portion of histones called H3K23.</p><p>Taverna discovered that the H3K23 position is conserved across Tetrahymena and mammals, including humans, in a follow-up study that was published in 2016. The enzymes that manage the placement of the chemical tags on H3K23 vary between species, though.</p><p>It was challenging for the researchers to explore H3K23\'s function in human biology and illness without knowing the identities of these enzymatic H3K23 \"authors\" of methylation.</p><p>In order to find the mammalian enzymes that add the chemical tags to H3K23, Taverna, David Vinson, a recent Ph.D. graduate, and Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian, M.D., Ph.D., professor of oncology and pathology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, conducted a new study.</p><p>Vinson screened a large number of methylation-writing enzymes before settling on just one pair, EHMT1/GLP and EHMT2/G9a, that added chemical marks to the H3K23 histone site.</p><p>The capacity of the enzymes to insert methylation marks on the H3K23 histone site was greatly diminished when the researchers utilised pharmacological inhibitors and genetic alterations directed against the enzyme pair in human brain cells (neurons) produced in the lab.</p><p>The first precedent has been set in human neural cells, and with that, Yegnasubramanian adds, \"the door is now wide open to examine the role of these enzymes and the H3K23 alteration in other settings of health and illness, including human cancer.\"</p><p>Researchers are working to understand the precise process by which EHMT1/GLP and EHMT2/G9a attach chemical tags to the H3K23 histone site in order to create medicines that specifically target this activity.</p><p>Taverna said that they are interested in finding out how these enzymes are related to H3K23 and why diseases develop when they don\'t function properly.</p><p>Taverna, Yegnasubramanian, Vinson, Kimberly Stephens of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Robert N. O\'Meally, Shri Bhat, and Robert Cole of Johns Hopkins, and Blair Dancy of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research all made contributions to the study.</p><p>Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (R01GM118760, R01CA221306 and F31GM130114), the National Science Foundation, the Irving A. Hansen Memorial Foundation and the Commonwealth Foundation.</p>','2022-12-26 06:51:45.743055','uploads/news/pexels-katerina-holmes-5905518.jpg',1,'Johns Hopkins Medicine','After an intrepid, decade-long search, scientists say they have found a new role for a pair of enzymes that regulate genome function and, when missing or mutated, are linked to diseases such as brain tumors, blood cancers and Kleefstra syndrome -- a rare genetic, neurocognitive disorder.',1,184,'<ul><li>David A. Vinson, Kimberly E. Stephens, Robert N. O’Meally, Shri Bhat, Blair C. R. Dancy, Robert N. Cole, Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian, Sean D. Taverna. De novo methylation of histone H3K23 by the methyltransferases EHMT1/GLP and EHMT2/G9a. Epigenetics &amp; Chromatin, 2022; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00468-1<br></li></ul>'),(78764,'An opportunity for China to combat climate change','an-opportunity-for-china-to-combat-climate-change','2022-12-29 10:54:46.631754','<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">Climate change is a growing concern around the World and in China It is causing economic development and a growing population to be in the forefront of risks and at stake. These risks have given researchers an opportunity to address these risks and lay out actions to do something about climate change.&nbsp;</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><br></span></div><h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The research by</span><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">&nbsp;</span>Lancelot Countdown Regional Center&nbsp;</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Climate change is impacting livelihoods and lives at an accelerating rate. Therefore, in Asia, the Lancelot Countdown Regional Center which is connected to the Tsinghua University had out taken a health profile assessment on China’s climate change with a goal of achieving quick health responsive actions. The organisation created five domains with 25 indicators for the first annual update in 2021. The five domains include: exposures and vulnerability, resilience for health mitigation actions, adaptation, planning, climate change impacts, economic and finance, mitigation and health-co benefits, and political and public engagement. Five new indicators methods have been improved and peaked in national and provincial levels to facilitate policy making and local understanding. This report researched by Cai, Chi Zang, Zang, Ai, Bai and Boa reflected on the green recovery of China taking into account the effects of COVID-19. The report also considered health for current and future generations as well as goals around carbon neutrality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\">China’s health risks pertaining to climate change</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The report constructed by Lancelot Countdown Regional Center shows that the health threats in China are worsening due to climate change. Statistics show that, “in 2020, the heatwave exposures per person in China increased by 4·51 days compared with the 1986–2005 average, resulting in an estimated 92% increase in heatwave-related deaths. The resulting economic cost of the estimated 14 500 heatwave-related deaths in 2020 is US$176 million (indicators 1.1.1 and 4.1.1). Increased temperatures also caused a potential 31·5 billion h in lost work time in 2020, which is equivalent to 1·3% of the work hours of the total national workforce, with resulting economic losses estimated at 1·4% of China\'s annual gross domestic product.” Further, the actual population of fires in 20 provinces had increased from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, floods have increased in China but due to there being a reliable emergency response, the number of people affected by the floods has decreased. The 2020 and 2021 floods have shown a reverse side of the progress in combating climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has a sixth assessment report that states that climate change will increase in the next few decades. This statement is supported by statistics, “even if mitigation efforts limit global temperature rise to 1·5°C, which emphasises the necessity of health adaptation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">China regionally is affected by specific health threats, which relies on local socioeconomic and environmental conditions. The most detrimental health threats are labour loss, Sichun Province has flood and drought risks, Guangdong province has dengue risks, rising heat-related mortality and Jilin and Liaoning has wildfire exposures. By identifying the risks, policies can be put in place to improve climate adaptation responses with regards to&nbsp; efficiency and effectiveness.&nbsp;</div><h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><br>The response to climate change is a mixed process</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The set goals of China on carbon neutrality during COVID-19 has increased awareness and news coverage of climate change and public health in China. The awareness that has been made, however, was not enough to implement strong actions for mitigation and adaptation and the indicators also show a mixed progress.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The planned adaptation measure calls for urban green spaces, which an assessment has been out taken in 2020, followed by the health emergency management in 2019. Further, the findings of urban green spaces show “urban green space, which is an important heat adaptation measure, has increased in 18 of 31 provinces in the past decade, and the capacity of China\'s health emergency management increased in almost all provinces from 2018 to 2019.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China is set to have peak emissions before 2030 and a long-term goal by 2060 to achieve carbon neutrality. There was a time that environmental actions were arising in China with regards to clean energy, the steadily decreasing carbon intensity. The research also reflected on the environmental conditions during the COVID-19 period, “Despite the shock of COVID-19, low-carbon investments still increased from 2019 to 2020, which are now 9·5 times higher than those of coal, and fossil fuel subsidies in 2019 were 40% lower than in 2018, reversing the upward trend that was seen during the previous 3 years”. China has ambitious goals to reduce air pollution as, “the premature deaths due to exposure to ambient particulate matter of 2·5 μm or less (PM2·5)” is declining. Further, “China announced strict control on coal-fired power plants in April, 2021, which will greatly benefit both carbon mitigation and air pollution control. Despite the worldwide call for a green recovery, after a steep but temporary drop in the first quarter of 2020, the overall carbon emissions in China increased by 1·28% in 2020.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\">An opportunity to take action</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The COVID-19 period has started to make the health policy makers reflect on what has happened and starting to focus on a “National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention to improve overall public health”. Further, China\'s National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in 2035 is being designed by macroeconomic planners and climate policy makers to achieve economic recovery as a short-term goal and carbon neutrality as a long-term goal. The researchers further stated that the risk of decisions made in isolation is that China might not fully realise the health and economic benefits of addressing the pandemic alongside tackling climate change, which is likely to be a larger global public health threat than COVID-19 in the long run. Therefore, the researchers in this study propose four recommendations for the key stakeholders in health and climate change in China.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\">The four proposals are as follows:</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first proposal</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The first proposal is to promote systematic thinking in the related departments and strengthen multi departmental cooperation. Given the huge gap between current global climate commitment and the 1·5°C target, the potential health benefits of climate change mitigation, and the health threats from climate change (even with 1·5°C of warming), addressing health threats from climate change requires long-term and compound efforts in both mitigation and adaptation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second proposal</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The second proposal is to do additional assessments of the health impacts of climate change and make national and region-specific adaptation plans. It is necessary to include clear goals and timelines for climate-related health impact assessments and health adaptation plans at both the national and the regional levels in the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The third proposal</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The third proposal is to strengthen China\'s climate mitigation actions and ensure health is included in China\'s pathway to reach carbon neutrality.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fourth proposal</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“The fourth proposal is to increase awareness of the linkages between climate change and health at all levels. Health professionals, the academic community, and traditional and new media should raise the awareness of the public and policy makers on the important linkages between climate change and health.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These four proposals will aid China in making clear decisions and to take action against climate change.</div><h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"\"><br>The conclusions of the study</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">This report researched by Cai, Chi Zang, Zang, Ai, Bai and Boa showed that there is a mixed progress in the adaptation and mitigation responses in combating climate change. Climate change is causing health risks in China and the researchers foresee that it would worsen in the years to come. The current four proposals outlined in the paper will enable China to take action and leadership in combating climate change before it is too late. The final message that the researchers have to share is that, After the painful lessons from COVID-19, this important opportunity to protect the health of people in China, both now and in the future, cannot be missed.”</div><div><br></div>','2022-12-26 12:23:16.269612','uploads/news/pexels-brett-sayles-1115175.jpg',1,'Advances in Climate Change Research','This report researched by Cai, Chi Zang, Zang, Ai, Bai and Boa showed that there is a mixed progress in the adaptation and mitigation responses in combating climate change. Therefore, in Asia the Lancelot Countdown Regional Center which is connected to the Tsinghua University had out taken a health profile assessment on China’s climate change with a goal of achieving quick health responsive actions. The organisation created five domains with 25 indicators for the first annual update in 2021. The five domains include: exposures and vulnerability, resilience for health mitigation actions, adaptation, planning, and climate change impacts, economic and finance, mitigation and health-co benefits, and political and public engagement. Five new indicators methods have been improved and peaks in national and provincial levels to facilitate policy making and local understanding.  Climate change is causing health risks in China and it is foreseed that it would worsen in the years to come. The current four proposals outlined in the paper, China would be able to take action and leadership in combating climate change before it is too late. The final message that the researchers have to share is that, ``After the painful lessons from COVID-19, this important opportunity to protect the health of people in China, both now and in the future, cannot be missed.”',13,164,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cai, W., Zhang, C., Zhang, S., Ai, S., Bai, Y., Bao, J., . . . Gong, P. (2021, November 07). The 2021 China Report of the Lancet countdown on Health and Climate Change: Seizing the window of opportunity. Retrieved December 29, 2022, from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00209-7/fulltext</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; China photos, Download Free China Stock Photos &amp; HD Images - Pexels. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.pexels.com/search/china/</li></ul>'),(78857,'Sustainability through the eyes of a small tourism provider','sustainability-through-the-eyes-of-a-small-tourism-provider','2022-12-28 10:31:39.829663','<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">Sustainability has become a vital concept in today’s time, even amongst the small tourism providers. Through asking small tourism providers on their experience on sustainability, one can understand story-concepts, and sense-making which allows for a multi-methods research approach. This multi-method approach opens up the space for worldviews and different perspectives from small tourism providers.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The research by Bertella on a small tourism providers view on sustainability</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">As there are multiple definitions of sustainability, small tourism providers face difficulty around the concept especially those who are on environmentally delicate destinations. Various scholars have noticed the challenges amongst the tourism sector in achieving sustainability measures. The challenges include: environmental deterioration which affects the stability of human survival and the ecosystems in the area. Certain small tourism providers are aware of these environmental challenges and are willing to take action on sustainability measures, however, there is difficulty in taking action. The difficulty comes in as there are conflicts between practices of the local people and there is a limited amount of power and resources. Tourist destinations that are environmentally delicate are those that have ecosystems that are sensitive to disturbance and need to be left in their natural habitat.These destinations pose anthropocentric pressure on the ecosystem causing environmental deterioration.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other articles who have written about the perspective on sustainability of small tourism providers only provided a portion of their view. This research by Bertella goes in-depth into the small tourism providers perspective on sustainability. For instance, other articles explored how small tourism providers have had a positive attitude to overcome obstacles, which were connected to international tour operators and power relations with government agencies. Another article mentioned institutions and supportive infrastructures were vital for sustainability practices. The way the environment is treated for tourism proposes or how others control the environment create the worldviews for the small tourism providers. Therefore, gaining a deep understanding around small tourism providers regarding sustainability matters is missing in the research and Bertella fills in the gap through the research in this article, which is outlined in this research news.</div><h3 class=\"\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">Bertella’s argument on small tourism providers\' view on sustainability</span></div></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Bertella argues that the stories of small tourism providers are able to connect to the worldviews, with regards to their feelings, inner thoughts, emotional viewpoints and engagements around sustainability. In order to achieve sustainable development, it is vital to have storytelling amongst the small tourism providers on sustainability to let the challenges and difficulties be known for improvements to occur. Many other scholars have researched small tourism providers but have left out the sustainability issues. Hence, Bertella researched about sustainability issues and had the following plan: “I considered practitioners\' points of view, particularly the story worlds of small providers operating in environmentally fragile destinations and acknowledging their responsibility to act sustainably, and asked: how do small tourism providers use stories to make sense of their world in terms of sustainability?”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The action taken out by Bertella to answer her research question is through psychology research and management literature to enable reflection on a small tourism provider through storytelling and sense-making. In this way, the audience can view sustainability issues through the eyes of a small tourism provider. In order to achieve this result, Bertella combined the small tourism providers\' stories about their locations, life stories, and storytelling from three organisations who are aiming to achieve sustainable tourism practices and the stories from tourists themselves. The data was collected in the form of journaling, document analysis, interviews, and participation. Further, a content analysis was taken out to highlight the practices of the small tourism providers, character roles and the main themes. Bertellea also mentions that, “This study\'s contribution is a threefold narrative inquiry that captures tourism providers\' thoughts and feelings about their self-perceived identities, roles, and practices, which either support or conflict with sustainability, and how they contextualise these identities, roles, and practices in relation to those of other relevant actors.” Since, a content analysis method has been chosen in this research Bertella set up a literature review to analyse the main themes from the small tourism providers perspective regarding sustainability issues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The selected themes in the literature review</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The literature review elaborates on sustainability connected to the sense-making process including the sustainability behaviors and beliefs and the possible conflicts.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The themes that were analysed are as follows:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">1) Making sense of sustainability</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">2) Stories and sustainability</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h4 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">Making sense of sustainability</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The “making sense of sustainability” theme tries to understand how people manage complex situations in their life, especially amongst small tourism providers. Bertella mentions that “the research on sense-making in organisations during changes and crises underpins the way individuals belonging to such organisations approach sustainability-related choices.” Further the psychology literature showed “how people approach and make sense of their sustainability-related choices, besides work-related ones, based on belief/behavior conflicts”.&nbsp; In result, Bertella summarized that “tourism providers, who consider themselves change agents and responsible group members, can experience belief/behavior conflicts when their practices increase pressure on an already fragile environment. How they face such conflicts, either by changing their beliefs or behaviors or finding justifications that allow them to maintain positive self-images, contributes to tourism providers\' worldviews, which, as argued in this paper, can be investigated by referring to their stories”.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h4 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">Stories and sustainability</h4><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">This section in the literature focused on linking sense-making to stories regarding sustainability. Bertella mentions that, “these reflections on sense-making and narratives are relevant to this study especially regarding tourism providers\' dilemmas based on belief/behavior conflicts and their roles as change agents. Such dilemmas can be discussed by referring to the concepts of epistemic impasse and spillover from the management literature on change and stories. Both concepts derive from the idea of epistemic as a set of beliefs, knowledge propositions, and practical relations underpinning our ways of thinking, talking, enabling, and legitimising our discourses and practices”. Bertella further states that, “In this literature, life stories are seen as developing through the dimensions of structure (facts, context, and the time sequence of episodes) and motivational/effective themes and reasoning, providing meaning, purpose, and continuity to people\'s lives. These narratives are not factual but integrate people\'s reconstructed past and their imagined future, which resonates with the management literature view of stories as creative re descriptions of the world”. To conclude, Bertella mentioned, “based on the view of stories as an important mechanism for sense-making, several studies have used narrative approaches, particularly life stories, to investigate the individual and collective identity constructions of entrepreneurs and other business practitioners in tourism”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The methodology and methods in the study</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The study had methods and methodology with regards to a constructivist narrative inquiry methodology, which “appreciates multiple truths and realities and relies on mutuality between researchers and researched”. The data was analysed in three sections which are: life stories, stories about destinations and stories for tourists. Further, methodological reflections were also analysed where Bertella’s emotions and relationships were reflected in this study.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The conclusion of the study</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The main aim of this study was to find out the worldviews of small tourism providers and their perspective on sustainability. A multi-methods and an enactive methods approach was taken in this study. Bertella’s findings were as follows, “the findings revealed a multi-themed storyworld incorporating conflicting epistemes relating to both weak and strong sustainability. The themes included responsibility/irresponsibility, power imbalance, resistance to change, hypocrisy, concern, disappointment, frustration, sense of guilt, collaboration, passion, moral obligation, agency, and knowledge. The observed conflict mirrored the tension felt by the providers between their sustainability concerns and their practices, which led to an epistemic impasse”. Further, Bertella encountered some differences which were “the inclusion of local providers, such as representatives of possible Indigenous communities, might reveal different stories in which resident communities that had a rather marginal role in this study might play a more prominent role. This could be particularly important for reflections on the interaction between the environmental dimension of sustainability and the economic and sociocultural dimensions.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">A personal viewpoint on sustainability with regards to small tourism providers</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Islands or fragile destinations are in remote locations and there are limited amounts of services or skilled labor to assist a deteriorating environment. My view is that since these ecosystems are fragile and there is a vast amount of tourists, measures should be put in place to favor the environment more to the indigenous, local communities and the small tourism providers. Tourists should not leave the environment in a detrimental state as this same environment is a source of life and living for the small tourism providers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2022-12-26 12:56:14.893140','uploads/news/pexels-oleksandr-pidvalnyi-1004584.jpg',1,'Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights','As there are multiple definitions of sustainability, small tourism providers face difficulty around the concept especially those who are on environmentally delicate destinations. This research by Bertella goes in-depth into the small tourism providers perspective on sustainability. For instance, other articles explored how small tourism providers have had a positive attitude to overcome obstacles, which were connected to international tour operators and power relations with government agencies. The difficulty comes in as there are conflicts between practices of the local people and there is a limited amount of power and resources. Further, a multi-methods and an enactive methods approach was taken in this study. Some of Bertella’s findings were as follows, “the findings revealed a multi-themed storyworld incorporating conflicting epistemes relating to both weak and strong sustainability. The themes included responsibility/irresponsibility, power imbalance, resistance to change, hypocrisy, concern, disappointment, frustration, sense of guilt, collaboration, passion, moral obligation, agency, and knowledge”.',13,196,'<div style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\"><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; PanelGiovannaBertellaEnvelope, A., GiovannaBertellaEnvelope, Highlights•The stories we tell ourselves and others disclose our inner thoughts and feelings.•Stories form storyworlds, &amp; AbstractThis study asks how small tourism providers use stories to make sense of their world in terms of sustainability. It elaborates on sense-making and story concepts and their relevance to sustainability; adopts an enactive research approach and multi. (2022, December 22). Small tourism providers\' stories about sustainability. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666957922000532</li></ul></div><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tourism Photos, Download Free Tourism Stock Photos &amp; HD Images - Pexels. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.pexels.com/search/tourism/</li></ul>'),(79091,'A resilient strategy called Pfumvudza shows its effectiveness against drought impacts in rural communities in Zimbabwe','a-resilient-strategy-called-pfumvudza-shows-its-effectiveness-against-drought-impacts-in-rural-communities-in-zimbabwe','2023-01-11 21:55:34.105034','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-f12c7e61-7fff-fa35-507a-08804bc31223\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A Zimbabwe vernacular term called Pfumvudza which signifies the blooming of new leaves in the spring season which signals that a new farming season is starting. This concept of a crop production intensification approach is known as conservation agriculture. “The research assessed the effectiveness of Pfumvudza as a resilient strategy against climate change induced drought impacts in rural communities Zimbabwe, case of Munyarari ward 20.”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-f12c7e61-7fff-fa35-507a-08804bc31223\"><br></b></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-f12c7e61-7fff-fa35-507a-08804bc31223\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">The idea of&nbsp;</span></b><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Pfumvudza</span></h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">Conservation agriculture is a concept that allows farmers to use an efficient amount of resources to optimise management on a small area of land. This study is also a descriptive study method which showed the amount of people who practiced Pfumvudza was 96 households whilst 18 households were not interested in Pfumvudza. The article mentions that “climate change induced drought impacts greatly affected communal farmers who depended on rain fed agriculture. This led to food insecurity which attracted donor aid year after year. Further, through research it is proven that Pfumvudza reduced donor aid and improved yield in the area. Moreover, there is a difference in the Pfumvudza scheme before and after the yields of crops that is supported by Mann–Whitney. Those who practiced Pfumvudza&nbsp; showed a different result from those who did not. The conclusions of the article stated that Pfumvudza increased resilience against climate change induced drought impacts. The research stated recommendations for farmers to nourish Pfumvudza strategy to improve food security and  high yields.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Understanding conservation agriculture</span></h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">Drought impacts which are inflicted by climate change is becoming a global issue which is difficult to manage and affects those significantly who are in a rural area and mostly those who are in the agriculture sector. The article states the FAO that, “according to the World Bank Report (2021), food insecurity is affecting approximately 8.9% of the global populace. The problem is serious in Sub-Saharan Africa and the occurrence of hunger in Africa from 2014 to 2019 rose by 1.5%”. Furthermore, Governments joint with their partners have positively responded to the concept of conservation agriculture. Conservation agriculture relies on three principles, which are mulching and minimum tillage and aims to boost yields, increase resilience to climate change negative impacts</span><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">, crop rotation, mulching and minimum tillage and aims to boost yields. Conservation Agriculture is also known by different terms such as conservation tillage, zero till and no till.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">In other countries across the world such as Turkey, the European countries, and Spain have shown positive outcomes in reducing climate change induced drought impacts. To highlight that Zimbabwe with the usage of </span><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">Pfumvudza’s effectiveness the farmers had achieved more yield than the ones who did not take on the Pfumvudza approach. The statistics show that the farmers who supported Pfumvudza has 800% more yield than those who followed the conventional farming practices. Climate change is always related to sustainable development goals where in Zimbabwe, the “impacts of climate change induced droughts contribute in hindering the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Zimbabwe which include SDG1 of eradicating poverty, SDG 2 of eradicating hunger and SDG 3 of promoting good health and wellbeing of people.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">There is a challenge in this research as not many have found out the effectiveness of Pfumvudza. Therefore the research explored two aims and hypotheses:</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">This research has two important aspects to achieve:</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><ol style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type:decimal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">“Examine the trend of household yields before and after implementation of Pfumvudza in Munyarari, ward 20, Mutare district.”</span></p></li></ol><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><ol style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" start=\"2\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type:decimal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;“Evaluate the challenges faced in implementation of Pfumvudza in Munyarari, ward 20, Mutare district.”</span></p></li></ol><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">There were two hypothesis:</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">“Determining the difference in trends of household yields before and after implementation of Pfumvudza.”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">“H0 There is no significant difference in trends of household yields before and after implementation of Pfumvudza.”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">“H1 There is significant difference in trends of household yields before and after implementation of Pfumvudza.”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The study area of the research:</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">“Munyarari, ward 20 is located about 35 km south of Mutare in Manicaland Province. It is in Mutare District”.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"\"><br></b></p><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study&nbsp;</span></h3><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study stated that the conventional way of farming was used in Munyarari, which caused low yields as rain fed agriculture was relied on due to climate change. Climate change lead to droughts and impacted the agriculture land and therefore impacted food security. Further, the urgent need of help came from NGOs. The goal of Pfumvudza stated in the study is that “in 2020/1 cropping season in the ward was aimed at addressing problems of low yields and making households more resilient to climate shocks so as to ensure food security.” Further, the results showed that farmers who landed up practicing Pfumvudza had greater yields, and those who did not implement this practice had lower yields. Further, there was greater resilience to climate change once Pfumvudza was implemented. Additionally, “the Pfumvudza concept is a viable resilient strategy that can help rural farmers that depend on rain-fed agriculture to counter effects of climate change and increase agriculture production thereby contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal number 1 and 2 (eradicating poverty and improving food security).”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><br><br></p></span>','2022-12-28 18:10:22.661694','uploads/news/pexels-kiptoo-addi-14924252.jpg',1,'Springer -  Social Sciences','Conservation agriculture is a concept that allows farmers to use an efficient amount of resources to optimise management on a small area of land. This study is also a descriptive study method which showed the amount of people who practiced Pfumvudza was 96 households whilst 18 households were not interested in Pfumvudza. The article mentions that “climate change induced drought impacts greatly affected communal farmers who depended on rain fed agriculture. This led to food insecurity which attracted donor aid year after year. Further, through research it is proven that Pfumvudza reduced donor aid and improved yield in the area. Moreover, there is a difference in the Pfumvudza scheme before and after the yields of crops that is supported by Mann–Whitney. Those who practiced Pfumvudza  showed a different result from those who did not. The conclusions of the article stated that Pfumvudza increased resilience against climate change induced drought impacts. The research stated recommendations for farmers to nourish Pfumvudza strategy to improve food security and high yields.',13,199,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Drought Africa photos, Download free drought africa stock photos &amp; hd ... (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from <a href=\"https://www.pexels.com/search/drought%20africa/\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.pexels.com/search/drought%20africa/</a></li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mavesere, F., &amp; Dzawanda, B. (2022, December 28). Effectiveness of pfumvudza as a resilient strategy against drought impacts in rural communities of Zimbabwe - Geojournal. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-022-10812-3</li></ul>'),(79104,'Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and youth unemployment in Africa','information-and-communication-technology--and-youth-unemployment-in-africa','2023-01-12 20:29:05.272776','<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">A developing continent such as Africa is lagging in infrastructural development that is pertaining to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. The ICT sector is growing at an exhilarating rate, which allows for employment opportunities, this is where the advancement and knowledge of the ICT sector leads to reducing the unemployment rate in Africa.</span></p><p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><br></span></p><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The effects of ICT on youth employment</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The research taken by Ogbonna, Adediran, Oloko, and Isah investigated “the effect of ICT on youth unemployment in Africa using a sample of 41 African countries between 2003 and 2018. The study employs a dynamic Generalised Method of Moment (GMM) approach and constructs a composite ICT index to combine key indicators of ICT, using the principal component approach.” Additionally, the ICT youth unemployment nexus of education which is an interactive role was also accounted for in the study. The theoretical model, Phillip curve, showed the effect of inflation, physical capital accumulation, economic growth, and a&nbsp; level of corruption. Further, in having a higher ICT deployment and usage aids for youth unemployment to be reduced in Africa. This statement leads to the hypothesis of the study. Moreover, there is evidence shown by reducing the unemployment rate of the ICT sector linked with the ICT usage that is exacerbated by education. The Phillip curve hypothesis shows that there is a negative effect on youth employment when there is an inflation rate. In many African countries there is economic recession and a declining economic growth, hence, the ICT education curriculum needs to be revised in order to reduce youth unemployment in the long-run.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The ICT sector is opening up employment</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the developing countries, technology or specifically the ICT sector is hardly explored but in the other countries and sectors involving ICT, there is a rapid rate. There is research that backs up this statement, for instance, “Yakovleva and Goltsova (2016), Rodrguez-Rodrguez and Gonzalez (2020), and Warshawski (2020) identified the use of ICT in the education sector; Abolhassani et al. (2018), Fernandaz et al. (2020) and Parsons et al. (2020) noted the use of ICT in the health sector; whereas, Choudhary et al. (2020) examined the use of ICT in the defence and crime management sector. Other studies such as Zhang and Danish (2019) and Stute et al. (2020) noted the use of ICT in the environmental and disaster management sector, while Alkhowaiter (2020), Del Guadio et&nbsp; al. (2020) and Yin et al. (2020) expressed the use of ICT in the banking sector. In another strand of studies (Alimi and Adediran 2020; Arvin et al. 2021; Pradhan et al. 2021; among others).” It is also noted that economic growth and ICT are quite closely linked.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to World Development Indicator data between 2000 and 2018 the African countries hardly adapted to the ICT sector even though 8% of the population was using the internet. Moreover, ICT intensive industries in Africa have rising employment opportunities and through knowledge sharing and the practice of ICT would be able to reduce the unemployment rate amongst the Youth in Africa.The aim of the research “addresses the problem of youth unemployment in Africa and seeks the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a panacea”. The study also looked into three objectives regarding youth unemployment in Africa:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">1) “First, Africa is a “youthful” continent with youths making up more than 65% of its population, about one in five of which (about 20.7%) are not in employment, education, or training”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">2) “Second, the youth unemployment problem is at the centre of socio-economic challenges in the continent including the increase in cybercrime, militancy, kidnapping, prostitution, drug addiction, and xenophobic attacks.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">3) “Third, in Africa where the problem is endemic, youth unemployment is largely structural and attributed to various demand-side and supply-side inefficiencies”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Further, this study aims to look at ways that technology can reduce the youth unemployment rate in Africa.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The results of the study showed that Botswana, South Africa and Southern Africa are the best performers on the continent when it comes to the ICT sector. The countries which have a downgraded performance are Niger, Malawi and Burundi. Moreover, the agriculture sector out of the industry and services sector has the highest employment rates. The country with the most number of people using the internet is Morocco and the country with the most mobile cellular subscriptions is South Africa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The conclusion of the study</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The aim of the study is to investigate how the impact of the ICT sector influences youth unemployment in Africa. Further, the study looked in the 41 countries in Africa and their ICT index and the nexus is examined between youth unemployment and ICT deployment. The results showed that the push for the ICT sector in Africa is very low and is leading to a high unemployment rate. The solution to get more people involved in the ICT sector is for them to be educated in this field as those who are unemployed are linked to high criminal activities.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>','2022-12-28 18:10:44.489474','uploads/news/pexels-kevin-paster-1901388.jpg',1,'Springer -  Social Sciences','The research taken by Ogbonna, Adediran, Oloko, and Isah investigated “the effect of ICT on youth unemployment in Africa using a sample of 41 African countries between 2003 and 2018. The study employs a dynamic Generalised Method of Moment (GMM) approach and constructs a composite ICT index to combine key indicators of ICT, using the principal component approach.” Additionally, the ICT youth unemployment nexus of education which is an interactive role was also accounted for in the study. The theoretical model, Phillip curve, showed the effect of inflation, physical capital accumulation, economic growth, and a  level of corruption. Further, in having a higher ICT deployment and usage aids for youth unemployment to be reduced in Africa. This statement leads to the hypothesis of the study. Moreover, there is evidence shown by reducing the unemployment rate of the ICT sector linked with the ICT usage that is exacerbated by education. The Phillip curve hypothesis shows that there is a negative effect on youth employment when there is an inflation rate. In many African countries there is economic recession and a declining economic growth, hence, the ICT education curriculum needs to be revised in order to reduce youth unemployment in the long-run.',13,134,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Link.springer.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11135-022-01600-9.pdf?pdf=button</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Macbook Pro on brown wooden table · free stock photo. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.pexels.com/photo/macbook-pro-on-brown-wooden-table-1901388/</li></ul>'),(81313,'A long short-term memory that is used as a prediction measure for energy consumption in campus buildings.','a-long-short-term-memory-that-is-used-as-a-prediction-measure-for-energy-consumption-in-campus-buildings','2023-01-20 21:16:48.171776','<div><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">In an institutional building, energy consumption can be predicted by Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). There has been a case where weather data had forecasted a novel energy consumption prediction for a futuristic value for energy consumption. Data was forecasted by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET). Further, there were results and a proposed approach which showed that energy policies could be implemented much faster as there were accurate assumptions of energy consumption based on diagnosis and fault detection on buildings.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">About the energy consumption of buildings</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The global energy demand according to the International Energy Agency mentions that there will be a 3% energy demand increase due to a continued economic growth which was witnessed in 2022. For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic had reduced carbon emissions significantly in 2022 since 1990 and there was a decline by 5.8%. Further, the article stated that “despite the decrease in greenhouse gases emission in 2020, the concentration of carbon dioxide reached the highest average annual concentration. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) concluded that the global mean temperature of 2021 was 1.09 C higher compared to the era 1850 to 1900.” Energy consumption in buildings specifically contributes a vast amount in Malaysia. For example, commercial buildings and residential buildings energy consumption constituted 13%, while buildings in Malaysia made up 54% of total electricity usage in Malaysia. Globally, energy demand is on an increase due to economic growth and population growth. Additionally, a study has been out on university buildings being energy efficient and there were only a few institutions that contributed to energy consumption.&nbsp; The article by Faiq, Tan and other researchers mentioned that the energy consumption could be predicted by computer modelling. This innovative idea led to a predictive model that aided to foresee&nbsp; Multimedia University Malacca’s energy consumption.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The models that predict energy consumption in buildings</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The model is a data-driven model which is related to most predictive models. These models are comprehensive and complex in nature when it comes to analysing buildings through a physical model. The article however has a negative comment about physical models, “physical models are relatively complicated, yet they fail to accurately anticipate energy demand in buildings.” In data-driven models, SVR and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were preferred as the complexity of a building\'s structure was excluded.&nbsp; The structures in the predictive model were the thickness of the walls and the types of materials that were used on the buildings. The model however can be affected by other factors such as temperature which is an environmental variable. Whilst other models predicted other parameters such as solar irradiance prediction. Other environmental variables were collated from a Malaysian model, “weather data including temperature, wind velocity, humidity and air pressure were obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET) in creating a predictive model here.” Further, there are many more external variables that can advance the accuracy of the model such as cooling and heating degree days, solar radiation, wind speed, the day of the week and year and there are many more variables.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The model that was eventually created is for institutional buildings to predict their daily day-ahead energy consumption. The model showed the following positive results, “it was noted that forecast and prediction were defined as the estimation of the future magnitude of a variable. These predictions can be benchmarked and used for system fault detection. Optimisations could be done by building retrofits to increase the efficiency of energy usage.” Although, in Malaysia the Gross Domestic Product is correlated with the amount of energy consumption which was connected to the assessment of the economic growth with a common metric. The article suggests that, “the proposed work could be helpful in implementing energy policies as accurate energy predictions may have a significant impact on capital expenditure”.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The literature review of the study looked at the following themes: energy prediction, the energy prediction techniques through a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), which is a proposed prediction algorithm. The second prediction that was explored was a dropout for the proposed prediction algorithm and the important features. Further, evaluation metrics were analysed and experimental configuration pertaining to data, and experimental procedure. Moreover, the results and analysis showed the performance evaluation and the prediction of energy consumption from 1/8/2021 to 7/8/2021.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">The accuracy of the LSTM model&nbsp;</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The study concluded that the forecast of energy consumption of an institutional building can be predicted from an LSTM model, which gives a daily day-ahead forecast. The day, week, weekend or holiday affects the LSTM model. Further, to improve the accuracy of the model, environmental external variables are needed such as wind speed, solar radiation, temperature and so forth.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify; \">A personal viewpoint</h3><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">I think that gaining the predictive or forecasted view of energy consumption in institutional buildings is a very innovative idea. In this way, a university or any building can know their energy consumption and take action on how to be energy efficient.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>','2023-01-18 12:44:45.270013','uploads/news/pexels-pixabay-207684_1.jpg',1,'Alexandria Engineering Journal','In an institutional building, energy consumption can be predicted by Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). There has been a case where weather data had forecasted a novel energy consumption prediction for a futuristic value for energy consumption. Data was forecasted by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET). Further, there were results and a proposed approach which showed that energy policies could be implemented much faster as there were accurate assumptions of energy consumption based on diagnosis and fault detection on buildings.The study concluded that the forecast of energy consumption of an institutional building can be predicted from an LSTM model, which gives a daily day-ahead forecast. The day, week, weekend or holiday affects the LSTM model. Further, to improve the accuracy of the model, environmental external variables are needed such as wind speed, solar radiation, temperature and so forth.',13,87,'<div style=\"text-indent: -37.7953px;\"><i><br></i></div><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Author links open overlay panelMuhammadFaiqaKimGeok TanaPersonEnvelopeChiaPao LiewbPersonEnvelopeFerdousHossainaChih-PingTsoaLiLi LimcAdam YoonKhang WongdZulhilmiMohd Shahe <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Prediction of energy consumption in campus buildings using long short-term memory</i>, <i>Alexandria Engineering Journal</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016822008006 (Accessed: January 20, 2023).</p></i></li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Buildings Photos, Download Free Buildings Stock Photos &amp; HD Images - Pexels</i><span style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;(no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/search/buildings/ (Accessed: January 17, 2023).&nbsp;</span></li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(82768,'For an environmentally sensitive industry does ESG performance affect the financial performance? A comparison between developed and emerging markets','for-an-environmentally-sensitive-industry-does-esg-performance-affect-the-financial-performance-a-comparison-between-developed-and-emerging-markets','2023-03-27 20:25:31.871347','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-0583c330-7fff-d98a-ba2a-19bce7972e44\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">﻿</span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A term that has become popular in recent years in research and industries is corporate sustainability. With an increase in climate risks and a growing population there is a concern over social and environmental problems. Hence, sustainability practices are put in place to achieve <a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2214845022001119?token=F740F78789ACDBF251B7C77A6003D0F52F456212C26AF06D46B8D5BE66EA0D964601A036FC09D14BAF8386E37386D4F8&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230327190557\" target=\"_blank\">corporate sustainability</a>.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Business sustainability</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Businesses are now focusing on <a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2214845022001119?token=F740F78789ACDBF251B7C77A6003D0F52F456212C26AF06D46B8D5BE66EA0D964601A036FC09D14BAF8386E37386D4F8&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230327190557\" target=\"_blank\">sustainability practices </a>such as carbon reduction, waste management, and improving the operational capacity. These sustainability practices however, need to benefit all stakeholders, whilst increasing a corporation\'s value. The stakeholder theory mentions the following: “Stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984) suggests that organizations should not only focus on generating value and profit for owners or stockholders but should also consider the best interests of all the stakeholders engaged with the business. When businesses include ESG practices then this allows for a competitive market and a greater financial performance.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Stakeholder theory versus the shareholder theory</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Further, there is a debate or controversy between the stakeholder theory and the shareholder theory. “Conversely, shareholder theory (Friedmann, 1962) opposes this stance, arguing that socially responsible activities are not a corporation\'s responsibility or objective. Shareholder theory indicates that corporations should prioritize maximizing owner\'s value and profit and should conduct business operations only for the benefit of their stockholders or owners (Friedman, 1970) and that socially responsible activities are the responsibility of the relevant shareholder, not the corporation. However, shareholder theory does not restrict socially responsible practices as long as they are economically advantageous to the corporation (Smith, 2003), and previous studies found evidence showing ESG investments as being economically advantageous for the corporation.”&nbsp;</span></p><br><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><font color=\"#000000\" style=\"\">ESG performance</font></span></h2><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Research on the impact of ESG remains limited and performance of environmentally sustainable companies needs more research. The objective of the study is: “this study investigates the ESG–financial performance relationship of environmentally sensitive corporations to determine how investment and expenditure made by these corporations to protect the environment and communities affect their corporate financial performance.” Both emerging and developing nations have adopted ESG practices but what is missing is that emerging countries lack adequate penalties, legislation, and ESG practice incentives. Further, the “developed countries are more concerned with economic and environmental sustainability and sociocultural rights.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study has five objectives namely:</span></p><br><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“analyzes whether the impact of ESG controversies on corporate financial performance of environmentally sensitive corporations differs between developed economies\' markets and emerging economies\' market”</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“A comprehensive literature review followed by hypothesis development”</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Discusses the research design, empirical models, and study methodology, along with sample selection, data collection process, and a detailed description of variables”</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“The descriptive statistics and empirical findings with discussion.”</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Contains the conclusions and some recommendations and suggestions”</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">ESG practices add on costs for a business. In environmental sustainable industries there has been a positive correlation showing.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The hypothesis in the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The hypothesis analysed in the literature review</span></p><br><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Hypothesis 1A. Overall ESG performance of corporations from environmentally sensitive industries affects their profitability and market valuation.”</span></p></li></ol><ul style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Studies in the emerging markets are limited.</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">ESG performance on environmentally sustainable corporations their financial performance will be affected.</span></p></li></ul><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Hypothesis 2A. ESG performance of corporations from environmentally sensitive industries in the developed</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Hypothesis 2B. ESG performance of corporations from environmentally sensitive industries in the emerging countries’ markets affects their profitability and market</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Valuation”.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Hypothesis 3A. ESG controversies of corporations from environmentally sensitive industries affect their profit- ability and market valuation”</span></p><br><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An overview of the findings</span></font></h2><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study shows that “overall ESG performance of environmentally sensitive corporations have positive and significant relationships with ROE and Tobin\'s Q, indicating that higher ESG performance positively impacts profitability and contributes to the increase in market value of these corporations.” The company\'s practices support the stakeholder theory and not the shareholder theory. Further, expanding on ESG practices can bring in financial benefits in focussing on social sustainability and environmental sustainability. The study has found out that,”our findings suggest that ESG performances of environmentally sensitive corporations are more recognized in the developed countries\' markets and have a stronger impact on the financial performance of the corporations from developed countries than on those from emerging countries.</span></p><div><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span>','2023-01-21 02:13:58.472408','uploads/news/pexels-josh-hild-4270292.jpg',1,'Borsa Istanbul Review','Businesses are now focusing on sustainability practices such as carbon reduction, waste management, and improving the operational capacity. These sustainability practices however, need to benefit all stakeholders, whilst increasing a corporation\'s value. The stakeholder theory mentions the following: “Stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984) suggests that organizations should not only focus on generating value and profit for owners or stockholders but should also consider the best interests of all the stakeholders engaged with the business. When businesses include ESG practices then this allows for a competitive market and a greater financial performance. The study shows that “overall ESG performance of environmentally sensitive corporations have positive and significant relationships with ROE and Tobin\'s Q, indicating that higher ESG performance positively impacts profitability and contributes to the increase in market value of these corporations.” The company\'s practices support the stakeholder theory and not the shareholder theory. Further, expanding on ESG practices can bring in financial benefits in focussing on social sustainability and environmental sustainability. The study has found out that,”our findings suggest that ESG performances of environmentally sensitive corporations are more recognized in the developed countries\' markets and have a stronger impact on the financial performance of the corporations from developed countries than on those from emerging countries.',13,196,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelNasruzzaman Naeem a <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Does ESG performance affect the financial performance of Environmentally Sensitive Industries? A comparison between emerging and developed markets</i>, <i>Borsa Istanbul Review</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2214845022001119?token=F740F78789ACDBF251B7C77A6003D0F52F456212C26AF06D46B8D5BE66EA0D964601A036FC09D14BAF8386E37386D4F8&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230327190557 (Accessed: March 27, 2023).&nbsp;</li></ul><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><div></div><p></p></p><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; High rise buildings during night time · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/high-rise-buildings-during-night-time-4270292/ (Accessed: March 27, 2023). </li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(84239,'The struggle of cocoa plantations surviving climate change in Ghana and the solutions provided','the-struggle-of-cocoa-plantations-surviving-climate-change-in-ghana-and-the-solutions-provided','2023-01-29 21:08:57.008654','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-f82343da-7fff-06e4-58be-cece0357c306\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">In tropical Africa, cocoa farming and the livelihoods of communities in Ghana are suffering the consequences of climate change. The evidence of this is known to be scanty. Anning and other researchers evaluated the smallholder cocoa farmers\' perception on </span><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">mitigation</span><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"> and adaptation on climate change in Dansi South District, Ghana. There were three focus group discussions and&nbsp; 150 households from three communities in the district. Other indicators that were analysed were weather patterns and how the plantations adapted to climate change.</span></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><br></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\">About Cocoa plants in Ghana</h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A major cash crop in Ghana that provides income, employment, food and raw materials for the chocolate industry is cocoa. Cocoa is known to be the chief cash crop and the principal agricultural export in Ghana. Also cocoa is known to be a<a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-018-0552-0\" target=\"_blank\"> tropical perennial crop</a>. The global production levels of export are very high and almost second towards Cote d Ivoire. The cocoa industry gives many families jobs, as about 800 000 farm families and through foreign exchange cash crops it accumulates to $2 billion. Further, the driver of poverty alleviation and economic growth is cocoa production and is recognised amongst the developing nations with its advantages to stabilise communities. The challenge that the cocoa production faces is climate change. In every phase of the cocoa production, favourable climate conditions are needed. Precipitation is one weather pattern that impacts cocoa production due to soil water being scarce. As climate change gets worse, the cocoa producing industries are becoming vulnerable to adverse climate change conditions. In Ghana specifically, prolonged dry spells and floods would have a huge impact on food security for households and cocoa production.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;</span></font></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\">The negative effects of climate change</h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The other climate risks that are against cocoa production are rising temperatures, inconsistent rainfalls, droughts and seasonal patterns. Further, cocoa diseases are generally enhanced by climate change such as black pod and swollen shoot, which alters the resistance to pest infestation and diseases. Climate change is impacting cocoa production in Ghana, and resilience of smallholder cocoa farmers must be put in place to address the associated threats and to save their livelihoods.&nbsp;</span></font></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font>The study contextualized</h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The <a href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/\" target=\"_blank\">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)</a> is mostly for policy makers to make a scientific assessment on climate change and its potential risks, which are mostly caused by human-induced actions.&nbsp; The IPCC defines adaptation as “the interventions that minimise the adverse effects of climate change while taking advantage of potential new opportunities.For smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana who experience poverty and economic vulnerability, adaptation is identified as an important strategy that can lessen their vulnerability to climate risks and enhance livelihood security.” The articles further mention that, “ adaptation practices can only be undertaken by smallholder cocoa farmers if they can discern alterations in climatic conditions. The adaptation measures for the cocoa farmers in Ghana are hardly known and therefore lead to greater climate risks. Moreover, there is research on how the cocoa farmers will implement these adaptation measures in Ghana. This study looked at climate change adaptations and manifestations in cocoa farms in Ghana, mainly, Adansi South District of Ghana.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study has the following objectives, which are as follows:</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(i) “evaluate the perception of climate change by smallholder cocoa farmers”</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(ii) determine the perceived physical manifestations of climate change on cocoa farms”&nbsp;</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(iii) determine smallholder cocoa farmers’ perception of some adaptation measures used to manage climate risks” (iv) assess the factors that influence the adaptation measures employed by the farming households to lessen climatic risks.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The method of the study was a field study taken on three communities namely, “New Edubiase, Tonkoase No.1, and Tonkoase No. 2”. Regarding climate risks, temperature and precipitation were two measures that were analysed. The findings were found to meet the objectives of the study which are outlined above.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><h2 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\">The conclusion of the study</h2><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study showed the impacts of climate change on small-holder cocoa farmers regarding adaptations and physical manifestations in the Adansi South District of Ghana. The findings showed that climate change amongst the farmers was perceived by the change of weather patterns in rainfall and temperature. The weather change caused an instability in the cocoa plants such as pest manifestations and diseases. Moreover, the farmers have implemented several measures to adapt to climate change, which had a positive impact on the yield and harvest of the cocoa plantations. Further, the study showed policy interventions, which are as follows: “First, smallholder cocoa farmers’ perception of the changing climate would promote the implementation of adaptable measures to ensure sustainable cocoa production in the district. Second, there is the need to educate cocoa farmers on the repercussions of the changing climate and their adaptable measures, highlighting the associated risks and benefits of key adaptation options to assist in prioritisation. Third, policy interventions regarding adaptation practices should take into consideration the potential influence of socio-economic factors such as age, gender, and education on the choice of climate change adaptation measures.”</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In summary, the solution for the cocoa plantations to adapt to climate change policy interventions must be implemented.</span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></font></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><br></p></span>','2023-01-21 04:09:31.517283','uploads/news/pexels-delphine-hourlay-691152.jpg',1,'Current Research in Environmental Sustainability','In tropical Africa, cocoa farming and the livelihoods of communities in Ghana are suffering the consequences of climate change. The evidence of this is known to be scanty. Anning and other researchers evaluated the smallholder cocoa farmers\' perception on mitigations and adaptation on climate change in Dansi South District, Ghana. There were three focus group discussions and  150 households from three communities in the district. Other indicators that were analysed were weather patterns and how the plantations adapted to climate change.The study showed the impacts of climate change on small-holder cocoa farmers regarding adaptations and physical manifestations in the Adansi South District of Ghana. The findings showed that climate change amongst the farmers was perceived by the change of weather patterns in rainfall and temperature. The weather change caused an instability in the cocoa plants such as pest manifestations and diseases. Moreover, the farmers have implemented several measures to adapt to climate change, which had a positive impact on the yield and harvest of the cocoa plantations. Further, the study showed some policy interventions which is the way forward in cocoa farmers adapting to climate change.',13,164,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Author links open overlay panelAlexander K.AnningaPersonEnvelopeAugustineOfori-YeboahbFrankBaffour-AtabGeorgeOwusuc <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Climate change manifestations and adaptations in Cocoa Farms: Perspectives of Smallholder Farmers in the Adansi South District, Ghana</i>, <i>Current Research in Environmental Sustainability</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666049022000743 (Accessed: January 29, 2023).&nbsp;</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Close-up photography of Cocoa Powder · Free Stock Photo</i><span style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\"> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-cocoa-powder-691152/ (Accessed: January 29, 2023).</span></li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(86341,'The future of Saudi Arabia moving towards Green mobility: implications for increasing the capacity for renewable energy, and reducing carbon emissions','the-future-of-saudi-arabia-moving-towards-green-mobility-implications-for-increasing-the-capacity-for-renewable-energy-and-reducing-carbon-emissions','2023-03-14 07:40:01.972028','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-0f3c4e64-7fff-1f49-c0f3-adf74f58ced8\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The urban population worldwide is increasing rapidly which is 55% of the world’s population at a rate of 1.9%. There is going to be a double in the urban area population over the next 40 years. In 2025, it is imagined that 70% of the world\'s population is going to live in cities. With an increase in population there comes negative effects such as automobiles increase and adverse effects such as health, social and environmental impacts.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Urban population and the need for a greener transition</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In combating the urban population there are means in building more roads and expanding the city to overcome urban transportation to meet the demand for accessibility in travelling. In building extra infrastructure however,&nbsp; this will lead to more people owning cars, resulting in traffic congestion, pollution and environmental degradation. With an urban population on a rise there is a need to have urban sustainability in place - in achieving smart cities, eco-cities, zero-energy cities, sustainable cities and low carbon cities. There is a notion that cities need to be involved in “Green Mobility”, “Sustainable Mobility” and “Green Transportation” in order to be user friendly for living, and a design for healthy living purposes. Green mobility is defined as efficient, flexible and responsive with less traffic and travel whilst achieving environmental sustainability. There has been a trend in increasing green mobility in cities where cities deal with significant challenges such as economic losses, congestion, air pollution, and the emission of greenhouse gases. Mostly in the developed countries the cities are striving for green metro policies that are sustainable. Green mobility is defined as developing safe, responsive, efficient, and flexible mobility in cities whilst striving for environmental sustainability.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Saudi Arabia is ticking the Green Mobility box</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The most urbanised country in the world is Saudi Arabia and around 80% of people live in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a vision for 2030 and this is to change the city from a traditional city to a sustainable city. The solution for moving to a more sustainable city is through the use of products and green mobility being a major requirement, which is currently adhered to in the industrial sector. Air pollution is a major issue in Saudi Arabia and through reducing mobility, air pollution can be decreased or even prevented. The<a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2405844023011842?token=7F7CFE54A9DB351EB4782779CE90EBC289683061B58D7FCCBED344171C971876FADA23293E6E0BBAE407D9482D1FD40F&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230313114021\" target=\"_blank\"> study by Khalid Mohammed Almatar</a> looks into the advantages of green mobility in Saudi Arabia.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><br></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In adapting green mobility there is a need for policy changes and becoming more competitive in the market. The Saudi Arabia Government needs to be involved in making a safer and greener environment.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An overview of the literature review</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In order to be a green mobile city there are components that need to be worked on such as: innovative building design, water management, green mindset, green supply chain, green energy management, biodiversity, and waste management. Currently, Saudi Arabia is facing the following issues - there are tons of carbon emissions being released from transport which is contributing to greenhouse gases and evening leading to climate change. This also results in air pollution and has negative health implications. This is where green mobility becomes precious as you are using natural resources which are not getting depleted and are not harming the environment as with fossil fuels.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Visioning green mobility</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Green mobility involves climate protection, air quality benefits, incremental investment, time savings, reduction in traffic congestion, having a diversified energy supply and improving the air quality. These are all environmental benefits just in transitioning to green mobility.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Concluding statements in the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Green mobility is envisioned to be the future of cities. There has been a positive connection between environmental benefits and green mobility in Saudi Arabia mostly in a future city such as Riyadh. Diversified energy is needed urgently, especially the transition towards renewable energy. More studies are needed on a national level and different stakeholders need to come together to discuss their actions on green mobility in order to improve the quality of life and the environment.&nbsp;</span></p><br><br><br></span>','2023-02-26 03:29:45.052446','uploads/news/pexels-konevi-2830460_1.jpg',1,'CELL - Heliyon- Inpress','The urban population worldwide is increasing rapidly which is 55% of the world’s population at a rate of 1.9%. There is going to be a double in the urban area population over the next 40 years. In 2025, it is imagined that 70% of the world\'s population is going to live in cities. With an increase in population there comes negative effects such as automobiles increase and adverse effects such as health, social and environmental impacts. Green mobility is envisioned to be the future of cities. There has been a positive connection between environmental benefits and green mobility in Saudi Arabia mostly in a future city such as Riyadh. Diversified energy is needed urgently, especially the transition towards renewable energy. More studies are needed on a national level and different stakeholders need to come together to discuss their actions on green mobility in order to improve the quality of life and the environment.',13,196,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelKhalid Mohammed Almatar, Highlights•Mobility ‏results in air pollution that causes more than 0.4 Million deaths and AbstractWorldwide (2023) <i>Towards sustainable green mobility in the future of Saudi Arabia cities: Implication for reducing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy capacity</i>, <i>Heliyon</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2405844023011842?token=7F7CFE54A9DB351EB4782779CE90EBC289683061B58D7FCCBED344171C971876FADA23293E6E0BBAE407D9482D1FD40F&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230313114021 (Accessed: March 13, 2023).&nbsp;</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dome buildings during Golden hour · free stock photo - PEXELS</i><span style=\"text-indent: -1cm;\"> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dome-buildings-during-golden-hour-2830460/ (Accessed: March 13, 2023).</span></li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(87298,'Emerging communication technologies and information for renewable transitions and smart energy systems','emerging-communication-technologies-and-information-for-renewable-transitions-and-smart-energy-systems','2023-03-14 07:32:28.251393','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-32ecb8dd-7fff-ca86-1ec8-a0c43b2a8b59\"><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In order to achieve global decarbonization and to transition from carbon intensive methods to smart energy systems and renewable energy is crucial in being able to combat climate change. This is as the energy sector through non-renewable energy is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The <a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666792423000045?token=DFB8D89753F55F05AAE746CE07E97228E61F11499A6BDE400DADC75C4752377D158EFB79BFEA8F7665B1301C3164614B&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230311074743\" target=\"_blank\">arti</a></span><span style=\"background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666792423000045?token=DFB8D89753F55F05AAE746CE07E97228E61F11499A6BDE400DADC75C4752377D158EFB79BFEA8F7665B1301C3164614B&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230311074743\" target=\"_blank\">cle</a> by Ning Zhao, Haoran Zhang, Xiaohu Yang , Jinyue Yan, and Fengqi You shows the emerging communication technologies, smart energy systems and renewable transitions.</span></p><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-48a6f631-7fff-08bb-5ddf-f887f85702e0\"><br></span><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Decarbonizing energy systems</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">There are two challenges in achieving a decarbonization system which include sustainable system operations and energy transition planning. When you have energy transition designs in place, you then can accompany storage, energy transmission and energy production and planning decisions which happen on a yearly basis. To give decarbonized energy systems a chance it would help in planning energy strategies and the operation of smart energy systems and to make way for future technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing and next-generation&nbsp; communication technologies. Furthermore, emerging technologies in smart energy systems and energy transitions are being investigated in academic research. It is known that energy production is crucial in the years to come especially in smart energy systems with regards to trading activities such as blockchain technology and consumers which has the potential to track complex energy systems. Moreover, wireless technologies are known to be advancements in the fifth generation state-of-art such as: 5G and 6G wireless networks are connected to creating a good connection in smart energy systems and address complexities of these systems.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><font color=\"#000000\" style=\"\">The objectives of the research paper</font></span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study has the following objective “to review the recent academic findings</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">and industrial applications of emerging information and communication technologies in smart energy systems and renewable transition.” In order to achieve the objectives, the research papers investigates three questions.</span></p><br><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">\"What are the state-of-the-art research studies incorporating emerging information and communication technologies in energy transition and smart energy systems?</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;How does each of the emerging technologies effectively facilitate the planning of renewable transition and the systems operations?</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">What are the industrial demonstrations and use cases for the adoption of computing, information, and communication technologies with energy systems decarbonization and operations?\"</span></p></li></ol><br><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The topics focused in the article</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The article also looked into these topics: quantum computing, quantum enhanced optimization, quantum machine learning, and blockchain for smart energy systems, energy systems having 5G or 6G. Further, metaverse for climate change mitigation and smart energy systems, and artificial intelligence for renewable transition and for smart energy systems. Optimization in application energy systems artificial intelligence. Sequence to sequence learning and time series, federated learning, energy systems that have a computer vision, and trustworthy artificial intelligence.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Concluding statements</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In order to combat climate change, energy systems nust be decarbonized, as it is a major contributor towards greenhouse gases. There is a mixture of AI and non AI technologies that are used to transition towards renewable energy. The final message in the article is as follows:&nbsp; explainable and trustworthy AI based on modern machine learning methods could help quantify and explain fundamental aspects of power system operation and stability</span></p><br><br></span>','2023-02-26 04:18:53.970620','uploads/news/pexels-pixabay-159397_2.jpg',1,'Advances in Applied Energy','In order to achieve global decarbonization and to transition from carbon intensive methods to smart energy systems and renewable energy is crucial in being able to combat climate change. This is as the energy sector through non-renewable energy is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. In order to combat climate change, energy systems nust be decarbonized, as it is a major contributor towards greenhouse gases. There is a mixture of AI and non AI technologies that are used to transition towards renewable energy. The final message in the article is as follows:  explainable and trustworthy AI based on modern machine learning methods could help quantify and explain fundamental aspects of power system operation and stability.',13,87,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelNing Zhao a <i>et al.</i> (2023) <i>Emerging information and communication technologies for smart energy systems and renewable transition</i>, <i>Advances in Applied Energy</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666792423000045?token=DFB8D89753F55F05AAE746CE07E97228E61F11499A6BDE400DADC75C4752377D158EFB79BFEA8F7665B1301C3164614B&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230311074743 (Accessed: March 11, 2023).</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Black and silver solar panels · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-silver-solar-panels-159397/ (Accessed: March 11, 2023). </li></ul><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(90150,'The innovation of carbon/ climate mitigation engineering management','the-innovation-of-carbon-climate-mitigation-engineering-management','2023-03-14 13:14:24.558481','<p><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-659a0d94-7fff-7104-3911-d992dd2df796\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Climate engineering which is also known as carbon mitigation management falls under the umbrella of an engineering term which is targeted in combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Climate engineering or carbon mitigation management can be divided into three categories, which are namely:</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">① “carbon dioxide removal (CDR), which has the potential to</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">achieve negative emissions by removing atmospheric carbon diox-</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">ide.”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">② “solar radiation management (SRM), which could limit</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">temperature rises by increasing solar radiation reflection”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">③ “general geoengineering techniques, such as biochar and soil car-</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">bon sequestration, which are accessible means of improving the</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">carbon absorption capabilities of natural ecosystems “</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">There are challenges of coping with climate change but with technical efforts and engineering solutions are in place for climate mitigation. Solutions such as energy efficiency technologies, renewable energy, utilisation, carbon capture and carbon sequestration. Traditional emissions reduction and adaptation efforts are primarily focused on climate action. Empirical evidence has given the urgency to call for action with regards to the climate crisis. Statistics show that the “present emissions trajectory has left us on course for an average temperature rise of more than 3 °C above pre industrial levels by 2100, indicating a significant gap between current emissions and those needed to limit global warming to 1.5 -- 2 °C, as set forth by the Paris Agreement”. Moreover, by the middle of this century results show that the 2 °C target requires approximately 87% of mitigation scenarios to deploy negative emissions techniques, while the 1.5 °C target necessitates practically all emission trajectories to pursue negative emissions, in accordance with the net-zero emissions goal by the middle of this century. In the global climate government network, carbon mitigation engineering will be an essential component in preventing the climate crisis from getting even worse. Management circles should also start exploring carbon mitigation engineering management methods.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The success of mitigation engineering</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The success of mitigation engineering mostly depends on scientific management. Further, with management and engineering experience - carbon engineering management has progressed. The latest research showed the following: “pinpointed the break-even point between mitigation costs and benefits under different global emission reduction strategies, has debunked the conventional wisdom that acting on climate change would result in losses.” Carbon mitigation engineering will allow for the Paris Agreement targets to be met with scientific management The risks and complexities associated with carbon mitigation engineering demand requires disciplines and theories for new engineering development.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Characteristics of </span><span style=\"color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">carbon engineering mitigation</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Some of the characteristics of carbon engineering mitigation include:</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“The elements are inextricably linked.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The endeavor is fraught with uncertainties</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">CEM scenarios have a high degree of unpredictability</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;High demand for synergy management.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Multiple entities are involved</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A broad technical spectrum</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Unprecedented risks.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Difficulty in determining the best solution on a global scale.”</span></p><br><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">The problem of&nbsp;</span><span style=\"color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\">carbon engineering mitigation </span></span></p><p><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-659a0d94-7fff-7104-3911-d992dd2df796\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The key problems include:</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">How much reduction in emissions is required?</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Who will be responsible for reducing emissions?&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">How should carbon mitigation engineering be implemented most effectively?</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">What is the appropriate schedule for implementing carbon mitigation engineering?</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">How can the effects and risks of carbon mitigation engineering be scientifically assessed?</span></p><br><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The time–Space–System Synergy theory of carbon engineering mitigation</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The time–Space–System Synergy theory involves energy of space, time and the system. There is an organization management involved of industries, individuals and nations. There is a few aspects that lead to intergenerational equity which are economic transition, technical innovation, energy revolution, emission control and climate governance.These aspects also lead to progress management.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The concluding statement from the authors</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Carbon engineering management is still an emerging field and is slowly progressing. The article mentions “by fostering global carbon mitigation engineering demonstration projects, the theoretical foundation of CEM will undoubtedly be updated on a regular basis. Moreover, in order to increase the theoretical system’s universality, we earnestly encourage climate-vulnerable countries to actively participate in the CEM dialogue and decision-making process.” Lastly the researchers mention that more scholars need to be involves in carbon engineering research.</span></p><div><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span></p>','2023-02-26 12:16:23.502339','uploads/news/pexels-tomas-ryant-3192640_1.jpg',1,'Engineering','Climate engineering which is also known as carbon mitigation management falls under the umbrella of an engineering term which is targeted in combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. Carbon engineering management is still an emerging field and is slowly progressing. The article mentions “by fostering global carbon mitigation engineering demonstration projects, the theoretical foundation of CEM will undoubtedly be updated on a regular basis. Moreover, in order to increase the theoretical system’s universality, we earnestly encourage climate-vulnerable countries to actively participate in the CEM dialogue and decision-making process.” Lastly the researchers mention that more scholars need to be involves in carbon engineering research.',13,164,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"></p><div></div><p></p><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Author links open overlay panelYi-Ming Wei (2021) <i>Climate or carbon mitigation engineering management</i>, <i>Engineering</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2095809921004446?token=319A8FFB5107ED8E3401D617C459441963FAACF57FC7B4A88FFAB2DFF409EA1432498DF6C5CB8F36B2121B85F9169BA2&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230307192524 (Accessed: March 7, 2023). </p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>Future sign · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/future-sign-3192640/ (Accessed: March 7, 2023).</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><br></p><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(91223,'Sub-saharan Africa has an approach to sustainable food production pertaining to climate-resilient development','sub-saharan-africa-has-an-approach-to-sustainable-food-production-pertaining-to-climate-resilient-development','2023-03-14 13:15:23.143986','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-5a152f44-7fff-3b62-864c-1e2732439554\"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-4f8a40a3-7fff-7d07-9878-6e0209be84b1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The agriculture sector is facing many challenges due to climate change in most of the regions of the world. Adapting to climate change has led to risks in the agriculture production and agro-ecosystems, which eventually impacts nutrition and food security. The research taken by Fisayo Fagbemi , Dorcas Funmilola Oke , and Adeyemi Fajingbesi shows the effect of climate change on 32 Sub-Saharan African countries pertaining to food production. The study was focused on the timeframe between 2005 and 2019 using Fixed Effects (FE) and Two-Step System-Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimation.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The effects of climate change</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The real effects of climate change are being shown in agriculture and are affecting agriculture production at a fast rate. Further, a growing population, changes in weather patterns such as rainfall and temperature is all contributing to the greenhouse gas effect. The greenhouse gas effect has a detrimental impact on the earth. Moreover, anthropogenic activities such as burning coal, oil and fossil fuels contribute to the mass amount of carbon dioxide which is unhealthy for the earth. The ozone layer is being destroyed by chlorofluorocarbons which is also contributing to global warming resulting in climate change. Consequently,&nbsp; global warming that has been resulting from the rise in greenhouse gas emissions is affecting agricultural yield. There are calls to improve the agricultural and food production system with building resilience to climate change and sustainable development.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">How climate change is affecting agriculture</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Researchers have predicted that agricultural activities are being affected by climate change as rain is involved to grow the plants, and changes in climate would impact the growth of the crop. It has also been highlighted that agriculture is one of the most vulnerable and affected sectors with regards to climate change. An example is given in the article that “agriculture is viewed as the most vulnerable sector to climate change. For instance, it has been demonstrated that between 80,000 and 270,000 people could go hungry by 2050, in a country like Yemen, due to climate change (Breisinger et al., 2011), while extreme climatic events have plunged Nigerian agricultural system into crises”.</span></p><br><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The food system in Sub-Saharan Africa is being affected the most due to extreme climatic events of prolonged drought and heavy rainfalls. With the changing climate, the African continent needs climate-resilient development needs. The researchers highlighted a gap in the literature and mentions that not much is written about Sub-Saharan Africa.&nbsp; To examine how agriculture is being affected by climate change there have been laboratory research tests that have been undertaken. From the results there are two categories: a positive and a negative impact. The positive impact is that climate change could lead to an increase in crop growth, however on the negative side, climate change could reduce and harm crop growth. Further, many studies examine the relationship between the level of food production and climate change which has been firmly established.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The findings of the study&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The findings help to understand the detrimental impacts on food production by climate change. An empirical analysis shows that an increase in carbon dioxide emissions will result in a reduced food production in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The<a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833523000023\" target=\"_blank\"> diagram</a> in the article below explains how climate change affects different sectors such as: weather patterns, agro-ecosystems, agriculture production and livelihoods, as well as food security and nutrition. </span><span style=\"font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Further, some calculations have been worked out to show the magnitude on how climate change affects agriculture.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The final message the researchers put forward on how climate change is affecting agriculture</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Climate change is affecting agriculture at a drastic rate and adapting to climate change is landing up agriculture to be in risky situations. In order to prevent agricultural grounds from depleting even further, we need to strive for a low carbon economy which is critical. Another factor that is inhibiting agricultural growth is a growing population and population control measures must be put in place. Moreover, socio-economic challenges and governments have also led to the downfall in agricultural production. In order to revitalise the agricultural fields organisations and the government need to take action and combat these negative impacts. To mitigate new risks, and build resilience is utmost important for the food system.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-a0fc42d5-7fff-f976-a91f-6a0099708b35\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline;\">Some believe that <a href=\"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/agriculture/climate-resilient-agriculture-systems-the-way-ahead-75385#:~:text=Water%20management%3A%20Water%2Dsmart%20technologies,effect%20of%20variations%20of%20climate.\" target=\"_blank\">climate resilient agriculture</a> is possible and this is through water smart technologies, rainwater harvesting structures, deficit irrigation and many more methods.</span></span><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;</span></p><div><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;</span></p><div><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span>','2023-02-26 13:06:51.536940','uploads/news/pexels-mael-balland-3098891_1.jpg',1,'Future Foods','The agriculture sector is facing significant challenges due to climate change in many regions of the world, including Sub-Saharan Africa, which impacts food production, nutrition, and food security. A study conducted on 32 Sub-Saharan African countries between 2005 and 2019 using Fixed Effects (FE) and Two-Step System-Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation shows the effect of climate change on agriculture production. Adapting to climate change is becoming riskier for agriculture production and agro-ecosystems. The agriculture sector needs to strive for a low carbon economy to prevent further depletion of agricultural grounds. Population growth and control measures, socio-economic challenges, and government policies are also affecting agricultural production. Organizations and governments need to take action to combat these negative impacts and build resilience in the food system. Mitigating new risks is of utmost importance to revitalize the agricultural fields.',13,70,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Author links open overlay panelFisayo Fagbemi a <i>et al.</i> (2023) <i>Climate-resilient development: An approach to sustainable food production in sub-Saharan africa</i>, <i>Future Foods</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833523000023 (Accessed: March 6, 2023).</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>People inside a market · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-inside-a-market-3098891/ (Accessed: March 6, 2023). </p><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(92173,'Postpartum haemorrhage - an insurmountable problem?','postpartum-haemorrhage---an-insurmountable-problem','2023-02-27 20:10:06.939932','<p>Researchers at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center have created a unique intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage-control device that has been demonstrated to be extremely successful in the immediate treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. A recent multicenter, prospective, single-arm treatment study done at 12 locations in the United States found that the device successfully treated 94% of individuals with postpartum hemorrhage or abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding.</p><p><br></p><p>The proportion of patients in whom the intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage-control device managed abnormal bleeding without requiring increasing treatments was the study\'s primary efficacy goal. The occurrence, severity, and seriousness of device-related adverse events were the key safety endpoints. The research also looked at secondary outcomes such as time to bleeding control, transfusion rate, and gadget usability as rated by each investigator who used the device.</p><p><br></p><p>Among the 107 persons participated in the trial, 106 got any study therapy using the device linked to vacuum, and 94% (100/106, 95% CI 88-98%) of these participants achieved effective treatment. After connecting to the vacuum, the 100 subjects reported conclusive control of anomalous bleeding in a median of 3 minutes (interquartile range 2.0-5.0).</p><p><br></p><p>The study discovered that the intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage-control device was generally safe, with only eight adverse events possibly related to the device or procedure, all of which were identified as risks in the study and all of which resolved with treatment without serious clinical sequelae.</p><p><br></p><p>35 individuals required 1-3 units of red blood cells transfusion, while five required 4 or more units of red blood cells. The majority of investigators (98%) said the intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage-control device was simple to use and that they would suggest it to others (97%).</p><p><br></p><p>The authors of the study concluded that intrauterine vacuum-induced haemorrhage management might give a novel quick and effective treatment option for aberrant postpartum uterine bleeding or postpartum haemorrhage, thereby preventing severe maternal morbidity and death. The gadget has the potential to save many lives, particularly in low-resource areas with restricted access to medical therapies.</p><p><br></p><p>This study\'s findings are very encouraging, but further research is needed to validate the usefulness and safety of the intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage-control device in larger, more varied patient groups. Yet, the device\'s ability to decrease the impact of postpartum haemorrhage is a huge advancement that has the potential to save countless lives.</p>','2023-02-28 01:27:55.026368','uploads/news/download.jpeg',1,'Case Reports in Women\'s Health','Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center have developed a novel intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage-control device that has shown promising results in the rapid treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. In a recent study, the device achieved successful treatment in 94% of participants with postpartum hemorrhage or abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding. The device uses low-level vacuum to induce uterine myometrial contraction to achieve control of abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding. Definitive control of abnormal bleeding was reported in a median of 3 minutes after connection to vacuum. The majority of investigators reported the device as easy to use and would recommend it. The study\'s authors concluded that intrauterine vacuum-induced hemorrhage control may provide a new rapid and effective treatment option for abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage, with the potential to prevent severe maternal morbidity and mortality.',1,7,'<ul><li>D\'Alton ME, Rood KM, Smid MC, Simhan HN, Skupski DW, Subramaniam A, Gibson KS, Rosen T, Clark SM, Dudley D, Iqbal SN, Paglia MJ, Duzyj CM, Chien EK, Gibbins KJ, Wine KD, Bentum NAA, Kominiarek MA, Tuuli MG, Goffman D. Intrauterine Vacuum-Induced Hemorrhage-Control Device for Rapid Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage. Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Nov;136(5):882-891. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004138. PMID: 32909970; PMCID: PMC7575019.<br></li></ul>'),(92729,'An overview of the potential renewable resources in the Middle Eastern region and the energy consumption','an-overview-of-the-potential-renewable-resources-in-the-middle-eastern-region-and-the-energy-consumption','2023-03-14 07:41:57.067406','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-5e242a1b-7fff-cbe3-410c-79ebd1ba370d\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Energy transitions can have a negative effect on the environment, society and the economy but the potential of these changes should lead to renewable energy. There needs to be a transition to eco-friendly energy sources rather than using carbon intensive technologies.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-1204cb82-7fff-5453-c09a-81c5f1693cca\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">About the current renewable energy situation</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">In order to move into the environmentally friendly energy pathway energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are needed. Research from the International Energy Agency shows that “the electrical industry is expected to have the fastest increase in the area of renewable energy sources, which could set the stage for a sustainable future.” In today\'s times the power sector is accused of contributing to climate change and therefore globally there has been a discussion on the use of renewable energy sources. There need to be ambitious goals laid out in transitioning to renewable energy in the policies of existing administrations in order for the transition to be successful. The International Energy Agency also mentions that renewable energy can provide a lot more jobs in the field and in the next few years energy efficiency jobs will increase around 25%.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The way forward with renewable energy</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">There have been developments recently in the electrical business in achieving alternative energy solutions. Further, new strategies and innovations need to be put forward to handle the future of power generations. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues in a country\'s hands. Therefore, energy distribution is important and decarbonization being on the list as a resolving issue is a must.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The distribution of energy sources have been showing positive results:</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><ol style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type:decimal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The decline in the costs of technology</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type:decimal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">There is a greater demand of energy adaptability in the energy systems</span></p></li></ol><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">There are however three conflicting factors when it comes down to energy distribution which are: companies, governments, general communities and municipalities. It is predicted that there is a high chance of the energy distribution supplies causing problems. A feasible solution that has been suggested is to have storage solutions at a low cost that is generated from renewable energy which can be used during a country\'s peak hour. This process might speed up the transition of renewable energy into the power systems. The study was mostly focussed on the Middle East Region and their energy consumption.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The renewable energy situation in the Middle East</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The findings of the <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790823000046\" target=\"_blank\">Middle East region</a> showed that the electricity consumption must be monitored such as with: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, and Lebanon. The potential for all of these countries is renewable energy and solar power is predicted to increase in Saudi Arabia. Another potential energy source is wind energy, solar energy and the Middle East as a whole moving towards renewable energy.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusions of the study&nbsp;</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">This research has brought the message forward that renewable energy is the way to go and is the future. Further, fossil fuel energy is negative and harmful to the environment and needs to be banned. There needs to be a focus and transition to renewable energy and for this energy source to be more affordable because it is. The financial sector is however feeling hesitant to make investments in the renewable energy sector. More research on renewable energy needs to be focused on so better decisions can be made for the future years to come.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><b style=\"font-weight:normal;\"><br></b></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Personal Thoughts</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">Many non-governmental organizations such as WWF, Greenpeace Africa and others are standing up loud and strong to enforce renewable energy and so change needs to happen. We can start local and then act global, we can make a natural difference through the use of renewable energy.</span></p><div><span style=\"font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#2e2e2e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span>','2023-02-28 02:02:50.940962','uploads/news/pexels-narcisa-aciko-1292464_1.jpg',1,'Cleaner Engineering and Technology','Energy transitions can have a negative effect on the environment, society and the economy but the potential of these changes should lead to renewable energy. There needs to be a transition to eco-friendly energy sources rather than using carbon intensive technologies. This research has brought the message forward that renewable energy is the way to go and is the future. Further, fossil fuel energy is negative and harmful to the environment and needs to be banned. There needs to be a focus and transition to renewable energy and for this energy source to be more affordable because it is. The financial sector is however feeling hesitant to make investments in the renewable energy sector. More research on renewable energy needs to be focused on so better decisions can be made for the future years to come.',13,87,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Author links open overlay panelQusay Hassan a <i>et al.</i> (2023) <i>Middle East energy consumption and potential renewable sources: An overview</i>, <i>Cleaner Engineering and Technology</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666790823000046?token=C7E1C0F97208748BC1678E788E236BB5A24438CE579F215848FA2CA0E6F3572A41B2C551ACFE0992A9E240E71EAA599E&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230309191933 (Accessed: March 9, 2023).</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>Photo of wind turbines lot · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-wind-turbines-lot-1292464/ (Accessed: March 9, 2023). </p><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(93168,'There is mitigation risks of hybrid rice used in terrace agriculture','there-is-mitigation-risks-of-hybrid-rice-used-in-terrace-agriculture','2023-03-15 13:09:37.549003','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-85de2bb9-7fff-1689-cd99-8d36f2346f81\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An Unesco World heritage Site and the national emblem of China is in the Yunnan province named the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces but some of these terraces are falling down. </span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Joy D\'Angelo , Santosh S. Palmate, and&nbsp; Luc Descroix has researched why the </span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Honghe Hani Rice Terraces is falling apart and what can be done about it.</span></p></span><p style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span><br></span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">About the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces</span></p><span><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">According to </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1044\" target=\"_blank\">Unesco</a></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">, the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces is a Unesco World Heritage site and is rice terraces in Yunnan, China. These terraces are also known to be cultural landscapes. Shockingly enough these terraces are an extension from the&nbsp; “</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park which is now known as the mixed cultural and natural Maloti Drakensberg Transboundary World Heritage Site (Lesotho and South Africa).” The cultural landscape covers 16,603-hectares in the Southern parts of Yunnan.&nbsp; The spectacular pattern of terraces cascade down from the Ailao Mountains and to the banks of the Hong river. There is a complex system that is developed by the Hani people in which they can bring water from the forested mountaintops to the terraces. Moreover, there is an integrated farming system that involves many types of animals, which include: fish, ducks, buffalos, eel and cattle.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The research by </span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Joy D\'Angelo , Santosh S. Palmate, and Luc Descroix shows the downfalls</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The research in the article by <a href=\"https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666683922000736?token=387197064748A55BA840A5CA7F285198A2D4608EECDCAFF4BCB24638CBE4EC4F82A83F1A49B10072B7DDED6886926FF0&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230305102556\" target=\"_blank\">Science Direct,</a> </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Mitigating risks of hybrid rice use in terrace agriculture, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">shows that water and seed management technologies have failed as the shortcomings were not addressed accordingly. This is especially for the people who depend on them and the effects of the rice terraces. To better articulate this issue data was collected by interviewing the local people,&nbsp; and examining the scientific literature that has been written about this topic. To make the data collection more meaningful the researchers went to China and got a local person who talks the language to communicate with the Hani people or rather the first people who had succeeded in carving the rice terraces. Further, those who enabled the mountain irrigation systems to work as this was a traditional practice of rural water management. The research shows the very recent changes in the system, which is putting the terraces in danger.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The methods of the study that was out taken</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In order to gain data collection that Hani people were involved in answering questions regarding the drastic changes about the rice terraces. The environment, weather patterns and topography was studied in detail. Further, there was a partnership with the Yunnan Nationalities University where ecological academics were interviewed.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The solutions going forward in revitalising the rice terraces</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The solution put forward is going back to traditional methods and the old system but this would not be beneficial. Alternatively, the hybrid rice system seemed to have flourished and had a positive impact on the rice terraces.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The impact assessment results on humans on the rice terraces</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An impact assessment was taken out on humans and showed that the inbred and hybrid system showed that women were poorly affected. Men were both positively and negatively affected. The impact on children, girls and boys were worse and regarding hunger, elderly, animals and economic possibilities all showed worse results. Ecology was for the better and human health was for the better and the worst. The results of the hybrid system in the above categories were mostly for the better. Further, research shows that by having resilience and nourishing the soil in the terraces the rice terraces can flourish again. Another mentioned that the diseases and pest disasters must be known as such so that prevention of these diseases can be prevented. The intercropping of old and new of rice breeds at the same strategic location can be a method in building resilience in the rice terraces.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The final message that the researches put out for the rice terraces</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">There are several innovative agricultural management practices that have been put forward that can help build resilience in the rice terraces at strategic locations. The improvements such as intensifying agroforestry, intercropping, improving biodiversity, and affirming local ecological knowledge could have long-term positive effects for slope agriculture and hybrid rice terracing. The researchers have put out a call for the rice terraces\' success and progress to be monitored.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Personal thoughts on the degrading rice terraces in Yunnan, China</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The rice terraces have degraded but were also part of the Drakensberg slopes in South Africa, could the climate in the North be affecting the terraces as the Drakensberg slopes seems to not be having any issues. Maybe the researchers should teach the traditional Hani people about their solutions on slope agriculture and intercropping, in which these rice terraces would be maintained as being a UNESCO site. Also the Hani people depend on these terraces for income and food but are also attached to a lot of traditional practices. This culture and years of hard work in creating these rice terraces can not be lost and the monitoring of these rice terraces is crucial.</span></p><br></span>','2023-02-28 03:59:23.594722','uploads/news/pexels-quang-nguyen-vinh-6872743_1.jpg',1,'Geography and Sustainability','An Unesco World heritage Site and the national emblem of China is in the Yunnan province named the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces but some of these terraces are falling down. Joy D\'Angelo , Santosh S. Palmate, and  Luc Descroix have researched why the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces is falling apart and what can be done about it.There are several innovative agricultural management practices that have been put forward that can help build resilience in the rice terraces at strategic locations. The improvements such as intensifying agroforestry, intercropping, improving biodiversity, and affirming local ecological knowledge could have long-term positive effects for slope agriculture and hybrid rice terracing. The researchers have put out a call for the rice terraces\' success and progress to be monitored.',13,70,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Author links open overlay panelJoy D\'Angelo a <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Mitigating risks of hybrid rice use in Terrace Agriculture</i>, <i>Geography and Sustainability</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683922000736 (Accessed: March 5, 2023).</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>Farming in rice terraces on mountain slopes · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/farming-in-rice-terraces-on-mountain-slopes-6872743/ (Accessed: March 5, 2023). </p><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(96068,'A new approach to agrifood sectors with artificial intelligence','a-new-approach-to-agrifood-sectors-with-artificial-intelligence','2023-03-14 07:29:43.579250','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-31fbffdc-7fff-5217-4e69-446cc8e41c0e\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The world\'s population is growing in an unprecedented way and farmers need to feed a growing population. Moreover, food security has been a challenge as different sectors are making the related targets hard to reach. At a global level there are shocks that are difficult to come out of. Through research done by </span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Innocent Kutyauripo, Munyaradzi Rushambwa, Lyndah Chiwazi, artificial intelligence applications have become a solution for the agrifood sectors. Would you be happy to know that your food is being created with artificial intelligence?</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Artificial intelligence making a highlight in agrifood systems?</span></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The statistics show that, “there is a continued increase in food insecurity at the global level since 2019, and 670 million people (8% of the global population) are projected to face hunger in 2030”. These statistics are shocking as the 2015, 2030 Agenda was placed to end hunger but this is not the case as shown on a global level. The issue that is leading up to this- is that resilience is missing in the food system. This then leads to food food insecurity and what puts more pressure on food insecurity is the growing population. With that said, it has been mentioned that the option to meet a growing population\'s needs is to explore technology in the ecosystem of food production. The explored technology is artificial intelligence (AI). According to Walshmediamedical, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https://www.walshmedicalmedia.com/open-access/application-of-artificial-intelligence-technology-in-agrifood-sector.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">artificial intelligence</a></span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> is able to predict the crops that can be planted in a year and when to harvest and sow with soil management data sources </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">in a particular area. These include moisture, temperature, soil analysis, historical crop performance and weather.&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Similarly, </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Innocent Kutyauripo, Munyaradzi Rushambwa, Lyndah Chiwazi defines artificial intelligence being a modernised technology that replaces human intelligence in decision making and troubleshooting.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Further, there are different types of AI that are mentioned which includes, “Machine Learning (ML), Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Artificial Neural Networks, Ro-botics and Expert Systems. These subsets of AI have been used to make decisions on different processes in the food chain ecosystem”.</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><h3 style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The benefits of artificial intelligence in agrifood systems</span></h3><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The article mentions that artificial intelligence is a method of combating poverty amongst human beings through its strategies in agriculture where it is able to increase food production. The mentioned benefits of artificial intelligence is as follows: “artificial intelligence applications play a major role in the improvement of the four pillars of food security namely accessibility, stability, utilisation and availability”. A convention of scientific disciplines is known to backbone artificial intelligence, such as practices using mathematics, scientific theories, probabilities and statistics and computers being able to imitate cognitive human behaviours. Through definite results artificial intelligence has been known to be advantageous in the field of agriculture including marketing, harvesting and the production of crops. According to <a href=\"https://www.hcltech.com/technology-qa/what-are-the-advantages-of-artificial-intelligence#:~:text=AI%20drives%20down%20the%20time,breaks%20and%20has%20no%20downtime\" target=\"_blank\">google search results,</a> artificial intelligence is mainly used to reduce the amount of time a human takes to do a task and therefore technology is used. Further, the decision making is also a lot quicker and smarter.&nbsp;</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">How artificial intelligence is implemented in agrifood systems</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">There were conducted reviews on how AI is used in agrifood systems in pre-harvesting and post-harvesting activities, vegetable and fruit production, and the supply chain of vegetable and fruit production. The researchers\' reviews are as follows; “the reviews explained were focused on various stages of the food system but not on the entire food chain. There is minimal information available on Artificial Intelligence and its use in the entire food system, hence the need for a review that assesses the application of artificial intelligence in all the stages of the food system in one paper”.</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The research conducted on artificial intelligence on agrifood systems</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">There was a collection of peer reviewed articles and a systematic review was conducted. The list of themes that were searched were: “agriculture, crop production, animal production, harvesting, post-harvest storage, postharvest handling, food processing, food distribution, food consumption, food waste management, and food system.” Through research the findings showed that artificial intelligence methods are being implemented on various occasions in the agrifood system.&nbsp;</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The future of artificial intelligence on the agrifood system</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The reason why AI is being preferred is because it is quick, fast and replaces human intelligence with technology. Further, AI helps in the detection of animal and crop diseases and decision making. Artificial intelligence can further be used in pest management, irrigation, crop disease management, soil monitoring, and robocropping. Livestock can also be monitored by AI. In the research, it has been said that AI is able to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal that is related to helping meet hunger needs and progress the food system. The article mentions the benefits of using AI now and the future to come: “with the use of AI-driven technologies that do not diminish natural resources, the global need for zero hunger and climate action will be met. Furthermore, AI technologies would be used to predict weather patterns, and evaluate farms for the presence of diseases or </span><span style=\"color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">pests and inadequate plant nutrition. It enables an exceptional ability to analyse data and computationally discover complex relationships and patterns thus reducing time-wasting. AI is a potential tool to enable and facilitate a transition to sustainable and improved food systems such as school feeding programs. It can help ease the burden of administrative processes.”&nbsp;</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">At the end, AI will be filling in a huge missing gap and will achieve and build a resilient agricultural and food system. </span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></div></span>','2023-02-28 16:49:31.104675','uploads/news/pexels-alejandro-barron-96715.jpg',1,'Journal of Agriculture and Food Research','The world\'s population is growing in an unprecedented way and farmers need to feed a growing population. Moreover food security has been a challenge as different sectors are making the related targets hard to reach. At a global level there are shocks that are difficult to come out of. Through research done by Innocent Kutyauripo, Munyaradzi Rushambwa, Lyndah Chiwazi, artificial intelligence applications have become a solution for the agrifood sectors. The reason why AI is being preferred is because it is quick, fast and replaces human intelligence with technology. Further, AI helps in the detection of animal and crop diseases and decision making. Artificial intelligence can further be used in pest management, irrigation, crop disease management, soil monitoring, and robocropping. Livestock can also be monitored by AI. In the research, it has been said that AI is able to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal that is related to helping meet hunger needs and progress the food system',13,70,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">Author links open overlay panelInnocent Kutyauripo a <i>et al.</i> (2023) <i>Artificial intelligence applications in the agrifood sectors</i>, <i>Journal of Agriculture and Food Research</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666154323000091?token=9BED9FF16E0D334EB72813075677361310E8356FCA4127FEC604FF91333C9A76AE678FD121CA778C8C2499AE41857E71&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230301194405 (Accessed: March 2, 2023).</p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>Corn field during daytime · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/corn-field-during-daytime-96715/ (Accessed: March 2, 2023). </p><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(99683,'Interactions in plasticizer mixtures used for sugar replacement','interactions-in-plasticizer-mixtures-used-for-sugar-replacements','2023-03-17 17:32:47.657151','<p><span style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;\">As the world grapples with the ever-increasing plastic waste problem, researchers are exploring new ways to reduce the use of traditional plasticizers. Among these alternatives are biodegradable polymers, which can be derived from natural resources like agro-polymers or plant-based chemicals. These eco-friendly materials are gaining traction in industries like food packaging, surgery, and pharmaceuticals, where edible and biodegradable polymer films are becoming popular. However, using natural-based polymers as plasticizers presents some challenges, and finding the right balance between polymer matrix crosslinking and plasticizer addition is crucial to ensure optimal properties. The search for innovative and sustainable solutions in this field is more important than ever, and the findings of this research are sure to spark curiosity among those seeking a greener future.</span><br></p><p class=\"s3\" style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: justify; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;\"><span class=\"s4\" style=\"line-height: 12px; font-size: 10px; font-family: Calibri;\"><br></span></p><p class=\"s3\" style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: justify; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;\"><span class=\"s4\" style=\"line-height: 12px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial;\">The widespread use of plasticizers to make plastic products flexible has created a growing concern over their impact on the environment and potential health risks. As a result, researchers are exploring alternative biodegradable plasticizers, but developing them poses significant challenges. Plasticizers are crucial in improving the properties of plastics, such as conductivity and fire resistance, but not all plasticizers are safe or eco-friendly. However, a recent study has shown that zein and soy protein isolate could be potential plasticizers for biodegradable films made from corn starch. These materials improved the flexibility and mechanical strength of the film while significantly reducing water vapor permeability. This research provides a promising solution to the environmental and health issues posed by traditional plasticizers and encourages further exploration into sustainable materials.&nbsp;</span></p><p class=\"s3\" style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: justify; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 21.6px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;\">&nbsp;</span></p><p class=\"s3\" style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: justify; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;\"><span class=\"s4\" style=\"line-height: 12px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial;\">The development of biodegradable plasticizers presents several challenges, including achieving optimal mechanical properties without sacrificing biodegradability and finding efficient and cost-effective manufacturing methods. However, the urgency to find sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics has led to the increasing popularity of biodegradable plastics made from natural materials such as polysaccharides and proteins. Polysaccharide films made from materials like starch, alginate, and cellulose ethers have proven useful in creating biodegradable plastics due to their ability to block gases. Starch can be blended with biodegradable plasticizers like ethanolamine to avoid brittleness, making it a more versatile option. Edible films made from proteins can be strengthened with plasticizers like fatty acids and polyols. Biodegradable polymer blends using poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA) have been developed for faster degradation, with PHB and PHBV being used in biodegradable plastic production. Additives like dodecanol, lauric acid, and trilaurin can accelerate PHB film degradation, making PHA an ideal material for a wide range of applications. The development of these materials and formulations is crucial in creating sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics.</span></p><p class=\"s3\" style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: justify; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 21.6px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;\">&nbsp;</span></p><p class=\"s3\" style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: justify; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;\"><span class=\"s4\" style=\"line-height: 12px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial;\">In conclusion, the environmental and health concerns surrounding plasticizers have spurred scientists to seek safer and more sustainable options for flexible plastics. From using less toxic plasticizers to modifying plastic surfaces, researchers are exploring various methods to reduce the impact of plasticizers. Natural-based plasticizers made from renewable resources are also being developed as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic options. Despite challenges in developing biodegradable plastics, the growing demand for eco-friendly options has made it imperative to find sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics. With continued research and innovation, it is hoped that the development of safer and more sustainable plasticizers will help to mitigate the impact of plastic on the environment and human health.</span><span class=\"s4\" style=\"line-height: 12px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial;\">&nbsp;The research was carried out by Melissa Gurgel Adeodato Vieira, Mariana Altenhofen da Silva, Lucielen O Liveira dos Santos, Marisa Masumi Beppu; all from University of Campinas.</span></p>','2023-03-12 17:51:54.088365','uploads/news/pexels-rfstudio-3825527.jpg',1,'Current Research in Food Science','Scientists explore biodegradable plasticizers as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional ones, but developing efficient and cost-effective manufacturing methods poses challenges. Natural-based plasticizers, like glycerol, zein, and soy protein isolate, are being explored for biodegradable films. New polymer blends, including PHA and PHB, have been developed for faster degradation. Despite challenges, demand for eco-friendly options has risen, making it important to find sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics.',16,221,'<ul><li><span style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; word-spacing: 1px;\">Melissa Gurgel Adeodato Vieira, Mariana Altenhofen da Silva, Lucielen Oliveira dos Santos, Marisa Masumi Beppu,&nbsp;</span>Natural-based plasticizers and biopolymer films: A review,European Polymer Journal,Volume 47, Issue 3, 2011,Pages 254-263, ISSN 0014-3057<span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial;\">,</span><a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2010.12.011\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2010.12.011&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1679159664106000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2p7T5A2kMslGhW5mWrzZT4\" data-removefontsize=\"true\" data-originalcomputedfontsize=\"16\" style=\"font-family: -apple-system, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; word-spacing: 1px; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(66, 133, 244); font-size: 1rem;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial;\">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.</span><wbr><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;\">eurpolymj.2010.12.011</span></a></li></ul>'),(103555,'A bibliometric analysis of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) research and its trends and hotspots.','a-bibliometric-analysis-of-environmental-social-and-governance-esg-research-and-its-trends-and-hotspots','2023-03-24 19:47:52.719911','<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A branch that is leading out of sustainable development is Environmental, Social Governance (ESG) which aims to bind human existence and nature to act for each other and not against. ESG revolves around the concept of sustainable development that integrates environmental protection, social justice and economic development. ESG has become a vital factor in promoting green finance and is a wide concern to society. ESG also has become a competitive strategy in influencing decision-making in leading a company to have a good reputation.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Understanding ESG</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Since, ESG is such a broad concept it is hard to give it a definition as it comprises three dimensions. It is developed from corporate social responsibility, ethical and responsible investment which has become a core framework for sustainable development. ESG goes back all the way when the public began to concern about environmental deterioration and this is when investors started considering environmental factors in their investments. The ESG concept was put forward when “Who Cares Wins\", published by the United Nations Global Compact in 2004, first integrated the dimensions of ESG and put forward the ESG concept (UN, 2004). It is known that ESG involves several concepts. Further, certain companies issue ESG reports according to regulatory frameworks. ESG performance and ESG ratings go hand-in-hand. ESG investments also depend on ESG ratings.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The bibliometrics analysis on ESG</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A few professionals have added in bibliometric analysis and meta analysis to assess ESG performance.” “Khan (2022) employed bibliometric analysis and meta-analysis to study literature on ESG performance and its impact on performance. Senadheera et al. (2022) used quantitative bibliometric analysis to discover present and future research directions of ESG. Galletta et al. (2022) conducted bibliometric analysis on banking industry. Gao et al. (2021) reviewed the ESG field using 690 articles from the Scopus database and extended the literatureJournal Pre-proof significantly. Li et al. (2021) studied the cooperation status of ESG research using the analysis tool CiteSpace to analyze ESG literature in top international journals.”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study by </span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Guochao Wan a b, Ahmad Yahya Dawod a, Somsak Chanaim a, Siva Shankar Ramasamy has four contributions. These contributions namely are:</span></p><br><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\"><p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">First, we describe the evolution process of ESG research and propose an analysis of highly cited publications, citation structure, authors, journals, universities, and countries.”</span></p></li></ol><br><ol start=\"2\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\"><p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Second, we highlight the understanding of highly cited publications and research hotspot issues in this field, such as the philosophy of the ESG system, factors affecting ESG, the financial outcomes of ESG, the association between ESG and CSR, and ESG investing.”</span></p></li></ol><br><ol start=\"3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\"><p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Third, relevant papers are analyzed to trace the transfer of research directions and look for future research opportunities.”</span></p></li></ol><br><ol start=\"4\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\"><p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Fourth, we present a bibliometric analysis that provides useful and valuable information for future ESG studies.”</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">ESG and financial performance</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">ESG is for enterprises to understand their risks. In order to bring out excellence and performance a company has to be socially responsible. There is proof that “the better the ESG performance, the lower the company’s risk (Albuquerque et al., 2019). Enterprises with higher ESG performance were more flexible and, during the 2008 financial crisis, enterprises with higher ESG levels performed better, indicating that ESG performance can improve the anti-risk ability of enterprises.” It is pronounced that “ESG can reduce a company’s specific legal risks and lead to a higher market valuation.” The objective of the study is, “taking these factors into account, we use 755 articles from the Web of Science Collection database and employ VOSviewer and CiteSpace to perform a bibliometric and visual analysis of the ESG topic to address gaps in the analysis.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The way forward for ESG</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The results show that ESG is gaining traction from researchers. Further, ESG investing ties with ESG practices. The article mentions that ESG is now known as a sustainability framework. Further, the top journals with the largest number of papers around ESG were Business Strategy and the Environment. The article leaves the message that “scholars should keep up with ESG research trends and explore research fields related to ESG to provide a solid theoretical basis for governments to promote the construction of an ESG information disclosure system and the improvement of ESG rating system standards, contributing toward achieving the goal of sustainable development.Journal Pre-proof.”</span></p>','2023-03-18 00:45:16.556485','uploads/news/pexels-maitree-rimthong-1602726.jpg',1,'Data Science and Management','A branch that is leading out of sustainable development is Environmental, Social Governance (ESG) which aims to bind human existence and nature to act for each other and not against. ESG revolves around the concept of sustainable development that integrates environmental protection, social justice and economic development. ESG has become a vital factor in promoting green finance and is a wide concern to society. ESG also has become a competitive strategy in influencing decision-making in leading a company to have a good reputation. The results show that ESG is gaining traction from researchers. Further, ESG investing ties with ESG practices. The article mentions that ESG is now known as a sustainability framework. Further, the top journals with the largest number of papers around ESG were Business Strategy and the Environment. The article leaves the message that “scholars should keep up with ESG research trends and explore research fields related to ESG to provide a solid theoretical basis for governments to promote the construction of an ESG information disclosure system and the improvement of ESG rating system standards, contributing toward achieving the goal of sustainable development Journal Pre-proof.”',13,196,'<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-4b149964-7fff-1acd-70b1-83797baefbf3\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><div></div><p></p></p><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Author links open overlay panelGuochao Wan a b <i>et al.</i> (2023) <i>Hotspots and trends of environmental, social and governance (ESG) research: A Bibliometric analysis</i>, <i>Data Science and Management</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666764923000097 (Accessed: March 24, 2023).</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i style=\"text-indent: -1cm; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">        Maitree Rimthong - photography - pexels</i><span style=\"text-indent: -1cm; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/@maitree-rimthong-444156/ (Accessed: March 24, 2023). </span></li><li><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><div></div><p></p></span></li></ul></span>'),(111037,'Deep learning is used for coffee disease classification','deep-learning-is-used-for-coffee-disease-classification','2023-03-21 20:45:55.707556','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-af5f9e4f-7fff-9bb2-e017-ba83946e937e\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The largest coffee producer and exporter in the world is Brazil. This study by </span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">João Vitor Yukio Bordin Yamashita, and João Paulo R.R. Leite </span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">identifies coffee diseases on lea es on low cost coffee farms in loco without internet connection. In order to achieve production quality and productivity then the coffee diseases on the leaves needs to be detected early. In order to detect the diseases two data were used and were in the form of images with over 600 images used. The results showed that the diseases were mostly from coffee farms that are not exposed to a lot of resources.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">About coffee leaf diseases</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A task that is known to be difficult is detecting diseases in coffee plants as a variety of pests can affect them. Further, coffee leaves are analysed by human experts, however this process is very expensive and time consuming. The important aspects is treating the coffee disease at a very early stage which is efficient to get the right quality of beans. This process is a disadvantage to small coffee producers as they can not afford to hire a coffee production expert. The international coffee organization has mentioned that Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer. Further, statistics show that “information collected by the CNA (Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation) confirms the contribution of small properties to coffee production: of all coffee farms in the country, 88% have an area of less than 50 hectares. The majority (69%) have an area between 2 and 20 hectare.”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The detection of coffee leaf disease</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Machine learning has been a solution in detecting the coffee leaf diseases issue. Further to have better results, onvolutional neural networks (CNN) and deep learning models have been used. The aim and the objective of the study is as follows: “the aim of this study is to embed convolutional networks in a low-cost microcontrolled board to automatically classify diseases on coffee leaves without the need for an internet connection and test it in a real-world scenario. This solution would especially benefit small farmers, who cannot afford more sophisticated resources and human</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Expertise.”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The procedures in the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study was analysed in three procedures:&nbsp;</span></p><br><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Preprocessing and using techniques such as data augmentation”</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Training the CNN deep learning model, using transfer learning and powerful GPUs”</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Deployment, using optimisation and quantisation techniques to reduce the memory and processing power needed to run the model. All of them have been developed and improved by the scientific community in recent years.”</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Methods and techniques used to detect the coffee leaf disease</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">With CNN the biggest problem in analysing the diseases is in having insufficient data both in diversity and quantity. When there is a challenge in quality then data augmentation can be put in place. Further, techniques of machine learning have been used to address the coffee leaf disease issue. There were other techniques used to detect the disease such as TensorFlow Lite, MobileNet architecture, development board, datasets and proposed architects. In addition, data augmentation, train validation, test sets and a training framework. Others include: model training, evaluation metrics, single-stage model, cascade model, onboard performance evaluation, usability and affordability.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Conclusion of the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study mentioned that convolutional neural networks to detect the diseases on coffee leaves was verified and does not require an internet connection. This method can benefit low cost coffee producers that have less resources. The models showed the following results, “almost all performance indices were increased in the cascade model in relation to those from the single-stage model, except for those related to Rust class, which had a small decrease. The single- stage model showed difficulties in diseases with more subtle or similar characteristics, such as Cercospora, Phoma and Leaf Miner.”&nbsp; The results show that the datasets need to be improved as well as procedure of the onboard system. It has been mentioned that some coffee plants might be affected by more than one disease. More research needs to be out taken in this sector.</span></p><br><br><br></span>','2023-03-18 11:10:37.199911','uploads/news/pexels-igor-haritanovich-1695052.jpg',1,'Smart Agricultural Technology','The largest coffee producer and exporter in the world is Brazil. This study by João Vitor Yukio Bordin Yamashita, and João Paulo R.R. Leite identifies coffee diseases on lea es on low cost coffee farms in loco without internet connection. In order to achieve production quality and productivity then the coffee diseases on the leaves needs to be detected early. In order to detect the diseases two data were used and were in the form of images with over 600 images used. The results showed that the diseases were mostly from coffee farms that are not exposed to a lot of resources.The study mentioned that convolutional neural networks to detect the diseases on coffee leaves was verified and does not require an internet connection. This method can benefit low cost coffee producers that have less resources. The models showed the following results, “almost all performance indices were increased in the cascade model in relation to those from the single-stage model, except for those related to Rust class, which had a small decrease. The single- stage model showed difficulties in diseases with more subtle or similar characteristics, such as Cercospora, Phoma and Leaf Miner.”  The results show that the datasets need to be improved as well as procedure of the onboard system. It has been mentioned that some coffee plants might be affected by more than one disease. More research needs to be out taken in this sector.',13,85,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelJoão Vitor Yukio Bordin Yamashita and AbstractBrazil is the world’s largest producer and exporter of coffee and the second largest consumer of the beverage. The aim of this study is to embed convolutional networks in a low-cost microcontrolled board to classify coffee leaf diseases in loco (2023) <i>Coffee disease classification at the edge using deep learning</i>, <i>Smart Agricultural Technology</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2772375523000138?token=798A6B0C5FE0CC8671B5413963378C28C9ECC972266F4C83F1C92E12BE733395964555302FF9B242BDF2D2CF62EAA35F&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20230321193629 (Accessed: March 21, 2023).&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>Coffee beans · free stock photo - PEXELS</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/coffee-beans-1695052/ (Accessed: March 21, 2023).&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p></li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(112737,'Greenhouse gas reduction of co-benefit-type wastewater treatment system for fish-processing industry: A real-scale case study in Indonesia','greenhouse-gas-reduction-of-co-benefit-type-wastewater-treatment-system-for-fish-processing-industry-a-real-scale-case-study-in-indonesia','2023-03-22 17:09:30.400618','<p>The government of Indonesia has pledged to achieve ambitious goals in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and reducing water pollution through its water management policies. A recent study has shown that the implementation of a set of technologies could help in achieving these goals simultaneously. However, the installation and widespread application of these technologies require knowledge on how governance affects the implementation of existing policies, as well as cooperation across sectors, administrative levels, and stakeholders.</p><p>The study examined the potential impacts of seven wastewater treatment scenarios for the fish processing industry in Indonesia, integrating key governance variables, including enforcement capacity, institutional coordination, and multi-actor networks. The analysis showed that in the business-as-usual scenario, there is a 24% increase in both CH4 and CO2 emissions between 2015 and 2030 due to growth in production volumes.</p><p>Interestingly, in scenarios focusing only on strengthening capacities to enforce national water policies, expected total greenhouse gas emissions turn out to be about five times higher than in the business-as-usual in 2030 due to growth in CH4 emissions during the handling and landfilling of sludge, as well as in CO2 generated from the electricity required for wastewater treatment.</p><p>In contrast, in multi-actor scenarios where there is significant cooperation across sectors, administrative levels, and stakeholders to integrate climate and water goals, both estimated chemical oxygen demand and CH4 emissions turn out considerably lower than in the business-as-usual and the national water policy scenarios.</p><p>The study highlights the importance of governance in achieving sustainable development goals, including mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and reducing water pollution. It underscores the need for cooperation across sectors, administrative levels, and stakeholders to integrate climate and water goals in policy implementation.</p><p>Therefore, the government of Indonesia should prioritize strengthening institutional coordination and multi-actor networks, in addition to enforcing existing policies, to achieve its greenhouse gas mitigation and water pollution reduction goals. The adoption of sustainable technologies should be accompanied by effective governance to ensure their successful implementation and widespread adoption.The research was carried out by Adriana Gomez Sanabria, Lena Hoglund Isaksson, Zbigniew Klimont, from International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and Eric Zusman, from Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.</p>','2023-03-18 11:38:40.841583','uploads/news/pexels-tom-fisk-5368117.jpg',1,'Water Science and Engineering','Indonesia aims to meet greenhouse gas mitigation goals & reduce water pollution. Governance, technology adoption, & stakeholder cooperation are key.',1,116,'<ul><li><span style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; font-size: 13px; word-spacing: 1px;\">Gomez Sanabria, Adriana &amp; Zusman, Eric &amp; Höglund-Isaksson, Lena &amp; Klimont, Zbigniew &amp; Lee, So-Young &amp; Akahoshi, Kaoru &amp; Farzaneh, Hooman &amp; Chairunnisa, Chairunnisa. (2020). Sustainable wastewater management in Indonesia\'s fish processing industry: Bringing governance into scenario analysis. Environmental Management. <a href=\"http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111241\" target=\"_blank\">http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111241</a>.</span><wbr style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; font-size: 13px; word-spacing: 1px;\"><span style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; font-size: 13px; word-spacing: 1px;\">&nbsp;</span><br></li></ul>'),(112828,'Drought stress in Diamare Division, Northern Cameroon - the trends, local responses and impact','drought-stress-in-diamare-division-northern-cameroon-the-trends-local-responses-and-impacts','2023-03-22 19:58:31.906339','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-92435fd5-7fff-d0f4-2fad-8437f6d0e031\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">A climatic event that affects food security, local livelihoods and water availability is drought mostly in semi-arid areas.There has been a lot of research on the impacts of climate change on humanity but limited research on specific climatic shocks and&nbsp; stressors and how residents react to it.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The objective of the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study by </span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Yeluma Mary Ntali, James G. Lyimo, and Francis Dakyaga contributes to the planning on climate change policy and debated by analysing impacts, trends and local responses to drought. The information has been collected from household questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory field observations. The Mann-Kendall and Cusum tests were used to analyse weather data pertaining to rainfall and temperature to observe their trends. Due to there being ongoing disasters, droughts and floods studies have now tried to understand climatic stressors and shocks and their associated responses. This study specifically “focuses on drought as a specific climatic event by demonstrating its trends, impacts and how households respond to drought-related trends and impacts in Northern Cameron.”&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">An overview of droughts and its impacts</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Drought refers to when there is a limited amount of rainfall or no rainfall over a long period of time. An insight of the African landscape is as follows: “drylands cover approximately 43% of the African land surface and are defined by low and erratic precipitation coupled with high evapotranspiration with an aridity index below 0.65.” In African regions there is low preparedness for drought and building resilience in the event of a drought. A history about droughts in Africa, “Between 1960 and 2016, Africa witnessed about 289 droughts. These incidences directly affected about 414 million people and killed about 700,000 people [12]. Additionally, drought has insti- gated an increase in environmental refugees, especially in Africa. These have contributed to financial losses with potential threats towards weakening the economic gains made in the past decades.” Further, the frequency of drought is expected to increase in Africa due to climate change. An area in Africa that has been experiencing extreme drought is the Sudano-Sahelian region in Cameroon between 1990 and 2014 and had an increased&nbsp; drought frequency of 16.7%. These droughts affect rain-fed agriculture the most. In Cameroon, the droughts have already destroyed livestock, agriculture and water.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study has three aims which are as follows:</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(i) “the perceived frequency and severity of drought”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(ii) “rainfall and temperature trend”</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(iii) “impacts of drought on livelihoods, and households’ response and associated challenges.”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The results and methods</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study and data collection was taken amongst five communities, namekly- “Meri Ville, Dogba, Balaza Lawane, Yolde Naggue, and Gazawa.” Thereafter, the data analysis had occurred. The results showed that there is a perceived and observed frequency and severity of drought and rainfall and temperature trend of the Diamare division. Further, impacts of drought on livelihoods, responses, and implementation challenges, and there was a discussion on the droughts severity and frequency. The impacts the droughts have on livelihoods and people\'s lives and the responses to drought stress, the challenges faced by respondents in the implementation of response strategies.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The conclusion of the study</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Drought has affected the Cameroon area and left the area devastated with many negative after effects. The study showed that the frequency and the intensity of the drought must be understood. The results showed the following, that “drought is a recurrent phenomenon in Diamare with varying intensity ranging from mild, severe, and moderate to extreme episodes and appears to be increasing in recent years with potential increases in drought hazards/disasters with negative impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods. The SPI (range from −0.01 to −2.8) indicated extreme, severe, </span><span style=\"color: rgb(46, 46, 46); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">moderate, and mild drought (mild (73%) being the notorious) events.” The researchers are trying to get policy makers and regional drought committees to assist these communities in adaptive or resilient measures to survive the droughts in the Northern Cameroon region.</span></p><br></span>','2023-03-18 11:40:24.091313','uploads/news/pexels-pixabay-60013.jpg',1,'World Development Sustainability','The study by Yeluma Mary Ntali, James G. Lyimo, and Francis Dakyaga contributes to the planning on climate change policy and debated by analysing impacts, trends and local responses to drought. The information has been collected from household questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory field observations. The Mann-Kendall and Cusum tests were used to analyse weather data pertaining to rainfall and temperature to observe their trends. Due to there being ongoing disasters, droughts and floods studies have now tried to understand climatic stressors and shocks and their associated responses. This study specifically “focuses on drought as a specific climatic event by demonstrating its trends, impacts and how households respond to drought-related trends and impacts in Northern Cameron.” Drought has affected the Cameroon area and left the area devastated with many negative after effects. The study showed that the frequency and the intensity of the drought must be understood. The results showed the following, that “drought is a recurrent phenomenon in Diamare with varying intensity ranging from mild, severe, and moderate to extreme episodes and appears to be increasing in recent years with potential increases in drought hazards/disasters with negative impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods. The SPI (range from −0.01 to −2.8) indicated extreme, severe, moderate, and mild drought (mild (73%) being the notorious) events.” The researchers are trying to get policy makers and regional drought committees to assist these communities in adaptive or resilient measures to survive the droughts in the Northern Cameroon region.',13,101,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Author links open overlay panelYeluma Mary Ntali a <i>et al.</i> (2022) <i>Trends, impacts, and local responses to drought stress in Diamare Division, Northern Cameroon</i>, <i>World Development Sustainability</i>. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772655X22000398 (Accessed: March 22, 2023).</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Photo of brown bare tree on Brown surface during daytime</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-brown-bare-tree-on-brown-surface-during-daytime-60013/ (Accessed: March 22, 2023). </li></ul><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(113228,'The global coffee production is being impacted by climate change','the-global-coffee-production-is-being-impacted-by-climate-change','2023-04-03 20:05:27.550234','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-3a4039ae-7fff-7854-3f2c-fa628a660965\"><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">This article is a short summary about the research of how climate change is impacting the global coffee production.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Doug Richardson, the author of the recent </span><a href=\"http://plosclimate.org/\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">PLOS Climate</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> article </span><a href=\"https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000134\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Synchronous climate hazards pose an increasing challenge to global coffee production”</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> shares his story on his research.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The question that had to be answered is what led Mr Richardson to look into hazards to coffee producti</span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">on.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The new fact of coffee production</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The researcher mentioned that he is interested in researching spatially compounding events. This is when there is one or more climate hazards happening in multiple regions, which causes a great impact. An example of this climate impact has been recorded in agriculture due to crop failure.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The study sample</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The research focused on a small number of regions - the research showed - “the top 12 coffee producing nations, that together account for around 90% of global production. And we selected 12 ‘climate hazards’ to analyse – six for each species (Arabica and Robusta). We then assessed during which years these hazards occurred between 1980 and 2020, with a particular focus on when a large number of hazards occurred over multiple regions.”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The challenges in the study&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The challenges encountered were that the researcher wanted to relate the coffee data with the coffee yield data. The results showed that the planet is getting warmer and the temperature has increased in this decade from cool temperatures to warm temperatures.</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The future outlook of coffee production</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;text-align: justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">For future reference, the researcher hopes to analyse the coffee production trends against climate change but hopes for future researchers to analyse these trends. The resilience of coffee plants is something that needs to be thought of.&nbsp;</span></p><br><br></span>','2023-03-30 13:46:27.738955','uploads/news/pexels-brigitte-tohm-377903.jpg',1,'PLOS - latitude','This article is a short summary about the research of how climate change is impacting the global coffee production. Doug Richardson, the author of the recent PLOS Climate article “Synchronous climate hazards pose an increasing challenge to global coffee production” shares his story on his research.',13,164,'<ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Males, J. (2023) <i>Behind the paper: Climate change impacts on global coffee production</i>, <i>Latitude</i>. Available at: https://latitude.plos.org/2023/03/behind-the-paper-climate-change-impacts-on-global-coffee-production/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).</li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Two cup of coffee lattes on Saucers · Free Stock Photo</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-cup-of-coffee-lattes-on-saucers-377903/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023). </li></ul><div></div><p></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\">&nbsp;</p><div></div><p></p>'),(113249,'Long-read sequencing of diagnosis and post-therapy medulloblastoma reveals complex rearrangement patterns and epigenetic signatures','long-read-sequencing-of-diagnosis-and-post-therapy-medulloblastoma-reveals-complex-rearrangement-patterns-and-epigenetic-signatures','2023-03-30 08:51:19.287192','<div>Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is particularly dangerous because it can spread rapidly and is often resistant to treatment. However, recent breakthroughs in long-read sequencing technology have revealed new insights into the genetic and epigenetic landscape of medulloblastoma, potentially opening up new avenues for diagnosis and treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>According to a recent study, cancer genomes contain a wide range of structural variants that are crucial to driving tumorigenesis. However, many of these variants may go undetected in traditional short-read sequencing methods. This is where long-read sequencing, such as that offered by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), comes in. By providing a more comprehensive view of the genome, long-read sequencing can help researchers to unravel the complex genetic and epigenetic landscape of medulloblastoma.</div><div><br></div><div>In the study, researchers used long-read sequencing to analyze paired diagnostic and post-therapy medulloblastoma samples. What they found was a range of complex rearrangements and structural variants that had previously gone undetected. These included a 1.55 Megabasepair chromothripsis event, in which multiple genomic segments are shattered and then stitched back together in a scrambled order.</div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps even more intriguingly, the researchers also uncovered a new type of structural variant that they termed \"templated insertion thread\". This pattern involves short insertions of genetic material that self-concatenate into highly amplified structures of up to 50kbp in size. Templated insertion threads were found to occur in 3% of cancers, with a prevalence ranging up to 74% in liposarcoma, and were often associated with chromothripsis.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to its potential for identifying structural variants, long-read sequencing can also be used to profile the methylome, or the pattern of DNA methylation across the genome. In the medulloblastoma study, researchers found allele-specific methylation (ASM) effects, complex rearrangements exhibiting differential methylation, and differential promoter methylation in seven cancer-driver genes.</div><div><br></div><div>Taken together, these findings suggest that long-read sequencing has tremendous potential for improving our understanding of medulloblastoma and other types of cancer. By providing a more complete view of the genome and epigenome, long-read sequencing could help to identify new diagnostic and therapeutic targets that have previously gone undetected. As researchers continue to refine and improve this technology, we may be able to unlock the secrets of cancer once and for all.</div>','2023-03-30 13:47:58.768612','uploads/news/pexels-ivan-samkov-6436311.jpg',1,'CELL - Cell Genomics- Inpress','Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord. Recent advances in long-read sequencing technology have enabled researchers to identify a broad spectrum of structural variants in cancer genomes that drive tumorigenesis. The study of paired diagnostic and post-therapy medulloblastoma samples using long-read sequencing technology revealed the haplotype-resolved somatic genetic and epigenetic landscape, including a 1.55 Megabasepair chromothripsis event, and a complex pattern of structural variants called \"templated insertion thread\". The study also performed long-read based methylome profiling, identifying allele-specific methylation effects, complex rearrangements with differential methylation, and differential promoter methylation in seven cancer-driver genes. Long-read sequencing technology has the potential to reveal new diagnostic and therapeutic targets in medulloblastoma and other cancers.',1,89,'<ul><li>Long-read sequencing of diagnosis and post-therapy medulloblastoma reveals complex rearrangement patterns and epigenetic signatures. Tobias Rausch, Rene Snajder, Adrien Leger, Milena Simovic, Oliver Stegle, Ewan Birney, Marc Jan Bonder, Aurelie Ernst, Jan O. Korbel. bioRxiv 2022.02.20.480758; doi: <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.20.480758\" target=\"_blank\">https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.20.480758</a></li></ul>'),(115913,'An emphasis on natural climate solutions','an-emphasis-on-natural-climate-solutions','2023-03-31 20:47:09.737353','<span id=\"docs-internal-guid-ca10dc40-7fff-0d86-db5a-dfccc89628b9\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Due to climate change, extreme events are becoming a norm to our daily life and are more destructive. The heat and fires affect the ecosystems and humans that leaves a lasting impact on coral reefs, farmland and forests. The livelihoods that depend on these natural environments are socially and economically affected.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><br></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\">The <a href=\"https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/what-are-natural-climate-solutions-ncs-alliance/\" target=\"_blank\">World Economic Forum</a> has given the following examples:</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">“Take, for example, recent forest fires in Siberia – one of the coldest regions in the world. </span><a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/20/airpocalypse-hits-siberian-city-as-heatwave-sparks-forest-fires\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The “unprecedented” blazes have not only destroyed more than 5,700 square kilometres of woodland</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> but have also released more than 65 megatonnes of carbon and forced residents to stay indoors due to dangerous air quality.\"</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">\"Another example: </span><a href=\"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210720114356.htm\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">coral reefs</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">. They’re home to about one-third of known ocean species, but are rapidly disappearing due to climate change. This is, of course, harmful to the species that live in them, but also to economies that depend on reefs for food, tourism and flood mitigation.\"</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">And we can’t forget the Amazon – </span><a href=\"https://time.com/6082313/amazon-carbon-tipping-point/\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">once the “lungs of the world” but now emitting more carbon than it absorbs as deforestation has taken its toll</span></a><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">.”</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">It has been noted that our impacts on the environment are the scars on the earth. This allows for innovative thinking regarding economic, social and environmental benefits in moving towards natural climate solutions. With having natural climate solutions in place, a country will be able to achieve their climate goals.</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Natural climate solutions</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><ol style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;\"><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon storage in wetlands, forests and grasslands.</span></p></li><li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;\" aria-level=\"1\"><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Companies such as Amazon, Nestle, Walmart and Apple are all into environmental initiatives that relate to natural climate solutions.</span></p></li></ol><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Why we have to act now?</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In 2010 carbon credits were only 10% but now they are 40%.&nbsp;</span></p><br><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Solutions</span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br></span></p><p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">More investments need to be made in natural climate solutions. The World Economic Forum also has some initiatives in place such as the Tropical Forest Alliance, the Nation Action Agenda and 1t.org.</span></p><br></span>','2023-03-30 16:49:21.240758','uploads/news/pexels-karolina-grabowska-4207909.jpg',1,'Geography and Sustainability','Natural climate solutions. The way forward and what the World Economic Forum is doing.',13,164,'<p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i><br></i></p><p style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><div></div><p></p></p><ul><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crop faceless woman planting seedling into soil - pexels</i> (no date). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-faceless-woman-planting-seedling-into-soil-4207909/ (Accessed: March 31, 2023). </li><li style=\"margin-left: 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;\"><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; What are natural climate solutions?</i> (no date) <i>World Economic Forum</i>. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/what-are-natural-climate-solutions-ncs-alliance/ (Accessed: March 31, 2023).&nbsp;</li></ul><div></div><p></p>'),(140639,'Deciphering the Human Ovary: Insights for Restoring Fertility and Hormonal Balance','deciphering-human-ovary-insights-restoring-fertility-and-hormonal-balance','2024-04-07 12:53:40.976224','<p>A groundbreaking study led by University of Michigan engineers has unveiled a comprehensive \"atlas\" of the human ovary, offering profound insights that could pave the way for novel treatments aimed at rejuvenating ovarian function and enabling biologically related childbearing. Published in Science Advances, the research sheds light on the intricate mechanisms underlying follicle maturation, potentially facilitating the creation of artificial ovaries in laboratory settings.</p><p>The research team, leveraging cutting-edge tools capable of scrutinizing gene expression at a single-cell level within ovarian tissues, identified key factors governing the maturation of ovarian follicles, the vital structures responsible for hormone production and egg development. This newfound understanding opens avenues for manipulating gene expression to engineer functional follicles, laying the groundwork for the development of transplantable artificial ovaries.<br></p><p>Primordial follicles, the majority of which lie dormant in the ovarian cortex, represent a crucial reservoir of reproductive potential. Through periodic activation and migration into the growing pool, a subset of these follicles matures into eggs, culminating in ovulation. By elucidating the molecular cues orchestrating follicle development, the researchers envision prolonging the functionality of engineered ovarian tissue, thereby extending the fertility window and hormonal support for reproductive health.<br></p><p>The study marks a significant milestone in the quest to decode the complexities of the female reproductive system, aligning with the ambitious goals of the Human Cell Atlas project. By constructing comprehensive cellular maps, researchers aim to unravel the intricacies of human physiology and pathology, offering insights into disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.<br></p><p>Led by Ariella Shikanov and Jun Z. Li, the research team employed state-of-the-art spatial transcriptomics to dissect gene expression patterns within ovarian tissues obtained from human donors. This innovative approach unveiled the transcriptional landscape of ovarian follicles and oocytes, elucidating the molecular signatures associated with follicle development and oocyte maturation.<br></p><p>Moreover, the study underscores the collaborative efforts of multidisciplinary researchers, including Sue Hammoud, Andrea Suzanne Kuliahsa Jones, and D. Ford Hannum, underscoring the collective endeavor to advance reproductive medicine and molecular biology.<br></p><p>Funded in part by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the National Institutes of Health, this pioneering research holds promise for revolutionizing fertility restoration strategies and enhancing reproductive health outcomes for women worldwide.<br></p>','2024-04-07 12:40:24.112725','uploads/news/ijms-24-14751-g002.jpg',1,'University of Michigan. (2024, April 1). A new \"atlas\" of the human ovary provides insights that could lead to treatments restoring ovarian hormone production and the ability to have biologically related children. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240401100708.htm.','New \'atlas\' of human ovary offers insights for restoring fertility. Study in Science Advances unveils cellular landscape crucial for artificial ovaries. (Source: University of Michigan)',1,222,'<ul><li>Jones, A. S. K., Hannum, D. F., Machlin, J. H., Tan, A., Ma, Q., Ulrich, N. D., Shen, Y.-C., Ciarelli, M., Padmanabhan, V., Marsh, E. E., Hammoud, S., Li, J. Z., &amp; Shikanov, A. (2024). Cellular atlas of the human ovary using morphologically guided spatial transcriptomics and single-cell sequencing. Science Advances, 10(14), eadm7506. DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adm7506\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/sciadv.adm7506.</a><br></li></ul>'),(140640,'Revolutionizing Quaternary Carbon Synthesis: A Cost-effective Breakthrough','revolutionizing-quaternary-carbon-synthesis-cost-effective-breakthrough','2024-04-07 12:57:16.210930','<p>In a groundbreaking study published in Science on April 5, 2024, researchers from the Scripps Research Institute have unveiled an innovative method for synthesizing quaternary carbons crucial for drug development. Traditionally a challenging endeavor, this new approach utilizes a single, low-cost iron catalyst to convert readily available feedstock chemicals into quaternary carbons.</p><p>Small molecule drugs, which are predominantly carbon-based, play a pivotal role in pharmaceuticals. However, the synthesis of these molecules becomes particularly challenging when they require quaternary carbons—carbon atoms bonded to four other carbon atoms. Until now, the synthesis of such molecules has been arduous, often involving multiple steps and expensive catalysts.<br></p><p>In this study, Scripps Research chemists have demonstrated that a single iron catalyst can effectively catalyze the conversion of carboxylic acids and olefins—common chemical feedstocks—into quaternary carbons. This streamlined process not only simplifies synthesis but also reduces costs, making drug production more accessible and affordable.<br></p><p>Co-first author Nathan Dao, a PhD candidate at Scripps Research, highlights the significance of this discovery, stating, \"Quaternary carbons are ubiquitous across various areas of research—from drug discovery to material science. However, their synthesis has long been a challenge in organic chemistry. Our method offers a cost-effective solution to this longstanding problem.\"<br></p><p>Moreover, the simplicity of this approach is underscored by co-senior author Ryan Shenvi, PhD, who explains, \"A benefit of this work is its incredibly simple nature.\" By leveraging inexpensive and abundant feedstock chemicals, researchers have unlocked a transformative pathway for quaternary carbon synthesis.<br></p><p>This study not only marks a significant advancement in organic synthesis but also holds immense promise for pharmaceutical development. With the ability to produce quaternary carbons more efficiently and affordably, drug developers can expedite the synthesis of small molecule drugs, potentially accelerating the discovery and production of life-saving medications.<br></p><p>The collaborative efforts of researchers, including Xu-cheng Gan, Benxiang Zhang, and Phil Baran, underscore the interdisciplinary approach driving innovation at Scripps Research. Supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and industry partners such as Pfizer and Biogen, this research exemplifies the transformative impact of collaborative scientific endeavors.<br></p><p>In summary, the study conducted by Scripps Research Institute researchers presents a paradigm shift in quaternary carbon synthesis, offering a cost-effective and accessible method for drug development. With implications spanning pharmaceuticals, materials science, and beyond, this breakthrough promises to revolutionize organic chemistry and advance scientific discovery.<br></p>','2024-04-07 12:57:16.210970','uploads/news/an-affordable-and-easy-method-for-carbon-atom-bonding.webp',1,'Scripps Research Institute. (2024, April 5). A simple, inexpensive way to make carbon atoms bind together. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240401100708.htm.','Scripps Research reveals a breakthrough: using iron catalysts, they synthesize quaternary carbons crucial for drug development.',1,30,'<p>Gan, X.-C., Zhang, B., Dao, N., Bi, C., Pokle, M., Kan, L., Collins, M. R., Tyrol, C. C., Bolduc, P. N., Nicastri, M., Kawamata, Y., Baran, P. S., &amp; Shenvi, R. (2024). Carbon quaternization of redox active esters and olefins by decarboxylative coupling. Science, 384(6691), 113. DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adn5619\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126/science.adn5619</a>.<br></p>'),(140641,'University of Oxford Research Highlights Ocean Connectivity as Key to Fish Abundance in the Western Indian Ocean','university-of-oxford-research-highlights-ocean-connectivity-as-key-to-fish-abundance-in-the-western-indian-ocean','2024-10-19 04:24:19.243014','<p>According to new research led by the University of Oxford, oceanographic connectivity- how different regions of the ocean move and exchange water-is a dominant influence for fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean. </p><p>The findings are published today in the ICES Journal of Marine Sciences. Accordingly, connectivity most strongly influenced groups of herbivorous reef fish that are most critical to coral reef resilience, thus suggesting that connectivity should be integrated into how decision-makers prioritize conservation areas. Results also revealed that, in concert with oceanographic connectivity, sea surface temperature and levels of chlorophyll-the green pigment in plants responsible for photosynthesis-strongly predict the distribution and abundance of reef fish in the WIO. </p><p>Poor reefs protection in this region is notably important for the rapidly growing local communities that depend so much on the reefs and are highly vulnerable to the impacts brought about by climate change. The lead author, Laura Warmuth of the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford, said: \"It was striking that herbivorous fish-which are critical to reef resilience-were particularly strongly impacted by ocean connectivity.\". Furthermore, there should be efficiency in conservation area prioritisation and also apply connectivity in decision making for marine protected area management across country borders. </p><p>This is of especial pertinence in the human-stressed WIO region, where annual bleaching is forecasted by mid-century on most coral reefs under even the most optimistic eventualities of climate change\'. Reefs provide food security for communities, with small-scale fisheries furnishing as much as 99% of protein intake and about 82% of household income in the WIO. Due to the fact that it hosts part of the poorest communities in the world and its population is rising rapidly, locals are increasingly at risk of the curse of climate change that could decimate reefs through successive coral bleaching. While the surface temperatures of the sea are rising globally, temperatures of the Indian Ocean are rising a bit faster compared to other tropical oceans, making this one of the most vulnerable ocean regions to thermal stress. Fish diversity provides certain key services to reefs through different feeding patterns. </p><p>For example, feeding on algae reduces a competitor for space with corals. The researchers developed a metric of proportional oceanographic connectivity that simplifies complex oceanographic models, allowing the researchers to incorporate this element into ecological models. Over the study reef sites, however, medium connectivity levels were more closely associated with higher abundances of fish, instead of high levels. High connectivity may favor larvae dispersal but is also similarly associated with negative side effects due to stronger wave exposure and increased levels of dispersal of pollutants or invasive species. In this study, sea surface temperatures and chlorophyll also had a strong effect on the abundance of all fish at every level of the food chain. Co-author Professor Mike Bonsall, Department of Biology, University of Oxford added: \"It is eminent that the decision-makers responsible for marine planning understand how ocean patterns and environmental factors affect reef fish across the food chain.\". </p><p>Our work underlines the importance of this linkage between ocean currents and fish ecology for understanding the wider role of environmental change and fishing regulations on sensitive coral reef fish systems\'. The researchers now plan to explore the impacts of human activities, including how human population density and market distance affect reef fish abundance and biomass in the WIO. Another aspect it will touch on is the manner in which oceanographic and environmental factors are forecast, with respect to the various climate change scenarios, and how fish distributions and abundance will change on that vector. The team collaborated with the University of Oxford, National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK; NGO Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean, CORDIO, located in Mombasa, Kenya; Institute of Zoology in London, UK; and the Bertarelli Foundation Marine Science Programme.<br></p><p><br></p>','2024-10-19 03:10:37.756026','uploads/news/pexels-ekamelev-920163.jpg',1,'University of Oxford','A study led by the University of Oxford, published in the ICES Journal of Marine Sciences, reveals that oceanographic connectivity significantly influences fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean, especially herbivorous reef fish that are crucial for coral reef resilience. The research highlights the need to incorporate connectivity into conservation planning, given its strong impact alongside sea surface temperature and chlorophyll levels on predicting reef fish distribution. With local communities in the region highly dependent on reefs for food security and vulnerable to climate change, efficient management of marine protected areas is essential. The study also points out that while medium connectivity levels generally promote higher fish abundance, high connectivity can have negative effects such as pollutant dispersal. Researchers plan to further investigate human activity impacts and changes in environmental factors under various climate scenarios. The collaboration included partners from the UK, Kenya, and the Bertarelli Foundation Marine Science Programme.',1,82,'<ul><li>Laura M Warmuth, Stephen Kelly, Melita A Samoilys, Ekaterina Popova, Catherine E I Head, Michael B Bonsall. Environmental change and connectivity drive coral reef fish abundance in the Western Indian Ocean. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2024; DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsae125<br></li></ul>'),(140642,'Unraveling the Mystery of Dark Matter: How Axions Around Neutron Stars Could Be the Key','unraveling-the-mystery-of-dark-matter-how-axions-around-neutron-stars-could-be-the-key','2024-10-20 04:47:24.544331','<p class=\"reg-normal\">For decades, scientists have been trying to understand dark matter, an enigmatic substance that seems to make up roughly 85% of the universe’s matter but doesn’t emit or interact with light in a way we can easily observe. Now, a breakthrough study led by a team of physicists from the universities of Amsterdam, Princeton, and Oxford brings us closer to finding answers. They propose that lightweight, hypothetical particles known as axions may be present in large clouds around neutron stars, potentially making these elusive particles easier to detect. Their findings, published in Physical Review X, could help unravel one of the biggest mysteries in modern physics.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What Are Axions, and Why Do They Matter?</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">When we think of tiny particles, familiar names like protons, neutrons, and electrons come to mind. But axions? Not so much. That’s because they remain purely hypothetical; no one has definitively detected them yet. The idea of axions was first introduced back in the 1970s as a way to solve a problem in the physics of neutrons. The name even comes from a brand of soap, symbolizing their theoretical role in “cleaning up” some of the inconsistencies in our understanding.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Although they started as a potential solution for a specific problem, axions have since gained attention as a leading candidate for dark matter—a mysterious form of matter inferred only from its gravitational effects on visible matter, such as stars and galaxies. Despite overwhelming evidence suggesting that dark matter exists, its true nature remains elusive. Physicists believe that axions could help solve this puzzle because they are predicted to be incredibly light and interact very weakly with ordinary matter, making them hard to detect directly but perfect candidates for dark matter.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">How Neutron Stars Can Help Uncover Axions</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">You might be wondering: if axions are so elusive, how do we go about finding them? This is where neutron stars come into play. Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the universe, packing the mass of our Sun into a sphere just about 12 to 15 kilometers in diameter. Their extreme densities create highly intense environments, featuring magnetic fields billions of times stronger than anything we have on Earth. Such fields provide the perfect setting to search for axions.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Axions have a peculiar property: they can convert into photons—particles of light—when exposed to electric and magnetic fields, and vice versa. While this conversion is weak and difficult to detect in most environments, the intense magnetic fields around neutron stars could theoretically mass-produce axions, potentially forming large clouds of these particles near the stars.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What Makes Axion Clouds So Special?</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">In their previous research, the team focused on the axions that escape a neutron star, investigating how these particles might interact with light in a way that produces observable signals. This time, however, the spotlight is on the axions that get caught by the star’s immense gravitational pull. These axions would stick around, accumulating over millions of years to form dense clouds enveloping the neutron star.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">So, what’s the big deal about these axion clouds? The researchers argue that if axions do indeed exist, these clouds should form around most neutron stars and could be 20 orders of magnitude denser than local dark matter in space. The density of these clouds could produce two distinct types of signals: a continuous emission of light over much of the neutron star’s lifetime and a burst of light when the star eventually runs out of fuel and stops radiating electromagnetic energy. Both of these signals, they suggest, could be picked up by our existing radio telescopes.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Why This Matters for the Search for Dark Matter</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">For scientists, it’s not enough for a theory to sound promising; it needs to lead to observable consequences. The idea that axion clouds around neutron stars could generate detectable signals provides just that—a concrete way to search for these particles. With the new findings, researchers now know what to look for, making the hunt for axion clouds much more feasible than before.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">However, this is just the beginning. There\'s still a lot to figure out. For instance, one of the researchers is already working on understanding how axion clouds could impact the behavior of neutron stars. There’s also a need for more numerical modeling to precisely predict what signals to expect. Beyond individual neutron stars, many of these dense objects exist in binary systems—paired with other neutron stars or even black holes. Studying axion clouds in such complex systems could reveal even more about their nature and how they interact with their surroundings.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Looking Ahead: A New Frontier in Physics</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The discovery of axion clouds would mark a significant leap forward in our understanding of dark matter and the universe as a whole. But as with many scientific breakthroughs, it will require a multidisciplinary approach. Researchers will need to bring together expertise from particle physics, astrophysics, plasma physics, and radio astronomy to piece together the puzzle. It’s an exciting time, as this research opens a new cross-disciplinary field with endless possibilities for discovery.</p>','2024-10-20 04:47:24.544433','uploads/news/using-neutron-stars-to.jpg',1,'Universiteit van Amsterdam','Physicists are investigating axions, lightweight hypothetical particles, which could potentially explain dark matter. New research suggests that axion clouds may form around neutron stars, creating observable signals that could help detect these elusive particles. This work not only sheds light on the nature of dark matter but also paves the way for further exploration in astrophysics and particle physics.',1,223,'<ul><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Dion Noordhuis, Anirudh Prabhu, Christoph Weniger, Samuel J. Witte. Axion Clouds around Neutron Stars. Physical Review X, 2024; 14 (4) DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.14.041015\" target=\"_blank\">10.1103/PhysRevX.14.041015</a></span><br></li></ul>'),(140643,'Hemostatic Antibacterial Sponge: New Hope for Trauma Care','hemostatic-antibacterial-sponge-new-hope-for-trauma-care','2024-10-21 05:29:33.736041','<p class=\"reg-normal\">Researchers at the University of Central Florida have created an innovative hemostatic sponge bandage, called SilFoam, designed to combat life-threatening bleeding and infections from severe injuries. Published in Biomaterials Science, the study details how SilFoam offers rapid hemorrhage control and antimicrobial benefits, potentially transforming trauma care.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Aiming to Save Lives Quickly</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"Fatalities from heavy bleeding often happen within the first 30 to 60 minutes,\" explains Kausik Mukhopadhyay, a materials science professor and co-author of the study. \"Our goal was to develop a simple solution capable of saving lives in that critical window, allowing medical personnel to take over.\"</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">How SilFoam Works</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">SilFoam is a liquid gel composed of siloxanes, activated by a two-chamber syringe that expands the gel into a sponge-like foam upon mixing. The sponge exerts pressure to stop bleeding and incorporates silver oxide for its antibacterial properties. A five-milliliter injection of the gel expands to roughly 35 milliliters, forming a porous structure that helps seal wounds and supports natural clotting. The material\'s heat generation during the reaction speeds up the hemostatic process, while oxygen released during expansion prevents rigidity.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Testing with Innovative Models</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The researchers conducted initial trials using realistic anatomical models with synthetic blood vessels. This approach allowed them to bypass invasive animal testing while refining the technology. Their studies showed that SilFoam offers several benefits compared to existing treatments, including better leakage prevention, no cold storage requirements, lower cost, and easy application.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Safe and Painless Removal</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Graduate student Pritha Sarkar ensured the sponge was safe and easy to remove by optimizing its adhesive properties to avoid tissue damage. \"Our polymer system doesn’t stick to the skin, making removal painless and risk-free,\" she says.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Antibacterial Testing and Future Directions</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Melanie Coathup, a UCF medicine professor, led efforts to assess SilFoam\'s antibacterial efficacy, finding it highly effective against bacteria common in traumatic injuries. With promising lab results, the team plans to collaborate with the University of Nebraska Medical Center for animal trials.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Mukhopadhyay, who recently received a GAP award to support SilFoam\'s licensing, sees the project as a significant leap toward lifesaving treatments in emergency care.</p>','2024-10-21 05:29:33.736148','uploads/news/life-saving-spongelike-1.jpg',1,'University of Central Florida','University of Central Florida researchers have developed SilFoam, a hemostatic and antibacterial sponge bandage designed to control life-threatening bleeding and prevent infections. SilFoam, a gel made from siloxanes, expands into a foam upon application, applying pressure to stop hemorrhage and utilizing silver oxide for its antimicrobial properties. Initial testing on realistic anatomical models showed its effectiveness in reducing blood leakage, requiring no cold storage, and being easy to apply and remove without damaging tissues. Next steps include animal trials at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with the goal of advancing trauma care solutions.',1,222,'<ul><li>Pritha Sarkar, Abinaya Sindu Pugazhendhi, Melanie Coathup and Kausik Mukhopadhyay. Antibacterial sponge for rapid noncompressible hemostatic treatment: spatiotemporal studies using a noninvasive model. Biomaterials Science, 2024 [abstract]<br></li></ul>'),(140644,'How Our Ancient DNA May Be Shaping Your Love for Bread and Pasta Today','how-our-ancient-dna-may-be-shaping-your-love-for-bread-and-pasta-today','2024-10-21 05:42:44.732205','<p class=\"reg-normal\">If you\'ve ever felt like cutting carbs was an uphill battle, there might be an ancient reason why. It turns out that our genetic makeup may have been gearing us up for a lifetime of bread and pasta cravings long before we started farming.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">For quite some time, scientists have known that humans possess multiple copies of the salivary amylase gene (AMY1), which kickstarts the process of digesting starches in our mouths. This gene gives us a head start on breaking down complex carbs found in foods like bread and potatoes, but exactly how and when these gene duplications occurred has been a bit of a mystery—until now.<br></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">A new study led by the University at Buffalo and the Jackson Laboratory (JAX) has pushed the timeline of these genetic changes way back, suggesting that AMY1 duplications happened more than 800,000 years ago. Yes, that\'s way before the dawn of agriculture. It seems that our ancient ancestors—hunter-gatherers, Neanderthals, and Denisovans—were already well-equipped to handle a diet that included starchy foods long before we figured out how to farm.<br></p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Decoding the Past: A Genetic Breakthrough</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The findings, published in Science on October 17, reveal that the early duplications of the AMY1 gene were more significant than previously believed. Researchers used cutting-edge optical genome mapping and long-read sequencing techniques to meticulously map out the AMY1 region. These methods were essential because traditional short-read sequencing struggled to tell the near-identical copies of this gene apart. With the new technology, scientists could finally get a clearer view of how our AMY1 copies evolved over time.<br></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">According to Omer Gokcumen, PhD, a professor at the University at Buffalo and the study\'s lead author, \"The idea is that the more amylase genes you have, the more amylase you can produce, and the more efficiently you can digest starch.\" In other words, your body might be genetically better suited to handling a slice of pizza than you think.<br></p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Ancient Diets: What Hunter-Gatherers and Neanderthals Tell Us</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">By analyzing the genomes of 68 ancient humans, including a 45,000-year-old individual from Siberia, researchers found that people living thousands of years before agriculture already had four to eight copies of the AMY1 gene in each diploid cell. This wide range indicates that even back then, humans were genetically diverse in their ability to digest starches. The variations weren\'t limited to modern humans either; Neanderthals and Denisovans carried multiple copies of AMY1, suggesting that this gene\'s evolution started well before our species diverged.<br></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"This suggests that the AMY1 gene may have first duplicated over 800,000 years ago, far earlier than previously thought,\" says Kwondo Kim, a lead author from the Lee Lab at JAX. The implications are significant because they show that our ancestors\' bodies were already adapting to environments with varying levels of dietary starch.<br></p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Evolutionary Ripples: From Ancient Adaptations to Modern Diets</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The initial duplication of the AMY1 gene created a genetic opportunity that would shape human evolution. As people migrated to different parts of the world, the number of AMY1 copies provided a flexible adaptation mechanism, allowing our species to thrive in diverse environments. \"It was like the first ripple in a pond,\" says Charikleia Karageorgiou, one of the lead researchers from UB. \"Once the amylase locus became unstable after the initial duplication, it began generating new variations.\"<br></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">These genetic ripples continued through the ages, with some ancient populations seeing a significant increase in AMY1 copies, especially as starch-rich diets became more common. For instance, as European farmers embraced agriculture over the past 4,000 years, their average AMY1 copy numbers surged, suggesting that higher gene counts offered an evolutionary advantage.<br></p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">How Farming Shaped Our Genes—and Our Plates</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The shift to farming didn\'t just change the way we lived; it influenced our biology. Ancient hunter-gatherers had several copies of the AMY1 gene, but the move to agriculture turbocharged the need for starch digestion. The introduction of farming practices about 12,000 years ago brought a marked increase in starch consumption, as people started growing crops like wheat, rice, and potatoes. According to recent research led by the University of California, Berkeley, humans in Europe saw their AMY1 copies rise from an average of four to seven during this period.<br></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Gokcumen\'s previous work also points out that this genetic adaptation wasn\'t exclusive to humans. Domesticated animals like dogs and pigs, who lived alongside humans and consumed more starch-heavy diets, also developed higher AMY1 copy numbers than their wild counterparts. Essentially, evolution rewarded those who could make the most of the carbs in their diets, allowing individuals with more AMY1 copies to digest starch more efficiently and potentially have more offspring.<br></p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What This Means for Metabolic Health Today</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The study doesn\'t just offer a glimpse into our evolutionary past; it also opens up exciting possibilities for modern health and nutrition. \"Understanding AMY1 copy number variation can help us explore its impact on metabolic health and uncover the mechanisms behind starch digestion and glucose metabolism,\" says Feyza Yilmaz, an associate computational scientist at JAX and a lead author of the study.<br></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">In essence, your ability to process carbs might be written in your genes. Future research could provide critical insights into how variations in AMY1 copy numbers affect conditions like diabetes or obesity. It’s possible that individuals with fewer AMY1 copies might be more susceptible to certain metabolic issues due to a less efficient starch digestion process.<br></p>','2024-10-21 05:42:44.732310','uploads/news/DNA-strands-concept-illustration.webp',1,'University at Buffalo','A new study reveals that the evolution of the salivary amylase gene (AMY1), which helps humans digest starchy foods, dates back over 800,000 years—much earlier than previously thought. Researchers used advanced genome mapping to uncover that early humans, Neanderthals, and even ancient hunter-gatherers already carried multiple copies of the AMY1 gene. These duplications laid the foundation for how our bodies adapt to starch-rich diets, potentially influencing modern metabolic health.',1,118,'<ul><li>Feyza Yılmaz, Charikleia Karageorgiou, Kwondo Kim, Petar Pajic, Kendra Scheer, Christine R. Beck, Ann-Marie Torregrossa, Charles Lee, Omer Gokcumen, Peter A. Audano, Olanrewaju Austine-Orimoloye, Christine R. Beck, Evan E. Eichler, Pille Hallast, William T. Harvey, Alex R. Hastie, Kendra Hoekzema, Sarah Hunt, Jan O. Korbel, Jennifer Kordosky, Charles Lee, Alexandra P. Lewis, Tobias Marschall, Katherine M. Munson, Andy Pang, Feyza Yilmaz. Reconstruction of the human amylase locus reveals ancient duplications seeding modern-day variation. Science, 2024; DOI: 10.1126/science.adn0609<br></li></ul>'),(140645,'When Meteors Shaped Life on Earth: A Billion-Year-Old Story Unveiled','when-meteors-shaped-life-on-earth-a-billion-year-old-story-unveiled','2024-10-22 14:39:23.099608','<p class=\"reg-normal\">Long before the Earth had any form of complex life, the planet was a chaotic realm of crashing meteorites, boiling oceans, and shifting landscapes. Around 3.26 billion years ago, one such massive space rock—estimated to be as tall as four Mount Everests—plummeted to Earth. The collision triggered a series of events that not only rocked the planet’s surface but also influenced the development of life, setting the stage for future evolution.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Unraveling Earth’s Deep Past</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Nadja Drabon, an early-Earth geologist and assistant professor, has dedicated her career to deciphering what the world was like during these ancient times. Back then, Earth was pummeled by meteoritic bombardments, with only hardy, single-celled organisms like bacteria and archaea existing. Drabon’s research dives into fundamental questions about the early planet: When did the first oceans form? How did continents take shape? Did the violent impacts alter life’s evolutionary path?</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Drabon’s latest findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focus on a major impact event known as S2, which left its mark in what is now the Barberton Greenstone Belt of South Africa. This region preserves the geological remnants of those cataclysmic days, offering a rare window into Earth\'s formative years. By meticulously examining rock samples just centimeters apart, Drabon’s team reconstructs the chaotic scene of the S2 impact and its consequences for early life.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Day the Earth Stood Still</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">To grasp the magnitude of the S2 impact, picture a tranquil coastal environment. It’s a calm, low-energy place, much like the shallow waters off Cape Cod today. Then, in an instant, a colossal meteorite slams into the planet. The resulting impact unleashes a giant tsunami, ripping up the seabed and hurling debris from the land into the ocean. The energy released causes the top layer of the ocean to vaporize, while the atmosphere becomes superheated and cloaked in a thick dust cloud, blocking sunlight and halting any photosynthesis.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Amid the devastation, however, life was not defeated. Remarkably, Drabon\'s research suggests that bacterial life bounced back quickly. According to the analysis, bacteria that thrived on iron flourished in the chaotic aftermath. This was fueled by iron, which had been stirred up from the ocean depths by the violent waves, and phosphorus, delivered both by the meteorite itself and by increased erosion on land. These conditions allowed iron-metabolizing bacteria to multiply rapidly, even in a world that seemed uninhabitable.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Surprising Silver Lining</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Contrary to the common belief that meteorite impacts are solely disastrous for life, Drabon’s study paints a different picture. While it’s true that large impacts, like the one that occurred 66 million years ago, led to mass extinctions (most famously the dinosaurs), earlier in Earth’s history, these events may have played a crucial role in life’s development.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"We think of impact events as being disastrous for life,\" Drabon explains. \"But what this study is highlighting is that these impacts would have had benefits to life, especially early on … these impacts might have actually allowed life to flourish.\"</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Her team’s findings show that even though these early impacts were catastrophic, they also triggered beneficial environmental changes, creating new niches where life could adapt and thrive. The brief dominance of iron-metabolizing bacteria after the S2 impact demonstrates how life quickly exploited the new resources made available by the cataclysm.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Digging Deeper into Earth\'s Ancient History</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The insights gained from this research come from the relentless efforts of Drabon and her team, who journey to remote mountain passes and carefully collect sediment samples that have preserved the history of ancient cataclysms. In the thin layers of rock, chemical signatures reveal evidence of events like tsunamis, which left behind traces of ocean mixing and land debris. These geological records, etched into the Earth’s crust over billions of years, offer clues about how life and the environment interacted during these turbulent times.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The Barberton Greenstone Belt is particularly valuable for researchers because it contains evidence of at least eight significant impact events, including the S2. This makes it an ideal site for understanding how early meteorite impacts influenced the course of life on our planet. Drabon and her team plan to continue their research here, aiming to unearth even more secrets from Earth’s distant past.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Bigger Picture</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The story of the S2 impact and its aftermath is more than just a tale of destruction—it’s a story about resilience and opportunity. While massive impacts undoubtedly caused chaos, they also reshaped the environment in ways that made it possible for life to evolve and diversify. In this light, meteorite events can be seen not only as agents of extinction but also as catalysts for change, sparking new beginnings in the history of life.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">As research continues, we may uncover more ways that these ancient cosmic events shaped the evolution of life on Earth. And who knows—perhaps they even set the stage for the eventual emergence of complex life forms, including us.</p><p><br></p>','2024-10-22 14:39:23.099713','uploads/news/images_2.jpeg',1,'Harvard University','Billions of years ago, a meteorite up to 200 times larger than the one that wiped out the dinosaurs crashed into Earth, unleashing catastrophic changes. A new study led by geologist Nadja Drabon, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explores the aftermath of this ancient impact, known as the S2 event. Through detailed analysis of rock samples from South Africa’s Barberton Greenstone Belt, the study reveals how the devastation gave rise to unique opportunities for life, fueling the growth of iron-metabolizing bacteria and reshaping the planet\'s early history.',1,104,'<ul><li>Nadja Drabon, Andrew H. Knoll, Donald R. Lowe, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Alec R. Brenner, David A. Mucciarone. Effect of a giant meteorite impact on Paleoarchean surface environments and life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024; 121 (44) DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2408721121</li></ul>'),(140646,'Ancient El Niño Events Were Stronger and More Frequent, Study Finds','ancient-el-nino-events-were-stronger-and-more-frequent-study-finds','2024-10-22 14:57:11.319113','<h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">El Niño Isn’t Just a Modern Phenomenon</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The El Niño event, characterized by a warm patch of ocean water in the tropical Pacific that alters global weather patterns, isn’t a new occurrence limited to modern history. In fact, recent research suggests this oscillation between warm El Niño and cold La Niña events dates back at least 250 million years. And, according to a modeling study led by Duke University researchers, the magnitude of these ancient temperature swings often surpassed what we experience today.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Look Into the Deep Past</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of October 21, the study explored the ancient ENSO using advanced climate modeling techniques. The simulations were no easy feat, given the significant shifts in Earth\'s configuration over millions of years. Instead of continuous simulations, researchers ran 26 separate \"slices\" of 10 million years each, simulating different periods stretching back 250 million years.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"Each experiment showed an active El Niño Southern Oscillation, and in nearly every case, the oscillation was stronger than what we observe now,\" said Shineng Hu, an assistant professor of climate dynamics at Duke University\'s Nicholas School of the Environment. Some periods exhibited slightly stronger oscillations, while others showed much more extreme swings in temperature.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">When Continents Were in Different Places</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">It’s important to understand that Earth\'s layout looked vastly different back then. About 250 million years ago, during the Mesozoic Era, South America wasn\'t the separate continent we know today but was nestled within the vast supercontinent Pangea. The oscillations took place in the Panthalassic Ocean, which lay to the west.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">By considering the influence of different boundary conditions, such as varying land-sea distributions, solar radiation levels, and higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations, the researchers gained insights into how these factors impacted ENSO\'s intensity. For instance, although solar radiation reaching Earth was about 2% lower than it is now, the planet\'s atmosphere and oceans were much warmer due to the elevated CO2 levels.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Unveiling the Role of Atmospheric Winds</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">One of the most intriguing findings from the study was the significant role played by surface winds, or \"atmospheric noise,\" in determining the strength of the oscillation. While previous research largely focused on ocean temperatures, this study identified surface winds as a critical factor in understanding ENSO\'s past intensity.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Hu compared the oscillation to a pendulum, where atmospheric noise acts as a random \"kick\" that influences its motion. \"Both the ocean\'s thermal structure and atmospheric noise are important when trying to understand why ancient El Niño events were stronger,\" he explained.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Implications for Future Climate Predictions</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Understanding these ancient patterns isn\'t just about satisfying curiosity; it’s crucial for refining future climate projections. \"If we want to have a more reliable future projection, we need to understand past climates first,\" Hu emphasized. The insights from this study suggest that factors beyond just sea temperatures—like changes in wind patterns—need to be considered when predicting future climate trends.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Bigger Picture</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">This research underscores the complexity of Earth\'s climate system and the interconnectedness of various environmental factors over geological timescales. By reconstructing past climate scenarios, scientists can better understand how natural forces shaped the world we know today—and how they might continue to influence the planet\'s future.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Acknowledgments</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Swedish Research Council, with simulations conducted at Peking University\'s High-performance Computing Platform.</p><p><br></p>','2024-10-22 14:57:11.319209','uploads/news/image_educracypedia.png',1,'Duke University','A new study reveals that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a phenomenon known for its impact on global climate, has been around for at least 250 million years and was more intense in the past than today. Researchers from Duke University used climate models to simulate deep past climate conditions, finding that oscillations were influenced by different land-sea configurations, atmospheric winds, and higher levels of CO2. These findings highlight the importance of understanding past climate patterns for more accurate future projections.',1,164,'<ul><li>Xiang Li, Shineng Hu, Yongyun Hu, Wenju Cai, Yishuai Jin, Zhengyao Lu, Jiaqi Guo, Jiawenjing Lan, Qifan Lin, Shuai Yuan, Jian Zhang, Qiang Wei, Yonggang Liu, Jun Yang, Ji Nie. Persistently active El Niño–Southern Oscillation since the Mesozoic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024; 121 (45) DOI: 1<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2404758121\" target=\"_blank\">0.1073/pnas.2404758121</a></li></ul>'),(140647,'The Summer 2022 Drought: How Climate Change Made It Worse Than Ever','the-summer-2022-drought-how-climate-change-made-it-worse-than-ever','2024-10-22 15:05:07.158898','<p class=\"reg-normal\">The summer of 2022 brought one of the worst droughts Europe has seen in decades, leaving the soil parched and dry across much of the continent. As the relentless heat stretched from June through August, public discussions inevitably turned to the role climate change played in amplifying this extreme event. Now, a study led by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) reveals that over 30% of the drought\'s severity can be directly linked to human-caused climate change. According to their findings published in Nature Geoscience, this wasn’t just an isolated summer struggle—years of climate-driven soil drying set the stage for what became an extraordinary crisis.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">How the Drought Unfolded</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The drought’s impact wasn’t just felt in the natural landscape—it disrupted daily life across Central and Southern Europe. In Italy, half the population faced water restrictions, and in France, more than 100 towns had to truck in drinking water. Agriculture took a hard hit, with crops like grain maize, sunflower, and soybean seeing a 15% drop in yields compared to the previous five-year average. The dry conditions also fueled severe wildfires in countries like Italy, France, Slovenia, and Romania. On the rivers, navigation came to a near standstill as levels in major waterways like the Po and Rhine dropped, hampering shipping and even hydroelectric power generation.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"The drought in 2022 didn’t just cause environmental harm—it led to serious socio-economic consequences for Europe,\" explains Dr. Emanuele Bevacqua, the lead author of the study and head of the UFZ\'s Compound Climate Extremes group.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Untangling the Role of Climate Change</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">It’s long been understood that human activity is altering our climate, but precisely quantifying the extent to which climate change drives specific events like droughts has been tricky. The research team tackled this challenge by analyzing soil moisture levels across Europe, using the mHM hydrological model developed at UFZ to account for precipitation and temperature data. Their findings paint a stark picture: from June to August, Central and Southern Europe saw soil moisture deficits amounting to 280 cubic kilometers—roughly the same as draining 120 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Furthermore, nearly 1.64 million square kilometers, or 29% of the land area in these regions, were affected by drought—the largest expanse since records began in 1960. \"Our simulations show that the 2022 drought was the most extreme since the start of our measurements,\" Bevacqua adds. It wasn’t just the lack of rainfall that caused trouble; unusually high temperatures also played a significant part. The summer’s average temperature in Central and Southern Europe was 1.9°C above the 1981-2010 average, leading to increased evaporation rates and even lower soil moisture.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">How Much Was Climate Change to Blame?</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">To pinpoint climate change’s contribution to the 2022 drought, the researchers compared two scenarios: one using actual weather data, and another excluding the effects of climate change on temperature and precipitation. Their calculations revealed that roughly 31% of the soil moisture deficit, amounting to 87 cubic kilometers, was due to climate change. Similarly, climate change accounted for 38% of the drought-affected area, translating to an additional 0.61 million square kilometers impacted. \"Higher temperatures, driven by climate change, ramped up evaporation and made the soil dry out faster,\" explains Prof. Dr. Jakob Zscheischler, co-author and head of the UFZ’s Department of Compound Environmental Risks.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">This intensifying effect extended beyond the ground; climate change also affected the flow of Europe’s rivers, which worsened navigational challenges and decreased hydroelectric power production. According to the team’s findings, about 19% of the area where rivers ran dry could be attributed to climate-driven changes.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Hidden, Long-Term Effects</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">One key insight from the study is that the impact of climate change on droughts isn’t always immediate. \"Rising temperatures don’t just hit suddenly; their effects build up over time,\" explains Zscheischler. He points out that soil moisture and water levels were already below normal as the 2021/2022 water management year kicked off in November 2021—a situation unlikely to have happened without human-induced climate change.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The researchers quantified how this long-term warming trend contributed to the severity of the 2022 drought. They found that delayed effects accounted for 14-41% of the total climate change influence, depending on the specific model used. This suggests that the groundwork for the drought’s intensity was laid well before the summer heatwave hit. \"Climate change has steadily increased temperatures and dried out the soil in recent years, setting up conditions for the extreme drought in 2022,\" Zscheischler explains.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Why This Matters</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Understanding the delayed effects of climate change on droughts is crucial because water needs in Europe largely depend on groundwater, which is already over-exploited in many regions. This is a growing concern as climate change continues to reduce soil moisture and river flows, directly impacting agriculture, energy production, and public water supply. As Emanuele Bevacqua emphasizes, \"We’ve only just begun to fully grasp the long-term role climate change plays in droughts.\"</p>','2024-10-22 15:05:07.158998','uploads/news/images_1.png',1,'Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ','The extreme drought that gripped Europe in the summer of 2022 was more than just a dry spell—it was a crisis magnified by human-driven climate change. Research shows that over 30% of the drought’s intensity can be attributed to rising temperatures and other climate-related factors, with significant long-term impacts on agriculture, public water supply, and river navigation. The findings emphasize the need to consider both immediate and delayed effects of climate change on extreme weather events.',1,196,'<p class=\"reg-normal\"><ol class=\"journal\" style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 20px; font-size: 16px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Emanuele Bevacqua, Oldrich Rakovec, Dominik L. Schumacher, Rohini Kumar, Stephan Thober, Luis Samaniego, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Jakob Zscheischler.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Direct and lagged climate change effects intensified the 2022 European drought</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Nature Geoscience</em>, 2024; DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01559-2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1038/s41561-024-01559-2</a></li></ol></p>'),(140648,'How Plants Count to Six: Decoding Stomatal Responses Through Calcium Signaling','how-plants-count-to-six-decoding-stomatal-responses-through-calcium-signaling','2024-10-22 15:31:08.868476','<h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">How Plants Count to Six: The Surprising Science Behind Stomatal Regulation</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Plants have developed a fascinating way to manage water consumption: they use tiny adjustable pores called stomata, which open and close in response to environmental conditions. When there is plenty of water and light, these stomata open to allow the intake of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In contrast, during droughts or darkness, they close up to conserve water. But how exactly do plants make this decision? The secret lies in the intricate workings of guard cells and their calcium signaling mechanisms.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Role of Guard Cells and Anion Channels</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Stomata are controlled by pairs of guard cells that surround each pore. These cells play a crucial role in regulating stomatal movement based on external conditions. Central to this process are SLAC/SLAH-type anion channels located in the guard cells. Research led by Professor Rainer Hedrich at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Germany has shown that these channels are essential for stomatal regulation, being directly activated by calcium signals.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Calcium signaling in guard cells is triggered by various environmental stimuli, such as drought, nutrient deficiencies, soil salinization, or pathogen attacks. These signals often manifest as \"calcium transients\"—brief, rapid increases in calcium concentration within the cells. Interestingly, the nature of these signals can differ depending on the specific environmental trigger, leading scientists to refer to them as \"calcium signatures.\"</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The All-or-Nothing Response of Calcium Transients</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">To uncover how much information is encoded in a calcium transient, Hedrich\'s team employed an innovative optogenetic approach using model plants with light-activated calcium channels. By exposing the guard cells to light pulses of varying durations (0.1, 1, and 10 seconds), they generated calcium signals to observe the cellular response.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The results were surprising: regardless of the pulse duration, the calcium transient in the guard cells remained remarkably similar. The calcium concentration would spike for about 30 seconds following the light stimulus and then gradually return to normal over the next 30 seconds. This \"all-or-nothing\" response suggested that once calcium enters the cells, it triggers a further release of calcium from internal stores, amplifying the signal.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The research confirmed this hypothesis. When the calcium storage within the cell\'s endoplasmic reticulum was blocked, the usual calcium transient and subsequent stomatal response did not occur, highlighting the importance of these internal calcium stores.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Delayed Anion Currents and Stomatal Closure</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The team\'s findings didn’t stop there. They also noticed a delayed electrical response in the guard cells, known as the anion current, which followed the calcium signal. Just like the calcium transients, different pulse durations resulted in anion currents of similar strength and shape. However, the anion current only began after the calcium concentration had surpassed a specific threshold in the cytosol, and it persisted for about 30 seconds after the calcium levels subsided.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">This time lag can be attributed to the biology of the enzymes that respond to the calcium signal and regulate the activity of the anion channels. Essentially, a 0.1-second calcium influx can be amplified within the cell to trigger a reaction lasting over a hundred times longer.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Counting Calcium Transients: How Guard Cells \"Count to Six\"</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">An even more intriguing discovery emerged when the researchers examined how many calcium transients were necessary for stomatal closure. They exposed the guard cells to a brief light pulse every 30 seconds, observing a progressive narrowing of the stomata. After the first pulse, the pore width decreased by 10%. With three pulses, it shrank by 30%, and after six, by 80%. After 12 or more pulses, the pores were completely closed.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">This finding led to a surprising conclusion: guard cells can \"count\" up to six calcium transients, converting these signals into a corresponding stomatal movement. Notably, altering the frequency of stimulation had a clear impact. When the frequency was doubled, stomatal closure did not happen any faster, and when halved, the process slowed down.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What’s Next? Unraveling the Stomatal Mystery</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The research opens up several new questions. \"We’re currently investigating the steps in the stimulus-response chain that depend on the frequency of the calcium transient and affect the speed of stomatal response,\" says Professor Hedrich. The team is also exploring how guard cells decode the calcium signals and translate them into an enzyme-driven activation of anion channels based on the number of signals. Another key question is how long guard cells can \"remember\" each calcium transient.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">This exploration of plant signaling pathways not only provides a deeper understanding of how plants manage water resources but may also offer insights for developing crops better adapted to changing environmental conditions.</p>','2024-10-22 15:31:08.868577','uploads/news/Low-Res_1021PflanzlicheSchliesszellen.jpg',1,'University of Würzburg','Plants manage water consumption by controlling the opening and closing of stomata, which is regulated by guard cells using calcium signaling. Recent research reveals that guard cells can \"count\" up to six calcium transients to trigger stomatal closure, with findings shedding light on the complex processes behind plant water management. The study paves the way for future research into improving crop resilience.',1,196,'<ul><li>Shouguang Huang, M. Rob G. Roelfsema, Matthew Gilliham, Alistair M. Hetherington, Rainer Hedrich. Guard cells count the number of unitary cytosolic Ca2+ signals to regulate stomatal dynamics. Current Biology, 2024; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.086\" target=\"_blank\">10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.086</a></li></ul>'),(140649,'Plants Absorb 31% More CO2 Than Previously Estimated: A Boost for Climate Predictions','plants-absorb-31-more-co2-than-previously-estimated-a-boost-for-climate-predictions','2024-10-22 15:43:00.186871','<h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Recent research has revealed that plants are taking in about 31% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than scientists previously believed. This new finding, published in the journal Nature, could significantly improve climate prediction models and highlights the vital role of natural carbon absorption in managing greenhouse gas levels.</span></h2><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Role of Terrestrial Gross Primary Production (GPP)</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The amount of CO2 absorbed by land plants through photosynthesis is known as Terrestrial Gross Primary Production, or GPP. This process is the largest exchange of carbon between the land and the atmosphere, measured in petagrams of carbon per year. To give some perspective, one petagram is equal to one billion metric tons of carbon — about as much CO2 as 238 million gasoline-powered cars emit annually.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">For decades, GPP estimates hovered around 120 petagrams per year, a number established back in the 1980s. But a team led by Cornell University, with support from the Department of Energy\'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has now recalculated this figure to be a significant 157 petagrams of carbon annually. That\'s a considerable increase, and it suggests that plants are working even harder than we thought to soak up carbon from the atmosphere.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Fresh Approach Using Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS)</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">So, what’s behind this updated estimate? The research team used an innovative approach that tracks a chemical compound called carbonyl sulfide (OCS). This compound travels through a leaf in much the same way as CO2 and is closely related to the photosynthesis process. However, OCS is easier to measure than CO2, making it a useful stand-in for estimating global photosynthetic activity.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The scientists developed an integrated model that traces OCS from the atmosphere into the chloroplasts inside plant cells — the green \"factories\" where photosynthesis happens. By tracking OCS, they could reliably estimate the amount of photosynthesis occurring on a global scale and over extended time periods. This method provided a clearer picture of GPP than traditional approaches relying solely on satellite data, which can struggle with cloud cover, especially in tropical regions.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Importance of Mesophyll Diffusion</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">A key factor in this new estimate is a better understanding of a process called mesophyll diffusion. Essentially, this refers to how gases like CO2 and OCS move from the leaf\'s surface into the chloroplasts where carbon fixation occurs. Understanding mesophyll diffusion helps researchers determine how efficiently plants are conducting photosynthesis, offering insights into how they might adapt to changing environmental conditions.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The mesophyll conductance model was developed with the expertise of Lianhong Gu, a distinguished staff scientist at ORNL. He explained that the longstanding estimate of 120 petagrams had been used as a reference for years, despite ongoing efforts to refine it. \"It\'s crucial that we get an accurate understanding of global GPP because it influences our entire view of the Earth\'s carbon cycle,\" Gu noted.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Closer Look at Tropical Rainforests</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Interestingly, the most significant differences between the old and new estimates were found in tropical rainforests. Ground measurements showed that these ecosystems absorb far more carbon than previous estimates suggested, making them an even more important natural carbon sink than initially thought. This finding underscores the need to include accurate representations of processes like mesophyll diffusion in climate models to improve the predictions of tropical forest responses to climate change.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Improving Climate Predictions</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The results of this study are not just about updating a number; they’re about enhancing our ability to predict future CO2 levels and, consequently, global climate change. \"Refining our estimates of GPP with reliable, global-scale observations is a critical step,\" said Peter Thornton, an ORNL Corporate Fellow and lead for the Earth Systems Science Section. He emphasized that including key processes like mesophyll conductance in models could significantly reduce uncertainties in predictions about tropical forest carbon dynamics.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Collaborative Effort</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">This groundbreaking research brought together experts from various institutions, including Cornell\'s School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Wageningen University and Research in The Netherlands, Carnegie Institution for Science, Colorado State University, University of California Santa Cruz, and NASA\'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Funding support came from multiple sources, such as Cornell, the National Science Foundation, and the DOE’s Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research program.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What’s Next?</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">These findings are expected to inform new models that can more accurately predict how tropical forests — and the global ecosystem as a whole — will respond to changing climate conditions. Initiatives like the Department of Energy’s Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments in the Tropics aim to refine our understanding of tropical carbon cycles further, providing critical insights for future climate mitigation strategies.</p><p><br></p>','2024-10-22 15:41:26.255391','uploads/news/images_3.jpeg',1,'DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory','A new study reveals that plants absorb 31% more CO2 than previously thought, updating the estimate for global Terrestrial Gross Primary Production. This breakthrough enhances our understanding of the natural carbon cycle and could improve climate prediction models. Researchers used carbonyl sulfide (OCS) as a proxy to measure photosynthesis more accurately, highlighting tropical rainforests as vital carbon sinks.',1,164,'<ul><li>Jiameng Lai, Linda M. J. Kooijmans, Wu Sun, Danica Lombardozzi, J. Elliott Campbell, Lianhong Gu, Yiqi Luo, Le Kuai, Ying Sun. Terrestrial photosynthesis inferred from plant carbonyl sulfide uptake. Nature, 2024; DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08050-3\" target=\"_blank\">10.1038/s41586-024-08050-3</a></li></ul>'),(140650,'Unearthed in Kashmir: Ancient Elephants and Early Humans\' Oldest Butchery Site in India','unearthed-in-kashmir-ancient-elephants-and-early-humans-oldest-butchery-site-in-india','2024-10-22 15:58:39.063468','<p class=\"reg-normal\">Around 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, during the late Middle Pleistocene, the lives of at least three massive elephant ancestors came to an end near a river in Kashmir Valley, South Asia. After their deaths, layers of sediment gradually enveloped their remains, preserving not only their bones but also 87 stone tools crafted by the ancestors of modern humans. Now, these discoveries offer fascinating glimpses into early human activity in India and shed light on an extinct species of elephants.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The fossils were first uncovered in 2000 near Pampore, a town nestled in the Kashmir Valley. However, the identity of these ancient bones and the circumstances surrounding the elephants\' deaths remained shrouded in mystery until recently. With two new studies published, scientists are beginning to piece together the history of these prehistoric giants and the early humans who likely fed on their remains.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Advait Jukar, a curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and his team have revealed intriguing evidence suggesting that early humans broke apart the elephant bones to extract nutrient-rich marrow. The discovery represents the earliest known instance of animal butchery in India, predating previous evidence by hundreds of thousands of years.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Discovering an Ancient Feast</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The fossils are rare finds, belonging to an extinct genus of elephants called Palaeoloxodon, a group whose members dwarfed today’s African elephants. Standing up to twice as heavy, these ancient elephants were true giants of their time. The bones from the Pampore site represent the most complete remains of this species ever found in the region. Previously, only one set of bones from this species, Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, had been documented, with the first partial skull fragment discovered in Turkmenistan in 1955.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">For years, paleontologists were left with just stone tools to sketch a vague picture of our early ancestors in the Indian subcontinent. The only known fossil hominin from the region, the Narmada human, was found in 1982 and displayed a blend of characteristics from both older and more recent species, suggesting that India played a significant role in human evolution and migration. Now, thanks to the Pampore findings, it is evident that early humans were not just toolmakers—they were also adept at utilizing the resources around them, even if it meant scavenging from elephants.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"So, the question is, who are these hominins?\" Jukar pondered. \"What are they doing on the landscape, and are they going after big game or not? Now we know for sure that, at least in the Kashmir Valley, these hominins were indeed eating elephants.\"</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Tools That Told the Story</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The tools found at the site, made from basalt, hint at the ingenuity of these early humans. Basalt does not occur naturally in the area, meaning that the raw material had to be transported from elsewhere before being shaped into tools near the riverbank. Analysis of the tools and bones suggests that these artifacts date back between 300,000 and 400,000 years, significantly pushing back the timeline of human activity in India.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The discovery challenges previous assumptions about early human behavior in the region. Up until now, there had been no direct evidence to suggest that early humans in India targeted large animals for meat. The previous oldest signs of butchery in India were less than 10,000 years old. \"It might just be that people haven\'t looked closely enough or have been searching in the wrong places,\" Jukar remarked. \"But until now, no one had found direct evidence of humans feeding on large animals in India.\"</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Closer Look at the Elephants</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Most of the remains belonged to a mature male Palaeoloxodon whose bones held further clues. Inside its massive skull, signs of abnormal bone growth indicated a long-term sinus infection. Although the remains showed evidence of human activity, such as marrow extraction, it is not clear whether the hominins hunted the elephant or found it after its natural death. Given the debilitating sinus infection, it is plausible the elephant could have become stuck in the soft riverbank sediments near the Jhelum River, sealing its fate and providing a feast for the opportunistic humans who stumbled upon it.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The condition of the skull proved invaluable for classification purposes. Unlike other members of its genus, which are known for their unique, bulging foreheads, P. turkmenicus showed an intermediate evolutionary stage, with a pronounced but not crested forehead. This observation may help paleontologists better understand how the Palaeoloxodon genus spread and evolved from its origins in Africa about a million years ago.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Fortunately, the fossil also retained intact hyoid bones—tiny, fragile bones in the throat that aid in vocalization. Because hyoids vary significantly between species, they offered a unique tool for identifying this particular Palaeoloxodon specimen with greater certainty.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Filling in the Gaps of Early Human Life in India</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The Pampore discovery extends the timeline of human-megafauna interactions in India, providing fresh insights into our ancestors\' diets and survival strategies. Despite humans\' long history of meat consumption, evidence of early butchery has often gone overlooked. Jukar suggests that in the early days of paleontology, researchers tended to collect only complete or aesthetically impressive fossils, often ignoring fragmented bones. Yet these shattered pieces could hold key clues to understanding early human behavior.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">\"We need to put in a lot more effort to find these sites, survey thoroughly, and collect everything,\" Jukar explained. \"Fragments can tell us more about human activity than a perfect skull sometimes can.\"</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The study documenting the butchery at Pampore has been published in Quaternary Science Reviews, while a separate paper detailing the taxonomy of the fossils has appeared in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Together, these works are reshaping our understanding of early life on the Indian subcontinent, revealing a landscape where humans and elephants once crossed paths in the most ancient of feasts.</p>','2024-10-22 15:58:39.063569','uploads/news/AdvaitJukar_MarcDickinson3-2048x1536.jpg',1,'Florida Museum of Natural History','Researchers have uncovered the earliest evidence of animal butchery in India, dating back 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, in the Kashmir Valley. The fossils of three ancient elephants, identified as Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, and 87 stone tools suggest that early humans extracted marrow from the bones. These findings provide new insights into early human activity in the region and the evolution of the now-extinct Palaeoloxodon genus.',1,224,'<ul><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Ghulam M. Bhat, Nick Ashton, Simon Parfitt, Advait Jukar, Marc R. Dickinson, Bindra Thusu, Jonathan Craig.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Human exploitation of a straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon) in Middle Pleistocene deposits at Pampore, Kashmir, India</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Quaternary Science Reviews</em>, 2024; 342: 108894 DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108894\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108894</a></li><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Advait M. Jukar, Ghulam Bhat, Simon Parfitt, Nick Ashton, Marc Dickinson, Hanwen Zhang, A. M. Dar, M. S. Lone, Bindra Thusu, Jonathan Craig.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">A remarkable Palaeoloxodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea) skull from the intermontane Kashmir Valley, India</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology</em>, 2024; DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2396821\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1080/02724634.2024.2396821</a></li></ul>'),(140651,'Unlocking the Secret to a Youthful Immune System: What Blood Stem Cells Reveal','unlocking-the-secret-to-a-youthful-immune-system-what-blood-stem-cells-reveal','2024-10-24 13:06:22.400198','<p class=\"reg-normal\">Have you ever wondered why some people seem to bounce back from illness more quickly than others? Or why some folks seem to age gracefully, while others face a slew of age-related diseases? A new study published in Cellular &amp; Molecular Immunology sheds light on this intriguing question. Researchers led by Rong Lu, a scientist at USC Stem Cell, have pinpointed a small but mighty group of blood stem cells that play a crucial role in maintaining a youthful immune system.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Immune System: A Two-Pronged Defense</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Our immune system is like a well-oiled machine, with two main types of soldiers: the innate and adaptive immune cells. Innate immune cells are the first responders, launching a quick and general attack against invading germs. Think of them as the frontline defenders, always ready for battle. If the germs manage to sneak past these defenders, the adaptive immune cells step in. These include B cells and T cells, which have a remarkable ability to remember past infections, crafting a specific response tailored to the threat.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">A balanced relationship between these two cell types is what keeps our immune system youthful—and it’s key to longevity.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Age Factor</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">In the study, Lu and her team found that a small subset of blood stem cells is crucial in maintaining this balance. \"Our study provides compelling evidence that when these blood stem cells overproduce innate immune cells, it can drive the aging of the immune system, contribute to disease, and ultimately shorten lifespan,\" Lu explains.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">As we age, some blood stem cells start to favor producing more innate immune cells at the expense of adaptive ones. This shift can lead to an imbalance, which is a hallmark of an aging immune system.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Mice Tell the Tale</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The researchers observed lab mice with identical genetics raised in the same environment and discovered something fascinating: not all mice aged the same way. By the time these mice reached 30 months (which is quite advanced for their kind), those that aged more slowly retained a youthful balance of innate and adaptive immune cells. In contrast, the early aging mice showed a significant uptick in innate immune cells, suggesting they were on the fast track to immune system decline.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">By closely tracking individual blood stem cells, the scientists identified which ones were responsible for this age-related imbalance. They found that 30 to 40 percent of these stem cells drastically changed their production preferences as the mice aged.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">In the mice that aged gracefully, the blood stem cells scaled back on innate immune cell production, helping to stave off the effects of aging. Interestingly, these delayed agers displayed increased gene activity related to regulating blood stem cells and responding to external signals—essentially keeping their innate immune cell production in check. When the researchers employed CRISPR gene editing to knock out certain genes, they noticed a shift: blood stem cells started producing more innate immune cells, mimicking the patterns seen in early agers.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">On the flip side, early aging mice exhibited a surge in gene activity that pushed blood stem cells to produce more innate immune cells. This excess can lead to various age-related diseases. When these early aging genes were edited out, the blood stem cells began to produce more adaptive immune cells, resembling the profiles of their delayed aging counterparts.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Implications for Humans</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The implications of this research extend beyond mice. \"In elderly humans, the immune system often shifts towards an overabundance of innate immune cells, which can contribute to diseases such as myeloid leukemia and immune deficiencies,\" says Anna Nogalska, the study\'s first author and senior scientist in the Lu Lab. \"Our findings suggest strategies to promote a more youthful immune system, potentially combating common diseases associated with aging.\"</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Conclusion</h2><p>This groundbreaking research opens up exciting possibilities for understanding how we can keep our immune systems youthful as we age. By focusing on that small but influential subset of blood stem cells, we may be able to devise methods to delay the immune aging process, ultimately leading to healthier, longer lives.</p>','2024-10-24 13:06:22.400319','uploads/news/images.jpeg',1,'Keck School of Medicine of USC','A recent study from USC Stem Cell reveals that a small subset of blood stem cells plays a critical role in maintaining a youthful immune system. By understanding how these stem cells balance the production of innate and adaptive immune cells, researchers hope to find ways to delay immune aging and combat age-related diseases.',1,29,'<p class=\"reg-normal\"><p class=\"reg-normal\"><ol class=\"journal\" style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 20px; font-size: 16px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Anna Nogalska, Jiya Eerdeng, Samir Akre, Mary Vergel-Rodriguez, Yeachan Lee, Charles Bramlett, Adnan Y. Chowdhury, Bowen Wang, Colin G. Cess, Stacey D. Finley, Rong Lu.&nbsp;<span style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\"><b>Age-associated imbalance in immune cell regeneration varies across individuals and arises from a distinct subset of stem cells</b></span>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Cellular &amp; Molecular Immunology</em>, 2024; DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41423-024-01225-y\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1038/s41423-024-01225-y</a></li></ol></p></p>'),(140652,'Balancing Act: The Key to Understanding Aging','balancing-act-the-key-to-understanding-aging','2024-10-24 13:14:35.059186','<h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Surprising Indicator of Aging: Your Balance</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Did you know that how long you can stand on one leg might be a better sign of aging than your strength or walking speed? A recent study from the Mayo Clinic sheds light on this interesting finding, published today in the journal PLOS ONE.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">As we age, maintaining good balance, muscle strength, and an efficient walking style is crucial for our independence and overall well-being. Understanding how these factors change—and how quickly—can help healthcare providers design programs that promote healthy aging. The good news? You can easily train your balance without any fancy equipment!</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Study Breakdown</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">In this study, researchers tested 40 healthy, independent individuals over the age of 50. The group was split evenly between those under 65 and those aged 65 and older. They underwent a series of tests that measured their walking, balance, grip strength, and knee strength.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Participants stood on force plates to assess their balance in various scenarios: both feet with eyes open, both feet with eyes closed, on their non-dominant leg with eyes open, and on their dominant leg with eyes open. Each test lasted for 30 seconds, allowing researchers to observe how long each person could maintain their balance.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Surprisingly, the ability to stand on one leg—especially the non-dominant leg—declined significantly with age. This is an important insight because balance relies on multiple systems: vision, the vestibular system (which helps with spatial orientation), and the somatosensory system (which processes information from your body about position and movement).</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Dr. Kenton Kaufman, the study’s senior author and director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, emphasizes, “Changes in balance are noteworthy. If you have poor balance, you’re at risk of falling, whether or not you’re moving. Falls are a severe health risk with serious consequences.”</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Why Balance Matters</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Unintentional falls are the leading cause of injuries among adults aged 65 and older. In fact, most falls in older adults happen due to a loss of balance. This is why understanding and improving balance is crucial as we age.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">In addition to the balance tests, researchers measured grip strength using a custom device and assessed knee strength while participants sat and extended their knees as forcefully as possible. They found that grip strength declined faster than knee strength, highlighting its potential as a better indicator of aging.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Interestingly, when it came to gait—the way people walk—there were no significant changes with age. Participants walked back and forth on an 8-meter walkway at their usual pace, and researchers weren’t surprised to find that their normal walking speed didn’t show age-related decline.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What Can You Do?</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Dr. Kaufman notes that everyone can take proactive steps to improve their balance. Simple exercises, like standing on one leg, can help you strengthen the coordination between your muscles and your vestibular system. “If you can stand on one leg for 30 seconds, you’re doing well,” he says.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">He sums it up nicely: “If you don’t use it, you lose it. If you use it, you maintain it. It’s easy to do. It doesn’t require special equipment, and you can do it every day.”</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Funding and Support</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">This research was supported by the Robert and Arlene Kogod Professorship in Geriatric Medicine and the W. Hall Wendel Jr. Musculoskeletal Professorship, underscoring the importance of studying healthy aging.</p>','2024-10-24 13:14:35.059282','uploads/news/images_1.jpeg',1,'Mayo Clinic','A new Mayo Clinic study reveals that how long you can stand on one leg is a crucial indicator of aging, more so than strength or walking speed. The research highlights the importance of balance in preventing falls and suggests simple exercises, like standing on one leg, to improve coordination and maintain independence as we age.',1,225,'<p class=\"reg-normal\"><ol class=\"journal\" style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 20px; font-size: 16px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Asghar Rezaei, Sandesh G. Bhat, Chih-Hsiu Cheng, Robert J. Pignolo, Lichun Lu, Kenton R. Kaufman.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Age-related changes in gait, balance, and strength parameters: A cross-sectional study</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">PLOS ONE</em>, 2024; 19 (10): e0310764 DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310764\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1371/journal.pone.0310764</a></li></ol></p>'),(140653,'Healthy Living in Middle Age: The Key to Protecting Your Brain','healthy-living-in-middle-age-the-key-to-protecting-your-brain','2024-10-24 14:03:23.723056','<h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Healthy Habits Matter: How Your Lifestyle in Middle Age Can Impact Brain Health</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Did you know that your lifestyle choices in middle age could significantly influence your brain health later in life? A recent study published in the October 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that middle-aged individuals with poorly controlled risk factors—like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol—who also neglect healthy habits may face a higher risk of conditions such as stroke, dementia, or depression down the line. While this study highlights a connection, it doesn’t prove that these habits directly cause such issues.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Essential Eight for Heart and Brain Health</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The research focuses on eight key factors known as the American Heart Association\'s Life\'s Essential 8, which include:</p><p class=\"reg-normal\"></p><ul><li>Being physically active</li></ul><ul><li>Eating a balanced diet</li></ul><ul><li>Maintaining a healthy weight</li></ul><ul><li>Not smoking</li></ul><ul><li>Keeping blood pressure in check</li></ul><ul><li>Getting enough sleep</li></ul><ul><li>Controlling cholesterol and blood sugar levels</li></ul><p></p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">What the Study Found</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Led by Dr. Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo from Yale University, the study emphasizes that brain health is crucial for our overall well-being, enabling us to perform at our best and adapt to life’s challenges. “Making these healthy lifestyle choices in middle age can have meaningful impacts on brain health later in life,” he states.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Researchers analyzed data from 316,127 participants, with an average age of 56, over a five-year period. They assessed participants\' scores across the eight essential cardiovascular health factors, categorizing them into three groups: optimal, intermediate, and poor.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\"></p><ul><li>Optimal scores: 64,474 individuals</li></ul><ul><li>Intermediate scores: 190,919 individuals</li></ul><ul><li>Poor scores: 60,734 individuals</li></ul><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Impact of Lifestyle Choices</h2><p></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">The researchers then reviewed health records to identify who developed neurological conditions such as stroke, dementia, or late-life depression. They found that a total of 1.2% of participants met the criteria for poor brain health, totaling 3,753 reported conditions.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Among those with optimal Life\'s Essential 8 scores, only 0.7% experienced poor brain health.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">In contrast, 1.2% of participants with intermediate scores and 1.8% of those with poor scores were affected.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">After adjusting for various factors like age, sex, race, and ethnicity, the findings revealed that individuals with poor scores on these health factors were more than twice as likely to develop neurological conditions compared to those with optimal scores. Additionally, participants with intermediate scores had a 37% higher risk than their counterparts with optimal scores.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">The Takeaway: Making Changes for Better Brain Health</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Dr. Clocchiatti-Tuozzo emphasizes that the risk factors examined in this study are all things people can actively work to improve. “Our findings highlight the potential brain health benefits of using these eight cardiovascular and brain health factors to guide healthy lifestyle choices,” he explains. However, he notes that further research is needed to explore how lifestyle habits impact brain health and how social factors like race and ethnicity may play a role in this relationship.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">To validate their results, researchers repeated the study with a separate group of 68,407 participants over five years and found similar outcomes.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Note on Limitations</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">One limitation of the study is that participants’ health scores were measured only once at the beginning of the study, which means it didn’t account for any lifestyle changes that might have occurred over the five years.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Funding and Support</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">This important research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, highlighting the ongoing efforts to understand how lifestyle choices can affect our health as we age.</p><p><br></p>','2024-10-24 13:22:31.153752','uploads/news/brain-health.webp',1,'American Academy of Neurology','A recent study highlights the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyle choices in middle age to reduce the risk of stroke, dementia, and depression later in life. By following the American Heart Association\'s Life\'s Essential 8—factors such as being active and eating well—individuals can significantly impact their brain health as they age.',1,225,'<p class=\"reg-normal\"></p><ol class=\"journal\" style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 20px; font-size: 16px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, Cyprien A. Rivier, Daniela Renedo, Shufan Huo, Maximiliano A. Hawkes, Adam de Havenon, Lee H. Schwamm, Kevin N. Sheth, Thomas M. Gill, Guido J. Falcone.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Life\'s Essential 8 and Poor Brain Health Outcomes in Middle-Aged Adults</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Neurology</em>, 2024; 103 (10) DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209990\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1212/WNL.0000000000209990</a></li></ol><p></p>'),(140654,'The Sleep-Brain Health Connection: What You Need to Know','the-sleep-brain-health-connection-what-you-need-to-know','2024-10-24 22:50:07.385402','<h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Sleep Quality in Middle Age: A Key Factor in Brain Health</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">Did you know that poor sleep quality in early middle age could have lasting effects on your brain health? A new study published in the October 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that individuals who struggle with sleep—whether it’s falling asleep or staying asleep—might show more signs of brain aging by late middle age. While this study establishes a connection, it doesn\'t prove that poor sleep accelerates brain aging.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Understanding the Link Between Sleep and Brain Health</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">“Sleep problems have been linked in previous research to poor thinking and memory skills later in life, putting people at higher risk for dementia,” explains Dr. Clémence Cavaillès from the University of California, San Francisco, who authored the study. “Our research, which utilized brain scans to gauge participants\' brain age, suggests that poor sleep may be linked to nearly three years of additional brain aging as early as middle age.”</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Study Details</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">The study involved 589 participants with an average age of 40 at the outset. Each participant completed sleep questionnaires at the beginning and again five years later, followed by brain scans conducted 15 years into the study.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Researchers asked questions like:</p><p class=\"reg-normal\"></p><ul><li>“Do you usually have trouble falling asleep?”</li></ul><ul><li>“Do you wake up several times during the night?”</li></ul><ul><li>“Do you often wake up far too early?”</li></ul><p></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">They tracked six poor sleep characteristics for each participant: short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, early morning awakening, and daytime sleepiness.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Participants were divided into three groups based on their sleep characteristics:</p><ul><li>Low group: No more than one poor sleep characteristic</li></ul><ul><li>Middle group: Two to three poor sleep characteristics</li></ul><ul><li>High group: More than three poor sleep characteristics</li></ul><p></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">At the study\'s start, about 70% were in the low group, 22% in the middle, and 8% in the high group.</p><p><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 30px;\">Key Findings on Brain Aging</span></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Researchers analyzed participants\' brain scans to assess brain shrinkage and its correlation to age. Using machine learning, they determined the brain age for each participant.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">After adjusting for factors like age, sex, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the results were striking:</p><p class=\"reg-normal\"></p><ul><li>Participants in the middle group had an average brain age 1.6 years older than those in the low group.</li></ul><ul><li>Those in the high group had an average brain age 2.6 years older.</li></ul><p></p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Among the sleep characteristics studied, poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking early were linked to increased brain age, particularly when these issues persisted over five years.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">Taking Action for Better Brain Health</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">“Our findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep problems earlier in life to preserve brain health,” says Dr. Kristine Yaffe, also from the University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. She recommends maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and employing relaxation techniques as effective strategies for improving sleep quality.</p><p class=\"reg-normal\">Dr. Yaffe emphasizes the need for future research to explore new methods for enhancing sleep quality and to further investigate the long-term impacts of sleep on brain health in younger individuals.</p><h2 class=\"mt-4 mb-4 text-3xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white\">A Note on Limitations</h2><p class=\"reg-normal\">One limitation of this study is that participants self-reported their sleep issues, which raises the possibility of inaccurate reporting.</p>','2024-10-24 22:48:56.102965','uploads/news/images_2_0u5nsj1.jpeg',1,'American Academy of Neurology','A recent study reveals that poor sleep quality in early middle age is associated with greater signs of brain aging. By addressing sleep problems through lifestyle changes, individuals may preserve their brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline in later years.',1,155,'<p class=\"reg-normal\"></p><ul style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 20px; font-size: 16px; border-radius: 0px !important;\"><li style=\"margin: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-radius: 0px !important;\">Clémence Cavaillès, Christina Dintica, Mohamad Habes, Yue Leng, Mercedes R. Carnethon, Kristine Yaffe.&nbsp;<strong style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Association of Self-Reported Sleep Characteristics With Neuroimaging Markers of Brain Aging Years Later in Middle-Aged Adults</strong>.&nbsp;<em style=\"border-radius: 0px !important;\">Neurology</em>, 2024; 103 (10) DOI:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209988\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration-line: underline; border-radius: 0px !important;\">10.1212/WNL.0000000000209988</a></li></ul><p></p>'),