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Background: This study examined the wealth-related inequality in women healthcare seeking behaviour for under-five children illness in Afghanistan and its determinants. Methods: Data of 32409 mothers/caregivers of children under-five were extracted from Afghanistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey conducted in 2022. Wealth-related inequalities in women healthcare seeking behaviour for under-five children illness was investigated using Erreygers and Wagstaff concentration indices and curve. Contributions of selected factors to the total inequality were estimated using the Erreygers decomposition technique. Results: The Erreygers and Wagstaff normalized concentration indices for women healthcare seeking behaviour for under-five children illness was 0.040; p < 0.000 and 0.042; p < 0.000 respectively. Hence, women healthcare seeking behaviour for children under-five illness was heavily concentrated among women from richer households and disfavoured women from poorer households. The decomposition findings revealed that household wealth (265%), residency in rural areas (-125%), access to mobile phone (-83%), access to internet (67%) and mothers' education (26%) were the major determinants of pro-rich inequalities. Conclusion: Policy makers, the private and development actors in Afghanistan should promote inclusive income generation interventions and healthcare awareness programmes, including women from poor households to eliminate wealth-related inequalities in women healthcare seeking behaviour. There is need for decentralizing health facilities in both rural and urban areas to improve equitable access to healthcare services. There is scope for disseminating health education through mobile phones and internet, reaching out to all areas to improve knowledge on children's illnesses and subsequently reduce inequalities in women health seeking behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Existing evidence suggests a lower uptake of cervical cancer screening among Indian women. Coverage is lower in rural than urban women, but such disparities are less explored. So, the present study was conducted to explore the self-reported coverage of cervical cancer screening in urban and rural areas stratified by socio-demographic characteristics, determine the spatial patterns and identify any regional variations, ascertain the factors contributing to urban-rural disparities and those influencing the likelihood of screening among women aged 30–49 years factors residing in urban, rural, and overall Indian settings. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey in India (2019-21) data with a sample size of 3,48,882 women. The coverage of cervical cancer screening was estimated using sampling weights. Urban-rural differences were compared using the chi-square test. Spatial patterns were analysed using aggregated district-level data, and the contribution of different independent variables to the urban-rural disparities was estimated using multivariate decomposition analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted using STATA 17 to obtain the significant factors of reported screening in urban and rural areas. Results: The nationwide coverage of cervical cancer screening was 2.0% (95% CI: 1.9-2.0). The urban (2.4%; 2.3–2.5) participants had higher screening coverage than their rural (1.8%; 1.7–1.8) counterparts. Moran's I statistic confirmed the presence of spatial dependence and geographical gradient. Decomposition analysis depicted small urban-rural differences in the screening coverage of 0.60% (0.4–0.8). Endowment and coefficient contributed to 88.15% and 11.85% of the disparities. Compositional changes were contributed majorly by regional differences, low education, scheduled tribes, and having living children > 2. Higher odds of having screening were associated with older age (AOR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.03–1.28), higher education (1.32; 1.13–1.55), higher age of first intercourse (1.60; 1.43–1.79), married (1.25; 1.08–1.45) and diabetic (1.39; 1.17–1.65) women, and those from South India (6.76; 5.90–7.75). The odds were lower among Muslims, scheduled tribes and participants using hormonal contraceptives. Conclusion: There are significant urban-rural disparities in cervical cancer screening uptake that can be attributed to regional variation, educational inequalities, tribal groups, socio-economic inequalities and parity, necessitating the need to comprehensively design tailor-made advocacy initiatives and simultaneously address the broader determinants of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic decomposition is the natural process by which organic matter breaks down into simpler materials through the actions of decomposers such as fungi, microorganisms, and other decomposers that ultimately recycle nutrients back into an ecosystem. Despite having experiences with mold and decay, many students would benefit from developing a deep understanding of the biological science ideas that underpin decomposition. Moreover, with explicit attention, the ideas of organic decomposition can be used to engage students in thoughtful consideration of personal and community environmental habits, particularly with littering, disposing of waste, and avoiding unnecessary plastics. However, these connections are rarely intuitive and require concrete learning experiences with deliberate scaffolding to make connections between scientific ideas and environmental mindfulness. This composting inquiry activity with scaffolding promotes students' deep understanding of matter cycling and environmentally responsible mindfulness and action. While knowledge is not likely to result in environmental behaviors, it is a crucial predecessor to responsible action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known of how Neotropical freshwater ecosystems will respond to future climate scenarios. In Neotropical rainforests, a substantial fraction of the freshwater available to the aquatic fauna is found within phytotelmata, plant-held waters that form aquatic islands in a terrestrial matrix. We hypothesized that phytotelmata in close proximity have higher resilience capacity to severe drought than the isolated ones, under the assumption that immigration from nearby sources promotes faster recovery. We used rainshelters to emulate an extreme drought (67 days without rainfall) in tank-forming bromeliads arranged in patches of 1, 3 or 6 plants in a primary forest of French Guiana. Habitat size was a stronger determinant of invertebrate species richness and biomass per bromeliad than patch size. Larger bromeliad patches attenuated the adverse effect of drought on the biomass of predators, probably because short-range migration within dense patches allowed individuals to find moist refuges. However, the recovery of aquatic communities and ecosystem functions was mostly supported by in situ resistance, and a rescue effect of immigration was weak. Whilst environmental management plans tend to focus on dense networks of connected water bodies, our study shows that efforts should not omit the isolated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Coarse roots represent a globally important belowground carbon pool, but the factors controlling coarse root decomposition rates remain poorly understood relative to other plant biomass components. We compiled the most comprehensive dataset of coarse root decomposition data including 148 observations from 60 woody species, and linked coarse root decomposition rates to plant traits, phylogeny and climate to address questions of the dominant controls on coarse root decomposition. We found that decomposition rates increased with mean annual temperature, root nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Coarse root decomposition was slower for ectomycorrhizal than arbuscular mycorrhizal associated species, and angiosperm species decomposed faster than gymnosperms. Coarse root decomposition rates and calcium concentrations showed a strong phylogenetic signal. Our findings suggest that categorical traits like mycorrhizal association and phylogenetic group, in conjunction with root quality and climate, collectively serve as the optimal predictors of coarse root decomposition rates. Our findings propose a paradigm of the dominant controls on coarse decomposition, with mycorrhizal association and phylogeny acting as critical roles on coarse root decomposition, necessitating their explicit consideration in Earth‐system models and ultimately improving confidence in projected carbon cycle–climate feedbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Deadwood represents globally important carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) pools. Current wood nutrient dynamics models are extensions of those developed for leaf litter decomposition. However, tissue structure and dominant decomposers differ between leaf and woody litter, and recent evidence suggests that decomposer stoichiometry, in combination with litter quality, may affect nutrient release. We quantified decomposition and release of C and nutrients from woody litter for two stem sizes of 22 tree species in a P‐limited temperate forest near Sydney, Australia, and compared these to estimates from leaf litter literature. Following theory, N and P accumulated during early decomposition, but began to decline earlier than expected based on work in leaves. Woody litter converged on higher C : N (50) and N : P (80) ratios than in leaf litter studies. C : N at which N was released was higher in larger stems (c. 124) than in smaller stems (c. 82), both being higher than in leaf litter. Drawing from the literature, these differences in N and P dynamics may be due to the identity of wood decomposers. C : N of wood decomposers is higher than the mean C : N of leaf litter decomposers, and this difference in stoichiometry may have important flow‐on effects for nutrient cycles in forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) enable the characterization of spatial structures for different tissues. Many decomposition methods have been proposed to depict the cellular distribution within tissues. However, existing computational methods struggle to balance spatial continuity in cell distribution with the preservation of cell-specific characteristics. To address this, we propose Spall, a novel decomposition network that integrates scRNA-seq data with SRT data to accurately infer cell type proportions. Spall introduced the GATv2 module, featuring a flexible dynamic attention mechanism to capture relationships between spots. This improves the identification of cellular distribution patterns in spatial analysis. Additionally, Spall incorporates skip connections to address the loss of cell-specific information, thereby enhancing the prediction capability for rare cell types. Experimental results show that Spall outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in reconstructing cell distribution patterns on multiple datasets. Notably, Spall reveals tumor heterogeneity in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma samples and delineates complex tissue structures, such as the laminar organization of the mouse cerebral cortex and the mouse cerebellum. These findings highlight the ability of Spall to provide reliable low-dimensional embeddings for downstream analyses, offering new opportunities for deciphering tissue structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic matter (SOM) transformation processes are regulated by the activities of plants, microbes, and fauna. Compared with plants and microbes, effects of soil fauna are less understood because of their high taxonomic and functional diversity, and mix of direct and indirect effect mechanisms. Trait‐based approaches offer a generic perspective to quantify mechanistic relationships between soil fauna and SOM transformations, including decomposition, translocation, and stabilisation of organic carbon. Yet, at present, we lack a consensus concerning relevant key effect traits of soil fauna (i.e. those affecting ecosystem functioning). Here, we address this knowledge gap by focusing on relationships between soil fauna effect traits and SOM transformations. Based on existing literature, we identify key processes linked to SOM transformations, and fauna effect traits universally applicable across taxa and soil types, and discuss the process‐trait links. We define eight SOM transformation processes that are directly affected by soil fauna: (i) litter mass loss, (ii) litter fragmentation, (iii) SOM aggregation in faeces, (iv) SOM aggregation in soil mineral particles, (v) decomposition of faeces, (vi) SOM and mineral translocation, (vii) pore space creation and maintenance and (viii) SOM stabilisation. We link these processes to general effect traits classified into four categories: (a) food selection and ingestion, (b), digestion and excretion, (c) mobility, and (d) body mass and metabolic rate. We also propose proxies when effect trait measurements are laborious. The proposed links between effect traits and SOM transformation processes need to be validated in targeted experiments. We urge researchers to obtain quantitative experimental data, together with metabolic approaches, to integratively quantify soil fauna contributions to soil functioning. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decomposition of submerged plants releases organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus into water bodies, generating an important impact on the aquatic ecosystem. This study explored the influence of growth substrate with different compositions on the decomposition process of eelgrass (Vallisneria spinulosa Yan, V. spinulosa Yan). The sediment + iron–carbon fillers system exhibited significantly lower concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in the overlying water than other systems, with the maximum values of 5.68 and 7.05 mg/L, respectively. The addition of ceramic and calcium nitrate promoted the formation of HCl-extracted phosphorus (HCl–P) in the sediment, while the addition of iron–carbon fillers increased the content of NaOH-extracted phosphorus (NaOH–P). Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in overlying water showed that different substrate compositions did not significantly affect the compositions of organic matter released during the decomposition of V. spinulosa Yan. The microbial community and abundance in each experimental group changed significantly before and after the decomposition of V. spinulosa Yan. The sediment + iron–carbon fillers system showed significantly higher abundance of microbial community than other systems, with the enrichment of functional bacteria related to denitrification and sulfate reduction. In contrast, the sediment + calcium nitrate system exhibited a smaller change of microbial community abundance, with the enrichment of aerobic denitrifying bacteria. In this paper, it was found that the sediment + iron–carbon group had a good adsorption effect on nitrogen and phosphorus released during the decomposition process of V. spinulosa Yan, and had a good effect on water purification as the growth substrate of submerged plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence of peroxydisulfate anion (S2O82−) in soil is a key factor influencing the effectiveness of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatments, which use S2O82− (S2O82− based ISCO) to remediate contaminated groundwater. However, only a few studies have addressed aspects of S2O82− persistence, such as the effect of temperature and the fate of sulfates (SO42−) generated by S2O82− decomposition in real soil and/or aquifer materials. Additionally, there are no studies comparing batch and dynamic column tests. To address these knowledge gaps, we conducted batch tests with varying temperatures (30–50 °C) and initial S2O82− concentrations (2.7 g/L and 16.1 g/L) along with dynamic column experiments (40 °C, 16.1 g/L) with comprehensively characterized real soil/aquifer materials. Furthermore, the principal component analysis (PCA) method was employed to investigate correlations between S2O82− decomposition and soil material parameters. We found that S2O82− decomposition followed the pseudo-first-order rate law in all experiments. In all tested soil materials, thermal dependence of S2O82− decomposition followed the Arrhenius law with the activation energies in the interval 65.2–109.1 kJ/mol. Decreasing S2O82− concentration from 16.1 g/L to 2.7 g/L led to a several-fold increase (factor 2–11) in bulk S2O82− decomposition rate coefficients (k′) in individual soil/aquifer materials. Although k′ in the dynamic column tests showed higher values compared to the batch tests (factor 1–3), the normalized S2O82− decomposition rate coefficients to the total BET surface were much lower, indicating the inevitable formation of preferential pathways in the columns. Furthermore, mass balance analysis of S2O82− decomposition and SO42− generation suggests the ability of some systems to partially accumulate the produced SO42−. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified total organic carbon (TOC), Ni, Mo, Co, and Mn as key factors influencing the decomposition rate under varying soil conditions. These findings provide valuable insights into how S2O82− behaves in real soil and aquifer materials, which can improve the design and operation of ISCO treatability studies for groundwater remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) provides the world's population with staple foods, and it is crucial to maintain global food demand and security. Food systems are a complex ecosystem and sustain many feedback mechanisms. Crop residue management is one of those feedback mechanisms that was assessed under conservation agriculture, and a decomposition study was analyzed for the rice-wheat cropping system using rice, wheat, and maize crop residue for decomposition rate and nutrients release under agricultural practices (zero till, raised beds). Different zero tillage techniques in Samastipur demonstrated an accelerated decomposition trend, which was especially noticeable in the straw from wheat and rice. At the same time, permanent bed systems showed a relatively larger residue mass, especially in the case of wheat and maize straw. Permanent bed systems (wheat-maize system), particularly those using wheat straw, held the largest amounts of residue mass when the total residue mass throughout the sites was taken into account. Samastipur showed higher nutrient release for all the rice residue in wheat, rice residue in maize, and wheat residue in rice except maize residue in rice as compared to the Karnal sites. Decomposition kinetics, modeled via a first-order exponential decay function, showed high correlations (R2: 0.941 to 0.996) across treatment methods. The research underscores the significant effect of agroecological factors on residue decomposition and nutrient release, irrespective of residue type, highlighting the importance of tailored residue management practices for enhanced nutrient cycling and sustainability. These findings contribute to the optimization of residue management strategies in RWCS, promoting sustainable agriculture practices in the face of climate change and increasing food security demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to examining the highest yield production of Levulinic acid (LA) from artichoke leaves by the subcritical catalytic hydrothermal decomposition, the studies were carried out on also increasing the production yields of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), Acetic and Formic acid from this biomass. In order to obtain the most suitable reaction conditions, the effect of different reaction conditions, including different temperature, reaction time, pH and catalyst types, on the decomposition of artichoke leaves and product yields were investigated. The subcritical thermal decomposition studies of artichoke leaves were carried out in an autoclave system at temperatures (120°C, 140°C, 160°C, and 180°C) for reaction times of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min in the presence of H2SO4, HNO3, and HCL catalysts with different pH values; these reactions were realized also without adding a catalyst. As a result of the detailed research, it was seen that the most suitable experimental conditions for the production of LA with the highest yield from artichoke leaves could be achieved by adding sulfuric acid with a pH of 0.5 at a reaction temperature of 180°C and a reaction time of 50 min. The investigations were continued till achieving the highest product yields. After carrying out the experiments stated above, the optimal yields of the products produced from the artichoke biomass by the reactions were found as 209.39 g/kg biomass for LA, 117.40 g/kg biomass for formic acid, 72.27 g/kg biomass for acetic acid, and 39.04 g/kg biomass for 5-HMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent surge in the application of geosciences in forensics has yielded significant insights into taphonomy and decomposition processes, particularly with regard to the identification and interpretation of evidence pertaining to the interaction between the cadaver and the outdoor post-depositional environment. Given that a substantial proportion of current knowledge about decomposition dynamics can be attributed to forensic taphonomy experiments utilizing pigs as human models, a literature review was conducted, focusing on experiments incorporating geosciences into their investigative techniques. The results demonstrated the crucial role of this approach in ensuring accurate interpretation of data, both in the context of forensic cases and in experimental research. Furthermore, this manuscript presents the opening of the first Italian non-human forensic taphonomy facility, which was inaugurated by the LABANOF of the University of Milan in 2009 at the Lombardy Park of the Ticino (PV). The facility strives to integrate the use of non-human animals as human models while upholding a high ethical standard and minimizing the construction of artifacts, thereby striving for forensic realism. Furthermore, the most recent project conducted at the Italian FTF establishes a connection between the outcomes of preceding projects and underscores the significance of a pragmatic and intellectual disposition that embraces interdisciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic inputs are key to increasing soil organic carbon in agricultural soils. This study aimed to unravel the process of mineralization and humification of chicken manure (CM) and composted kitchen waste (KW) using an in situ litterbag incubation experiment. The results indicated that over 50%, 64% to 72%, and 62% to 85% of the initial mass, carbon and nitrogen, respectively, were lost through incubation with a marked loss occurring during the first 28 days. Increased humic acids (HAs), humus (HS) and degree of humification, along with a decrease in the level of fulvic acids and precursors for humic substances were observed through incubation. By comparison, CM demonstrated higher carbon and nitrogen conservation efficiencies and greater humification compared to KW. Additionally, a higher degree of humifaction and larger quantities of HAs and HS were not favorable for carbon and nitrogen conservation. Further structural equation modeling indicated that microbial community had a strong effect on carbon loss and nitrogen release, while stoichiometric properties of organic inputs were the main determinant of the mineralization and humification processes. These findings will enhance understanding of litter decomposition in soils and provide valuable references for soil carbon sequestration with organic inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Resource storage is a critical component of plant life history. While the storage of nonstructural carbohydrates in wood has been studied extensively, the multiple functions of mineral nutrient storage have received much less attention. Here, we highlight the size of wood nutrient pools, a primary determinant of whole‐plant nutrient use efficiency, and a substantial fraction of ecosystem nutrient budgets, particularly tropical forests. Wood nutrient concentrations also show exceptional interspecific variation, even among co‐occurring plant species, yet how they align with other plant functional traits and fit into existing trait economic spectra is unclear. We review the chemical forms and location of nutrient pools in bark and sapwood, and the evidence that nutrient remobilization from sapwood is associated with mast reproduction, seasonal leaf flush, and the capacity to resprout following damage. We also emphasize the role wood nutrients are likely to play in determining decomposition rates. Given the magnitude of wood nutrient stocks, and the importance of tissue stoichiometry to forest productivity, a key unresolved question is whether investment in wood nutrients is a relatively fixed trait, or conversely whether under global change plants will adjust nutrient allocation to wood depending on carbon gain and nutrient supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dead wood is a key element in forests as it plays a role in maintaining biodiversity, carbon sequestration, element cycling and fire risk. Amounts and ratios of dead wood fractions are now monitored in many countries to assess forest ecological status. In this regard, the aim of the present study is to determine the stocks of dead woody biomass in the Ograzhden and Osogovska mountains (Bulgaria) and to assess their quantity from a nature conservation point of view. The standing biomass was calculated using height rates tables, the lying biomass - using the method of intersecting lines, and the stumps - by height and diameter. Degrees of decomposition are on standard scales. The stock of dead biomass varies from 11.52 m³.ha-1 in Mountain Ograzhden to 5.45 m³.ha-1 in Mountain Osogovo. Stump biomass predominates (61-39%), and standing biomass is least in amount (14-22%). Coarse debris are absent in two of the sample areas. In the standing biomass, one of the initial stages of decomposition prevails - stage 1 (54%) and stage 2 (58%). In the lying biomass, that which decomposed to a lesser extent also prevails - A (30-50%), B (53-36%). Among the stumps, those in a more advanced stage of decomposition C (39-50%), D (26-52%) prevail. The sample plot in Ograzhden mountain is in good condition in terms of the amount of dead biomass in it. In the Osogovo mountain, the total amount of dead biomass is insufficient from an ecological point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial applications and optimization problems in reality often involve multiple objectives. Due to the high dimensionality of objective space in many-objective optimization problems (MaOPs), the ability of traditional evolution operators to search the optimal region and generate promising offspring sharply decreases. Besides, as the number of objectives increases, it becomes difficult to balance the convergence and diversity of the population. Considering all these facts, this paper proposes a mutation individual position detection strategy. It estimates both individual fitness and diversity contributions, and assigns appropriate positions to individuals in the mutation operator through individual ranking. Then, by introducing an external population to adjust the weight vectors, its maintenance process takes into account the matching information between the population and the weight vectors. By comparing five representative algorithms, numerical experiments have shown that the algorithm can obtain a well distributed final solution set on optimization problems of various objective scales. Moreover, it also demonstrates advantages in generating excellent offspring individuals and balancing the overall performance of the population. In summary, the algorithm has competitiveness in solving MaOPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest leaf litter is an important source of soil nutrients, but how its decomposition products affect the availability of soil heavy metals is not totally clear. In order to understand the effects of leaf litter decomposition on soil heavy metal availability in a forest ecosystem, leaf litter samples were collected from Daluoshan in Wenzhou and the Wuyanling National Nature Reserve of Zhejiang and subjected to analysis. The leaf litter was produced by the forests' dominant tree species, such as Myrica ruba, Bambusa cerosissima, Pinus sylvestris, Machilus thunbergia, Cunninghamia lanceolata, and Quercus acutissima. Decomposition of the leaf litter samples at room temperature and leaching decomposition of the samples were carried out to analyze the acid production characteristics of the litter samples and their impact on soil heavy metal availabilities. Oxalic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, malic acid, and citric acid were the dominant organic acids in the leaf litter decomposer, and the sum of these six organic acids accounted for more than 50% of the total organic acid. During a 30-day litter decomposition, the levels of organic acids basically increased, with significant increases appearing in the early stage. After leaching, the available contents of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb increased by a maximum of 11.95, 2.33, 12.00, 0.80, 0.83, 0.54, 51.50, and 0.28-fold, respectively, compared with those of the original soil sample. During leaching, the higher the content of low molecular weight organic acids in the leaf litter, the longer the leaching time required and the more obvious the influence on the level of available heavy metals. A stronger leaching effect was found for the soil samples taken from a depth of 0–20 and 20–40 cm accompanied by a more obvious increase in the available heavy metals in the soil. PLSPM results showed that there were significant differences between the soil acidity index and the available heavy metals in Daluoshan (p < 0.05) and that there were significant differences between the soil acidity index and the available heavy metals in Wuyanling (p < 0.01). The decomposition of litter produced low molecular weight organic acids, which caused a decrease in soil pH and an increase in exchangeable H+ and Al3+. Both changes had an impact on soil organic matter and further led to an increase in the activity of heavy metals in the soil. This will further lead to the increase of ecological and environmental risks to forest soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Income inequalities between women and men often constitute an important area of research related to social inequalities. Differences in incomes between genders are frequently analyzed in the context of gender equality, social justice, and economic equity. Disparities in wages between women and men are observed in many societies. A key tool in studying wage and income distributions, as well as income inequalities, is the approximation of theoretical models to empirical data. Another important tool is the use of income inequality measures. Research on income distributions between women and men is significant for various reasons, including facilitating an understanding of social and economic inequalities. In Europe, there is diversity in economic models, with individual countries adopting different approaches to organizing their economic systems. The paper considers four European countries representing diverse economic approaches. A comparative analysis of income inequality between men and women was conducted in the countries under consideration. The study used data from the Central European Bank from 2017. All analyzes were based on the Dagum model. The maximum likelihood method was used to estimate the model parameters. The Theil coefficient decomposition was also applied. The analysis reveals that men earn the highest incomes in all countries. Visualization of the Lorenz and Zenga curves, along with calculated inequality indices, showed that the greatest income inequalities occur in women's incomes in all cases. Interestingly, it was found that men's incomes make the largest contribution to the overall income inequalities. The paper explores the topic of income inequality, which is a significant and contemporary socioeconomic challenge. It utilizes statistical information from the Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption (HFCS) to examine and assess the financial status of households, focusing on both genders, in Finland, Germany, Poland, and Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigates the biogeochemical impact of Godavari River discharge (GRD) on the Bay of Bengal (BoB), focusing on the formation of an intense and shallow oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) near the river mouth during the fall season. Unlike the BoB's typical intermediate-depth OMZ, this subsurface (~40-200 m) phenomenon is attributed to the interplay of GRD-driven nutrient enrichment, coastal upwelling, enhanced productivity, and subsequent organic matter decomposition. Data and Methods: Our analysis using the Biogeochemical-Argo floats and World Ocean Atlas 2018 data reveals that a clear shoaling and intensification of the OMZ in the fall season. Further, a comparative analysis at two geographically distinct locations highlighted the pivotal role of GRD. Results, Discussion, and Implications: The location directly influenced by GRD exhibited significantly higher chlorophyll-a blooms, net primary production during the southwest monsoon, and pronounced oxygen consumption during the fall compared to the other. Our analysis suggests that GRD fuels primary productivity, leading to organic matter abundance and intense oxygen depletion in the subsurface layers, driving the observed shallow OMZ. Understanding the complex interplay between GRD, stratification, upwelling, and biogeochemical processes is crucial for predicting the impact of altered riverine inputs on coastal ecosystems, greenhouse gas emissions, and the overall health of the coastal BoB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artifacts in computed tomography and X-ray microtomography are image distortions caused by various factors. Some can be reduced before or during the examination, while others are removed algorithmically after image acquisition. The latter group includes metallic artifacts caused by metal objects in the sample. This paper proposes a new method for eliminating metallic artifacts, applying a bone- and soft-tissue decomposition (BSTD) algorithm to microtomography raw data before the reconstruction process. We show that the decomposition algorithm can effectively remove metallic artifacts in microCT images, which increases the image contrast and allows for better visualization of regions near the metallic elements. For quantity analysis, we computed SSIM and PSNR factors, and we observed values increasing from 0.97 to 0.99 and from 40 dB to 43 dB, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our group has seen great promise in using substituted diaryl-hydrazones to alleviate oxidative stress in preeclampsia. Specifically, fluorinated diaryl-hydrazones have shown great efficacy, confirmed via antioxidant assays and animal trials using pregnant mice. In addition to efficient antioxidant properties, these diaryl-hydrazones are also considered non-toxic. While the synthesis of these compounds is relatively simple, it commonly utilizes undesirable solvents and glacial acetic acid as the catalyst; additional solvents are needed for the isolation of the desired products, which negatively affects the green synthesis of the hydrazones. To combat this possible industrial roadblock, we have begun incorporating the use of hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) in the synthesis. The use of HHP allowed us to synthesize substituted diaryl-hydrazones in a 1:1 molar ratio without the need for solvents or acid catalysts. The optimized procedure can produce nearly quantitative yields, leading to an easier isolation of the products. Different HHP methodologies, such as constant high-pressure treatment and cycling (with different number of cycles, holding and decompression times) were applied and cycling was observed to be the most efficient activation for the majority of the reactions. Stability experiments were also conducted with one of the products and observed that although the solid-state storage does not alter the hydrazone, storing it in various solvents may significantly decrease the concentration of the active component which should be considered when performing the biochemical/biological assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a kinetic study and modeling of the decomposition of a rock sample in an ascorbic acid medium with a high content of lepidolite phase were carried out, the results of which are of great importance due to the sample's high lithium (Li) content. The rock sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the mineral species detected in the sample were lepidolite, at 65.3%, quartz, at 30.6%, and muscovite, at 4.1%, with a quantitative chemical analysis indicating the presence of elements such as Li, Si, K, Na, O, Al and, to a lesser extent, Fe and Ti; this highlights that the Li content present in the sample was 3.38%. Lithium was the element with which the chemical analysis of the kinetics was performed, resulting in decomposition curves comprising the induction period, progressive conversion and stabilization; this highlighted that the reaction progressed during the first two periods, obtaining a reaction order (n) of 0.4307 for the induction period and an activation energy (Ea) of 48.58 kJ mol−1, followed by a progressive conversion period with n = 0.309 and Ea = 25.161 kJ mol−1. This suggested a mixed control regime present in the lower temperature ranges, with a transition from chemical control to transport control present at high temperatures, with the study of the nature of the reaction and the concentration effect showing that chemical control predominates. The kinetic parameters and kinetic expressions for both periods were obtained, with the modeling showing that the calculated and experimental data do not present a major discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low fertility is not conducive to healthy population development. The total fertility rate (TFR) is influenced by the education expansion (measured by the proportion of non-student women, NSP), marriage delay (measured by the proportion of married women, MP), and marital fertility rate (MFR). This study decomposes the TFR change into the changes in NSP, MP, and MFR using China's census and 1% population sample survey data. During 1990–2020, the changes in NSP, MP, and MFR contributed − 22%, − 90%, and 12%, respectively, to the changes in TFR. The continuous decline in NSP reduced the TFR, and the intensity continued to increase over time. As the primary negative driving force, the rapid decline in MP also consistently reduced the TFR. The marital fertility rate had a downward effect on the TFR before 2000 and an upward effect after 2000. The effects of NSP, MP, and MFR on the TFR varied with the birth order, age and region (among cities, towns, and villages). In summary, China's TFR has considerably changed in combination with changes in NSP, MP, and MFR. Without effective measures, China's TFR may further decline into the lowest-low fertility trap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fertility is one of the three main components which determines the size, structure, and composition of a population, and fertility preferences are important measures for forecasting fertility levels of a population. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impacts of the inequalities in the utilization of key maternal health services on fertility preference among high parity women in four selected regions (i.e., Afar, Beninshangul-Gumuz, Gambella and Somali) of Ethiopia. Methods: The study used data collected for the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) survey. It includes a total of 977 high parity women (104 urban and 873 rural) residing in the four regions of the study. Bivariate logistic regression was used to select the potential variables by using a cut off p-value < 0.2 and then the multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between the selected explanatory variables (i.e., control and exposure variables) and the outcome variable (i.e. fertility preference). Further, the study employed a Population Attributable Fractions (PAFs) to examine the population level impacts of the inequalities in maternal and child health service variables on fertility preference. Results: The results showed that religion, household wealth index, place of delivery and contraceptive use were significantly associated with fertility preference. The results of the PAFs analysis indicated that contraceptive use had the biggest impact (80%), meaning that non-use of contraceptive increased fertility preference among women in the four regions. Similarly, out of health facility delivery increased fertility preference by 37%. Conclusion: The study findings underscore the critical factors influencing women's fertility preferences in the studied regions. Low utilization of maternal health services had an impact on fertility preference, accounting for more than half of the observed variations in fertility preferences. To address this issue, targeted interventions are recommended: enhancing access to maternal health services, strengthening fertility control programs, promoting the benefits of using these services, and actively addressing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]