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The global mean temperature is rising at an unprecedented rate, and the investigation of ecosystem functioning and phenological events offered some of the most compelling evidence for the impact of these changes on plant species in alpine regions. The present study assessed the impact of topographic and edaphic factors on treeline structure/diversity, regeneration behavior, phenological characteristics, and ex-situ conservation of endemic and relict species, Betula utilis D. Don in the Kashmir Himalaya, India. The data was collected using a stratified random sampling method along the three altitudinal gradients of 3000–3200 m, 3200–3400 m and 3400–3600 m asl. The results revealed that IVI of this species on the Southeastern and Southwestern aspect increase from lower to higher altitude. The lower IVI value of 156.92 and 181.85 % was observed at lower altitudes, followed by 186.05 and 208.80 percent at middle altitude and higher value of 236.58 and 260.04 % at the upper altitudinal range. On the eastern slope, the maximum and minimum numbers of recruits (1375 and 593 ha-1) were present at middle and upper altitudinal gradients, respectively. The established regeneration decreased with altitude and better regeneration was observed in the Southwest. The phenophases of B. utilis were completed earlier with an increase in altitude. Under the nursery conditions, the maximum germination of 89.11 % was recorded in the seeds subjected to 90 days of stratification while a minimum of 47.33 % was recorded under control. The satellite data observations on resource mapping showed the scattered distribution of B. utilis dominated forests at higher elevations within the Sindh Forest division in patches. B. utilis dominated forests are distributed over an area of 2746.58 ha (1.67 %) of the total 164,236.82 ha) geographical area of the division which makes its conservation highly significant. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis highlights the primary role of soil particularly sand, silt, and clay content well as bulk density in shaping the ecological distribution and regeneration patterns of B. utilis forest stands. The study's findings reveal field-based patterns related to numerous ecological characteristics of the endemic and relict species, B. utilis, which can be utilized in developing ecological restoration and conservation efforts in the region.

Funding education to address the colonial imbalances in education provision in Zimbabwe has come at a considerable cost to the state. This paper explores the funding challenges experienced in Zimbabwe. It highlights the funding models used experienced in different parts of the world to determine possible solutions for funding secondary education in Zimbabwe. The human capital theory underpins this study. The theory suggests a close relationship between economic development and education expansion. A qualitative approach was followed to obtain data on the suitability of the Basic Assistance Education Model of funding. Participants in the study were purposively selected education officers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) drawn from all districts in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. The sample comprised of twenty education officers, six principals and five NGOs. These participants were targeted based on the wealth of information they possessed and were free to withdraw from the study at any time. Data collection strategies were in-person interviews with school principals and non-governmental organisations and focus group interviews with education officers. The results indicate that the Zimbabwean model failed to fund secondary education, given the huge number of learners who need financial assistance owing to the country's poor economic performance. This problem is compounded by mismanagement and corrupt officials distributing these ministry funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing provides a number of resources over the internet to the users based on their request. These resources need to be scheduled in an efficient manner so that not only the provider gets benefited out of it, but the user also can take its advantage to the full extent. Therefore, resource scheduling is a critical and demanding requirement in a cloud environment. In this paper, we are proposing a bio-inspired approach, in which we have modified the existing particle swarm optimization (PSO) Algorithm and have combined it with genetic algorithm (GA) which in turn has the features and advantages of both the approaches. The proposed inventive particle swarm optimization with genetic algorithm (IPSO-GA) not only schedules resources efficiently, but also effectively manage the resources. The proposed approach is compared with traditional approaches on CloudSim simulator, where the proposed algorithm outperforms the traditional algorithms in terms of makespan time, execution time and resource utilization. Our proposed approach IPSO-GA has given better results than the existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource quantification is vital in developing a tidal stream energy site but challenging in high energy areas. Drone-based large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) may provide a novel, low cost, low risk approach that improves spatial coverage compared to ADCP methods. For the first time, this study quantifies performance of the technique for tidal stream resource assessment, using three sites. Videos of the sea surface were captured while concurrent validation data were obtained (ADCP and surface drifters). Currents were estimated from the videos using LSPIV software. Variation in accuracy was attributed to wind, site geometry and current velocity. Root mean square errors (RMSEs) against drifters were 0.44 m s−1 for high winds (31 km/h) compared to 0.22 m s−1 for low winds (10 km/h). Better correlation was found for the more constrained site (r2 increased by 4%); differences between flood and ebb indicate the importance of upstream bathymetry in generating trackable surface features. Accuracy is better for higher velocities. A power law current profile approximation enables translation of surface current to currents at depth with satisfactory performance (RMSE = 0.32 m s−1 under low winds). Overall, drone video derived surface velocities are suitably accurate for "first-order" tidal resource assessments under favourable environmental conditions. • Drones recorded video footage of the water surface at tidal stream energy sites. • Synchronous validation data were obtained with ADCPs and surface drifters. • Surface currents derived from video using LSPIV were compared to in-situ data. • Method is sufficiently accurate for initial tidal stream site resource assessment. • Approach also suitable for pollution tracking and other rapid response incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vertically integrated management system in the health care sector in the Russian Federation is based on the model of functioning of national centers. One of the key components in achieving success is the interaction of national center with a leading national professional society. The aim of the article is to present the experience of joint work of the National Society of Pediatric Hematologists and Oncologists (NSPHO) with the leading centers of excellence in pediatric cancer care in Russia in the field of development of pediatric oncology-hematology in Russia. In order to accomplish the task of building a system of pediatric oncology-hematology care, a comprehensive development program was implemented, which included collecting data on the structure of the regional services and improvement of these services. Experience of creating of professional standards and the concept of a unified approach of training in pediatric oncology and hematology using the technology of continuing medical education are reflected. Other projects of NSPHO are represented too.

Providing electricity in off-grid island communities is a big challenge, exacerbated by the high cost of transporting fossil fuels and the non-viability of extending grid connections. Installing renewable energy systems in these areas is deemed a practical solution, especially supporting just energy transitions in these communities. However, the lack of information about resource availability and the most suitable locations hinders effective planning. This paper aims to determine the sufficiency of available renewable energy sources to meet the electricity demand of off-grid island communities. It is achieved through a three-phased approach: (1) an assessment stage; (2) geospatial analysis; and (3) technical potential estimation. The approach is applied in three island communities in Palawan, namely Araceli, Balabac, and Cuyo, where a diesel power plant currently provides electricity to its households and commercial/institutional establishments. The results indicate that the three islands can be powered by 3, 1.5, and 11 MW solar photovoltaic farms, respectively, which is sufficient to meet the projected demand until 2030. The approach can be helpful, especially for off-grid island communities, as they plan to provide universal electricity access using renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing energy/resource consumption in production processes can significantly improve the environmental performance of manufacturing systems. This paper proposes a sustainable manufacturing method and tool and describes its application in a mechanical engineering company which produces automotive components. The tool allows to map the processes/activities and the related resources consumed, assess the efficiency through specific key performance indicators, identify process criticalities and thus set mitigation or improvement strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing electricity in off-grid island communities is a big challenge, exacerbated by the high cost of transporting fossil fuels and the non-viability of extending grid connections. Installing renewable energy systems in these areas is deemed a practical solution, especially supporting just energy transitions in these communities. However, the lack of information about resource availability and the most suitable locations hinders effective planning. This paper aims to determine the sufficiency of available renewable energy sources to meet the electricity demand of off-grid island communities. It is achieved through a three-phased approach: (1) an assessment stage; (2) geospatial analysis; and (3) technical potential estimation. The approach is applied in three island communities in Palawan, namely Araceli, Balabac, and Cuyo, where a diesel power plant currently provides electricity to its households and commercial/institutional establishments. The results indicate that the three islands can be powered by 3, 1.5, and 11 MW solar photovoltaic farms, respectively, which is sufficient to meet the projected demand until 2030. The approach can be helpful, especially for off-grid island communities, as they plan to provide universal electricity access using renewable energy sources.

Wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs) are usually resource constrained, and where the sensor nodes have limited bandwidth, energy, processing power, and memory. Hence, resource mapping is required in a WMSN, which is based on user linguistic quality of service (QoS) requirements and available resources to offer better communication services. This paper proposes an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS)-based resource mapping for video communications in WMSNs. Each sensor node is equipped with ANFIS, which employs three inputs (user QoS request, available node energy, and available node bandwidth) to predict the quality of the video output in terms of varying number of frames/second with either fixed or varying resolution. The sensor nodes periodically measure the available node energy and also the bandwidth. The spatial query processing in the proposed resource mapping works as follows. (i) The sink node receives the user query for some event. (ii) The sink node sends the query through an intermediate sensor node(s) and cluster head(s) in the path to an event node. A cluster head-based tree routing algorithm is used for routing. (iii) The query passes through ANFIS of intermediate sensor nodes and cluster heads, where each node predicts the quality of the video output. (iv) The event node chooses the minimum quality among all cluster heads and intermediate nodes in the path and transmits the video output. The work is simulated in different network scenarios to test the performance in terms of predicted frames/second and frame format. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed resource mapping is the first work in the area of sensor networks. The trained ANFIS predicts the output video quality in terms of number of frames/second (or H.264 video format) accurately for the given input.

The article explores the role of qualitative system dynamics (SD) in evaluating the information presented in corporate accounting reports. Particularly, this study focuses on a recent corporate report called integrated reporting (), and analyses the information using a specific qualitative SD technique, resource mapping, in order to visualize the key resources and their connections responsible for the performance of the organization. The study'; contribution is twofold. First, it provides insights on how to apply qualitative SD in the field of management accounting and corporate reporting. Second, it verifies the benefits of combining qualitative SD and corporate reporting tools to develop new knowledge useful to represent and face the dynamic complexity implicit in a business domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping from sentence phrases to knowledge graph resources is an important step for applications such as search engines, automatic question answering systems based on acknowledge base and knowledge graphs. The existing solution maps a simple phrase to a knowledge graph resource strictly or approximately from the text. However, it is difficult to detect phrases and map the composite semantic resource. This paper proposes a longest matching resource mapping scheme to solve this problem, namely, to find the longest substring in a sentence that can match the knowledge base resource. Based on this scheme, we propose an optimization algorithm based on state compression dynamic programming. Furthermore, we improve the operating efficiency by removing invalid states. Experimental results show that our proposed optimization algorithm considerably improves the efficiency of the benchmark algorithm in terms of running time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article builds on the current debate on how accounting tools can assist top management teams to manage their resources, while communicating a variety of data and information about value creation to their stakeholders. Within this debate, the study focuses on a recent tool for corporate reporting, the Integrated Reporting (〈IR〉), and investigates its utility to support the development of a holistic model for managing strategic resources to create value. To operationalize the 〈IR〉 according to this perspective, the article combines 〈IR〉 with the Dynamic Resource-Based View (DRBV) of the firm on the basis of their common idea that strategic resources are interconnected and have to be managed with the collaboration of all stakeholders in order to inform governance actions and create value with a holistic perspective. For the two case studies analyzed, the information provided by the two organizations' 〈IR〉 is specifically organized and re-framed using "resource mapping", which is a DRBV-based visual and analytical technique representing the causal relationships between resources and governance actions. In this way, we not only aim to re-organize and visualize existing information into a new form, but we also expect to describe and communicate the dominant logic in the business and the leverage points where the value creation process lies, supporting the usefulness of Integrated Reporting as a management and governance tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, geographic information system (GIS)-based methods and their applications in solar power system planning and design were reviewed. Three types of GIS-based studies, including those on solar radiation mapping, site evaluation, and potential assessment, were considered to elucidate the role of GISs as problem-solving tools in relation to photovoltaic and concentrated solar power systems for the conversion of solar energy into electricity. The review was performed by classifying previous GIS-based studies into several subtopics according to the complexity of the employed GIS-based methods, the type of solar power conversion technology, or the scale of the study area. Because GISs are appropriate for handling geospatial data related to solar resource and site suitability conditions on various scales, the applications of GIS-based methods in solar power system planning and design could be expanded further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trawling operations, extended wide and far, have resulted in the emergence of many non-conventional fishery resources. Apart from regular commercial crustacean resources of shrimps, crabs and lobsters, crucifix crab, C. feriatus, C. smithii and C lucifera are forming bulk catch in regular trawl fishery recently. The south-west coast of India contributes onethird of country’s stomatopod production in which Oratosquilla nepa contributes the maximum. Extension of fishing grounds has resulted in exploitation of larger-sized stomatopods Harpiosquilla harpax, which is edible. Present study aims at understanding the spatio-temporal distribution of these non-conventional resources, through GIS-based resource mapping which is indicative of their distribution and abundance. The study showed that there is good potential for commercial exploitation of non-conventional resources which can form a part of the commercial fishery in coming years to enrich the seafood availability and to provide new avenues for fishermen for maximising their returns from the fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale software define network resource mapping was a complicated problem which focused on the resource mapping model. In this paper, a solution based on simulated annealing algorithm has been proposed in which the feedback got greatly improvements, will be a specific implementation of the resource mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The participatory rural appraisals were exercised during 2014 in temperate Himalayas in eight gram panchayats of Sangrah block of district Sirmour of Himachal Pradesh. The purpose was to unravel the problems being faced by the farmers, prioritise them and devise apriori based solutions for the upliftment of the peasants. The project area had 22 villages spread over 5611.09 ha. Out of which, 701.02 ha was the cultivable area in the possession of 12906 cultivators. The area was rugged, had steep topography and was stratified into ladder type fields. The matrix analysis extrapolated the prime problem of monkey and wild animals menace. Other problems ranking in the descending order were: erratic irrigation and drinking water supply, lack of awareness about new techniques, ginger rot, poor connectivity by road and communication, migration of youth from villages to cities, unavailability of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers etc., soil erosion, hindrance due to local politics, erratic electricity supply, abandoned agriculture due to public distribution system, lacking minimum support price and crop insurance of each crop, unconsolidated land, lacking higher education facility, labour scarcity due to MGNREGA and migration, defunct apple cultivars, frequent blockage and breakage of irrigation kuhals (channels) and invasion of obnoxious weeds. The insight solutions and the unleashed problems lies in farming bi-pronged strategy which must concentrate on i) convergence of schemes, and ii) apriori based approaches for the upliftment of rural community of the temperate Himalayas. The outcome of the present study suggested seven proposals for improving income resources of hilly peasants.

Given the importance of food banks to the availability of accessible food, attention to the resilience of regional systems for bringing food from producers to distributors—including local food pantries—is of prime concern. By utilizing a partnership between Appalachian State University and Feeding America, through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, we gathered information regarding the capabilities of seven regional food pantries. This pilot study focused on the capabilities of the selected food pantries to provide food assistance, promote self-efficacy, and address root causes of hunger in their communities. We utilized a cross-sectional survey developed at the University of Oklahoma as well as descriptive statistics to create resource maps utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) software. This approach provided a model for an upcoming survey of three hundred food pantries located throughout the state of North Carolina to be implemented by Appalachian State University and research partners from the University of North Carolina. The larger study will expand knowledge regarding the best practices for food pantry operations, highlight opportunities to strengthen organizational capabilities including nutrition offerings and other wraparound services, support the development of resource maps to optimize the use of regional and self-efficacy-related resources for low-income clients and communities, and promote the expansion of opportunities for collaboration and funding. Ultimately, we plan to utilize statewide data to develop a Food Pantry Capability Index based on selected measures encompassing available food assets, financial resources, size of area served, population-specific demographics, and number and type of auxiliary services offered including economic development initiatives. Such an Index could be used nationwide to assess and improve overall food resiliency and self-efficacy for given communities, counties, regions, and states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion is increasingly used worldwide to generate energy from biogas, bringing significant economic and environmental benefits. In particular, in the European Union (EU), biogas can contribute significantly in several countries to reach the renewable energy targets. This study provides an assessment of the spatial distribution of the biogas potential of farm manure from livestock and poultry in Europe, which is a key issue for the location and economic performances of a bioenergy plant. Biogas estimates provided in this study are computed through a spatial analysis algorithm that uses data of livestock and poultry, manure production and collection, leading to the evaluation of the spatial distribution of biogas potential at 1 km spatial resolution. Following this analysis, the theoretical biogas potential of manure was estimated at 26 billion m 3 biomethane in Europe (23 billion m 3 biomethane in the EU) and the realistic biogas potential, counting on collectible manure, was assessed at 18 billion m 3 biomethane in Europe (16 billion m 3 biomethane in the EU). Several maps provide the suitable locations and capacity of manure-based biogas plants in two different scenarios. Between 13,866 and 19,482 biogas plants could be built in Europe, with a total installed capacity between 6144 MWe and 7145 MWe, and an average capacity between 315 kWe and 515 kWe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Optical remote sensing is an important tool in the study of animal behavior providing ecologists with the means to understand species–environment interactions in combination with animal movement data. However, differences in spatial and temporal resolution between movement and remote sensing data limit their direct assimilation. In this context, we built a data‐driven framework to map resource suitability that addresses these differences as well as the limitations of satellite imagery. It combines seasonal composites of multiyear surface reflectances and optimized presence and absence samples acquired with animal movement data within a cross‐validation modeling scheme. Moreover, it responds to dynamic, site‐specific environmental conditions making it applicable to contrasting landscapes. We tested this framework using five populations of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) to model resource suitability related to foraging achieving accuracies from 0.40 to 0.94 for presences and 0.66 to 0.93 for absences. These results were influenced by the temporal composition of the seasonal reflectances indicated by the lower accuracies associated with higher day differences in relation to the target dates. Additionally, population differences in resource selection influenced our results marked by the negative relationship between the model accuracies and the variability of the surface reflectances associated with the presence samples. Our modeling approach spatially splits presences between training and validation. As a result, when these represent different and unique resources, we face a negative bias during validation. Despite these inaccuracies, our framework offers an important basis to analyze species–environment interactions. As it standardizes site‐dependent behavioral and environmental characteristics, it can be used in the comparison of intra‐ and interspecies environmental requirements and improves the analysis of resource selection along migratory paths. Moreover, due to its sensitivity to differences in resource selection, our approach can contribute toward a better understanding of species requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the impression of decreasing ore grades and increasing production costs in conventional mining, seafloor minerals came into focus. Having gained a basic understanding of geological settings, there is still a lack of tools to assess and plan future mining projects in the deep-sea. This paper contributes to a mining concept which is inspired by the high-tech farming industry: strip mining. Potential mining fields are identified using image filters in conjunction with hydroacoustic backscatter data and slope angles and are portioned into long, narrow strips. In the framework of the EU-funded Blue Mining project, these methods were applied to a part of the eastern German exploration area, located in the manganese nodule belt of the Clarion Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean. Both, the mapping technique and the mining concept presented in this paper can be used in early-stage feasibility studies to derive estimates on production key figures for seafloor manganese nodule mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtualization technology boosts up traditional computing concept to cloud computing by introducing Virtual Machines (VMs) over the Physical Machines (PMs), which enables the cloud service providers to share the limited computing and network resources among multiple users. Virtual resource mapping can be defined as the process of embedding multiple VMs and their network resource demand onto multiple inter-connected PMs. The existing mechanisms of resource mapping need to be efficient enough to minimize the number of PMs without compromising the deadline of the tasks assigned to the VMs, which is NP-hard. To deal with this problem, a Link based Virtual Resource Management (LVRM) algorithm is designed to map the VMs onto PMs based on the available and required resources of the PMs and VMs, respectively. The designed algorithm exploits the fact that the demanded network bandwidth among VMs should be given higher priority while allocating the physical resources to the inter-connected virtual machines as insufficient network bandwidth may detain the task execution. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by a discrete event simulator and is compared with similar virtual network embedded algorithms. Simulation results show that LVRM can outperform over other network embedded algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, geographic information system (GIS)-based methods and their applications in solar power system planning and design were reviewed. Three types of GIS-based studies, including those on solar radiation mapping, site evaluation, and potential assessment, were considered to elucidate the role of GISs as problem-solving tools in relation to photovoltaic and concentrated solar power systems for the conversion of solar energy into electricity. The review was performed by classifying previous GIS-based studies into several subtopics according to the complexity of the employed GIS-based methods, the type of solar power conversion technology, or the scale of the study area. Because GISs are appropriate for handling geospatial data related to solar resource and site suitability conditions on various scales, the applications of GIS-based methods in solar power system planning and design could be expanded further.

Background: Mapping of resources helps us in identifying those resources which can be used more pragmatically, for interventions and programs related to human health especially during emergency conditions. Resource mapping identifies the resources that can realistically be used for health related interventions, programs and during an emergency. Aim and Objectives: The primary objective was to locate the basic healthcare related resources available in that area. Secondary objectives were to Understand and compare these resources along certain important dimensions using qualitative research methods and to identify possible existing gaps, share the results with the local stakeholders and suggest effective interventions. Material & Methods: Manual mapping method was used to locate the available healthcare related services in urban slum area. FGDs were held to compare utilization of resources along eight dimensions. In depth interviews were held with existing healthcare service providers, stakeholders and local residents to assess their utilization and needs. Results Existing health services used by community were local herbal clinic, district hospital, Anganwadi Centre, mobile clinic, wellness clinic and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur. Conclusions The manual mapping and qualitative techniques used showed that existing resources lacked in (a) providing in situ primary care (b) clinical services by a female gynecologist (c) health education services to address existing drug addiction and substance abuse. This exercise helped in rapid need assessment and prioritizing of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scenarios are tools that help managers to identify critical uncertainties and describe possible futures; they typically focus on an organisation's external environment. Scenarios are often used by organisations to explore how their external environment may develop in the future and to consider its impact on their strategy. However, in order to develop strategy, an organisation needs also to consider the internal environment, in terms of its resources and capabilities, such as that presented within the Resource-Based View of the firm (RBV). This paper proposes a novel methodology for enhancing the scenario method through its serial integration with a method from the RBV field, namely that of resource mapping. The methodology provides the ability to support the "rehearsal" of a firm's strategic performance over time by exploring how the firm's resources and capabilities interact with the competitive environment and with the various scenarios. We illustrate our proposed method with an example of its use in a teaching setting by a group of postgraduate students along with a short description of its application within a company. We reflect on the design of the method and the early experiences of using it. The main contribution of the proposed method is that it provides an integrated approach linking scenarios with strategy development and evaluation. The paper ends with suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the ultimate mechanisms driving bat fatalities at wind turbines (i.e., the reason why bats are coming in close proximity to wind turbines) could inform more effective impact reduction strategies. One hypothesis is that bats come into close proximity to turbines due to existing resources (e.g., roosting sites) in the immediate area. Thus, if resource hotspots for bats could be identified in areas proposed for wind energy development, then fatalities could be reduced by siting turbines away from such hotspots. To explore this, we conducted a resource mapping exercise at a 48 km2 wind energy facility in north-central Texas. We mapped known resources (such as water sources, roosting sites, foraging sites, and commuting routes) for the 6 bat species present and compared resource availability with observed fatalities and acoustic activity. Although resource mapping identified concentrations of known resources for all species, it did not predict bat activity or fatalities. For example, Lasiurus cinereus and Lasiurus borealis comprised >90% of the fatalities, yet we found no positive relationship between resource availability and fatalities or acoustic activity for either species. Furthermore, up to 33% of these fatalities occurred at turbines without known resources within 200 m of the turbines, demonstrating that the fine-scale distribution of resources may not effectively inform turbine siting for these two migratory species. The challenge, therefore, remains to determine why bats during the migratory season are coming in close proximity with wind turbines.

Network-on-chip-based heterogeneous multiprocessor system-on-a chip (NoC-HMPSoC) a single board computer is extensively utilized in many real-time applications such as mobile edge computing (MEC), cyber-physical systems, smart phones, driverless vehicles, and real-time embedded systems due to its flexible communication architecture, switching network, excellent performance, and energy efficiency. Despite its benefits, task scheduling and appropriate resource allocation is still an non-polynomial hard problem. NoC-HMPSoC includes heterogeneous processors along with interconnected communication routing structure which creates more complexity in task and resource scheduling. In this paper, a new task classification and low-complex resource mapping heuristics are developed to deal with mixed-critical workloads execution targeted on NoC-HMPSoC architecture. To minimize runtime scheduling cost, the deadline-based task classification (DBTC) heuristic divides the workload into three distinct classes depending on their deadline and inter-arrival limitations. The mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) statistical model, which improved task miss ratio with greater time complexity, is used to schedule the categorized task sets. Static resource mapping (SRM) and load-based dynamic resource mapping (LBDRM) heuristics are created to allocate mixed-critical activities into NoC-HMPSoC in order to overcome this. The suggested framework is a list-based scheduler that processes tasks on an unchanging processor using the SRM algorithm and prioritizes them depending on the tasks' earliest finish times. The LBDRM technique is then used to dynamically reallocate mixed-critical task groups among heterogeneous processors based on the load factor and task utilization factor. The time complexity of DBTC algorithm is O(log n) where 'n' is the task nodes, and the time complexity of the proposed scheduling heuristics are O(n2 * m) for larger graphs. The proposed framework performs classification, mapping, and scheduling in an integrated manner that is experimentally evaluated on the Samsung Exynos 5422 NoC-HMPSoC and Intel Xeon cloud server for E3S sysmark mobile benchmark workloads. Averagely 65%, 33%, is improved in execution time reduction and 45%, 36% reduction in energy consumption and 56%, 32% than JRFS-HRFS and ARSH-FATI methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is facing serious energy crises. Presently the energy supplies are primarily fulfilled by natural gas and imported oil. The energy deficit is a major constraint to economic growth. However, Pakistan is blessed with natural resources, which can be utilized to tackle the energy deficit. Compared to other renewable energy technologies, tidal energy is still not capitalized in Pakistan. It was estimated that around 900 MW power can be generated from tidal currents in the Indus Delta Creek areas. Among all creeks Chan Waddo, Korangi, Paitiani, Kajhar and Khai creeks have the highest power potentials. In this study, a GIS based approach was used to analysee the sustainable use of the estimated tidal current power potential. The proximity of power potential sites to power grid, urban area, built up land and road network for easy access demonstrate the sustainable use of this energy. Results showed that energy generated at these potential sites can be utilized in many ways as Korangi creek, Chann Waddo creek and Phitti are close to Karachi, while there are several towns in the vicinity of Pitiani creek and Khai creek. Other potential sites are close to the planned city Zulfikarabad. As the tidal current potential of the Indus delta creek system is encouraging, it can be considered in future energy policies and sustainable development strategies for a green and sustainable Pakistan. Therefore, it is highly recommended that further research and pilot projects should be commenced on priority basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, Africa faces the challenge of generating more electricity to meet existing and future demand in a sustainable way. Africa is a privileged continent in terms of wind resource regime. However, very little of this has been utilized. It is thus essential to identify and define the amount of wind energy that could be technically exploited on the continent. The utilization of wind energy is associated with a myriad of localization criteria and thus it should be systematically addressed by spatial assessments to guarantee its harmonization with socio-economic systems, infrastructure and ecosystems. This study focuses on onshore wind power on the African continent and strives to provide estimates of theoretical, geographical and technical potential based on state of the art wind power technology. Maps of wind power potential at 80 m, which is the hub height of a modern wind turbine will be derived via statistical distribution of wind speed data and implementation of wind power curves. Screening criteria regarding the localization of wind farms and related to socio-economic and geographic constraints are outlined and implemented through a thorough GIS analysis. The results of this work are presented and compared with similar approaches and significant conclusions are drawn. Based on the analysis there are some countries that signify high yearly wind energy yield, such as South Africa, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Mauritania, Tunisia and Morocco, whilst Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Central African Republic, Burundi, Liberia, Benin and Togo indicate the least wind power potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing demand for high performance computing and data storage, distributed computing systems have attracted a lot of attention. To have a cost efficient usage of comput ing resources, resource scalability and on demand services are required through virtualization and distributed computing. Service charges and business costs both should known by the service provider for the profit maximization. These are determined by the multi server system configuration and the applications. Optimizations of computing and networking resources need to be jointly performed. The problem of optimal multi server configuration for profit maximization in cloud computing takes such factors as the service provider's margin and profit, the quality of service(QoS), the cost of renting, the cost of energy consumption, the workload of an application, the service level agreement(SLA), the configuration of multi server system, the amount of service. Optimization problem can be formulated and solved analytically by using M/M/m queuing model in multi server system configuration. As a framework to virtual resource mapping , a mixed integer programming(MIP) problem is formulated which relates to cost efficiency of resource mapping procedure. The link mapping can be achieved by multi commodity flow allocation problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data centers, which implement cloud service, have been faced up with quick growth of energy consumption and low efficiency of energy. 60GHz wireless communication technology, as a new option to data centers, can provide feasible approach to alleviate the problems. Aiming at energy optimization in 60GHz wireless data centers (WDCs), we investigate virtualization technology to assign virtual resources to minimum number of servers, and turn off other servers or adjust them to the state of low power. By comprehensive analysis of wireless data centers, we model virtual network and physical network in WDCs firstly, and propose Virtual Resource Mapping Packing Algorithm (VRMPA) to solve energy management problems. According to VRMPA, we adopt packing algorithm and sort physical resource only once, which improves efficiency of virtual resource allocation. Simulation results show that, under the condition of guaranteeing network load, VPMPA algorithm can achieve better virtual request acceptance rate and higher utilization rate of energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cloud represents a computing paradigm where shared configurable resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Adding intra- or intercloud communication resources to the resource mix leads to a networked cloud computing environment. Following the cloud infrastructure as a Service paradigm and in order to create a flexible management framework, it is of paramount importance to address efficiently the resource mapping problem within this context. To deal with the inherent complexity and scalability issue of the resource mapping problem across different administrative domains, in this paper a hierarchical framework is described. First, a novel request partitioning approach based on Iterated Local Search is introduced that facilitates the cost-efficient and online splitting of user requests among eligible cloud service providers (CPs) within a networked cloud environment. Following and capitalizing on the outcome of the request partitioning phase, the embedding phase—where the actual mapping of requested virtual to physical resources is performed can be realized through the use of a distributed intracloud resource mapping approach that allows for efficient and balanced allocation of cloud resources. Finally, a thorough evaluation of the proposed overall framework on a simulated networked cloud environment is provided and critically compared against an exact request partitioning solution as well as another common intradomain virtual resource embedding solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing builds upon advances on virtualization and distributed computing to support cost-efficient usage of computing resources, emphasizing on resource scalability and on demand services. Moving away from traditional data-center oriented models, distributed clouds extend over a loosely coupled federated substrate, offering enhanced communication and computational services to target end-users with quality of service (QoS) requirements, as dictated by the future Internet vision. Toward facilitating the efficient realization of such networked computing environments, computing and networking resources need to be jointly treated and optimized. This requires delivery of user-driven sets of virtual resources, dynamically allocated to actual substrate resources within networked clouds, creating the need to revisit resource mapping algorithms and tailor them to a composite virtual resource mapping problem. In this paper, toward providing a unified resource allocation framework for networked clouds, we first formulate the optimal networked cloud mapping problem as a mixed integer programming (MIP) problem, indicating objectives related to cost efficiency of the resource mapping procedure, while abiding by user requests for QoS-aware virtual resources. We subsequently propose a method for the efficient mapping of resource requests onto a shared substrate interconnecting various islands of computing resources, and adopt a heuristic methodology to address the problem. The efficiency of the proposed approach is illustrated in a simulation/emulation environment, that allows for a flexible, structured, and comparative performance evaluation. We conclude by outlining a proof-of-concept realization of our proposed schema, mounted over the European future Internet test-bed FEDERICA, a resource virtualization platform augmented with network and computing facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Human influenza infection poses a serious public health threat in Cambodia, a country at risk for the emergence and spread of novel influenza viruses with pandemic potential. Prior pandemics demonstrated the adverse impact of influenza on poor communities in developing countries. Investigation of healthcare resource distribution can inform decisions regarding resource mobilization and investment for pandemic mitigation. Methods: A health facility survey performed across Cambodia obtained data on availability of healthcare resources important for pandemic influenza response. Focusing on five key resources considered most necessary for treating severe influenza (inpatient beds, doctors, nurses, oseltamivir, and ventilators), resource distributions were analyzed at the Operational District (OD) and Province levels, refining data analysis from earlier studies. Resources were stratified by respondent type (hospital vs. District Health Office [DHO]). A summary index of distribution inequality was calculated using the Gini coefficient. Indices for local spatial autocorrelation were measured at the OD level using geographical information system (GIS) analysis. Finally, a potential link between socioeconomic status and resource distribution was explored by mapping resource densities against poverty rates. Results: Gini coefficient calculation revealed variable inequality in distribution of the five key resources at the Province and OD levels. A greater percentage of the population resides in areas of relative under-supply (28.5%) than over-supply (21.3%). Areas with more resources per capita showed significant clustering in central Cambodia while areas with fewer resources clustered in the northern and western provinces. Hospital-based inpatient beds, doctors, and nurses were most heavily concentrated in areas of the country with the lowest poverty rates; however, beds and nurses in Non-Hospital Medical Facilities (NHMF) showed increasing concentrations at higher levels of poverty. Conclusions: There is considerable heterogeneity in healthcare resource distribution across Cambodia. Distribution mapping at the local level can inform policy decisions on where to stockpile resources in advance of and for reallocation in the event of a pandemic. These findings will be useful in determining future health resource investment, both for pandemic preparedness and for general health system strengthening, and provide a foundation for future analyses of equity in health services provision for pandemic mitigation planning in Cambodia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: A geodatabase of tidal constituents is developed to present the regional assessment of tidal stream power resource in the USA. Tidal currents are numerically modeled with the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and calibrated with the available measurements of tidal current speeds and water level surfaces. The performance of the numerical model in predicting the tidal currents and water levels is assessed by an independent validation. The geodatabase is published on a public domain via a spatial database engine with interactive tools to select, query and download the data. Regions with the maximum average kinetic power density exceeding 500W/m2 (corresponding to a current speed of ∼1m/s), total surface area larger than 0.5km2 and depth greater than 5m are defined as hotspots and documented. The regional assessment indicates that the state of Alaska (AK) has the largest number of locations with considerably high kinetic power density, followed by, Maine (ME), Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), California (CA), New Hampshire (NH), Massachusetts (MA), New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ), North and South Carolina (NC, SC), Georgia (GA), and Florida (FL). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: There is increasing perception that countries cannot work in isolation to militate against the threat of pandemic influenza. In the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) of Asia, high socio-economic diversity and fertile conditions for the emergence and spread of infectious diseases underscore the importance of transnational cooperation. Investigation of healthcare resource distribution and inequalities can help determine the need for, and inform decisions regarding, resource sharing and mobilisation. Methods: We collected data on healthcare resources deemed important for responding to pandemic influenza through surveys of hospitals and district health offices across four countries of the GMS (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam). Focusing on four key resource types (oseltamivir, hospital beds, ventilators, and health workers), we mapped and analysed resource distributions at province level to identify relative shortages, mismatches, and clustering of resources. We analysed inequalities in resource distribution using the Gini coefficient and Theil index. Results: Three quarters of the Cambodian population and two thirds of the Laotian population live in relatively underserved provinces (those with resource densities in the lowest quintile across the region) in relation to health workers, ventilators, and hospital beds. More than a quarter of the Thai population is relatively underserved for health workers and oseltamivir. Approximately one fifth of the Vietnamese population is underserved for beds and ventilators. All Cambodian provinces are underserved for at least one resource. In Lao PDR, 11 percent of the population is underserved by all four resource items. Of the four resources, ventilators and oseltamivir were most unequally distributed. Cambodia generally showed higher levels of inequalities in resource distribution compared to other countries. Decomposition of the Theil index suggests that inequalities result principally from differences within, rather than between, countries. Conclusions: There is considerable heterogeneity in healthcare resource distribution within and across countries of the GMS. Most inequalities result from within countries. Given the inequalities, mismatches, and clustering of resources observed here, resource sharing and mobilization in a pandemic scenario could be crucial for more effective and equitable use of the resources that are available in the GMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of programming many-core architectures efficiently and effectively requires models and methods to co-design chip architectures and their software tool chain, using an approach that is both vertical and general. In this paper, we present compilation schemes for a general model of concurrency captured in a parallel language designed for system-level programming and as a target for higher level compilers. We also expose the challenges of integrating these transformation rules into a sequential-oriented compiler. Moreover, we discuss resource mapping inherent to those challenges. Our aim has been to reuse as much of the existing sequential compiler technology as possible in order to harness decades of prior research in compiling sequential languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined approach utilizing GIS, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) has been developed for resource mapping in a rural poverty-prone area of Bangladesh. This model integrated GIS and participatory tools to include the voices of the stakeholders in assessing available resources and needs. The resource mapping framework, developed using PRA with local community people and community gatekeepers, was aimed at sustainable resource management, and ArcView GIS was used to digitize the resource maps as a Decision Support System (DSS). A detailed assessment and analysis of the quality, quantity and physical status of resources was first mapped in the field and then digitized using GIS. FGD-based interaction with community people at each union in a subdistrict of Bangladesh revealed stakeholders’ opinions on land and water body management. The present paper demonstrates the power of this model as a policy-making tool for sustainable development and poverty eradication. It also recognized the need for collaboration between interdisciplinary policy planners and researchers to develop and implement a policy on agricultural resource management for poverty-prone areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study digital image processing for physiographic analysis and soil resource mapping of Solani watershed was carried out using satellite remote sensing data and GIS. Digital image processing of satellite data facilitated in accurately delineating and identifying various soil mapping units. The physiography of the study area is mainly influenced by denudational and colluvial processes in the upper part and by sedimentation processes in the lower part. Topography of the land and nature of parent material along with the time factor seemed to have played a vital role in the genesis of soils. Majority of the mapping units are Typic Haplustepts with Entisols and Inceptisols being the major soil orders. The soils of the Siwalik hills experiences severe erosion, which prevents the maturation of soil profile. The present study demonstrated that satellite remote sensing and GIS is a valuable tool for physiographic analysis and soil resource mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decarbonization of electricity use has become indispensable in the fight against climate change and can be seen as a business opportunity. Investing in green electricity is becoming a trend and, in the microalgae industry, the initiative can improve the sustainability of the processes and products. In this sense, we seek to assess the environmental and economic sustainability of the commercial microalgae-based products by the solar–wind hybrid renewable electricity integration into manufacturing processes. Besides that, geospatial variability and availability of hybrid renewable electricity resources have been mapped. The results indicate that the production of 1 ton/month of the main commercial microalgae-based products (whole dry biomass, β-carotene, phycocyanin, astaxanthin, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid), using solar-wind electricity saves on the order of 70 to 89% of the environmental impacts in the categories of ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, photochemical ozone creation potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, and ecotoxicity. Also indicate that the implementation of an on-grid solar-wind electrical system can reduce the plant's electricity invoice by more than 80% per year. The greatest theoretical potential for implementing solar-wind systems is experienced in West and North Africa, Australasia, and the Middle East. The results found in this study provide substantial evidence that investing in renewable electricity can bring environmental and economic benefits. • The impact of hybrid renewable electricity integration in microalgae facilities was assessed. • The implementation of a hybrid system generates environmental and economic benefits. • Hybrid electricity consumption saves 87–89% in the global warming and acidification impacts. • Hybrid system implementation can reduce the electricity invoice by more than 80% per year. • West and North Africa, Australasia, and the Middle East present potential for hybrid systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Grid information system should rely upon two basic features: the replication and dissemination of information about Grid services and resources, and the distribution of such information among Grid hosts. This paper examines an approach based on ant systems to replicate and map Grid services information on Grid hosts according to the semantic classification of such services. The Ant-based Replication and MApping Protocol (ARMAP) is used to disseminate resource information by a decentralized mechanism, and its effectiveness is evaluated by means of an entropy index. Information is disseminated by agents – ants – that traverse the Grid by exploiting P2P interconnections among Grid hosts. A mechanism inspired by real ants’ pheromone is used by each agent to autonomously drive its behavior on the basis of its interaction with the environment. “Swarm Intelligence” emerges from the activity of a high number of ants. The ARMAP protocol enables the use of a semi-informed search algorithm which can drive query messages towards a cluster of peers having information about resources belonging to the requested class. A simulation analysis has been performed to evaluate the performance of ARMAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a graph-based Grid workflow language that is based on the formalism of Petri nets and the corresponding workflow enactment machine, developed by the author within the Fraunhofer Resource Grid in Germany. The workflow enactment machine supports dynamic refinement of workflows during runtime and automatic mapping of abstract jobs onto concrete Grid resources, which are accessed by means of the Globus Toolkit. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A quad-form clustering approach targeting the long compilation time overhead in reconfigurable computing systems. • Formulating the resource mapping problem in matrix form. • Solving the mapping problem in multi-levels including intra and inter-cluster parts. • A novel analytical resource distance estimation for computing the cluster mapping cost. • A customized application partitioning algorithm matching the proposed quad-form resource clustering. Reconfigurable Computing (RC) systems with hardware implementation feature demonstrated a promising solution for the demand of enormous processing power. However, RC systems suffer from long compilation phases when preparing large-scale applications to execute on reconfigurable hardware. In this paper, a novel quad-form clustered approach has been introduced to manage the hardware resources with low overhead and acceptable quality. For this purpose, two quad-form resource clustering and application partitioning algorithms are proposed to solve the entire mapping problem in intra and inter-cluster parts. Moreover, an analytical distance estimation is derived to properly manage clustered resources in the reconfigurable hardware. Several extensive experimental scenarios on both synthetic and real applications have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in comparison with the state-of-art methods and the results showed that significant improvements have been achieved in terms of quality and time overhead for large-scale applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides an assessment of micro-wind energy potential within the 170 districts in Ghana with more focus on a distributed electricity system for district household electrification. The wind resource is assessed based on three main potentials, the theoretical, the geographical and the technical; these included an assessment of localised wind power densities, necessary environmental conditions of the terrain suitable for wind turbine installation as well as the energy generated by the turbine within the districts. The study was done using wind speed data at a hub of 50 m and then interpolated to a 1 km by 1 km grid cell to enhance granularity and localisation of the geospatial assessment of results. All input datasets were interpolated to this effect. The study is based on a single turbine model; V52/850 and used its power curve to determine the maximum energy output per grid cell. Results of the analysis are visualised using high resolution maps. Results of the analysis show that, areas along the coast and the middle belt areas show high potential with annual production more than a 2,000 GWhy−1 per square kilometre. • Micro-scaling and localisation of wind resource mapping provides higher WPD compared to mesoscale assessment. • About 86% of Ghana's Onshore area; ∼198, 649 km2 is geographically ideal for wind energy production. • Ghana has total theoretical onshore Wind Power Density of approx. 0.04 MW km2. • Places with high potential generated over 2,000 GWhy−1 of energy per km2. • About 300 TWh of wind energy can be deployed annually in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As conservation landscapes are threatened by global change, there is a growing need to understand relationships between human livelihoods and environmental processes. This often involves integrating multiple data sources capturing different scales of measurement. Participatory methods have emerged as a means to accomplish this, but are hampered by a wide range of challenges associated with data collection and translation. Here, we present a novel methodology for mapping human use of natural resources that overcomes many of the difficulties faced in participatory mapping. Based in the world's largest terrestrial transfrontier conservation area, we couple household surveys with in-situ fine-scale mapping to identify key resource areas that support local livelihoods. This allows for a spatially referenced human use 'footprint' that can be combined with remotely-sensed data measuring environmental impact. This methodology is applicable across contexts and has implications for landscape management and conservation. • There is a need to understand relationships between human livelihoods and environmental processes. • Participatory methods are hampered by challenges associated with data collection and translation. • We present a novel methodology for mapping human use of natural resources. • We pair household surveys with in-situ mapping to identify natural resource collection patterns. • This method integrates remotely-sensed data with community knowledge in a minimally biased way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main objectives of human society in the present century is to achieve clean and sustainable energy through utilization of renewable energy sources (RESs). In this paper, the main purpose is to identify the locations that are suitable for solar energy in the Kurdistan province of Iran. Initially, solar-related data are collected, and suitable criterion and assessment methods are chosen according to the available data. Then, the theoretical potential of solar energy is assessed and the solar radiation map is prepared. Moreover, the technical potential of various solar technologies is evaluated in that study area. These technologies include concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) in power plant applications, and rooftop PV panels and solar water heaters in general applications. The results show that the Kurdistan province has the potential capacity for 691 MW of solar photovoltaic power plants and 645 MW of CSP plants. In the case of using solar water heaters, 283 million cubic meters of natural gas and 1.2 million liters of gasoline could be saved in fuel consumption. The savings in the application of domestic PV will be 10.2 MW in power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]